ideas for new fighting game franchises

[kabelfritz]

well, i'd like something new and i think there are tons of options that would make great and popular fighting games. especially gaming genres that already have strongly differentiated archetypes and character builds. yes, i'm talking about rpgs. note ahead: i like western artstyle, but this thread exists to welcome any kind of idea.

first off: i can very well imagine a triple-A D&D fighting game, period. do i even need to explain why? i don't think so.
same goes for other RPG franchises like warhammer, even though that's not so much for me. Also every combat-based video game franchise that has spawned enough remarkable characters to fill a fighting game roster would work. Mass Effect anyone?

in my examples i also paid a bit attention to a monetary aspect. you could of course go for legends of horror or action movies fighting games, but you'd have to buy licenses from a lot of different corners.

thoughts?

 

[Jynks]

If we are ruling out original IPs... there are a few that I can think of....

For starts, an RPG based one would be hard to do, I think. There is a lot of lore they would have to be true to, or get eviscerated by the fans. "OMG your barbarian can't do that?!". "A rouge would never be able to do that"... that kind of crap. The biggest issue with an RPG based, I think, would be that stats and levelling are so ingrained to the concept, you would need to somehow have that in the game. IMO injustice 2 gear mode was an unmitigated disaster, but I think an RPG based fighting game would have to have something like that to use gear and also have skill trees and stuff. This is a proven disaster in fighting games. I think there could be a cool game here, I mean look at the MK rip off in SF6, building, leveling and creating a character while experiencing a world and story. This is a thing you can do in a fighter.. look at MK Deception. Still, while I think a RPG game would work... it would be a tall order.

I think He-Man would be awesome... though I think after those fucked up Netflix shows it might be to late,.. there was a huge thread on it a while back. You could make it more soulcalibur like, as in weapon based. There was a big thread on it years ago. https://testyourmight.com/threads/he-man-the-masters-of-the-universe-as-the-next-nrs-fighting-game-not-confirmed.66931/#post-2391392

40K Maybe? I know there are a lot of guns, but Melee is a big thing in the game and lore. Lots of cool races and awesome, AWESOME art and lore to draw from for sets and characters and stuff

Don't ask me why, but why has there not been a revival of PRIMAL? Who wouldn't want to fight a giant T-Rex with a huge silverback gorillia with shoulder mounted rocket launchers?

but to be honest, my fav IP already IS a fighting games... DC Comics. That and MK is all I really need. I mean I will probably buy or watch others... but MK is my jam and DC is my fav mass media IP... and we have games for them already.

 

[kabelfritz]

For starts, an RPG based one would be hard to do, I think. There is a lot of lore they would have to be true to, or get eviscerated by the fans. "OMG your barbarian can't do that?!". "A rouge would never be able to do that"... that kind of crap. The biggest issue with an RPG based, I think, would be that stats and levelling are so ingrained to the concept, you would need to somehow have that in the game. IMO injustice 2 gear mode was an unmitigated disaster, but I think an RPG based fighting game would have to have something like that to use gear and also have skill trees and stuff. This is a proven disaster in fighting games. I think there could be a cool game here, I mean look at the MK rip off in SF6, building, leveling and creating a character while experiencing a world and story. This is a thing you can do in a fighter.. look at MK Deception. Still, while I think a RPG game would work... it would be a tall order.

thanks for the input. i agree that leveling systems are awful in RPGs, but i don't think one would be needed here. you would pretty much create max-level d&d characters and transfer them from a dice-roll system to an FG system. this requires some math and interpretation work but is actually not that hard to do. obviously such characters would not be a "definitive sorcerer" or sth, but a variation of the archetype that has taken certain handpicked branches. those might disappoint some people, but this also opens the door for a lot of added characters, like "elemental mage", "conjurer" etc.

 

[Jynks]

yeah... but like... once you remove the levelling and gear idea, and then remove them from being a "definitive sorcerer" for dnd or w/e... is it DnD anymore.. or just generic fantasy?

 

[kabelfritz]

yeah... but like... once you remove the levelling and gear idea, and then remove them from being a "definitive sorcerer" for dnd or w/e... is it DnD anymore.. or just generic fantasy?

i wouldnt say so. the skills and spells of D&D are pretty remarkable and unique, as well as the classes, even though a base class can branch into many different paths. you will always know a druid or a ranger, no matter which path they take. Heres a little overview: Character Classes for Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) Fifth Edition (5e) - D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com)
and there is actually one game that transferred d&D characters into action heroes (sadly that was about the only thing it did well) and that is the recent D&D-Dark Alliance, an co-op loot grinder. yes you could argue that it has some progression, but that has little to do with the original system. you could also leave it out altogether.

