Granblue Fantasy: Versus Review

Granblue Fantasy: Versus is an action fighting game from Cygames and Arc System Works. As an extension of the already popular Granblue Fantasy browser and mobile game franchise, fans of Granblue Fantasy will be glad to know that Granblue Fantasy: Versus features a fully-fledged story mode and features a tonne of great fighting game content.

Blending fighting game and role-playing game mechanics, Granblue Fantasy: Versus follows the story of Gran and his group of friends along a perilous journey through the Skyworld. Newcomers to Granblue Fantasy need not feel lost though since the in-game glossary does an excellent job of explaining character’s personalities and various story aspects that carry over from the browser game.

The story mode of Granblue Fantasy: Versus plays out in chapters. Chapter 1 sets up the game and introduces players to the various rather complex gameplay mechanics. Yes, this is a fighting game but at the same time, there is a lot of effort that’s been put into its RPG mechanics. Players will defeat waves of enemies and face off against bosses and other characters throughout the game. There’s plenty of visual novel segments in the game too and the story is enjoyable even if rather cliche and trope-filled.

When selecting a chapter to play through, Granblue Fantasy: Versus allows you to pick a weapon from a range of elements and a specific skill set to accompany you. Later on in the game, a partner character will be unlocked and you can have them fight alongside you in battles against the NPC foes. There is a lot of customization on offer so players who like micro-management will be pleased to know that they can equip, upgrade and mix and match various weapons and skills regularly throughout the game.

Granblue Fantasy: Versus also allows you to “Draw” to get new weapons and there are times when you’ll be able to obtain weapons with specific skins that truly set them apart from others. Gameplay in the Granblue Fantasy: Versus story, mode can, however, be called repetitive. If it weren’t for the story content to push you forward, burnout would set in pretty fast from doing the same thing in different environments. Thankfully, the unlocks, level-up and progression system do enough to keep you coming back.

Granblue Fantasy: Versus also features an arcade mode as well as a versus mode. The arcade mode focuses solely on the fighting between main playable characters and is enjoyable. The versus mode is too and there’s an extensive online ranking system involved with the multiplayer. Playing the multiplayer, however, is a mixed bag with internet connections and delays being paramount to victory. Nevertheless, the mode is there should people want to play online.

The tutorial mode in Granblue Fantasy: Versus is excellent as per usual from Arc System Works with plenty of content to get you up to speed with the game’s fighting mechanics. The fighting itself is a mixture of complex and simple with players being able to button bash their way to victory with relative ease. Flashy Skybound arts and Super Skybound Arts can be pulled off rather easily and newbies to the fighting game community will find this great. Skills also have a cooldown built into them so players can’t really use the same flashy move over and over again without some form of penalty.

With all that said, the game is still technically quite complex with each character having their own strengths and weaknesses. Arguably there’s a bit of an imbalance between characters right now but given that the game is still regularly being regularly updated and patched, we’ll see much of this disappear as damage numbers are tweaked and refined.

Graphically, Granblue Fantasy: Versus is absolutely breathtaking. The art style that features in the game is excellent and Akihiko Yoshida and his team have created what can only be described as a visual feast for the eyes. Every single environment in Granblue Fantasy: Versus is visually pleasing and the character animations and effects are jaw-droppingly fantastic. Seeing skills in action is never boring because of how great they look on-screen.

The soundtrack used in Granblue Fantasy: Versus is also excellent with plenty of catchy themes and adrenaline pumping battle music available. The game has both Japanese and English voice acting so gamers can take their pick based on their own personal preferences.

Overall, Granblue Fantasy: Versus is an excellent fighting game for newcomers to fighting games and fans of the Granblue Fantasy franchise. Fighting game veterans will also have quite a lot to enjoy here since the more complex aspects of each character’s attacks and skills will keep them busy for hours on end. If you’re looking for an excellent fighting game with gorgeous visuals and an enjoyable story mode to boot, Granblue Fantasy: Versus is for you.

https://youtu.be/T1Wrg-D8b4w

Granblue Fantasy: Versus is available on PS4 and PC, this review is based on the PC version of the game.

You can purchase the game here if interested.

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