BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Review

Fighting fit.

Version tested: PlayStation 3

Back when Guilty Gear X hit the PS2 in 2002, 2D fighting games like Capcom vs. SNK 2 were being overlooked in favour of flashy 3D numbers such as Dead or Alive 3 and Super Smash Bros. Melee. But those who did pick up this quirky curio discovered a fighter with personality in excess. Guilty Gear X had a rich anime presentation, heavy metal music, instant kill moves and a deranged doctor wielding a giant scalpel - all of which combined to set it apart from the output of Capcom and SNK.

However, like Guilty Gear before it, Guilty Gear X was far from perfect. Apart from being notoriously unbalanced many found it difficult to get their heads around the game, as it certainly wasn't short on technical mechanics like Dead Angel Attacks, Roman Cancels and Gatling Combos. Despite this many fighter fans loved the extreme pace and depth and as Arc System pilled on the upgrades and sequels, adding new characters and readdressing the balance, Guilty Gear turned into a respected fighting series with a hardcore following.

The more recent Battle Fantasia felt like Arc's attempt to break out of the Guilty Gear rut. It cut back on excessive tech in favour of accessibility. But despite being an excellent fighter it felt a tad soulless - almost as if it were trying too hard to play like a Street Fighter game. With BlazBlue, however, Arc System may have cracked it. Unlike Battle Fantasia, it doesn't remove what makes Guilty Gear excellent in the hope of attracting new players. Instead the formula is tailored to better accommodate the new generation along with the existing diehards.

BlazBlue is set in a world where humanity once faced annihilation from a creature called the "Black Beast" - presumably some sort of intergalactic panther. But when all hope seemed lost six heroes showed up wielding the ancient power of magic. By combining this new power with their own technology mankind was able to construct new weapons called "Armagus", and with the help of the six heroes, the beast was slain in what became known as the "First War of Magic".

'BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger' Screenshot 1

Daisuke Ishiwatari takes charge of the tunes in BlazBlue. His selections are more chilled out than those in Guilty Gear.

In the aftermath, civil war broke-out as different factions fought for control of the Armagus. The Novus Orbis Librarium eventually prevailed as the dominant power. BlazBlue kicks off with a lone man, known as Ragna the Bloodedge, destroying an entire branch of the Librarium singlehanded. Not wishing to lose face the Librarium react by placing the largest bounty ever recorded on Ragna's head. Many strong fighters go in search of this legendary criminal, each with their own personal agenda - be it wealth, glory, justice or power.

With 12 fighters to choose from BlazBlue's roster feels fresh, but at the same time highly reminiscent of Guilty Gear. Like Sol Badguy and Ky Kiske before them, the lead protagonists are Ragna and the Librarium's Jin Kisaragi. Also present are scary cat-girl Taokaka, child vampiress Rachel Alucard, Bang Shishigami - a highly vocal ninja who fights with a giant nail strapped to his back - and the impossibly large Iron Tager. Mai and Morrigan fans will also appreciate the gun toting Noel Vermillion and doctor Litchi Faye Ling. Arakune however is perhaps the most interesting inclusion. A clear homage to the No Face monster from Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, his visage is like a mask attached to a giant blob of Marmite. Players tend to either love or hate him.

'BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger' Screenshot 2

BlazBlue has one of the most comprehensive practice modes we’ve ever seen. You can’t argue with seven pages of options.

Graphically BlazBlue is quite the stunner. It forgoes the recent trend for 2.5D nonsense and instead opts for hand-drawn 2D sprites and 3D backgrounds. All the characters are highly detailed and noticeably larger than their Guilty Gear brethren. The animation during and between moves is top notch as fighters seamlessly combo from standard attacks into specials. But if we're being picky, this game doesn't quite reach the lofty animation heights set by Street Fighter III: Third Strike.

BlazBlue is a four-button fighter and shares a number of mechanics with Guilty Gear. Players get a choice of weak, medium, strong and drive attacks which in most cases can be chained from light to heavy. Every character also has a selection of specials moves, ranging from command throws to projectiles, which can be pulled off with the classic quarter and half-circle motions. It's also interesting to note that BlazBlue doesn't have a single charge character, with Taokaka's "Trick Edge" special being the only charge move in the game. So if you religiously play Guile or Balrog (Boxer), and your shotokan fundamentals suck, this could be a rare dealbreaker.