 

[Shania Twain]

I'm totally with what @Jynks said about a He-Man fighting game. They could easily follow it up with a She-Ra game as well. The roster would easily be huge. The only other franchise I would think would be amazing but would not really work as a fighting game IMO is GI Joe. I think that would work more Contra Style'ish. But yeah....franchise-wise I would say He-man would be the way to go. I don't know enough about Dungeons and Dragons to comment. They could easily IF THEY HAVE TO if done by WB games then use Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman as guests. I do think an Injustice style sorta game with He-man would be great. But WB getting the license for that whole franchise may be a nightmare. Let's be real though....it would be dope. I could think of others but many have been done or licencing stuff etc. or it's not the way i want it to be. Or they feel like a mobile game.

 

[Swindle]

If we are ruling out original IPs... there are a few that I can think of....

For starts, an RPG based one would be hard to do, I think. There is a lot of lore they would have to be true to, or get eviscerated by the fans. "OMG your barbarian can't do that?!". "A rouge would never be able to do that"... that kind of crap. The biggest issue with an RPG based, I think, would be that stats and levelling are so ingrained to the concept, you would need to somehow have that in the game. IMO injustice 2 gear mode was an unmitigated disaster, but I think an RPG based fighting game would have to have something like that to use gear and also have skill trees and stuff. This is a proven disaster in fighting games. I think there could be a cool game here, I mean look at the MK rip off in SF6, building, leveling and creating a character while experiencing a world and story. This is a thing you can do in a fighter.. look at MK Deception. Still, while I think a RPG game would work... it would be a tall order.

I think He-Man would be awesome... though I think after those fucked up Netflix shows it might be to late,.. there was a huge thread on it a while back. You could make it more soulcalibur like, as in weapon based. There was a big thread on it years ago. https://testyourmight.com/threads/he-man-the-masters-of-the-universe-as-the-next-nrs-fighting-game-not-confirmed.66931/#post-2391392

40K Maybe? I know there are a lot of guns, but Melee is a big thing in the game and lore. Lots of cool races and awesome, AWESOME art and lore to draw from for sets and characters and stuff

Don't ask me why, but why has there not been a revival of PRIMAL? Who wouldn't want to fight a giant T-Rex with a huge silverback gorillia with shoulder mounted rocket launchers?

but to be honest, my fav IP already IS a fighting games... DC Comics. That and MK is all I really need. I mean I will probably buy or watch others... but MK is my jam and DC is my fav mass media IP... and we have games for them already.

Thanks for shouting out my He-Man thread.

I do, in fact, have the power

 

[OutWorldAleMerchant]

I want another fighting game RPG in the same vein as Jade Empire. It's doable, but barely anyone has ever tried it.

 

[kabelfritz]

I want another fighting game RPG in the same vein as Jade Empire. It's doable, but barely anyone has ever tried it.

i wish i could recommend you something out of the box but i think what you say is kinda true. only thing i can think of are some story-rpgs with soulslike combat, like code vein (sadly mediocre) or steelrising.

 

[Jynks]

I want another fighting game RPG in the same vein as Jade Empire. It's doable, but barely anyone has ever tried it.

I've been playing that new Marvel Game by those dudes that made the X-Com 1 & 2 reboots. Midnight Suns. I think it is very good, but I also think it is a great example of a kind of "level select lobby" system that could work extremely well in a fighting game.

Basically, it is a superhero game, and you can go on missions with 3 of the heroes at a time. The thing is you spend a LOT of time in this hub, a sort of massive castle you explore and find stuff, open things all sorts of stuff. At the same time, you train and level up gear and all this. Also you build relationships with other heroes through various things. These create bonds between them and you and give you access to more powers.

That is a super rough outline, but my point is that this kind of frame would work really well in a fighting game. Think of the MK11 story mode, but instead of the "crypt" being a separate mode, it is all the one story mode. You meet and interact with other characters and all that. There is a long history of tag team fighting games as well so having a team to take on combat missions would still work.

I'm not saying it has to be a complete copy of this Marvel game, but it is a really excellent game and designed very well in how the "game play" of these missions are almost a separate game to the "lobby", but you still get a real sense of story and progression and that your choices are doing things.

I think it would be a great model for NRS to look at for how to bring back the Deception style "rpg" type fighting game again.

 

[Gooberking]

Don't ask me why, but why has there not been a revival of PRIMAL? Who wouldn't want to fight a giant T-Rex with a huge silverback gorillia with shoulder mounted rocket launchers?

