Fantasy Strike

1. doctorfedora

   Sep 30, 2019

   10

   An intense, fast-paced fighting game that beginners can also play. Streamlined controls make it feel kind of like that scene in the MatrixAn intense, fast-paced fighting game that beginners can also play. Streamlined controls make it feel kind of like that scene in the Matrix where Neo gets kung-fu installed in his brain, then goes straight to lightning-fast sparring. Basically, it's designed to help beginners stop being beginners as fast as possible, to go straight to the exciting stuff. Plus, it's the first proper fighting game that's actually genuinely playable for real on a single Joy-Con. I cannot recommend this game enough, both for existing fighting game players and for people interested in checking out what the genre has to offer, but without spending hours practicing joystick motions before they can actually play for real.
   
   I also can't emphasize strongly enough just how good the netplay is, especially on the Steam version. I live in Japan and I've played matches with opponents on the east coast of the US and Canada and had them feel like we were in the same room. Positively unbelievable — I have no idea how they managed it. The Steam version also has the paradoxical benefit of being the best for netplay (since you can play against both the PS4 and Switch versions) even if the Steam version might have the smallest overall player base of the three versions.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
2. Darches

   Aug 3, 2020

   10

   tl;dr tl;dr
   It's now my 2nd favorite fighting game. Please give Sirlin all your money so I can have more characters. Smash Ultimate plays atl;dr tl;dr
   It's now my 2nd favorite fighting game. Please give Sirlin all your money so I can have more characters. Smash Ultimate plays a bit better but is harder to control and has serious problems. Fantasy Strike has less expressive gameplay but is incredibly balanced and has ALL the quality of life features.
   
   Fantasy Strike is more than just "another fighting game." It's a philosophy and the culmination of Sirlin's work. tl;dr review:
   
   Pros
   +Accessible. Anyone with working fingers can play.
   +Competitive. Sirlin says no grinding!
   +Balanced. Unlike 99% of game developers, Sirlin knows how to balance things. All moves are useful and all characters are viable. It's amazing.
   +Elegant. The yomi counter is especially innovative and fun.
   +Challenging. While FS is easy to pick up it's very hard to master. The mind games are intense, the roster is diverse, and you can train and learn nuances like in any other fighter. There's serious replay value here.
   +Plays great. Rollback networking and cross platform support make this game a joy to play.
   +Polished.
   +Sounds great. This is probably my favorite fighting game sound track.
   +Looks great. It's the best that you could ask for from an indie company. I love the fantasy martial arts style and the designs, lore, movesets, and presentation all come together perfectly.
   +Good single player modes.
   
   Cons
   -Far less freedom, especially compared to Smash Ultimate. You still get meaningful choices, they're just less granular and expressive. It's a reasonable cost to pay for an insane boost in accessibility.
   
   Conclusion
   Despite the lack of freedom and my initial tilt from losing too much, I keep coming back for more! It's addicting. There are few games where even losing is this much fun. While it's not as mechanically fun as Smash Ultimate, Fantasy Strike does everything right and is the kind of fighting game that we've been sorely lacking. Games like this are a rare treat and I'm incredibly happy to see Sirlin's design work finally put into action. IMO this makes most other fighting games obsolete. Buy it.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
4. Remy77077

   Aug 12, 2019

   10

   I'm a pretty hardcore fighting game player (tournament player for SF2 HDR, ST, SF3 and SFV), but I also like to play casually with friends -I'm a pretty hardcore fighting game player (tournament player for SF2 HDR, ST, SF3 and SFV), but I also like to play casually with friends - and this is probably the only fighting game that really lets me enjoy both to the same degree.
   That is because this is one of the best fighting games ever made for my taste in fighters!
   I normally don't enjoy playing FGs that much vs my friends who are only into them casually. I have to play characters where I barely know what I'm doing or "hold back" for my friends to even stand a chance vs me, but in Fantasy Strike, they can learn a few moves with a character, and suddenly, because they can execute everything - we're playing for real. Sure my FG experience and skills means I'll probably win, but it's no longer a sure bet where I can simply mess about and win however I want to, I now have to play a real game and actually think how to win, I can't just rely on the fact I can block, throw, tech & combo better than them to always win. Plus my friends that have never been able to play any other FGs due to the execution barrier, but who are really strong gamers at say, an RTS game, can now compete with (and sometimes beat) me too!
   
   I loved Divekick years ago too for some of the same reasons, but I always wanted something more like a traditional fighter or "Divekick++" or something. Fantasy Strike is that - and has MUCH better online netplay and far more single player and competitive content and modes than Divekick, or even most other fighting games ever had. Like the Boss Rush mode which is like a fighting game combined with a roguelike power up system, or arcade mode stories that actually all tie together, and have some gorgeous artwork.
   
   The easier execution in Fantasy Strike also enables me to focus on the strategy and what I want to do, and also means I can play every character in the cast to find out what kind of gameplay I enjoy the most, rather than being stuck playing characters with moves & combos I can do the best. High level matches are so incredibly intense in Fantasy Strike because you have to think about every single decision and there isn't reams of setplay and combos or option selects where I can 'relax and just do my thing' - it's the only fighting game that's even made me feel like I need a break to 'recover mentally' after playing an intense match of it.
   
   Oh & it also has the best netplay I've ever experienced in any fighting game!
   
   Buy this now! :D
   Highest recommendation I can give this from me.… Expand

   • 5 of 6 users found this helpful
5. LudicSavant

   Nov 5, 2019

   10

   Don't let the simple controls fool you; this game offers a great deal of depth for dedicated fighting game players. The difference is that inDon't let the simple controls fool you; this game offers a great deal of depth for dedicated fighting game players. The difference is that in Fantasy Strike you're not distracted by rote execution like messing up your combos or missing 1-frame links, you're worried about making the right choice to outwit your opponent.
   
   The game epitomizes easy to learn, hard to master, and I love it.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
6. Nok

   Jul 29, 2019

   10

   I came over from Sirlin's boardgames. Until about 2015 my impression of fighters were largely button mashing, and then I read Sirlin's blogI came over from Sirlin's boardgames. Until about 2015 my impression of fighters were largely button mashing, and then I read Sirlin's blog about the deeper game. This interested me, so I gave SFV a shot (and lost interest when I couldn't do the combo challenges). Then Sirlin announced that he was pausing development of Codex to focus on Fantasy Strike, which really disappointed me. I gave patreon alpha a look to see what had killed expansions for one of my favorite games, and was instantly hooked. It fulfills everything that the "deeper game" of fighting games had promised, and you win or lose on your decisions and knowledge alone.… Expand

   • 4 of 4 users found this helpful
7. acrata

   Jul 27, 2019

   10

   This is the fighting game I’ve been waiting years for. Tons of depth, but easy execution. When you lose, you know it’s because you made badThis is the fighting game I’ve been waiting years for. Tons of depth, but easy execution. When you lose, you know it’s because you made bad decisions, not because you misinputted.… Expand

   • 5 of 6 users found this helpful
8. Ursafrank

   Aug 25, 2019

   6

   A fairly simplified fighter, no crouching, your life bar is in chunks and you can counter some attacks by literally pressing nothing. I foundA fairly simplified fighter, no crouching, your life bar is in chunks and you can counter some attacks by literally pressing nothing. I found all the characters to be boring and uninteresting (your opinion may vary). You can easily win most fights against the AI by spamming ranged attacks. Voice acting was funny
   
   Not a bad game by any means, competent even but it just didn't do anything for me… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful

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