Street Fighter characters join the Season 3 roster of fighting card game Exceed

It had to happen: Exceed is finally crossing over with seminal fighting video game series Street Fighter in the upcoming third season of the fast-paced two-player card game.

Exceed: Season 3 will include a dozen characters from Street Fighter, including Ryu, Ken, M. Bison, Zangief, Chun-Li, Guile and Sagat.

There are some iconic names and faces missing – we’d love to see Blanka – but publisher Level 99 has teased plans to increase the line-up in the future, saying “we have more plans with this series to announce next year”.

The roster will be divided into three separate boxes, each with four fighters, which will cost a very reasonable $30 (£23) in the US when they’re released in January – no Kickstarter here. (There is a pre-order bundle with all three boxes and an exclusive playmat for $100 (£78) on Level 99’s site, but shipping to the UK will add a whopping $53 (£41) to that price.)

Level 99 has confirmed that the game will be coming to Europe around the same time, with shops getting free demo decks featuring the classic Ryu and Ken matchup.

Exceed’s take on Street Fighter is more than just visual, too. Season 3 will introduce a new gameplay element based on Street Fighter V’s V-Trigger mechanic. Characters can spend a gauge – which regenerates quicker than previous Exceed seasons – to activate ‘critical triggers’ on their card, revealing some information about the incoming attack to their opponent but ups its overall power. In keeping with the feel of Street Fighter, ultra attacks have also been reduced in cost.

As with previous Exceed releases, the Street Fighter gang in Season 3 will be compatible with the 40 characters of the other boxes, meaning you can form custom matchups as you please and continue that debate over whether Ryu or Ken is best.