Everything that you read about here is the result of my frustration over the lack of imagination that the developers keep showing as they continue to bring us nothing but fighting games out of such a promising game concept as the one that Bleach provides us with... I apologize for any misspelled words and/or poorly formed sentences as I am far from mastering this language.
Bleach: Shinigami Yu ("you")
Grow and develop as the death god Yu in this epic, open-ended action-adventure RPG where you go from being an unknown, parentless kid in Rukongai to becoming a celebrity in Seireitei along with your very own zanpakuto, fighting style and perhaps even Bankai as time passes by.
Features
An easy to learn battle-system with two types of basic attacks; quick (performed immediately, inflicts normal damage) and strong (performed after a slight delay, inflicts major damage). Using timing, these attacks can then be chained into combos – mixed however you like, even with your character’s special attacks such as deadly jumps, insane charges and quick flash jumps where your only restriction is the weakness of your attributes and abilities.
Apart from physical attacks there are also mental ones – with plenty of spells to learn by mastering the hard techniques of Kido. Carry out everything from lighter destructive or binding spells such as “white lightning” and “restrain”, to more powerful ones like “abolishing flames” and "Quintet of 1 kan Iron Pillars".
Character development
Yu has four attributes that may be altered during gameplay:
Strength, affects how much physical damage that Yu can inflict both while wielding a weapon as well as unarmed. It also decides Yu’s defense and thus how much of a beating he/she can take.
Agility,affects the number of attacks that can be chained into a combo, as well as how fast Yu is able to perform flash jumps.
Technique, unlocks new special attacks and also improves the ones that Yu has already been taught.
Spirit, unlocks new forms of Kido (spells) as well as affects how much damage a destructive spell does or the longevity/power of a passive one.
By completing quests, purifying Hollows and sending souls to the afterlife, Yu gains more and more experience as well as gets a higher reputation – where the first helps him/her reach new levels and thus improve all four attributes, while the second will open up more quests, increase the number of areas that can be visited in Seireitei, and also gives Yu the opportunity to climb the ranks of his/her division.
A big part of Yu’s personality and character will be shaped while the player is still learning how to play the game – in Rukongai, where he or she will run into all sorts of everyday problems and perform quests of a more simple nature that can even be related to in your own personal life.
Zanpakuto, shinkai and bankai
As a shinigami, Yu gets his or her own and unique zanpakuto which’s look, size and weapon type all depends on how Yu’s soul looks like once the player has left Rukongai. This will also affect the outcome of the weapon’s second and third forms; shikai and bankai.
In order to transform your zanpakuto and enter shikai, Yu must first learn the name of the weapon by successfully completing a number of difficult side-quests, but also progress far enough in story-mode and develop his/her attributes to a certain degree – especially Spirit, after which the player will unlock new special attacks that has with your zanpakuto to do. Needless to say, these attacks are only available to Yu after calling on his/her zanpakuto, thus entering shikai mode.
In order to achieve the even more powerful mode bankai, Yu must complete even more side-quests that are even harder – all of which has to do with getting to know your zanpakuto even better, have progressed even further along the game’s storyline, purified at least 200 Hollows, obtained enough reputation to become a Lieutenant or higher, match the requirements of his/her Abilities (again, the Spirit-element is of especially importance here), and already know the name of his/her zanpakuto.
As with shinkai, bankai mode unlocks new special attacks that are even more powerful then previously ones, but also boosts each and every of the four attributes to reach incredible heights. Unlike the lesser mode, bankai is extremely trying on Yu’s body and mind and as such, the player risks not only getting exhausted for a long period of time but even physically hurt should he or she attempt to stay in that mode for too long or push the special attacks far enough.
Note that it is possible to finish the game without ever reaching bankai mode.
Kido
Demon arts, or Kido, are a type of sorcery that every shinigami may learn but are hard to master and the more powerful spells are particularly hard to perform.
Most spells are sorted into two categories: Hadu (destructive spells) and Bakudo (binding spells) where the latter is more generalized and refers to basically any technique not intended to harm, though some binding spells can be quite harmful to their targets, if not deadly. Destructive spells, on the other hand, usually consists of some sort of directed energy blast.
