aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Garouden Breakblow: Fist or Twist Bunshichi Tanba FAQ Version 1.0 Created by MurderFist ([email protected]) Table o' Contents ================= I. Foreword (In case you want one) II. Bunshichi Tanba Bio and Info. (cuz why not, right?) III. Game Basics IV. Move List and Analysis V. General Strategy VI. Character Specific Strategy VII. Credits and whatever else ----------------- I. Foreword ----------------- Hey, welcome to this nifty little Character FAQ for Garouden Breakblow: Fist or Twist for the PS2. GB:FoT (what an awful abbreviation) is based on the Japanese manga Garouden, which is about a bunch of strong guys who want nothing more than to beat the living hell out of each other. I'm not even being terribly simplistic here, that's what the entire series is. Anyway, Fist or Twist is a highly unorthodox fighting game with a nonexistent community anywhere outside of Japan (I doubt it even has a very large player base there, either) and so I'm hoping that this guide can help anyone with a passing interest in the game get past that scary first impression in order to appreciate a truly original and wildly entertaining title. --------------------------- II. Bunshichi Tanba --------------------------- Bio === The main character and "hero" of the Garouden series, Bunshichi Tanba is a rough and tough street fighter and Dojo-Crasher whose entire existence revolves around hand-to-hand combat. He makes sport of raiding various dojos and gyms and mercilessly defeating the strongest fighters present at each. In the very first volume of the series, he wrecklessly invades a pro wrestling gym and is humiliated in a loss to an up-and-coming wrestler. Devastated by the loss, Tanba goes into seclusion to retrain himself over the next three years and returns stronger than ever. His return quickly garners the attention of Makoto "GREAT" Tatsumi, leader of a pro-wrestling organization, and Matsuo Shozan, legendary Karateka and founder of the Hokushinkan Karate Organization. What follows is fight after fight after fight after fight. Tanba follows his own path through the martial arts, and though he is primarily a karateka he also employs wrestling and other grappling techniques along with various "dirty" street fighting moves. Gameplay ========= As we've read above, Tanba is a fighter who utilizes all forms of combat techniques from striking to grapplying to "dirty" fighting. This makes him a well-rounded character in typical protagonist fashion who is good for beginners. Overall his emphasis is on striking, however, so if you really want to slam people around or play around with things like reversals and counters on a larger scale you may want to look elsewhere. All things considered Tanba is a considerably strong character with good tools for a variety of opponents and situations. --------------------- III. Game Basics --------------------- As stated above, Garouden is by no means your conventional fighting game. With that in mind, this section will be devoted to breaking down both the familiar and unfamiliar aspects of gameplay. What's that button do!? (Controls) ========================= Here are the default controls when using a PS2 controller. Square=Punch (P) Triangle=Kick (K) Circle= Unique Action/Attack (A) X= Guard (G) L1= Grapple (Gr) R1= Super Move -Movement is controller with either the D-pad or left analog stick. You can move in eight directions around the arena, but cannot jump or duck. Directional notation: Each direction for our purposes is assigned a number based upon the Numpad on your computer. It looks like this. 789 456 123 With that in mind, you can attribute each number to one of the directions on your d-pad. 6 is forward, 8 is up, 2 is down, etc. Learn this, as it's used in almost all fighting game notation across the internet. Meters and Gauges ================= 1.Fighting Spirit Gauge: This replaces the standard life meters you may be used to seeing in games such as Street Fighter or Tekken. In Garouden, the life of both players is shared and the balance is pushed back and forth as both combatants deal damage to one another in a sort of HP tug-of-war. The match is over when one character's spirit completely overwhelms the other and reduces it to zero. 2.Stamina Gauge: Located directly above the Spirit Gauge you can find the Stamina Gauge. Stamina affects the general hitstun attacks will have on a character. If stamina is high, you can continue attacking almost constantly. If stamina is low, characters become susceptible to stuns and will suffer repeated blows. Stamina is spent by attacking, blocking, and being hit and can be regenerated by moving around or standing still. 3.Body Gauge: This is the little green outline of a man positioned in the lower corners of the screen, and shows the health of your six body parts: head, torso, right arm, left arm, right leg, and left leg. Body health affects the general damage done to both your spirit and stamina gauges from any attack, along with the amount of stun your character will receive when hit in that area. When a part is green damage is minimal and there will be no stun, when a part is red the slightest touch will turn you into a cripple. Protect your weak parts and aim for your opponent's! 4.Super Chains: These are the three chains situated at a certain spot on your spirit gauge, and control your super move usage. Each time the spirit gauge passes a chain, that chain is broken and enables you to use a special/super move. Each super has one use, hit or miss, and cannot be saved for use after the next chain is broken, ie. if you have super move 1 available when chain 2 is broken, super 1 is overwritten by super 2 and is no longer available. As such, it's smart to figure out how to maximize usage of your three supers. Protect Yourself at