Return to a land of anime characters in Dungeons & Dragons garb with Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, the latest fighting game from the critically acclaimed Arc System Works.
2023 has been the year for fighting games. Though Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1 haven’t been without their controversies, they ruled the roost for a year that also left fans waiting with bated breath for more from franchises like Tekken, Fatal Fury, and – could it be? – Super Smash Bros.
Quietly stepping into the middle of this fracas is the latest Arc System Works release, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising. ArcSys has had a hell of a streak with the releases of DNF Duel and Guilty Gear Strive.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising lands in a bizarre space. Rising has already been a little muddled as fans try to figure out what it is. Is it an update? A sequel? Or something new entirely?
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising – Key Details
- Price:
- Free (Free Edition)
- $49.99 (Standard Edition)
- $74.99 (Deluxe Edition)
- Developer: Arc System Works
- Release Date: December 14, 2023
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam
What is Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising?
In practice, Rising is a fairly standard ArcSys update, similar to how games like Guilty Gear Xrd had multiple versions. The game incorporates many of the same elements from the first game but remixes and updates them for a new release.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising has a story mode that mixes an updated version of the original Versus story with new elements and chapters. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar, though; a number of glossary entries and character bios are linked throughout the story mode and character guides, helping to catch up on who’s who in the world.
The end result is a fighting game with some serious narrative heft. Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is dripping with character and style. It’s flashy and fun, and the characters have big personalities that shine all the way through the match.
Rising has everything fans loved about the original but with more characters, refined mechanics, and a ton of new modes. It’s a no-brainer if you’re into it, but don’t worry if you’re on the fence; a free edition is releasing that offers a restricted roster, allowing users to try out the first chapter of story mode and the game’s online functionalities.
Versus a plethora of single-player offerings
The fighting itself is fast, fluid, and frantic, just like you expect from an ArcSys fighting game. Much like more recent efforts, it uses a simplified control scheme, too. I found Rising to be fast to pick up. I was into matches and doing cool stuff immediately, which is the ultimate goal of any fighting game.
The core fighting game elements really shine through in the single-player offerings because of this. I came into the game not knowing much about Granblue, but I found myself quickly growing attached to the world.
There’s a lot going on here, with enough technical depth for fighting game pros and enough hand-holding for newbies. I found the tutorials to be surprisingly robust, though they were occasionally missing some crucial context. Because they’re situational tutorials, there’s not a ton of guidance on how to apply them in battles, and the lack of feedback if you whiff means learning a new concept can be frustrating if you’re just not getting it.
Online battles that rise to the occasion
The online components are essential for any fighting game today, and Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising delivers them in spades. There are ranked and casual matches, as well as the ability to create rooms. Much like most modern fighting games, Rising makes use of a lobby system where you’ll create an avatar to wander around an arcade-ish environment, skewing closer to Street Fighter 6’s lobbies than Guilty Gear Strive’s.
The lobby is a massive, sprawling thing with plenty of nooks and crannies. Those hidden areas are mainly for additional arcade machines to sit at for matches, but they provide plenty of secluded areas where you can meet up with friends. There are also some odds-and-ends to interact with, like a soccer field and a few crane games that unlock statue poses, profile banners, and alternate color schemes.
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But you’re going into the lobby to fight, most likely, and Rising’s rollback netcode is as smooth as you want it to be. I found the online matches to be incredibly responsive. Early access matches allowed for a sturdy connection, and we found no issue with lag, drops, or stuttering. If you enjoyed the single-player mode of Rising or any recent ArcSys fighter, the online mode here will still scratch that itch.
Grand Bruise Legends is all you really care about
The biggest surprise out of this is easily the new Grand Bruise Legends mode. It’s largely been compared to Fall Guys, and that’s not wrong, but my first impressions made me think more of Mario Party. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking for a new Mario Party, though.
Grand Bruise is a three-round match-up against 12 other players, with each round having a different objective. Some rounds are races, others are horde survival modes, and some require you to simply not get knocked off a continually shrinking platform.
It is absurdly chaotic and fun but in the best way. There’s a certain retro, PS1-era charm to the look and feel, and it’s the kind of thing you would absolutely turn your nose up at if it were a solo release. As a separate mode in a full game, though, this is a huge value add for an already packed-to-the-gills experience.
Getting into Grand Bruise took some time, and getting eliminated meant getting back in line. It sometimes took us around five minutes to get into a match, but this was early access; I fully expect the wait time to go down drastically once the game is in wide release.
Who is Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising for?
The biggest issue with this game is that Granblue remains fairly niche in the States. The original game was a Japanese-exclusive mobile game, meaning the only exposure the Americas have gotten to date has been the first Versus and the 2020 anime.
But Rising is coming out at the perfect time to potentially capitalize on a wave of hype. The fighting game community is eating well in 2023; Street Fighter 6, Mortal Kombat 1, and more have given fans plenty to play. Dropping near the end of 12 killer months of fighting games, Granblue can capitalize on a community stronger than it’s ever been.
There’s also more to come in the form of Granblue Fantasy: Relink, a new roleplaying game that explores the Granblue world. This is a unique opportunity for fighting game enthusiasts or those who want to know more ahead of Relink to get into the franchise now. With a robust character roster and a glossary of character bios and world explainers throughout its story mode, Rising may be the best way to learn about Granblue short of reading a wiki.
The Verdict – 4/5
With its gorgeous anime aesthetics, stylish characters and easy-to-pick-up/hard-to-master fighting mechanics, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising provides an exciting, challenging alternative to the bigger, more established fighting games that have populated the year. If you’re looking for more of that Arc System Works magic, this one’s a no-brainer.
Reviewed on PS5
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