XBlaze Code Embyro (PC Edition)
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XBlaze Code Embyro (PC Edition) Media
Critic Reviews for XBlaze Code Embyro (PC Edition)
More a visual story than an actual game, “XBlaze Code Embyro” caters to a specific audience, with an emphasis on the word “specific.” The story leans heavily on anime tropes and the execution might feel inelegant to folks used to games with a lot more polish. It certainly isn't for everyone though fans of BlazBlue’s story or visual novels in general will get more mileage out of it.
XBlaze Code: Embryo is largely untouched from the original console versions, which is a major disappointment considering it's now on PC. Not only is it lacking basic options that are expected in a PC release, but the same flaws are also apparent.
Arc System Works has it in the team to tell a great story. Over in the fighting game space that's exactly what it achieved with the Blazblue series. It's also a highly technically proficient team, and a real mastery over art and design. Xblaze isn't the team at its best, but I suspect that the quality of the visual novels that the team does produce will only improve from here.
Genre clichés and visual glitches aside, this is a solid visual novel. It isn't likely to appeal to a wide audience; fans of BlazBlue (and fans of graphic novels or anime in general) will enjoy it, but it's hard to imagine that anyone else will. Still, there's something to be said about making games specifically for the fans, and Xblaze Code: Embryo performs solidly on that front.
