[AnimeGamer]

Will Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising Be Able to Save the Series in the FGC Meta?

Figure 1. Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising

Cygames is a name that has become synonymous with either the top MMORPGs or the card collector genre. But one aspect many gamers are not aware of is its venture into the fighting game genre. A genre that is heavily dominated by long-running franchises and absolute classics. But despite all of that the developers over at Cygames collaborated with the legendary Arcs Systems Works to create a game based on their second most popular series. This was none other than Granblue Fantasy and the game in question was Granblue Fantasy Versus. A game that was launched at the height of Covid-19 which resulted in players flocking to the game in droves as it not only showed Cygames that 2D fighting games had potential. But also helped introduce a new audience to their major titles.

Figure 2. Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising New Characters

Sadly said fame was short-lived as with the end of the pandemic and the release of major titles such as Guilty Gear Strive, the game fell off. While it didn’t exactly die it was all but forgotten by the majority of the player base. While one could point to a plethora of reasons as to why the game failed, the major will be that the game was too mainstream and easy. A combination that does get it scored highly in the accessibility area but results in the game having next to zero technical depth. When the player compared it to the likes of Melty Blood and Stirve, not only did the core combat fall short, but the character optimization also did not meet the mark. All of this was despite Cygame's best efforts to make the game stay relevant with the numerous tournaments.

Figure 3. Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising Online Game Mod

Alas even Cygames had to abandon it, but they did not give up on the genre. As now they know a game like this had the potential to become something even greater. This is why they have now released a brand new game in what is turning out to be the Versus series of games, it is Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising. Not only is this new game a complete overhaul of the previous game it is also hazards to make changes that tie it back to its RPG roots. This time around, the developers have expanded the cast to feature some of the most iconic characters from the MMORPG. While also making them balanced to an extent, as the new gauge drive and skill moves make the game more tactical. Rising also puts more emphasis on blocking by characters based on the mechanic.

Cygames seems to be pushing for the game to be considered among the top tier of FGC games, but it seems many people are still not completely sure about the game. This is to be expected as the previous game did not instill a lot of hope into players. But after playing the game myself and also having experienced the new rollback net code it is fair to say Rising is better than its predecessor by a long shot. This means we can expect to start seeing many of the major tournaments feature the game. But only time will tell if the game will have the honor of being awarded a place at the 2024 EVO Champions which will cement its place among the best.

Figure 4. Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising Combat

@"everyone"