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Bleach: Dark Souls Review
Written by Robert Falcon on Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Crazy multiplayer options, utterly addictive 2-D fighting, beautiful presentation and excellent visual effects, neat card system.
Not many changes from the original Bleach video game, can't select characters for single player missions.
Last year, Sega surprised Nintendo DS owners with the Treasure produced Bleach: The Blade of Fate. It's still a great game, with its multiplayer options and uber-addictive gameplay. Now we have Bleach: Dark Souls, an enjoyable sequel that, while it feels familiar, has enough quality fighting action to satisfy everyone.
Dark Souls has a staggering 110+ characters to unlock. There is also a well-conveyed battle system that, like in the first game, leans just as heavily on tactics as it does punches and kicks. You've got air dashes, the ability to jump between two separate planes (just like Fatal Fury), special Bankai movies, a playing card system (which you can activate by touching icons on the touch-screen) and so much more. The game carefully explains all the moves available, so even if it seems overwhelming at first, it's easy to get into and incredibly fun to play. Granted, the original Blade of Fate is the same way, but it's good to see that Treasure didn't mess with the formula.
Even if you're not an avid fan of the anime series, you're going to appreciate Dark Souls' presentation. The animation is astounding, drawing you in with impressive moves, beautiful character designs, stunning visual effects and a camera that almost seamlessly zooms in and out of the action. The music and sound effects are terrific as well, bringing out the best in the Nintendo DS.
There are single-player mission modes available, requiring you to complete certain tasks with specific characters in order to move on and unlock content. Unfortunately, this is where one of the game's few limitations show up. It's kind of sad that you don't have the ability to select your own characters in these modes, sticking with default ones that don't exactly suit your needs. At least the missions are fun to play, so that kind of makes up for it. There are also various types of matches available, including free-for-all, tag match and one-on-one, for those of you who don't prefer a chaotic melee. In addition, you can change character cards, spend credits in a virtual shopping center (earned through story mode) and check out a gallery, filled with art and music pieces.
After tiring of single player, you can jump onto Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection and fight with others through online play, even if they own import copies of the game. This opens up the field for competition to a near-staggering level, as you'll most likely run into players that mastered the game. Finally, there's local multiplayer, where up to four people can fight with one cartridge. It takes a while to load, but it's worth the wait.
The only thing working against Bleach: Dark Souls is familiarity. You've seen most of these options before in Blade of Fate. Aside from that, this is a true winner for fans of the anime, Treasure fanatics and fighting purists.
