Some games are completely predictable – both in a positive and negative way. This can be as a result of the hype preceding a release, being so great, that you follow every step of its development. Checking for news updates, trawling the net for images or even a game-play video can become a past time - if not an obsession. Games can also be predictable in that they fit into a specialty genre or are a sequel and so you kind of know what to expect. This can bleed the enjoyment out of the experience of actually playing the game or can even make people not bother giving a game a chance.

To be honest I know little about the Bleach world. Haven’t read the manga, watched the anime or played any other Bleach games for that matter. But this is big business both in Japan and abroad. For the uneducated, Bleach started as a manga series in the Japanese Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 2001. It has enjoyed a huge fan base of both the manga and the anime series – in fact in Japan alone the Manga series has sold over 40 million copies. Also, and get this, there has even been a rock musical made of the series. Pretty sure if you look hard enough there will even be a Coplay cult group gathering weekly at Scout halls around the globe.

But even without this knowledge or cultural awareness, I still thought that Bleach: Blade of Fate for DS would be predictable. From what I had heard it was a fighting game that leant heavily on a fan base to make it sell. This was my thought before I even opened the box. Not my cup-of-tea, to be honest, as I don’t even like 2D fighters that much. All too often we fall into the above state. It is not often that a game can truly surprise us. Well I was happy to be proven completely wrong with the recent release of this fighting gem by Sega and Treasure.

In every aspect the qualities and production values of this game are superb. Some might say that turning a Manga / Anime series into a game is easy, as many of the design elements are complete. The character and world design, the story and even much of the voice acting to name a few. In my opinion, yes it certainly helps to maintain consistency in the franchise, but otherwise they would be wrong. Fullmetal Alchemist: Dual Sympathy is evidence of when this kind of assumption can lead both game developers and players astray.



The presentation of Bleach: Blade of Fate is high-grade from the moment you turn it on. The opening video and corresponding soundtrack are impressive to say the least. Like watching the opening intro to an Anime title. Both image and audio instantly gives you a flavour of the intensity and feverish pace of this game. Moving beyond that came my next joy. The menu! Yes, the menu. Let’s see. There is Story Mode, Arcade Mode, Versus Mode, Training Mode, Challenge Mode, Deck Construction, Urahara Shop, Gallery and Options (yes even more than the list above). Failing to make a selection from this vast list will see the game automatically launch into a random demo fight. All this and I haven’t even made a menu selection yet. Paralysed with choice.

So let’s start with Story Mode. As the name suggests, you are taken through a selection of still images that quickly brings you up to speed on the Bleach world and the story so far. This progresses and includes brief dialogue with characters on what is to take place. From here a basic training phase begins and you are taught the necessary moves and steps to get by. Of course you have the option to skip beyond this if needed. For the relatively new to 2D fighting titles (me), you are given the option to play Special Attacks either by using the classic process of combining D-pad and button moves or by pressing the corresponding Special Attack button on the touch screen. Basic training over, on with the story and the same anime quality progression through image and text to understand what is occurring in the story. In between progressive parts of the story there is the inevitable 2D style fighting that takes places against a range of adversaries of ever increasing fighting capabilities.

Next on our Bleach journey is the Arcade Mode. The fighting process, special moves and combinations are all much the same here. The difference with this is that you start off by selecting the character you wish to be in battle. Then you run through a series of fights against varying opponents. As with story mode, you have a number of capabilities on your side. First up you have Special Attacks that can be controlled by the entering of button combinations or touch screen buttons. Then you have a limited number of Reinforced Special Attacks that are much more powerful yet consume your own energy quicker. Again these are easily accessed from the touch screen. Finally you have access to Spirit Cards from a pre-built deck and these offer you unique powers and abilities aside from just being able to kick the crap out of someone. More on that later.


Next is Versus Mode and in this you have four options. Verse CPU, DS Wireless Play, DS Download Play and WiFi Connection. So single card and multi-card multiplayer is available for up to 4 players. This level of flexibility is fantastic in a game of this complexity and calibre although it can take some time for the single-card play to download – but I am sure you will agree that the wait will be worth it.

