Editor’s Note: This initial review ongoing is based solely on the PlayStation 5 version of the PC version. There is a release issue.
Bleach is the flashiest member of the Schoen anime Big 3, shoulder-to-shouldering mega-popular series like One Piece and Naruto, but has long suffered from middle-aged syndrome when it comes to adapting arena fighter jets. Spirit rebirth aims to break the cycle of Run of the Mill Anime Fighter The series has previously participated and offers a unique action game that seeks to raise the genre to a higher height. There’s still a lot of play left before the final review, but I’ve only spent 10 hours since I received the review code just before the Ultimate Edition was released yesterday, but it’s clear that developer Tamsoft has a deep respect for the anime. All the details of that vivid character model are meticulously crafted, with the battle feeling like it’s lifted straight from the show, with depth to begging to explore. However, the story mode I have spent most of my time playing it like a laughing attempt in a visual novel that has come together as an afterthought for the last two seconds.
Bleach Rebirth of Souls begins with a tutorial to advance your best feet: combat. It’s easy to overload with confusing anime jargon as it explains how health bars, counters and super moves work, but this is an easy way to get things done. Unlike other arena fighters, where combat is often shallow, you will need to find a single combo or spam super move to win a match, but Bleach’s combat feels like a game of challenging tags.
Teleporting around the screen, ambushing enemies from behind and destroying guards, each sword’s swing feels sharp and heavy. Seeing the big blocks wrapping around a large character in a frozen frame with every successful counter and super move will never get old. Whether you play Spirit Regeneration with a standard mode button layout or streamline things by discarding flashy autocombos, it has complex and unique mechanics unique to each character that guarantees further exploration. It could be Uriu’s long-range bow attack or Yoruichi’s face brawl style. That kind of diversity is important as I both decide on the main and try to understand how to defeat different characters.
As a huge fan of the stunning artistry of anime and manga, character development, and shocking plot twists, I was hoping that Spirit Rebirth could offer a valuable story mode. Sadly, I was disappointed with the big time. Overall, anime fighter cutscenes should act as a sparkling reward at the end of the battle, and should be intended to bring battle momentum to a thrilling climax. Naruto and Dragon Ball Z game cutscenes in story mode can be very well animated, which can be useful in exchange for watching the actual show. That’s not the case with bleach. If anything, they almost bring things to a screeching and embarrassing stop.
Its combat appearance may have a lot of gentle love and care to it, but the narrative moments between its actions work like a cheap visual novel instead. Outside of some pre-rendered cutscenes, what the anime’s SparkNotes version This Story Mode is trying to convey is a rushed, cut-off mess. Instead of being greeted by a bold scene where my favourite characters collide, I met some Mashinima-like animations where in-game models prevent energy waves from each other and fall hard onto the ground. Even emotionally whimsical scenes lose all the tension as the character moves around like a clumsy action figure with limited points in a bright, low-poli arena. Furthermore, exciting moments like the collision of swords and the struggle of beams make these scenes constantly cut to black with bright slashes on the screen, appearing like a creative choice for dramatic effects, and animated placeholders that weren’t added in time.
If this is a real attempt similar to a visual novel, it definitely missed the mark, as it feels like an unfinished first draft. And with the review code approaching release, it’s hard to see this as a deliberate hope that fans will agree on the franchise’s goodwill alone. This is a shame as both the English and Japanese voice cast work in vocal performances and the character models are faithful recreation that actually looks good. It was as if Bandai Namco had taken the pointer Invincible Season 2 Joke As for how animators cut corners to make more scenes, Spirit Rebirth puts all focus on the battle, and every moment outside it looks like a fan-made animator by recreating the anime as a result.
But the story mode hasn’t yet surprised me with the 10 hours I’ve spent so far, but I might play more before it settles into the final verdict. As it is now, bleach regeneration is beyond courageous anime arena fighters, with the regeneration of Souls’ combat, with a dense combat system and a massive amount of love to make each character feel unique. It makes even more disappointing that its vibrant character models, vibrant sword slashes, and stylish typography accompanying each super’s movements are completely at odds with the unevenly crafted cutscene animation. Instead of making you want to play the anime’s vast story yourself, it simply encouraged you to revisit the source material so that the emotional climax actually lands. But despite not offering that lofty promise, I’d like to see if versus mode picks up slack as I work towards the final review.
