Akatsuki Blitzkampf came out of left field for me. When I first downloaded the demo of the game, I barely gave it a second look past the start up screen. I only have a limited amount of time to devote to fighting games in between bouts of the latest shooter (my big gaming passion), so the sequel to a rather poor (and incomplete) game was not high on my priorities list. With that said, I'm afraid I made a horrible choice in my decision to shelve the game for a few months. Actually sitting down with the game for an extended time, I can confidently say that under the right circumstances and with the right players, Akatsuki Blitzkampf is one of the best doujin fighting games I've played in years – no questions asked.To be honest, part of the reason why I didn't initially order Akatsuki Blitzkampf back in May was the fact that I was relatively unimpressed by the preview movies posted on the game's official website by the developers Subtle Style. From the videos shown off, Akatsuki Blitzkampf appeared to be cut from the same mold of Melty Blood, Monster, and other recent doujin releases – essentially a Guilty Gear derivative with more flash than substance. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I enjoy a lot of variety in my fighting games and after the high quality release found in Accent Core demanding my attention, I wasn't quite sure what place another doujin Guilty Gear-lite game would have for me.
I was pleasantly surprised however to find that my “first” impressions of the game were completely off the mark. What Subtle Style has done with Akatsuki Blitzkampf is bring more flash into an old school fighting system while maintaining its depth and focused game play. Other reviewers have commented on the apparent similarities to Street Fighter III Third Strike, but I find personally that comparison is a bit shallow. Though it is a fair comparison, overall Akatsuki Blitzkampf seems to borrow the best of Capcom's classic flagship title and imbue it with more of the quirk that SNK was known for during the NEO GEO era. The influences are apparent in the characters, style, and system. The game is a game for those who remember a time when combos were earned and footsies were more than simple set ups to super moves.
The controls in the game are fairly standard. Each character has several primary basic techniques that are performed in conjunction with the game's standard attack buttons (A - Light, B - Medium, and C - Heavy) and the game's directional inputs.
Dashes are performed by pressing back or forward twice. This will dash your character into the respective direction.
Throws are performed by pressing the A and B button at the same time, with a directional input able to dictate the direction your opponent is thrown. Similarly, a Throw break can be performed by pressing toward or away from your opponent and the A + B attacks. The timing is a bit iffy in my opinion, as often times most throw escapes that I've performed have been random.
Recoveries or “Tech” moves can be used to avoid being hit by moves that will sometimes juggle you on the ground. By pressing any button at the moment of being knocked down by an opponent's move, you will recover with a roll and avoid any timed ground hits. It's a simple maneuver, but it is important to master early to avoid some of the nastier combos in the game.
The last basic technique is the Reflector system which can be performed by pressing B and C at the same time. The easiest way to describe the Reflector system is to compare it to Parrying in Third Strike. By pressing the B+C, your character will flash blue for a moment and will be able to guard a timed attack without taking any damage. There is also a moment of advantage provided by the successful “reflection” of an attack which would allow for you to follow it up with a move.
Unlike other games with this same system however, not all reflected moves will provide enough of an advantage to use haphazardly with any follow up attack. The speed, power, and distance of your opponent's attack will need to be taken into consideration in order to determine the best course of follow up action. Some characters with a speed focus may also be able to recover quickly enough to negate most of the advantage gained by a successful reflection and actually put you at a disadvantage for using the Reflector at an inappropriate time. Because of these slight tweaks to an already gamer tested system, Akatsuki Blitzkampf has provided a new layer of depth into a game element that is often accused of limiting the mind games that are often found in fighting games that have a “Parry”-esque system.
With these basic techniques, the game really shines when you start to mess around with the actual combo engine in the game. Unlike a lot of the previously mentioned doujin fighting games which share common chains between characters, Akatsuki Blitzkampf's characters have fairly unique chains that must be learned from trial and error (or by visitng the Shoryuken forums and reading up on the huge thread dedicated to the game). Though there is a bit of a balance issue present in the game due to some characters having some ridiculous combo potential, for the most part, you win and lose at Akatsuki Blitzkampf more from your ability to read your opponent, set traps, and punish mistakes rather than using powerful combos that are more of a study of memorizing appropriate inputs than traditional fighting game set-ups.