The game has its own whimsical jargon, so super moves are known as Distortion Drives and the super meter is titled the Heat Gauge. Heat is expended on Distortion Drives - most characters have a choice of two - but alternatively Heat can be used for Rapid Cancelling. For Guilty Gear vets this is essentially the same as Roman Cancelling, and for everyone else, this is a technique similar to Street Fighter IV's "Focus Attack Dash Cancelling" - whereby half the super meter can be used to cancel out of an attack animation, allowing for more technical combo possibilities.

But perhaps BlazBlue's biggest triumph is the new Drive system. In essence the Drive button does something completely different for each character. For Ragna, the Soul Eater Drive allows him to make attacks which absorb health. For nodachi enthusiast Hakumen, the Zanshin Drive acts as a parry, which if timed correctly will instantly throw the opponent for good damage. Jin's Frost Bite Drive meanwhile has the rather annoying ability to encase an adversary in ice. But thankfully we've yet to see him perform a spinal decapitation.

More tactical Drives include Tager's Voltic Battler, which uses the power of magnetism to make his throws less escapable, and Rachel's Slipheed, which affects the direction of the wind - keeping opponents at a distance and knocking projectiles off course. To succeed in BlazBlue it's important to adapt each character's unique Drive into your game plan. But the greatest accomplishment of the Drive system is that it offers a high level of diversity, often exceeding games which field far more characters.

Although BlazBlue is less frantic than Guilty Gear, it offers far greater scope for lengthy combos than Street Fighter IV. In order to give defensive players a chance to tackle rushdown maniacs, Arc System have furnished BlazBlue with a variety of Guilty Gear-style defences. Aside from blocking, players can activate a Barrier which gradually drains the Barrier gauge - the advantage being that chip damage is avoided and the opponent is pushed back. An Instant Block, similar to Just Defend in Mark of the Wolves, is also achieved by blocking when an attack connects and confers a slight frame advantage. Finally, a single use Barrier Burst can be used by pushing all four buttons in a crisis situation. This will save you from certain doom but you'll take 50 per cent extra damage thereafter.

'BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger' Screenshot 3

The Astral Heats are OTT instant kill moves which can only be used with full Heat in the final round against an opponent with low health.

That pretty much covers the arcade aspects of BlazBlue and in this respect, its reproduction on the PS3 is more or less perfect. But Arc System rises above the tradition of the lazy arcade port by including a wealth of valid extras. In addition to the arcade, versus and score attack modes, BlazBlue has a story mode which is similar in quality to that of Battle Fantasia. As the player battles each opponent their character's story unfolds through various cut-scenes, complete with passable English voice acting. Ragna comes across as an apathetic anti-hero whereas Bang fits the anime convention of overenthusiastic idiot. Bang also gets his own super-activated theme song, which was written by Hironobu Kageyama. Go figure.

Despite being only available in the US and Japan at present, European BlazBlue importers can enjoy very stable netcode courtesy of PlayStation Network. Lag is noticeable, as it is with all online fighters, but various behind-the-scenes trickery keeps its impact minimal. BlazBlue also includes a hefty number of matchmaking options so players can adjust everything from the number of rounds to allowing use of the Astral Heat finishing moves.

'BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger' Screenshot 4

In BlazBlue you can throw an opponent mid-combo. But with careful timing it’s possible to tech out and escape damage.

However, BlazBlue isn't the most balanced fighter for high level play. Certain matchups like Tager vs. V-13 can be somewhat one-sided as the game tends to favour the three best zoning (long-range) characters - notably V-13, Arakune and Rachel.

But despite some minor balancing issues, BlazBlue is an outstanding achievement by Arc System. Guilty Gear fans get a game which takes their way of fighting in a new and interesting direction, while casual players will discover a fighter which not only looks spectacular, but allows them to perform impressive combos without being overwhelmed.

I can think of only a few instances where a new fighting game has broken onto the genre as such a strong contender, but with the Drive system in place BlazBlue is a genuine challenger for any fight fan's time. As I write I'm about to get my first taste of The King of Fighter XII on the PS3, and I can't help but feel 2009 is perhaps the best year for fighting games yet.

