UHQBot

March 16, 2020

Publisher: Cygames

Developer: Arc System Works

Release: February 6, 2020

Rating: Teen

Reviewed on: PlayStation 4

Also on: PC

Granblue Fantasy is a force in Japan, with the mobile RPG reaching over 25 million downloads. In North America, our first big foray into the series is Granblue Fantasy: Versus, a new fighting game by Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ developer Arc System Works. Versus is a great way to introduce yourself to the Granblue Fantasy world and characters, and it stands out as being an approachable entry in the genre. With fun characters and cool movesets, Versus is an overall decent fighter that’s worth a look, but it’s not without its flaws.

Vesus is slower than most anime fighting games, but more deliberate combat isn’t a bad thing, as it’s still rife with cool combos and flashy special moves. The barrier to entry is low, thanks to the ability to easily execute special moves and basic combos. Your main attacks revolve around your face buttons; one does a signature attack while pressing each other button in succession chains together auto combos. In addition, every character has four unique skills, but if you use the shortcut buttons to activate them, they operate on cooldowns alongside super moves that can be activated once a meter is filled.

You also have access to an arsenal of defensive capabilities, such as a standard block, a nifty dodge to avoid low attacks, and cross-overs that let you slip behind a foe. Using these defensive skills appropriately can make all the difference, but I also enjoyed the rush of combining my skills with standard attacks and watching my chain count rise, only to top it all off with a satisfying super for good measure.

Everything is easy to learn, and I was impressed with how well Versus shows you the ropes and provides the ability to quickly utilize special moves via shortcuts. This doesn’t mean it’s easy to master, as my strategies continued to evolve as I played more matches, but I didn’t feel overwhelmed. Depth comes in learning how to prepare and react against the varied characters’ moves and using the defensive capabilities appropriately. In many ways, it reminds me of other systems in Arc’s games, but it feels more simplified.

Compared to some of its contemporaries, Versus’ roster is small, with only half of its characters holding more unique and exciting abilities. You have your standard (and boring) fighters like Gran, with basic sword moves. But some options have more personality on the battlefield, like Ladiva and her wrestling moves, such as clotheslines, headbutts, slams, and throws. Every move feels like an elaborate performance by her to work the crowd, and watching the love she puts into it is fun. Then there’s the boisterous Lowain, who has two buddies at his side to assist with combos and run interference during the battle. He also has a ridiculous super where he calls in a massive Yggdrasil tree that covers the ground in flames. The roster has everything from more ranged characters like Metera with her bow and arrow to faster fighters like Lancelot with his flurry of slashes. This is a good starting point, as there’s enough here to find someone who fits your playstyle, even if some characters feel much more creative and exciting than others.

One of Versus’ inventive ideas is its RPG mode, which has you leveling up characters by taking on quests, searching for better gear drops, and engaging in larger-than-life boss fights. It also incorporates the gacha mechanics from the mobile game by giving you draw tickets that you can use in hopes of pulling a rare weapon. While it has the carrot on the stick of getting cool new weapons either through quests or draws, the mode is one of the game’s bigger disappointments. I love the concept, but the execution is done in the most boring way possible.

In RPG mode, you visit islands and enlist in several quests of just fighting off waves of repetitive CPU enemies, hit a miniboss, and then eventually face off against the island’s big bad. The final boss battles of each area are the main attraction, as these are elaborate fights often requiring you to avoid projectiles or get into a specific area for cover. The final boss of this mode takes a page out of the RPG handbook, with multiple forms and nasty attacks that are hard to dodge. I liked these big bouts, but having to put up with the boring quests to get there isn’t worth the price of admission. The plot is pretty barebones and bland, although you do get an idea of characters’ personalities.

Much of the fun in Granblue Fantasy: Versus lies in online bouts. As far as servers and performance are concerned for ranked play, I never got paired with an opponent instantaneously, but I also never waited more than a few minutes. When I was in matches, I never experienced any lag, and was actually surprised by how well everything functioned. Time will tell if Versus sustains a solid playerbase for low wait times, but for now everything seems to be in working order.

