Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel Reviews
All in all, Nitroplus Blasterz is profoundly underwhelming. The mechanics are there, but they're implemented poorly. The character sprites are well-designed, but not necessarily well-animated. The backgrounds are dull, the soundtrack is just there, and the game doesn't offer much to the player outside of frustration. There's no reason to pick this up unless you fit one of two criteria; one, you love Nitroplus visual novels and want to play the fighting game that features all their characters, or two, you're a fighting game player that will literally play anything handed to you. If you're that rare fusion of both, I'd say it's a must-buy. For everyone else who's not big on the source material or hardcore enough to play everything that the fighting genre has to offer, you'd be far better off dropping forty dollars on something else. Hell, Skullgirls is half the price, has just as much fanservice, and is a mechanically superior game by all measures. Go play that instead, because this...this just ain't it, although I will say that it isn't for a lack of trying.
Nitroplus Blasterz – Heroines Infinite Duel plays it too safe, to the point of taking the game's potential and squandering it. The roster is top notch, with all of the heroines being unique and fun to watch tear opponents apart.
Unfortunately for Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel, its single player content is so threadbare that, more than ever, like-minded friends are essential in order to enjoy the game to its middling potential, and even then, any online sessions will most likely be scuppered by the wonky netcode. It's messy, it can look bad, and it feels incomplete, but beneath all of this is core gameplay that isn't without merit – if only for the most hardcore of Nitroplus' fighting game fans.
Nitroplus Blasterz Heroines Infinite Duel is a massive step backwards in the world of fighting games like this. Cast your minds back to the 90's with classics like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Tekken and you'll find much better, much more playable games than this. Although a well drawn, well presented game - it lacks so much with its gameplay and what little story there is, it is a massive let down.
On the whole, Nitroplus Blasterz Heroines Infinite Duel is a quality 2D fighter, even if it lacks the narrative in needed and the characterisation that would have made it more effective as fanservice. All I can recommend is that you give the game a chance until you've managed to topple the boss, because from that point on you'll probably find yourself with a game that has a combat system you'll quite enjoy.
When you boil it down to its very core, Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel struggles to find its footing in the vast ocean of available fighting titles. There's a fast-paced, casual title to be found here, with a wide roster of uniquely designed, beautifully stylized characters and supporting abilities.
A well-presented - if misjudged- presentation based on an obscure IP with a fresh feeling graphic style that is often bogged down by the lack of relevant additional modes and an online play system which is better left untouched. Excessive action, revealing costumes and an additional story mode are not enough to save this average fighter from a destiny of mediocrity.
Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel packs a lot of charm within its friendly yet nuanced fighting-game mechanics that beginners should have no trouble picking up, but it's definitely a title that fans of Nitroplus - or the anime/manga these characters appear in - will get more out of, with the interactions between characters and thin plot completely lost on me. Most of all, Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel aims to be fast-paced and fun, wholly succeeding in that aspect along with its distinct roster of characters that will be right up the alley for most fans of the fighting-game genre.
Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is a competent, but fun, fighting game. The biggest strengths this title has are found in the varied selection of fighters and secondary characters to choose from, plus the polished fighting mechanics ensure that both casual and hardcore players can have a fun experience. Overlook the fairly cutesy and somewhat suggestive nature of the game and there is a good title that is worth a look.
Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is an admirable effort, bringing together characters from a number of visual novels and gaming franchises and pitting them against each other in a solid, energetic brawler. It's a shame that there aren't more interesting modes in which to test your fighting mettle, particularly when the two story modes offered are so dull and impenetrable, but at least there's some good multiplayer fun to be had — just don't get too interested in completely even-handed competition, as I highly suspect there are serious balancing issues at play here. Still, as a lighthearted bit of fun to enjoy with friends online or locally, there's enough colorful, flashy eye candy here to satisfy casual fighter fans.
Overall, Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel doesn't do anything wrong; it just meets the bare minimum. It's like eating a saltine cracker. Bland, but not bad. Without their source materials readily available, few will be able to appreciate the level of fan service present, though I'm sure everyone can appreciate cat attacks. Cat-tacks. (Okay, I'll stop.)
Like Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax, Nitroplus Blasterz brings together various characters from Nitroplus properties. Unfortunately, fans may not know these characters, many of whom have never been published in the West. That leaves a solid, but rather basic fighting game to draw players in.
Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is a must-have if you are a fan of Nitroplus which should be a great deal of people. But anyone else is likely to find the game offering far too little to be worth buying on release.
If you like fighting games, Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel might probably suit you, but won’t dethrone any of your old time favorites and, if you’re not that into the genre, but would like to try something new, this might just be the best option for you.
Overall, Nitroplus Blasterz probably won't make it into your top list of fighting games, but it certainly has its own charm. The story mode is challenging but not difficult (until the last boss; she is absolutely brutal) and offers a story line for each character, the Another Story is interesting, if not overly complicated, and each character has their own play style, which makes it fun to try out each of the characters. While the game certainly lacks in any form of tutorial, and the music and stages can get repetitive, the gameplay is solid and it was definitely fun to see all my favorite niche characters duke it out with each other. If you're a niche Nitroplus fan, this is definitely a game you may want to pick up, although fighting veterans and newer players to the 2D fighting style might not be able to get into it too easily.
'Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel' likely won't capture a major audience within the fighting game community, though for what it tries to do, it's a fun game. Those who are just looking for something light and frothy will have a good time, but if you're looking for much complexity, this likely won't hold interest for terribly long. The stalwart online helps the game a great deal, but lack of moveset variety in the roster isn't particularly exciting. For sure, there's fun to be had with 'Nitroplus', it just requires that you play with other people, as the single player is far too limited for its own good.
Nitroplus Blasterz is one of those games that caters to its audience quite well. Those looking for gratuitous anime fanservice or solid fighting action will eat this game right up, but those wondering what a “Super Sonico” is will be left scratching their heads in confusion.
I really enjoyed this game. It's not quite on the level of the fighters I really love (that being Dead or Alive and BlazBlue), but I can see myself coming back to this one fairly often. And, unusually for me, I'll be coming because I enjoy the combat system; usually I'm looking for character, personality and even narrative in my fighting games. This one doesn't do any of that particularly well, but that combat is just too satisfying to resist.
I had a lot of fun playing the game, but there was always a dark cloud looming over my experience.
In the end, Nitroplus Blasterz: Infinite Heroines Duel doesn't reinvent the wheel for fighting games, and ironically enough it's all the better for it. The stripped-down mechanics lead to more pick-up-and-play sessions without feeling overwhelmed by too many rules to follow, and the cast of characters are entertaining enough just to witness in action even if you have no idea about their respective origins.