Arc System Works has made a name for itself for superb 2D fighting games with franchises like Guilty Gear, BlazBlue, and even the latest Persona 4: Arena titles. They're certainly no strangers to 2D fighters.
Back in 2008, the Xbox 360 was treated to a little gem of a fighter called Battle Fantasia. I remember buying it about a year later when it was heavily discounted, and even by then I still haven't found anyone that knew what the game was. A buddy of mine who is actually very much into the fighting game scene, who also attended CEO 2015, has never heard of it. And that's a shame, considering the game itself was actually pretty great. Unlike traditional fighters, Battle Fantasia exchanged muscle-bound dudes and busty girls with characters that were taken straight out of an RPG like Final Fantasy Tactics or the Tales series. What was also quite different with this game in comparison to Arc System Works' other titles is that this was a 2D fighter with 3D characters.
What I generally like about Arc System Works is that they don't try to fill up their games with as many characters as possible, but instead focus on making each character as unique as possible, and this certainly holds true for Battle Fantasia as well. The character roster isn't only diverse, but has some truly unique designs. You have a pirate called Freed with a giant golden hook on his right hand, a small bunny named Watson who wields magic and sets traps made of carrots, the cat girl waitress Coyori who wields tea as primary weapon, Urs a flaming chainsaw wielding knight or his younger brother Marco who wields an oversized sword and a small pet dragon. Each character has a largely different playstyle. And while I wouldn't say that their movesets are particularly large, it actually lends itself to accessibility, so it's never that difficult to learn different characters.
One of the more unique mechanics of Battle Fantasia, at least as far as 2D fighters went back in 2008, was the counter system. With a press of two buttons, your character would enter a parry animation for about a second, which would allow you to counter your opponent's attacks. This was especially useful against players who spammed the same attack over and over, making themselves very predictable.
But let's get right down to it, Battle Fantasia is a game from 2008, so what does the Revised Edition do that the original didn't? Outside of some slightly better graphics and some slightly different camera angles during special attacks, the game is largely the same. The PR team did notify me that the game also has re-balanced characters to mirror the arcade version though I honestly wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
The game comes with the standard Arcade mode which has you going up against nine consecutive enemies, a Story mode with full voice overs (Japanese only, no English localization) for all characters, Versus modes, Time Attack as well as a Survival mode which has you beating as many opponents as you can until you get defeated. I've certainly seen meatier content in fighting games before, especially when comparing Arc System Works' other titles, but what's here for $14.99 is certainly enough.
Those looking to buy the game to play online might be slightly disappointed. I'm not sure whether it's the game's fault or whether not many people have bought it yet, but I've spent a good amount of time on the Network menu, trying to find an opponent to fight, with absolutely no luck.
Despite this though, I'm just excited that I get to play this game once again on a system I'm still using. Since my 360 is no longer hooked up to my TV, Battle Fantasia was no longer going to get any screen time. That's no longer the case with the Revised Edition. The $14.99 is certainly enticing as well. Just be prepared to invite some friends over to play it, since your online experience will be rather barren.
