Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st]

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
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  1. Video Chums
    Feb 7, 2018
    73
    When it comes to accessible 2D fighting, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] is a worthwhile game that's sure to provide hours of enjoyable combat. Just don't expect any big surprises if you already played the original game.
  2. New Game Network
    Feb 8, 2018
    71
    Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] should satisfy fans of the fighting genre, if they are willing to look past its flaws and spend time perfecting the art of combat for the game's sometimes shaky online mode. As a single player experience, it is well-suited for a couple of friends to pass the time thanks to being fun and accessible.
  3. GameCritics
    May 29, 2018
    70
    Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late[st], despite having a preposterous title, is simple to pick up, but deep enough to deserve dozens of hours of study. While dated, the art design is top-notch, and a few of the stories which I was primed to scoff at proved surprisingly interesting. I may never have the reflexes to excel at something like Under Night, but I can appreciate developers doing excellent work.
  5. Gameblog.fr
    Mar 5, 2018
    70
    This "Late[st]" version of Under Night In-Birth EXE adds some stuff to a very cool and technical fighting game that every fan of the genre should try.
  6. GameGrin
    Feb 12, 2018
    70
    Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late (ST) is a deep and complex fighting game which gives players the tools to learn and master its systems and mechanics. The game however, is showing its age with ugly level design and boring menus. Whilst gameplay should come first, there are other fighters out there that are more of a complete package.
  7. COGconnected
    Feb 7, 2018
    70
    There’s no way this will ever be a mainstream fighting game, but it’s still a blast to play.
  8. Push Square
    Feb 7, 2018
    70
    With Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late, we've got another deep Japanese fighting experience on the PS4. It doesn’t have the looks to go toe-to-toe with some of the shinier games out there, but as Han Solo said, "she might not look like much, but she’s got it where is counts". If you can get past the mad title, this is a portal through which to jump in to the virtually endless realm of combat experimentation.
  9. PlayStation Country
    Jan 18, 2018
    70
    Under Night In-Birth:Exe Late[st] is a game showing its age but the complexity of its systems continue to shine. A diverse roster should hopefully be complimented by a burgeoning online community. As it is, there's plenty of single-player content, even if the AI is a touch predictable. There's a likeable game at the heart of this with enjoyable combat. I just wish more was put into the presentation.
  10. SpazioGames
    Feb 11, 2018
    65
    Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late[st] proposes a solid and not prohibitive combat system. Thanks to the matchmaking, and stability problems that we found during online matches and also to the not so high quality of all the game modes, we can say that Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late[st] is a step below the other Arc System works’ productions.
  11. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Feb 7, 2018
    65
    Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late[st] is an excellent fighting game, but if you’ve already played through Exe: Late on the PS3, there’s not much here to entice you to upgrade. The new Chronicles Mode is ultimately a disappointing slog. While there are two new characters to learn and master, with the current fighting game climate, there’s likely not many people you’ll be able to try them out against. It’s a shame, because Exe: Late[st] is a fine fighting game in its own right, but will inevitably be lost in the shuffle.

Awards & Rankings

83
#83 Best PS4 Game of 2018

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 40 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 40
  3. Negative: 6 out of 40
  1. ShadowPeter
    Feb 9, 2018
    9
    Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] is a 2D fighting game developed by French Bread, author of Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax and Melty Blood,Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] is a 2D fighting game developed by French Bread, author of Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax and Melty Blood, in partnership with Arc System Works, a studio that has a huge experience in fighting games such as the original Guilty Gear series and BlazBlue, as well as Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and most recently Dragon Ball FighterZ. This game is a update of the game Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late.

    As it is an updated version, the differences from the previous version are the existence of four new characters - Enkido, Mika, Phonon and Wagner - and the existence of a story mode that the previous didn't have. Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late [st] features Arcade, Versus, Score Attack, Time Attack, Survival, Training, Tutorial, Network, Mission and Chronicles game modes, the latter being the story mode of the game. Each character has its own chronicle and is explained through dialogues in the style of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. However, this Under Night suffers from the same defect as Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, namely the exaggeratedly long dialogues. As we complete all the chapters of a character, we unlock other characters' chronicles and so on.

    The graphical style is very similar to the Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, in other words, it does not use the same 2.5D technique of Guilty Gear Revelator and Dragon Ball FighterZ, but they are still very good. The sprites are of great quality, the movements and animations of the characters were treated to the smallest detail, and seeing an Infinite Worth EXS of any character is a real treat for our eyes.

    You already know what the main objective of fighting games is, to prevent our energy bar from reaching zero and to remove the entire life bar from our opponent. The game uses a four-button system, A-Light attacks, B-Medium attacks, C-Strong attacks, and D-Universal mechanic (x). The latter has the function of reloading GrD gauge (middle bar), among other things. But we can also perform hits like Grab (A + D), extra attack (B + C) or a very powerful blow, called Infinite Worth EXS (A + B + C + D), which can only be performed if the character has the EXS bar at 100% and the life bar at 30%. This EXS bar if it is 100% or higher, can also be used for a sort of "Awakening" (Veil off), which makes the attacks slightly more powerful. GrD gauge is good for a lot of things, for example, it can be used to fill the EXS bar. There is a huge variety of combos, and some of them are extremely complicated to play, which can to put away some novice players. The Combat (1 vs 1) is fluid and balanced, and even if we stay against the wall, if the user repeats the same blow twice, the third blow will no longer work. Yes, some characters execute projectiles, but fortunately there is a way to avoid those things.

    In total there are 20 characters, including the four new ones in this version, and they all have different moves and punches from each other and specific special attacks. For each bout won we get points, which can be used to acquire cards, icons, titles and illustrations and among many other things. As for the soundtrack, well... I got a tear in the corner of my eye that's so great it is. Overall, Arc System Works and French Bread did a very good job, and this title is recommended to all fans of Guilty Gear, BlazBlue and other Arc System Works jobs.    … Full Review »
  2. 00wolf
    Jun 29, 2019
    10
    One of best fighters I've played in the past 10 years. French Bread really knocked it out of the park with this one. The game has great systemOne of best fighters I've played in the past 10 years. French Bread really knocked it out of the park with this one. The game has great system mechanics, a well rounded and fun to play roster, amazing music and visual aesthetic, and one of the best tutorial systems ever created for fighting games. Definitely a worthy follow up to Melty Blood.… Full Review »
  3. TreasureOrTrash
    Sep 8, 2023
    10
    Treasure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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