Summary
In case you missed it,Bleach is finally getting a new proper console game. Itwas revealed in early July, and it received its first look at gameplay earlier this week. That said, if you were disappointed that Rebirth of Souls was going to be another generic anime arena fighter, then think again.
Because while Rebirth of Souls will be stylistically similar to theMy Hero Academia gamesorJujutsu Kaisen release, it’ll take things in a different direction. That direction has fans pretty confused, and it’s easy to understand why. Whenever Rebirth of Souls does launch, it’ll ditch the traditional health bar for something a little, well, weird. Yet, it is perfectly in line with Tite Kubo’s manga.
Rebirth Of Souls' Health And Combat Is Quintessentially Bleach
The three-minute gameplay trailer, which shows Ichigo and Byakuya squaring off, goes over several different gameplay systems in play. To start, players must chip at their opponent’s Reishi gauge. The Reishi guage is a white bar underneath the available “Stocks” each player currently possesses. Chipping away at the gauage is done through basic attacks that are mapped to the face buttons.
Once that bar is depleted, then the opponent’s Konpaku is broken, which then decreases the number of available “Stocks” they have after a special attack. It shows nine for each character in the trailer, though it would be interesting if bigger, stronger foes like Kenpachi have more.
As the battle goes on, players accumulate spiritual power, which can then be used to execute signature moves pulled straight from the anime. In the gameplay trailer, Byakuya uses his Senbonzakura Senkei ability. It appears those moves in particular can take down even more Konpaku. And that’s where the real twist in gameplay begins.
That’s because, just like in the manga and anime, with his back against the wall, Ichigo can activate his Bankai and change the tide of battle. And just like in the anime, a signature song starts playing. Sadly, it’s not Number One.
In other words, despite being an arena fighter, the game allows players to live out their wildest Bleach dreams. You execute basic attacks, mix in a signature here and there, and when your back is truly against the wall, then the fun really begins, just like in the anime.
Fans Are Still Rightfully Confused
The three-minute trailer packs a lot of info in it, and, if you’re not an avid fan of Bleach, chances are a lot of it went over your head.As one user wrote on Twitter, “I need a written summary of the gameplay because I feel like I would understand it better.” A good way to understand things might be to watch the actual anime fight between Ichigo and Byakuya. In it, you’re able to see how some of the systems that exist in Rebirth of Souls were decided upon.
That said, longtime fans are appreciative of how lore accurate everything is. It’s a major surprise given the state of some previous anime arena fighters.One excited fan wrote on Reddit, “I’m excited, I knew people would immediately write off the idea of a fighter and subject it to being ‘just another arena fighter,’ but I like when they actually put a decent one together. Original mechanics that play off of the lore, roster filled with your favorites, and very crisp beautiful visuals/animations. The game looks far more promising than I was even hoping for.”
Indeed, the game does have a lot of promise. It seems like Bandai Namco took some of the criticisms that fans have had over its seemingly low-effort arena fighters and put them to bed. Now if we could only get a release date and Collector’s Edition info.
