Bleach: The Blade of Fate

The game isn’t a perfect 10 but its close. I definitely recommend that you pick up Bleach: The Blade of Fate as soon as you can. If you're a die-hard fan or you just want a good fighter, then look no further.

This game exceeded all expectations I had, not only for an anime game but for any handheld title. It's multitude of modes coupled with the great gameplay and ultra-immersive online modes really make this one stand out from the crowd!

This 2-D brawling game has classic fighting gameplay, visuals and sound that stay true to the show. The four-player bouts justify the price of admission, either online against others via Wi-Fi Connection or playing locally with friends.

It's been a long time coming but DS owners finally have a decent brawler to enjoy - Bleach: Blade of Fate offers peerless scrapping action.

This Bleach is powerful stuff. It cuts through the grime of other games in the genre, washing away the competition without a second thought.

Great job from Treasure, very well balanced and great fun once mastered. The best fighting game on DS, at least outside of Japan.

As far as handheld fighting games go, Bleach DS: Souten ni Kakeru Unmei is among the best. The fighting system is well designed with lots of special moves and defensive options. There is enough depth to the system where you can really see the difference between an expert player and someone who just purchased the game. [JPN Import]

At the end of the day Bleach should have been the best fighting game to ever grace a portable, but there's just one major sticking point keeping it away from that goal: the d-pad. [JPN Import]

It's got a good learning curve, a wide range of characters, proper story modes, audio seemingly pulled direct from the series, beautifully animated graphics and it mixes up battles in a few surprising new ways.

The Blade of Fate is not only the best Bleach game so far but it’s also the best fighting game to grace the Nintendo DS.

The DS has been around for three years and we finally have a fighting game worth playing!

Even if the word "bleach" makes you think more cleanser than cartoon, Blade of Fate will appeal to any fan of well-executed, feature-heavy fighters. [Dec 2007, p.81]

The visuals, bright and detailed and charming, faithfully represent the feudalistic atmosphere of Bleach. The gameplay is simple to learn, thanks to the helpful tutorial and challenge modes that depicts combo of every character. And, despite the easy learning curve, it contains enough substance for intelligent and adrenaline-fueled matches.

Bleach: The Blade of Fate is a great fighting game that will appeal to fans of the show and general fans of the fighting genre.

If you are a fan of fighting games, then you’ll definitely want to consider picking it up, as it’s one of the best fighting games on the DS.

Treasure went all-out in developing a DS fighter that plays, acts, and looks better than any of its competition, and it shows, as Bleach is hands-down the best fighter on the system.

The AI can be challenging, and towards the end it does border on cheap at times. However, everything feels pretty well balanced, and when it comes to portable fighters, Bleach definitely sits at the top of the heap.

Enter Bleach: The Blade of Fate. The game delivers great gameplay and superb graphics with plenty of single player game modes like arcade, versus, and challenge.

It's okay to be a little wary, but unlike the previous poorly conceived anime-based games you've played, this one's the real deal.

Bleach: The Blade of Fate is a game that could be stripped of its anime roots and still be a great fighter.

Given the fact that the gameplay still appeals lets us know we are dealing with a good quality product. So if you are looking for a nice fighting game with a beautifully worked out multiplayer, then Bleach: The Blade of Fate is definitely your game.

A highly capable albeit niche fighter which plays to the strengths of the DS hardware.

Bleach: The Blade of Fate may be two years old, but it still comes across as a great anime-based title and is far and away one of the best fighters on the Nintendo DS.

If you want a 2D fighting game for your DS, then it would be tough to think of a better example than this.

Aside from reading the cards (there are guides available online), importers shouldn't have too much trouble. The main menu is mostly spoken in English, so navigation is just a matter of listening closely, and the submenus aren't too difficult either. [JPN Import]

While being mostly traditional in substance and style, its use of stylus and internet play makes the old feel pretty new. [JPN Import; June 2006, p.30]

This is solid fighter slimmed down for you pocket. It doesn't hit it out of the park every time, but it is passable. The multiplayer is this games strongest suit, and with Wi-Fi it's better.

Once again, the developers at Treasure have done a hell of a job on nearly every aspect with this title. It's safe to say Bleach is the best fighting game on the DS but nothing like a console game.

Even if the branding were stripped from the title, this game would still be a solid and enjoyable fighting game. Bleach fans will enjoy the title more due to the nature of the storyline and the general presentation of the game.

When it comes to multiplayer options, Bleach kills 99 per cent of known beat ‘em up stars – even the excellent Jump Superstars – dead. [JPN Import; Apr 2006, p.94]