Battle Fantasia

A very tight fighter, with tried-and-tested 2D mechanics cloaked in a 2.5D visual presentation. [Sept 2008, p.111]

The most accessible fighting game on 360. [Feb 2009, p.86]

Battle Fantasia certainly isn't going to have anyone cancelling their pre-order for Street Fighter IV; it's not even in the same league as Capcom's superlative re-envisioning. But if you've room in your life for more than one 2D fighter, then Battle Fantasia is a polished if slightly standard gem worthy of any would-be fighter's time.

Backed by a quality studio, Battle Fantasia is an interesting fighting game which can result risky at times. It has some RPG elements, although shallow, which change some of the more typical aspects of its genre, and only a dozen characters. The advantage is that there are no filler characters, but a larger line-up would have favoured the game with more variety.

With its unique art style, eclectic characters and accessible gameplay it's an easy and fun little way to get back into beat-'em-ups. [Issue#43, p.99]

Even with Street Fighter IV currently being the best fighting game in the market, Battle Fantasia is still a solid fighting game that has some interesting Japanese RPG elements as well as fantastic visuals and art.

There's fun to be had with Battle Fantasia. It's a title that's reasonably easy to pick up and play but has enough technical depth to take some time to master. There isn't enough depth in the content and fighting to appeal to the hardcore fighting game fan.

It's an enjoyable fighter even with its flaws, and it's a pleasing sidestep from Arc's edgy world of "Guilty Gear."

Battle Fantasia is a decent distraction but can’t compete with the high profile fighters, both out now on Xbox 360 and on the way, in looks, depth, or feature set. The character design is about the only thing that sets this game apart from the pack.

Battle Fantasia may be a niche game for a specific audience, but otaku will live happily ever after.

With Street Fighter IV out on the shelves, Battle Fantasia couldn't have found a worse time to be published. Most hardcore gamers will though like the deep and solid 2d gameplay, once they'll have mastered it.

Guilty Gear fans are going to be disappointed with Battle Fantasia, of that there is no doubt. Despite looking like it should be an incredibly hardcore fighter, what with the heavy anime-influence and Japanese voice work, it turns out that it's heavy on accessibility, with only the parry system requiring any practice.