When BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger released in 2008, it felt fresh. After all, it was a new series in a genre that has churned out Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter for over 20 years. The game’s action was fast-paced, there was a surprisingly good story mode, and each character felt unique to actually use in combat. Now, eight years later, the series is on its seventh installment (fourth if you don’t count revisions) and a lot of the initial charm has worn off.
While the newness is definitely gone, Central Fiction proves why BlazBlue has lasted so long: it’s a damn good fighting game. No matter how ridiculous the incremental release schedule has been it can’t disrupt that solid core. Just like previous releases, Central Fiction‘s combat is still a blast to play, and Arc System Works have made some smart decisions that make this the best playing game in the series. First off, the user interface has seen some small improvements that help communicates BlazBlue‘s complicated fighting system to the player. For example, once Overdrive (a character buff) is activated the game now shows exactly how long it lasts thanks to a countdown timer. While it may not seem like a big deal, knowing I have exactly four seconds left with my Overdrive can help me make smarter choices during gameplay. It’s a small improvement, but it has noticeable, real impact on the gameplay.

Other changes include two new gameplay mechanics: Exceed Accel and Active ...