Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st]

 PlayStation 4
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
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  1. 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 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.
  2. 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, 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 theUnder 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.    … Expand
  3. novahyou
    May 28, 2018
    9
    UNIEL[st] is mainly an update that adds four new characters to the previous game plus a new story mode & rebalancing of the cast. It's made by the same company who did the Melty Blood fighting games and it clearly shows: beautiful animation, solid mechanics and a really nice balance between accesibility & complexity: if you want to just have fun and play casually, most characters are easyUNIEL[st] is mainly an update that adds four new characters to the previous game plus a new story mode & rebalancing of the cast. It's made by the same company who did the Melty Blood fighting games and it clearly shows: beautiful animation, solid mechanics and a really nice balance between accesibility & complexity: if you want to just have fun and play casually, most characters are easy to pick up and perform nice, flashy combos...but if you want to really dedicate time in training mode and achieve all kinds of insane mix-ups, you will discover how deep & rewarding this game can be. While the characters are distinct-looking and original, you will have no problem finding an archetype that suits your playstyle. In summary, a very old-school fighting game with enough visual flair & personality to appeal to every fighting game enthusiast.… Expand
  4. ItcRandomperson
    Oct 3, 2018
    9
    Under Night In-Birth Exe Late[st], or UNIst for short, is the latest entry in French Bread's Under Night In-Birth series of fighting games. The game itself is essentially an "Extend" version, to compare it to Blazblue, to Exe Late. In addition to balance changes, UNIst adds 4 new characters (Phonon, Mika, Wagner, and Enkidu), one of the most in-depth tutorials I have seen in any gameUnder Night In-Birth Exe Late[st], or UNIst for short, is the latest entry in French Bread's Under Night In-Birth series of fighting games. The game itself is essentially an "Extend" version, to compare it to Blazblue, to Exe Late. In addition to balance changes, UNIst adds 4 new characters (Phonon, Mika, Wagner, and Enkidu), one of the most in-depth tutorials I have seen in any game period, the obligatory combo challenge mode, and a visual novel styled Chronicle Mode that details the characters' backstories and does some much needed world building. This is sadly weakened by a translation with a fair number of errors, like lines being repeated and a couple typos here and there. That being said, most people are here for the fighting, and luckily, the fighting is really solid.

    It manages to seamlessly blend traditional fighters like Street Fighter or KoF's emphasis on neutral and spacing with the flashiness and style anime fighters are known for. Under Night's most notable system is the GRD meter, sandwiched right between both players' super meters. It functions as a sort of "tug of war" that leans more in favor of a given player when they get a hit in, shield attacks, or move forward. Winning a GRD cycle gives a player a small damage buff that can be given up to do something similar to a Guilty Gear Roman Cancel while also giving a bit of meter. This tool manages to be useful in offense, defense, and neutral, with several matchups having players wanting to win the GRD war entirely to deny this mechanic to their opponents. The balancing is really good too, to the point where the only consistency in people's tier lists are Seth is at the top and Enkidu is at the bottom. Even then, there was an Enkidu in top 3 at the EVO side tourney for this game, so it isn't like Enkidu is unusable low tier garbage.    … Expand
  5. Siome
    Jun 20, 2020
    9
    Great game, good mechanics, cool characters. This game is addictive and awesome. One of the best fighting games.
  6. thegreatreviw
    Jul 30, 2020
    10
    The best 2D fighting game you will ever play. Beautiful 2D sprites, simple but complex and deep fighting mechanics. Incredible tutorial that will literally teach you from absolute beginner to advanced fighting game pro. The game is full of content and totally underappreciated and overlooked - buy it, play it, love it.
  7. ElCaptain
    Jul 20, 2020
    6
    It's no guilty gear or blazblue and the art style is odd but it is still a good game
  8. TreasureOrTrash
    Sep 8, 2023
    10
    Treasure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awards & Rankings

83
#83 Best PS4 Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. 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.
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  2. GameOver.gr
    Mar 17, 2018
    85
    A great choice for those who seek a 2D "anime" fighting game. Under Night in-Birth Exe contains both great content and excellent combat system.
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  3. 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.
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