Despite some shortcomings, Granblue Fantasy: Versus is a respectable starting point for the series’ entry into the fighting genre. I applaud it for breaking down some barriers that newcomers have getting into fighting games and incorporating RPG mechanics into its combat. Granblue Fantasy: Versus might not reinvent the wheel, but there’s also something to be said about an approachable fighting game that doesn’t bog you down with overly complex inputs.

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Score: 7.75

Summary: With fun characters and cool movesets, Versus is an overall decent fighter that’s worth a look, but it’s not without its flaws.

Concept: Take Japan’s juggernaut Granblue Fantasy franchise and create an approachable fighting game around its myriad personalities

Graphics: The 2D, cel-shaded characters are detailed and striking. However, the backdrops could have more flavor, as they don’t pop off the screen as much

Sound: Adrenaline-pumping music, especially in RPG mode, quickly becomes a highlight of the experience

Playability: Controls are newcomer-friendly, easing you into the more complex mechanics and strategies

Entertainment: Granblue Fantasy: Versus is a fun fighting game, but stops short of reaching its full potential

Replay: High

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March 16, 2020

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo

Release: March 20, 2020

Rating: Everyone

Reviewed on: Switch

For nearly two decades, Animal Crossing has been an inviting little getaway for people looking to take a break from headshots and explosions. Heck, aside from the occasional wasp sting, the series is largely free of conflict overall; life in Animal Crossing is largely about relaxing and living life at your own pace, all in real-time. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an all-inclusive package that takes the best of what’s come before and adds meaningful upgrades for returning visitors and curious newcomers alike. Looking for a soothing staycation in these troubled times? Welcome home.

New Horizons’ early hook is that you’ve signed up for a Tom Nook-arranged trip to a deserted island (you’re no longer visiting an established animal village). Here, you set down roots and eventually build a brand-new community of animal friends. There’s a fun roughing-it together vibe throughout, which is a refreshing change of pace from being the new kid in town. The early hours almost play like a survival game, albeit one without life-or-death stakes. Even so, you’re in charge of your own fate in some significant new ways. You choose where you want to put your home, and you also get to designate plots of land for the other residents and services. I liked being able to control my island’s fate, especially since I had my own vision for how best to maximize the randomly generated landscape. Much of your island is likely to be off limits when you start, thanks to an abundance of rivers and cliffs. I was thrilled to get the tools to cross those areas, and even happier when I could place permanent solutions like ramps and bridges.

That sense of taking charge of your destiny is core to New Horizons. Need a fishing pole? You’re going to have to fashion your own, at least early on. Foraging for materials is one of your first tasks, and you can use components like rocks and sticks at DIY tables to build tools, furniture, and other goods. Your homemade tools are adequate, but they break after a few uses. You get recipes for stronger versions before too long, but get used to watching your creations vanish in a puff of smoke. I’m torn about these fragile tools, because I like how they steer new players toward crafting. On the other hand, I grew weary of creating half a dozen fishing rods at a time to prep for longer angling sessions. Plenty of materials are available to replace broken tools, making the problem about scarcity and more about filling time – which is something I’ve never had a problem with in Animal Crossing.

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Whether you like decorating your home, designing new clothes, or obsessively filling the museum with fossils, a large part of your enjoyment in those earlier games depended on how well you adjust to setting your own goals. On the flipside, if you didn’t get drawn in immediately, Animal Crossing could feel pretty aimless. Tom Nook has apparently heard those complaints, too, and he’s addressed them with a new Nook Miles program. Basically, just about everything you do in the game rewards you with miles – picking fruit, talking to neighbors, visiting other players’ islands, and more. These miles can then be exchanged for gameplay upgrades, such as additional inventory space, a tool wheel, clothing items, or fancy props that you can place in your town to spruce it up. I love the miles program, and I appreciate how it rewards you for simply going about your ordinary day. It’s all tracked via an app in your new in-game phone, which is an incredibly helpful piece of tech. I constantly referred to its Critterpedia in particular, which is a handy compendium that tracks all the bugs and fish you’ve collected, as well as details about when and where they show up. Considering the abundance of critters in the world, this is especially handy.

