BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend

91%
Game Brain Score Based on 510 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend Game Cover
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BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend is a 2D fighting game and the enhanced version of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II. The game features an updated version of Calamity Trigger's Story Mode called Blazblue Calamity Trigger Reconstruction; the inclusion of Relius Clover as a playable character; four new stories for Platinum, Makoto, Valkenhayn, and Relius; a new Unlimited Mars game mode; hidden Distor…

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

91%
Audience ScoreBased on 510 reviews
story87 positive mentions
stability3 negative mentions
  • The game features a rich and engaging story mode with extensive character backstories and voice acting.
  • The fighting mechanics are deep and rewarding, allowing for a variety of playstyles and strategies.
  • The graphics and art style are visually stunning, making for an enjoyable experience.
  • The online multiplayer is often unplayable due to lag and a lack of active players.
  • There are issues with the keyboard controls, making it difficult for players who prefer not to use a controller.
  • The game lacks a proper tutorial for advanced mechanics, which can be frustrating for new players.
  • story304 mentions

    The story mode of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend is widely praised for its depth and complexity, offering a rich narrative experience that combines visual novel elements with character-driven arcs and multiple endings. While some players find the plot convoluted and challenging to follow, many appreciate the extensive lore and character development, making it a standout feature in the fighting game genre. Overall, the game is recommended primarily for those interested in its story, with many noting that it justifies the purchase even for players who may not typically engage with fighting games.

    • “Best story mode in a fighting game ever, fantastic art, wonderful airdasher fighting gameplay, and characters that are all unique and fun to play.”
    • “The story this time is way better, they retell all of Calamity Trigger through the true ending from that game, but it adds other fights from other stories and adds a lot more dialogue between fights to explain to the audience what is going on.”
    • “The story mode offers a variety of chapters revolving around the characters' arcs with top-notch voice acting that will definitely amaze you.”
    • “The actual story is a mess with retcons, inconsistencies, and a plot twist at the end that makes no sense.”
    • “The story is so complicated at times that it's hard to distinguish the 'right' path from the 'wrong' path.”
    • “The story mode is presented exactly like a visual novel, with only very occasional animated cutscenes.”
  • gameplay105 mentions

    The gameplay of Blazblue: Continuum Shift Extend is widely praised for its depth, unique character mechanics, and responsive controls, making it accessible for both newcomers and seasoned players. The game features a thorough tutorial that effectively teaches fighting game fundamentals and specific mechanics, while its flashy combat and diverse roster contribute to an engaging experience. Although some mechanics may be complex, the overall gameplay is considered fun and rewarding, with a strong emphasis on character individuality and strategic depth.

    • “The gameplay is flashy, it's ridiculously easy to maneuver your way through the controls, with some mild things that might put off fans of the genre.”
    • “Best story mode in a fighting game ever, fantastic art, wonderful airdasher fighting gameplay, and characters that are all unique and fun to play.”
    • “Each fighter utilizes distinct mechanics and plays very differently from each other, which makes for an extremely complex yet very comprehensible combat experience.”
    • “From a gameplay perspective, the first and the last game are all you need because the first, second, and third games play almost the same way.”
    • “When compared to other fighters such as Street Fighter, BlazBlue’s mechanics are more complex and deeper, so it's not as great of a pick-up for players looking to learn how to play fighting games.”
    • “The fighting mechanic is not for everyone, but if you're willing to spend some time in practice you'll get it.”
  • music69 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its high quality and memorable tracks that enhance the overall experience. While the soundtrack is noted for its energetic, anime-style compositions, some players feel it lacks variety. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and enjoyment.

    • “The music is unforgettable and epic, and the voice acting on either side (Japanese and English) is great.”
    • “Great fighting game with an awesome soundtrack and cast of characters.”
    • “The game is very visually satisfying and has one hell of a soundtrack.”
    • “I thought the game’s soundtrack was really solid, but lacked variety as pretty much every track in the game was a variation of fast-paced, anime theme song, so people who don’t enjoy that style of music probably won’t enjoy this game’s soundtrack either.”
    • “No variety in the soundtrack.”
    • “If it goes on sale for really cheap, I recommend buying it just for the soundtrack and maybe the story mode (if you're patient enough to play through the lag), but skip it otherwise.”
  • graphics50 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their stunning 2D art style, vibrant character designs, and smooth animations, often compared favorably to titles like "King of Fighters XIII" and "Guilty Gear." However, some players note that the PC version does not significantly improve upon the console graphics, with issues like jagged character models and minimal enhancements despite higher resolution support. Overall, while the visuals are appealing and well-executed, they may not fully leverage the capabilities of modern PC hardware.

