Platform: PlayStation 4
Genre: Fighting
Players: 1 to 2
Network Play: Supported
Price: TBD
Release Date: 2019 (planned)
Developer: Arc System Works
Overview
Venture into the skies, where glory awaits!
A brand new fighting game from the developers of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, set in the world of Japan’s megahit RPG, Granblue Fantasy.
Featuring original gameplay tailor-made to appeal to both Granblue Fantasy and fighting game fans alike!
A new era of fighting games is born!
https://gematsu.com/2018/12/arc-system- ... ed-for-ps4Characters
Gran
“I’ll cross these boundless skies, to the place you promised—I’ll find you no matter what, Dad.â€
This hero’s adventure began when he received a letter from his father asking him to come to the Island of the Astrals, Estalucia. Now he travels the skies with his flying lizard-like buddy, Vyrn, and the mysterious blue-haired girl who saved his life by linking it with her own, Lyria.
Honest to a fault, he’ll come to the aid of anyone who needs his assistance. Although his swordplay is rough and self-taught, he possesses the power to overcome any obstacle—thanks in no small part to Lyria’s assistance.
Katalina
“I wield this sword to protect those dear to me."
A former imperial knight that abandoned her post to protect Lyria.
When she was loyal to the empire, she was charged with guarding Lyria, but this changed when she caught wind of the twisted experiments that were being performed on the girl. This prompted her to orchestrate an escape for Lyria, the catalyst that began their sky-bound adventures with Gran. As skilled as she is logical, she is a compelling ally who lacks only a sense of direction—and any sort of talent for cooking.
Charlotta
“I shall show you why I was chosen to be captain of the Lumiel Order of Holy Knights!â€
A Harvin knight who serves as captain of the Lumiel Order of Holy Knights.
Strict with herself, but kind to others, she’s earned the trust of all her comrades and possesses superlative martial skills. But she also has a childish side, evidenced by her love of the Little Skyfarer’s Lunch, a famed kid’s meal popular throughout the skydoms.
With gusto she swings the ClaÃomh Solais—a shining blade nearly the same size as its wielder—easily felling monsters that are ten times her size.
Lancelot
“I’ll guide my country with these twin blades!â€
A dual-wielding master swordsman who serves as the captain of the Order of White Dragons of Feendrache Kingdom. If danger would rear its ugly head in the kingdom he so loves, he would risk both life and limb to see it defeated. Despite this, he can never seem to keep his room clean.
He rushes across the battlefield at blinding speed, a flurry of shining, crystalline slashes. Those who set eyes on this fighting style immediately recognize why he was made captain of his order.
Ferry
“You’re going to admit defeat so soon? I’ve no use for untrained pets.â€
An Erune girl who once resided on the Mist-Shrouded Isle. She became a spirit at the moment of her death. This grim transformation occurred while she was waiting for her frail sister to return home, a period that had lasted well past her death. At Gran and Lyria’s behest, she sets out on a journey to discover the whereabouts of her now-grown sibling. In addition to the crack of her whip, she fights with the faithful bite of her ghostly pets, overwhelming her opponents with phantasmagoric assaults.
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From an interview with director Tetsuya Fukuhara
https://gematsu.com/2018/12/granblue-fa ... sions-more- We chose Arc System Works because their style with franchises like Guilty Gear and BlazBlue was a good fit with Granblue Fantasy.
- Since we don’t want to alienate [fighting game] beginners and those who aren’t accustomed to games, it won’t be a combo-filled game.
- In order for users who have only played the smartphone game to be able to enjoy the game, all of the special moves can be unleashed with the press of a single button.
- For skilled players, on the other hand, we’re making sure the game has action and strategic depth. We’re utilizing the know-how of Arc System Works, so you can expect something good.
- The game speed is moderate, and the combos are also very simple.
- Currently, the game system is such that difficult elements like juggling and aerials can only be done in very limited situations.
- Abilities and arts from the original game are included as skills. For example, Lancelot’s “Blade Impulse†appears as a special move, and “Weiss Flugel†is activated as an art with a cutscene.
- Gran’s ability “Rage†gradually raises his attack power. Katalina’s “Light Wall†gives her a super armor effect so she can try to counter.
- Effects themed after “Triple Attack,†“HP Recovery,†and “Attribute Attack UP†also exist.
- While we showed off characters with standard abilities in our initial announcement, in the future we will announce characters with more in-your-face abilities.
- We also want to release additional characters as downloadable content.
- Gran is essentially made like to be as he was in the anime. He doesn’t have a job (class) and fights alongside Lyria and Vyrn, so he summons primal beasts for his super special moves.
- The story mode is a major focus. It is an original story for those who haven’t played the smartphone game, but users who played the events of the smartphone game will also be able to get more enjoyment out of it.
- We also want people who don’t like “winning or losing†to be able to play, so we’re thinking about a way for people to play in that regard.
- There is online support. Player matching and ranked matching are planned.
- An arcade release is under consideration. Both Cygames and Arc System Works want to make it happen.
- Development is currently about 60 percent complete. The fundamental components are nearly complete, and from here we’re putting our focus on raising the quality.
- (This applies to both Granblue Fantasy: Relink and Granblue Fantasy: Versus.) We would also like to release for Steam (PC). We already have some titles for PlayStation 4 that are being developed in-house such as the tentatively titled Project Awakening, and as a company we will certainly continue to put our strength into console.
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From another interview with director Tetsuya Fukuhara
- On choosing characters: Granblue Fantasy: Versus is a more character-driven game compared to the story-driven Granblue Fantasy: Relink, so the method for choosing characters is different. “There is much more room for introducing more unique characters or some who aren’t as relevant to the main story of Granblue but do have a strong fanbase.â€
- On downloadable content characters: Downloadable content characters are “included in our plans,†but details cannot currently be shared. “We definitely know that our fans want more characters to appear in the console games, so that is definitely something that we are considering.â€
- On frame rate: Granblue Fantasy: Versus is “definitely†going to run at 60 frames per second. “As a fighting game, we believe that’s a must.â€
- On simultaneous worldwide release: Granblue Fantasy: Versus is aiming for a simultaneous worldwide release.
- On accessibility: “We have built the game on the idea of accessibility for gamers unfamiliar with fighting games. That is achieved by having special moves activated by one button, and the game not being so much combo-oriented. One strike has meaning even without being chained into a massive combo… It was also Arc System Works’ desire to have a less combo-focused fighting game… For people who are really into fighting games, there is going to be another layer of complexity based on the timing and trying to read the opponent’s next move to determine the best response.â€
- On unique elements: “There is going to be a story mode full of RPG content. Playing by yourself without competing with other people will be very enjoyable.â€
- On job changing: Job changes are not present in the game.
- On western promotion: Granblue Fantasy: Versus may exhibit at Anime Expo 2019 from July 4 to 7.
- On releasing so late into the console generation: “It has been quite a while since the release of PS4. That being said, that also means that the whole industry has stronger development skills on the platform. On top of that, the installed base is also much bigger. Releasing on the latter half of the generation does have its merits so we do want to take advantage of this timing. Since PS5 has not been officially announced, we don’t know what’s going to happen. Yet, if it does come out before our games are released, we might think of releasing on PS5 as well. That being said, in that case, they would probably have to be remastered versions.â€