During Anime Expo 2024, Bandai Namco Entertainment debuted the trailer for BLEACH Rebirth of Souls. This will be the first BLEACH title intended for a console release since BLEACH: Soul Resurrección came out in 2011. Building on the celebration and popularity of BLEACH’s 20th anniversary and the Thousand-Year Blood War anime, game developer Tamsoft felt that it was the right time to bring a new BLEACH title to fans.
To further explain the creative process and the gameplay, the Bandai Namco team invited us to discuss the Rebirth of Souls with the Tamsoft developers.
General Overview of "Rebirth of Souls"
Rebirth of Souls will be an action/fighting game aiming to appeal to both anime fans and fighting game fans. The team intentionally made the game mechanics easy to maneuver and understand, allowing anyone to pick up and play the game with minimal discouragement.
Overall, the game aims to create an experience for the fans, allowing them to be their favorite characters. Fans will encounter new sides of their favorite characters through characters’ actions and story immersion. The game’s story will cover events starting from the Lost Substitute Shinigami arc and going up to the current anime, Thousand-Year Blood War.
When asked about the timing for this game, the Tamsoft team wanted the opportunity to create something new and enjoyable for BLEACH fans. On the technical end, they wanted to take advantage of the amazing graphics provided by new generation consoles – specifically, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The biggest change in graphics comes from advancements in how developers can manipulate lighting. Even if your world isn’t realistic, having realistic shadows on objects will make a difference!
Inspiration, Incorporation, and Individuality
When creating Rebirth of Souls, the developers first looked to Soul Resurrección. That game featured fighting with multiple enemies, lending itself to a wild hack-and-slash adventure. To expand the franchise and narrow down a genre, the team kept two things in mind:
- What are the fans looking for?
- What experience does the Bandai Namco team have with anime games?
Bandai Namco has previously released titles for Naruto and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, both of which were battle royales. To make BLEACH stand out from other anime titles, the team focused combat around how it happens in the story. Everything was simplified down to the sword, allowing it to become a representation of the character’s soul.
The fighting gameplay emphasizes the one sword strike, close combat, and reversal. With the updated graphics, combat can fully take advantage of moving the characters around the X axis (horizontal movement). This allows for individual player strategy – do you maneuver closer to the enemy and risk taking a hit, or do you retreat and step away?
Each character will also boast unique sword abilities, most likely aligning with the techniques they can perform. Every battle promises to be fast-paced and dynamic, immersing each player in the world of BLEACH.
BLEACH: Rebirth of Souls will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Categorized in the Fighting genre, combat will be real time and third person. Local and online multiplayer will support up to 2 players. Bandai Namco will release more information in the coming months.
Leave a Reply