All Times! (Defense!) =========================================== You may have guessed from the information above that blocking in Garouden is done through the use of a guard button. My goodness, you guessed right! But! There's more! Attacks in garouden come both high and low, and you must adjust your defenses accordingly. Simply holding G will block high attacks, but not mid or low attacks. To block these, simply press down+G at the same time. But you figured as much, right? Note that you cannot move while blocking. Outside of your standard blocking, the G button allows for two more defensive options: swaying and parrying. To sway, simply press back+G. This causes your fighter to sway away from his enemy, avoiding high attacks if the spacing is correct and allowing you to escape from the enemy without having your face smashed in. Parrying is just the opposite, and is accomplished by pressing forward+G. When a parry is performed, the fighter will move towards the opponent with his guard up and brush aside a single attack, creating counterattack opportunities. This is largely ineffective against combination attacks, but can make a world of difference against big, single attack moves. Learn to mix these defensive options in with your attacks for optimum effects! Hugs, not Drugs (Grappling) ============================ The "Twist" in the title had to come from somewhere, and this is it. Grappling is a major part of gameplay, and can quickly turn the tide of any match if used appropriately. It's a great way to escape a flurry of attacks early on, and can be a big help against opponents who like to block every punch your send their way. You initiate a grapple by pressing the grapple button (L1), strangely enough and from there can perform a variety of moves that differs from character to character. Each attack button performs a different attack or throw, and you can modify these moves further by inputting forward or backward beforehand. Forward and back throws tend to be more impressive or damaging, but are also easier to escape than neutral throws, so use them accordingly. If you happen to be grabbed, you can generally escape most throws by pressing throw yourself as soon as the enemy has a hold of you. This somewhat extends to submission throws, where you typically mash buttons to escape. Any further information on this is appreciated. Another decent method for escaping throws is to perform a sway if your opponent is getting a little too grabby for your tastes. With proper spacing their throw will whiff and you can launch a counterattack while they recover. Worth noting is that if a character's stamina is low or their body parts are badly damaged, they can easily be punched or kick out of a throw attempt. FUCK YOU MAN! (Cheap shots) =========================== A minor, yet interesting, facet of Garouden's gameplay is the ability to use surprise attacks at the start of a match. When your character is being introduced, you can press K+A at the same time to launch a cheap shot before the match begins officially. This attack seems to be random and rarely has much effect on the match at large, but it is fun to do and can help you jockey for better positioning at the start. NOTE: Do not ever attempt cheap shots when fighting Yujiro Hanma. Odds are you'll walk right into one of his counterattacks and die before the match even has a chance to begin. See this link for what I mean: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1jxiv_garouden3_extreme ------------------------------ IV. Move List and Analysis ------------------------------ Punches ======== 5P,5P,5P,5P- Basic of the basic. Press punch four times and Tanba does a speedy four punch combination. Fast, and all four hit for decent damage, but there's little reason to use this over his other punch combos. 5P,5P,5P,5K- Same as above but with a kick to the torso replacing the final punch. Great thanks to the final kick, which hits mid and takes a nice chunk of stamina away from the enemy on hit. 5P,5P,5P,8P- Four punch combo once more, this time finishing with a spinning backfist that hits the enemy's head. Mix with the 5K finisher to keep the enemy guessing. 5P, 5K- A jab followed by a head kick. Not the best out there, but it has its uses when you're really trying to bust that skull open. 6P,6P,6P- Three punch combination to the torso. Does really solid stamina damage and hits mid, so they have to actually work a little to block it. Especially useful when the enemy is doubled over from a stun and at the start of a match when you're trying to win a wild brawl. 3P- A lunging punch to the gut. Works well as a poke later in the match when you might be trying to fish for a stun on a weakened torso. Seems to stun pretty easily. 2P,2P- Two punch combo on the thighs. Decent, but there are much more effective ways to damage those legs. 4P- A "Hand-Sword" strike targetting the enemy's torso. Has good range, but is best used on an approaching opponent. Seems to be particularly effective at causing body damage, but I could be wrong. 8P,8P,8P,8P- Four hit combination of hooks targeting both the head and body. Nice to mix in with other attacks, and can prove very effective once the enemy starts to get worn down but is blocking your usual punches. Kicks ====== 5K- A push kick. Not very good unless the opponent is moving into it. They tend to go right through it and punch you in the mouth unless their torso is about to break. Use at your discretion. 6K- A roundhouse, same as the one that finishes the punch combo above. This kick is fast, does great damage to their stamina, and can set up some nice stun combos once the enemy is softened up. 8K- Your standard head kick. Fast, but has shorter reach than other kicks and you'll often be punched out of it before it lands. Not particularly strong on any front either...but it does look pretty stylish, so there's that. 4K- A knee thrust. Useful to knock back a charging opponent but that's about it. 2K- Low kick with the lead leg. Not sure if it's especially better or worse than other low kicks but it seems to have less start-up time. Good when you can't fit in a different leg attack. 