After brutal fighting games like Mortal Kombat, not everyone takes anime-style fighters seriously, where stylish characters with oversized swords jump into battle. Games like Tekken and Street Fighter don’t really count, since they only have small anime influences.
However, there are many true anime fighting games with large fanbases, such as Dragon Ball FighterZ, Guilty Gear, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, and Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker.
A Step Forward
The original Granblue Fantasy was released in 2014 by Cygames. This mobile gacha game quickly became very popular and is still active today.
Its success led to anime series, manga, and more games. Talented creators worked on it, including composer Nobuo Uematsu and art director Hideo Minaba, known for their work on Final Fantasy and Lost Odyssey.
Later, Cygames teamed up with Arc System Works to create Granblue Fantasy Versus. The result was a beautiful game with strong visuals, unique characters, and an unusual story mode that mixed RPG and beat ‘em up elements.
The main problems were technical—no crossplay and no rollback netcode. In Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, both features are finally included, which is a major improvement.
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Story Mode Changes
The story mode has changed a lot. Before, it was called RPG Mode and included:
- Leveling up
- Buying and upgrading weapons
- Choosing missions on a map
Now it’s simply Story Mode, closer to a visual novel with fights.
There is still some progression, but it’s minimal. You unlock abilities (active and passive), often focused on buffs, debuffs, and team support. You can also revive teammates and customize skill sets before battles.
Some players like this simpler approach—it removes unnecessary elements and focuses on story and combat. Others may miss the deeper RPG mechanics.
Story and Setting
The story continues from the original game with new chapters and characters. However, you need to replay earlier content to reach new episodes.
The plot can feel repetitive:
characters lose their memory, attack you, get defeated, remember everything, apologize, and join your team.
At the same time, the game explores complex ideas like parallel worlds and “singularity,” with biblical-inspired characters such as Lucifer and others. The universe is rich and well-developed, thanks to years of expansion.
Accessible but Deep Combat
The biggest strength of the game is its combat system.
Granblue Fantasy Versus was already known as one of the most beginner-friendly fighting games:
- Helpful tutorials
- Moderate game speed
- Simple one-button combos
These combos have cooldowns, but you can reduce them by using more complex inputs. This creates a balance between accessibility and depth.
Even in story mode, fights can be challenging—especially boss battles, where you must dodge attacks like falling rocks or deadly beams.
This shows that while the game is easy to learn, it still offers real challenges.
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