Fighting Games Friday: Believe in Granblue Fantasy Versus’ Future Victory

Publisher Cygames’ sponsorship of the Evo 2018 tournament/event last year was a sure sign that they were willing to officially enter the fighting game realm, and that’s coming in the form of Granblue Fantasy Versus. True to its name, it’s a fighting adaptation of their overwhelmingly successful Granblue Fantasy mobile (and microtransaction-heavy, of course) RPG featuring its popular characters, handled by Guilty Gear, Blazblue, and Dragon Ball FighterZ-developer Arc System Works. The game uses the same graphics style as the Guilty Gear Xrd titles and FighterZ, featuring a nigh-seamless blend between 2D and 3D elements.

Versus’ promotional cycle has been quick, as the closed beta is happening as we speak on PlayStation 4 only half a year after the reveal. That’s good, but actually playing it has been a slight hassle. With its nature as a closed beta, anyone who wanted to try it out had to complete an application and hope Cygames would send them a code. Unlike other betas, this one also requires having a PlayStation Plus account instead of being open to anyone with access to PlayStation Network. Lastly, the times for the test periods are a bit inconvenient depending on where you are. The first one started at 5AM ET this morning and lasted until 10AM ET, hardly a good time for most in the United States, and maybe not in Europe. Fortunately, the other times are better, starting at 9PM ET tonight and noon tomorrow (June 1st).

Since I forgot to fill out the application to get a code in time, I can’t give you any hands-on impressions here. But don’t leave! The gameplay guide posted before the beta started contains plenty of info worth discussing, which includes basic system information and move lists for all the characters available.

Several of the main gameplay functions are similar to other Arc System Works games, with this title having three attack buttons and one reserved for a unique action, reminiscent of the Blazblue games. The biggest basic additions are Evading and Crossing Over, done by moving back or toward the opponent, respectively, and pressing R2. Crossing Over involves moving forward while dodging attacks, meaning every character has an easy way to dodge projectiles. This could make some of them tough to land, depending on their speed and other actions characters can take after performing them.

Arc System Works and Cygames discussed how much easier this game would be to play compared to their other titles, and it’s easy to see what they meant. Skills (special techniques) and Arts (super techniques) are easier to do when inputting a simple motion and pressing R1, but that’s only half the story. The game includes the option to perform them with more complicated commands too, with motions similar to other fighting games. Every technique has cooldown, attached to a meter and small icons below each character’s HP Gauge. Interestingly, the cooldown is faster for anyone who uses the tougher commands, meaning anyone who can input them as well as a player who relies on easier inputs will have a notable advantage.

Reports from those who’ve played the beta have claimed it’s the easiest Arc System Works game to get into yet, more so than FighterZ and Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle. But it’s deep enough to impress those who enjoy old school fighters too. Interestingly enough, some of those same players claimed its flow is more reminiscent of an old Capcom fighter than any of ArcSys’ other games. I’d love to relay my own experience to you here, but… well, you know.

I haven’t posted about Versus since its announcement in December. At the time, Gran, Katalina, Charlotta, Lancelot, and Ferry had been introduced, the characters that happen to be playable in the beta. Two more have been revealed since then. One is Lowain, who worked as a cook until he was entranced by Katalina, and decided to join Gran’s crew afterward. He fights with a dagger, and can summon his homeboys for assistance. The other character is Ladiva, who identifies as “she” despite a masculine appearance. She’s a loving and compassionate person who’s the star duelist of the Jewel Resort Casino Liner, and uses wrestling moves in her attacks. I’m not sure if she’s transgender, but if so, hopefully her appearance and background are handled well. A Japanese game potentially including a trans character makes me nervous for good reason.

It’s tough to tell precisely how large the overall roster will be, though the slow pace at which remaining characters are being revealed suggests it will be in the teens. This would match other first installments in previous non-tag team Arc System Works titles. There are plenty of Granblue Fantasy characters to choose from (even when the special event versions of characters aren’t included), so someone will undoubtedly be disappointed when the final roster leaves out their favorite.

Granblue Fantasy Versus is due for a release by the end of this year. More characters should be revealed soon, and it would be a surprise if Cygames didn’t have something special to present at Evo given their sponsorship of it last year.