While there's certainly substance to Arc's 2D fighter, you have to dig through so many layers of loud music and flashy visuals that the whole experience becomes a bit exhausting.
"BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger" is a 2D fighting game with high-resolution graphics from the creators of Guilty Gear. The story revolves around a powerful council, the Library, whose control over a once-life-saving power is now causing dissent and destruction. Combos are formed by using weak, medium, and heavy attacks, and special moves, ultimately aiming to reduce the opponent's health to zero or have more health when the clock runs out. The game includes an Original Soundtrack as digital extra.
Engaging story with multiple branching paths and character arcs.
10/10 voice acting and great character design.
Fun and accessible gameplay with a unique combat system.
No online multiplayer, limiting replayability.
PC port has performance issues, often locking at 30 FPS.
Story can be confusing and requires multiple playthroughs for full completion.
story
746 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
61%
7%
The story of *BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger* is a complex and engaging narrative that unfolds through a visual novel-style mode, featuring multiple characters, branching paths, and various endings based on player choices. While many players appreciate the depth and character development, the convoluted plot can be challenging to follow, especially for newcomers. Additionally, the lack of background music during story sequences and the requirement to lose certain fights for 100% completion can detract from the overall experience, but the rich lore and unique storytelling approach make it a standout in the fighting game genre.
“The story quality and game flow are still among the best I’ve seen in fighting games.”
“The narrative is rich with well-developed characters and intriguing plot twists.”
“The story mode is a visual novel that is separated into different stories involving the different characters where their route will be determined if they won or lost the fighting sequences in between the dialogues or some decisions made in between.”
“The story mode sucks badly, too.”
“The story is absolutely whack.”
“The story is fragmented, but not all too difficult to piece together and actually quite good.”
music
243 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
48%
3%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, particularly for its energetic and engaging soundtrack composed by Daisuke Ishiwatari, which enhances the overall gameplay experience. However, many players have reported significant issues, such as missing music during story mode and cutscenes, which detracts from the narrative immersion. Despite these bugs, the soundtrack remains a highlight, with many players recommending the game primarily for its exceptional music.
“The soundtrack, composed by the legendary Daisuke Ishiwatari, is nothing short of phenomenal.”
“The music perfectly complements the game’s fast-paced action and emotional moments, enhancing the overall experience.”
“Its beautiful graphics, deep gameplay, engaging story, and stellar soundtrack make it a must-play for any fighting game enthusiast.”
“There is missing music during cutscenes and graphical glitches everywhere.”
“Note that there's a bug preventing music from playing in story mode which can really ruin the experience.”
“One sad bug is no background music for most of the story mode.”
gameplay
209 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
57%
2%
The gameplay of "Blazblue: Calamity Trigger" is characterized by its intricate mechanics and diverse character abilities, making it engaging for both casual players and fighting game veterans. While the game offers a solid foundation with easy-to-learn controls and a steep learning curve for mastering combos, some players note issues with balance and a lack of content compared to later entries in the series. Overall, it combines fast-paced action with a captivating story, appealing to fans of both fighting games and visual novels.
“Blazblue: Calamity Trigger isn’t just a game; it’s an experience that combines breathtaking visuals, intricate gameplay, and a story that captivates from start to finish.”
“The tutorial mode is comprehensive, helping new players ease into the complex mechanics without feeling overwhelmed.”
“The gameplay is amazing.”
“The gameplay has so many glaring flaws, but the story mode is absolutely worth the torment.”
“The bad: the balance is of course absolutely messed up, and the gameplay is miserable.”
“Gameplay-wise it's pretty dated compared to every other BlazBlue game on Steam, but if you're trying to get into the story then it's definitely worth starting here.”
graphics
161 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
41%
4%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant anime art style, detailed character sprites, and smooth animations that still hold up well today. However, some users report issues such as graphical glitches, low frame rates, and limited graphical options, which detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game's aesthetic and visual design are often highlighted as standout features, contributing to its appeal among fans of the genre.
“The graphics are crisp and fresh, especially if you're a fan of Japanese anime.”
“The graphics look great; it's extremely colorful and detailed, with the 3D backdrops working brilliantly with the 2D characters.”
“The artwork is gorgeous, the soundtrack is super kickass, the sprite work and animation are smooth and visually pleasing, and it's just satisfying to watch and play.”
“Now the actual combat holds up pretty well, but the graphics did not age very well with it.”
“Despite running an Intel i7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 2070 graphics card, with all settings turned down to minimal, the game still lags into unplayability immediately upon opening.”
“The framerate is locked at 31fps unless you update graphics drivers, restart your computer, and pray a lot; it doesn't support modern controllers, netplay has been removed, story mode lacks cutscene music, and graphical options are very limited.”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, with players appreciating its blend of absurdity and charm, often finding the storylines and character interactions both entertaining and hilarious. While some reviews note that the game's flaws can be amusing in their own right, the overall comedic elements, including funny side stories and engaging voice acting, contribute to a rich and enjoyable narrative experience. The humor is woven throughout the gameplay, enhancing the appeal for both die-hard fans and newcomers alike.
“I mean totally awesome story, great graphics, and I really like the humor.”
“The game is fun to play and the story is interesting and funny as hell if you do the alternate endings.”
