REVIEW

BlazBlue Central Fiction Review

by Rob Pritchard, December 30th, 2016

Originally published back in 2009, the BlazBlue series has proved to be exceedingly popular with both fighting game and anime fans alike because of its extensive special move system, as well as a captivating storyline with a vast range of characters. The latest entry in the franchise, BlazBlue Central Fiction is the first game to be released on the PlayStation 4, and it also concludes the current story arc which was started back in BlazBlue Calamity Trigger. While it is true that all good things come to an end, sometimes the final entry in a series can prove to be one of its greatest triumphs. This was certainly the case with Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series, which provided us with a more than satisfying conclusion with A Thief’s End.

After the events of BlazBlue Chronophantasma, Ragna the Bloodedge, who is also known as the Grim Reaper has lost all memories of who he is. This has proven to be of great advantage to the series main enemy Izanami, who according to a set of ancient prophecies can only be defeated at the hands of Ragna. Although Ragna remains the primary focus of Central Fiction, a vast multitude of older characters return for the final chapter of the current story, such as the butler werewolf Valkenhayn R. Hellsing and veteran ninja Bang Shishigami. There are many great moments in the thirteen-chapter story, but one of the best moments in the story happens early in the game, where a close ally of Ragna doesn’t realise that he has no memories, and is trying to force him to agree to enter into combat.

Unlike the previous games, the Story Mode consists of a linear list with short sub chapters, rather than several modes that have to be played individually. The whole story will last you around ten hours on average, which is highly respectable and consistent with previous entries. The only criticism I have to make is that you cannot play one of the few sub chapters in the game without returning to the main menu whilst in the main Story Mode. The ability to switch to the sub chapter after the current scene would have been highly appreciated, especially as each sub scene is relatively short, and returning to the user interface interrupts the flow of the narrative.

Outside of the Story Mode, you have a vast selection of different game modes to choose from in BlazBlue Central Fiction. Alongside the standard Arcade, VS and Score Attack modes that have become standard issue in fighting games, there is an online versus mode for playing against your friends and random opponents, and a Gallery Mode to view your unlocked contents. If you are a newcomer to the series, a highly extensive lore of the BlazBlue world is available from the start, so you can learn the intricacies of the game’s universe to your heart’s content.

One of the best parts of the game is the Grim of Abyss Mode, in which you battle against various opponents to level up your characters, and gain new skills in a similar style to the Golden Arena mode which was used in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. The Technical battle system which BlazBlue fans know and love is fully intact in Central Fiction, and for anyone who doesn’t want to memorise hundreds of button combinations, you can use the Stylish option to perform special moves with relative ease. Thankfully for anyone who wants to learn, there are three separate modes for learning how to fight, so even someone who has never played a fighting game before can become a master player by using these options.

From a graphical perspective, BlazBlue Central Fiction is the best-looking entry in the series to date, thanks in part to the additional power provided by the PS4. The character sprites and backgrounds to both the fights and visual novel cut scenes are highly detailed, and during the fights themselves, there appears to be no drops in the frame rate. In fact, there seems to be no slowdown in sight, aside from the occasional longer loading screen. The high entry soundtrack fits perfectly alongside these battles and during the storyline, especially the music that introduces each fight when it arrives. Some fans may be disappointed that there is a lack of an English dub track, as every other game in the series has had this included as a standard option alongside the original Japanese voice work.

Overall, BlazBlue Central Fiction is one of the strongest fighting games to be released this year. It provides enough depth for experts to show off their talents, whilst at the same time giving new players room to experiment. The lack of English dub is a slight disappointment, and the lack of substantial side content in the story mode leaves little reason to return, but aside from these minor issues, the last entry in the current iteration of the BlazBlue series ends things on a high note.

A competent fighting game that will definitely please BlazBlue fans, and has the accessibility to allow newcomers to become adept with it's mechanics.