Review for BlazBlue: Central Fiction Special Edition. Game for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 07/02/2019
There are software houses that after years specialize in game types, taking advantage of the experience accumulated over time: Arc System Works is one of these and its field of action is undoubtedly that of the Beat 'em up. Although some deviations from the main trend have been granted, The Arc System team is expert in infusing technique and depth in two-dimensional fighting games, bringing them to a level that can only be mastered by a select few.
Let's talk today about one of the flagship series of Arc System fighting games: the saga of BlazBlue, which today lands on Nintendo Switch with the last chapter of the series: BlazBlue: Central Fiction Special Edition.
This fascinating saga sees us immersed in a universe where the white weapon clashes are the masters, although in the end even firearms are not disdained. Chronologically we find ourselves after the events of BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma, totally immersed in a context of which few have clear origins. What is known for sure is that an evil entity is trying to prevail and that the boys of the military and scientific academies will have to blame themselves in order to avoid the extinction of the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi, the world a where it belongs.
Don't worry if you feel disoriented: the development team has prepared a "quick" summary at the beginning of the adventure that will allow you to contextualize Central Fiction in time and space in just half an hour. Yes, because in this special Edition nothing is left to chance and an impressive amount of dialogue will clarify your ideas on all the dark sides, provided of course you have the patience to read them all. To tell the truth it must be said that the animations, the artworks, the movies and above all the deep characterization of each character help a lot to stay focused and to get passionate about the story, however complicated it may be.
We therefore find ourselves facing the title full of expectations but exhausted by the amount of content at the plot level, with the desire to lead our hands that grows dialogue after dialogue. But this is where the real problems actually begin: if you think you are faced with a simple fighting game, with which you can chain combos as for example happens in another Arc System masterpiece, namely Dragon Ball FighterZ, you are very wrong. The technical level of BlazBlue: Central Fiction Special Edition is nothing short of impressive and the learning curve to get to dominate the playable characters is very high.
There are 36 PCs (the largest number present in a chapter of the BlazBlue series), and each of these is unique and different from all the others, both aesthetically and in combat. Just think that in the tutorial section - which we highly recommend you to visit and which ranges from the explanation of each single element to the supreme moves and devastating combos - there is a menu that will help you to know in depth every move of each individual player, which in fact it comes with unique features, devastating and super long combos, not to mention strengths, specials and so on. In short, if you think of taking any character and after having done some random crescent, master it properly, you are very wrong.
Each of the protagonists has a set of precise moves that are evolving thanks to the dynamics of activation of special statuses: we will then find theOverdrive - activated by pressing the four keys - which will make us capable for a limited time of greater damage and which will allow you to activate theExceed Accel, a devastating and chainable move capable of causing massive damage. We naturally also find theHeat Gauge, that is the bar that allows the normal unique special attacks and which must be filled with blows and parries. Finally, to complete the park moves, there is aActive Flow, which is activated automatically after having scored a series of flawless shots and which allows you to conclude a combo with an inevitable final section in Overdrive.
Combining all this with holds, saves, dashes and dodges and contextualizing everything in a unique way for each individual player means bringing the technical sector and the variety of challenges to the highest levels: mastering even just one of the characters means dedicating hours and hours of training to him. . But don't worry, the Arc System team, despite not having set a variable difficulty level, has provided a simplified mode: the Stylish mode. This mode also allows the novice to perform powerful and visually spectacular combos even just relying on the wildest smash. Of course in online competitions you run the risk of ending up being mocked and beaten by the veterans of the saga who have devoted much of their free time to the technical side, but fortunately the Spanish community is more oriented towards the simplified version of the system, leaving other countries the more technical and precise side.
The modalities, then, are so many and suitable for all tastes: to begin with the story alone, to be completed one hundred percent it will take you away at least ten hours, which can be significantly reduced by facing the adventure in Stylish and skipping any dialogue. Then we find the classic Arcade and Versus modes: basically the modes that most characterize the genre. In the first you will face a series of different enemies for each character, while in the second you will be able to face the AI or a friend by choosing who you want to fight against. Honorable mention for customization: this mode provides for being able to dictate every single aspect of the battle, thus having a significant impact on the level of difficulty of the game.
In BlazBlue: Central Fiction Special Edition we then find three other modes to flesh out the amount of content already of his own impressive: Score Attack Mode, Speed Run Mode and Grym of Abyss Mode. The first sees us face a series of opponents with the aim of putting an end to their suffering by making the greatest number of points possible, without being able to recover energy during the alternation of the clashes. The second, on the other hand, sees us facing a series of enemies in a given time; here the only purpose is to get rid of it as much as possible, in fact our life bar will not run out by suffering the blows: the difficulty is given by the technical level of the implacable and ruthless AI, but above all able to paralyze our every movement to the sound of blows for tens and tens of seconds. Finally we find the Grym of Abyss Mode, a run made interesting by the possibility of equipping as an RPG a whole series of grimoire and items that will impact on the physical characteristics of the character by enhancing him, but which does not allow total energy recovery. Your skill will be the only weapon to get to the bottom of the abyss.
There is also an online mode with a really interesting management. It is enough to tell the system that you are available for matches against random opponents, set each parameter of your preferences, and then move on to play one of the other modes. When the servers find a match, you will be asked to fight, effectively putting your game on hold: once you have faced the online opponent you can safely return to what you were doing previously. Unfortunately, during our tests there were such evident lags as to prejudice the outcome of the clashes, probably due to servers unprepared for the large number of connected fighters: we can only hope that a patch will soon be put by the Devs, even if we cannot be sure about it. the low number of visitors in Italy, compared to other countries such as Japan, to name one above all.
Shop for alternative colors, dictionaries including each term, artwork and music complete an incredible endowment both on the quantity of content and on the quality of the same. Three-dimensional backdrops, surprising animations and masterfully transposed drawings are only part of the fantastic show that presents itself in front of the player's eyes: the animations are fluid and rich in details and manage to involve the eye and the heart of those who hold the pad, also aided from an exceptional soundtrack and audio sector. The original dubbing is highly recommended, where voices play a fundamental role in character design.
Unfortunately, not all that glitters is gold and some forgivable graphic downgrade compared to the versions for PlayStation 4 and PC was necessary, but as always the mobility feature of Nintendo Switch enhances all the titles by forgiving some sacrifices on a graphic level. This slight downgrade coupled with the impressive technicality required to fully understand the title and the lack of a proper pad pro for the genre are in fact the only trade-offs you'll have to deal with in tackling BlazBlue: Central Fiction Special Edition. A small price to pay for an incredible experience.
BlazBlue: Central Fiction Special Edition for Nintendo Switch is the porting of a masterpiece among the high-tech fighting games. Deep and complete under the aspect of the plot, complex and varied under the profile of the gameplay and cured and passionate under the graphic side, Central Fiction sets a record among the 2D fighting games that can hardly be surpassed. There is a lack in the current videogame landscape of development teams such as Arc System, able to instill a lot of passion in a project while maintaining high standards even net of some compromise. If you like the genre and you want to try your hand at a worthy challenge, don't waste time: The Wheel of Fate is Turning!
► BlazBlue: Central Fiction Special Edition is an Arcade-Beat 'em up game developed by Arc System Works and published by PQube for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 07/02/2019
