Epic Battle Fantasy 3

Epic Battle Fantasy 3 is the third entry in the Flash RPG series by matt-likes-swords.
== Story ==
Epic Battle Fantasy 3 features the most expansive story in the serie's history. After being defeated by the swordsman Matt and the magician Natalie, also known as Natz, at the conclusion of the second game, the gunner Lance decides to join their party. Together, they went treasure hunting, until the day they explored a tomb and found a sleeping demon named Akron in chains. When provoked however, the demon was awakened, and tried to drain the heroes' life energy. Although the trio survived, they lost most of their power, and the demon used their powers along with his own to warp time and space. When the party awoke, they were in a faraway land. Realizing the enormity of their mistake, they set off to defeat the demon.
On their journey to reach the demon, Matt, Natz, and Lance travel through a lush forest, a pirate-ridden beach, freezing tundra, ancient ruins, and an active volcano. Their various experiences allow them to regain their old strength and even exceed it. Eventually, they reach the place where they awoke Akron. It has become a black hole, leading into space. There, they face Akron, who explains his past. He is a truly ancient being, who has lived for billions of years. He saw the Earth when it was a ball of rock and magma, but can't remember where he originally came from. Although he's been controlled and enslaved in the past, he's outlived all of his enemies. However, in his admiration of the party, even he admits that he can be destroyed, referring to it as a triumph of man over God. Through the combined efforts of Matt, Natz, and Lance, he is finally defeated.
== Design ==
The structure of Epic Battle Fantasy 3 is a huge departure from its predecessors. Unlike the linear string of battles found in prior entries in the series, this game features a full overworld as typically found in traditional console RPGs. The world contains various distinct areas, a town complete with shops, puzzles, treasure chests containing bonuses, and a total of thirty sidequests, which grant various awards. Enemies appear on the map, so that the player may choose which fights they enter and when. Winning a battle will award the player with items and experience points, which can be used to level up and teach new abilities. Health and Magic can be replenished by walking about for a period of time or by visiting the inn.
Players can also extensively customize their characters outside of battle. Each character has three equipment slots: one for a weapon, one for armor, and one for a hat. Each character has an exclusive class of weaponry, but Matt and Lance can share hats and armor. New equipment can be found from winning battles, opening treasure chests, or completing sidequests, and can be upgraded using items for materials. Likewise, characters learn and upgrade skills based on a point system, allowing players to grow their party to meet new challenges. Players can save at any time, and can eventually warp from one place to another via crystals.
== Gameplay ==
Epic Battle Fantasy 3 uses a similar combat system as prior entries, with each side taking turns. However, a number of changes alter how battles play out. The addition of Lance to the party, in addition to several new abilities, places an emphasis on supporting the party by buffing stats in addition to attacking the enemy and healing as necessary. The bestiary, which details information about foes in the middle of battle, also has become more important, as enemies have increasingly complicated patterns and can change elements, therefore requiring a variety of tactics to defeat. Furthermore, each character has three Limit Breaks that can be unlocked, each with their own unique effects.
== Characters Guide ==
Matt is the swordsman of the group, combining strong defenses with heavy attack power. He specializes in Earth-elemental attacks, and is, in fact, the only playable character capable of using them. Although he has useful stat-related abilities such as Dispel, which cancels out enemy buffs, he is usually at his best when attacking. His only magical abilities are Fright and Screamer.
Natalie is a mage, and uses powerful black and white magic. She is arguably the most powerful character, with a variety of offensive, support, and healing abilities. However, her conventional attacks are very weak, making her almost entirely dependent upon her magical prowess. Her defensive stats are also fairly low. Possibly her most useful ability is Regan, which heals the party at the start of every turn, incidentally curing them of being frozen.
Lance's gun-based abilities are the most accurate in the party. He is, in a sense, a jack of all trades, capable of healing the party, attacking enemies with a variety of elements, and calling for support. His most noteworthy ability is Scan, which provides information about a class of enemy, and is essential for certain enemies.
