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Bleach: Soul Resurrección
Score: 70%
ESRB: Teen
Publisher: NIS America
Developer: SCEI
Media: Blu-ray/1
Players: 1
Genre: Action

Graphics & Sound:
A few weeks ago when I looked at Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3, all I really wanted was to rant about Bleach: Soul Resurrección. Both games share similar Dynasty Warriors gameplay, though while Gundam 3 seems reluctant to evolve, Bleach: Soul Resurrección is completely willing to build on the simple "Kill All the Bad Guys" formula. It isn't a complete success, but it is loads of fun, at least if you're a fan.

Bleach features, at least in my opinion, some of the neatest character designs in any anime. They're simple - usually some sort of animal/ human hybrid with a giant skull - but are definite attention-grabbers. The absolute strongest aspect of Bleach: Soul Resurrección is how well it manages to capture the look, feel and sound of the series.

Everything is spot-on to the point you could reasonably convince someone that a screenshot is from the show. Characters look and, more importantly, move like they do in the show. Environments are the only visual downside. There are usually a few cool set pieces scattered around each area, though most are flat, bland areas.

For the hardcore, Japanese voice tracks are available (with, or without, subtitles) as is a fully-voiced English dub.


Gameplay:
Admittedly, Bleach is not an easy to follow anime and even a short explanation would take longer than I care to write. For those not familiar, but interested in the gameplay style, Bleach: Soul Resurrección comes with a download coupon for 3 episodes (Eps. 190 - 192 for fans). They offer a good, yet not complete, idea of the game's background. It is, however, more than you'll get from the game. Other than a few character profiles, the campaign's plot is a bit scattered and hard to follow for all but the most dedicated of Bleach fans.

Of course, all you really need to know is Ichigo and his Soul Reaper buddies are battling Aizen and his army of evil spirits, called Arrancars. You won't face down as many enemies at any one time, though enemies put up more of a fight. Still, most of your time is spent charging through areas and pulling off attack combos. Where Bleach: Soul Resurrección really succeeds is in making battles feel like something out of the anime. After locking on to an enemy, the camera will make wide swings and other dramatic moves. It's cool when fighting small enemies, but absolutely awesome when facing down bigger bosses. Your character will launch into the air and unleash the sort of gravity-defying moves you expect from the show.

After Story Mode, you'll likely spend most of your time in Mission Mode, a series of stand alone episodes featuring each of the game's 19 characters. Once you complete a couple of missions, you'll unlock Soul Attack. The idea is similar, though each mission is tied to online Leaderboards.


Difficulty:
In Bleach: Soul Resurrección, enemies fight back during battles, though you're always the stronger force in any battle. Even if you aren't the best player, I recommend giving the game a try in "Hard" for your first play. Lower levels aren't nearly as challenging; there aren't as many on-screen enemies and you'll blast through them without much trouble. Bosses will give you a run for your money on any difficulty setting, though common enemies are usually just fodder for your blade and only get easier once you begin purchasing upgrades.

Mission Mode and Soul Attack are more challenging. Both place restrictions on battles, so even if you're fighting the same enemies as Story Mode, the added parameter makes a difference.


Game Mechanics:
Most combos are tied to repeatedly hitting the (Square) button and while you can certainly play through the entire game doing just that, Bleach: Soul Resurrección's system goes a little deeper. A lot of the system is based around timing and how you decide to toss in special attacks. If you stick to simple slash combos you defeat enemies, though you'll lose out on seeing the game's more spectacular attacks. Varying attacks is also the only way to keep your combo chain going, rewarding you with more Soul Points. It's a small incentive, but enough to encourage you to attempt to do something other than button-mashing.

The leveling system is really cool. During combat you earn Soul Points, which you can then spend on new abilities on a leveling grid. The setup is similar to Final Fantasy X's Sphere Grid. You can unlock new stats and abilities, but only after purchasing connected abilities. There's a noticeable balance issue between the leveling system and enemy difficulty. Even without the leveling system, you're already more powerful, so the upgrades aren't as meaningful.

This issue is indicative of bigger issues with the Dynasty Warriors style. The alternative is to make enemies incredibly powerful, forcing players to grind for Soul Points. Either way, the idea of simply beating up legions of enemies doesn't really work without a stronger mission structure or added strategic elements to back it up. For example, upgrades are incredibly important in Mission Mode since you're usually fighting with a strategic handicap. The same is true during Soul Attack, but then you're fighting for the top spot on the Leaderboard.

To its credit, Bleach: Soul Resurrección does more with the Dynasty Warriors concept than the last five Dynasty Warriors games. There are a lot of really good ideas scattered throughout the game. At the same time, it still can't escape the series' bland, repetitive gameplay. Bleach: Soul Resurrección is a great game for fans, but the lack of cohesive story and tiresome gameplay may be enough to deter outsiders.


-Starscream, GameVortex Communications
AKA Ricky Tucker

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