The most accessible fighting game of all time is finally getting a ranked mode — and it differs a bit from the current competitive fighting game meta.
Fantasy Strike developer Dave Sirlin took to YouTube to break down the mode, which acts quite differently from online matchmaking modes in other fighting games. Rather than setting up two players against each other for stand-alone matches, Fantasy Strike’s online environment acts much like a tournament, which Sirlin feels is “more exciting.” The tournaments will be eight-person competitions, with brackets that are made “on the fly” — without the need for an immediate opponent to face off against.
Familiar to fighting game players is the game’s ranking system, which places players in leagues of Bronze through Master. Fighters will engage with other players within their rank in tournaments, which will be three out of five games — meaning that players who win a total of three games will take the tournament. The mode utilizes Fantasy Strike’s Team Battle system, as well, allowing players to use a total of three characters against their opponents.
The tournaments’ point system works in a system of rewards and demerits. Players earn a star for every win, and lose a star for each game they lose. However, Diamond ranked players will not earn a star for taking the first round in a tournament — but they will lose a star for losing, though. Additionally, Master ranked players will have the star system thrown to the wind, and must face other Master league players without the reward of earning stars at all. While simplistic, the Fantasy Strike ranked experience makes sure to provide ample challenges for players looking to rise above the competition.
With this ranked system comes a slew of other updates to Fantasy Strike, including improvements to the game’s Training Mode, enhanced animations, and frame advantage indicators. Characters’ movements have been kicked up a notch: fighters now have a harder time throwing heavy opponents like Rook, while previously, they would fling him off without a hitch. In addition, new frame advantage indicators now give players data with every hit, delivering them visual cues as to their character’s recovery status. The color and size of sparks reveal if a player is plus or minus on a certain move in-game, giving an approximate indication as to how many frames they are ahead or behind.
Other visual and sound improvements were also made to the title, including features like characters’ eyes flashing purple when their super meter is full. Fantasy Strike is nearly a new game, now — and its online ranking system is ripe for the taking!
Source: Fantasy Strike
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