If You’re New To Fighting Games

We’ve streamlined the genre to get you to the fun decision-making part as soon as possible. All moves are just a single button press, combos are easy, move lists are so concise that they fit on one screen. We’ve cut out the chaff to focus on the heart of the genre so we can show you why fighting games are awesome.

If You’re a Fighting Game Veteran

Fantasy Strike is difficult to be good at, but not because of combos or execution: because making the right decisions is hard. This game is designed by an ex-Street Fighter dev and hardcore player for play in tournaments. It’s got mixups, rushdown, zoning, frame traps, grapplers seeming too powerful on day 1, and other fighting game fundamentals you’re used to.

CHARACTERS

Be a ninja, dragon, panda, fish, or even a human

Fantasy Strike is a world of fantasy and martial arts. Its diverse characters use wind, fire, ghosts, gambling, paint, and even time itself as their weapons. Find a character whose personality and playstyle you connect with. Try a disciplined zoner or a cocky one if you prefer, a manic-depressive rushdown character, a gentle grappler, gambling panda, a passive resistance-style fish, and more.

The Wrong Way: Input Delay

The standard, bad way of doing online play in fighting games is to use input delay. When you press a button, nothing happens on your screen right away. The signal goes to your opponent, then bounces back to you before you see anything happen. It feels like you’re playing underwater.

The Right Way: Rollback Method

• Fantasy Strike uses GGPO’s rollback-style networking.

• When you press a button, the result happens instantly on your screen, just like during offline play.

• Occasionally your opponent’s character will pop back into sync, but it’s rare.

• Mostly you get smooth, responsive gameplay,
  even across continents.

Playing With a Friend Online

To play a friend, go to your friends list and click on the crossed swords by any name to challenge them.
That’s it.

When they accept, you and your friend are
put into the same gameflow as if you were sitting next to each other in the same room.

Watching a Friend Online

To watch your friend play, go to your friends list and click on the eyeball by any name.
That’s it.

You'll continue watching your friend automatically,
as they play different opponents online,
even in different game modes.

The Tournament Experience

Play in automated 8-person tournaments.

Tournament-style matchmaking is generally more exciting and has more ups and downs than standard "always 50-50 win rate" matchmaking.

Our point system is as simple as our lifebars: you get 1, 2, or 3 stars for winning, depending on how far you are in the tournament.

Team Battle Format

Choose a team of 3 characters, play a best-3-out-of-5 match.

• Each game, play a new randomly chosen matchup.

• You'll go through all your characters before repeating.

• Must win with all 3 of your characters to win the match!

There's lots of variety in this mode. You'll play an even spread of many matchups, rather than usually playing the most unfair matchups as often happens in counter-pick systems.

Arcade Mode

Fight a series of AI opponents. Includes beautifully illustrated, voiced story intros and endings.

Four Survival Modes

A rapid-fire series of opponents with no loading times between them.
They get stronger as you go.

Daily Challenge

An endless survival mode that you can only play ONCE per day.
See how you do compared everyone else that day.

Tutorial

This short, 5-minute tutorial teaches you all the basics.
Do some fun exercises that flow continuously
with no loading times.

Spotlight Videos

Every character has their own spotlight video, a narrated tour by game director David Sirlin. Each video goes though that character's moves and what their general gameplan and strategy is about.

Opponent is doing inputs
so they CAN be thrown

Opponent let go of the controls
so they yomi counter YOU if you try to throw them

Alternate Costumes

Victory Animations

Intro Animations

Special KO Animations

Replay Theater

An extensive set of features for viewing game replays.
Search for specific matchups of specific ranks online,
or view your own games. Includes 2 “TV Channels” of endless replays from other players.

Watching a replay has controls like watching a video.
Skip forward or back 10 seconds, or to the next round. Change speed, or even frame step forward or back.

Master Costumes

These exclusive costumes are each character’s ultimate form.
These costumes can’t be bought in the item shop. They are only available to Fantasy+ members, and even then, only if you are level 20 or higher with that character.

To help you level up faster, Fantasy+ members get XP at twice the normal rate.
(XP does not give a gameplay advantage.)

And to show your support for the game, Fantasy+ members also get their name shown in green in the game.