This is the first BlazBlue game I have played so I can't speak to how it differs from the previous versions. I've been a fighter enthusiast as long as the genre has existed, but am a decidedly average player. The first time I put the game in, I chose a character and tried the arcade mode on normal and was pretty thoroughly destroyed. Then I decided it would be best to have patience and do the lengthy tutorials. The difference was night and day after that, as I went on to stomp arcade mode on normal including several perfect rounds.



In the 20+ years since Street Fighter 2 first put fighting games on the map, this may be the most intuitive, user friendly interface I've seen. The face buttons are designated A,B,C & D, and combos flow very naturally once you learn to start with one of those letters for an attack and progress alphabetically to string hits together (such as hitting A A B down-B C, etc.), plus of course mixing in special attacks where possible. It's the perfect case of "easy to learn, difficult to master", as there are multiple meters to fill which give you added offensive and defensive abilities when called upon, such as increased damage, powerful special attacks only available when you have enough meter, and the ability to break an opponent's combo and send them far across the screen so you can regroup. The balance is excellent in that meters take long enough to fill that people can't just spam these things in lieu of fighting well, it's there for aggression or to bail you out when close to defeat. There's even a spectacular finish called Astral Heat you can trigger for the win under certain conditions, with a wildly flashy and satisfying set of animations unique to each character. There are no projectile attacks, as the game is about positioning and when to strike or counter, not players spamming fireballs that cancel each other 50 times straight (no offense SF).



The characters are wild, including a cat person, a blob type creature, a bionic woman, and one that looks VERY feminine but is actually a man. There's great variety in fighting styles and moveset as well as appearance, making this a game that's very easy to get lost in. Each character has six different palette choices so you won't bore of looking at your favorite. And yes, some of the female characters are hyper-sexualized, but certainly nothing you'd have to shield a child's eyes from. I for one don't mind a librarian who looks like Bayonetta one bit.



Graphics and sound are of very high quality, with the visuals never suffering the slightest hiccup. No drops in framerate or slowdown, and best of all even long combos look like a human delivering strikes, not a crazy blur where you can't even see what's happening. Even the flashy, colorful special attacks never obstruct your view so you can still effectively time your blocks and counters.



It's no easy task making a fighting game that can appeal to tournament level players while still being fun for novices, but BlazBlue Chrono Phantasma delivers. The numerous, steady paced tutorials make even the most complex parts of the game feel approachable and ensure you know the game's ins and outs, even if you aren't skilled enough to excel at everything. I would recommend this game to anyone.