REVIEW: Bleach: The Blade of Fate

Developer: Treasure | Publisher: SEGA | Format: DS

Reviewer: Craig Jay GallagherAfter their success with Gunstar Heroes and the awe inspiring Ikaruga, developers Treasure turned their attention to Bleach: The Blade of Fate. Based upon the anime series it features all the main characters and a plot which ties in to the second series.

While you don’t necessarily have to be a fan to enjoy the game, actual fans will find a lot to love in the Story Mode. Like many games you begin by selecting from your cast of characters and follow individual storylines. The main thrust of the game following Ichigo barely a fight with  two experienced Soul Reapers. They have crossed into the real world in a bid to arrest Rukia for her defiance of the Soul Society. Ichigo decides to go and rescue her, bring with him a number of friends.

Also included are Arcade and Versus modes, which to be honest are where the most fun can be found. Both are pretty self explanatory with Arcade mode offering an opportunity to get straight into the action. Versus allows you and up to three friends or enemies to enjoy two on two fights. The fact that the game comes with Game Sharing makes it all the sweeter.

Other modes to choose from include training, Desk Customisation and Challenge. The most intriguing of these is DC. In it you build up a collection of 15 cards, each of which has certain implications which when used in a battle can drastically change the outcome. While an interesting addition to a traditional 2D fighting game, it’s not a necessity to win which means that most gamers will ignore it in favour of button bashing.

The most important aspect of any fighting game is just how good the fighting is and my friends Bleach: The Blade of Fate is a joy. It’s fast, furious and above all fun. Battles are intense and often this reviewer found himself making a scene in public places as he screamed at the game. The controls are easy to pick up but like all great fighting games difficult to master. The fact that there are 20 fighters to choose from each with varying styles means that there is a lot of replay value here.

All in all, Bleach: The Blade of Fate is an essential title which all DS owners should give a chance. It’s easily the most entertaining 2D fighter on the system and one of the most thoroughly entertaining games around.

Comments

[nintendofreak]

Why is this on the main page? I read the review on here like a month back. Should say that like the reviewer says it is a great game. One of the best fighting games I have played on the DS.

[craigjgallagher]

Hey Nintendofreak, the first time the review went up it got lost in a number of other reviews. I felt that it deserved a chance at the main page as it truly is a great title deserving of far more attention that it has got.

[Bleachguy]

been playing this for the past few weeks and loving it. there are some nice nods to the series and the array of characters is pretty cool. nice site btw

[progamer]

Nice site man, just reading some of the reviews and it's scary how similar our tastes seem to be. I picked up Bleach a few weeks back for cheap and absolutely love it. It was a complete blind buy which totally surprised me by being so damn good. My only complaint is that a lot of the story is a bit hard to understand though I assume that's only because I've never seen the show. Is it worth checking out or should I just be content with the game?