GAMING

Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax (PS3)

Rating: 6.5/10

Dengeki Bunko is a mash-up of anime characters clashing it out in battles taking place on stages influenced by Sega franchises. If this sounds like something that would appeal to you, then you can definitely find something of interest within. The crossover game was made to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Dengeki Bunko imprint, which publishes a variety of light novels in Japan. It’s developed collaboratively by Ecole Software and French Bread, and is published by Sega.

The game is a 2D fighter, pitting you against an opponent along with a support character who you can call out at any time for an automatic attack. Controls consists of three attacks; weak, medium, and strong. You can also gain an advantage in battle through the use of a Trump Card, which is a power up that provides new temporary abilities and allow you to unleash some deeper attack links on your enemy.

In terms of modes you have the typical fighting game Versus, Time-Attack and Survival modes, but also included is a Story mode, which is presented via visual-novel style dialogues between the different characters. Two options are available in this mode; an Arcade mode in which the plot is based around an attempt at explaining why and how these characters are mixed up together in the world, through a very anime-esque storyline involving an AI. The other Dream mode is more of a fan-service option, which will offer more regular dialogue exchanges between the different characters.

If you’re a Sega fan you should be pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of a variety of stages from Sega franchises. You can find 3D rendered arenas that are based off of various Sega games such as Sonic the Hedgehog and also lesser known series such as NiGHTS into Dreams, Phantasy Star Online 2, and Virtual-On. It does feel that these stages seem a bit out of place considering the roster however, as I don’t particularly see Sega fans necessarily picking this game up based on that alone. Graphically the stages also seem a little static with not much animation happening in the background. The Sega content doesn’t stop there either, as you can also unlock Virtua Fighter’s Akira as a playable character along with Pei for support.

Inside you can also find a ton of fan service packed within, from a gallery of covers of the original novels, to soundbanks of voice clips by the respective anime’s voice actors, short character profiles, and even the ability to unlock different styles of your character’s autograph which will be shown off in online matchups. It’s a good amount of extra content that should make fans of these characters satisfied.
Being that it’s such a specific crossover title, it’s tough to recommend this one to people that may not be familiar with these series. While it’s a totally serviceable fighting game, it seems like it’s really meant to pay homage to these series and characters, and is ultimately for the fans, so if that’s you then you can definitely enjoy your time with it.

About author

International Concert Photojournalist at Live in Limbo. His work has been published in The New York Times, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Alternative Press and many more.