BlazBlue: Central Fiction

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 108 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 79 out of 108
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 108
  3. Negative: 18 out of 108
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  1. guitarguy001
    Jan 29, 2017
    9
    Central Fiction is a satisfying conclusion to one of the best fighting game franchises of all time. Awesome stylistic gameplay, some of the best newcomers in the series to date, an absolutely fantastic soundtrack, great visuals and an engaging story, there is no reason for anyone to not pick up Central Fiction.

    The gameplay is fast, stylistic and awesome to play. There are a lot of    Central Fiction is a satisfying conclusion to one of the best fighting game franchises of all time. Awesome stylistic gameplay, some of the best newcomers in the series to date, an absolutely fantastic soundtrack, great visuals and an engaging story, there is no reason for anyone to not pick up Central Fiction.

    The gameplay is fast, stylistic and awesome to play. There are a lot of mechanics to this game with a few changes from the previous titles, but the very detailed and well done tutorial mode will help you through those changes and new additions.

    The newcomers are amazing with Nine, Naoto and especially Susano'o being the standouts. Susano'o in particular is amazing with him being one of the most savage fighters in the series and being the holder to possibly the best theme in all of Blazblue, MUST DIE. When it can top Endless Despair as an overall theme, you know it's a great tune.

    The story is engaging and detailed, however it definitely is hurt by the lack of a dub. The BlazBlue series has some of the best voice work for a fighting game and to see it's concluding title and story lack a dub is pretty off-putting and disappointing considering the overall talent used in it's dub.

    Despite the lack of a dub, Central Fiction is worth owning and adding to your overall library. The soundtrack, the gameplay, the story, the characters and the visuals are very well done that you can spend hours playing this game learning all the character archetypes, learning the story and listening to it's amazing soundtracks. If you are a BlazBlue fan, this is a 10/10 game.    … Expand
  2. Billybobboyz
    Nov 4, 2016
    10
    Awesome game. The characters are in depth the soundtracks are awesome and the story is definitely interesting if you have followed the series for the past 7 years. The mechanics are unique unlike any other fighting game and the game is for I must say. I don't feel like a character is overpowered or being owervused. The input lag is not bad probably about 3-4 frames which is average. OnlineAwesome game. The characters are in depth the soundtracks are awesome and the story is definitely interesting if you have followed the series for the past 7 years. The mechanics are unique unlike any other fighting game and the game is for I must say. I don't feel like a character is overpowered or being owervused. The input lag is not bad probably about 3-4 frames which is average. Online has a legit lobby system where you can customize your avatiar. There are numerous colors for each character. I would have to say this is the fighting game of the year:… Expand
  3. BrouwsBlood
    Nov 13, 2016
    10
    Awesome game. Finally a conclusion on Ragna's Story. Maybe, for some people, no english voice is a letdown, but playing with japanese voice is the rigth way to play this series
  4. Ihsnet
    Dec 16, 2016
    9
    Cuando escucho “Arc System Works” serán los responsables de una nueva entrega de juegos de lucha, solo puedo emocionarme al imaginarme el divertido sistema y mecánicas que traerán con su entrega.

    Desde la primera vez que supe que Arc System desarrollaría una nueva IP después de Guilty Gear -juego el cual me encanto cuando lo pude disfrutar en DS, y Xbox- no podía esperar menos que    Cuando escucho “Arc System Works” serán los responsables de una nueva entrega de juegos de lucha, solo puedo emocionarme al imaginarme el divertido sistema y mecánicas que traerán con su entrega.

    Desde la primera vez que supe que Arc System desarrollaría una nueva IP después de Guilty Gear -juego el cual me encanto cuando lo pude disfrutar en DS, y Xbox- no podía esperar menos que peleas frenéticas y llamativas, personajes alocados acompañados con una grandiosa banda sonora de guitarra haciendo que cada pelea se sienta memorable.

    Así fue como dio inicio una de mis franquicias favoritas de todos los tiempos, BLAZBLUE Calamity Trigger tenia todo lo que podía pedir en un juego de lucha, un roster de personajes atractivos y llamativos -pocos en comparación a los que presento SFIV o MvC3 a su inicio- una banda sonora increíble y un modo historia que trataba de mostrarte el universo que se creo solo para ese juego.

    blazblue_centralfiction_artwork

    Central Fiction es la ultima entrega y el final de esta historia, en palabras del creador Toshimichi Mori, el quiso entregar todo de si en esta entrega para poder concentrarse en un juego diferente, de otro genero aunque sin dejar de apoyar el balance de esta entrega con parches.