3K- A lunging leg kick using the rear foot. Great range and good damage on all fronts. Even better when supplemented with... 3K,5P,5P- Lunging low kick, torso punch, face punch. One of Tanba's best moves in my opinion. Has excellent range thanks to the opening kick, and deals good damage to the three main body parts you'll be targeting. Should be used often, but don't get too predictable with it. Special Actions ================ 5A- A wild punch resembling a hook. Typically hits the head for good body damage, and is fast enough to beat out lots of other attacks. 6A- A crazy-ass reverse uppercut that never seems to be very useful on its own. However, when the opponent is doubled over in stun it can be a very handy move to score a few more good hits. Can do good damage in that situation. 4A- A reversal that only works on mid-kicks. I have never, ever once managed to land this reversal, so I can't even say if it's awesome looking or not. If you see an opportunity for this, go for it, but I've personally never had any luck with it. 1A- A leg kick thrown while retreating. This is honestly one of Tanba's best movement tools, and should be used almost every time you need to get away from an opponent. It covers a lot of ground much faster than anything else you can do AND deals some good damage to the enemy's front leg. Great move. 2A- A lunging side kick. Great range, ok damage, kinda slow recovery. Pretty punishable, honestly, but very useful in a stun combo I'll discuss more later. 8A- A spinning back kick that targets the head. Fast, great range, and lacks the awful recovery of some of the other kicks. Can lead to really nice stun combos if the head is weak enough. Grappling ========== All inputs are assuming that you've already grabbed hold of your foe. 5P- Punch to the gut. Damage is whatever all around. It's...ok? 6P- Tanba elbows his enemy right in the face. Pretty good. 4P- Drag the enemy towards the ground then drives an elbow down into the back of their skull. 5K- Quick knee to the gut. Again, it's whatever. 6K- Knee to the face. Good body damage and causes knockdown, which you can follow with a stomp. Personal favorite K-throw. 4K- Stronger knee to the gut. Alright when you're trying to break that body. 5A- Awesome headbutt. Harder to escape than the other throws that hit heads, so it comes in handy for that purpose. It's worth noting that if your own head is weak enough this can cause you to break yourself, so watch out! 6A- A kneebar submission. Does damage to the knee/leg, obviously. Useful to mix in when your gameplan is focused on leg kicks, especially if they're expecting a strike. 4A- Chicken-wing face lock. Does damage to the right arm. This is alright, I guess, but it's typically pretty difficult to target the right arm outside of this move, so you probably won't see great returns from it. SUPER MOVES ============ Super #1: Tanba performs a speedy palm strike that hits mid. If it connects, he sends them into the air before yelling like a freak and hitting with a second, totally badass palm strike. Does respectable damage and will go through most attacks. Can be used to quickly push momentum back in your favor or to put the nail in the coffin if you already have advantage. Super #2: A berserker attack. Really good damage if every strike lands, but that almost never happens. Opponent can still move, block,and attack the entire time, so all they have to do is decide to move away and laugh as you take your frustrations out on the air. This negative can be remedied with a little bit of positioning, however. If you can get the opponent's back to a corner, they'll have nowhere to go and even if they block their body will take considerable damage. Super #3: KOOOOOOOOUU-OOOOOOHHHH!!!! Tanba's third super is a punch counter, and sort of the manga's signature technique. It's really a thing of beauty to see it done. Does big, big damage to the head and whatever arm was throwing the countered punch. If you can pull this off it can turn the entire match around. The downside is that it only counters punches, but then its very presence also makes foes more leery about throwing their fists out, which can give you an advantage anyway. Stay sharp and throw this out at the right time! -------------------------------- V. General Strategy and Tips! -------------------------------- Now you've got a lot of info and you know what all the moves are about, but you might not know what to do with all of it, right? Well don't you fret, 'cuz I'm gonna help you out! We've established that Tanba is a decently well-rounded fighter with several effective moves, but what does this really mean? How should one begin their assault with Bunshichi? What I've developed in my short time with the game are three basic gameplans that if used appropriately and blended together can increase your Tanba's effectiveness considerably. The nature of Tanba's various moves allows for three considerably different strategies that somehow blend together quite nicely. I've just this moment given them silly codenames and they are: Fatigue Bombing, Tree Chopping, and Median Destruction. The first two strategies are much more independent of one another, while the third can be a late-game result of either one that you may gravitate towards. Let's break them down, shall we? 1. Fatigue Bombing =================== This is the act of initiating an all-out brawl with the opponent and utilizing move choices that focus on depleting their stamina to stun levels before they can get