I've been saying this. Where it at?

I do think it's getting too late. It was a game that had a brief moment a long time ago and feel like it would be harder to sell without those of us that where there. And TBH, I'm not entirely sure what is fueling my interest in a new one. Probably just wanting a moment to pretend I didn't run off and get old

 

[Hara-Killer]

im making something epic but gonna take some more years guys nobody and nothing can prepare ur mind and the Fighting game comunity/genre for whats coming

 

[Marlow]

I've daydreamed about a DnD fighting game for awhile. I think it could be an interesting way to introduce customization. Special moves could easily be feats/spells/abilities, and inputs could be the spell slots/move slots. For example, BF1 is a level one slot projectile/ranged special slot, BF2 is level two, BF3 is level three, etc. DF1/2/3 is a short range, and so on. Based on character level and move cost you could equip moves or spells to certain slots.

Different races could change base starting stats and starting feats.


Different classes could effect how the character plays, for example:

1. Spellcaster: Primarily zoner, glass cannon. Lower health, worse armor (aka takes more damage from attacks), fewer defensive options, but good zoning and decent damage output.
2. Rouge: Good walk speed and mobility, likely more of a rushdown character, moves tend to be shorter range, likely have things like parries.
3. Fighter: Higher armor/health, more of a mid range fighter, good damage output and solid defense.

And other classes could essentially fill in the gaps between the three main classes, or be more of a min/max class. Ranger is a mix of Rouge/Fighter, Paladin/Cleric is a mix of Spellcaster/Fighter, Barbarian is a Min/Max version of Fighter, etc.

Base stats could be pretty easy. Wouldn't need all the stats exactly the same as DnD, but easy enough to come up with something approximate:

Strength: Damage on physical attacks
Dexterity: Walk speed
Constitution: Amount of health
Wisdom: Amount of meter
Charisma: Damage on special abilities like spells or other non-physical attacks
Intelligence: Lowers meter cost for moves

You could also use similar stats to Injustice 2, or something like the stats from Dragon Age or other games like that.


I really do think there's a way it could work.

 

[Marlow]

Other fighting game I've thought could be interesting is something similar to Dune, or some kind of sci fi property. Something about a world with technology so advanced that fighting has reverted back to a mix of hand to hand combat and projectile weapons seems interesting to me. I'm wondering what a game could do if it started to play around more with the concept of blocking. For example, players have the option, depending on character choice, where the block button activates:

1. Energy Armor/Shield: Stops all projectiles, giving the player a chance to swat the projectile away using any attack button. Shield has a finite amount of meter, which decreases as the player takes more chip/damage or uses the block button. Most effective way to deal damage against energy shield is through unarmed strikes, close combat weapons are medium effective, and ranged weapons are least effective.

2. Physical Armor/Shield: Highly effective and takes no chip against hand to hand attacks, also highly effective against close combat weapons (takes minimal chip, but no reduction in shield integrity), but ranged/projectile weapons can reduce shield integrity.

3. Opt for No Shield: Player gains a dodge ability and advanced mobility, allowing character to more easily avoid attacks altogether and counter attack, but is obviously more susceptible to taking damaging from incoming attacks which do land.


This is more of a loosely sketched out idea than anything else. Also grapplers are the best characters in the game, and it's planet of the apes.

 

[kabelfritz]

I've daydreamed about a DnD fighting game for awhile. I think it could be an interesting way to introduce customization. Special moves could easily be feats/spells/abilities, and inputs could be the spell slots/move slots. For example, BF1 is a level one slot projectile/ranged special slot, BF2 is level two, BF3 is level three, etc. DF1/2/3 is a short range, and so on. Based on character level and move cost you could equip moves or spells to certain slots.

Different races could change base starting stats and starting feats.


Different classes could effect how the character plays, for example:

1. Spellcaster: Primarily zoner, glass cannon. Lower health, worse armor (aka takes more damage from attacks), fewer defensive options, but good zoning and decent damage output.
2. Rouge: Good walk speed and mobility, likely more of a rushdown character, moves tend to be shorter range, likely have things like parries.
3. Fighter: Higher armor/health, more of a mid range fighter, good damage output and solid defense.

And other classes could essentially fill in the gaps between the three main classes, or be more of a min/max class. Ranger is a mix of Rouge/Fighter, Paladin/Cleric is a mix of Spellcaster/Fighter, Barbarian is a Min/Max version of Fighter, etc.