Apart from having a name, each spell is also allotted a number between 1 and 99 – representing how hard it is to perform where #1 is very simple to cast while #99 is incredibly difficult, as well as telling how powerful the spell is (naturally). With the exception of healing, casting a spell consist of four distinct steps: reciting the incantation of the spell (which is usually long-winded), its category (hadu or bakudo), its number, and finally its name.
With sufficient training a shinigami can learn to bypass the first step, allowing spells to be used more quickly while in combat. Doing so, however, lessens the spell’s effect, the degree of which is dependent upon the skill of the caster. Bypassing the incantation is also more difficult for higher-numbered spells as casting them is already fairly difficult even with the full verbal component.
Ranks and reputation
Once Yu have departed from Rukongai to be trained a shinigami in Seireitei, the player is then put into a division to serve his/her superiors. Each division consists of a Captain, a Lieutenant, a number of Seated officers, and several hundred soldiers – Yu being one of these. As time progresses and the players continue to develop, he or she will be able to climb these ranks all the way up to Captain.
Gaining more respect from the people in Yu’s surroundings by completing quests and such will not only unlock new quests but also gives the player certain perks; such as access to previously closed areas within Seireitei and the opportunity to not only get a glimpse of but also talk to known people from the Bleach anime and manga. As a Captain, Lieutenant and Seated officer it is even possible to fight alongside them and also to have soldiers join you under your command in order to ease your quests.
Rukongai
The game starts off in Rukongai where Yu is just like any other teenager with a dream of some day leaving the dull and simple city that is Rukongai to instead enter the gigantic gates of Seireitei where a world full of action, adventures and almost endless possibilities and near immortality awaits.
This is why Yu and some of his/her friends have been training so hard ever since they were 9 years old and for the first time got a glimpse of a true shinigami outside of Seireitei. After years and years of practicing with nothing but sticks and poorly made wooden swords, they have now finally been able to each get hold of a genuine bo-stick of their own and are ready to get dead serious.
It’s at this crucial point of time that the player familiarizes him- or herself with the controls and slowly shapes Yu’s own strengths and weaknesses by helping the people of Rukongai with their everyday jobs, sparring with the other kids, and exploring the city. Most quests will be pre-scripted events where speed and nimble fingers is the key to success, but whether you actually manage to pull these events off or not – they all add up to shape Yu’s character by changing his/her attributes and even body shape to a certain degree, because all events have more than just one outcome and even a failure will still count towards building your character in these early stages – where Yu gains no “real” experience nor reputation.
Aside from those scripted events, the player have full control of where to go, what quests to undertake and how much time you dedicate to spar with your friends – though all of Rukongai’s story-driven quests must be completed before the player can move on to Seireitei (and Tokyo).
Seireitei
Once singled out to be trained a shinigami in one of Seireitei’s many divisions, along with two of Yu’s best friends – whom you will be seeing a lot of in the game and not only helps you out but also gives you even more decisions which will continue to form Yu’s personality – the freedom to choose between quests are just as big as it was in Rukongai, only here the vast majority of them will be more action oriented and not so heavily dependent on the player’s reflexes. Yu will now also start to gain experience and reputation points for each completed mission, purified Hollow, and soul rescued – giving the player a more direct control over Yu’s progress and growth. At first, missions will first and foremost be given as direct orders from superiors but as the player becomes more and more powerful and talked about, people on the street as well as members of other divisions may also ask Yu for help until his or her reputation is so big that Yu could become a Captain – after which Yu is more or less fully trained and the majority of the remaining quests drives the story to one of the game’s multiple endings.
Tokyo, Japan
Many missions, as well as certain events, undertaken while in Seireitei will transport Yu to Tokyo, Japan – a blooming, modern city filled with life that is just as big, detailed and interactive as Seireitei with lots of people, souls and Hollows wandering about. Be careful not to wreak too much havoc while visiting as the humans living here are not to be harmed and any collateral damage will make Yu look bad, so try to lure those Hollows away so that neither they nor he/she accidentally tear through a building as you fight.