a chance to do the same to you. Focus on attacks that deplete large amounts of stamina, such as the 6P combo and 4P. Another wonderful move is the 5P combination finished with a kick. These three moves alone can render your opponent dazed in no time, and unless they begin to effectively counter you, you'll take a big advantage and maybe even a lightning fast win. This can be a double-edged sword, however. If you get sloppy and begin to get reversed or thrown, the odds are your body will begin to give out before their stamina does, making it much harder to claim that crucial stamina edge. When executed properly, this can give an edge/win against most striking characters, but many of the wrestlers will be able to throw or hit you out of your mad rush and quickly turn the tables against you. That's when it's a good idea to go for... 2. Tree Chopping =================== Stupid name? Maybe. This is a strategy that focuses on hit and run leg-kicks utilizing 3K and 1A as your main means of attack. Once that lead leg is pulverized into nonexistance, whatever giant bruiser you're facing will crumble to the floor...just like a tree, get it? Alternating 3K and 1A enables you to get in and out quickly while sustaining minimal damage. Movement is very important, and you always need to be working angles on your retreats, or you will quickly find yourself backed into a corner you don't want to be in. 3K and 1A are your main tools, but you shouldn't shy away from other options for destroying that leg. 2P,2P can add some nice damage to legs if you're in a brawl, and Tanba's 6A throw can help mix them up if they begin to block your endless assault of leg kicks. Once that leg is finally broken down, even blocked kicks will still give you a great advantage in the striking game. This is further enhanced through the use of... 3. Median Destruction ======================= The median line is a line that runs vertically through the center of your body, and numerous vital spots are located along it. You'd have to consult some kind of manual for a list, because I can't think of them all presently, but consider that the ground, solar plexus, throat, and nose are all located at the center of your body in a straight line. And stuff. SO. What's this have to do with Garouden? When you mix together Tanba's punches, kicks, specials, and throws, you'll find that in any kind of prolonged encounter the enemy will almost always suffer severe damage to their skull, torso, and lead leg. Practically right down the median line. I'm sure this isn't unique to Tanba but I've found he has a certain nack for demolishing these three body parts in particular. So how is it done? You move your gameplan in phases throughout the fight. Start off brawling and weakening their stamina with combinations that hit the head and body hard. Switch it over to tree-chopping to soften up that lead leg. If the 3K,P,P combination is used effectively it will hit all three Median targets and quikly wear them down. If you're under pressure go for a throw, typically something like 6K. As stated above, this does good damage to the skull while giving an opportunity for a stomp which does little spirit damage but can add quite a bit of body damage. With all these parts damaged, nearly ever attack Tanba lands opens the door to some serious pain, which we will discuss next. 4. "The Crunch" ====================== The really interesting thing about Garouden is how much strategy can change as the match goes on. Spacing becomes for more important, and one effective hit can throw all of a player's momentum in reverse. Now hopefully if you find yourself in a late match situation where you're battered and beaten, you've been incorporating the above gameplans so that your opponent is equally busted. In such instances you need to know what moves can get you that precious stun in order to clinch the victory or push the match back in your favor. Leg kicks will continue to be viable, particularly 1A as you're looking to get away from terrifying supers and damaging hits. In fact, all of Tanba's "A" moves will really begin to shine once you're both feeling the pain. 8A is an amazing kick to throw out on an encroaching foe that can cause head-stun like a semi-truck. 2A causes a similar effect on the body, and once you get that stun you can alternate 2A and 8A over and over on your opponent to keep the combo going right up until the enemy falls over. During stun combos, you might also opt for 6A or 6P,6P,6P to keep the stun going or deal extra damage, respectively. The standard 5A punch becomes surprisingly effective as well. It's capable of crushing skulls while somehow making other punches whiff. Experiment with stun combos on your own to find the most effective moves...I haven't really tested enough things to give a definitive answer. Caution must be exercised during "the crunch" when it comes to the use of throws and some slower kicks or punches. It's very possible, nay, likely that you will be countered out of the attack by faster strikes. Don't stop using these moves entirely, but be careful with your timing and positioning. ----------------------- VI. Matchup Strategy ----------------------- -COMING SOON!- -------------- VII. Credits -------------- Right now I don't have too many resources or whatever, so this section is a little bit pointless. I would like to thank the following, however. -Keisuke Itagaki and Baku Yumemakura for creating one of the best martial arts manga around. -The developers, ESP, for making such a fun and interesting fighting game. Now they should just make a similar game for the Grappler Baki franchise and there will be harmony in the universe. -My buddy Justin AKA "acetrainer" for kicking my ass with Kurama enough for me to really try and learn how to play this game. Have fun and happy skull bashing!!