Some better gameplay could have made this a great Japan only game, even if it has no blood.
- Fun combat system
- Full-motion cutscenes, at last
- Great graphics
- Good music and voice work
Negative
- No bloodshed
- Too much cutscenes, not much combat at first
- No exploration and the gameplay is far too simple
Blood+ Souyoku no Battle Rondo is based on a very good anime titled Blood+. The game does a good job to translate it in this state, with great graphics and music. Adding an interesting combat system which is underused, but the total absence of blood make this more like Blood-.
Apparently the game doesn't follow the 50 episode anime. There is the full cast of protagonists though and they all look marvelous. The game is full of Japanese language dialogue and options since the game was never translated (what a surprise). But finally, after I played so many Japan only games I find one with full-motion cutscenes. There is motion and talking in the background so you won't find 2 characters talking to each other in 2D. The only problem is that there are too much cutscenes, much more than gameplay. Throughout the story you can choose your answer, there are 2 normally but it's a little change of pace from the usual games.
The gameplay is shallow and nothing extraordinary but it has its moments. Most people aren't gonna be impressed though. You fight chiropterans which are basically your only enemies. At times you get to choose between Saya and Hagi to play with. Saya is a more trustworthy character to use since she has a special attack. But Hagi is good as well. With Saya when collecting enough red crystals you press O and do a special attacks. When the screen background environments blues a little, prepare to do a combo. This special attack does good damage but over time becomes wary. Combat is basic with the square button to attack and the other most used button will probably be the R2 button to roll and dodge. Enemy variety is lacking and the only difference is that some can fly and attack from the air. Unfortunately there is no exploration at all; you are just put in battle after a series of long, almost never ending cutscenes and fight for a minute or two. By collecting blue crystals you will increase your level. Look at the top right of the screen. Even so the gameplay is very easy just by pressing square so it gets monotonous.
As it is, Blood + looks excellent. It doesn't have a perfect anime feel but the cast is immediately recognizable if you watched the anime. The character models are great looking to almost every detail. There are some missing things though. Hagi doesn't always carry his cello around (his black case) and at school the students have their bags missing. The cutscenes look terrific to say the least and the background environments are impressive as well. Well the cutscenes have to look good since there are a lot of them. The biggest disappointment if you ask me is that there isn't a single drop of blood. Not even the enemies bleed. The game feels more like Blood- because of this.
The sound isn't as good as the graphics but everything about it is good. The voice acting is of course from the cast from the anime, along with some new characters. Despite these some voices like that of Saya are louder than others. Her voice is much louder than that of Hagi even if he has a quite voice but the difference is sometimes unfitting. The music is ok but nothing out of this world.
The camera can't be turned in gameplay but the battle stages are generally small and don't require much movement. Also the lock on system focuses on the enemy so you won't loose him. You might fight more than one enemy in a stage but Saya can hit more than one enemy at once so she doesn't let them make a move. In cutscenes sometimes you are promoted to press the O button at the right time to do an action like dodging.
Souyoku no Battle Rondo is a surprisingly good Japan only which doesn't fully use its license and potential. With a little more time for combat and less talking, this game would have been great. It's still worth a look if you liked the anime because this is a rare chance since you rarely get to see full-motion cutscenes and a great presentation in a Japan only game.
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Graphics = 8.2
Nothing to complain about except for some missing thing. That aside this game looks great. From the models to the backgrounds. Why isn't there any blood here?
Sound = 7.6
Excellent voice acting from a familiar cast of characters and good music.
Presentation = 8.4
Finally, a Japan only game which has full-motion cutscenes and these look fantastic. The camera is placed well and the loadings are fast. There are too much cutscenes though.
Gameplay = 7.0
Fun gameplay even if it's nothing special. The fighting sequences are short, and there isn't much. You can play as Saya and Hagi, and they handle differently but the enemy variety is low and there is no blood. Special attacks are good but get old.
Story = 7.3
According to wikipedia, the game happens between the year interval between episodes 32 and 33 but if it was true Riku shouldn't be in the game. But the story doesn't follow the anime's story but follows a fictional story. Even if I can't understand much, it feels that it's well done.
OVERALL = 72 / 100
Underused gameplay and the total lack of blood hold what is a great Japan only anime based game.