BlazBlue Entropy Effect may not be an official entry in the BlazBlue series, but it still manages to captivate players with its unique gameplay and intriguing storyline. Unlike its predecessor, this roguelike action game focuses more on the gameplay aspect, utilizing the beloved BlazBlue characters to provide an exhilarating experience. However, the game takes a different approach when it comes to narrative and worldbuilding, presenting players with an original adventure that can be equally as confusing as the main series. Regardless of its classification as a BlazBlue game, BlazBlue Entropy Effect is undeniably enjoyable and offers a thrilling gaming experience.
Narrative Meets Gameplay: The Unique Storytelling Approach of BlazBlue Entropy Effect
BlazBlue Entropy Effect takes place in a futuristic world where robots have taken control. The game's story delves into the past of humanity and reveals the events that led to its downfall, as well as the possibility of history repeating itself. The narrative combines elements of fantasy and science fiction, resulting in lengthy dialogues that provide detailed explanations of the game's lore.
Fortunately, players have the option to revisit important scenes to ensure they don't miss any crucial information. The story unfolds gradually as players collect various objects of interest during their roguelike gameplay. This cleverly strikes a balance between narrative and gameplay, but unfortunately, the disconnect between the adorable flying robot head protagonist and the BlazBlue characters hinders players from fully connecting with the dialog.
The roguelike nature of the game creates a constant sense of tension that makes it difficult to fully engage with the lines of dialogue and exposition. While the characters are discussing intriguing sci-fi-related topics, my focus remains on the action-packed gameplay and strategizing my next moves. The allure of improving in each subsequent run keeps me invested in the thrilling action, leaving little room for deep immersion in the story. Although there are other activities to partake in outside of the roguelike portion, such as interacting with the world and assisting other robots, it is challenging to match the exhilaration that the action-centric gameplay provides.
Mastering the Combat: Building and Defining Characters in BlazBlue Entropy Effect
In BlazBlue Entropy Effect, mastering the combat requires building and defining characters with unique abilities. Upon entering the simulator, players are presented with a list of 10 playable characters to choose from. It is important to choose wisely, as unlocking more characters will be a slow process. Each character possesses unique abilities known as “Potential,” which greatly impact their usage in fights. These abilities consist of stackable elemental properties and actions that define the character's playstyle. It is crucial for players to strategically define their approach to gameplay based on these abilities.
As this game is a roguelike, death is inevitable, but players need not worry as their character's core ability and level are retained for future runs. This allows players to fuse their character's abilities with up to two other characters, creating a tree of abilities that can enhance future runs and allow for the fine-tuning of character builds. As players progress, more options and skills can be retained, encouraging exploration of all characters to discover which best suits their playstyle.
Once you have chosen a character and started your run, the game begins to unfold. While there are certain procedural elements that change with each run, the core themes of the game remain constant. This means that early stages and enemies can become repetitive, especially if you are struggling to reach the later areas of the game. The gameplay itself follows a familiar format, resembling an action side scroller where your goal is to move from left to right on the screen.
However, the inclusion of level gimmicks and traps adds an extra layer of excitement as you navigate the stages and eliminate enemies. In order to progress to the next area, it is necessary to defeat all of the enemies that stand in your way. With this in mind, it is time to dive headfirst into the thrilling action that awaits.
Combat Excellence: The Responsive and Diverse Gameplay of BlazBlue Entropy Effect
BlazBlue Entropy Effect truly excels in terms of its action gameplay. It easily holds its own against the top games in the genre. The combat system in this game is simply remarkable, regardless of which character you prefer to play as. Each character offers a unique playstyle that becomes even more distinct as you progress through the game. The character builds in BlazBlue Entropy Effect are incredibly captivating. You have the freedom to enhance specific attacks, summon various elements like ice, fire, and slime, or even trigger powerful attacks after dodging or using special moves.
These traits can be customized to suit your preferences, allowing you to focus on creating an ice build that freezes enemies, deals multiplied damage, and summons homing ice spikes. The same level of customization applies to shadow and poison builds as well. Every run in this game presents you with new choices to make, ensuring that no two experiences are identical. To assist players in keeping track of their upgrades, the game provides helpful reminders for unused enhancements.
As you navigate through the various rooms, you are presented with a choice of 1 to 3 different paths, each leading to different opportunities. These options include additional training sessions to enhance your skills, much-needed rest to recharge your energy, access to black markets for valuable items, engaging in short roulette mini-games for a chance at bonuses, or embarking on special quests for unique rewards.
However, as you continue your journey, your character starts to suffer from Entropy sickness, which can impact your performance in future runs. To combat this, it is crucial to take breaks and rest periodically. Healing options during a run are limited, so it is essential to collect health points or complete healing missions whenever possible to maintain your well-being. As you progress, you can unlock more healing potions, but even then, their usage remains restricted.
Redefining Roguelikes: The Comprehensive and Addictive Experience of BlazBlue Entropy Effect
After a certain point in the game, you enter a Metroidvania-esque map with branching tunnels called the Space Omega. From here, the game really challenges the player. While early bosses may become repetitive, there are a few antagonist boss encounters with other avatars that up the difficulty in most situations.
This portion of the game breaks up the repetitive nature of the early runs and makes it feel like you are actually making progress. As you complete stages, you’ll eventually progress the story, but each run opens up new means of base stat upgrades for you to choose from. So, regardless if the gameplay and story don’t directly connect, the progress made during gameplay consistently opens new means of upgrades to get further.
BlazBlue Entropy Effect is a game that is filled to the brim with complex and intricate systems that go beyond what can be covered in a simple review. Even after investing 20 hours into the game, I was continuously uncovering new gameplay systems and experimenting with different builds that I had never encountered before. The transition from Early Access to the official launch has also brought about the addition of new story chapters and an online mode, allowing players to showcase their skills to others. As for the presentation, I never experienced any framerate issues or lag, making the overall experience incredibly positive.
BlazBlue Entropy Effect is a game that truly exemplifies the best elements of the roguelike genre. It takes all of the core features that make roguelikes so enticing and enhances them to an extraordinary degree, resulting in an incredibly addictive and action-packed experience. While repetition is to be expected in these types of games, it is worth noting that the early boss battles tend to overstay their welcome.
However, once you progress past the opening chapters, the game truly finds its footing and becomes an absolute delight to play. Despite the fact that Entropy Effect may not be the BlazBlue game that fans are accustomed to, it still manages to pay homage to the beloved characters of the series by retaining the qualities that make them so adored by players.
