BlazBlue Entropy Effect X review

BlazBlue Entropy Effect X is a shrewd reimagining of Arc System Works’ beloved fighting game franchise, transforming the competitive 2D fighter into a roguelike action title. Pleasingly, this isn’t simply BlazBlue with randomized elements tacked on. Instead, it’s a genuine attempt to adapt the series’ combat mechanics into an entirely different genre.

The result is a fascinating, if intermittently uneven, experiment that successfully captures the kinetic energy of its source material. While reproducing Arc’s brand of chaotic pugnacious, the title also introduces progression systems that intend to lure you coming back for another run. Sure, that’s the goal of most action roguelikes, but most rivals lack Entropy Effect X’s fun, familiar, and rather full set of playables.

Time Loops, Lore Bombs, and a Hint of Hazama-Level Confusion

Intentionally fragmented to suit the game’s roguelike structure, the storyline places players in a reality-breaking set-up where characters are caught in recursive time loops. Attempting to bridge the run-based gameplay with BlazBlue‘s notoriously convoluted lore, the storyline drip-feeds doses of exposition as you plunge into the Sea of Possibility. Given the approach, even those who are authorities of Blaz backstory might experience the occasional dose of bewilderment at first. But if you stick with it, you might get a better idea of Entropy Effect’s multiverse.

The character roster, while smaller than recent BlazBlue titles, showcases impressive diversity in playstyles. Veterans like Ragna, Noel, and Jin translate surprisingly well to the new format, with their signature movesets adapted for sinuous combat against multiple enemies rather than single opponents.

Best of all, each character feels distinct. Ragna’s aggressive life-steal mechanics encourage risky close-range play, while Noel’s chain-revolver combinations reward precise positioning and timing. The development team clearly understood that simply copy-pasting fighting game movesets wouldn’t work. Instead, 91Atc has preserved the behavior of each character while redesigning their kits for crowd control, boss pummeling assaults, and sustained damage output.

Combo Counter High, Precision Slightly Lower

However, the combat system does have a few rough edges. The combo system is satisfying when you’re juggling multiple enemies across the screen but can feel a bit imprecise compared to the frame-perfect execution of traditional fighting games. Hit confirmation against groups of enemies lacks the consistency that genre purists might expect, and certain moves that were balanced for one-on-one fights become either overpowered or underwhelming when facing waves of foes. While Entropy Effect X telegraphs some of its ranged attacks and area-of-effect explosions, occasionally you can find yourself unable to escape particularly chaotic encounters. These aren’t deal-breaking issues, but they prevent the combat from achieving the razor-sharp precision that defines the best action roguelikes.

The roguelike mechanics themselves are where Entropy Effect X truly distinguishes itself from the crowded field. The Entropy System allows you to modify abilities mid-run through collected fragments, creating builds that can radically alter your approach. Finding a fragment that adds elemental properties to your basic attacks, then stacking it with another that triggers explosions on critical hits, creates the kind of gameplay moments that make roguelikes compelling, especially with the inclusion of character specific Potentials.

Meanwhile, the meta-progression system is generous without being overly forgiving. Permanent upgrades provide benefit while growing progressively more difficult to earn. That said, the game’s roguelike randomness can occasionally feel punishing when multiple runs in a row offer incompatible ability combinations, leading to frustrating dead-end builds that squander your time.

Definitely a BlazBeauty

Visually, the game maintains Arc System Works’ signature anime aesthetic. Character models are expressive and well-animated during combat, capturing the exaggerated style of the source material, recalling the hand-crafted perfection of traditional BlazBlue sprites. Environments are functional but repetitive, with procedural generation creating layouts that feel homogenous after extended play sessions. The UI is cluttered with information about buffs, debuffs, and ability cooldowns, and takes some time to learn to read. Seemingly, it’s designed for players acquainted with both fighting game frame data and roguelike status tracking, which may overwhelm newcomers to either genre.

The soundtrack deserves particular praise, featuring new compositions that match the series’ trademark fusion of rock, electronic, and orchestral elements. Battle themes dynamically shift based on your performance, intensifying during extended combos or when you’re on the edge of defeat. However, the audio mixing can sometimes bury these tracks under a cacophony of combat sound effects.

BlazBlue Entropy Effect X succeeds at creating a compelling roguelike experience from the foundations of a fighting game series. It’s not without flaws, combat lacks some of the pixel-perfect precision of its predecessors and the randomization can occasionally work against player enjoyment. Yet when everything clicks, and you’ve created a devasting build that delivers a volley of hit while that familiar BlazBlue soundtrack rages, the game delivers an immensely engaging experience. This is a thoughtful genre fusion that honors both its source material and the roguelike format, so if you’re willing to accept BlazBlue in a new form, Entropy Effect X is absolutely worth your time.

BlazBlue Entropy Effect X was played on PlayStation 5 with review code provided by the publisher.