Bleach: Shinigami Yu ("you")
Grow and develop as the death god Yu in this epic, open-ended action-adventure RPG where you go from being an unknown, parentless kid in Rukongai to becoming a celebrity in Seireitei along with your very own zanpakuto, fighting style and perhaps even Bankai as time passes by.
Features
- * Explore not only a modern, living and breathing Tokyo but also Seireitei and Rukongai!
- * Shape your character the way you want to with your own strengths, weaknesses and unique zanpakuto!
- * Talk to, take order from and spar with characters known from the anime and manga!
- * Improve your reputation and climb the ranks of your own division!
- * Reach both shinkai and bankai through hard training!
- * More than 50 different Hollows to fight!
- * Learn up to 20 different Kidos!
- * Is Yu a daring girl or boy? You decide!
An easy to learn battle-system with two types of basic attacks; quick (performed immediately, inflicts normal damage) and strong (performed after a slight delay, inflicts major damage). Using timing, these attacks can then be chained into combos – mixed however you like, even with your character’s special attacks such as deadly jumps, insane charges and quick flash jumps where your only restriction is the weakness of your attributes and abilities.
Apart from physical attacks there are also mental ones – with plenty of spells to learn by mastering the hard techniques of Kido. Carry out everything from lighter destructive or binding spells such as “white lightning” and “restrain”, to more powerful ones like “abolishing flames” and "Quintet of 1 kan Iron Pillars".
Character development
Yu has four attributes that may be altered during gameplay:
Strength, affects how much physical damage that Yu can inflict both while wielding a weapon as well as unarmed. It also decides Yu’s defense and thus how much of a beating he/she can take.
Agility,affects the number of attacks that can be chained into a combo, as well as how fast Yu is able to perform flash jumps.
Technique, unlocks new special attacks and also improves the ones that Yu has already been taught.
Spirit, unlocks new forms of Kido (spells) as well as affects how much damage a destructive spell does or the longevity/power of a passive one.
By completing quests, purifying Hollows and sending souls to the afterlife, Yu gains more and more experience as well as gets a higher reputation – where the first helps him/her reach new levels and thus improve all four attributes, while the second will open up more quests, increase the number of areas that can be visited in Seireitei, and also gives Yu the opportunity to climb the ranks of his/her division.
A big part of Yu’s personality and character will be shaped while the player is still learning how to play the game – in Rukongai, where he or she will run into all sorts of everyday problems and perform quests of a more simple nature that can even be related to in your own personal life.
Zanpakuto, shinkai and bankai
As a shinigami, Yu gets his or her own and unique zanpakuto which’s look, size and weapon type all depends on how Yu’s soul looks like once the player has left Rukongai. This will also affect the outcome of the weapon’s second and third forms; shikai and bankai.
In order to transform your zanpakuto and enter shikai, Yu must first learn the name of the weapon by successfully completing a number of difficult side-quests, but also progress far enough in story-mode and develop his/her attributes to a certain degree – especially Spirit, after which the player will unlock new special attacks that has with your zanpakuto to do. Needless to say, these attacks are only available to Yu after calling on his/her zanpakuto, thus entering shikai mode.
In order to achieve the even more powerful mode bankai, Yu must complete even more side-quests that are even harder – all of which has to do with getting to know your zanpakuto even better, have progressed even further along the game’s storyline, purified at least 200 Hollows, obtained enough reputation to become a Lieutenant or higher, match the requirements of his/her Abilities (again, the Spirit-element is of especially importance here), and already know the name of his/her zanpakuto.
As with shinkai, bankai mode unlocks new special attacks that are even more powerful then previously ones, but also boosts each and every of the four attributes to reach incredible heights. Unlike the lesser mode, bankai is extremely trying on Yu’s body and mind and as such, the player risks not only getting exhausted for a long period of time but even physically hurt should he or she attempt to stay in that mode for too long or push the special attacks far enough.
Note that it is possible to finish the game without ever reaching bankai mode.
Kido
Demon arts, or Kido, are a type of sorcery that every shinigami may learn but are hard to master and the more powerful spells are particularly hard to perform.
Most spells are sorted into two categories: Hadu (destructive spells) and Bakudo (binding spells) where the latter is more generalized and refers to basically any technique not intended to harm, though some binding spells can be quite harmful to their targets, if not deadly. Destructive spells, on the other hand, usually consists of some sort of directed energy blast.
