Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax (PS3) - Review
by Jared Katz , posted on 05 October 2015 / 6,413 Views
While manga/light novel crossover fighters haven’t garnered the same level of attention as the likes of Super Smash Bros. or Marvel vs. Capcom, they have nonetheless managed to gain some traction over the course of the last decade and have started to hit western shores. Enter Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax, the latest light novel crossover fighter to reach the west.
DB:FC was created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Dengenki Bunko, a light novel publisher which has created dozens of globally recognised IPs over the years. The game pits characters from different light novel franchises against one another in fighting arenas based on Sega franchises. While the gameplay may be too basic for veterans of the fighting genre, Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax is still an entertaining game for casual fighting fans and those who have read or watched the original material that the game is based on.
The controls for Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax are simple enough to pick up and learn within just a single short play season. This simplicity is mostly due to the fact that while moves differ between characters, the motions and buttons used to perform special attacks are the same across the board. In DB:FC there are four main actions: weak attack (A), medium attack (B), strong attack (C), and summon assist character (D). Certain moves require two or more buttons to be pushed at the same time, but these can be assigned to bumpers.
For example, LB1 can be assigned to carry out a A + B move, which will result in your fighter performing a combo attack, while RB1 can be used to carry out an A + C move, which results in a trump card attack. All special attacks require just a quarter-circle motion and an A/B/C button push. Likewise, to perform a super attack all you need to do is a half-circle motion in either direction and B + C button pushes.
If that was all there was to Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax’s gameplay then it would soon become dull. Luckily, the addition of the assist characters, blast gauge, trump icons, and the super bar all introduce a degree of mind games to the mix. While not quite as apparent when facing a CPU opponent, these factors often lead to strategic battles when playing against human opponents.
Utilising these different features to their fullest potential is the key to winning, and tends to create some of the most enjoyable moments to be had playing DB:FC. The one major complaint I have about the gameplay, outside its general simplicity, is the inability to cancel moves mid-attack. It feels like a missed opportunity to add another level of mind games and strategic play to the combat, and could have helped entice more hardcore fighting fans.
Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax boasts a roster of 14 playable characters and 23 assist characters. While the number of assist characters is more than adequate, it's hard not to be a little disappointed by the amount of actual playable characters. Headline playable characters include Mikoto Misaka (A Certain Scientific Railgun), Kirto (Sword Art Online), Taiga Aisaka (Toradora!), and Shizou Heiwajima (Durarara!!). There are also four Sega representatives (two playable and two assist).
Each character fights in a manner fitting their origins; Taiga uses her wooden sword, Miyuki uses her ice magic, and Tomoka uses her basketball skills, for example. As mentioned earlier all of DB:FC’s stages are based on Sega franchises, both visually and musically. Stages range from the iconic Green Hill Zone of Sonic, to a war-torn battlefield from Valkyria Chronicles.
The game includes two different story modes - a fairly standard Arcade Story mode and a Dream Duel mode. In Arcade mode you're summoned to the world of dreams as the final envoy of hope, and must stop the data-devouring Zetsumu from completing his nefarious plans. While there isn’t actually much of a story to be told, Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax nonetheless manages to capture the characters' personalities perfectly when they are talking to Zetsumu in-between fights. Dream Duel mode also offers an interesting glimpse into how various different characters would react upon meeting one another.
Outside of the two story modes most of your time will be spent with the Online Multiplayer mode. There are ranked and non-ranked matches, with ranked matches being recorded on your win/loss statistics and the rules being set by default. On the other hand, when you join a group to play a non-ranked online match, the rules will be set by the host of the group. These matches won’t affect your win/loss statistics, and even if you’re not playing you'll be able to watch the current match. Fortunately I can report that there is very little lag in online play in my experience.
While Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax might not be the most beautiful fighting game on the market, it is still quite visually pleasing. As with its previous games, developer French Bread has once again done a great job of giving life to characters with its sprite work. Likewise, the fourteen different palette swaps per character are interesting and look great when in motion. Art from the light novels' artists being used in the game’s credits is also a nice touch.
One of the most surprising aspects of DB:FC is the quality of the music for both the stages and the menus. The music for each stage perfectly captures the essence of the franchise it represents, while the menu music is enjoyable in its own right. As Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax uses the anime-adaption seiyuus, the voice work is also of a high quality.
Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax comes close to being a fantastic crossover fighter, but ultimately it'll have to settle with just being good. Though DB:FC is enjoyable, especially to start with, simplistic fighting gameplay and a relatively small number of playable characters lets the experience down. Light novel fans will nonetheless be very pleased to see that a great deal of care has gone into successfully portraying the characters and their personalities. DB:FC may not objectively be the best fighting game of 2015 but it will be a highly enjoyable experience for its target audience.
This review is based on a digital copy of Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax for the PS3, provided by the publisher.
