Cards on the table: I never got into Bleach. It was one of those things that just kinda went over my head growing up, and by the time I'd met people I wanted to impress who liked Bleach, there was so much to catch up on when all I wanted was to watch Kill La Kill.

Yet, Bleach Rebirth of Souls does a far better job of trying to get me into Bleach than any of the Ichigo x Rukia stans in my life have. Step one of trying to get me into anything was to make a fighting game out of it. Step two, it seems, was also make it one of the best looking fighters of its class.

Title: BLEACH Rebirth Of Souls

Developer: TAMSOFT ENTERTAINMENT

Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment

Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PS4

Seriously Why Does It Look So Cool

I think a common problem with any fighters based on an anime IP is when they become almost too devoted to the source material. Trying to go for a manga or anime style isn't inherently bad, but I've only really seen Dragon Ball FighterZ and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R actually nail it.

So it's really cool to see that a lot of Bleach Rebirth of Souls is just kind of doing its own thing. Yes, the characters still look like their anime counterpart, but the game feels very much soaked in its own visual identity. The menus, the UI- everything has this life and charm to it that makes it hard to not want to come back to.

It looks like what adaptations are meant to be- a new expression of something beloved, rather than slavishly chasing something that came before it. The character models look amazing, all having this smolder as they get ready to finish you off that really sells the early 2000s vibe I most associate with Bleach.

Even the cinematic attacks feel immensely well-planned. Some do drag out a little, sure, but it feels very much like a game built to minimize bad shots.

Ultimate Shinigami Storm

Of course, there's the question of the combat. The other curse looming over anime tie ins is always "how does it play?". For too long good IPs have been bogged down by sub-standard arena fighters.

Surprisingly, Bleach Rebirth of Souls presents itself closer to a 3D fighter- the camera's off to the side rather than behind your character, and there's an emphasis on back and side stepping. Yet somehow, the game still has arena controls- you're pushing up on your stick to move forward, despite your character walking to the right of the screen. It's a disorienting experience at the best of times- even moreso if you're in the thick of it trying to dodge properly.

Yet as a fighter, it feels like a nice, simple game. That's not to say there's no tech- but the limited combos mean that you can dance around the roster without ever feeling like you need to commit to 3 hours in a lab to learn them.

Not unlike something akin to Tekken, the game's neutral phase is actually pretty methodical. Ranged characters can do a good job of keeping you out, to the point you'll learn a very brutal lesson in timing your dodges rather than just chaining them and expecting to be safe.

Once you get that hit though, the game's magic really shines. Bleach Rebirth of Souls really loves its cashouts- you have three different meters, which can mean three whole ways to punish your opponent. From extending your combos with flash steps to closing out with any of the SP moves to even the game's Kikon attacks, it feels like every mistake must be punished like you'd stolen someone's wife.

What's interesting is that Bleach Rebirth of Souls is built on a rock paper scissors style, similar to Pokken Tournament. What this means is that defense is just a matter of choosing the other option. It's great for newer players- I don't have to teach the values of blocking on wakeup if they're smart enough to use the Flash Step as a counter instead.

That's not to say fundamentals don't matter, it's just that they're presented in a way that's a lot more fun for casuals than "Learn to Just Defend or die".

But familiarizing yourself with the game's systems is also inherently important. The game's tutorial straight up says it won't teach you about the burst mechanic, and some characters in-game guides don't exactly explain the intricacies of how they work- it's something you want to be messing around with yourself until you find out.

I do wish offense was a little more layered though- despite having a camera setup similar to Tekken the game has no mix. Attacks are just strikes, and there's no one strike type that beats one defensive option. It's great for new players, sure- but given characters don't have things like command grabs like they would in Pokken, it makes the game feel much more shallow.

Still, that doesn't mean there isn't room for discovery. There's a lot of really cool setups you can do, driven largely by every character having a Unique Skill button, kind of like in Granblue Fantasy Versus or Blazblue. From command dashes to follow-ups, it goes a long way into helping characters feel more unique.

Bleach Rebirth of Souls Closing Thoughts

Despite knowing nothing about Bankai other than what I see of Bleach on Pixiv I had a lot of fun with Bleach Rebirth of Souls. The game's combat is simple in a way that's endearing, and stylish enough that you could tell me this was an original fighting game IP and I'd still be hooked.

There are some minor gripes, though- Bleach Rebirth of Souls ' tutorial is pretty bad at explaining the game's unique mechanics, which is rough considering just how many unique mechanics it has. I mean, even its round system is unique- instead having you take stocks off your enemies with your combo enders.

That being said, Bleach Rebirth of Souls is free of orthodoxy in all the best ways. It feels like a genuine, sincere attempt at making a fun fighting game rather than just copy-pasting Bleach models into the NUNS pre-mix, and it's definitely a must-play if you've ever swung around a ruler pretending to use your Bankai. It's definitely got me looking up more about Soifon. For academic reasons, of course.

Final Score: 8/10

Game reviewed on PS5. Review code provided by Bandai Namco Entertainment