Platform: PC/Steam
Developer: French Bread
Publisher: Arc System Works
DLC: None
Melty Blood is a fast paced fighting game set in the Tsukihime universe. If you are familiar with that, then you might know what kind of characters to expect. The game offers basic modes as well as a very functional Network mode to take your skills online and compete with other players. It has just about all you need as far as graphics and performance options. Overall, this is a very complete experience.
Why is this so late you ask? Would you believe me if I said I completely forgot about it?
The Main menu covers just the very basics of modes. There is really nothing special here worth mentioning.
In the Options menu you have all the basics as well as controls for the Background Animation, multiple Resolutions, V-Sync, FPS Counter, AA, and more. It is surprisingly robust and I thank them very much for it.
Mechanics
Moons-This game has 3 different Moons for each character: Crescent, Half, and Full. These change a lot about the character's basic functionality as well as their available system mechanics. I will try to go over this in the most simple way possible.
Movement-Characters, for the most part, all get 2 jumps and 1 dash. Some characters have special exceptions.
Throws-Typically short range and usability varies based on character.
Instant Block-If you block the same frame an attack connects you get bonus effects. Notably more push-back.
Damage Reduction-Tapping buttons in time with your opponents combos will reduce the overall damage you take. This seems silly at first but it's a pretty fun addition. It keeps you more engaged when you are getting pummeled and just "waiting for the combo movie to end" like you would in BlazBlue or what have you.
Chip-There is chip on specials only. It cannot kill you.
Guard Quality-The darker red this is, the more guard damage you take. If the meter depletes, you get guard crushed! Simple.
Shield Bunker(214D)-Basically a Guard Cancel similar to any iteration in many other fighting game series. Cost varies based on chosen Moon. Can only be performed during block stun. Can be done on its own without cost and a Guard Point, but it's not the greatest. It also cannot kill opponents no matter what.
Reverse Beats-Oh you bet these are in the game. At least, they are for 2 of the 3 moons. Full Moon does not get access to this function.
Meter-Size varies based on chosen Moon. Half only gets 200 instead of 300. This seems like a huge handicap but there are differences elsewhere that make up for it. Full Moon can also charge the meter up any time they want!
- MAX-Only available to Full and Crescent Moons. When your meter hits maximum capacity it starts to drain away slowly. Sounds terrible, ya? Well, it's not so bad. This is the only time you are able to activate the defensive Burst mechanic voluntarily. If you meet certain conditions you will be given meter back after the effect runs out!
Crescent gets back 200 meter if no Heat/Blood heat was activated. Also, if Arc Drive was used, you only get a return of 100. Full Moon is the same but it only gets back a maximum of 100 meter. It gets nothing on return if an Arc Drive was used. Half Moon, sadly, gets none of these benefits. - Heat(A+B+C)-Regains Red Life(more on this later). How this occurs also depends on the chosen Moon. Also acts as a sort-of cancel for Full Moon. Activation conditions vary based on your chosen Moon. Full can only activate it after reaching MAX. Crescent can activate it any time over 100%. Half immediately goes into Heat upon filling their meter.
- Blood Heat(A+B+C)-Can only be activated during MAX. Also heals Red Life. Activating gives a burst effect. Grants access to the devastating Another Arc Drive(real clever). Half cannot activate this mode at all.
Parries/Shields-This is another mechanic that varies based on your chosen Moon. Crescent can hold this for a long time and catch something for a possible reversal. Full can hold it too but not as long as Crescent. Half can only time near-perfect parries but the counters activate automatically. There is a downside to spamming this and it comes at the cost of your Guard Quality meter. If you use this repeatedly you will find yourself taking excessive Guard damage and potentially lead yourself to a Guard Crush. It's a great mechanic but do not abuse it.
Dodging2(A+B)-Yes, there is a Dodge mechanic but it is very limited. It works in the air as well as on the ground. Crescent and Half can use this mechanic but Full is left out in the cold on this one. What the actual dodge does seems to depend on your character as well as chosen Moon. As an example: Half Satsuki dodges forward on the ground while Crescent only dodges in place. This also has the downside of damaging Guard Quality so do not spam it if possible.
Burst(A+B+C)-This can only be done voluntarily during MAX mode. If you chose Crescent or Full, while getting hit, you can choose to use this. It, however, eats all of your remaining meter. So make doubly sure you really want to use this. It's useful but very costly. Half automatically bursts upon receiving damage and completely takes the choice out of your hands.
Now that that is out of the way we can talk about how the game plays.
This is a very fast and fluid game. It is also beautiful to behold and still holds up pretty well by today's standards. I like the fact that you cannot kill with chip and cannot be picked up off the ground for a reset. You cannot just throw out cancels and bursts because you "messed up". You usually have to take your licks if you earn them. The gameplay seems very fair for the most part.
However, all is not well in this game. Some of the hitboxes are seriously baffling. You WILL get hit by stuff that makes absolutely no sense. It makes some matchups a lot harder than they realistically should be. I was tearing my hair out over some of the frustrating and confusing hitboxes. Anti-airs are sometimes hard to come by depending on the character you are playing. This can be frustrating since there are a lot of reasons to want to stay airborne in this game due to its added mobility. Just expect to have to block a lot of jump-ins.
The music in this game is basically some of the worst I've ever heard. That does not mean it is necessarily bad, I just do not care for it that much personally.
Conclusion
I love this game. A lot. But, there are problems. The vast amount of character variability creates tons and tons of matchups and it makes the game extremely hard to learn without an exorbitant amount of time and opponents. The community is also broken up because of the "netplay problems" which do not really exist. Ya, some do, it's netplay. The hitbox issues can be so irritating too. Especially when you think you dodged something but don't truly.
Overall, it's a solid and fair experience. If you like fighting games, you should definitely pick this up. It is a bit overwhelming on offense at times but you have to commit to things on offense or defense. There is very little in the way of erasing bad play or mistakes.
Recommendation
Yup. Go buy this. It's fantastic.
Additional Resources
Game Demo
Netplay Quality
Quick Reference Notes
Community Issues
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