There’s always been a good array of activities in Animal Crossing, and New Horizons adds a substantial amount of depth to most of them. I eagerly donated the first specimen of every critter I found to the museum, which now looks like an actual museum instead of a large, empty room. The pattern designer has more sophisticated options, allowing budding creators to design patterns for specific articles of clothing, such as a variety of shirts, sweaters, dresses, and hats. I never got into clothing design, but now that I can easily recreate my admittedly terrible wardrobe, it’s a loop I’m more frequently engaging with. And eventually you can terraform the land, denoting pathways and even transforming the shape of rivers and cliffs as you see fit.

However you choose to spend your time, you’re surrounded by a wholesome crew of animals who go about their simple lives. I looked forward to seeing what kind of surprises they’d bring, whether it was a fun new piece of furniture for my house or one of several dozen emotes for my villager. Don’t expect any deep storytelling; that’s not what Animal Crossing has ever been about. I looked forward to seeing Mac’s dopey dog face in the morning, while I scurried past the pink gorilla Rocket whenever she came close because, for whatever reason, I think she’s a giant weirdo.

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You don’t only live alongside your animal neighbors. You can also play local co-op, sharing the screen with up to four players, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The play space is too crowded, and only one designated player can access their inventory at any given time. It’s a bummer, and my family couldn’t exit the mode quickly enough. Local wireless co-op is a better option, where players can invite their friends to visit. I can see this being an attractive option for role-playing, but I was more interested in trading items and accessing things in a friend’s store that weren’t in my island’s current rotation. New Horizons will support online play for up to eight players, but I was unable to test that out because the functionality had not been implemented yet.

The other way to play is an Animal Crossing staple, where multiple players share an island on the same console. This continues to be a great option, and I loved sending items and letters to my family. A word of caution: If you do plan on playing this way, make sure that the first player is someone who is going to stick with it, especially in the first few weeks. Tom Nook designates that player the resident representative, and a lot of the island’s progress is dependent on their participation.

New Horizons has a lot to see and do, and much of the joy comes from discovering it on your own. I still get a kick out of the real-time elements, such as how a construction project that takes a day to complete takes a real day’s time to finish, or how the various merchants keep actual store hours. That little hook keeps me excited to check back in later when I end each session. Animal Crossing: New Horizons has something new to experience every day, and, best of all, it’s built on a foundation of joy and earnestness that’s all too rare. If the tradeoff is that I have to craft a few fishing poles, I guess it’s worth it in the end.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is designed to be played over a long period of time, with certain items and events available at different times of the year. This review is based on playing the game daily over several weeks. That’s enough to evaluate the basic progression and mechanics, but questions remain about series staples like seasonal changes and special festivals around real holidays. To address the natural evolution of New Horizons throughout the year, we’re planning on updating this review several times, evaluating the new content and revisiting the score if appropriate.

Score: 9

Summary: Looking for a soothing staycation in these troubled times? Welcome home.

Concept: Settle into a fledgling community, help it expand, and make animal friends along the way

Graphics: Characters retain their overall silhouettes, while elements such as flocked fur and detailed costuming make it the best-looking entry yet. It’s a faithful leap forward

Sound: An impressive array of easygoing (and catchy) tunes help pass the hours, while the animals’ adorable chattering keeps interactions lively

Playability: Accomplishing everything that needs to get done is easy, and decorating and rearranging your house is more user-friendly than ever

Entertainment: A new challenge system reinvigorates the familiar core, providing a wonderful incentive to explore all of Animal Crossing’s myriad activities. This cheerful life sim is the next best thing to an actual vacation

Replay: High

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March 16, 2020

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