One of the features that evolved a lot as we were making the game is the concept of the “Super” move. In Bayani, this Super move is called Fatal Strike and is one of the most potent combo ender for a majority of the cast. Currently, it deals unscaled damage making it a great combo ender since it deals the same damage no matter how long the combo gets. The Fatal Strike is a 2 Meter move just like Break making it the Universal Offensive Option with Break as the Universal Defensive Option. However, we’ve long thought about giving characters a secondary, more powerful version of their supers for a long time. In fact, for those familiar with Bayani’s old Demo builds, we were toying around with various ideas even a few years back.
Instead of having another super move we opted to give the player’s the option if they want to go all-in with their Fatal Strike and increase their damage even further. This mechanic has already existed in Bayani with Tonio, Dre, and Rio already having follow-ups to their Fatal Strikes. In fact, Rio’s follow-up was already named as a Final Arts on release as this was the time when we decided that this was the direction we wanted to go with.
By pressing a special button after a Fatal, they can extend their unscaled combo finisher even further to deal even more damage. Button to press, Meter cost, and Damage are all unique to every character. Some Final Arts can be used even on whiff or on block while some can only be used if the initial Fatal Strike hits. This gives every character another layer of decision making to think about. Some characters need 1 meter while others use up 2 meters for their Final Arts. The 2 meter Final Arts deal more damage but costs a lot more since you need to fill 4 bars and you are left completely at zero after. However, this will deal the most amount of unscaled damage in the entire game. The 1 meter Final Arts, on the other hand, deal significantly less damage but is a lot easier to pull off and can leave you with a little bit more meter for later use. Essentially, we didn’t want the Final Arts to become another Super Move that will win you the game just because you can do it; you already have the Fatal Strike for that. We wanted the Final Arts to become a much more nuanced decision.
Bayani is a fighting game that relies heavily on resource management. We opted for a fast-paced game that uses a lot of meter to do the fancy things but only one energy resource unlike other games. This means that for you to be able to do things in Bayani, you will need to attack or defend properly to build meter. However, as there is only one resource that governs all of your options, proper resource management is a must. Ex-Specials are some of the most cost-effective uses of meter as they can completely change how characters can approach the game. Saving up another meter gives you access to a Universal Offensive or Defensive Option. Getting even more meter and you can tack on more damage with a Final Arts to close out the round or reserve it for future use instead. However, the same can be said with your opponent so giving them the means to generate meter and knowing what options they have access to based on how much meter they currently have is another thing that you need to keep tabs on.
Currently, 5 out of 8 characters already have access to their Final Arts. Our next scheduled update will be a Minor Gameplay Patch that will give everyone access to their Final Arts.
- Red