“The story mode of this series is actually quite rich and detailed with a very thought out lore and world (rare for this genre) with very lovable and charming characters and funny situations, and in a gorgeous visual novel style.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the multiple endings and character arcs that enhance replay value, others find it lacking due to a low character count and absence of online play. Those who enjoy the choose-your-own-path mechanics and diverse character gameplay report higher replayability, but overall, the lack of multiplayer options significantly diminishes the experience for many.
“With multiple endings and character arcs, the replay value is exceptionally high.”
“The developers put a lot of ideas into this game, which is the oldest of the titles, packed with fun and action. It offers a lot for its money, including high replayability, and it won't get boring after just one playthrough, with many techniques and specialties to learn.”
“Fantastic package with intense replay value.”
“Just found 0 replay value, 0 interest in mastering it because it was as forgettable as all the other 2D fighters in recent years.”
“Replayability: with a low character count and no online play!”
“Awesome game, rich story and catchy OST... but no replayability due to lack of multiplayer.”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, graphical glitches, and audio issues, particularly during cutscenes and dialogues. Many players experience frequent crashes and performance problems, such as a frustrating 30-fps lock that hampers gameplay. Overall, the port is deemed unstable and unpolished, leading to a recommendation to opt for the console version instead.
“It's very buggy, and well, bad.”
“It's riddled with bugs and glitches that won't ever be patched, and there aren't many workarounds for some.”
“Do be aware that this port is pretty buggy; there's no music during story mode dialogues, and the game can randomly boot with a 30-fps lock that renders it barely playable and can require multiple restarts to (temporarily) fix.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many users reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering, low frame rates, and unresponsiveness, particularly on lower-end hardware. While some players have managed to achieve smoother gameplay through specific tweaks, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, making it difficult for many to enjoy the experience fully. In contrast, the sequel is noted to have better optimization and improved performance.
“The sequel has online, is optimized better, and has a recap of this one.”
“Hopefully the game should run smoothly.”
“The quality of the game is outstanding and the gameplay performances went pretty smoothly.”
“This is a really poorly optimized game.”
“While that's bad enough, it gets to the point that the game is unresponsive with some moves, and can be completely miserable from being a stuttering mess.”
“Personally, I've generally liked the BlazBlue games, even this one, but trying to get into this PC version is hard with the non-fluid play. The game seems to be poorly optimized, and I get frames dropping quite low. I can't seem to do anything about it; even cutscenes tend to lag behind the audio, and my computer is well above the recommended settings.”
character development
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Character development in this game is highlighted by its diverse and distinct character designs, which are praised for their strong aesthetic appeal and integration into the gameplay. While the story mode offers a dignified narrative with additional insights into character backgrounds, some players feel that the character designs themselves are lacking. Overall, the game successfully combines engaging mechanics with a visually striking cast, although opinions on the quality of the designs vary significantly.
“I thought I'd check out Guilty Gear's brother/sister franchise, and was pleasantly rewarded with yet another fighting game with fun gameplay, great music, cool character designs, and a surprisingly dignified story to uncover.”
“The story is a gorgeous incomprehensible fractal, the character design is full of strong aesthetic persona that pushes all my buttons, and the mechanics are so good that lesser games such as the Street Fighter series are now unplayable to me.”
“Cs Extend may include the 'redux' abridged version of this game's main plot, but that cuts out a ton of the additional character development and insights you get from the character stories and arcade endings that are only present in this version.”
“The 'redux' abridged version of this game's main plot cuts out a ton of the additional character development and insights you get from the character stories and arcade endings that are only present in this version.”
“The character designs in this game are atrocious.”
“However, the bold stylistic choice results in a very diverse group of character designs; they look distinct, in both clear and subtle ways.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of Blaze Blue's story mode to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring significant patience to progress. While the game boasts strong mechanics, the lengthy grind can deter those who prefer a more streamlined experience, especially in the context of modern games that emphasize farming and grinding.
“This game has really strong mechanics, but the story mode structure is really tedious.”
“Technically this game lacks nothing, however grinding the story out is tedious and if you have no patience to do that, you'll face quite some trouble.”
“Playing it since its out, new games are all about farming and grinding, takes ages to get to the good part.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The atmosphere of Blazblue is highly praised for its stylish presentation and nostalgic elements, effectively transporting players back to familiar gaming experiences. The integration of character voice clips during battles enhances the immersive quality, adding depth to the interactions and overall ambiance of the game.
“Characters will offer voice clips when they fight each other relating to the situation and how they view the other person; this is amazing for building atmosphere.”
“Blazblue's soundtrack, combo system, characters, and its general atmosphere are very similar to the ones that I'm already familiar with; thus, it succeeded in taking me back to those beautiful days.”
“I say this a lot, but this game is dripping in style and atmosphere.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is significantly enhanced by its beautiful 2D anime visuals, exceptional music, and strong voice acting, all of which contribute to a compelling narrative that resonates with players. The combination of these elements creates a deeply engaging experience that elevates both the action and emotional moments.
“The music perfectly complements the game’s fast-paced action and emotional moments, enhancing the overall experience.”
“If you like beautiful 2D anime sprites, fantastic music, awesome voice acting, solid fighting mechanics, and an emotionally compelling story.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game is perceived as minimal, with no advertisements or significant announcements, leading some users to speculate whether it is a quick cash grab by a third-party publisher or a test for future releases.
“No advertising... no real announcements or anything.”
“To me, it doesn't matter if this is just a quick cash grab by some third-party publisher because of the imminent fall of Windows Live, or if it is water testing for future Arc System releases.”