=== Matt's Skills ===
*Tremor - This starting ability is a basic Earth attack
*Quake - A somewhat more powerful version of Tremor
*Cataclysm - The ultimate Earth attack, and one of Matt's most useful moves
*Flume - Matt's basic Fire attack
*Eruption - A more powerful version of Flume
*Tundra - Matt's basic Ice attack
*Iceberg - A more powerful version of Tundra
*Nettle - This move can poison foes, making it surprisingly effective against some powerful foes
*Drain - Will cure Matt somewhat while also doing damage
*Quick Slash - A weak attack with high accuracy
*Wind Slash - Borrowing its element from Matt's sword, Wind Slash is also Matt's only basic ability that hits all foes
*Revenge - An attack with an inverse relationship with Matt's health
*Legend - Hits the enemy multiple times
*Seiken - A powerful Holy attack
*Unleash - An ability entirely based on the sword being used
*Protect - Raises party Defense
*Temper - Raises party Attack power
*Reflex - Raises party Evasion
*Fright - Lowers one foe's magic defense
*Screamer - Lowers all foes' magic defense
*Nolegs - A random item is given to one party member
*Cleaver - This Limit Break lets Matt hit a foe with his blade five times, switching targets if necessary
*Annihilate - This Limit Break has a high chance of instantly killing most foes, but works poorly against Bosses
*Ragnarok - This Limit Break brings down giant swords that strike all foes
=== Natalie's Skills ===
*Lucky Star - This basic magic attack deals nonelemental damage to one foe
*Star Shower - Similar to Lucky Star, but it hurts all foes
*Fire - Basic Fire Magic
*Fireball - A stronger Fire Magic that may lower defense
*Firestorm - Mighty Fire Magic that strikes all foes, possibly lowering their defense
*Ice - Basic Ice magic
*Iceshard - Advanced Ice Magic
*Icestorm - Expert Ice Magic that hits all enemies
*Thunder - Basic Thunder Magic
*Thunderbolt - More powerful Thunder Magic which may stun its target
*Thunderstorm - Very powerful Thunder magic that hits all foes and may stun them
*Toxic - A spell with a high chance of poisoning its target
*Pulse - Dark Magic that may lower the Magic Defense of its target
*Pulsar - Like Pulse, except it affects all foes
*Unleash - An ability that varies according to Natalie's weapon
*Shine - Holy magic that may lower its target's accuracy
*Judgement - An enhanced version of Shine
*Heal - Heals one party member
*Healmore - Heals all party members
*Bless - Increases one character's Magic Attack
*Revive - Either revives a fallen comrade or casts autolife upon them depending on current status
*Purify - Heals the whole party's status effects
*Barrier - Buffs the party's Magic Defense
*Regan - All party members will regain some health every turn for five turns
*Kyun - This Limit Break cures all party members, removes their status effects, buffs their offensive and defensive stats, and lowers the enemies' respective stats
*Genesis - This Limit Break deals heavy holy damage to all enemies while casting Revive on all party members
*Black Hole - This Limit Break deals extreme Dark Damage to all allies and enemies, and can potentially KO any of them
=== Lance's Skills ===
*Snipe - A very accurate attack
*Double Shot - Attacks a foe twice
*Unload - Attacks six times, but lowers Attack power
*Flameshot - Basic Fire magic
*Flameburst - Fire magic that hits all foes
*Bullet Hell - Powerful Fire magic that focuses on one foe, dealing 1/3 damage to all other foes
*Plasma - Basic Thunder magic that may lower evasion
*Plasmawave - Like Plasma, except for the fact that it hits all foes
*Plasmacross - A Thunder magic equivalent to Bullet Hell
*Shockwave - The most powerful Wind Magic, which hits all foes
*Shadow Blast - Basic Dark Magic
*Antimatter - A Dark Magic equivalent to Bullet Hell
*Crush - Cancels an enemy's defensive buffs
*Unleash - Depends upon which Gun Lance is using
*Bind - Lowers all foes' Evasion
*Debilitate - Lowers all foes' Defense
*Poison Gas - Has a chance of poisoning all foes
*Air Strike - Uses one of several types of Bomb magic
*Tank - This Bomb attack hits all foes
*Medipack - Heals the status effects of any party member, along with some health
*Lock On - Buffs an ally's accuracy
*Scan - Adds a foe to the Bestiary
*Oblivion - This Limit Break deals massive physical Bomb and Earth damage to all foes
*Ion - A magic Limit Break that lowers its targets' attack
*Nuke - This dangerous Limit Break deals huge amounts of magical fire damage to everyone in the battle and also poisons them
=== Bonus Abilities ===
Bonus abilities can be learned by any party member, but may only be taught once
*Berserk - Raises an ally's Attack and Defense at the cost of control over their actions
*Syphon - Stops foes from using Magic
*Flare - Lowers the accuracy of all foes
*Dispel - Cancels enemy buffs
*Tera Drill - Deals massive damage to foes with defensive buffs
*Power Metal - Deals damage to all foes and cures all party members
*Meow Meow - A Physical attack that depends on a user's level, making it a good fit for Natalie
== Presentation ==
Epic Battle Fantasy 3 uses the same art style found in prior entries to the series. It is colorful, and is clearly inspired by anime and Japanese RPGs. The new overworld maps features its own sprites, and each of the new weapons, enemies, and abilities is independently animated. The Limit Breaks often have their own associated cutscenes, and at certain points in the story, players will be shown large still images that show the party during their quest while providing narration. The soundtrack, which contains over a dozen tracks, is composed by HalcyonicFalconX, and can be accessed from the main menu and Audio Portal.
== Reception ==
Epic Battle Fantasy 3 has been a critical hit on Newgrounds, spending weeks on the Front Page with a score of over 4.5/5. It reached half a million views in less than a month, not counting other websites such as Kongregate. By January 2012, it had over 1.7 million views. The average review is 9.8/10, and the game has won the Daily Feature and Weekly second awards. It lost the Weekly Users' Choice award to a submission with a hacked score, which was soon deleted. However, it was voted the best game of September 2010, making it a nominee for the Tank Awards. It has also been included in the Flash Portal History.
== Links ==
*Play it here
*View Music here
Category:Video Game Parodies
Category:Flash games
Category:Final Fantasy
Category:RPG
Category:Teen
Category:Games With Medals