Battle Fantasia Game Sample - PC
45Battle Fantasia!! Okay... what do we gotta say about this one? Well, if you couldn't tell from the thumbnail, it IS a fighting game! YEAH!! What else? It's by Arc System Works, who are best known for their "Guilty Gear" and "BlazBlue" fighting games. OH YEAH!! Anything else? It's a 2D fighter with 3D graphics and looks like a nice, hi-res Dreamcast game. WOW!!
If you like what you've read so far, then read on. If not, then this is not for you.
Battle Fantasia was originally released for Arcades, Xbox 360 and PS3 between 2006-2010 (getting a physical release in the states for the 360) and was, until now, teased in trailers and test videos on this channel over the years. While it saw numerous releases, it was merely a mildly successful release with little fanfare and was forgotten for several years until it was finally ported to PCs through Steam in 2015 in a "Revised Edition" with minor graphical upgrades and character balancing issues (or in other words, certain characters and combos were nerfed). Unfortunately, the initial PC release was handled by DotEmu and left a bad impression on consumers as it was not fully optimized and had various bugs, and by the time the game was properly updated through patches with Arc Sys' assistance, the player base was pretty much gone.
Even in spite of these things, Battle Fantasia will forever be remembered as "that other fighter", which is unfortunate as it is actually somewhat underrated. Does it feature a large roster of characters? Nope, there's a baker's dozen on display here (with one being a souped-up version of an existing character), but they are fully realized and distinct from each other and run the gamut of grappler(s), charge characters, zoners, rekka rushers, etc. Is it a deep fighter? Maybe not compared to the likes of Guilty Gear and games of its ilk, but it's deeper than it appears at a glance, being a happy medium between Arc Sys' own works and Capcom's works (particularly SFIII with the inclusion of its "Gachi" parry system and Darkstalkers 3's "Dark Force Mode" with the inclusion of the "Heat-Up" skill, both simplified precursors to SFV's V-Triggers).
Does it have anything to stand out from other fighters on the market? Kinda -- I like the eccentric cast and medieval-fantasy setting and the game has a more whimsical story than your average fighter... and while I know plot isn't a major component to a fighter, Arc Sys raised the bar in this area and even though this game was little more than an afterthought for many, there is quite a bit of dialogue in this game (my favorite thing is that there are unique and thoughtful exchanges even when characters lose, which is a rarity in fighters). It's also worth noting that it was one of the first successful 2.5D fighters and Capcom's Yoshinori Ono used the Arcade version as part of the fundamental basis for the art-direction of the later-released SFIV.
The biggest question though... is it worth buying? If you enjoy fighting games and don't mind them being suited for beginner-to-intermediate players, then absolutely; the game should be dirt cheap these days and you can't go wrong with the 360 or Steam release (I've never played the PS3 version, but it tends to rate a little lower on average... if it's your only way to play it and you can get it cheap, then by all means). In any event, the gist of things is that the world once knew peace thanks to the efforts of four great heroes who drove out darkness, but now evil is returning and the people refer to the impending darkness as the "Scion of Ill Presage". Now a new age of heroes are born who will save the world once again... but most of the characters aren't advertently heroic and rather get caught up in fighting for the greater good. It doesn't take itself seriously and can always be sped through if you don't care for the exposition (but not out-right skipped it seems, which is perhaps one oversight).
The game has a five-button scheme (two punches, two kicks, and a parry button) and the game has no air-block but DOES have an air parry to encourage use of the parry system. Actually, the parry system in this game has a bigger application than most as there are three distinct types which will deflect, knock enemies off the wall (for greater juggles) or spin them out of control (where a character can chain light and heavy attacks outside of Heat-Up where they normally can't). The soundtrack is appropriate and the game, while lacking in extra content, is an earnest and well-to-do fighter.
This is a video showing some of the game in action with a basic combo segment at the end illustrating the different mechanics. You can get this version of the game at:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/356910/Battle_Fantasia_Revised_Edition/
Enjoy.
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