BlazBlue: Central Fiction | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Arc System Works |
Publisher(s) | |
Designer(s) | Toshimichi Mori Yūki Katō |
Composer(s) | Daisuke Ishiwatari Galneryus |
Series | BlazBlue Xblaze |
Platform(s) | Arcade PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Windows Nintendo Switch |
Release | Arcade
Windows
|
Genre(s) | Fighting |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
BlazBlue: Central Fiction, released in Japan as BlazBlue: Centralfiction, is a 2-D fighting video game developed by Arc System Works. It is the fourth game in the BlazBlue series, and is set after the events of BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma . It is also the final game with Ragna as the main protagonist, [2] and serves as the conclusion of the C-Series that began in Calamity Trigger.
The international release of Central Fiction did not receive an English dub, making it the only BlazBlue title not dubbed. [3] [4]
Following the gameplay from BlazBlue Chrono Phantasma Extend , there are additional changes and new mechanics. The Overdrive activation's duration is now shown under the Burst Gauge in the form of a countdown timer (which counts seconds and split-seconds); The character portrait near the health bar shakes when taking damage; and each character's emblem appears on their side when the phrase "The Wheel of Fate is Turning" shows at the start of the first Rebel. The new gameplay mechanics are: Exceed Accel, a special type of Distortion Drive, which is executed a same input as Overdrive activation by holding it during Overdrive activation, or pressing it, begins with the character performing a specific attack in their move-set, and once it connects the rest of the background shatters away into the Overdrive background effect when the attack is performed. It dishes large damage, but immediately ends Overdrive; and Active Flow, which acts as the opposite of Negative Penalty status. A character that fights offensively goes into an Active Flow, which boosts damage and recovery of the Burst Gauge. Active Flow also increases the damage of Exceed Accel (for some it may add extra effects and animations). When a character enters Active Flow, his/her emblem on the health bar becomes purple pink. The purple pink color itself is also shown surrounding the Overdrive Gauge, when a character is close to entering Active Flow. A character can only enter Active Flow once per round. [5]
Central Fiction's story mode is over 40 hours long, with extra arcade mode stories separated into three acts. [6] [7]
All 28 fighters from BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend return in Central Fiction. This brings the total roster to 36 playable fighters.
The game was released for the arcades on November 19, 2015, with a location test having been done in mid-July of that year. [15] A console version was released in Japan on October 6, 2016, in North America on November 1, 2016, and Europe on November 4, 2016, for the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4, both physically and digitally. [1] [16] [17] Aksys Games has confirmed a limited edition for North American markets which includes a soundtrack disc, a nendoroid figure and a hardcover art book.
A Steam port was released on April 26, 2017. [18]
A Nintendo Switch release called BlazBlue: Centralfiction - Special Edition was released digitally on February 7, 2019, on Nintendo's eShop. It has also been released physically in Europe [19] and in Japan, but not in North America besides a limited release by Limited Run Games in 2022. [20] This version has every character including the PlayStation console added characters and the DLC character, Jubei.
At CEO 2021, it was revealed that the Steam version of the game will be patched with rollback netcode in 2022. [21] The rollback netcode for the Steam version was officially released on February 1, 2022. [22]
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | PS4: 84/100 [23] NS: 86/100 [24] |
Publication | Score |
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Destructoid | 8.5/10 [25] |
Eurogamer | 9/10 [26] |
Famitsu | 34/40 [27] |
Nintendo Life | [28] |
Nintendo World Report | 8.5/10 [29] |
Pocket Gamer | [30] |
In Japan, BlazBlue: Central Fiction sold 26,506 copies on PS4 and 9,674 copies on PS3. [31] [32] Aggregate reviewer Metacritic gave BlazBlue: Central Fiction an 84 out of 100 citing generally positive reviews from websites. [23] Famitsu gave the game a 34/40 for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 versions. [27] Chris Carter of Destructoid gave the title an 8.5/10 while complimenting the impressive amount of effort with few problems for a niche game. [25] Filippo Facchetti of Eurogamer gave Central Fiction a 9/10 recommending players who love fighting games and/or anime to buy the title. [26]
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