Training Mode is basically the same as the experience in the beginning of story mode. The key differences being that you can select both players involved in the fight. This gives you the opportunity to try out the skills and capabilities of other playable characters in a “safe” environment. My only criticism here is that the opponent does not fight back, but more just defends themselves from time to time. He/She just stands there and takes a pummelling. Whilst this can be highly satisfying a little AI would have been nice just so you could practise your defensive moves.

Challenge Mode I found quite tough. Basically you fight an opponent and work towards unleashing a required combo of attacks. You can’t progress beyond each stage until you have successfully carried out the combo. This is more an extension of the training mode and allows your to perfect some of the more complex player moves and attacks.

Next on the never-ending-menu is Deck Construction and this is where you get to organise your Spirit Cards into a usable order. The great thing about this is that you can build up your own deck based on the cards you have collected or you can choose from a number of pre-built decks. Or have the best of both worlds and tweak an existing one more to your liking. These Spirit Cards are instantly available to you in all fighting modes however you only have a limited range to begin with. Up to 100 become available to you throughout your progress in the game. The Spirit Cards lend from the Bleach world again as the Bleach trading card game has a huge following. The Urahara Shop (yet another menu option) even allows you to purchase additional Spirit Cards along with a range of other items. All of which is viewable in the Gallery. This option allows you to scroll through high quality images and sounds from the game. Most of these start off locked, however as you progress through the game (or through purchases made in the Urahara shop) you can open more. Most are single screen images however many encompass both screens of the DS.


Finally you have the Options menu that allows you to finely tune all in game options from the sound volumes through to the wallpaper of the menu screen. You also have the ability to view your records of battles won and lost.

So that is a lot to digest. Full yet? No? Well that is good as there is more. I have already hinted at the production values being superbly high. The graphical qualities throughout are fantastic. They leap out at you from the cut scenes through to the fighting action. Great character design and dexterity ensure that the fight scenes play smoothly. Things get pretty intense in the game and the playable characters hold up their end of the bargain with clear movement and great visual effects when performing the simplest to the most complex of moves. Watching how each character fights and the impressive uniqueness of their moves and attacks is great. There is certainly no predictability in the way the fighting takes place. All backgrounds are effectively rendered and even have a small amount of animated complexity. For example, in one of the earlier Story Mode levels, you fight in a village where the onlookers in the background can be seen to be clapping and pumping their little fists in the air. This is of course before some giant bore tramples you and your opponent into the dirt.

The audio shares the same flawless qualities. The soundtrack alone is well matched to the game style and genre. It is raw and rocking and does a lot to get your adrenalin to the desired level of a fighting game. Voice acting makes heavy appearance through the game and in fact you can even change the main voice of the character that introduces key items such as menu selections. Sound effects both in the menu modes and in all game modes are great and give the game the kind of audio grunt it needs to complete the package. Again the audio in the fighting is as closely matched as the collision detection giving it a truly authentic feel.

Overall, Bleach: Blade of Fate is the kind of game that runs at you screaming a battle cry and then manages to get behind you and smack you in the back of the head with a combo attack you didn’t dream to be possible - but in a good way. The Bleach: Blade of Fate experience is extremely satisfying and is well worth the asking price. In fact I would go so far as to say that you actually get a whole lot more than you bargain for. So here are the conditions for getting yourself a copy of this game.

• If 2D fighters are your thing and never thought the DS could meet your expectations with this genre, get this game.
• If 2D fighters are not your thing, but you are willing to try something different, get this game.
• If you are a fan of all things Bleach and want to expand your fan status beyond the Weekly-Bleech-Scout-Hall-Cosplay-Meetings, get this game.
• If you suffer the symptoms of predicable gaming and need a cure – then a healthy dose of Bleach: Blade of Fate is definitely your remedy.