    Tras haber finalizado casi en un 90% la historia, creo que el final no podrá abarcar todo lo que me hubiera gustado ver, siento algo de tristeza el saber que termino algo que comenzó hace casi 9 años, y a su vez, siento alegría al saber que tengo en mis manos el desenlace de uno de mis juegos favoritos de todos los tiempos.

    Aunque a muchos dicen que “un modo historia viene de más en un juego de lucha”, Blazblue es de los primeros que trata de crear una Novela Visual con su juego, al final, el modo historia viene rondando entre las 20 a 25 hrs, y que estoy seguro que no muchos seran capaces de terminar, a algunos se les hará cansado porque realmente, es como leer una novela ligera. Pero para todos ellos, existe el ya clásico y en algunas franquicias olvidado, modo ARCADE, el cual esta dividido en 3 actos en algunos personajes, dándonos una visión más completa de lo que ocurre y como concluye esta historia.

    centralfiction_character_select_screen

    Entrando en modo de juego, que es lo que realmente importa, cada personaje a sido balanceado, contando con un total de 35 personajes a elegir, uno de ellos desbloqueable y dos que forman parte del DLC -Si lo conseguiste la primer semana, podías conseguir a ES de forma gratuita- dando mucha variedad a los gustos de todos. Y desde usuarios hardcore hasta casuales pueden disfrutar del juego gracias a su modalidad STYLISH y TECHNICAL, donde uno te facilita la acción de combos espectaculares y en el otro, dependes completamente de tu habilidad para poder lograr el mayor daño posible.

    blazbluecentralfictionizanaminine_thumb blazblue-central-fiction-aug2016-screenshot7
    blazblue_central_fiction_2
    El modo online sigue funcionando de forma correcta, hasta la fecha, yo no he sufrido de lag durante el combate, solo una pequeña bajón de frames en la introducción del combate y es todo, me encanto que las partidas RANKED sean tan sencillas de encontrar -aunque cuando te topas con el que barrio el suelo con tu Noel no ten den ganas de ponerlo tan seguido- y que en los lobbys, a diferencia de Guilty Gear, sean mucho más limpios para encontrar jugadores u organizar tu propio combate con tus amigos.

    Y si no cuentas con suscripción PLUS, no tienes por que preocuparte, Central Fiction cuenta con alrededor de 7 modos de juego donde podrás poner a prueba toda tu habilidad, incluyendo un modo tutorial para aprender las bases asi como una serie de desafíos para que domines los mejores combos y cadenas de tu personaje favorito.

    También, cuenta con un basto modo galería y una tienda de objetos desbloqueables para el modo online o patrones de color para tus personajes, podrías vaciarte horas tratando de desbloquearlos y ver los maravillosos trabajos que componen el arte de Central Fiction.

    Algo que me gusto que quitaran, fueron las explicaciones de la sección de Miss Litchi, que en su mayoría era contenido repetido de otros juegos, en cambio, dieron una completa sección llamada Librería, donde hacen la explicación de cada personaje, arma, termino y ciudad del juego, siendo un mejor y más fácil compendio para conocer más de la historia, mundo y personajes.

    396219-bb2

    Algo que extraño, aunque no todos estarán de acuerdo, son las voces en ingles, realmente disfrutaba yo de escuchar a estos personajes con esa traducción, pero por decisiones directivas, se escogió sacar el juego un mes después que en Japón para ahorrarse el doblaje.    … Expand
  5. Siquall
    Dec 5, 2016
    10
    Easily the best Fighting game on the 8th gen.

    35 unique characters, lot of single player content, great netcode, a good story (the ending of all blazblue, so this blazblue is probably the last, don't miss it), Very beautiful 2d design, 60 fps.

    It's just perfect, i couldn't ask for more.
  6. Letiste-Gaming
    Nov 21, 2016
    8
    La falta de originalidad del título se ve eclipsada por lo refinado de sus controles y lo bien confeccionado que esta todo, desde variedad de personajes, presentación, contenido... Y mas importante que eso, hacia años que no nos divertíamos tanto con un título de este género.

    Su online tiene fallitos, pero fácilmente solucionables con algún parche que arregle su código net. Y si no    La falta de originalidad del título se ve eclipsada por lo refinado de sus controles y lo bien confeccionado que esta todo, desde variedad de personajes, presentación, contenido... Y mas importante que eso, hacia años que no nos divertíamos tanto con un título de este género.

