We’ve been getting lots of requests lately asking when we’re going to review Fantasy Strike. Many of them mention how it’s the best game on the market or how unfair it would be to not review it, and they all seem to come from the same guy. So finally we decided to give the game a try in an attempt to appease these requests, and boy did that backfire.
Fantasy Strike aims to simplify fighting games while also retaining the depth and strategy that makes the genre so interesting. It’s a fully-fledged package including a varied roster, a robust training mode, and proper rollback netcode. There’s a helpful tutorial and if that’s not enough, there’s even some guy who will send you various tips on how you can play to win.
In Fantasy Strike there are no crouching moves and as a result no low attacks or low blocking. The game instead depends heavily on the dynamic between attacking and throwing. One of the game’s premier mechanics is the Yomi Counter which will break a throw when the player does nothing at all. Doing nothing also seems to invite online comments praising how brilliant the Yomi Counter mechanic is.
Without a doubt, there is something enjoyable here for both fighting game veterans and newcomers alike. Fantasy Strike achieves an impressive balance between accessibility and depth. Despite being a simplified game, the possibilities here are truly endless, like the amount of messages I receive from some guy on a daily basis.
It’s easy to find online matches, and the only thing that interrupts the steady stream of games are these messages from some guy. Sometimes they’re about how intuitive the user interface is, and that there’s never been a fighting game that makes it easier to play against your friends. Other times they’re reminders to mention that the game is now free-to-play and that everyone should be playing it.
Even if I ignore these tiresome messages, this person is seemingly everywhere. I went to the the game’s official Discord server and he’s there. If I see any mention of the game on Twitter, he’s there too. The other night I saw one of his messages in a dream and it said, “Why are you sleeping when you could be reviewing Fantasy Strike?”
Who is this enigmatic man who needs to chime in every time I try to play the game, and why is he so invested in its success? Is this an obsessive fan, or perhaps some kind of persistent troll? I have a feeling that these questions are probably better left unanswered.
The most frustrating thing about this situation is that Fantasy Strike is actually a really good game. And I would love to be able to recommend it, but unfortunately these constant perplexing comments from some guy really bring down the overall experience. So there, we reviewed it. Now seriously dude, STOP messaging us.
Final Score for Fantasy Strike: 5/10
