July 8th, 2009

The 2D BlazBlue Calamity Trigger

If you are unfamiliar with the 2D fighting game, the experience you can get in this kind of game faces the same old dilemma: who is who? Arc System Works has recently released BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger in an attempt to reprogram the 2D fighting game logic.

The game bears a nice animation with an attention granted for detail, and small characters that look weird, such as cat-person, a big bruiser resembling the exagerated figure of Hellboy, and a creature that looks like a blob and moves according to a list of fascinating math and logic. The characters do not act according to the familiar motion controller or charge techniques, the player doesn’t face the range of different standing positions, or jumping, is just a standard life where BlazBlue has guard meters, features that punish players who strive to defend too hard.

The thing is that each character behaves totally different form every other enabled by the attack button that produces a unique move, this fact determined the developers to present the game with a DVD of certain editions of the game, to provide some tutorial. The tactics that almost every other game fighter have (in Street Fighter III or in Capcom vs, SNK2) are rendered here in an all compassing learning curve, which seems a little bit refreshing, though not comprehensible to everyone.

IGN sees the game as a detailed and polished 2D with character designs very well created with a very appealing fighting mechanic. 1UP considers BlazBlue one of the best games that Arc System Works has in its catalogue, with its fighting mechanics that worth replicating by other fighter games. They added that Arc System Works deserves to be paid attention to and at the same time to praise their work. Gametrailers boasts the flow of the game seeing it very colorful and fast-paced. They also notice the fresh tone brought by the fighting tactics that have the mark of a creative drive system.

There are though some disagreements regarding the game’s art style in that the BlazBlue 2D game presents an extreme aesthetic, since 2D art is not so familiar to the gamers of our days. Another disagreement regards the overcrowded things per frame of the game, in this way the player needing to pay attention to the main action trying at the same time not to mind the marionettes, Boobie Lady etc. These distractions are the BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger’s flaws, considering that there are some areas where Arc System Works could have leave a little bit aside of that style and use it in other scenes that allowed the same maneuvering to be displayed.

However, for those who are into fighting games, the 2D BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger worths giving it a try, letting you think in different ways, and this can be constructive for everyone involved.