Adding to the ever-expanding list of quality fighting game titles in Arc System Work’s resume, Granblue Fantasy Versus provides an accessible but deep fighter for new and veteran fans. Utilizing the hyper-popular RPG franchise Granblue Fantasy Versus is a masterclass in translating the beloved IP into proper fighting game characters. With an unrivaled art-style and a cast of interesting characters, Granblue Fantasy Versus solidifies itself as one of the best modern fighting games available now. Granblue Fantasy Versus blends and molds established fighting game archetypes into unique hybrid characters filled to the brim with personality and identity. Making the title one of the most unique takes on the fighting game genre to date.
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One of the first two DLC characters to be released for the game, Narmaya hosts one of the most unique playstyles in the entire roster. Narmaya’s gameplan revolves around her two different stances. One being her Unsheathed stance and the other her Sheathed stance. Both possess entirely different movesets and tools at her disposal. This makes her one of the most challenging characters to play effectively while being one of the most interesting and fun to use. This guide will provide players with essential tips and tricks to play and master Narmaya.
Understanding Narmaya’s Stances Effectively in Granblue Fantasy Versus
A good Narmaya player has an above-average sense of how to utilize her powerful stances correctly. However, the task may be more difficult than it seems at a first glance. With almost entirely different moves and gameplans for each stance, mastering just one will be a challenge in itself.
Narmaya’s two stances are her Sheathed and Unsheathed forms. Each one has a relatively complex series of moves and specials. So it is necessary for players to have a good understanding of the relative strengths and weaknesses of each stance.
The unsheathed stance is a stance that embodies the aggressive rushdown style of play. Providing Narmay entirely new normal attacks each of which lends itself to a hyper-aggressive playstyle. Equipping her with faster attacks, some decent long-ranged pokes and a variety of powerful special moves to help her dominate her enemy. The special moves associated with this attack lend themselves to high damage and high mix-up potential. The first of her special moves is a powerful series of slashes called Kyouka Suigetsu its main purpose is to be a useful combo ender. Narmaya also gains access to a powerful mix-up tool in her Sengetsu, an overhead hitting attack that can hit on the opposite side of her opponent. The heavy version of the attack has plenty of plus frames and can be adjusted for an ambiguous mix-up attack.
Sheathed stance provides Narmaya a very different playstyle to her unsheathed stance. Rather than playing a close-ranged aggressive style, unsheathed lends itself to a long-range keep-away gameplan. Providing her a variety of different attacks from her unsheathed stance, the main strength of this stance is her powerful keep-away tools. The first being her Setsuna, a far-reaching slicing special move, this attack will be the primary attack used by Narmaya in this stance. It’s long-range coupled with its projectile canceling property makes this move a nuisance for even the best zoners in the entire game. Narmaya is able to shut down her enemy’s keep away style with this attack, making her an imposing threat from long range. Narmaya also gains access to an invincible uppercut style attack alongside a versatile teleport dash attack providing this stance some versatile defensive abilities.
For a Narmaya player to truly excel, they need to be able to masterfully utilize both of her stances. Being able to adapt to an opponent’s playstyle through stance switching is what makes the character so difficult and fun. So be sure to become familiar with the intricacies of both of her stances and you will be one step closer to mastery.
Understanding Narmaya’s Strengths and Weaknesses in Granblue Fantasy Versus
Narmaya as a character has a large number of strengths. She is versatile and capable of adapting to any style of play when needed. However, the character is not without her faults. To truly excel with the character it is important that players understand her strengths alongside her weaknesses and be able to adapt for both.
Narmaya’s strengths, as mentioned, are rooted in her versatility. One moment during a match she can be a keep away monster, being able to poke from nearly full screen at an aggressive player. As they grow frustrated that same Narmaya player can quickly change stances and go on the offensive. Bullying their opponent and forcing them to succumb to her oppressive pressure. Alongside, her high combo damage, Narmaya is a character that is meant for highly skilled players and rewards them for their technical ability. She also has an arsenal of powerful long-range attacks corresponding to a series of oppressive close range moves making her a well-rounded character.
However, Narmaya is not without her faults, she has a variety of downsides to her seemingly incredible toolkit. While she is very versatile in her stance switching, she can be kept out by the zoners of the roster. Her Unsheathed stance will be overwhelmed by the full-screen pressure of a good Meterea or Ferry, so being able to keep them at the mid-screen range is vital for those match-ups. When not in her unsheathed stance, she gets bullied by characters with long-range pokes and neutrals. Although her moves have a decent range, she is simply outclassed by characters like Ferry, Vaseraga, and others. Narmaya also requires a very firm understanding of fighting games to use effectively. Given her high skill ceiling, this makes Narmaya a difficult character to pick up and learn as a beginner. So to truly master Narmaya, a player needs to dedicate their time to learning both fighting game fundamentals and her complicated systems and mechanics.
However, the character is incredibly powerful in the right hands. When played correctly, the character is one of the strongest in the game. Being able to fill a variety of niches that other characters can only wish to fill.
Granblue Fantasy Versus is available on PS4 and PC.