Reissued on Wednesday, August 31, 2022: We’re retrieving this review from the archives following the September PlayStation Plus lineup announcement. The original text follows.
Granblue Fantasy Versus, a fighting game adaptation of the hugely popular mobile title, is yet another example of developer Arc System Works’ ultimate talent. As with Dragon Ball FighterZ, the Japanese studio has taken over an existing property and turned it into a great looking and highly competitive fighter.
But again, like FighterZ, you don’t need to practice for hours a day to enjoy the game, and the learning curve in Granblue Fantasy Versus is particularly smooth. At its most basic level, Versus is very easy to pick up and play. Move lists are short and to the point, and the vast majority of inputs require very little execution. In addition, players with a special hotkey – R1 on PlayStation 4 – can perform special attacks by pressing just two or three buttons at a time.
Even advanced players can rack up miles from the shortcuts and weave them into combos that would otherwise require a lot more dexterous numbers. It’s a simple yet effective system, and it’s offset by the fact that special attacks are based on cooldowns. Use a shortcut version and you’ll have to wait longer before you can do it again. Use the regular version, usually complete with a quarter circle or double tap directional input, and the cool down is barely noticeable. There’s already an incentive to get better even if you’ve never touched a fighting game before.
But it’s not just the accessible controls that make Versus appealing to players of all skill levels. In terms of visual design and pace, it’s an incredibly clean fighter that’s easy to read and understand. While other Arc System Works titles like Guilty Gear, BlazBlue and the aforementioned Dragon Ball FighterZ put a lot of emphasis on long and devastating combos, Versus plays more like Street Fighter. At its core, this is a grounded and intentional fighting game. There are still combos to master and major damage to be found with the right setups, but you won’t be juggling your opponent in the corner for half the match.
Honestly, this is probably the most reserved fighting game Arc System Works has released in a long time, but that’s certainly not a criticism. Matches in Versus are varied and rewarding, be it careful poke matches or brutal beatdowns. Of course it helps that it feels great to play; attacks have a satisfying weight to them and each character is pleasantly different.
But we can’t possibly write about characters without mentioning the size of the playable roster. At launch, Granblue Fantasy Versus only has 11 playable characters, a number that isn’t a big deal in and of itself, provided they’re all fun to use – and they are. The real problem is that this is a full price release that already has not one, but two seasons of DLC in the pipeline. It’s a model that leaves a sour taste, which is a huge shame when you consider how well the game is made.
To be fair, outside of the character roster, Versus is a very complete package. There’s a fairly standard arcade mode that offers a variety of difficulty levels, a versus mode, a practice mode, and tutorial challenges for each fighter you take through the basics. But Granblue differs from its ilk with its intriguingly named ‘RPG Mode’ – a mission-based beat ’em-up adventure with its own storyline.
The RPG mode is repetitive in its structure, but it can certainly keep you busy if you’re playing alone. Sandwiched between voiced dialogue scenes – in English or Japanese – are side-scrolling levels that task you with defeating enemies of all kinds. From generic monsters to big bad bosses, it’s actually a good way to get familiar with the gameplay feel. It also doesn’t skimp on RPG elements. You increase your party, collect loot in the form of various weapons – the skins of which can be applied in other modes – and generally grind your missions until you have enough.
While we doubt fighting game aficionados will spend that much time in the RPG mode, it’s still a pretty solid single-player (or two-player co-op) offering that evokes some welcome Dragon’s Crown Pro vibes. That said, if you’re considering buying Granblue Fantasy Versus just for the RPG mode, you’ll have to wait for the game to go on sale. It’s good, but it’s certainly not comprehensive enough to carry a $60 price tag. Plus, those annoyingly long loading screens are far too common.
Chances are, if you’re not grinding in RPG mode or taking on a friend locally, you’re putting your skills to the test online. After you’ve gone through a few introductory matches to determine your starting rank, you’re free to lobby, join a lobby, or let the game find an opponent for you while you warm up those fingers in training mode. It’s all well made and agreements are coming soon, but the netcode seems hit and miss at the moment. Against certain opponents here in the UK we enjoyed rounds that were pretty much perfect but the connection tends to drop every now and then resulting in noticeable lag. Overall, it gets the job done, but it’s yet another example of why fighting games should consider rolling back the netcode — a debate that has really picked up steam in recent months.
Before we jump to the conclusion, we should at least emphasize how great this game looks. Arc System Works is no stranger to dazzling visuals, and Granblue Fantasy Versus doesn’t disappoint. It really is a beautiful title, filled with pristine artwork and absolutely fantastic animation. Even the HUD and menus are pleasing to the eye, although we found a few minor typos in the dialogue.
Conclusion
Arc System Works has done it again. Granblue Fantasy Versus is a fantastic feeling fighting game that is breathtakingly beautiful at times. It’s also incredibly accessible and promotes an impressively smooth learning curve. This is a tight, satisfying fighter that gives way to some super-fast matches, and the special RPG mode adds extra longevity if you’re mainly playing solo. Our only real criticism is centered on the title’s disappointingly small character roster – a problem compounded by the fact that there’s so much DLC in development already. A particularly sour note that takes away from an otherwise brilliant release.
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