    Su online tiene fallitos, pero fácilmente solucionables con algún parche que arregle su código net. Y si no conoces la saga con anterioridad, este no es el sitio para empezar, ya que si no disfrutas su historia te estarás perdiendo el 60% del título.

    Si eres fan de esta saga, dudo mucho que le vayas a poner muchas pegas a esta entrega, que posiblemente se convierta en una de tus favoritas dada la calidad que ofrece en todos y cada uno de sus apartados.    … Expand
  7. SupersayianElli
    Jan 10, 2019
    8
    Combos are fun to pull off and as a new player to Blazblue I'm having a lot of fun. Lobbies are still populated but you will be fighting people who are way better at the game than you are unless your a BlazBlue veteran.
  8. muhammaddarame
    Mar 23, 2017
    10
    Awesome game. The characters are in depth the soundtracks are awesome and the story is definitely interesting if you have followed the series for the past 7 years.
  9. the_ed_85
    Mar 27, 2018
    9
    Blazblue Central Fiction is a game that is overwhelmingly worth the cost of the game and all the DLC multiple times. I’ve been playing Blazblue since Calamity Trigger and I have to say that the when you put the four pieces together, you get a story that spans generations and truly inspires the imagination. Every playable character and even the NPCs in story mode each have a distinctBlazblue Central Fiction is a game that is overwhelmingly worth the cost of the game and all the DLC multiple times. I’ve been playing Blazblue since Calamity Trigger and I have to say that the when you put the four pieces together, you get a story that spans generations and truly inspires the imagination. Every playable character and even the NPCs in story mode each have a distinct personality that you can’t help but love. Ragna the Bloodedge with his constant cockiness and sarcasm; Jubei with his understanding and guidance; Bang Shishigami with his overzealous sense of justice; Carl Clover with wanting to protect his sister; the list goes on and on. The story and unique characters aren’t the only place where the game excels though.

    The graphics of the game are a very nice mix of 2D sprites with 3D moving backgrounds, the action both online and off is very smooth on PS3, PS4 and especially PS4 Pro. Each character’s moves are very well animated and are impressive enough to look awesome without being overly done. No two moves look or act the same. Even Lambda 11 and Nu 13 act differently. Lambda’s drive moves are very similar to Nu’s but Lambda’s are slower, have larger hurt boxes, travel a shorter distance and automatically send the second hit. Lambda is also better at close range than Nu. This makes it so that the two characters are similar, yet they have their own playstyle that makes them unique.

    The gameplay is where Blazblue excels the most. The characters are so unique that playing against different characters is almost like playing a different game all together. The characters have an excellent selection of moves that only add to the variety of playstyles that you come across. You can run into a Ragna player that is constantly in your face, and then have another player than uses his zoning more as a safety net for his rushdowns. The characters are very versatile and none of them are over-the-top to make them feel like they’re overpowered. The action is fast paced and changes in an instant. You could be overwhelming an opponent and they can do an alpha-counter and change the tide of the fight. I’ve had many cases where this exact thing has happened. Blazblue also stylish mode for people that are new to fighting games, just want to look awesome, or are very casual and don’t want to have to worry about memorizing long combo strings and complex movements. This makes it so that the game is appealing to fighting game veterans and new players alike. It also has a combo challenge mode where you can take your time and master your combos so that you can take them online and really show off.

    The story mode is told through a visual novel experience with fights at key points. This is where the character’s personalities really shine. Each character also has a gag-reel that adds comic relief to the otherwise serious tone of the Blazblue story. Honestly, the story mode is rather long for a fighting game, taking over 10 hours to go through without fights. It ends the story of Ragna the Bloodedge and ties the game more into the Xblaze games that told of events that happened before Blazblue. The story is highly satisfying and has an epic conclusion that shouldn’t be overlooked.

    The music in Blazblue has always been a strong point for the series. It takes the rock out and kick ass feel that Guilty Gear has and carries that over to a slightly faster paced, less confusing environment. Every song in Blazblue will invigorate you to keep the action going. The only downside to the audio is the lack of an English dub. Not having the voices and interactions from the previous three games is a bit of a letdown, but you can very quickly get over that with how exceptionally good this game really is.

    The online gameplay is usually very smooth, almost like being on the same system as the person you’re playing with. The opening interactions can be a little laggy while the game attempts to synch the two systems together, but once the punches start flying, the connections are amazing for the vast majority of the time. There’s also different modes for online. Of course, you have your ranked and casual matchmaking, but you can also go into your own private lobby that is completely customizable or you can also go into a public lobby that can hold 64 different opponents. This is great for in case you want to setup a tournament, but you don’t want to have to pay for a venue or something like that.

