Fantasy Strike is now free-to-play for PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam, developer Sirlin Games announced.
Previous owners across all platforms will receive access to the “Founder’s Pack,” which includes everything in the “Core Pack” plus 60 costume color sets. The “Core Pack” is priced at $19.99, while the “Collector’s Pack” is priced at $99.99
Additionally, the game has been updated with two new playable characters (Sirus Quince and General Onimaru), additional cosmetic items and animations for the entire roster, and a new optional subscription service called “Fantasy+.”
“We worked tirelessly to find a way to maintain the competitive integrity of Fantasy Strike that our existing players love while opening it up to an even broader audience,” said game director David Sirlin in a press release. “We believe this free-to-play update continues our mission of crafting a fighting game that removes the barrier to being a contender, while also providing excellent value for those who want additional features and to support our work.”
Here is an overview of the game and its free-to-play updates, via Sirlin Games:
Play as Every Character for Free
A first for free-to-play fighting games, Fantasy Strike now allows players to play ALL characters for free online immediately with no grind-to-unlock. This includes the two new characters, Sirus Quince and General Onimaru, who each add new mechanics to the game. Quince deploys illusions to confuse his opponents and can make these illusions “real” for a limited time by landing his super. Meanwhile, Onimaru uses deliberate, powerful sword strikes that can become unblockable in the right situations.
Practice Mode, Solo Matches vs. AI, and Daily Challenges are Free
All Fantasy Strike players can play online in casual and ranked modes and watch the action in spectator mode. Practice mode, solo matches vs. AI opponents, and the daily challenges are also all available for free. Those looking for more can find it in the “Core Pack,” which provides access to local Versus mode, online matches against friends, Boss Rush mode, Survival mode, and an Arcade mode with beautifully-illustrated narrative sequences. Those looking for a lot more can buy the “Collector’s Pack,” featuring everything in the “Core Pack” plus a ton of cosmetics, an exclusive “Party Time” KO effect, and one year of the new “Fantasy+” subscription.
“Fantasy+” Subscription Service
“Fantasy+” is a new optional subscription service that doubles XP gains, grants access to special Master Costumes for each character who reaches experience level 20, and introduces an extensive new Replay Theater feature. With this, players can rewatch their own matches, search for replays containing specific characters and skill levels, and view an endless stream of replays in the new Ranked TV and Friend TV channels. Players can also adjust the playback speed of replays, scrub through videos, and even frame step for deep analysis. A “Fantasy+” subscription can be purchased in 1-month, 6-month, and 12-month increments in-game with gems (approximate value of $4.99, $24.99, and $39.99, respectively).
Fantasy Strike provides a friendly meeting ground for newcomers and veterans to learn and enjoy hardcore fighting games. Designed to teach and demystify, Fantasy Strike shows players its systems clearly with in-depth video tutorials and innovative frame advantage visual effects. These helpful features are married with other amenities like one-click friend challenges and spectating, built-on-the-fly tournaments, cross-platform play support between all systems, latency-combating GGPO technology, and more.
Watch a new set of trailers below.