From the instant success of “Rage of Bahamut” to the heyday of “Granblue Fantasy”, Cygames, which leads the mobile game industry in both funds and technology, now has a business empire that is envied by its peers. While revenue was soaring, Cygames chose to step out of its comfort zone and unexpectedly turned to the difficult console game. Moreover, “Granblue Fantasy Versus”, which was launched as a pioneer, is a fighting game (FTG) that ordinary players cannot play on consoles.

Even though the renowned FTG superstar Arc System Works is in charge of the development and has provided the greatest guarantee for the quality of Granblue Fantasy Versus, the high threshold of fighting games is still enough to keep ordinary people away.

Surprisingly, Granblue Fantasy Versus is not confined to the small circle of fighting games. Instead, it uses its unique design to provide a shortcut to entry for all players who are determined to devote themselves to the fighting industry.

Lightweight FTG with one-click action

For Arc System Works, which has made great achievements in the field of fighting games, making fighting games has long been a piece of cake. However, unlike many IPs that Arc System Works has adapted before, the original Granblue Fantasy itself is not a game with a strong sense of action and combat. At the same time, most fans of the original game are mobile game players with a lighter taste, and they are not interested in hardcore games like FTG, which are difficult to get started and even more difficult to master.

To this end, the solution proposed by Arc System Works is to retain the basic combo techniques of this type of game while using another set of key combinations to greatly simplify the operation of fighting moves.

In addition to the most basic square, circle, and triangle light and heavy attacks, players can also use the skill key (default R1 key) to release special moves. At the same time, all complex special moves in the game can be quickly launched by combining skill keys with directions or light and heavy attack combination keys.

Moves like the rising dragon that used to require half a circle to perform now only require R1 + direction keys

Without complicated combo buttons, novice players will spend less time memorizing the moves, greatly lowering the entry barrier to the game. This greatly simplified operation method is very easy to use, but not foolproof. With just a little practice of the rhythm and timing of the moves, novices can also perform ultimate moves at the end of the ordinary three-hit combo, creating a refreshing and gorgeous feeling.

Of course, in order to prevent the convenience of one-button attacks from affecting the normal game of advanced players, the special attacks in this game are all limited by CD time. From the simplest flying props (wave) to the flying dragon, there is a CD recovery period of several seconds, and the CD time of heavy attack attacks is even longer.

If you simply use one-button attacks, you will find yourself in a CD state with no available moves after performing a few special moves. The enemy can naturally organize their own offensive plans and conduct targeted counterattacks. On the other hand, if you use normal special moves to perform special moves, the required cooldown time will be shortened, leaving more room for the master to fight.

Regardless of the impact of the CD system on fighting games, it is obvious that it exists only to balance the simplified operation of “one-button attack”. The existence of the CD system means that players can’t use the convenience of combination buttons to continuously perform special moves. If you want to really perform master-level operations without interruption, you still need to practice complex combo moves, which is somewhat positive.

From entry to mastery, step-by-step guidance

In fact, the fighting games developed by Arc System Works are relatively simple in terms of moves. Through further simplification, the goal of lowering the entry threshold has indeed been achieved. However, no matter how simplified the operation is, it is still not enough to master the profound fighting games.

To this end, Granblue Fantasy Versus provides a complete set of tutorials from entry level to mastery in the game – “Tactical Mode”. From the most basic three-hit general attack and multi-directional blocking to advanced combo and attack button practice, to counter-attack teaching for different characters and different moves, “Tactical Mode” almost teaches players how to play Granblue Fantasy Versus step by step.

There are detailed tutorials on the basics of fighting games such as receiving, throwing, counter, etc.

Moreover, any single teaching project is designed with SABCD levels and additional goals for players to actively challenge, and rewards players with merit points after achieving the goals. Such diverse stimulation prevents players from feeling bored during the detailed teaching process, and even motivates them to challenge and improve repeatedly, allowing players to grow in a gradual difficulty curve.

This game is very considerate and offers generous treatment to players who switch from mobile games.

The difficulty curve of the exercises gradually increases from the basics to actual combat.

RPG mode that can be played without fighting

Although the simplified operation has greatly lowered the threshold for new players, fighting games are ultimately advanced games that rely on fighting to gain experience. It is difficult to attract Granblue Fantasy fans to continue playing the game with just these contents. Therefore, in addition to simplifying the operation of moves, Granblue Fantasy Versus also designed another set of character development RPG content based on the theme of the original work and the habits of fans.

