BlazBlue Central Fiction Special Ed. (NS)

Making it's way in complete form on the Nintendo Switch is Aksys Games' last BlazBlue series release known as, "BlazBlue Central Fiction". This special edition gets all the former steam, and PS4 DLC including announcer voices, color palettes, lobby avatars, stages, BGM soundtracks, and the bonus characters which would have set you back $7.99 a pop. The DLC characters include Susano'o, Jubei, and Mai Natsume. Along with the extra content comes the full game experience. Everything from the in-depth tutorials starting from beginner, and ending with expert to the free training setup, and character missions that better help you understand specific character mechanics are included in the mix. Also returning is the fleshed out story mode full of animated art panels, and character conversations pertaining to the ongoing drama between the NOL, the Nine, the science division, and other key characters of interest.

Beyond the story you will find extra activities such as the Grim Abyss, and Speed Star. Two modes that take the fighting game mechanics, and apply a sort of variation to the normal fights. Things that include routes to take, grimoires to equip for added effect, and bosses to defeat. In Speed Star, specifically, you will be choosing route A, B, or C as you follow the guidelines such as performing special attacks while fighting off opponents in an attempt to complete the route before the timer depletes. Grim Abyss, on the other hand, is more of the RPG spin off in which your chosen character battles a series of opponents, and earns grimoires and skills of varying rarity that can be added for perk sake. Things like health regen, and stuff like that can be obtained, and used in the fight to unlock "Boss Rush Mode".

As far as the plot of the story goes it's all about the fates of Ragna, Ky, and Noel as they face the threat of Izanami, and her resurrected god. Stories are intersecting with characters' involvements effecting the timeline of events. It is a full length affair that will set you back many hours to complete the branching paths that are included. Aside from the main plot you'll also find historical tutorials staring a cartoony casting of the main roster such as everyone's favorite squirrel girl Makoto Nanaya as they catch you up on the past happenings of the world of BlazBlue. If you wish you can also delve deeper into the lore via the game's textual library which breaks down lineage, events, and places of interest found throughout all of the BlazBlue games including Central Fiction. The lore contained both in the interactive story, and the library will help you better understand why the characters are fighting, and which side each character is on.

In the way of fighting game modes you'll find an arcade mode playthrough with optional routes, and different characters to face off against in each route.You'll also find local play as well as online play with avatar inclusive lobbies that will require an online Nintendo subscription to access. The lobbies are setup like a simple arcade with booths for players to join up at. You can also invite players to a room which you can decorate using the items you get from the gacha vending machines within the lobby.Vending machines which use earned fight money that can be obtained through online, or offline play. It is here you'll also get to show off your decorated avatar, and your player ID. The latter of which will include the name made up from words you can buy while in the network mode menu. Speaking of that the network mode menu is where you will tweak online settings, and features as well as engage in ranked or casual fights with other online opponents. It will show signal strength via a ping indicator, and will give you the option to opt in or out of the fight. The matchmaking can be automatic or you can seek out lobbies by region via a listing that ties in BlazBlue locations with real world regions. The number of players in each lobby will be listed for convenience sake, and their is a limit per lobby.

In the way of content, BBCF, is as per usual, a robust game with lots to do and plenty to unlock. New to this version is the item unlockables, and the gallery mode. I don't recall seeing those listed in the PS4 version. At least not in the manner that they are in this edition. You'll also be unlocking entries in the library along the way among other things. Other things like the boss rush mode, and story branches as you play through it. I do think most of the color palettes are unlocked initially as as well as the listing for additional colors is limited to one per character. Also let me not forget NOL Noel which is the most expensive unlock in the game.

Functionality, Features, and Presentation ...

Playing BlazBlue on the Nintendo Switch was a completely new deal for me. Having only gotten my Switch recently I've not quite gotten used to the joycons. That being said I think the DPad substitute did alright to an extent, but for perfection, and technical sake this is a fighter you'll want to play in docked mode with a controller. I'm not saying it's unplayable in handheld mode, but to get the best possible experience a proper controller, and not the joycons will be needed.

The presentation on handheld is impressive. They situated the screen size properly, and applied sound that is top quality for a handheld experience. Visually it is impressive as well, and plays out without a problem. Keep in mind though this version feels more like an adjusted PS4 port in that the mechanics that are explained away in the tutorials, and command lists reflect the same non-matching button lettering that I complained about many BlazBlues ago. The tutorial also is still haunted by things that should have been fixed, in my opinion. Things like jumping and blocking situations that are unnecessarily made complicated. Regardless I was able to complete all four difficulty tiers of the tutorial using the joycons, but it wasn't without it's minor bumps in the road, so-to-speak.

When it comes down to menu navigation it is easily done, and as everything else seems like a result of an efficient porting of software from a previous version of the game. Graphics are next-gen suitable, and I noticed no real frame-rate issues on the offline side of things. No input lag, or anything of that sort. It was very responsive in handheld mode, and in docked mode with the controller added to it. Online will be likely hit or miss based on network connection quality, and player to player ping.

The Verdict ...

For what you get I think it's a nice addition to the Nintendo Switch. While I don't think joycons are best suited for true competitive play you do have docking and controller options that are better. The presentation, from the visuals to the audio, is perfectly ported and fitting of both the handheld and docked versions of console play. Again, there will be differences in screen size, and audio in both instances, but the quality is good enough to give a passing grade. I'm still quite impressed by the sound quality of the handheld speakers on the Switch, and in the case of BBCF it remains impressive.

At the end of the day, with everything weighed, I think this will be a game that will better benefit series fans, and fans of fighting games. It does include casual mechanics in stylish mode as well as more skilled mechanics in technical mode. It's the type of fighter that aims to broaden it's target audience, and it does well enough in that regard. Skilled players will still have an advantage over stylish players as they'll better be suited for utilizing all mechanics. Not to say casuals don't stand a chance though cause I've proved that they do many times over. Anyways ... this edition gets a pass from yours truly as it includes all bonus DLC at no extra cost to the paying gamer. Plus it's a decent fighter to boot with a large roster of interesting characters to play as.