Base stats could be pretty easy. Wouldn't need all the stats exactly the same as DnD, but easy enough to come up with something approximate:

Strength: Damage on physical attacks
Dexterity: Walk speed
Constitution: Amount of health
Wisdom: Amount of meter
Charisma: Damage on special abilities like spells or other non-physical attacks
Intelligence: Lowers meter cost for moves

You could also use similar stats to Injustice 2, or something like the stats from Dragon Age or other games like that.


I really do think there's a way it could work.

great to have another supporter for a d&d fighter. your ideas are of course cool, but the studio that can pull this off while maintaining balance has yet to be found. and it would be a hell lot of matchups to learn, i'd personally rather keep it simpler, with fixed chars or maybe a slight variation system like in MKX.

 

[kabelfritz]

Other fighting game I've thought could be interesting is something similar to Dune, or some kind of sci fi property. Something about a world with technology so advanced that fighting has reverted back to a mix of hand to hand combat and projectile weapons seems interesting to me. I'm wondering what a game could do if it started to play around more with the concept of blocking. For example, players have the option, depending on character choice, where the block button activates:

1. Energy Armor/Shield: Stops all projectiles, giving the player a chance to swat the projectile away using any attack button. Shield has a finite amount of meter, which decreases as the player takes more chip/damage or uses the block button. Most effective way to deal damage against energy shield is through unarmed strikes, close combat weapons are medium effective, and ranged weapons are least effective.

2. Physical Armor/Shield: Highly effective and takes no chip against hand to hand attacks, also highly effective against close combat weapons (takes minimal chip, but no reduction in shield integrity), but ranged/projectile weapons can reduce shield integrity.

3. Opt for No Shield: Player gains a dodge ability and advanced mobility, allowing character to more easily avoid attacks altogether and counter attack, but is obviously more susceptible to taking damaging from incoming attacks which do land.


This is more of a loosely sketched out idea than anything else. Also grapplers are the best characters in the game, and it's planet of the apes.

that would surely be a some innovation the genre could need, new games shouldnt just be reskins of the old concepts.

 

[Juggs]

Maybe not 100% on topic, but this is why I love Souls/Elden Ring PvP. It’s not a perfectly balanced comp fighting game or anything, but the PvP definitely has A LOT of fighting game aspects to it. And the fact that you can completely customize your build to whatever you want is what makes it so much fun for me. Yeah, of course if you play competitive, as in ranked ladders, tournaments, etc, you’re going to face a lot of the same meta builds, but there’s literally no getting away from that.

Anyway, this thread also reminded me of a game back on the PS2 & Xbox called “Wrath Unleashed”. It was a very unique game. It was like a mixture of a table top rts/chess game and a fighting game. Best comparison would be Mortal Kombat chess. Where when the pieces/characters landed on the same area, you went into fighting game mode where you’d literally fight the enemy in a fighting game setting. This was well before online gaming was a thing, so you could only play locally with family & friends, or against the AI.

This game was ahead of its time and super fkn fun. There isn’t very many good videos explaining it, since it’s such an old game and it wasn’t super popular or anything. But I’ll link one down below. But anyway, I haven’t seen a game like it since, which is a shame. I think it’s hard to marry a fighting game with another type of game these days and have it be successful. But, at the same time, no one has really tried it outside of Soulsborne PvP which isn’t really the same thing, but I guess it’s the closest?

Anyway, here’s a video explaining Wrath Unleashed. The video was made 10 years ago so the quality isn’t great, and the game itself came out 19 years ago (2004), so the quality and graphics of the game itself is very poor. But like I said, there aren’t very many videos even about the game, let alone “good” ones or recent ones or ones that explain the game at all.

I’d love a remaster or remake of this game, or a sequel. And make the fighting game aspect of it actually balanced to the extent to where you can balance it.

 

[OutWorldAleMerchant]

I've daydreamed about a DnD fighting game for awhile. I think it could be an interesting way to introduce customization. Special moves could easily be feats/spells/abilities, and inputs could be the spell slots/move slots. For example, BF1 is a level one slot projectile/ranged special slot, BF2 is level two, BF3 is level three, etc. DF1/2/3 is a short range, and so on. Based on character level and move cost you could equip moves or spells to certain slots.

Different races could change base starting stats and starting feats.


Different classes could effect how the character plays, for example:

1. Spellcaster: Primarily zoner, glass cannon. Lower health, worse armor (aka takes more damage from attacks), fewer defensive options, but good zoning and decent damage output.
2. Rouge: Good walk speed and mobility, likely more of a rushdown character, moves tend to be shorter range, likely have things like parries.
3. Fighter: Higher armor/health, more of a mid range fighter, good damage output and solid defense.

