Reviewed by: David Valjalo

Format: Nintendo DS

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Treasure

[ratings]

The manga roots of Bleach – wherein the adolescent Ichigo is granted Death’s gatekeeper duties and a giant sword – may not make it the most immediately accessible of franchises but developer Treasure’s latest DS iteration is bursting with enough kinetic swords and swipes that new-comers may well be converted.

Treasure’s history in the hardcore arena of 2-D actioners (see Gunstar Heroes, Astro Boy) is a surprisingly good fit for the material.  Incorporating the dynamics of a card game (Spirit Cards that aid and abet each battle with unique properties) with a 2-D fighter might sound like death by paradox but in Dark Souls it mostly works, lending the sometimes-frantic battles a strategic flavour.

The animations, environments and cut-scenes are crisp and faithful to the series, blazing a trail of colour and charisma across the DS’s two screens.  Though essentially a one-on-one fighter, Dark Souls’ Story Mode is fleshed out with enough variety and levelling up to make it a solid investment for the solo player (but Bleach newbie beware; the mediocre script translation and series jargon won’t make a lot of sense first time out).  The customisation options for the “decks” which encompass players’ Spirit Cards are extensive and, alongside a roster of 44 unlockable characters, add longevity to a genre usually bereft of it.

A versus mode (with CPU or up to 3 other users wirelessly) features though the tag battles reduce the action to a button-bashing melee rather than the tense battles of attrition the command system achieves in 2-player.

Bleach: Dark Souls – like both its anime and videogame heritage – is an acquired taste, but once you’ve got the hunger it’s guaranteed to be insatiable.

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