Bleach: Rebirth of Souls is an exciting addition to the Shonen fighting game genre, aiming to differentiate itself from earlier titles. While it retains classic 1v1 arena brawler mechanics familiar to fans of Bandai Namco’s anime fighters, this game emphasizes power-boosting strategies that allow players to swiftly overpower their opponents. This focus pays tribute to its manga origins and enhances the overall combat experience.
This unique approach results in gameplay that stands apart from other fighting games, leading both newcomers and seasoned players to require a solid introduction to its foundational principles. The in-game tutorials can sometimes be overwhelming, making a comprehensive overview of the mechanics essential.
Understanding the Core Mechanics of Bleach: Rebirth of Souls
The fundamental rule of “reduce enemy health to zero to win”remains intact but is applied with a twist. Each character possesses Konpaku, representing their stocks of lives. The objective here is to deplete the enemy’s health, referred to as Reishi in-game, resulting in the loss of their Konpaku. Securing victory depends on strategically depleting all enemy Konpaku.
Players can execute a variety of moves, including Quick Attacks (light attacks) and Flash Moves (heavy attacks), often creating complex combos. In addition to offensive moves, characters can defend and break opponent guards. Notably, there’s a rock-paper-scissors dynamic among these combat elements:
- Guards counter Attacks
- Breakers defeat Guards
- Attacks disrupt Breakers
It’s important to note that players cannot guard infinitely; the Guard Gauge decreases with each attack received while defending. Once it is depleted, players will experience a Guard Break, making it crucial to monitor this gauge closely. Mastering enemy reads and leveraging powerful Spiritual Pressure Moves becomes essential to successful gameplay.
Although players may find the challenge of gradually whittling down lives tedious, the game introduces mechanics that allow for stacking power to eliminate multiple Konpaku in one go. This is accomplished through Soul Breaks, which reduce enemy health to zero, or by executing a Kikon Move (a cinematic finisher) when the opponent’s health is critically low.
To elevate the action further, players can enter an Awakening state by filling their Fighting Spirit gauge and initiating the transformation when the Evolution indicator appears. Depending on the character, this leads to the activation of Shikai, Bankai, or Resurrección, significantly enhancing their attacks and enabling new Kikon Moves. This also results in the destruction of more Konpaku than usual.
The essence of combat in Bleach: Rebirth of Souls revolves around keeping opponents under pressure while aiming to obliterate their Konpaku before they can retaliate.
Platform Availability: Bleach: Rebirth of Souls is available on PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.