As a newcomer to the Bleach television seres, I am just beginning to appreciate Ichigo Kutosaki as a character. His trials and tribulations as a soul reaver, and how it was thrusted upon him, creates an engaging experience for the viewer. Bleach: Soul Resurreccion offers the same engaging character development as the television series.
The game itself is divided into chapters with its own character. Each chapter is a small segment of the story, and once completed, a new chapter and character is unlocked. There are 21 playable characters in all.
Gamers familiar with the Dynasty Warriors series will feel right at home with Bleach. Like Dynasty Warriors, Bleach has massive environments, countless enemies, and hidden power ups. A small compass map – like the one found in Dynasty Warriors – appears in the top-right corner of the screen.
Everything from your location to the exit is displayed in large icons, making it easy to stay on course. Waypoints that indicate a boss or story arc glow in red and enemies appear as small white dots clustered together.
The combat system is responsive and never falters. The action is based purely on combos and special attacks; it also helps to be on your guard at all times.
Combos can be assigned to the Square button by turning on the Input Assist feature in the options menu. Dodging is also very important; it can be achieved by pressing the R1 button and moving with the left analog stick. Your character will quickly dodge incoming attacks without delay.
Dashing is another important feature that every character has. When holding R2, your character will travel at a high velocity. Dashing will damage enemies and nearby objects, so it serves a dual purpose.
The combat system is solid, but it’s not without its flaws. Sometimes the auto targeting system – which is activated by pressing the L1 button – will lock on to creatures behind walls. While this glitch doesn’t happen often, it will rear its ugly head at the worst moments, forcing you to fiddle with the targeting system.
B:SR uses a leveling system that relies on Soul Points, which act like experience. Soul Points are earned by killing enemies, but they are not counted until the end of the stage. You can upgrade the character for each designated stage in-between episodes. The leveling system resembles a hexagonal map with individual squares. Each square represents a skill and costs a certain number of Soul Points. Regardless of the character, their strength, vitality, defense, and specials can be upgraded. This also makes replaying each stage easier.
The boss battles are the most rewarding aspect of the game. Each boss encounter includes a villain from the Television show and fans will be delighted by how they are represented. Ideally, the combat is fast-paced and requires precise timing and skill. The bosses will match your attacks and specials with little-to-no effort, so persistence is required to succeed.
Bleach: Soul Resurreccion retains the flavor of the Anime series. While the combat can be repetitive in places, the dark atmosphere and Bleach characters make the mundane task of killing thousands of creatures far more enjoyable. Where a lot of Dynasty Warriors clones fail, is from a lack of character development and choppy gameplay, but none of these issues exist in Bleach.
Fans of the Television series would be doing themselves an injustice by overlooking this title. Even if you’re not a fan of the series, Bleach: Soul Resurreccion is a solid contender in the hack ‘n slash genre. This is one game that should be added to your Playstation 3 library.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Playstation 3
Developer: JAPANStudio / Racjin
Publisher: NIS America
ESRB: T (Teen)
Price: $59.99
Release Date: August 2nd, 2011
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| The cell-shaded graphics do a good job of representing the Television show. | |
| Sound | |
| Hard-rock music and impressive voice acting enhances the experience. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Solid hack-n-slash gameplay. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Bleach: Soul Resurreccion is a solid addition to the hack 'n slash genre. | |