There are a total of 12 fighters in the game (including the hidden characters), each with their own play-style and moveset. Akatsuki plays similar to Ryu (from Street Fighter), so naturally he's a favorite among anyone who first picks up Akatsuki Blitzkampf. The game's background and story is pretty unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Each of the characters have their own motivations, as the game is set in a future “fascist” setting that seems to have ripped a page out of World War II and mixed it with a Japanese slant. With that said, I haven't delved too much into the actual story of the game, so I can only comment in passing that the flat cut scenes which are made up of very little animation are passable, but not impressive. However, the characters themselves are all unique enough to serve the purpose of the game and include a selection of a nun with guns, robot clones, tanks, and more. Graphically, Akatsuki Blitzkampf is a mixed bag. The characters and animation are great, but the choice of the setting for the game has muted a lot of the visual differences between each of the characters (most are made up of similar color palettes). They may play differently, but for some gamers there may not be enough “oomph” to go hand in hand with the technical differences. The moves however provide much needed flash to the game's engine. Though it is only superficial, the game's use of colors to augment specific game hits and collisions go well to improve the overall appearance of the game. I will note however, the backgrounds in the game are notably flat and are a bit bland. The game looks decent, but these minor complaints may turn off those looking for a true “next generation” 2D fighting experience.
The sound and music in the game are good, but suffer from more of the same feeling that the graphics and backgrounds are plagued with. It isn't the lack of quality that brings down the aesthetics (both visual and audio), but rather the lack of variety and intriguing transitions. The score goes a long way to help the feel of the game, but by the 5th or 6th time that you hear the title track or specific stage themes I wish that the different levels would have provided a more noticeable difference. The sound effects are okay, but minimalistic. They do the job, but are only subtly important to the game's overall presentation.
Where Akatsuki Blitzkampf really shines is the multitude of game modes provided by the developers. The bread and butter of the game is found in the VS option which provide the basic mode that most gamers will spend the majority of their time with.
The game features VS. computer opponents, VS. Human (local play), and finally an option to watch two computer opponents fight in a series matches (which can be done to help improve your own technique). There is an arcade mode to supplement the standard VS feature as well as act as the game's story through the perspective of your chosen fighter. Hidden in the game is a tag battle mode that is highly spastic and one that I've generally avoided. It's fun in a way, but the game turns into a huge mess when the tag mode really gets going.
In addition to these basic modes, the game also features a training mode and tutorial for use to improve your in-game technique. Though the tutorial is unimportant, the training mode is essential for refining some of the game's basic skills.
When you've felt that you've done enough in the game's basic set up, you are also given the option to begin fighting online via direct IP connection or through the game's matching system (think Friend codes on the Wii). By inputting an alphanumeric code into the game which is provided by your opponent, you are able to challenge friends, keep track of rankings, and see who is currently online in your matching list. When played online, the quality of the game is directly determined by the proximity of your opponent. I've had plenty of matches that were near perfect online and others that were horribly laggy. Most of these options can be tweaked in your configuration settings to provide an optimal experience, however playing opponents out of country should be done solely with the understanding that it will be tough to get an acceptable match for both parties.
I've said it before and I'll say it again – the success of a traditional fighter in a lot of ways is going to be determined by the game's inclusion of online support. I'm glad to see Akatsuki Blitzkampf support online play and support it well so long as you follow certain guidelines.
Overall Akatsuki Blitzkampf serves as a great game that is both familiar and new at the same time. Though the story mode and single player modes are rather simple and unnecessary affairs, the game truly shines as a traditional vs. fighter in a genre filled with games that have tried to move past their “old school” roots. In the grand scheme of doujin releases, Subtle Style is already being rewarded for its efforts in Akatsuki Blitzkampf with an impending Japanese arcade release. Following the path of Melty Blood from PC doujin studio to arcade release is not easy for fighters, and the fact that Akatsuki Blitzkampf is doing so speaks wonders of its quality.
The game is not for everyone though. The simple graphics and sound may turn off some gamers, but for those willing to spend some time with the combat system and combo engine, a satisfying game is easily found. For fans of the King of Fighters or Street Fighter who struggle through the latest Guilty Gear clone, Akatsuki Blitzkampf is like a breath of fresh air. 2D gaming may be slowly fading away, but so long as smaller developers and independent studios can put out a quality product like Akatsuki Blitzkampf I'd say that 2D gaming still has a great and promising future.
There are issues of course (like all games), but those are easily put aside in favor of what the game does right.
