Battle Fantasia: Revised Edition (PC) Review

When creating a fighting game, especially a 2D fighting game (please come back, Soul Calibur - it was so nice to have a good 3D fighter), there exists a single inherent problem. It's no minor one either, but it's something all 2D fighters must struggle against: that everything has been done before. Between the movesets limited by the two-dimensional plane, the plethora of moves that are essentially identical, and a heavy tilt towards offensive and aggressive gameplay and combos, the genre is essentially stagnant and difficult to break into. On occasion, something like BlazBlue will manage to mix things up, but Battle Fantasia is sadly no BlazBlue.

Instead, it is a fighter so standard that most players will have experienced it before, despite having never actually played it. That isn't to say that it is somehow bad, but those looking for an original title would be better off looking elsewhere. Removing for a second that there are other, better alternatives out there, on its own Battle Fantasia is simply not that amazing. Each fighter has their standard selection of attacks along with a few special moves, as would be expected. Each character has a special 'heat-up' gauge, which alters their moves and causes them to generally increase in power… as expected from something of this ilk with a charge-up bar included. The characters fit into the fairly standard selection of fighting norms, like the 'well-rounded fighter,' 'the fast combo-maker,' 'the specialist,' and the 'one guy with the frustratingly overpowered move that players can constantly spam.'

Okay, if this new release is pretty standard then what does it do right? Well, while it's a standard fighter without much to its name, it's also decently enjoyable. For one thing, the characters and their designs are actually fairly solid, for example, the princess - Olivia - is such an overdone caricature, with doves carrying her lance into battle and joining her in her heat-up mode that it's actually sort of funny. Her design in general is good enough and interesting, coming with a regal air about her that clearly displays her role without being too oppressive. Again, it's no BlazBlue but it's far more impressive than the arguably generic and repetitive designs found in other fighters, such as the Street Fighter series.

That aside, the game is quite simply fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously, it's not that hard to figure out how a character functions and their various strengths and weaknesses, and it's far from the brick wall of skill that similar genre stable-mates possess in order to become an expert. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that this is on the PC, this would likely be a great party-style scrap-fest for a bunch of friends to get around and just have some fun with. On its own, though, without any friends to play with, it's just average. Sure, there is a story mode, but the plot is fairly standard and obvious with little explained, and its only particularly notable facet is that each character has two paths: their standard path, along with a very different secondary story, achieved by performing specific tasks like winning bouts through a time-out. Said secondary stories are actually moderately enjoyable, but aren't something overwhelmingly thrilling either.