Fairy Tail: Gekitou! Madoushi Kessen/Gameplay

Main Menu
Following the title screen, numerous gameplay options are presented. These are:
 * Story Mode: Play through the story of Fairy Tail, where battles and scenes progress the story. From here, you can continue from a saved game or start a new game.
 * Quest Mode: Clear specific missions for each character to earn money and attack upgrades.
 * Free Battle: Play against the computer or another person using another cartridge or download play.
 * Survival Mode: Choose your character and fight opponents one after the other.
 * Customize: Upgrade characters or swap out magic attacks for new ones.
 * Stats: See your progress with each character in the game.
 * Options: Change the game’s default settings.

Battle
Before any battle, you are given the option to customize your characters. You can do this by swapping moves in and out (or simply changing the buttons they're mapped to) or by upgrading. Each attack has two slots for upgrades, which upon selected gives you the option to make the move more powerful or even increase its level. Characters themselves can also take upgrades, such as increasing the size of their magic gauges (necessary for numerous quests). After your character is prepared to battle, the VS screen will be presented and, after the characters pose, the fight will begin.

The equipped attacks are on the bottom screen, while the battle takes place on the top screen. The opponent's health is displayed at the bottom of the screen, with the player character's health and magic at the top. The number displayed next to the magic gauge is the level of attacks that can be executed with that amount of magic; charge more magic to execute more powerful attacks. Defensively, you have the option to guard with the shoulder buttons, dash by tapping the directional buttons twice, or jump over attacks. However, the most useful form of defense is the counterattack. These are commonly performed by enemies at higher levels, showing their significance in battle technique. Wait until your opponent performs a magic attack, in which case you can perform yours immediately after. Shots of the characters come up on the bottom screen, showing who comes out victorious in a showdown of magic. With the right timing, the opponent's own magic attack is canceled out and, without time to defend, are hit by yours.