Granblue Fantasy: Versus is making its way to a North American audience thanks to XSEED Games. No firm date has been released yet for launch, but the game will be playable at E3.
The game has been developed by both Cygames and Arc System Works, and is a new fighting game within the established universe of Granblue Fantasy. Currently the game only exists for purchase in Japan. While some are skeptical with regards to how well Granblue do within the fighting genre, the fact that Arc System Works is involved should be reassurance enough after their great success with developing Dragon Ball FighterZ.
So far, fans of the series have had the opportunity to check out the game in a recent closed beta testing of the current build. The upcoming chance to play at E3 should provide insight into the complexity of the game's mechanics, even if the roster is going to be limited to only 5 characters.
In Granblue Fantasy: Versus, power, skill, and spirit collide in a quest to find the true champion of the ring. Players can take on AI opponents or fight against human opponents in local or online two-player matches.
The first playable character at E3 will be Gran, the protagonist of Granblue Fantasy, who travels the skies with his winged companion Vyrn and a mysterious girl, Lyria, who saved his life. Other characters include Katalina, an ex-imperial knight sworn to protect those she holds dear; Charlotta, the virtuous captain of the Lumiel Order of Holy Knights; Lancelot, a dual-wielding master swordsman; and lastly, Ferry, a ghost with a whip and spectral pets.
Ken Berry, the Executive Vice President of XSEED Games states that “Granblue Fantasy: Versus combines great fighting gameplay with outstanding anime-style characters and stories, and we’re excited to give North American players a fresh opportunity to test their fighting skills”. While the screenshots do seem to show a polished visual presentation, it will be interesting to see if the game develops any form of competitive scene.
Recently we have been wondering what it would take to dethrone Mortal Kombat 11 from its throne on the fighting esports scene. Other games like Tekken and Street Fighter V will probably always be near the top as well, but the rise of unexpected games is always exciting to observe, like what was seen in the past year with Dragon Ball FighterZ.
We should know soon enough what the initial impressions of the game are, as E3 runs from June 11-13.