Granblue is a popular mobile title that has been capturing the minds of many gamers in both America and Japan. On June 4 the developers launched a closed beta of their new title that is set to be released on the PlayStation 4. The game’s beta was filled to capacity and it is not surprising so many fans turned up as the Developer, Arc System Works, has only released vague trailers that highlighted the animation style of the game.
The game tells its story through text, beautiful still illustrations and the cute JRPG sprites that many will remember from the original PlayStation release of the game. The game has grown in popularity across countries and made its money back from the character loot box/gacha mechanics built into the game. There was famously a streamer who streamed himself spending over $6,000 dollars to try and unlock a single character.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni8EDg5dCTs
The mobile game is still built for mobile. This simply means that the game is not living up to its full potential and leaves a lot to the imagination. Their illustrations don’t move which limits the cinematic appeal and the elaborate character designs and story are simply under told in the mobile market. Publisher Cygames chose the developer Arc System Works in an attempt to bring their game to life and show fans the true world of Granblue.
The studio was picked due to their pioneering techniques to make 3D models that mimic the 2D animation style. They have famously brought Goku and his friends to life in Dragon Ball FighterZ and worked on Guilty Gear XRD.
The game looks beautiful and many gans are stunned at the detail put into the background. On the grassy cliff stage, a huge airship flies by giving the world a level of life rather than just stagnant battle stage after the battle stage. They even managed to give some life into Gran’s blank emotions as he hops and shuffles nervously with sloppy attacks.
Fans of the Granblue mobile series will be pleased with the effect of the upcoming title. The love and care present in the trailer alone show that this game will be a work of art for the fighting genre. Unlike what Arc has worked on in the past this game takes a slower pace to the fighting game with almost a classic Street Fighter feel. The battle has some give and take rather than the instant pounce and destruction that other fighting games tend to have. Veterans will still be able to beat the new players but it will be a matter of pacing and skill to accomplish the task.