The RPG mode of this game uses three different level design methods to distinguish between battles with powerful enemies and battles with miscellaneous soldiers. In the battle with miscellaneous soldiers, the game changes from a fighting game to a horizontal action game, which is different from common arcade games where you can pass the level by clearing all the miscellaneous soldiers on the board. The large-scale star crystal beast boss battles in some chapters are designed with undefended map skills on this basis, requiring players to flexibly move and jump to avoid, adding a sense of action games. Although the last one-on-one battle with a powerful enemy has returned to the template of a normal fighting battle, due to the blessing of equipment, levels and auxiliary skills, this experience is still quite different from a fighting battle.

As for the character development that is a must in RPGs, the game has restored many of the original systems, such as leveling up characters by gaining experience through levels, or the equipment bar that allows players to carry 10 weapons in battle, or the gacha that allows players to draw 10 consecutive weapons, etc. In order to make it easier for players to level up and equip their favorite characters, Granblue Fantasy Versus has specially arranged a 100-story Tower of Babel for players to play endlessly.

The lightweight RPG mode undoubtedly provides another viable path for players who cannot master the fighting mode. Arc System Works even worried that the difficulty was too high, so it allowed players to bring an AI teammate or online teammate to beat the weak together. If you still feel it is not enough, players can hand over their own characters to the AI, and watch the two AIs perform better than themselves…

Although it is weird to let the AI ​​hang up, it can be considered as catering to the habits of mobile game players?

The shortcomings behind the lightweight attempt

Unlike the rigorous fighting games such as Street Fighter and Tekken, all the fighting games Arc System Works has released so far have been trying to bring more fresh blood into this hardcore genre. Granblue Fantasy Versus is not the first time Arc System Works has tried to simplify fighting games, but it is the first time that it has changed so much to cater to novices.

As long as it is the first time, there will always be problems of one kind or another. As mentioned earlier, the CD system was added to balance the contradiction between simplified operation and advanced combat. It is certainly a barrier between beginners and advanced players, but it also changes the rhythm of the fighting in this game to a certain extent. For those fans who are used to Arc System Works’ works, it has both advantages and disadvantages.

As for the RPG mode, it seems to please the fans of the original game and also gives the game another playability besides fighting. However, this compromise design has its shortcomings after all. On the one hand, the development system based on the original but greatly simplified lacks depth and there is not much motivation to invest in it; on the other hand, the rough level design and boring battles with soldiers make the process in the middle and late stages of the game gradually become monotonous and boring. Finally, the design of letting everything go to AI also has some subtle feeling of one-click sweep in mobile games.

Problems such as too few characters participating in the initial battle, slow disk reading speed, and unbalanced performance between characters were also problems that existed in the first release of “Granblue Fantasy Versus”.

As rich and willful as ever

Granblue Fantasy Versus’s sales of 150,000 in the first week are certainly due to the game’s quality and fan support, and it also proves that fighting games can be popular among the general public. However, behind these external elements, Cygames’s huge investment in joint rewards is a major boost that cannot be ignored.

After all, players only need to clear the RPG mode to get a 5,000-crystal reward, and if they can clear the Hard mode, they can also get a limited-professional costume. The value of these rewards alone has reached more than 300 yuan, which is almost a loss-making gain for this game, which was originally sold for only 400 yuan.

Of course, getting this great gift that Cygames lost money on is not as easy as you might think. It still takes some practice and dedication to beat the Hard difficulty in the RPG mode.

Conclusion: Another possibility for fighting games

Whenever fighting games are mentioned, the difficulties of getting started, high entry barriers, slow experience accumulation, etc. are always the biggest challenges for all new players. After all, only a few can overcome the difficulties and taste the fragrance. Therefore, how to relax the threshold and attract fresh blood while retaining a certain amount of technical content for old players is the consistent pursuit of the industry.

Granblue Fantasy Versus’s innovative and simplified operation greatly lowers the entry threshold, making even novices with zero fighting skills willing to give it a try. At the same time, the detailed and thoughtful tutorials further reduce the time required for players to grow. The existence of the CD system leaves room for experts to play. This is another new possibility for fighting games.

Although strictly speaking, the current performance of this game is still not perfect. It is still unknown how much new blood can be introduced into the fighting field under the halo of fans and benefits. But at least, it has successfully fulfilled the long-cherished wish of fans to experience their favorite mobile games on the host platform, and the efforts made for this are also worthy of recognition from fighting enthusiasts.