Line #17 VideoGame/FightingEXLayer


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fighting_ex_layer_official_artwork_june2018_4.jpg]]
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3	''Fighting EX Layer'' is a 1-on-1 competitive FightingGame developed and published by Japanese developer Creator/{{Arika}}, released as a Platform/PlayStation4 exclusive on June 28th, 2018. The game serves as a CreatorDrivenSuccessor to the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterEX'' series and ''VideoGame/FightingLayer'', also developed by Arika, as best evidenced by its use of gameplay mechanics from both ''EX'' (a multi-level [[ManaMeter Super Gauge]] in the vein of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'', the ability to cancel Super Combos into other Super Combos, [[UnblockableAttack Guard Breaks]]) and ''Fighting Layer'' (walled 3D arenas, the ability to sidestep) -- though the 3D elements from ''Fighting Layer'' were later stripped out during development, leaving the game a TwoAndAHalfD fighter much like ''Street Fighter EX'' was.
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5	The game serves as a launching pad for Arika to start fresh with [[CanonForeigner the characters]] they co-created with Creator/{{Capcom}} for the ''Street Fighter EX'' games, with all announced fighters so far being from that series. This includes ''EX'' protagonist Hokuto; her SuperPoweredEvilSide Bloody Hokuto as a separate character, now going under Hokuto's real name of Shirase; Hokuto/Shirase's older brother Kairi; demonic samurai Garuda; part-time superhero Skullomania; Indian wrestler Darun Mister; cocky American martial artist Allen Snider; mercenary Doctrine Dark; young Monegasque heiress Blair Dame; bodyguard/bouncer Jack; cybernetic vigilante Shadowgeist; cheerful athletic college student Sanane ([[SignificantAnagram better known as Nanase]]); and modern-day swordsman Hayate.
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7	Returning characters added via (free, except for Terry being paid) [[DownloadableContent DLC]] have since included the Arabian princess Pullum Purna and the fiery Italian fighter Vulcano Rosso in version 1.10; secret agent Sharon and a GuestFighter, the Legendary Hungry Wolf from ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and Creator/{{SNK}} icon [[Characters/FatalFuryTerryBogard Terry Bogard]] in version 1.20; and tech-savvy Area in version 1.30.
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9	The game has also been playable on Nesica-X-Live 2 cabinets since November 29, 2018 in Japan. There is a PC/Steam version as well, with 4K resolution support, released on November 30th, 2018 worldwide. A mobile version titled ''Fighting EX Layer -α'' (Alpha) was released on April 1st, 2019 for both Platform/{{iOS}} and Platform/{{Android}}. A Platform/NintendoSwitch port known as ''Fighting EX Layer: Another Dash'' was announced in February 2021. It was released on April 1, 2021 in Japan, and May 20, 2021 worldwide.
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11	''Another Dash'' comes with all of the characters of the original. However, this version removes the Gougi decks in favor of universal EX moves which cost meter.
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13	!!This game provides examples of:
14	* AllThereInTheManual: The game's story isn't really acknowledged in the game itself, but rather on the game's website.
15	* ArtStyleClash: The official character art are stylized and anime-like, whereas the in-game character models are more realistic-looking akin to ''VideoGame/Tekken7''.
16	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: [[PowerCopying Ace]] from ''Street Fighter [=EX3=]'' is the only Arika-original character from the ''EX'' series not to make a comeback so far. In addition, none of the new characters introduced in the original ''VideoGame/FightingLayer'' return.
17	* DecompositeCharacter: Both sides of Hokuto's personality are separate playable characters, much as was the case in the original ''Street Fighter EX''. ''[=EX3=]'' saw Bloody Hokuto's moves integrated into the command list of her regular self, with Hokuto having to burn a bar of super meter in order to tap into the powers afforded by her Seal of Blood. [[spoiler:The reality is somewhat more complicated, as while Shirase is the original Hokuto from ''Street Fighter EX'' (now [[FallenHero having]] [[FaceHeelTurn succumbed]] to the Seal of Blood), "Hokuto" is actually Hokuto's kid sister Nanase, having had her memories suppressed and [[FakeMemories led to believe she is Hokuto]]. And just to make it more complicated, the character initially presented as the real Nanase (Sanane) is another member of their clan entirely, with her memories rewritten to draw attention away from Nanase/"Hokuto".]]
