Bayani looking better than ever at ESGS 2019

Ranida Games was present at ESGS 2019 showing off the latest build of Bayani, the fighting game that features characters based off historical figures from the Philippines.

Bayani has been featured in many events over the years since its debut back in 2016, and we even saw the latest build of the game playable at RevMajor 2019 only a few months ago. Though, I will admit that I haven't been able to actually touch the game since the alpha build during the infancy of its development and I can tell you, a lot has changed.

First off, Bayani’s significantly faster and more responsive when it comes to movement. The camera has also taken a shift further back which gives more emphasis to the greater speed of mobility and what seems to be a much higher jump range over the early build. As opposed to a more Street Fighter-esque style of 2D fighter that the original build was trying to channel, the current version is more akin to games such as Capcom's hyper-fighters like Marvel vs Capcom or the likes of Arc System Work's Guilty Gear series with a faster combo system with launchers and aerial raves.

When it comes to stringing together attacks, inputs are simplified without sacrificing depth or creativity. Instead of applying specific motions for special moves, they are linked to three buttons, while normal attacks are dedicated to another set of three buttons. Different moves can be achieved by holding the control stick in different directions and then pressing one of the normal attacks. Pressing different combinations of the attack buttons, whether it be two normal attacks, two specials, or a mix of both will also lead to a different move.

Your standard fighting game archetypes are present in Bayani. Joe being the more well-rounded character with a fireball projectile and your typical rising anti-air attack. Tonio being the grappler type with a slew of throw attacks and a bunch of wide but slow hits. Oria being the “rekka” type whose opening hit lead into other attack extensions.

I enjoyed my time playing the latest iteration of Bayani. I threw down a few rounds with Ben Banta, the CEO of Ranida Games, who showed me a few fancy combos and explained some of the new systems that have been added. Nice to know that he didn't hold back during some of our matches by busting out his main character, Tonio. The game is still in development but is currently available on Steam Early Access with a demo available for download on their main site.

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