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Roguelite Meets Fighting Game? - BlazBlue Entropy Effect Quick Review

4K View2023-08-19

IS ENTROPY EFFECT WORTH WATCHING?

Now, I'm a -huge- fan of Roguelites, especially the games that lean a lot heavier into sidescrolling action, or spectacle fighters. Combine that with an overarching fondness for the Blazblue franchise (Though I still need to play Centralfiction), and you can likely see why I was excited to dip my toes into 91Act's BlazBlue: Entropy Effect. And honestly? Despite being an early-access title, the content itself feels incredibly solid.

There's a surprisingly large roster of characters to choose from in order to tackle the game's various stages, with each of them having complex move sets you can fiddle around with and unlock over the course of a run. It's the sort of thing that's left me incredibly excited about experimenting with all the synergies I can make based on a character's innate abilities, and the other perks you can acquire over the course of a run.

TIME PLAYED

At the time of writing this review, I've managed a bit over 4 hours, and I still feel like I've only scratched the surface. Each of Entropy Effects' characters have vastly different fighting styles from each other, which do a solid job of reflecting how they play in their games. To the point that I've yet to see everything that even a single character is capable of - and there's still a pair of characters I've yet to unlock. At the rate things are going, I can easily playthrough dedicated to seeing everything the game has to offer will set me back Countless hours.

THE BEST BITS OF BLAZBLUE: ENTROPY EFFECT

*Excellent Combat. While each character's initial loadout is vastly simplified compared to their fighting game variants- the core ideas of their kits are intact. Traits which made them stand out, like Hakumens counters, or Ragna's risk and reward elements involving spending and regaining health are all here. What's more, while their -initial- movesets may start out limited, they can gain access to a fair chunk of their kit in the course of the run, providing you with the means of some fairly diverse and damaging combos. That, also look incredibly flashy.

*This game oozes style. If you're a sucker for good animations, you're in luck- since whether it's player characters, the enemies and bosses, or even the environments, it all looks incredibly pretty. Admittedly, there is a bit of a design shift between the combat sequences and the hub - but even then, it looks nice.

*Story, surprisingly. When I went into this, I was expecting a new entry into the sometimes labyrinthine lore of the BlazBlue Universe. Like, I enjoy the games- I do, but there's a bit of onboarding involved at times, given how expansive everything has become. That said, Entropy Effects narrative is centralized on its own world, and associated mysteries- which is pretty fun on the whole. I don't know if this will change when you get deeper into things, but so far, I can appreciate it for doing its own thing.

*Variety & Customization. Now as a roguelite, keeping things varied across the playthroughs is important - and I think Entropy Effect does a decent job on this front. The ability modifiers you get for characters, as well as the broader 'Tactics' abilities you acquire as you progress help to pave the way for different tactics with different characters. The stages themselves are also a great indicator of this to boot, as the three areas that can crop up have neat variations based on whether they're encountered first or second - something I'm hoping continues to be something as you continue to progress.

*Interesting Progression. And speaking of progression- while I appreciate the normal Meta progression that allows you to slowly empower your characters, and increase the odds of getting resources that will help you during a run- what really fascinated me was the fact that even a failed run can help you considerably, once you've unlocked other characters. I say this because you're able to essentially overlap the memory of an earlier run onto whatever character you're using- granting them access to that character's special attack, as well as their passive abilities. The only limitation, really, is the 'Value rating' of the memory, which dictates how much carries forward. Well, that, and that you can only equip two of them - but, even this limitation simply means you to put more thought into who to bring along.

THE WORST BITS OF BLAZBLUE: ENTROPY EFFECT

*Pacing. There is a slightly arbitrary element to progressing the game's story, which seems contingent on killing bosses, and hoping an 'abnormality crops up. Admittedly, these are tied to some helpful gameplay elements too- but, it can be a bit until you find one, even if you're doing well.

*No Playable Taokaka or Makoto. This is more of a gag, but I really enjoyed both of these characters, and having access to either of them would have been a lot of fun.

But what about you? Are you going to be joining the fight in Entropy Effect, or did your interest decay? Comment, and let me know.