A 2D fighter from the Shining series
Blade Arcus from Shining: Battle Arena is a 2D fighting game built around characters from Shining Blade and Shining Hearts. The setup is a world run by blade, magic, and fist, and the roster pulls 16 fighters out of that universe: Ryuuga, Pairon, Rage, Sakuya, Xiao Mei, Altina, Roselinde, Melty, Fenrir, Isaac, Rick, Dylan, Rouna, Urayukihime, Misty and Sonia. The artwork is by Tony (AlbionWorks), and the cast includes voice work from Yukari Tamura, Nana Mizuki and Rie Kugimiya. The battle system comes from Japanese game centres and arcades, so expect a competitive arcade-style fighter rather than a beat-'em-up.
How the tag battle works
Every match is tag-based. You pick a primary character and a secondary character, then swap between them across rounds. Your partner is also available mid-fight through Link Attacks, where you call them in for help. That gives each round two characters to plan around: who starts, when you switch, and when you spend your partner on an attack. Learning those timings is the core of the game, alongside the usual fighting-game work of learning each character's moveset and matchups.
Playing with your group
Versus Mode is where you go head to head with friends locally. Online mode was made specifically for this release, and it comes with an Online Leaderboards/Ranking System, so you can track where you stand against players from all over the world. Remote Play Together is supported, which lets friends join in over a connection. There are four game modes in total: Story Mode, Versus Mode, Training Mode and Online Mode.
Before you start
Story Mode runs through the characters' stories in an RPG style with full voice acting, so it's the place to go if you want the narrative side rather than pure matches. Training Mode is where you hone your skills before taking on real opponents. Given the tag system, expect some time in Training Mode getting comfortable with switching and Link Attacks before jumping into ranked online play.