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Bleach DS Import Review

Bleach
DS

The fine folks at Siliconera have posted a playtest of Sega and Treasure's Bleach DS: Souten ni Kakeru Unmei, a 2D fighting game based on the hugely popular anime. But really, we should have had your attention at "Treasure". As previous classics like Dynamite Heddy (that final boss still gives us nightmares), Silhouette Mirage and Astro Boy: Omega Factor have proven, Treasure is a developer that just knows how to do 2D games right.

The review in question seems to indicate that they haven't yet lost their touch, as the game features a solid fighting engine and relatively smooth online play through Nintendo's Wif-Fi service (it's the first Japanese 3rd-party title to do so). Also worth mentioning is the game's intriguing card system. At any point during the battle, you can select a card from a customizable deck on the bottom screen and temporarily influence the battle above, be it via an instant attack boost or disabling some of your opponent's moves. However, the article makes no mention of how difficult it is to use the touch screen in the midst of battle. We imagine that rapidly pressing face buttons and making selections on the screen at the same time may require an extra limb or two.

Still, it seems unlikely that fans of the show will be disappointed by the large character roster and the beautiful artwork. Siliconera notes that the level of Japanese understanding required to enjoy the game isn't too high and so, given that it doesn't look like the game is getting picked up for US release within the conceivable future, you're best off with importing it. It'll certainly go nicely with that Bleach themed Nintendo DS you stole in a daring heist last month.

[Update: Added another instance of the word "Japanese".]