    Overall, Blazblue Central Fiction is a fighting game that really delivers on all fronts. It has great performance, very crisp graphics, amazing music, a ton of awesome characters that all stand out from each other, an intriguing story, LOTS of collectables, and so much more. If you haven’t played it, it really is a must have for your collection of kick ass games!    … Expand
  10. crowbarhero
    May 20, 2018
    8
    This is my first blazblue game, and I'm loving it! The characters are just so much fun to play, and there are plenty of them to choose from. Story mode is pretty interesting, but couldn't get my self to read all the dialogues and ended up skipping several parts. Online multiplayer mode is awesome btw, this game deserves a 8/10
  11. FinalAngel661
    Sep 9, 2018
    9
    Very great game comes with years worth of content I should know I did a 100% completion quest with it since i am a fan of the franchise arcade mode alone racked up 2 months worth of my time since every characters arcade route had 3 acts each lasting 30 minutes or longer depending on the difficulty mine was hell, the story was great and had the best cinematics of the games however it fallsVery great game comes with years worth of content I should know I did a 100% completion quest with it since i am a fan of the franchise arcade mode alone racked up 2 months worth of my time since every characters arcade route had 3 acts each lasting 30 minutes or longer depending on the difficulty mine was hell, the story was great and had the best cinematics of the games however it falls short since like Chronophantasma the story isn't organized well and when you think you are done you realize you missed a lot of sub episodes that answer questions that popped up during you're playthrough also when you have played the previous entries of the franchise its very apparent that some of the game was rushed or cut which is why I gave this game a 9/10 and not a 10/10, there is so much more to cover that the game has but I have already wrote a novel here but overall I highly recommend the game to any fighting game enthusiast and fan of Blazblue even though they would already have it XD… Expand
  12. MrCooki3
    Nov 1, 2016
    9
    --Gameplay--
    If you're a returning vet, many of the mechanics from the last few games will be immediately familiar to you. New mechanics have been introduced such as Active Flow which encourages the use of more aggressive strategies by rewarding the player with extra damage and the Exceed Accel system where you can press ABCD buttons in Overdrive to evoke a powerful attack. Blazblue is    --Gameplay--
    If you're a returning vet, many of the mechanics from the last few games will be immediately familiar to you. New mechanics have been introduced such as Active Flow which encourages the use of more aggressive strategies by rewarding the player with extra damage and the Exceed Accel system where you can press ABCD buttons in Overdrive to evoke a powerful attack. Blazblue is known for its advanced fighting system and is sure to give newcomers and blazblue vets alike a higher skill ceiling to master than most other 2D fighters out right now.

    Some balancing issues are present within the character roster. A certain new character is somewhat broken and wipes the floor with the rest of roster.

    There are new stages to choose from, all looking excellent with fully animated backdrops and ambient audio.

    Game Modes
    Arcade Mode is back and bigger than ever, giving players over 30 characters to choose from, most of which have 3 separate story acts to delve into. Each character has their own story leading up to the main Story Mode. This mode alone will offer around 20 hours of play time. Abyss Mode and Score Attack modes return without any significant changes. Speed Star Mode is a new mode where you must defeat as many opponents as you can on a set time limit. Certain actions such as executing Exceed Accels will allow you to extend the time.

    Network Mode has not changed, but still returns (obviously).

    --Graphics--
    The visuals have improved since CPEX. New stages look excellent. Old stages have been touched up. New portrait art for the entire Blazblue cast largely improved over the last instalments.

    --Sound--
    The sound is well made and has good production value. Every impact, jump, footstep etc. offers good aural feedback and makes the gameplay feel more weighty. Daisuke Ishiwatari returns introducing new blood-pumping metal tracks that the series is known for.

    As of writing this review, the english dubbed voices have not been included in this instalment nor was their addition announced by Arc System Works.

    --Story Mode--
    For many, the story mode is the meat of the blazblue experience. This being the grand finale of the series, you can expect the story to be much larger in volume (boasting ~40 hours of story). The presentation of the story mode is much improved, offering more CG art and better "animations". Introduction of several new characters adds more variety to the over-arching story. Some of these characters may be familiar to those who have dabbled in Blazblue's novels and the like. For those who are new to Blazblue, getting into it can be very daunting. With many alien terms being used throughout, you may want to go back and play the previous games. However, the story mode does offer an optional 30-minute long recap of all the main events that occurred right up to the start of Central Fiction. I would speak on the actual story and its writing, but I would like to avoid any potential spoilers for you folks reading this review.

