by Omar (@siegarettes)

• Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel
  
• Developers- Examu
  
• Publisher- Marvelous USA, XSEED
  
• PS3, PS4
  

It feels strange to review Nitroplus Blasterz so quickly after spending major time with Dengenki Bunko Fighting Climax. Both serve a small niche of specific anime lovers, and both feel like something that a generation or two ago would be mostly relegated to small hobby shops. Yet today we have both, serving their niche and appearing in large retail stores alongside all the other major releases. If anything, it’s an indication of the growth of their audience.

Surface comparisons aside, Nitroplus Blasterz takes a slightly different place than its peers. There’s definitely the familiar legacy from other “anime fighters” such as Guilty Gear, but there’s much less of a focus on air combat and more on using set ups and assists to extend moves. There’s an escape action, which acts a bit like KOF’s dodge rolls. Moves chain easily, and special attack motions are kept simple for accessibility. Supers act almost like EX moves in Street Fighter IV, as powered up versions of special attacks that can burn meter to extend combos. Each character also has their own “Lethal Blaze” move which will burn all your energy for a powerful comeback move, which results in the game cutting to a scene of full on anime. There’s enough here for those who really want to be able to get deep into the game and craft some major combos, but there’s not much in the game to explain the systems (nor a digital manual) so more casual players will be left confused to a lot of the deeper elements.

There’s a story mode for those looking for single-player content, but it lacks any of the hooks of the Nitro+ visual novels and anime appear in. It’s essentially an arcade mode with some extra scenes thrown in as a weak justification for characters to fight. “Another Story” mode fares better in that area, with several episodes that act as miniature visual novels (interrupting by an occasional fight). Without the restriction of having a single character there’s a bit more space to play around in, and the multiple perspectives bring a little more to the story. Still, it’s all nonsense if you’re not well versed in the worlds the characters are from, as they rely heavily on terms and places from them to build it.

As usual, the online mode will be the place for those really looking to get the most from it. It’s basic, with ranked and unranked modes, and lobbies for those looking for extended sessions. It performed as well as any other fighter when I reached a match, but the structure around those fights is decidedly unexciting.

Most of my enjoyment, then, came from slowly learning character playstyles and observing the animations. Sonico in particular became a quick favorite, as she never fights directly. Instead she’s followed by a group of rowdy cats who perform all her attacks, or distract her long enough for her bandmates to jump in a deal some damage. Each move is accompanied by her struggling and apologizing for not being able to keep control of her cats. I spent a good chunk of my initial time with the game laughing at the scene. There’s more of that throughout the game, provided you can deal with the typical assortment of anime archetypes and continually low level sexualization. If anything, collecting each of these characters together flattens any personalities they may have had outside the game, giving them an even more archetypical look.

If you’re reading this, more than likely you already know if you’re the audience for Nitroplus Blasterz, and there’s enough here that you can feel confident taking the plunge and picking it up. Competent, is the word that comes to mind playing it, though without an investment in the characters you’ll likely find your attention drifting elsewhere.