Outside of button-bashing my SNES controller to within an inch of its life trying to pull off Guile’s Sonic Boom move in Street Fighter II or playing Mortal Kombat games just to see the fatalities, my experience in the fighting game genre is extremely limited. However, like most in the video game community, I have always heard great things about the Blazblue franchise. When I got the chance to play the latest game in the series, I leapt at the chance with all the enthusiasm of a dog chasing a car.
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• Developer: Arc System Works
• Publisher: Aksys Games
• Reviewed on: PlayStation 4
• Also Available On: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One
• Release Date: Available Now
The game opens with a well put-together intro movie showing off each of the characters in an animated short. The sheer amount of characters was overwhelming but once the main menu loaded, I decided to play a quick match just to see what I was in for. I can honestly admit that I was blown away by a number of things but the fighting itself seemed impossible to me so I decided to give the tutorial section a browse.
Almost immediately, I was introduced to the ‘Stylish Type’ fighting system; BlazBlue’s accessible combat mechanic for new players. In theory, it allows players to perform the more complex moves in the game more easily using simply button presses rather than complex combinations. In practice, it just makes button-bashing easier to do. However, there is still some skill required to become good at this mode as depending on your location and that of your opponent, as well as your various power bars, some moves are more effective than others.
Clearly, the focus in the tutorial mode is to introduce you to the main concepts of the game but there is enough content here to cover anything and everything you need to know about the game. It is also a helpful way to introduce you to the characters and personalities you’ll meet in the main game as they act as your tutors. If I had one complaint, it would be that the option to get some backstory on the series is rubbish. The set-up is mostly used to make in-jokes you won’t get because you are trying to learn about the series anyway!
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend has set out its stall to be one of the more accessible games in the series and I can appreciate that, but it also maintains its hand-crippling control scheme for those who excel there too (and I can attest to that, having tried it out unsuccessfully). The combat feels rewarding and visceral through the outstanding art and sound design. Pulling off special moves is rewarding too, just from the explosions of colour it causes – as well as the damage to your opponent obviously.
BlazBlue’s roster of colourful and unique characters is a sight to behold too. Whether it is the standard-looking Ragna wielding a massive sword or the hooded Terumi, there is a character that will appeal to you from a visual and combat perspective. Each fighter has a host of unique abilities to grapple with and doing so is fun to pull off or simply watch!
My only complaint with the game is the story. It is nonsensical to me, in large part due to the crummy summary mode I mentioned earlier. I had little to no idea what was going on for a lot of the game and only reading external sources helped me. Even then, as I was not invested in it, it had little impact on me. The retort to this though is: who cares about a story in a fighting game? Well, everybody nowadays it seems. MK, Injustice, Tekken and even Street Fighter seem to treat their canon with a lot of care recently.
Even when the story bores me though, there are still multiple challenge missions for each of the game’s 27 fighters to take part in. The game also features a survival mode called Abyss Mode and a single-player mode against powerful AI opponents called Unlimited Mars Mode, as well as a host of other, smaller game modes to try out. You get your money’s worth with this game.
Like a dog chasing a car, I didn’t really know what to do with BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend once I got it. However, through its comprehensive tutorial system, I slowly got to grips with the basic fighting mechanics in the game. Will I ever be ‘good’ at the game? No, I highly doubt it but even at the level I am playing at right now, the game is a blast.
