Although today's fighting games have been expanding the gameplay possibilities of single-player mode in order to lower the barrier to entry and cater to new players, it is quite unexpected to be able to play "Fall Guys" directly in a fighting game.
The recently released new fighting game "Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising" can be regarded as the "power enhancement version" of "Granblue Fantasy Versus" launched in 2020, not only adding new characters, new systems and the now standard "rollback code" in combat, but also bringing a new attempt in the multiplayer mode of non-fighting gameplay - "Granblue Wars".
As I mentioned earlier, you can basically think of Azur Wars as a Fall Guys type game from the "Granblue Fantasy" IP, and the common gameplay of this genre, such as "obstacle crossing", "survival challenge", and "team competition", can also find similar levels in Azur Wars.
Like the traditional Fall Guys, a map can accommodate nearly 20 players at the same time, and after the opening whistle, you not only need to climb over a map composed of cylinders, gears, and lifting platforms, but also be on guard against "harassment" from other players
If you get blown up by a bomb on the track and slip on a paint-soaked floor, there's no doubt that you'll have a competitor around you who takes care of you.
In addition to obstacle courses, the game also features team maps such as the "Crimson Gold Squad", which requires players to move as many gold nuggets as possible to their faction base within a set time, as well as "Immortal Bird Race", a chicken-eating map where they fight their own battles, dodge bombs, and try to survive to the end.
Although according to the official statement, Azur Battle is just a branch of this fighting game for players to relax and relax, and is not the main focus of the game, the production team still made a full set of level rewards for it, as long as you play the game, you can get the corresponding experience rewards, and further unlock additional appearance rewards including avatars, business card backgrounds, weapon skins, etc.
The Q version of the villain image that appears in the blue battle can also be used as a virtual avatar in the online lobby. Just like the Fighting Center in Street Fighter 6, in addition to the traditional matchmaking format, the game also provides a stage for training, fighting, socializing, and entertainment – the online lobby.
On this open map, players can play in the arcade area, chat or discuss tactics with other online players, spend gold to grab custom cosmetic items in the claw machine, and even play a simple game of soccer on the adjacent green field.
In addition to these casual player content, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising's single-player story mode also has a lot of content.
This time, the story mode retains the content of the previous game, and adds the story and cutscenes of new chapters, even if you are not interested in hardcore fighting battles, you can also experience the traditional side-scrolling action gameplay in the story mode.
The gameplay in this part is more akin to a traditional RPG, where players need to gain experience points by defeating enemies, Xi learn new skills and acquire more powerful equipment, and the whole story mode can actually be regarded as a large "fighting game beginner's guide" in my opinion.
For most martial arts newcomers, it's always a tough problem. On the premise of maintaining the classic "rubbing operation", the game provides a simpler "one-click kill" function, in the process of clearing the level, players can either choose complex rubbing moves, or directly release skills through shortcut keys.
Since there is no clear boundary between the two, newcomers can start with the one-click mode first, and after getting familiar with the game rhythm and buttons, they can move on to more hardcore strokes. Compared with going directly into high-intensity PVP, the less stressful story mode has become a soothing for newcomers to get familiar with the operation, which is also an important reason why today's fighting games are willing to spend more energy on designing single-player gameplay.
As for the original core of the game - the "battle part", in addition to the 24 characters in the original game, 4 new characters were added for the first time, and more characters were promised to be added in the form of DLC in the future.
The system changes from PVP are relatively minor, with only the addition of two new moves, "Rage Attack" and "Heroic Counterattack", which are common to all characters. "Fury Attack" can consume resources to play an attack that destroys the opponent's defensive stance, which can be regarded as a powerful defense breaking method for the attacker in addition to the "middle and lower stage selection" and "hit and throw selection".
The "Heroic Counterattack" corresponds to the defender's ability, and this move can directly counterattack in an invincible state by consuming resources when blocking the opponent's attack, and although it is limited by the number of uses, it is still a powerful skill that can change the gameplay strategy.
Overall, this new fighting game has been greatly optimized from the gameplay and single-player content level on the basis of the original game, so that both veterans and newcomers can find what they are interested in.
Although it doesn't have any overly innovative or transformative parts from the perspective of a new game, I think it's worth trying to maintain the proven gameplay system and make new attempts to expand the audience.