    • “Blazblue is my favorite game because of its cool combos, interesting character design, flashy graphics, and fun multiplayer mode.”
    • “Graphically, this is the epitome of 2D brawlers; it's up there with King of Fighters 13 and a bunch of Guilty Gear games.”
    • “An amazing fighter with a cast of likable characters, a harsh learning curve that's satisfying to triumph, gorgeous visuals, fun combat, and one of the best story modes I've seen in any fighting game.”
    • “Being a 2D fighter, the game’s graphics were never that demanding to begin with, so being on the PC doesn’t offer as much in terms of graphical improvements as it would with other genres.”
    • “While it does output in 'native' 1080p compared to the consoles’ 720p output, it doesn’t seem to do anything as the graphics both in-game and in the menus look identical to their console counterparts, even with anti-aliasing set to 4x (the maximum the game allows).”
    • “No real graphics upgrades from the console version, so everything looks jagged and blurry.”
  • humor14 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting its surprising gags, funny skits, and engaging character interactions that often lead to laughter. The villain Hazama is noted for his comedic yet sinister portrayal, while the story mode features a mix of humor, emotion, and absurdity, contributing to a rich and entertaining experience. Overall, the game successfully blends deep gameplay mechanics with a lighthearted narrative, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate humor in their gaming.

    • “The gag story took me by surprise and made me laugh my ass off.”
    • “It’s interesting, funny, and really makes you start to love the characters.”
    • “These are comedic endings which take you to a long, really funny skit.”
  • optimization10 mentions

    The optimization of the game varies significantly among users, with some experiencing smooth performance at 60fps on decent setups, while others report issues requiring reduced settings to maintain playable frame rates. Notably, Blazblue: Continuum Shift Extend has been criticized as an unoptimized port, contrasting with reports of good performance on Windows 8.1. Overall, while some players enjoy a stable experience, others face challenges that hinder gameplay.

    • “I can say it works on Windows 10 and I'm not having any performance issues.”
    • “As a result, performance is much smoother, and most halfway-decent setups can expect an uninterrupted 60fps at all times.”
    • “An iteration behind in the BB series, Extend is the CS that already includes all the DLC characters and introduces an additional one with bonus modes like Abyss mode. The port is pretty good with great optimization and has online play with better netcode compared to Ultra on PC.”
    • “The fighting itself will just make you move back to either CP or CF, save for those whose computers are able to make up for the game's performance faults, if that's possible.”
    • “Blazblue: Continuum Shift Extend is literally an unoptimized garbage ported to PC.”
    • “However, there are some issues with the optimization.”
  • character development8 mentions

    Character development in Blazblue is highlighted by its unique and visually appealing character designs, which draw players in with their creativity and flair. However, some players feel a disconnect, expressing difficulty in finding a personal connection to any specific character despite the variety and interesting backstories presented. Overall, while the character designs and visuals are praised, the depth of character development may not resonate with all players.

    • “The one issue is while there’s a lot of interesting characters and character designs, I never felt like I found 'my' character.”
    • “I'm hardly representative of the average buyer, but when I see a game full of really neat character designs like this one, I greatly enjoy finding out what their stories are.”
    • “The character design is reminiscent of Waku Waku from Neo Geo; you get literal teddy bears fighting and stuffed animals, you get the idea.”
    • “The character designs are neat, the fighting is flashy, the writing ranges from barely passable to amazing, and the English voice actors generally do a good job with their roles.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by an engaging and touching story mode that effectively balances humor and depth, featuring a range of emotional experiences from hilarity to heartbreak. While it serves as a transitional episode, it successfully builds on previous narratives and deepens character connections, showcasing top-notch writing throughout.

    • “Story mode is engaging and touching (even if occasionally trope-y).”
    • “The writing is very top notch; hilarious when it needs to be and emotional when it needs to be.”
    • “Extraordinary story mode with tons of dialogues of every type: extremely funny, extremely sad, extremely heartwarming, extremely brutal.”
  • replayability5 mentions

    The game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the numerous game modes and replayable storylines that enhance longevity, others criticize the lack of diverse endings for characters, which diminishes the replay value of the arcade mode and affects the new abyss mode. Overall, it offers both strong replay potential and notable drawbacks.

    • “Replay value: 10/10.”
    • “There are a lot of new game modes which improve length and replay value.”
    • “I have yet to finish the story mode, but there are many replayable story modes to complete in BlazBlue.”
    • “Yes, I said endings because almost every character in the game has the exact same ending, killing the arcade mode's replay value and ruining the new abyss mode since you have to grind the arcade mode just to stand a chance at it.”
    • “I have yet to finish the story mode, but there are a lot of replayable story modes to complete going through BlazBlue.”
  • stability3 mentions

    Overall, the stability of the game has improved significantly, with many bugs such as memory leaks and graphic glitches being addressed in recent updates. However, some users still report occasional issues with the multiplayer mode, indicating that while progress has been made, there are still minor stability concerns.

    • “The multiplayer mode is somewhat buggy, but understandable.”
    • “There are many bugs present in the game, including memory leaks, graphic glitches when alt-tabbing, and missing music.”
    • “The game suffers from stability issues that detract from the overall experience.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players note that grinding is necessary to reach the true ending, with some expressing concerns about the integrity of rankings, as high player skill ratings (PSR) may be artificially inflated through farming weaker opponents or disconnecting after losses.

    • “So you have to do some grinding if you just want to get to the true ending.”
    • “While 750 PSR may be considered high and usually indicates that the player is decent, that 750 PSR player might have just gotten that number from farming weaker players in ranked or fraudulently maintaining a high win record by disconnecting after every loss.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

8hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
3-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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