''Fighting EX Layer'' is a
fighting
Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
Arika
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It was formed in 1995 by former Capcom employees, originally as ARMtech K.K, later named Arika. The name of the company is the reverse of the name of the company's founder, Akira Nishitani, who ...
. It is a spiritual successor to ''
Fighting Layer
is a 3D fighting game developed by Arika and published by Namco. It was released exclusively in Japan in December 1998 and has never been released overseas or ported to any home consoles. A spiritual sequel, ''Fighting EX Layer'', was released ...
'' and the ''
Street Fighter EX
is a 2D head-to-head fighting game with 3D graphics, originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN hardware in 1996. It is a spin-off of the ''Street Fighter'' series co-produced by Capcom with Arika and was the first gam ...
'' series and features many of the same characters from the latter. The game was released for
PlayStation 4 in June 2018, with ports for
Microsoft Windows and
Arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware
** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board
* Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games
* ...
released the following November. A mobile version of the game, titled ''Fighting EX Layer -α'', was later released for
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...
and
Android devices in April 2019. A Nintendo Switch port of the game, ''Fighting EX Layer Another Dash'' was released in 2021.
Gameplay
''Fighting EX Layer'' is a
fighting
Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
played in a 2.5D environment.
Battles take place in closed arenas, which vary in size and width. The gameplay retains many of the mechanics from Arika's previous fighting games, such as Super Cancels and juggling, while adding a new running mechanic. Additionally, the game features ground chain combos, an auto-combo system, and an optional Progressive mode which simplifies command inputs. ''Fighting EX Layer'' also introduces Gougi Boost, which grants players additional bonuses and enhancements during a match. These boosts can be customized by selecting different Gougi decks before the match begins. In ''Fighting EX Layer Another Dash'', however, the Gougi decks are unavailable, while new mechanics have been introduced, replacing some older ones in exchange. Those new mechanics are the EX-Dash, EX-Arrow, EX-Illusion, Cancel Break, and Super Cancel, and cost one bar of the player's gauge per use.
Characters
''Fighting EX Layer'' was released with 13 playable characters, all of whom made appearances in the ''
Street Fighter EX
is a 2D head-to-head fighting game with 3D graphics, originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN hardware in 1996. It is a spin-off of the ''Street Fighter'' series co-produced by Capcom with Arika and was the first gam ...
'' series of games.
Four additional characters have been added via free post-launch updates, along with a guest fighter from
SNK
is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
's ''
Fatal Fury
''Fatal Fury'', known as in Japan, is a fighting game series developed by SNK for the Neo Geo system.
Games
Canon
* '' Fatal Fury'' – The first game of the ''Fatal Fury'' series allowed players to select one of three characters, Terr ...
'' series as paid downloadable content.
Added via free in-game update
Guest character, paid downloadable content
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enabli ...
Development
''Fighting EX Layer'' was developed by Japanese video game development studio
Arika
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It was formed in 1995 by former Capcom employees, originally as ARMtech K.K, later named Arika. The name of the company is the reverse of the name of the company's founder, Akira Nishitani, who ...
.
The studio previously developed the ''
Street Fighter EX
is a 2D head-to-head fighting game with 3D graphics, originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN hardware in 1996. It is a spin-off of the ''Street Fighter'' series co-produced by Capcom with Arika and was the first gam ...
'' series and the arcade game ''
Fighting Layer
is a 3D fighting game developed by Arika and published by Namco. It was released exclusively in Japan in December 1998 and has never been released overseas or ported to any home consoles. A spiritual sequel, ''Fighting EX Layer'', was released ...
'', which are spiritual predecessors to ''Fighting EX Layer''.
Following the release of ''
Street Fighter EX3
is a 2D head-to-head fighting game with 3D graphics, developed by Arika and published by Capcom. It is the third and final console installment in the ''Street Fighter EX'' series. The game was first released on March 4, 2000 in Japan and on Oct ...
'' (2000), the game's publisher
Capcom halted the series.
Over the years, Arika pitched multiple ideas to Capcom for a new entry in ''EX'' series, including a demo they created for a
Nintendo 3DS game.
However, none of the pitches were successful.
Staff at Arika had been working on a 3D fighting game prototype to familiarise themselves with
Unreal Engine 4
Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter game ''Unreal (1998 video game), Unreal''. Initially developed for Personal computer, PC first-person shooters, i ...