There's, like, several variations of fighters that should be accounted for. There are a few versions of casters but they wouldnt differ in mechanics enough to mention.

Ranger: Skilled in archery, dual wielding, and an animal companion. Can imagine this being a fan favorite.

Barbarian: Barbarian rage and the highest hp of any class. I can see this being very similar to managing Bane's venom meter, complete with drawbacks.

Paladin: Gets a once-a-day heal, Smite Evil, and has the best resistances against magic of almost any class.

Fighter: The true master of weapon combat, gets combat techniques like Disarm, Knockdown, Bull Rush, and Weapon Specialization.

Classes also get skill points, which I can imagine would be used over a world map or something similar during the games story mode. Survival, Disarm Trap, Animal Empathy, etc.

 

[Marlow]

There's, like, several variations of fighters that should be accounted for. There are a few versions of casters but they wouldnt differ in mechanics enough to mention.

Ranger: Skilled in archery, dual wielding, and an animal companion. Can imagine this being a fan favorite.

Barbarian: Barbarian rage and the highest hp of any class. I can see this being very similar to managing Bane's venom meter, complete with drawbacks.

Paladin: Gets a once-a-day heal, Smite Evil, and has the best resistances against magic of almost any class.

Fighter: The true master of weapon combat, gets combat techniques like Disarm, Knockdown, Bull Rush, and Weapon Specialization.

Classes also get skill points, which I can imagine would be used over a world map or something similar during the games story mode. Survival, Disarm Trap, Animal Empathy, etc.

You could also work in the different items, with resistances or bonuses. Different armor or robes offering more/less mobility vs more/less damage resistance. In story mode you could have fights with different monsters with their own special attacks and abilities.

 

[Marlow]

great to have another supporter for a d&d fighter. your ideas are of course cool, but the studio that can pull this off while maintaining balance has yet to be found. and it would be a hell lot of matchups to learn, i'd personally rather keep it simpler, with fixed chars or maybe a slight variation system like in MKX.

I think in this case I'd be less concerned about balance and matchups, and more concerned with custimization or variations. To me a big part of the draw of DnD is the ability to create and level up your own character. It's all about custom builds. So if I was a studio or game designer I'd focus as much as possible on getting the best customization and recreation of the Feats/Abilities/Stats, and let balance and matchups work itself out.

Basically, my stance would be that robust enough customization should let players essentially create their own balance, and Balance patches would only be needed to either refresh the meta or fix something broken. Otherwise players can figure it out for themselves.

 

[Marlow]

One other idea I had:

A fighting game built around the classic Gothic fiction or Gothic horror, or just horror characters from different cultures. Frankenstein's monster, Vampire, Mummy, a Doppelganger, Banshee, Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde, Grim Reaper, Werewolf, a witch, whatever. Maybe include some cryptids like Bigfoot, Chupacabra, Mothman.

Less of the horror movie stuff, more of an exploration of the classic stuff.

 

[Gooberking]

One other idea I had:

A fighting game built around the classic Gothic fiction or Gothic horror, or just horror characters from different cultures. Frankenstein's monster, Vampire, Mummy, a Doppelganger, Banshee, Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde, Grim Reaper, Werewolf, a witch, whatever. Maybe include some cryptids like Bigfoot, Chupacabra, Mothman.

Less of the horror movie stuff, more of an exploration of the classic stuff.

A lot of years ago I was looking at doing a creatures FG where it was like 3 different kinds and each type had a universal trait type thing thing. Like Vampires having healing. Then I gave making it a go.

Turns out it's really complicated and takes lots of time to make a game.

 

[Marlow]

A lot of years ago I was looking at doing a creatures FG where it was like 3 different kinds and each type had a universal trait type thing thing. Like Vampires having healing. Then I gave making it a go.

Turns out it's really complicated and takes lots of time to make a game.

I also realize that KI has Mira (Vampire), Sabrewulf (Werewolf), Kan-Ra (Mummy), Spinal (Skeleton), Hisako (Creepy undead girl), Omen (Demon), Aganos (Golem), and other monsters, so basically KI already sort of has a lot of it covered.

Man KI is an awesome game. I ever get a gaming PC that's one of my first pickups.

 

[Juxtapose]

Man KI is an awesome game.

^This.

It also regularily goes on sale for about $9.99. This is the Definitive Edition. Though don't you own it on Xbox already?

 

[Marlow]

^This.

It also regularily goes on sale for about $9.99. This is the Definitive Edition. Though don't you own it on Xbox already?

Oh yeah, they have a crossover thing, right? I own it for Xbox, but I don't have my Xbox set up anymore.