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Bleach: The Blade of Fate is the latest game to be based on the popular Japanese manga comics to hit the US. Although the series has been around since 2001, it came to the US only in 2004, but nevertheless quickly found a following. As a result, we’re starting to see the various games that have been based on Bleach also find their way to the States. One of most interesting is Bleach: The Blade of Fate. The fighting game is being developed by 2D sprite gods Treasure for the Nintendo DS, and it’s one of the few 2D fighters for the system. We had the chance to try out a work-in-progress version of the US game, and we have much to report.

The game features a meaty selection of modes that include story, arcade, versus, training, and challenge. The story mode casts you as Ichigo Kurosaki, a high-school student with the ability to see ghosts. Ichigo winds up battling ghosts and other afterlife phenomena after accidentally absorbing the powers of Rukia, a “shinigami” sent to patrol his hometown. You’ll play through various scenarios based on his early adventures. Story sequences offer setups for the many fights you’ll engage in, and you’ll face off against a broad array of quirky fighters. Arcade mode lets you pick whichever character is available and fight through a series of enemies, whereas versus mode lets you take on a friend. Training mode lets you practice against a customizable artificial intelligence opponent. Finally, challenge mode features a series of character-specific battles with specific requirements for success. In addition to these play modes, the game also has a gallery where you can check out artwork, and an in-game shop to buy cards, character colors, 2D art, and audio.

Combat in the game is an engaging blend of traditional 2D fighting that lets you mix standard attacks, special moves, and super moves. The basic action is tricked out with the addition of a second plane to fight on and up to three enemies to face off against. The system also features a card system that lets you use cards during battle. Each card offers unique effects during combat that will enhance your abilities or cause a negative effect for your foes. The whole system works well on the DS and makes effective, low-key use of the touch screen. You’ll mainly use the D pad, face buttons, and shoulder buttons to attack, guard, jump, and switch planes. You can use the touch screen to activate one of the cards you’re holding and trigger any of the special and super moves. Overall, the system seems to work well, though the touch screen makes the moves dead easy to do. The plane shifting is cool and is one of the many elements in the game that reminds us, favorably, of Treasure’s awesome Sega Genesis classic Yu Yu Hakusho from back in the day.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, September 16th, 2007 at 12:57 pm and is filed under NINTENDO DS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.