Take the speed and mechanics of Street Fighter 3, mix in a good helping of Miyazaki art style and RPG themes, and sprinkle some Guilty Gear over the top. If your brain isn't hurting from the madness by now, you would have created something very similar to BattleFantasia - the new fighting game from Arc System Works that was released earlier today in Japan.
Using my Japanese PSN account, I was able to download a demo of BattleFantasia to get some hands-on time before the game launched. Thankfully, the full version arrived today so I'm able to give you guys an idea of just how this game stacks up - online mode and all.
For those unfamiliar with BattleFantasia, it is a fairly unique take on 2D fighting. The graphics are actually in full 3D - both characters and backgrounds...but the fighting is strictly 2D (similar to how SF4 will be handled). The characters are well built and animate fluidly. The only issue I have is with the backgrounds, which are very plain when compared against the highly detailed character models.
The gameplay is actually based around the concept of "tachimawari" or "moving around", as opposed to the fast, combo-laden style of Guilty Gear. In the US, this translates to a game based mostly around the concept of "poking". In other words: dash in, do damage, and get the &*#@ out. Massive combos can be unleashed in the game as well, but are generally limited to a special character "hyper" mode that can be unleashed known as "Heat Up". The effects for this mode differ for each character, but in general this allows for larger combos and larger damage for many moves. Each character has a HP amount representing his/her lifebar, and HP amounts vary between characters (a large armored knight, for example, has more HP than the scantily clothed princess). In general, the characters with more HP tend to be larger and easier to hit than the smaller, faster characters with less HP. Surprisingly, this variance in life amounts does not appear to damage the balance of the game, although there does seem to be a slight descrepancy in the amount of characters in the "middle tier" as opposed to the top or bottom tiers which are fairly well defined.
The "Gachi" button handles parries and recoveries, and is the main gameplay mechanic for reversals and getting out of pressure situations. Street Fighter 3's parries are very similar to Gachi, although Gachi has a few traits specific to itself, not the least of which is the "Gachi Drive" which enables a player caught in a defensive guard to immediately reverse into an offensive position. This is a difficult technique to master due to the timing it requires and it appears I may have to spend a good deal of time playing the game before I'm able to master it.
There are only 12 selectable characters, but each one plays very differently. The personalities are varied and memorable, ranging from the typical "hero", to the "knight wannabe kid", to the "brooding angstmonger" to the "catgirl" (yes there is one), to the "furry" (yep, there's one of those too), to the "princess". I haven't had a chance to play through the story mode and find out the deal behind the majority of these characters yet, but I'm very much looking forward to it.
The game has the "old standbys" as far as modes are concerned: Arcade mode, Story mode (where you fight a range of battles following the story of each character - separated by cutscenes which are fully voiced), Survival mode, Practice mode, Gallery, and Network (among others).
What I want to focus on is the Network play, since that's what I'm sure most of you are concerned about... will an imported Japanese game even be playable online? Will they blockUS IPs? Is the lag even bearable?
From what I've managed to play, the answer to the first question is yes, the answer to the second question is no, and the answer to the third question is a "cautiously optimistic" yes.
Another PSN user going by the handle PiGnUTtZ and I fought about 20 matches tonight, and despite a couple of disconnects, the gameplay was VERY fluid. I'm not sure where the servers for the game are located or whether it's more of an issue of how far away each player is from one another, but PiGnUTtZ spoke perfect English and judging from his messages seemed to be either a US or UK player. I won't know how bad the lag is with Japanese players until I get a chance to test the Network mode more thoroughly over the next few days. The thing that shocked me more is apparently only 19 people have the game so far judging from the rankings list. I anticipate this won't be a very big seller, despite its quality...
Overall, color me impressed. Those expecting a new Guilty Gear may walk away a bit dissapointed with the modified gameplay mechanics, but those people weaned on games like Street Fighter 3 or Street Fighter Alpha will find a lot to like about this game. Plus, as the first in a line of "real" next-gen fighters (not including XBL/PSN fare) to hit the consoles this year, it gives the others a lot to live up to...even if nobody ends up playing it.
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