Competition, skill, and flashy battle animations meet in the fighting genre, a type of game that has continued to flourish after its evolution away from the arcade cabinets that birthed the competitive fighting scene. Some fighting games have established sprawling franchises with deep lore and a roster of iconic characters.
Granblue Fantasy: Versus has more than proved its staying power. The excellent character art, exciting fights, and compelling mechanics have proved addictive for numerous fighting fans. The game continues to attract new players, and like any fighting game, the barrier to entry here can be high. Here are some essential tips for players new to Granblue Fantasy: Versus.
6 Master The Basics
Whether using one of the strongest characters in the game or one of the weakest, every character has a Light, Medium, Hard, and Unique button. These buttons execute different moves depending on the characters' positions, so a Light move will be different when jumping or crouching as opposed to simply standing. When crouched, the Light and Unique buttons perform a low attack. The Unique low attack is particularly important.
Known as a Sweep, the Unique low attack can knock opponents to the ground, opening them up for further combos. Success in Granblue Fantasy: Versus requires the player to not only have the reflexes to execute these moves but also the strategic awareness to know when one is preferable to another. These basic principles will be familiar to players of other fighting games, but like many of the best fighting games, it takes time to learn the nuances unique to Granblue Fantasy: Versus.
5 Attack Patterns
Fighting games have a reputation for being tough, not just because of the understandably competitive esports scene but also because many fighting games require the player to memorize long strings of button inputs that must then be executed with precise timing in order to pull off moves. On the extreme end of this spectrum, even simple moves with relatively beginner-friendly characters can be incredibly demanding.
Granblue Fantasy: Versus doesn't live on the extreme end of the fighting game complexity spectrum, but neither is it completely free of this tendency. Learning input strings is an important part of the game, and players who aren't willing to adapt to the unique grind required to learn moves will be frustrated. There's no quick fix here: the best remedy is to embrace the challenge for what it is. Rather than fighting against the system, embracing its difficulties as well as its pleasures will make the game a much more enjoyable experience.
4 Start With The Skill Button
Players in Granblue Fantasy: Versus use input strings in order to execute special moves, they aren't actually required to do so. By using the Skill Button, the player can execute the same moves that they would normally pull off through elaborate input combinations. If the player has the option of doing the same moves with fewer inputs though, why would they bother to learn input strings in the first place?
Using the Skill Button puts skills on a longer cooldown than they would have been on had the player activated them using input strings instead. This system makes it easier for players to try out new characters without committing a huge amount of time to learn their moves. It also makes it easier to get into the game in the first place, since beginners won't be so overwhelmed. It's worth using the Skill Button when the player is a beginner, but the further the player gets in the game and the better they want to be, the more important input strings will become.
3 Block And Dodge Appropriately
Taking damage in a fighting game is obviously bad, so players will want to either block or dodge attacks whenever possible. Blocking works differently with different attacks. If the player blocks a normal attack, the attack will deal no damage. If, however, the player blocks a special attack, the player will still take a small amount of chip damage. Because of this, players who have only a sliver of health remaining are forced to avoid special attacks altogether, as blocking them is no longer an option.
Some attacks are unblockable when the target is in the air, so the player has the chance to do significant damage if they catch their opponent jumping at the wrong moment. The player can dodge in place, which will make them invulnerable to all attacks except for throws. While dodging in place is crucial for surviving certain attacks, spamming it will undoubtedly result in a countering throw from the opponent. Learning to read an opponent and anticipate their next move is the most important trick to blocking and dodging more effectively.
2 Know Your Knockdowns
Whenever a character is knocked off their feet and onto the ground and is forced to get back up, they are vulnerable to a punishing follow-up from their opponent, making knockdowns one of the best opportunities to deal serious damage. Throws, sweeps, and certain special attacks can all cause knockdowns, so they're a common sight during fights. A player who is knocked down has multiple ways of getting back in the fight.
A Delayed Rise occurs when the downed player does nothing, causing the character to rise automatically after a few seconds, giving them some time to think about the game's crazy story mode. A Quick Recovery, on the other hand, occurs when the player presses Down and any other button just as they hit the ground. A Back Roll occurs when the player presses Back and any other button and causes the player to roll away. Some attacks force the player to perform a Delayed Rise, which is known as a Hard Knockdown.
1 Skybound To Victory
Landing normal attacks, using special attacks, and moving forward all cause the player's Skybound Meter to increase. When the meter is full the player can use their Skybound Art, a unique and devastating combo. If the player's meter is full and their health is at 30% or lower, the player can instead perform a Super Skybound Art, an even stronger special move accompanied by an elaborate cinematic.
Skybound Arts can deliver huge amounts of damage, so building them up as quickly as possible is important. Because the meter is built by landing attacks, moving forward, and using specials, the game rewards players with a more aggressive, head-on style of gameplay. This is good news for players who have been frustrated by opponents in other games turtling and trying to outwait their enemies. Here, the player who is most comfortable advancing upon the enemy has a distinct advantage.
Granblue Fantasy: Versus is available now for PC and PS4.