I'd be cool with stage transitions, either from below to above, above to below, right side of the screen to further right and left side of the screen to further left, but I'd want it to be organic.
By that, I mean it shouldn't be uppercuting someone from Hell to Khan's arena or whatever. No stage to other stage transitions ala MK3.
Instead, have one side of the level have a balcony or a gate or a trap door or whatever, and a well timed kick or uppercut sends the opponent careening realistically in to the next area of the same level. Maybe you can go to the right two or three times until you get to s cliff's edge.
So more similar to MKD, only without giant falls mid-match or death traps. Getting to a place with a stage ender allows you to do a stage fatality.
Plus, I'd want the option to turn stage advancing off. I also wouldn't want it to take off massive damage. Lastly, I'd want some of them to allow for retransfer to the previous area and the ability to fight in the transfer area, so like on stairs, bridges, etc. I'd say bring a little uneven terrain to battles in spots like this.
But yeah, that's it.
As for gameplay, I'd say drop the number of styles from 3 to 2. One armed style and one unarmed style. Have them play almost completely differently from one another. Give them one special move in common, and have then give each of the styles about eight more specials with EX versions.
Next, I'd say dump X-Ray moves. They take too long, they're repetitive, and as a gimmick, I'd say they've had their day. Instead, I'd say give every character a special move that they can arm and power up. It's a regular special move, but once it's fully powered, you get s double EX version of the move, and it gives the move different, highly advantageous or highly danaging additional properties, but without a 29 second cutscene like an X-Ray.
Lastly, I'd do away with breakers as they are now. I'd give each character a rechargeable meter that regains on its own and has four notches in it. Each character would have different things they could do during a combo in order to play defense, but everyone can use one notch to escape a combo of timed correctly.
Like maybe a character is good at throwing, so maybe they get a counter throw. My a character is really fast, so they can deflect strikes. Maybe s character can "block strikes," where they still get hit, but the right button presses cut the damage down significantly. Maybe a character can reverse combos on people. Maybe a character can power up their attacks by timing certain presses while taking damage in a combo.
Maybe they can catch a strike and use it to jump over the opponent for an advantage. Maybe some characters have weaker options, but can reverse reversals immediately. Of course, any attacker that becomes a defender can use their own defensive techniques provided they have enough notches.
Basically, I'd like to see more of an emphasis placed on defense. Not just opening someone up and getting free damage in the form of a long, stylish combo as a reward, with the only exception being the awkward looking break that we currently have.
That said, I'd like to be able to spend those notches on offense as well. Maybe you can spend them to make an attack take off slightly more health, maybe spending one allows for a small health regen, maybe you can spend notches to build your EX meter some in a pinch or steal some of your opponents notches or EX meter or prevent them from escaping.
Maybe a few notches let you add a bonus attack to a combo that you wouldn't normally have otherwise. Maybe you spend some notches to debuff your opponent or break their block or any number of things.
Basically, I'd love to see a ton of depth added to the give and take of combos in this game. Maybe some of these would be overpowered or worthless, but they could always be rebalanced.