9 / 10

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Comments (49) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • Mava #1 3 years ago

    Blazblue is awesome
  • ilmaestro #2 3 years ago

    Good to see Matt on the review, this really is a super fun game. Can't wait for the next version though.
  • Mava #3 3 years ago

    Still no uk/euro release date? I've had to import it for PS3 myself but it really is taking a long time.

    This review on the uk version or an imported one? Do you know if they have a euro publisher?
  • muscleblade #4 3 years ago

    Why review a game that cant be played in Europe. Its not even region free. And the new KOF isnt as good as it could and should have been.
  • spekkeh #5 3 years ago

    I also wonder if this is actually going to be released in Europe then?

    And whether to get this one or SFIV. BlazBlue from what I read seems to be a deeper fighter, but then SFIV has all the nostalgia attached to when I was ten and had to save money for months to shell out €100 to buy SFII for the SNES.
  • JohnnyWashnGo #6 3 years ago

    Its a great game and must be played with a stick to fully enjoy it. Either a Hori Real Arcade Pro or Madcatz SFIV:TE are fantastic options.

    I do find the game requires twitch like reactions to play style. If you are accustomed to SFIVs style of brawling then this game may be a bit of a shock.

    Also, dustloop forums are the place to be to learn how to place your main character/s properly.

    @spekkeh I would just get SFIV for now. I find it a better for brawling and thinking about your strategy. BB leans more toward learning large combos and waiting for a chance to unleash unholy fury when possible.
    Edited by 1 at 13/08/09 @ 08:42
  • Domovoi #7 3 years ago

    As fun as this probably is, I'll never be able to enjoy it simply because that art style always makes me physically ill when I see it.
  • muscleblade #8 3 years ago

    @spekkeh

    Buy SFIV. Blazblue isnt coming to Europe any time soon. Eurogamer should state that this is a import review at the top to avoid confusion.
    Edited by 1 at 13/08/09 @ 08:42
  • Kenshin001 #9 3 years ago

    "Its not even region free."

    Yes it is. I've seen people in the UK on my FL playing it. The Jp version has full English support.
  • fushimi #10 3 years ago

    I emailed the developer about a European release in July. Their response:

    お問い合わせの 502;レイブルー欧州 版(ヨーロッパ 256;)の件ですが、
    現在検討中とな 426;、発売予定はご ざいますが、日 178;等は未定と
    なっております 290;

    "We are currently considering the European release of BlazBlue
    and, while we do plan to release the game in that territory,
    a release date has yet to be set."

    EDIT: The Japanese isn't displaying properly, but you get the idea.
    Edited by 2 at 13/08/09 @ 09:05
  • Pirotic #11 3 years ago

    The PS3 version is region free, the XBOX360 version isn't.
  • muscleblade #12 3 years ago

    @Kenshin001

    Im talking about the 360 version of course.
  • muscleblade #13 3 years ago

    Its probably coming to Europe - but not in the near future.
  • Ranger101 #14 3 years ago

    Not fair, I want this. No Euro release yet, and the 360 version is stupidly locked.
  • mingster #15 3 years ago

    Good review. Very technical. I like it.
  • menage #16 3 years ago

    imported it and got it 2 days ago.

    It's greta but it does take a mindswitch after SF4. Prettty hard pulling of some moves.
    Edited by 1 at 13/08/09 @ 10:00
  • seasidebaz #17 3 years ago

    when I was ten and had to save money for months to shell out €100 to buy SFII for the SNES.

    Liar, the Euro didn't exist back then.

    :)
  • espibara #18 3 years ago

    BlazBlue is simply STUNNING those 3D stages all look awesome. For me its a better fighter than Streetfighter IV simplay an amazing game and has made me fall in love with beat em ups all over again.
  • muscleblade #19 3 years ago

    "an amazing game and has made me fall in love with beat em ups all over again. "

    Blazblue is not a beat em up game though.
  • Machetazo #20 3 years ago

    It's funny the author mentions KOF XII, because that's a game that, due to relevancy, I'm actually that bit more interested to read about.
  • XdarXideX #21 3 years ago

    I'm not too keen on importing BlazBlue so I'll wait to see if there's a Euro date for it. I tried Battle Fantasia and was dissapointed. So far only the Street Fighter series has done it for me.