.
They decided to record some footage of the then-untitled prototype and release a trailer on
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
in 2017.
The positive reaction from fans led Arika to turn the project into a full-fledged game, which they officially confirmed at
Evo 2017.
Arika self-funded the development of the game.
Arika's president Akira Nishitani remarked that the company had just enough funds to see the project through to completion without external help.
While he viewed the game as a passion project for the studio, he said that his primary goal was to keep the company healthy financially.
Nishitani noted that he was searching for potential partnerships with publishers and investors to secure additional funding, which would allow the development team to expand the game's scope and character roster.
The game's official title was announced in November 2017.
A public beta featuring six playable characters was made available to download on the
PlayStation 4 on 11 December 2017 and ran for two weeks.
The developers used the beta to test online connectivity and gather player feedback.
The game was released for PlayStation 4 on 28 June 2018.
The game was available in two versions: a lower-priced "light" version of the game that included twelve playable characters and five Gougi decks, and the standard edition, which included all of the content from the light version, along with the playable character Hokuto and ten additional Gougi decks. The light version was later phased out in February 2019 and the standard edition became the primary release. Arika also stated their intentions to add four more characters from ''Street Fighter EX'' as downloadable content if their first-month sales targets were met.
On 11 July 2018, Arika announced that a single-player Arcade Mode would be added to the game in a future update, along with additional ''Street Fighter EX'' characters Pullum Purna and Vulcano Rosso being added to the game for free. The Arcade Mode update was released two weeks later on 27 July. At
Evo 2018
The 2018 Evolution Championship Series (commonly referred to as Evo 2018 or EVO 2018) was a fighting game event held in Las Vegas on August 3 to 5 as part of the long-running Evolution Championship Series. The event offered tournaments for variou ...
, Arika announced Pullum and Rosso would be added in an update on 5 September, along with a further revision to the game's Arcade Mode, and that they would be developing a version of the game for arcades in collaboration with
Taito
is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. I ...
. Arika also teased three more forthcoming characters: returning ''Street Fighter EX'' characters Sharon and Area, and guest fighter
Terry Bogard
is a video game character created by SNK as the protagonist of their ''Fatal Fury'' series. Introduced in '' Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' in 1991, he is an American fighter who enters the worldwide "The King of Fighters" tournaments to comba ...
from
SNK
is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
's ''
Fatal Fury
''Fatal Fury'', known as in Japan, is a fighting game series developed by SNK for the Neo Geo system.
Games
Canon
* '' Fatal Fury'' – The first game of the ''Fatal Fury'' series allowed players to select one of three characters, Terr ...
'' series. Sharon and Terry were added to the game in March 2019, while Area was added the following July. On 27 September, Arika announced a port of the game for release on
Microsoft Windows via
Steam. Both the Arcade and Windows versions were released on 29 November 2018. A limited version of the game for mobile phones, ''Fighting EX Layer -α'', was released on
April Fool's Day
April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which ma ...
2019.
Since the game's launch, characters from the ''Fighting EX Layer'' have made crossover appearances in other titles: a female version of Skullomania is playable via downloadable content in ''
SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy'', while costumes based on ''Fighting EX Layer'' characters have appeared as limited-time additions to ''
Street Fighter V
''Street Fighter V'' is a fighting game developed by Capcom and Dimps and published by Capcom for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows, Windows in 2016. An Arcade game, arcade version exclusive to Japan was released by Taito in 2019.
Similar to th ...
''.
Reception
Heidi Kemps of
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
gave the game an 8/10 rating, praising the fighting mechanics and implementation of the Gougi system while criticizing the game's spotty netcode.
Chris Carter of ''
Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
History
...
'' gave the game a 7/10, praising its colorful character design and naturally flowing combat but criticizing the small number of game modes and the roster's lack of diversity in terms of gameplay style. He was divided on the Gougi system which he found an intriguing idea but was worried about the fact that some Gougi decks were only available through DLC. Carter also felt ''Fighting EX Layer'' made few concessions for beginners and was aimed primarily at seasoned fighting game fans.
The game was nominated for "Game, Original Fighting" at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.
References
External links
*
{{Street Fighter series
2018 video games
Arcade video games
Arika games
Android (operating system) games
iOS games
PlayStation 4 games
Nintendo Switch games
Unreal Engine games
Fighting games
Video games developed in Japan
Video games with 2.5D graphics
Windows games