Typically, when you think of crossover fighting games, you think of some of the biggest games the genre has seen. From Marvel vs. Capcom to Street Fighter X Tekken and even Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, (okay, maybe not that last one,) pitting characters from different universes is always a huge selling point for fans of multiple franchises. Someone at Examu, the developers behind the Arcana Heart series of fighters, must have felt the same way, and are now teaming with the visual novel developer, Nitroplus, to create a fighting game spanning their multiple universes. The only problem is… I honestly have no idea who these characters are! Still, all that matters is whether or not it plays well, and so far, Nitroplus Blasterz is shaping up to be another great fighting game in Examu’s growing catalog.
Boasting an easy to pick up and play combo system, each character that I played with in Nitroplus Blasterz had their own unique gimmicks to help them stand out. Some use guns, many use swords, and one even grew flesh and destroyed everyone in her path Tetsuo style, each of which draw their move set from their source material. Some may be more recognizable than others to Western audiences, but characters like Saber from the popular Fate/Zero are sure to help bridge the gap between those who are new to these series’. With the promise of more characters that have a bigger presence in the West, including the popular Super Sonico, (who was regulated to a support character role in the arcade version,) we’ll look forward to seeing how the roster increases as we get closer to release.
Naturally, their individual traits mean nothing if the game itself isn’t fun to play. Thankfully, this isn’t the case with Nitroplus. Using the face buttons to link together attacks is easy to do, so if you know how to push buttons in succession, you’ll like like a pro in little time. That’s not to imply that the game is too easy, because your standard mechanics like special moves, air dashing, guard breaks, and other intermediate to advanced techniques are all here, topped off by some gorgeous looking over the top super moves. At its most chaotic, summoning combo extending support characters allows up to six characters on screen at once! Fights can get crowded and hectic, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Basically featuring everything you’d expect from a 2D anime style fighter, Nitroplus Blasterz is looking like a game to watch for fighting game aficionados. Releasing on both PS4 and PS3 this fall and featuring online cross play support between the two versions, there’s no reason not to log on and throw down with friends as your favorite heroines.