Sclash: Don't underestimate this 2D Samurai fighting game + the First 30!

 

Slice Into Sclash - The Tense 2D Samurai Fighter Available Now

PC Version Also Gets New Sakura DLC Today in This Unique Hand-Drawn Fighter

Console players can now experience the exhilarating tension of samurai duels, as the critically acclaimed 2D fighting game Sclash slashes its way onto Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S! Developed by Bevel Bakery and published by Maximum Entertainment and Abiding Bridge, Sclash brings the art of sword combat to life with gorgeous hand-drawn characters battling across stunningly painted environments.

In Sclash, a single well-timed strike can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Players must carefully manage their stamina and breathing while sizing up opponents, looking for the perfect opening to unleash a deadly blow. With an intuitive yet supremely skill-testing combat system, Sclash captures the patient lethality and solemn drama of traditional samurai duels.

"We wanted to recreate the intense psychological warfare and surgical precision of real sword fighting in a way that was both accessible and endlessly rewarding to master," said Yuki Morimoto, lead developer at Bevel Bakery. "Sclash's deceptively simple controls belie an incredibly deep combat system that forces you to be hyper aware of everything from your spacing to your breath control."

Fun fact: Our dojo was split between karateka like myself... who were learning Uechi Ryu, and the other half were Kendo & Iaido. So while we were empty handed, they had (wooden) swords outside of certain occassions where non-battle ready blades came out for demonstration. Good times. -  Blu 

While the game may seem minimalist on the surface, players can take their skills online and duke it out against other samurai masters from around the world. There's also an immersive story mode that fleshes out the conflict between the warring Aki and Natsu clans through the lens of Japanese culture and history.

Perhaps Sclash's most stunning feature, though, is the breathtaking hand-drawn visual style that brings the characters and environments to life. Each of the 5 playable samurai characters and their 50+ unlockable skins has been painstakingly animated frame-by-frame, while the 16 battleground stages look like living Japanese ink-brush paintings. It's a real feast for the eyes.

The storymode is badass. Really look at the environment when you're in the heat of battle (especially the boss battles) and remind yourself that it's... hand drawn. I have to share this one with my Renshi, and i'm sure our Kyoshi would've been impressed. HAJIME! -  Blu 

To celebrate the console launch, Maximum Entertainment is also releasing the "Sakura" DLC for the existing PC version of Sclash today. This new add-on content includes two new customization items inspired by the iconic Japanese cherry blossom imagery.

Since first releasing on PC back in August 2023, Sclash has cultivated a passionate following among fighting game enthusiasts who appreciated its unique spin on the genre's fundamentals. With its easy-to-learn but insanely difficult-to-master mechanics and stunning visual style, it quickly established itself as an under-the-radar gem.

Now, with Sclash finally making the leap to consoles, an even wider audience can discover the unparalleled tension and exquisite artistry of this new take on samurai sword-fighting games. Grab your controller of choice, steady your breath, and prepare to put your focus and reflexes to the ultimate test against worthy foes. Just don't blink, or it may be Sclashed!

If it were me, I'd hold game tournaments at dojos, but... that's just me. HAJIME! -  Blu 

Sophima

 + Blu 

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FTS - BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is Making its Arcade Debut!

Soon It Will Be Even Harder to Escape From Crossing Fate... BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Officially Arriving in Arcades in Japan

Torrance, California – January 25, 2019 – Arc System Works America, Inc. is proud to announce that BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle will be making its arcade debut this Spring in Japan! Revealed at the Japan Amusement Expo (JAEPO), the Arcade Version will open up BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle to a whole new group of fighting game fans. Arc System Works will begin deploying BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle to arcades in Japan starting in the Spring of 2019. The dream cross-over 2D Fighting game, featuring characters from BlazBlue, Persona 4, Under Night In-Birth and RWBY took the world by storm in 2018. The Arcade Version will include all the current updates deployed to its console equivalent and include all the additional characters that have been released thus far. *Console versions will be receiving the same v1.5 update as well. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Arcade Edition will launch on both the “NESiCAxLive2” and “ALL.Net P-ras MULTI Ver.3.” platforms. Also, by using the Guild website, you can view all of the combat data from either one. A COMPLETELY NEW MENU Unlike previous versions that featured 1 Credit per Play, we have implemented a point system for this release. The number of points consumed will vary, depending on game mode and type, allowing players greater freedom in choosing how to play at arcades.   LOCATION TESTS CONFIRMED Get your chance to play-test the new v1.5 update before the rest of the world gets to see it.  Location Tests will be held on the NESiCAxLive2 Platform only.  Dates - February 9th and 10th, 2019 Locations - Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya

Brought to you by the... Baby Fu Clothing Co!

Ready, Set... Fight with this Brawler bundle!

Ready, Set... Fight with this Brawler bundle!

Grab this bundle + support SDGT at the same time!

             

Brought to you by the... Baby Fu Clothing Co! [WaDaTah!!!]

It's a STAMPEDE of Animated Arcade Fighting Action!

I can always appreciate a good looking 2D animated fighting game! By the way... this game should totally have "Donkey" from Shrek!

Humble Bundle is excited to announce its newest published game, Them's Fightin' Herds, just released on Thursday, February 22 at 1 p.m. Pacific time! This 2D fighting game features a cast of 4-legged combatants! Beneath the cute and cuddly surface designed by acclaimed cartoon producer and developer Lauren Faust, a serious and mechanically deep, GGPO-powered fighter awaits!

Owners of Blazblue Centralfiction, Skullgirls, and GUILTY GEAR Xrd REV 2 on Steam will automatically unlock exclusive cosmetic items for the Pixel Lobby.