Apart from having a name, each spell is also allotted a number between 1 and 99 – representing how hard it is to perform where #1 is very simple to cast while #99 is incredibly difficult, as well as telling how powerful the spell is (naturally). With the exception of healing, casting a spell consist of four distinct steps: reciting the incantation of the spell (which is usually long-winded), its category (hadu or bakudo), its number, and finally its name.
With sufficient training a shinigami can learn to bypass the first step, allowing spells to be used more quickly while in combat. Doing so, however, lessens the spell’s effect, the degree of which is dependent upon the skill of the caster. Bypassing the incantation is also more difficult for higher-numbered spells as casting them is already fairly difficult even with the full verbal component.
Ranks and reputation
Once Yu have departed from Rukongai to be trained a shinigami in Seireitei, the player is then put into a division to serve his/her superiors. Each division consists of a Captain, a Lieutenant, a number of Seated officers, and several hundred soldiers – Yu being one of these. As time progresses and the players continue to develop, he or she will be able to climb these ranks all the way up to Captain.
Gaining more respect from the people in Yu’s surroundings by completing quests and such will not only unlock new quests but also gives the player certain perks; such as access to previously closed areas within Seireitei and the opportunity to not only get a glimpse of but also talk to known people from the Bleach anime and manga. As a Captain, Lieutenant and Seated officer it is even possible to fight alongside them and also to have soldiers join you under your command in order to ease your quests.
Rukongai
The game starts off in Rukongai where Yu is just like any other teenager with a dream of some day leaving the dull and simple city that is Rukongai to instead enter the gigantic gates of Seireitei where a world full of action, adventures and almost endless possibilities and near immortality awaits.
This is why Yu and some of his/her friends have been training so hard ever since they were 9 years old and for the first time got a glimpse of a true shinigami outside of Seireitei. After years and years of practicing with nothing but sticks and poorly made wooden swords, they have now finally been able to each get hold of a genuine bo-stick of their own and are ready to get dead serious.
It’s at this crucial point of time that the player familiarizes him- or herself with the controls and slowly shapes Yu’s own strengths and weaknesses by helping the people of Rukongai with their everyday jobs, sparring with the other kids, and exploring the city. Most quests will be pre-scripted events where speed and nimble fingers is the key to success, but whether you actually manage to pull these events off or not – they all add up to shape Yu’s character by changing his/her attributes and even body shape to a certain degree, because all events have more than just one outcome and even a failure will still count towards building your character in these early stages – where Yu gains no “real” experience nor reputation.
Aside from those scripted events, the player have full control of where to go, what quests to undertake and how much time you dedicate to spar with your friends – though all of Rukongai’s story-driven quests must be completed before the player can move on to Seireitei (and Tokyo).
Seireitei
Once singled out to be trained a shinigami in one of Seireitei’s many divisions, along with two of Yu’s best friends – whom you will be seeing a lot of in the game and not only helps you out but also gives you even more decisions which will continue to form Yu’s personality – the freedom to choose between quests are just as big as it was in Rukongai, only here the vast majority of them will be more action oriented and not so heavily dependent on the player’s reflexes. Yu will now also start to gain experience and reputation points for each completed mission, purified Hollow, and soul rescued – giving the player a more direct control over Yu’s progress and growth. At first, missions will first and foremost be given as direct orders from superiors but as the player becomes more and more powerful and talked about, people on the street as well as members of other divisions may also ask Yu for help until his or her reputation is so big that Yu could become a Captain – after which Yu is more or less fully trained and the majority of the remaining quests drives the story to one of the game’s multiple endings.
Tokyo, Japan
Many missions, as well as certain events, undertaken while in Seireitei will transport Yu to Tokyo, Japan – a blooming, modern city filled with life that is just as big, detailed and interactive as Seireitei with lots of people, souls and Hollows wandering about. Be careful not to wreak too much havoc while visiting as the humans living here are not to be harmed and any collateral damage will make Yu look bad, so try to lure those Hollows away so that neither they nor he/she accidentally tear through a building as you fight.