    On the point of Street Fighter... it DOES have a lot of depth, unless you're one of these people who likes to stick with the same character every fight and spend 90% of your time on defense, throwing fireballs or charge attacks when you're not turtled up in the corner. Other characters that require precision timing and lightning quick reactions to achieve the same victory rate are much more satisfying to master.
  • it_is_ricky_dee #22 3 years ago

    Actually, just read in MCV that a new publisher called PQube is bringing BlazBlue over here in 2010.
  • Ranger101 #23 3 years ago

    2010?!

    By the time we get online, we're going to be the equivalent of training dummies.
  • Meho #24 3 years ago

    Great review from Matt as usual. A couple of things that didn't get mentioned and might be of interest:

    (that you can also read in my review here: <a href="http://tap-repeated ly.com/?p=3744)
    ">http://tap-repeated ly.com/?p=3744 )
    </a>

    * You can record every online match you have and watch it later. It's very useful for analysis as it allows you to slow it down as much as you want and study the proceedings frame by frame.

    * One of the game modes allows you to pull specials and distorsion moves using the right stick, rather than QCF and similar combinations. This is probably pissing the hardcore fighters off but is actually very useful to novices as it shifts the emphasis from fingerwork to tactics. Don't expect it to be allowed in ranking matches, tho...


    I found the netcode to be awesome. I experienced practically no lag at all playing online and the game plays really smoothly. Better than SFIV in my experience.

    The issue of balance is tricky, I agree. Some characters seem overpowered or unfair, although I have't yet experienced anything game-breaking. The fact is, the drive actions are so drastically different for each character that you have to study and practice before you can be confident that you understand how to fight.

    As for King of Fighters XII, read my review linked above. It's competent but ultimately disappointing.

    Edit: May I kindly inquire what it was in my post that made people mark it down?? Not that it's terribly important, but how did I manage to offend or at least irritate someone???
    Edited by 1 at 13/08/09 @ 14:21
  • Zoro #25 3 years ago

    Great game, great review.

    Just a little heads-up, I believe you have a typo on the second paragraph. "Dead Angel" should read "Dead Angle".
  • Retroid #26 3 years ago

    I simply do not understand Japanese devs / publishers region-locking their 360 games. I don't understand it at all.
  • stevetuck #27 3 years ago

    PLEASE COME OUT :((((((((

    by the time this is released in europe the online will be dead :/
  • JohnnyWashnGo #28 3 years ago

    @Retroid
    Its a Sony conspiracy to force people with both machines to import the PS3 version, thereby increasing the sales total for their machine and making them look good.

    I love the PS3 for its region freeness. I hate Nintendo for making me chip my Wii to make it region free :(
  • Chufty #29 3 years ago

    I didn't really understand the review (I guess you have to be a proper beat-em-up buff to appreciate what he is saying) but the number at the end looks good. Hope there's a demo at some point.
  • Matt_Edwards #30 3 years ago

    Thanks for the positive comments :)

    @Machetazo

    I'm doing the KoF XII review so it should be up at some point. I'd also love to review the imminent release of Melty Blood: Actress Again for the PS2 in Japan, but it's probably a bit too niche for Euro : \

    @ Ranger101

    Ha ha, yeah... it does take the piss just a little...

    @ Zoro

    Damn it, something always manages to slip through the net >_< Good spot though ;)
  • Rubarack #31 3 years ago

    Strange to see this review offers a more valuable insight into Guilty Gear than Blazblue.
  • Zoro #32 3 years ago

    I'd love to read that Actress Again review, actually. But yes, it's probably too obscure to justify an EG review.
  • Les #33 3 years ago

    I'm not really a fighting game fan but this looked great. Have attempted to get the limited edition for a reasonable price off eBay without success so far... ;)

    edit: And this review will surely not improve my chances...
    Edited by 1 at 13/08/09 @ 17:04
  • Hunam #34 3 years ago

    This is really becoming an instant buy game.
  • JohnnyWashnGo #35 3 years ago

    @Matt_Edwards
    I would love to just be able to purchase Melty Blood for the PS2 but its a bugger to find a site to order from.
    It does look very nice indeed though - shame it won't see the light of day outside of Japan.
  • aine #36 3 years ago

    @Ace Grace - Yes. They do that a lot, regardless of whether the title has been confirmed for European release (they did it with Namco x Capcom for example) so they can take pre-orders as early as possible and then just cancel them if it turns out the game isnt coming out here.
  • saku_luk #37 3 years ago

    Well the game is good yes, but the leveling system is broken, there is a lot of people at 30+ lvls that can only spam 1-2 hits with Jin and Ragna (new Ken and Ryu yay) that you can destroy, but on the other side you get a lvl 1-10 people that not everyone wants to play with on ranked since they give way less experience and those can be really awesome players.