 Brought to you by the... Baby Fu Clothing Co!

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Yatagarasu Attack on Cataclysm… reviewed!

This game is structured with tournaments in mind (even more so than other fighting games I’ve seen)… and could prove to be a great starting point for anyone working on creating their own tournament events.

I always welcome fighting games, and I feel that this is a pretty cool one (that will probably kick your butt on normal mode if you aren’t a frequent player of fighting games, but it looks pretty good doing it too)… representing 2D fighting in a way that takes me back (in time that is).

Off the bat… the opening of the game got my attention and made me curious about what it was all about, and I am a fan of 2D fighting games (if I had the means when I was a teen… I probably would’ve been in EVO-like tournaments showing no mercy; I’d still take on the likes of Daigo Umehara... I'm not joking).

The reason I feel that this game is structured with tournaments in mind, is because… the launcher presents you more options based on setting up tournaments more than anything else.

You can create your tournament start date, name, list the host, the venue, as well as tournament results, team registrations and the ability to tweet when you’re a participant in a tournament.

Tournaments can be either online or offline, it’s up to you or whoever the host is. There are a lot of options that may confuse someone  that’s not familiar with setting up tournaments… but for hosts, creating instructions on how to join a tournament would be the thing I’d suggest (if they aren’t local).

I think this is awesome… and would allow anyone to create a tournament if desired. You get the option of uploading your own icon (if your team wants to represent).
Something that stood out in this game for me (beyond the tournament creation aspect)… was the CPU commentators added to the mix. Think of the commentators of fighting game tournaments and how they liven up matches, then… take a few teaspoons of that and add it to a fighting game, and you get what we have here. Thought that was a pretty cool addition.

Beyond the tournament and commentator coolness, it would’ve been great to get a bit more from the story (mainly presentation wise). The background remains the same… and so do the character poses, and as we move forward, even with appreciation of the older fighters it would good to see new things added to the mix (in addition to those mentioned).

I won’t rag on this game for something many fighting games have gotten away with based on illustrations for story (minus skipping out on the backgrounds)… but if I can recommend any updates being made, it would be to update the backgrounds at least, and allow for analog control (thought that was going to be an option with the Xbox controller option). If all my requests were to be met, I’d also request character expressions with alternate poses (or even great 2D animation if it can be pushed to that point), more character, increased resolution. That’s totally if… the developer is seeking a way to deliver even more.

From the standpoint of it being a smaller team, I can understand that it doesn’t have such things… but at the same time knowing that some of the members of this team also played a part in games ranging from King of Fighters… to Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, it would’ve been great to see more (that could’ve gained even more interest from fans of those games). Call it… wishful thinking, but I’m excited to see what they deliver as time goes on (hopefully they continue progressing Yatagarasu… versus jumping to another fighting game).

Another area where I feel the game could’ve delivered a bit more… is the… user interface (UI) outside of the health bars and power meters, because the menus are really plain. It doesn’t make or break the overall game… but just because I can still eat ice cream, doesn’t mean I’d pass up on having whipped cream and a cherry on top. I say that because presentation goes a long way.

Last but not least, one thing the localization team has to beware of… are those pesky typos. Some gamers wouldn’t care less or even notice, but those who want to enjoy a game to the fullest (because it is an investment)… deserve to have the text of a storyline make sense.

One thing I’m making note of is the indie initiative: Fine tuning can take care of those things mentioned, and though it would’ve been great to have such things upon release (if updates come)… this game was funded through a crowd funding campaign. That in itself makes me wonder if they did what they could under the circumstances of getting the game to backers as promised in a certain timeframe but plan on doing updates now that it’s out. (Fingers crossed.) I’ll take these things over game affecting bugs any day, but I could also do without either.

Character wise… the men and women in the game are almost even in the amount of male and female fighters the game has to offer, which one of the members of Nyu-Media told me in a tidbit that there’s some degree of gender ambiguity among the characters... so they consulted GLAAD for the localization (which is a non-governmental media monitoring organization founded by some LGBT people in the media).

I’ve experienced characters in numerous games… and even anime shows with unknown genders, so it isn’t uncommon to me. If they felt the consultation from the organization would help the game… more power to them, it would’ve been good to get more characters though. Anyway, get in and play with each character to see what you think, especially if you plan on indulging in some tournament action and want to be known for how much butt you can kick with a specific character. I’m still feeling them out, and for Street Fighter and King of Fighters fans… there are a few characters that will possibly feel familiar to you.

I really like what they did here regarding tournament options, that deserves 2 sore thumbs up (from playing that is). Some of the characters aren’t as memorable as they could be (for me)… but I haven’t exactly played with them a great deal (and it takes time for characters to grow on me). Some characters I do like... and my favs are not only looking the part, but are functional enough for me to be effective in matches. Thinking about the characters, they could be overshadowed somewhat by the commentators… who even shout at the end of matches in my experience (so I couldn't hear the character). Fans have the ability to take characters to that point of remembrance in my opinion though, because... some people fall in love with characters they represent with in tournaments and will (at times) talk about them, their back story, quirks, etc. Curiosity could literally be built in someone else because of the way someone else feels… but I will leave it at that, hopefully you understand what I mean and how it relates to this review. :p

Price wise… I can’t argue with $15, especially if someone can take the offerings of this game and turn them into an opportunity for themselves and challengers looking for tournaments (those are just memorable experiences waiting for action)… and the games not expensive.Fun factor: 4 (One player… bit of a lackluster, but add multiplayer and tournament action and it’s a different story.)

Visually: 3

Replay value: 5

Price: 4

4 / 5