POSTED 21/8/11


BLEACH: SOUL RESURRECCIÓN

NIS America
PS3

Mention Bleach to any manga aficionado and they’ll instantly know what you’re on about – a mixture of sodium hypochlorite, lye, hydrogen peroxide and calcium hypochlorite that tends to remove colour from stuff. They’re smart fuckers these anime types... unlike us who resorted to a cheap gag to open proceedings.

As you may have sussed, Bleach is a Japanese manga series. Pointy-chinned peeps fight all manner of nasties threatening world peace. No, not governments, silly, these malevolent nasty dudes – if indeed you can call such nasties ‘dude’ without them reciting the lyrics of a certain Scatterbrain ditty - are kinda supernatural-like. Cue enhanced sword fightingness (enhanced in that it’s more than just wielding a pointy thing to go jab-jab-jabinal with, there’s lighting effects and stuff) in a world that won’t make one iota of sense to anybody unfamiliar with the series.

Even the story mode starts with exposition that had us staring blankly at the screen wondering just WTF ‘hogyoko’ (a plump Japanese woman?), ‘Arrancar’ (Mr Sorkin’s limo?) and ‘Espadas’ (Mexican yum-yums?) are. It’ll make fans to sense, or more likely sense to fans, but will be a big ball of “huh?!” to anybody new to all this im-pale-ing stuff. But we’re being repetitive now.

Anyway, gameplay-wise it’s reminiscent of Sengoku Basara and Dynasty Warriors. Plummet along killingingly with sword-like implements in a mash-fest of dead-inducingness. Occasionally super-baddies will pop-up, whereby you do the same, but it takes longer. ‘Story’ mode’s brief; ‘Missions’ and ‘Soul Attack’ add some longevity.

There’re more combos than Hungry Jacks, however samey’s the word, along with frustration as despite a lock-on function things don’t always slash as desired, usually due to animation overhang. It’s generally, well, kinda PS2-ish. Not super-ace in 2011.

At one point we’re told “there is much in this beyond your comprehension”. Yup.

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