Fantasy Strike Review: A Fighting Game for Pros and Beginners Alike

Veteran and beginner fighting game players will be able to find a lot of enjoyment in Fantasy Strike. The game features extremely simple mechanics and combos, but a small health bar means that players will need to understand their opponents well if they want to survive. The new free-to-play model that has been introduced removes a lot of Fantasy Strike’s fun single-player content, so players will need to shell out some cash to gain access – but despite this, Fantasy Strike is a very well-rounded fighting game.

Fantasy Strike‘s art style and sound effects will probably remind players a lot of early Street Fighter titles. Fantasy Strike doesn’t quite have the same level complex graphics and animations of some of the modern games in the fighting genre, but it still sports a massive amount of charm. All of the characters are unique and their styles correspond well with their in-game abilities. For example, Rook, the giant rock monster, is slow but sports a higher health bar and can dish out a lot more damage than other characters.

The uniqueness of each of the characters is one of the best features of Fantasy Strike. Each character is split into four different types: Zoner, Rushdown, Grappler, and Wild Card. Zoners are well-balanced attackers that have access to long distance attacks. Rushdown characters like Valerie are fast and capable of eliminating other characters quickly, but aren’t as strong as others and typically have a smaller health bar. Grapplers are big characters like Rook that have a lot of health and a lack of speed, but specialize in using grab attacks. The final group, the Wild Cards, don’t have anything unifying their playstyle other than they don’t fit within a specific class. New character Onimaru, who can dish out high amounts of damage with his sword and block and parry enemy attacks with ease, is an example of how Wild Cards carve out niches for themselves.

When it comes to combat, Fantasy Strike does some very interesting things with its controls. Rather than the complicated combos and moves of most fighting games, players instead only have a normal attack, two special attacks, a throw, and a super attack. Each of these only require the player to press one button to trigger, and combos are typically only three attacks in a row at max. One of the best design choices Fantasy Strike makes is countering throws by standing still. It is such a simple idea, but it forces players to remove their fingers from the buttons and wait for an attack to hit to counter. All of these mechanics are easy to pick up, which make them ideal for fighting game players of all skill levels.

Since Fantasy Strike is so simple, it means that the winning player isn’t the one who can spam the longest combos at their opponent. Instead, players will need to watch their enemy and wait for moments to punish mistakes. This could mean waiting for opponents to jump attack, using a super attack on them or countering a throw by standing still. The simplicity of the game means that most players can pick it up quickly, and playing online forces players to play smart and study their opponent’s actions to improve beyond their initial intuition.

Fantasy Strike’s new free-to-play model is its biggest issue. It does unlock all of the game’s characters for players no matter what and allows all players to play online and compete in ranked modes however often they wish. The downside, though, is that without spending a little bit of money on the Core Pack, players will only be able to play against online opponents. The Core Pack unlocks Arcade mode, local Versus mode, Survival mode, and Boss Rush. These are all single-player game modes that will no longer be a part of the experience unless players decide to pay for the Core Pack. Luckily, players who already owned the game before the update goes live will be given access to everything available in the Core Pack.

Fantasy Strike is a fun fighting game that forces players to study their opponent’s playstyle rather than spamming combos at them. It doesn’t hold the player’s hand, but properly teaches them how each mechanic works before turning them out into the competitive online world. While some players may be upset to have to pay for single player content, there are plenty of game modes to keep even free-to-play users busy. Fantasy Strike is a great pick-up for fans of the fighting game genre, and worth a look for those who have been intimidated previously by complex control schemes.

Fantasy Strike can be played on PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. A Steam code was provided for the purposes of this review.

About The Author

Cody Peterson
(951 Articles Published)

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Cody Peterson is an avid reader and writer. Graduated from Midwestern State University with a BA in English where he worked as an editor for the University literary journal. Currently a freelancer for Screenrant, where he spends most of his time writing guides or reviews. Be warned that any conversation started with him will probably wind up gravitating towards his two dogs, The Adventure Zone, or Kingdom Hearts 2.

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