BLEACH Rebirth of Souls
Review
Fighting With Soul
by Camrin Santchi
reviewed on PC
A Stacked Genre
When it comes to anime games, one genre holds itself above all others as one of the most popular styles of adaptation - this being the 3D arena fighter. From the Naruto Ninja Storm games to the mass crossover Jump Force and even the newly released Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, if an anime you're a fan of is known for its action, then translating it to video game form is probably going to take a form like this.
This holds true for the new release Bleach: Rebirth of Souls - the final of the Big Three of shonen (Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach) to receive the modern 3D arena fighter treatment - with most of their experiments in this genre being back in the PS2 and PS3 era. The story of Bleach follows Ichigo Kurosaki, an orange haired high schooler who finds himself among a world of Soul Reapers that keep the balance between the material and spiritual worlds by either helping spirits pass on or by defeating Hollows, corrupted and monstrous spirits that now seek to consume others.
This being an action series and a fighting game based on an action series, the fighting of Hollows and other opponents is what Bleach and by virtue of that Rebirth of Souls focuses on.
Going Solo
Unlike many games in the 3D arena fighter genre, Rebirth of Souls does not have a style of 3v3 fights - instead your chosen fighter and their opponent have a multitude of health bars referred to as Reishi that have to be broken down over an extended fight. When your opponent is down to about 30% of their health, players are able to unleash a slow but powerful strike called a Kikon Move that is able to cleave off multiple health bars. The amount depends on the power of your character, and whether they are in an 'Evolved' state, activated when your fighting spirit reaches a certain point. Simply put, taking and dishing out more damage puts you in a state where you can end a fight very quickly.
Along with a powerup, most characters in Rebirth of Souls have a drastic change to how they fight when they go into their Evolved state, which alongside the multiple Reishi bars might explain the decision to have a 1v1 format for this game rather than a 3v3, since your characters can drastically shift their fighting style over the course of the match. A great example is our main character Ichigo Kurosaki- his Evolve is his Bankai state, which turns his massive sword into a much thinner and more precise blade, allowing a vastly more agile fighting style compared to his earlier moveset.
A Well Tread Road
Like most anime video-games, Bleach: Rebirth of Souls has a story mode that functions essentially as a re-telling of the plot of the anime itself. This is beneficial for both hardcore fans and newcomers alike - old fans get to live through iconic fights and moments, and newcomers get a built-in way to experience the story for themselves - albeit in a condensed version. With how infamous filler is within anime including Bleach, that may be a plus to some players, but others would likely prefer an original plot rather than a retread of grounds that have already been walked.
This idea of repetition is also within the battles of Rebirth of Souls, not just its Story Mode cutscenes. Due to the sizable amount of health bars, as well as only one character on each side, players will be hearing the voicelines for Kikon Moves and other techniques to the point that they very well might become grating. Again, this problem is not specific to Rebirth of Souls but the genre itself - shonen anime tends to have signature lines or moves that are absolutely iconic to fans and some of these are even recognizable outside of the fanbase itself, so these lines are often fairly easily triggered in games based on these media.
Looks Good At a Cost
Rebirth of Souls is a gorgeous game that makes use of impressive stylization, but it takes a decent PC to run properly, and the game operates best within windowed mode on the Steam Deck. It is manageable and the game has received a few post launch updates to try and mitigate some of the more intense issues that some early players saw.
Take it to the Soul Society
Overall Bleach: Rebirth of Souls is exactly what people might expect. A 3D arena fighter with over 30 of Tite Kubo's iconic characters. With an engaging style of combat as well as a great adaptation of the art style into 3D, the only negatives can be some feelings of repetitiveness, and that the game can be a bit resource intensive even for a modern release. If you're a fan of Bleach, of shonen in general, or even just of 3D arena fighters with a ranged cast, then Rebirth of Souls is a fantastic pick-up.
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8.4
fun score
Pros
Charming Visuals, Engaging Combat
Cons
Repetitive, Resource Intensive
