BlazBlue: Chronophantasma Extend is the third installment in the Blazblue series by Arc System Works. A fighter and Japanese visual novel, they recently released the PC port for this action game on Steam. I went in knowing nothing about the BlazBlue story and not entirely sure what to expect.
Story
This fighting game offers several different modes of play, including story, which is exactly that. It could be best described as almost all story with a tiny fraction of fighting thrown in. Set after BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend, the story opens on Taokaka and Ragna the Bloodedge. Having never played the previous games, I quickly lost track of the story but the dialogue was actually quite interesting and funny. The characters’ personalities are also well established. Luckily, you don’t need to know the story to get to the best parts (in my opinion) of the game: the fighting!
Graphics
If you like anime style animation, this one is for you. The cut scenes are well animated, stylish, and engaging. There are tons of different character designs too, each with their own details. It’s a really visual heavy game but it makes for gorgeous fight locations and scenery.
Audio
I loved the soundtrack in BlazBlue: Chronophantasma Extend. It made the fights even more exciting and fit the quick action. On top of that, the sound effects and voice acting were on point. I particularly liked hearing Ragna the Bloodedge yell and half curse during battles because it’s exactly how I felt if I was losing! So that was a nice touch.
Gameplay
There are several different modes to chose from in BlazBlue:Chronophantasma Extend, solo or multiplayer, online or off. We already went over story mode, but under Battle you have Arcade, V.S., Abyss, Score Attack, and Unlimited Mars. Arcade is just like an arcade: “Enjoy the character’s individual stories while fighting your way through computer opponents.” V.S. is fighting versus a computer or perfect for when you have friends over. Abyss is fighting against waves of enemies while making your character stronger. Score Attack is competing to get the highest score and Unlimited Mars is similar but more difficult. You can also join the network to compare scores. I personally loved Abyss (and of course V.S.). I had a fun time trying to see how far I could get even though it’s been a while since I played fighting games like this one.
The controls are easy enough to learn; just like any other fighting game. I would recommend using an Xbox controller as I found the keyboard controls VERY difficult to get used to. There are a ton of fighters to choose from making it easy to pick the one that fits your style of play. They also have a trial mode for learning the basics as well as the different characters.
Verdict
Even though I had absolutely no idea what was going on story wise, I loved the fighting modes in BlazBlue: Chronophantasma Extend. If you’re looking forward to the story, I would recommend playing the earlier games or thoroughly researching the plot before jumping into those modes. Also make sure to check that your computer can handle it; I read quite a few people had trouble with the graphics.
So would I recommend it? Definitely. It’s really a perfect fighter. And if you love anime, that’s always a huge bonus.
*Reviewer finished and/or played the game to such an extent to give an informed opinion on the game and its content
