I really enjoy playing fighting games. I am not the best at them but I am not really trying to be. I just enjoy exploring their worlds for the small bits of lore and having fun with the mechanics more than anything. So, when a fighter like Granblue Fantasy Versus appears, it is a perfect match for me! Prior to E3 2019, I had never heard of Granblue Fantasy, a mobile game by Cygames that is popular in Japan. At my Xseed Games appointment, I was introduced to the fighter and it left a wonderful first impression. Finally, the full game is available on PlayStation 4 with a PC release coming in roughly 2 weeks and Granblue Fantasy Versus provides far more than just a good first impression!
Story
Join Gran, Vyrn, and Lyria as they adventure through the skies! On their way to reunite with Katalina, their 4th companion, and friend, They are attacked by soldiers of the empire who are insistent on capturing Lyria. To everyone’s surprise, this attack is being led by Katalina herself, who was one of the people originally responsible for saving Lyria in the first place. Something weird is going on and it is up to Gran and his companions to figure out why their former friends have suddenly betrayed them and if they can be saved.
Gameplay
One of the best things about Granblue Fantasy Versus is its immediate approachability. The game is set up in such a way that it can scale well through different experience levels. Instead of relying solely on button combos to perform special moves, a series of hotkeys consisting of R1 and a direction are available for players to use to quickly execute their moves. Now you might be afraid that this would lead to attack spamming, but thanks to a clever cooldown system this isn’t the case. More experienced fighting game players can still enter traditional button commands to launch specials and they are rewarded for doing so. Unlike the quick command, inputting the combos manually doesn’t come with a cooldown timer, allowing you to pull them off as needed. There are even powered up versions of these specials but using them will once again result in a cooldown period before it can be used again.
Being an average fighting game player, I found myself often trying to use both methods of input. Some specials I can pull off without any trouble but some give me issues, so having the hotkey is a lifesaver. I love being able to still use a character despite not being the best with them, and have an enjoyable time all the same! In total there are currently 11 fighters available with 5 DLC fighters planned for release between now and April. The first dropped today if you are feeling up to an additional purchase. I am really not a fan of DLC releases like this but that seems to be the way fighting games have operated over the last 10 years… Each character is unique in their abilities and I had fun messing around with all of them during my review period. This might actually be the first time I have felt this way, as there are plenty of characters I just can’t stand touching in most fighters. I will chalk it up to the hotkeys!
Unlike Arc System Works’ previous work on Dragon Ball FighterZ, which involved 3 player teams and an insane amount of juggling, Granblue Fantasy Versus brings back intense 1-on-1 battle. Combos are still a thing, but due to knockback and knocking down a character you won’t find them as easy to execute in the center of the 8 available stages. Driving your opponent to the sides of the arena to deliver more consecutive combos was often my tactic of choice as it does lead to much more damage. Blocking oncoming attacks to prevent the same thing happening to yourself is also key to winning. You can also perform dodges while blocking, similar to those found in Smash Bros., adding another layer of depth to your strategies. Granblue Fantasy Versus does offer up a nice selection of tutorials to help you get down the basics and advanced techniques if you are needing additional help.
On top of the standard versus, arcade, and training modes, Granblue Fantasy Versus offers up a unique RPG Mode to deliver story elements. This mode functions differently from the traditional fighting modes by placing the player in side-scrolling levels and tasking them with defeating enemies. Enemies in this mode range from basic creatures and soldiers all the way to one of the other playable characters. Defeating them adds them to your available roster to play as in later missions. Defeating enemies also nets you treasures that you can then later use to upgrade weapons and characters. Each mission also includes a number of bonus objectives to hit for additional unlocks. RPG Mode also allows for 2 player co-op which was a fantastic option and helped make the mode that much better for me. It took me about 8 hours to finish my playthrough of the RPG Mode. A harder difficulty and number of other bonuses for Granblue Fantasy players unlock after completing the mode.
The last aspect of Granblue Fantasy Versus I want to touch on is the online multiplayer. I was able to find matches just fine before the official North American release, but a number of them were out of region resulting in occasional lag stutters. After trying out the mode today I haven’t found any serious lag issues. Wait times have also been decent for me and I expect more players to come to the game through its life.
Visuals
When I first played Granblue Fantasy Versus, it was the striking visuals that initially drew me in. The colorful artwork of the characters combined with the interesting backgrounds is just fantastic! Animations are also super fascinating to me as they appear film-ish while the game runs at full speed. I am also a fan of the pre-fight cutscenes that give each battle a sense of purpose, despite being relatively the same each fight. All in all, this is by far one of the prettiest games I think I have ever played!
Sound
For a fighting game of this style, I don’t usually expect much from the sound production but Granblue Fantasy Versus delivers on every front. English voice overs sound really good and for the most part, avoid cringe moments. Though one particular moment when my dragon companion Vryn said tubular is the right kind of cringe in my mind! For fans of Japanese voiceovers, the option is available if you so choose. Music for the game is also beautifully orchestrated and I can listen to it for hours. Finally, the sounds of battles are spot on and everything sounds nice and crisp.
What It Could Have Done Better
Despite loving the game quite a bit there are some things to note about Granblue Fantasy Versus for potential buyers. First off is the DLC practices the game is already employing. 11 Base characters with a new DLC fighter available to purchase on Day 1 is not the best look. It also hurts a little to hear that a second DLC roster is already in the works as the first one is starting to release. If you are a regular fighting game player this practice should come as no surprise, but it never gets easier to swallow. The second thing to keep in mind is that the RPG Mode can get a bit repetitive. Due to wanting to see the story elements I wasn’t bothered so much by this, but I don’t think I will be trying to beat it on hard anytime soon.
Verdict
Granblue Fantasy Versus has been one of my favorite fighters to play in recent memory with fun combat, striking visuals, and a good amount of lore to keep me interested. The insane approachability also means that whether you are an FGC champ or a complete fighting game newcomer you can play this game and enjoy it! In the end, it is likely another version of the game will be released in a year’s time to include all the additionally released content. Fighting game DLC practices aside there is a lot of content included in the base package to love if you do decide to jump in early.