18	* DemonicPossession: What happened to the elder Hayate in the backstory of this game, with his body now being used as [[BodySurf the host]] for [[MadeOfEvil Garuda]].
19	* DownloadableContent: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3VNCopxCe0 It was announced]] by Arika president and CEO Akira Nishitani that the game would have post-launch characters if it met certain sales expectations. Thankfully, [[https://www.facebook.com/ARIKAOfficial/posts/459614954502061 they were met,]] and so Vulcano Rosso and Pullum Purna became free additions in version 1.10. Sharon (v1.20) and Area (v1.30) were also included as part of a free update, while [[GuestFighter Terry Bogard]] (v1.30) is paid DLC.
20	* GuestFighter: Terry Bogard of ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'' fame joined the roster as a DLC character in the v1.30 update. As a trade, Skullomania would travel over to the world of ''VideoGame/SNKHeroinesTagTeamFrenzy'' to get [[GenderBender genderbent]] and do battle with the ladies of SNK as a DownloadableContent character.
21	* InconsistentSpelling: The official character movelists provided by Arika along with the beta spell Skullomania's name as "Skullo Mania." Similarly, the game spells Shadowgeist's name as "Shadow Geist."
22	* LikeFatherUnlikeSon: In this case ancestor and descendant (their exact relation has yet to be fully revealed) between the elder and younger Hayates. Whereas the elder Hayate is a stoic person who tended to wear more traditional attire, the younger Hayate by contrast is less stone-faced (with artwork of him showing him with a smirk) and preferring modern-style clothes (while incorporating a few pieces of armor on the shoulders and sleeves of his jacket).
23	* LukeIAmYourFather: Many, ''many'' years after the conclusion of the ''EX'' series, the seemingly {{aborted\|Arc}} plot thread of Sharon [[QuestForIdentity searching for the identity of]] [[ParentalAbandonment her parents]] [[PlotArchaeology gets resolved]] with the reveal here that [[spoiler:Shadowgeist is her father]], retroactively turning the character in question into a ChekhovsGunman and [[ArcWelding melding together their respective backstories]].
24	* OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo:
25	** More than a few fans have noted how the title is a somewhat odd mishmash of the game's predecessors compared to something more natural-sounding like ''Fighting Layer EX'' (considering how, while [[CanonForeigner the cast]] introduced in ''EX'' is featured here, this game is otherwise unconnected to the greater ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' universe, much like ''Fighting Layer'' was). This is {{justified\|Trope}}, however; so as to not [[https://www.facebook.com/ARIKAOfficial/posts/355135178283373 risk copyright infringements]] ([[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Namco]] published ''Fighting Layer'' and thus owns the trademark), [[WritingAroundTrademarks Arika instead used a loophole]].
26	** Additionally, the Nintendo Switch version has ''Another Dash'' after the colon. This might be [[ShoutOut a nod]] to how ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'''s [[CapcomSequelStagnation first two]] [[UpdatedRerelease revisions]], ''Champion Edition'' and ''Hyper Fighting'', were known as ''Dash'' and ''Dash Turbo'' in Japan (and had their titles stylized as ''Street Fighter II[='=]'' regardless of region), but ''Fighting EX Layer'' is an offshoot of [[VideoGame/StreetFighterEX an offshoot]] and the previous mobile version of ''FEXL'' was ''-α'' as opposed to ''Dash''.
27	* OfficiallyShortenedTitle: The official abbreviation for ''Fighting EX Layer'', as per Arika's social media accounts, is ''FEXL''. This didn't stop some fans from calling it ''FLEX'' instead.
28	* RecycledSoundtrack: A number of the tracks in the game are lifted straight from the ''Street Fighter EX'' series and ''Fighting Layer'' without any sort of remixing. This includes themes for characters who aren't even in the game, such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrnbpcXUWXA "Before Moon"]] (Sagat's ''[=EX2/EX3=]'' theme) or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zts-6FpatJU Tetsuo Kato's theme]] from ''Fighting Layer''.
