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Bleach: The Blade of Fate Review
Written by Robert Falcon on Thursday, October 25, 2007
Insane multiplayer fighting options; beautiful graphics; something for fans and non-fans alike.
Makes us wish for a DS port of Guardian Heroes that much more; slightly weak Spirit Cards.
Remember the old Sega Saturn fighting game Guardian Heroes? We're talking four-player beat-the-crap-out-of-anything old-school bliss. Well, kids, that feeling has returned in Bleach: The Blade of Fate, a one-of-a-kind fighting game for Nintendo DS. Now, I know, anyone can create a four-player fighting game, like Arc System Works tried to do with Guilty Gear: Dust Strikers. The main difference here is that Treasure's latest is a finer one. In fact, the finest one to date on the market...until the second Bleach game comes along, anyway.
In the game, you choose from several classic Bleach characters, selected from the anime show of the same name, and take part in a series of modes. Story Mode follows dedicated storylines straight from the TV show; Challenge Mode issues certain combos and moves that must be completed; Arcade Mode is straight-up beating-the-crap-out-of-everything. No matter which mode you choose, there's something you're bound to like here, whether you're a die-hard fan of the show or still think bleach is something you'd find in a bottle of Tide.
The graphics are absolutely astounding. While everything translates in basic 2-D, it still looks glorious. The animation, the backdrops, the zooming effect, the detail...it never misses a beat here. Same with the audio. The voicework is on the money as far as the voice talent from the show is concerned and the sound effects and music really go a long way to recapturing that Bleach anime spirit.
The gameplay is really where it's at, though. It plays like a divine old-school 2-D fighter, borrowing elements from Guardian Heroes including plane-jumping (foreground to background and back again), air dashes, special moves, super moves and so much more. A Practice mode is available if you need a hands-on tutorial of how everything works. Spirit Cards also find proper use here, although using them in battle is a little bit like cheating in your favor. They're gimmicky at best. However, if you like them, a Deck Customization mode is available for you to build your own dream hand.
Really, though, it's all about getting together with a few friends and beating the living tar out of each other. Up to four players can take part in a fight, selecting from 26 characters throughout the game. The game fully supports Game Sharing, so four people can use one cartridge and four systems. That's awesome by itself, but there's more. The game also has Wi-Fi Connection support, so you can hop online and see what poor fools you can beat up around the world. Of course, by the same token, someone may have Ichigo fully mastered and run ripshod all over you. You've been warned.
Playing Bleach: The Blade of Fate reminded me of what an excellent game Guardian Heroes is, and makes me wish for a DS port with online support and options galore. Of course, fat chance of that happening these days unless Sega starts feeling really nostalgic. Oh, well, Bleach: The Blade of Fate is definitely a suitable replacement, a non-stop beat-em-up with options and goodies galore. If you love the show, buy it. If you don't, buy it. If you don't have a DS, get one and then buy it. We can't spell it out any clearer.
posted 8 months ago