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Bleach: Dark Souls is the latest Beat-‘Em-Up
title to arrive on the NintendoDS based upon the successful anime
series. With a handful of titles not having made their way to UK
shores previously,
 it
no doubt comes as a relief to fans that Treasure’s newest title has
made the jump intact, courtesy of SEGA. Featuring an exclusive
storyline, online play and a Single-Card Download option, the
bullet points suggest quite a package. But the Beat-‘Em-Up genre
has become unusually crowded of late, and so Bleach: Dark Souls
will have to feature more than just appealing taglines to gain
the attention of the increasingly large NintendoDS audience.
The game functions as a 2D one-on-one Beat-’Em-Up with
two planes on which to fight. A tap of the L Button will hop your
avatar back-and-forth between planes, and, though the fights are
generally longer, the traditional rules of the genre apply
there-on-out. All the Special Moves are incredibly easy to perform;
quite obviously developed with precision as a counterbalance to the
NintendoDS Lite’s patchy D-Pad responsiveness under the pressure of
typical Beat-‘Em-Up movement structure. However, to make the game
even more presentable to those new to Beat-‘Em-Ups, or indeed, those
put-off playing such games on the NintendoDS due to control issues
in the past, almost every move can be performed simply by touching a
button on the Touch Screen.
Super Attacks function in accordance with the EX Moves
from Street Fighter IV. Each attack landed will add to your
Spiritual Pressure Gauge, and once filled a Super Attack will be
available. Up to three Super Attacks can be stored and, just like
most other Special Moves, can be performed simply by tapping the
button on the Touch Screen. Storing all three filled Spiritual
Pressure Gauges will allow you to execute a third Super Attack which
dispenses with all three, but initiates a Cut-Scene which signifies
just how deadly the oncoming attack is.
The Spiritual Power Gauge sits at the bottom of the screen.
 Replenishing
over time, this Gauge limits the use of Flash Steps (elaborate
dodges) and RF Special Attacks. RF Special Attacks are simply
powered-up versions of regular Special Moves, but are noticeably
more powerful when the simplicity of performing them is considered.
Spirit Cards lined-up next to your move buttons on the Touch Screen
and have varying effects, such as limiting the damage of an
opponents attack to recovering Health. However, these too are
limited by a slowly replenishing Gauge. A player can construct their
own deck of Spirit Cards in the Main Menu from those unlocked to
take into battle in all gameplay modes. The choices a player makes
in constructing a deck can greatly alter the tactics of each fight,
and a bad combination can lead to feeling the pinch when attempting
to build for more powerful moves.
The Story Mode will make little sense to those not already invested
in the series, with seemingly quite random entrances by characters
never even mentioned previously at fairly regular intervals, but
none the less is a wholly enjoyable experience. A Tutorial talk’s
players through everything the game demands – everything; down to
the Health Gauges and jumping.
Though the Tutorial is very thorough, once entering a game the
challenge is quite significant – even for Beat-‘Em-Up fanatics, and
although purists may be disgusted by even the suggestion, the Auto
Mode that allows for defensive bonuses automatically is a very
welcome addition.
The Challenges in Story Mode are quite varied. Though many will
simply ask the player to win the fight, others that concentrate on
outmanoeuvring your opponent are a refreshing change of pace.
Characters, Spirit Cards and an assortment of other goodies are
swiftly unlocked by progressing through the Story Mode, and it’s
clearly here where most of the beginning hours with the game will be
spent.
The Arcade Mode is an option that will probably only become
first-choice once the Story Mode has been thoroughly completed, and
functions as would be expected: battling
through a series of challengers to become champion. The gameplay
mode offers both Single Battle and Tag Battle options, the latter of
which can become quite hectic. Thankfully, the on-screen furniture
has been designed fantastically to cater for four combatants,
providing all the relevant information without seeming cluttered or
becoming a hindrance to the player’s view.
The game looks fantastic; well animated sprites and the camera
swooping-in-and-out with the same dynamism as SNK’s own. The
colourful cast of characters is impressively balanced, though
extended play will inevitably find a few holes amongst such a large
roster, and the arenas are pleasantly varied, if a little too few.
The sound quality is top-notch for a NintendoDS title, with the
typically uneventful videogame Pop-Rock being sharp and surprisingly
involving.
Bleach: Dark Souls is a game developed for fans of the series
– of that there is no doubt. However, the gameplay can more readily
be compared to SNK titles than the lighter mechanics of Street
Fighter or Mortal Kombat, and should find a warm
reception amongst fans of the genre's deeper systems also.
Incredibly well devised to suit it’s host format Treasure have
certainly honed the art with this release. While Street Fighter
IV may well be sitting pretty at the top of the home console
Beat-‘Em-Up recommendations list, and the various SNK Playmore
releases dominate the PlayStation Portable scene, it’s Bleach:
Dark Souls that beats-away the competition on NintendoDS.
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