After playing BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, I noticed it had characters from a game I also bought alongside it as a bundle. 4 characters represent Under Night in Cross Tag. So transitioning to playing Under Night didn't feel so off.
A highly competitive, 2D anime fighting game franchise developed by French-Bread and published by Arc System Works. It is famous for blending the visual aesthetic of light novels with deep, street-brawl-style footsies and unique resource management mechanics.
Unlike many traditional anime fighters that favor frantic, aerial "air-dashing" combat, Under Night is predominantly grounded and focused on spacing, defensive blocking, and neutral play.
Positioned at the bottom center of the screen is a "tug-of-war" meter shared by both players. Doing positive actions (moving forward, successfully blocking, or hitting the opponent) fills the blocks on your side, while retreating or taking damage loses them.
Every few seconds, a central timer clock counts down. The player who has more GRD blocks filled when the clock hits zero enters the Vorpal State, granting a 10% damage boost and access to Chain Shift (which freezes time to cancel actions or convert GRD into super meter).
The series uses a simple 4-button layout (Light, Medium, Heavy, and the "D" button for the GRD system) alongside a lenient smart-combo system. While it is incredibly easy for beginners to pick up and press buttons, the system-level mechanics offer a massive skill ceiling for competitive players.
The narrative plays out like an urban fantasy light novel. Once a month, a phenomenon known as the Hollow Night envelops modern Japanese cities in a shadowy, invisible barrier.
* The Voids: The Night is populated by invisible monsters called Voids that feed on human souls.
* The In-Birth: Regular humans cannot see the Night. However, if a human survives being bitten by a Void, they become an In-Birth—gaining supernatural powers and the ability to manifest weapons out of their souls.
* Different factions of In-Birth battle in the shadows. Some seek to protect humanity, others want to exploit the Night to attain god-like status, and groups like Night Blade try to enforce order.
The cartridge includes the final version of the original Under Night story arc. It features 21 characters, including the ice-themed fighter Londrekia, alongside his dedicated story, stage, and music. It also comes with the expansive single-player Visual Novel "Chronicles Mode", Arcade modes, and full tutorial/challenge options.
Pretty wild for a fighting game to have chinky content aside from vs or online vs mode. Definitely enjoying this one with my kids.
Consensus Score:
80/100 😎
