The Japanese manga publishers, Kondansha dropped the early access for their latest action fighting game— Family Battle 2vs2 Arena.
From the manga publishers that published works for Attack on Titan, Sailor Moon and Akira, Kondansha Ltd. has taken a new art form to display their work. Recently this week, Kondansha released the Early Access to their PC game, Family Battle 2vs2 Arena on Steam. The publisher emphasized the importance of teamwork in this 2 vs 2 3D-action, co-op fighting game.
The game had a very interesting description given by Kondansha: “Karaage. Japanese fried chicken. Does one squeeze a lemon or drizzle mayonnaise over this tender, bite-sized delicacy? When presented with only a single plate, an argument over this age-old question results in an epic feud between the two rival factions of this super-powered family!”
The theme they mentioned was around the “family feud” of how each family member had a different take on the perfect karaage dish, and how they could be solved in 2v2 co-op battles. The indie gaming creators, Kondansha Game Creator’s Lab (GCL) explained that the importance of having two players on each team was that one player will be the Attacker and the other will be the Support. The basic idea would be that the Attacker would charge in and dish out a lot of melee damage while the Support player would help with ranged attacks and a diverse set of skills.
Kondansha GCL noted that “teamwork was key.” They stated how every character could be played as an Attacker or Support, but their skills change based on the role they would be chosen to play. For example, the eldest son came equipped with fast movement speed, so being an Attacker could be advantageous. Then, if the grandfather is equipped as the Support, he would have a skill that would allow him to chuck bouncing bombs that would limit an opponent’s movements.
So far, there were four characters revealed: Brother Kuon, Sister Akane, Grandfather Ryugen and Father Kokushi. Of course, each playable had a backstory with different personalities and skills. They have already teased that more characters would be introduced later on. With the rise of fighting games like MultiVersus and the teases from Riot Games’ League of Legends-based Project L, the limits could be endless for the fighting genre.
While Kondansha’s game will focus on the 3D aspects, Project L would be utilizing 2D side-scrolling art. And MultiVersus has been mirroring the style of Super Smash Bros. games that have come before. The fighting genre has quickly evolved from the roots of Tekken, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and many more.
Kondansha GCL revealed the Early Access would last about three months. They noted how the price may change later, especially if there would be additional content. For now, Family Battle was listed at about $9.00 with its small, introductory sale, but $11.49 for its regular price.
The game’s team also answered questions on the available playable modes. Currently, players will only be able to participate in online custom match mode and online match mode. However, they already said the full version would have an online ranked match system. The game publishers acknowledged that three months would be ample time for them to collect feedback from the community through videos and actual gameplay.
Like many Japanese-made games, the Family Battle will not be English-supported for now. The interface, characters and menus would all be in Japanese text and audio would be in Japanese. The game creator, nekogameteacher (Yoshiaki Nakamichi) has been known for their other games such as Super Drink Bros. and Spy Rumble.
When Super Drink Bros. was released on Steam on November 13, 2020, Nakamichi was constantly posting and streaming his game development footage on YouTube and Twitch. He was famously known for his Twitch livestream which displayed his attempt to create a game within 48 hours, and it was titled Ultimate Super Powers Old Maid ~3 Days~.
Overall, the game seemed to be Nakamichi’s biggest project yet—especially having the significant backing of Kondansha Ltd. Family Battle 2vs2 Arena is currently available to purchase and play on Steam (PC) as of August 5, 2022.
Here is a list of the four characters and their descriptions to whet your appetite:
- Brother: Kuon
- Calm and collected, he tends to take after his father. However, he talks a lot and has a somewhat cringe-worthy love of starting arguments on social media. For some reason, though, he has a hard time showing confidence when his sister is nearby. Kuon’s weapon of choice is his trusty laser gun. When it comes to karaage, he usually goes with neck meat.
- Sister: Akane
- Always overconfident, she is the most competitive member of the family. Still, she loves them all dearly and often dedicates poems to them on her social media. Her weapon of choice is a giant hammer. When it comes to karaage, thigh meat is her cut of choice.
- Grandfather: Ryugen
- Dedicated tinkerer and inventor. Although he holds a large number of patents, few of his contraptions are of the sort which actually benefit society. His weapons consist of various junk items and mechanical firearms of his own creation. When it comes to karaage, he’s all about the gristle.
- Father: Kokushi
- A typical day of work consists of battling against pesky sales quotas by utilizing his unmatched clerical processing skills. However, when the true fight begins, he enters the fray wielding the power of darkness. Due to his inability to properly express his feelings on the outside, within his heart lies a mighty tempest of human emotions. When it comes to karaage, he prefers wings.
