Just a few weeks ago we talked about the limited soft-launch of a new mobile fighting game in the BlazBlue series, and although the planned worldwide launch was all set for June 8th, BlazBlue Revolution Reburning (Free) snuck out early around the globe over the weekend. While the initial trailer and info we had on BlazBlue RR led us to believe it was a 3v3 swipe-based fighter similar to Injustice (Free), Marvel Contest of Champions (Free), that’s not exactly the case.
BlazBlue RR is still an extremely simplified version of a traditional fighting game, but you have a bit more manual control than you do in those previously mentioned games. There are directional arrows so you can move and dash left or right at will, and your surprisingly complex set of moves is streamlined down to simple taps and swipes on the right side of the screen. It’s an interesting system that still feels approachable without just copying the mechanics from other popular games, and it also remains extremely satisfying as you pull off tons of cool and complex maneuvers with just a few inputs.
The other thing that’s stuck out to me about BlazBlue RR in my brief time with it so far is that it’s not strictly a traditional-style fighter but actually feels more like a blend of old-school brawler like Final Fight. Through the campaign missions you’ll actually beat up on lots of weaker filler enemies before coming up against a more difficult boss opponent. It’s actually really cool and a lot of fun so far.
Being a free to play fighter, BlazBlue RR has an extensive character progression system that sees you unlocking characters gacha-style and upgrading their various skills and abilities. There’s also a seemingly deep loot system where you can unlock various rarity levels of equipment and outfit your fighter to increase their stats. As long as you’re cool with the normal free to play trappings including an energy system, in-game currencies, and likely lots of grinding, BlazBlue RR seems to have a ton of hooks to keep you playing in the long-term.
Although there hasn’t been a ton of action in our forums just yet, it seems like people have been enjoying BlazBlue RR during its soft-launch, and now that it’s out here in the US I’ve been enjoying it a lot as well. Whether that holds true in the coming days and weeks remains to be seen, but if you like BlazBlue or fighting games in general you should definitely check out the free BlazBlue RR to see if it’s your cup of tea.
