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Bleach DS 2nd Review
Written by Ryan Morgan on Friday, March 23, 2007
Online multiplayer, great use of the license, well-balanced gameplay
Import-only. We want this game in English!
It's been over two years since the DS launch and the United States still hasn't seen a good fighting game. Fortunately, that's easily fixed with the help of an importing website (like play-asia), a two-week wait, and one of Japan's many high-quality fighting titles. Bleach DS 2nd: Kokui Hiramiku Requiem is the latest release in that category, and I'm here to tell you that it's every bit as good as its predecessor, if not the best fighting game to ever grace a portable system.
For those of you who haven't played the original, Bleach DS 2nd is a 2-D fighting game developed by Treasure, the company best known for niche action titles like Gunstar Heroes and Ikaruga. The Shonen Jump anime/manga of the same name is a world filled with ghosts, monsters (nasty spirits called Hollows), and a huge cast of spell-slinging, sword-wielding Shinigami (lit. Soul Reapers) who have the task of protecting the real world from supernatural evildoers. The strength of the series sits with the wonderfully distinct character designs, each with a unique set of fighting abilities. Some favor pure strength, some use only ranged attacks, some prefer magic, and some are masters of an element (Hitsugaya Toshiro's power manifests as an ice dragon, for example). Unsurprisingly, this cast lends itself perfectly to a fighting game, with a ready-made set of unique fighters just waiting to be used.
The fighting system itself is based on the tried and true light/medium/heavy-attack system, with additional commands for blocking and dashing. Moves are standard "quarter-circle + A" fare, with about 4-5 unique attacks per character. Beyond that, there are super moves which use up one of your many power bars, and many characters have a ban kai (lit. full release) move that requires a full gauge. These come complete with a small, animated cutscene and range from impressive to very impressive. They also do a hefty amount of damage if used correctly, which can be a lifesaver if your opponent has you on the ropes.
While the attacks are interesting, it's the dash move that sets Bleach DS 2nd apart from other 2-D fighters. Hitting B causes you to blur, disappear, and re-appear somewhere else on screen, including behind your opponent. A three-sectioned bar keeps track of these dashes, but while it slowly recharges over time, using certain attacks can deplete it in a more lasting fashion (removing your ability to dash temporarily). Whether you're moving behind your opponent, dodging an attack, or getting some altitude to rain spells onto your opponent, this ability really adds a lot of depth to an already solid fighting system.
It's easy to see that Treasure put a lot of thought into the changes made to Bleach DS 2nd; each and every modification is an improvement over the original, from the expanded character list to balancing tweaks for notoriously cheap characters. Perhaps most significant is the new story mode, which has seen a major overhaul. In the first game, the story mode was nothing more than a string of arcade-styled fights with occasionally ridiculous requirements. Unlocking everything practically required downloading a translated walkthrough. This time around is far more entertaining, featuring a more interesting structure, longer playtime, and much more forgiving requirements. When coupled with a newly-strengthened AI, I actually found story mode entertaining, which is far more than I can say for the original.
It may be in a foreign language, cost more than a standard DS game, and still have the same unnecessary reifu card system as the original, but Bleach DS 2nd is the best fighting game on the DS and one of the best uses of an anime license I've ever seen. Buy it, play it, lose a bunch of wi-fi matches against the primarily Japanese user base, and pat yourself on the back for finding a great solution for the fighting game drought here in the US.