    So instead of looking at someones level, better check their win/lose ratio, oh and expect lag switchers and rage quiters. Other than that I am enjoying playin BB :)

    oh and the netcode is hands down, against ppl in EU i have no lags at all and can pull off the most crazy combos, with US players it can sometimes lag, but not much.
  • Wildsleven #38 3 years ago

    its bound to be released in europe, the questuion is when! :(
  • cowell #39 3 years ago

    Due in Europe next year from a new publisher called Zen United which appears to be Arc Systems Europe.
  • aine #40 3 years ago

    seems true - there's a post from them here

    i wonder where PQube comes into it then.
  • FenderMaster #41 3 years ago

    been addicted to SF IV since february, but could use a change of pace, and this looks very interesting... the US got a fantastic special edition for no extra price, but you can bet your ass that if/when BB is released over here it'll be bare bones... and more expensive...
  • Miths #42 3 years ago

    I've been playing this for a week and my impression so far is that it's definitely not for (very) casual fighting game players like me.
    Well, maybe it is if you pick one of the three or four characters that seem to be universally hated online (the impression I'm getting from reading various forums, I've only dared actually venturing online a few times myself so far) for their few easily spamable moves - but others, like my current favourite character Taokaka, require insane combos to do any significant damage to their opponents.
    And maybe it's just me, but trying to learn combos like this

    5b -> 3c -> 5d~6 -> (j.c -> 5d~6) x3 -> j.a -> j.c -> 8d -> air dash j.c -> j.236bb -> j.236bbbb
    or this
    5b -> 6a x1 -> JC -> j.2d~b -> Taunt -> 214d -> j.2d~b -> 5c -> 2d~6 -> j.c -> 8d~6 -> j.236bb -> j.c -> 8d~6 -> j.c -> 8d~6 -> j.236bb -> j.236bbb

    - not to mention actually pulling them off, doesn't really scream "casual friendly".

    I'll keep playing for at least a while yet as there are so many things I love about this game, but at the moment I have a strong feeling that there's just no way in hell I can commit the consistent time required to become even remotely decent at this game.
  • RobotRocker #43 3 years ago

    Considering how big Anime is in France and Spain, I wouldnt be suprised if the extended delay is so they can translate and Dub the game too.
  • Meho #44 3 years ago

    @ EarlBassett

    Heh.. But I did pimp it only in passing and I did it with... panache... Still, you probably ARE right.
  • Obiwanshinobi #45 3 years ago

    I'd also love to review the imminent release of Melty Blood: Actress Again for the PS2 in Japan, but it's probably a bit too niche for Euro : \

    How about some kind of Melty Blood retrospective then? The PC version of Act Cadenza Ver. B is still available online. I believe that (reportedly) excellent homebrew online mode deserves more spotlight. From what I saw, the PS2 port of Act Cadenza is virtually identical (down to the pixellation), therefore all those funky mods make the PC version a winner.
    As for Melty Blood being niche... I disagree. It's one of the more accesible and enjoyable 2D fighting games I've ever encoutered. Not that I've really tried to penetrate, say, Guilty Gear, but found the latter quite overrefined. Melty Blood, on the other hand, can be enjoyed even by someone who's not very good at such games in general. Maybe Actress Again is different, though. Haven't played that one yet.
  • Kain201 #46 3 years ago

    Looks like we get BlazBlue early next year:

    kotaku

    We get also a little Bonus for the late release, rejoice eurogamers!
  • Mar27w #47 3 years ago

    no blazblue for the UK until next year by which time every japanese and american will be well versed with the game and kick our arses,great,but heh there giving us guiltygear overture in the meantime,are they taking the pish or what,they can stick it where the sun dont shine
    Edited by 1 at 15/08/09 @ 18:25
  • uzivatel #48 3 years ago

    Mar27w: dont hate, lets be glad they did find someone to publish it here (and with bonuses)
  • BlitzwingHaz #49 2 years ago

    I wish they'd stuck a demo of this on live, I didn't really like Guilty Gear X2 on PS2, and I'm not gonna buy this till I know if I'm gonna like it or not.