29	* SendInTheClones: When playing as Skullomania in Arcade Mode, [[MirrorMatch three other Skullomanias will be fought]]. His arcade ending reveals this as [[SlidingScaleOfGameplayAndStoryIntegration happening in-story]] when Skullomania discovers that "[[NebulousEvilOrganisation The Dark Organization]] was mass producing Skullomania clones!" [[spoiler:Though it is followed by "([[AllJustADream It was just a dream]])".]]
30	* SnapBack:
31	** Mechanically, ''Fighting EX Layer'' plays far closer to the original ''Street Fighter EX'' and [[CapcomSequelStagnation its two updates]] (''Plus'' and ''Plus α'') than any of the ''EX'' sequels. The [[LimitBreak Meteor Combos]] from ''[=EX2=] Plus'' are nowhere to be seen, and Excel (the ''[=EX2=]'' equivalent to Custom Combos from ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha 2]]'') is likewise absent, to say nothing of all the TagTeam mechanics introduced in ''[=EX3=]''. [[note]]Supernova's "Overload" card (which allows players to hold more meter than the usual three blocks) is reminiscent of the [[TeamSpirit Emotional Flow]] ComebackMechanic in that game, however.[[/note]] Even the [[UnblockableAttack Guard Break]] mechanic is no longer standard, instead serving as a possible enhancement to the universal Hard Attack (a feature carried over from ''Fighting Layer'') depending on the Gougi deck selected.
32	** On an individual level, the ''EX'' cast is more varied; most are wholesale replications of their previous appearances, though a few characters gain new moves or follow-ups to old ones. [[labelnote:For example...]]Blair receives an airborne Super Combo ([[ThisIsADrill Fairy Spear]]), Sharon trades in her handgun (and its corresponding two-part, load-and-fire Super Combo, Load > Hellfire) for a six-shooter that only replenishes ammo between rounds, Vulcano Rosso and Area have defensive moves meant to nullify/{{counter\|Attack}} projectiles, etc.[[/labelnote]] [[ZigZaggingTrope On the other hand]], Allen and Blair have lost the Super Combos introduced in ''Fighting Layer'' ([[HomeRunHitter Galaxy]] and [[SheFu Fairy Gift]]) despite Ace having access to both as [[AllYourPowersCombined possible moveset loadouts]] in ''[=EX3=]''.
33	** ''Another Dash'' has yet another example, as this version of the game removes the Gougi decks entirely. To compensate, all characters are able to perform EX moves, such as EX Arrow, EX Dash and EX Illusion, at the cost of meter.
34	* StatusBuff: The [[http://fightinggamesonline.info/take-a-look-at-arikas-gougi-system-for-their-new-fighting-game/ Gougi]] [[http://shoryuken.com/2017/12/06/prepare-for-the-fighting-ex-layer-beta-with-these-character-movelists-and-gougi-system-breakdown/ System.]] Players are able to choose from one of five playstyles (Aggro, Juggernaut, Shinobi, Infinity, and Miracle) after picking their fighters at the character select screen, similar to the -isms of ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Street Fighter Alpha 3]]'', the Groove system of ''[[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNKMillenniumFight2000 Capcom vs. SNK]]'' and [[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium its sequel]], and the Variations in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''. While these "decks" don't change how the combatants play in general, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9akZxXkQbHo they do grant various passive effects]] [[https://streetfighter.fandom.com/wiki/Gougi should the player fulfill certain requirements in battle,]] not unlike the Gems in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken''. One of the more notable examples is Infinity's "Rage" skill, which provides the player with ''infinite super meter'' should they manage to spend 7 bars of the Super Gauge in a single round. It should also be noted that some perks are shared between two or more of the decks, such as "Guard Break"[[labelnote:]]all Hard Attacks automatically break the opponent's guard if the player performs 4 Hard Attacks that either land successfully or are blocked[[/labelnote]] and "Hades"[[labelnote:]]the user can gain [[ImmuneToFlinching Super Armor]] at will [[ComebackMechanic should they first incur 300 points of damage]][[/labelnote]]. Even more Gougi decks with their own bonuses are included in the game's Standard Edition.

Context VideoGame / FightingEXLayer