Bleach: Soul Resurreccií³n Preview

It's one in the afternoon... do you know where your Quincy is?

I have to admit that when asked if I wanted to play a game called Bleach, my mind immediately went to something I believe adult film stars do quite often in their spare time. I soon learned this was not the case. Bleach: Soul Resurrección isn’t just something people have done in the back room of a nail salon in the middle of the day. It’s one of the most highly anticipated animé-based hack-'n'-slash games of the summer and it is set to be released on the PS3 in August.



For those of you unfamiliar with the franchise, Bleach: Soul Resurrección is based on a popular animé series in which a young man, Ichigo Kurosaki, is bestowed with the ability not only to see spirits transcend into the spirit realm, but also fight demons who pose a threat to humanity and fellow “soul reavers” like himself. No, Haley Joel Osment does not make a cameo in the game. But a Bruce Willis-esque bi-curious samurai? Yes.

The combat styles of each character are similar in the fact that everyone is equipped with one ranged attack and two primary melee attacks. However, we are saved from redundancy with the opportunity to play as different characters with varied ranged/melee attack types. So if you play as a larger character, your basic attacks are more brutish than those of a smaller more petite character. Another combat variation between characters are their “soul pressure” attacks, ranging from energy blasts to ridiculous flourishes comparable to the X-ray moves in the latest Mortal Kombat. Fully-charged spirit pressure attacks are unique to each character and can be executed multiple times.

One feature of the game I particularly enjoyed was the Dragon Ball-esque flying you can do. I spent a good five minutes gliding across the manga-style landscapes of each level, circling my opponents and occasionally pinballing into them while I laughed hysterically. It turned out to be one of my better combat tactics.

Bleach: Soul Resurrección for PS3 slashes into stores August 2, 2011.