    Pros:
    + New gameplay mechanics
    + New game modes.
    + 40 hour long story.
    + Expanded arcade mode.
    + Great new art.
    + Improved story mode presentation.

    +/- Complex story, recommend playing through previous games.

    Cons:
    -Network mode hasn't changed much.
    -Abyss/Score Attack haven't changed much.
    -No english dub
    -Certain roster balancing issues

    Overall, Central Fiction is a great new instalment to the series and is a large confection of everything the series has worked up to this point.

    8.5/10 - Highly recommended for any Blazblue or fighting game fan.    … Expand
  13. Izameme
    Jan 7, 2020
    10
    Absolutely amazing fighting game, stands at the apex of the genre, alongside GGXrd Rev2, KoF98 and SF3 3rd Strike.

    Fluid gameplay, a roster of 36 characters that all play differently (yes, even nu and lambda) and meaty depth all make this a must buy.

    ...ASW please add rollback netcode on your next game though.
  14. Phuz
    Jun 12, 2023
    10
    Been playing on Switch a good while and got my mate to buy it on PS5 at weekend. I couldn't tell any difference.

    This is cream of the crop. Don't mess with that stylish bollocks. Select Technical on character selection and good to go. Graphics, sound, fluidity, fun, variety. This game has it all. As someone else mentioned, this is up there with the best like SF 3rd Strike, Xrd2, KoF    Been playing on Switch a good while and got my mate to buy it on PS5 at weekend. I couldn't tell any difference.

    This is cream of the crop. Don't mess with that stylish bollocks. Select Technical on character selection and good to go.

    Graphics, sound, fluidity, fun, variety. This game has it all. As someone else mentioned, this is up there with the best like SF 3rd Strike, Xrd2, KoF 98, Garou MotW etc.

    It really wipes the floor with some big name fighters and not only is the music good, it is exceptionally well recorded and crystal clear, just like the graphics. It's not kiddy controls like Smash and Dragonball Fighters, it plays like Street Fighter and is easy up there with SF 2 and 3rd Strike but easily better than Street Fighters 4, 5 and 6. It also beats other games from the same stable such as Under Night Inbirth.

    Any fan of fighters should get this.    … Expand
  15. Siome
    Jul 23, 2020
    10
    Best fighting game ever. Large cast, all characters are unique. Mechanics are awesome, no input lag. Online is less than 3 frame lag which is really good. The story finally end in a dramatic way and this story is as good as AAA adventure games.
  16. 39BAKA
    Jul 7, 2022
    9
    Great fighting game. Complex fighting system and a diverse cast where you can find a character to mesh well with.
  17. Criticalknight
    Feb 22, 2023
    10
    Genuinely one of the best 2D Anime fighting games out there. The mechanics are deep enough to warrant a big tutorial (which it has) . The characters are generally balanced for the most part (apart from Nine the Phantom) which makes playing every character a delight. The characters also have unique interactions like Mortal Kombat 10/11 though not as deep. A damn good story to boot. But theGenuinely one of the best 2D Anime fighting games out there. The mechanics are deep enough to warrant a big tutorial (which it has) . The characters are generally balanced for the most part (apart from Nine the Phantom) which makes playing every character a delight. The characters also have unique interactions like Mortal Kombat 10/11 though not as deep. A damn good story to boot. But the best part which was fixed post launch was the rollback net-code. It's sad to see it as the conclusion.

    Thank you Arc System Works.    … Expand
  18. metissier
    Jun 22, 2023
    10
    One of the best fighters of all time and the Grim of Abyss mode, while not as good or balanced as previous entries, is still a treat. The story can be a little cringe tho.

Awards & Rankings

29
#29 Best PS4 Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. games(TM)
    Jan 27, 2017
    80
    Another iterative improvement. [Issue#182, p.81]
  2. GameGrin
    Dec 19, 2016
    85
    Where the story falls short, the gameplay rises up. The fighting is fun to pick up and play, but hard to master. There’s no shortage of combos and character specific special moves, making finding your character of choice and fun and personal experience. For those that are fans of the series, Central Fiction is an absolute must have. For fighting game fans that want a fighting game to keep them busy until Tekken 7 comes out, Central Fiction is definitely worth a try, just be prepared to do a lot of reading if you want to understand the lore.
    Read full review
  3. GameOver.gr
    Nov 25, 2016
    90
    With tons of content the best story mode ever created for a fighting game and its well known great fighting system, BlazBlue: Central Fight is the best 2D fighting surprise we’ve had this year.
    Read full review
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