BlazBlue Beginner Guide for BlazBlue Centralfiction: Special Edition

BlazBlue Centralfiction: Special Edition comes to Nintendo Switch today, and with it possibly a large amount of players new to the franchise. So, to celebrate the release, we’ve put together a simple BlazBlue Beginner Guide to help you get started.

[1] The story is entertaining, but crazy!

This is common knowledge, and a bit of a running joke among the community, but the story of BLAZBLUE is convoluted and insane, sometimes dipping into being total nonsense. Centralfiction is no exception to this, acting as the end point of the core narrative plot that begun in Calamity Trigger back in 2008.

There are primers to get you caught up with the story, and an encyclopaedia in case you need to refer back to certain terms and names of organisations, the first of which we would thoroughly recommend. But, really, our advice would be to just enjoy it. The story of BlazBlue is dumb, admittedly, but it’s a load of fun to behold.

But what to do to jump into the game? The first port of call should be …

[2] Picking your character

This is always a daunting task in any fighting game, but if you’re coming into BlazBlue fresh with the Nintendo Switch release, you have 36 characters to choose between, all with their own mechanics to contend with and, as mentioned above, their own Drives (see below).

Our recommendations would be to start with either Ragna the Bloodedge or Noel Vermillion. Both are very strong starter characters that even pro players still play at a high level. They both have simple to understand mechanics and have bread and butter combos with far easier input strings than most of the rest of the roster.

The key thing here is to not be afraid to experiment and try new ones out, especially because of …

[3] The Drive System

This is the main mechanical system that sets BlazBlue apart from other fighting games, which gives every character in the game a completely unique feel and gameplay style. These Drives are wildly varied, and so require a significant amount of experimentation to find a style that suits you the most, trying characters until they fit.

Drives range from placing markers on the opponent for later follow-ups to increasing the amount of special moves in a character’s arsenal to even manipulating elements of the stages themselves. These are always mapped to the “D” button and form an integral part of any character’s moveset, and combo systems.

How do you understand the Drive system and how it works with your character though? Well, our advice would be to …

[4] Make sure to do the tutorials!

Now that you’ve picked your character, and we cannot stress this strongly enough, jump into the tutorials and challenges for that character. BlazBlue has one of the best tutorial systems in fighting games and will teach you everything from the most basic of functions such as movement and guarding up to complex combos and mechanics.

These modes give you a controlled scenario in which to experiment and learn how to play your character, and should not be missed out, especially as they will also give practical tips to the player on how best to play the character they have chosen too. Along with the combo challenges, these will give you a great core set of knowledge to jump in.

If you’re struggling with all this though, BlazBlue can give you a boost if you …

[5] Try Out Stylish Mode

We would like to stress here that there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, no matter what others might say. It might be an “easy” mode that will auto-input combo strings and special moves, but it is actually a great tool if you want to learn a particular character and are unfamiliar with their particular mechanics.

If you pay attention whilst playing, you can note which moves link into others, expanding your move set when you play without Stylish Mode. Also, this mode is great for playing with others, especially those that don’t play fighting games as it will allow them the freedom of access to the more flashy gameplay, and allow you to practice against it.

Practice that you might need elsewhere, but we have to stress …

[6] Don’t be afraid of online play

Going online with a fighting game can be a daunting experience, especially as that’s where all the high level players live, but do not fear as there’s a lot of fun to be had online. You can make a room with just your friends to duke it out with each other, setting rules for the room to keep things interesting and allowing everyone to play.

More fun though is jumping onto the lobbies to take on any challengers. The anime fighting community are generally more inclusive than others, so even if you’re a beginner to the game, and will help you to improve your play. Just make sure you get an adapter to wire your Switch directly into the internet for a good connection.

If online isn’t your thing though, make sure that you …

[7] Don’t forget the Single-Player content

There are a lot of modes in BlazBlue Centralfiction, so many that it could be a little overwhelming for those that aren’t familiar with this kind of game. This does mean, however, that if you don’t want to go online (or can’t) that there is a lot for you to do, from the classics like Survival up to the more unique Grim of Abyss Mode.

In Grim of Abyss the player is placed into a kind of RPG like situation of levelling up their character and giving them different buffs as they take on a sequence of increasingly difficult fights. This mode is incredible fun and gives additional longevity to the title overall. Between this, the Story, and other modes besides there’s plenty for you to see.

BlazBlue Centralfiction: Special Edition is out today on Nintendo Switch! Want to find out what the fuss is all about? Why not pick up a copy?

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Reuben Mount