Blazblue: Calamity Trigger Review

If you like your fighters completely nuts with some pretty nonsensical storylines, faced paced action, gorgeous graphics and smooth gameplay then this may well be the game you've been waiting for.

 BlazBlue is the newest offering from Arc System Works, a name some of you may recognise from their other, highly popular 2D fighting series Guilty Gear.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is set in the city of Kagutsuchi, a city watched over by The Libraruim, a body which governs the use of the magic technology hybrid Armagus. The city is on high alert as wanted criminal, Ragna the Bloodedge, enters. He is intent on destroying The Librarium for his own reasons. This is where the overall story comes to a halt and the individual characters' stories take over. I couldn't even begin to go into more depth about the story then I already have done, it's a very confusing and purplexing one which only gets explained further in a pretty random cartoon that unlocks itself in parts as you complete each character's story.

Once you have selected your character from the 11 strong line up its time to get into the action. This is delivered to you in a variety of different modes: there's the story mode which as already described takes you through each characters storyline and also online play which 6 of you can duke it out 2 at a time until only the winner is emerged. This is great for some immediate action when you don't fancy wandering through the story. There's also a practice mode which is very useful for getting a grip on a characters abilities and style.

To progress in the game, though, you need to get your teeth into the story mode. The campaign can be whipped through relatively easily, there's generally only five fights with a bit of story per character, although in an interesting twist, each character has a couple of different paths to go down dependant on what options you choose during the duration of the story. Some characters, for example, have two endings. In one instance one of the characters dies and the story ends with only a 49% completion, meaning there's another 51% for you to complete by taking a different route.

Lets move away from the background of this game and onto what you really here to read about, the action! If I had to summarise it in one word, I think 'Wow' would be it. Everything is so smooth and free flowing, amazingly designed characters dash around the gorgeous 3D backgrounds slicing and clawing their way to victory leaving a trail of lights and special effects behind them. This truly is a gorgeous game, everything is so well designed, the backdrops are unbelievably detailed and the character designs are beautiful.

Controls are simple to master: D-Pad or Stick to move about and buttons to punch, kick, hit with your weapons and pull off special moves. Combat is focused mostly on linking attacks together, using a healthy mix of jumps, dashes and, of course, the all-important combos will have your opponent recoiling and unable to fight back. Let up your assault even slightly, however, and they will be more than happy to return the favour against you.

Along with your usual array of combo attacks which are created by linking together certain attacks or just good old button bashing, you have other abilities such as Barrier Burst. This enables you, if deployed at the right time, to escape a particularly nasty special attack your opponent is sending your direction. "Great!" You would think, but it comes at a price. Afterwards, you have considerably lowered defence, so a badly timed block can very easily turn the tide of battle against you. Other features include normal blocking and a useful counter system that throws your opponent away from you, giving you a chance to regroup and launch your next attack. This adds a kind of strategic element to the gameplay, one wrong move and its all over but then again get it right and its a one way ticket to Victoryville for you!

Each character has their own unique fighting style, some are quick and nimble like part cat part human woman Taokaka - she bounds around the screen quick as anything whilst furiously slashing away but for every action there a equal and opposite reaction - unfortunately, her attacks aren't very powerful. On the flip side of things there's the strong and powerful characters such as Iron Tager (aka 'Red Devil') a big hulking beast of a man (I think it's a man!), whose attacks can seriously damage you if given a chance - although, of course, he is incredibly slow to move. Also on the character roster, there's some pretty unusual fighters: Rachel, for example; a vampire princess who is armed with a umbrella which can talk and a stuffed Devil toy, which can walk, talk and punch you in the face. It takes a little getting used to but it's very fun to pull off combos and attacks with a umbrella and a stuffed toy! Another one of the more unconventional fighters is Arakune. His constant search for power has consumed him and reduced him to what I can only describe as a 'floaty ghost like' presence. He is different in the sense that he can warp in and around the battles and seems to almost control time with some of his attacks. He can be very difficult to master but rewarding when you get it right.

No matter what character you choose, one thing is always constant, you are always having fun. The individual characters, solid gameplay and ease of it all makes it very easy to end up playing for quite long stints even when your only intending on a few fights. The game leaves you wanting more and more. When you've beaten the game's stories and unlocked the aforementioned random story telling cartoons - including cutesy animated cartoons with Miss Boobie Lady (yes, you did read that right) who teaches you about the game's story, there's a whole world of fun to be had on the online mode. As you progress, you gain stats online which are freely displayed to whoever comes to take you on, whilst it's nice to know what other's win/lose rates are it can be slightly intimidating when you are first starting out to see someone with a large win statistic. Some people may find the openness to be a good thing but it may put off those who are used to ability matching systems in games such as Street Fighter IV where you fight against somebody in your own ability bracket.
If you have had a particularly good fight you can save a video of the fight to keep and watch whenever you please in the gallery system in the main game, along with a compendium of the games cutscenes and character endings.

If fighting games are your cup of tea then BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is definitely one you should try, especially if you enjoyed the Guilty Gear series. The story may be a little more complex and harder to understand than other games of the same genre out there but even if you pay no attention to that whatsoever, you are still left with an absolute gem of a game. It's so quick and easy to play but offers a surprising amount of depth for those who like to pick a character and master it. Combine this with the amazing visuals and good soundtrack that runs alongside and you've got a game that will keep you entertained for a long time. My only concern is that it may go under the radar due to the recent release of Super Street Fighter IV, which would be a shame since any fan of the Beat-'em-Up genre will find just as much here to compete with Capcom's heavy-hitter.