Bleach: The Third Phantom DS preview

Expected Price: R450
Developer: SEGA
Publisher: SEGA Europe

The Bleach anime series has made huge inroads in gaming, appearing on multiple platforms before, seemingly, settling on the Wii and DS consoles as the release medium of choice. The previous two DS titles were fighting titles similar to the PS2 and Wii releases but The Third Phantom departs from that to bring us a turn-based tactical strategy title in the vein of Final Fantasy: Tactics.

The storyline is based both in the distant past where players will either become trainee shinigami Fujimaru or his twin sister Matsuri, depending on the gender chosen at the very beginning, and also prior to the Arrancar story arc from the anime series. The Third Phantom includes some events from the Bleach character’s first trip into Hueco Mundo but these little expeditions seem to clarify points from the anime series and then move on with the original tale.

Gameplay is a combination of a Phoenix Wright/Japanese eroge title’s text based interaction screens and then isometric turn-based combat. There is also a Free Time mini-game option that crops up at least once per chapter that will allow players to net items and stat bumps if explored correctly. Combat cannot be controlled once an attack type is selected. Either a face to face attack or defence opportunity will arise with players viewing the animated attack on the top DS screen. There are also Kidou and Flash Step attacks that are used in the isometric view rather than the 2D combat screen.

The publisher’s claim that the single player aspects of the game total more than thirty hours is no exaggeration, if the amount of time the game has taken thus far in the preview is anything to go by. There are a few other aspects to the game that will be revealed in the preview. Check the May issue of GEAR for the full review.

Parting shot: Getting used to the American voices and naming convention takes some going for folks used to the subbed Japanese show but The Third Phantom looks to be a great addition to the Bleach story.


Brett Venter