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Alternate Title:	Bleach DS
Console:	Nintendo DS
Region:
Year:	2007
RFG ID #:	U-087-S-03740-A
Part #:	NTR-ABLE-USA
UPC:	010086670103
Developer:	Treasure
Publisher:	Sega Of America
Rating:	(ESRB): Cartoon Violence , Mild Language
Genre:	Fighting
Sub-genre:	2d Fighter
Players:	1-4
Controller:	System Controls
Media Format:	DS Card

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• 36 of 7621 collectors (0.4%) have this game in their collection
• 4 of 7621 collectors (0%) have this game in their wishlist.
• 1 of 7621 collectors (0%) have this game for sale or trade.

Bleach: The Blade of Fate is one of the best fighting games available. Made by Treasure, the game is easy to pick up and play but once the surface value is peeled away players are left with one of the most unique and complex battle systems available. With insane combos, a plethora of characters and game modes, fantastic multiplayer and online play, Bleach: The Blade of Fate is by all means worthy of praise from any fan of fighting games.

Every now and then comes a fighting game that stands leagues above the rest for the system it is released on. For the Super Nintendo we had Street Fighter 2 Turbo, the PS2 we had Guilty Gear X2, and the Gamecube there was Super Smash Brothers Melee. Now, for the DS the definitive fighting game is Bleach: The Blade of Fate (Bleach DS for the rest of the review).

To put it simply, Bleach DS is the epitome of what a fantastic 2d fighting game should be; easy to pick up, fun to play, hard to master. Bleach DS is one of the most enjoyable fighting games one could imagine. With a plethora of characters, unique battle system, numerous game modes, fantastic online play, and one of the most versatile multiplayer experiences, Bleach is the game to beat when it comes to fighting games on the DS.

What is most important to a fighting game is how the combat functions and what sets it apart from other games. Bleach implements a unique system which maintains what appears to have basic game mechanics we have all seen before; thus the game is easy to pick up and play regardless of whether or not you are good at fighting games. Beyond the surface level however, there is a monster of complex mechanics which enable those who are able to master the system an obvious advantage over those whom can't.

The fighting system is rather simple. There are three buttons to attack; the weak attack, medium attack, and the strong attack. You press up to jump, R to guard, L to switch jump to the second plane of fighting (in a battle containing more than two people), and B to perform a quick dash which can be used to run around an opponent. Furthermore a regular dash can be performed by means of pressing right or left twice. As with most fighting games there are also special attacks which can be performed by inputing a button sequence as well as super attacks which can be performed by a button sequence as well. What is nice about these special and super attacks is that the button sequence is the same for every character and furthermore the super attack is always the same button sequence. This enables the player to easily play as any character they want.

Unlike many DS games, the implementation of the touch screen is neither tacky nor bothersome. Players utilize the touch screen to enable unique status effects a la spirit cards for either themselves or their opponents. These effects range from regaining health, restricting opponents attacks, adding elements to the swords, as well as dozens of others. Also, players are given the option of using the touch screen as a means of performing special and super attacks if they would rather not input the button sequence; essentially, this enables nearly every one to put up a decent fight and have a ton of fun.

As stated before what appears to be a simple fighting is more complex than meets the eye. Players are able to double jump and perform two dashes in midair as well as up to three quick dashes in midair. Essentially, players can perform a total of seven jumps in midair. This opens up a plethora of combo opportunities. Furthermore, while on the ground up to three quick dashes can be performed to constantly get behind an enemy. Guard cancels (essentially combo breakers) can be performed by means of using status changing ability in the middle of the opponents attack or pressing B and Y at the same time. All of these actions which have been listed can be implemented to perform complex combos unlike those seen in any other fighting game.

There are a total of 28 characters in the game, each unique with the exception of two which are simply a different character design. What is really fantastic is that their are essentially no tiers; no character is better than any other character except the four joke characters which are actually very fun to play as and hold up well in point matches. Though their are no tiers, each character has a unique fighting style and when mastered shines head and shoulders above players who have not yet gotten figured out all the combos and fighting methods of their character of choice. Some characters may be quick and require close range combat while others special in aerial combat and still others specialize in long range combat or special attacks. With such a vast difference in the characters the replay value of this game is higher than most.

Bleach DS has more game modes than any other fighting game that I have seen. These include a robust story mode which is literally pretty damn amazing and covers the entire soul society arc of the series. Furthermore, there is a standard arcade mode, versus mode which offers four player combat, death matches and point matches (essentially instead of defeating your opponents you get points for attacks and lose points every time you are attacked), survival mode, time attack mode, challenge mode in which players perform complex combos, gallery, and Urahara shop where you can buy different outfits, music and pictures for the gallery, and spirit cards. Furthermore there is the options menu in which you can change the game difficulty and various other things.

With so many game modes, outstanding battle system, vast difference in character fighting styles, an easy to pick up and play game and phenomenal multiplayer Bleach DS is highly recommended to fans of the fighting genre or simply fans of the anime. There is damn near nothing wrong with the game, the closest thing to a flaw people may find would be the ease of performing combos, occasional lag during online play, and the long load times for download play. Other than those minor flaws Bleach: The Blade of Fate is the fighting game to beat for the Nintendo DS.

Console	Reg.	Type	Title	Publisher	Year	Genre
Nintendo DS		S	Bleach DS: Souten ni Kakeru Unmei	Sega	2006	Fighting
Nintendo DS		S	Bleach: The Blade of Fate	Sega	2006	Fighting
Nintendo DS		S	Bleach: The Blade of Fate	Sega	2006	Fighting
Nintendo DS		S	Bleach: The Blade of Fate	Sega	2006	Fighting

• Bleach DS on Gamefaqs
• Bleach DS on Gamespot