Bleach: Heat the Soul (series)

Cover for Bleach: Heat the Soul.

Bleach: Heat the Soul[1] is a series of 3-D cel-shaded fighting games for the PSP based on the popular manga and anime series Bleach by Tite Kubo. Each installment is developed by Eighting and published by SCEI. All installments have been released only in Japan.

Each installment has several methods of play, with different types of game modes. New games have introduced additional modes that usually carry over to the sequels. Using characters taken directly from Bleach manga,[2] the player uses each character's unique abilities to battle and defeat an opponent. New games expand on the series' plotline in "Story Mode" or, as it is known in Heat the Soul 3 and 4, "Mission Mode," which generally stays true to the source material. Because of this, the character roster increases with each installment.

Gameplay

An example of gameplay from Bleach: Heat the Soul 3.

In each game of the series, the player controls one of many characters directly based upon their Bleach manga counterparts.[2] The player then pits their character against another, usually controlled by the game but this can also be another player depending on the mode being used. The objective of each match is to reduce the opponent's health to zero using basic attacks and special techniques unique to each character and derived from techniques they use in the source material. For instance, Ichigo Kurosaki's use of his Black Getsuga Tensho (though only while using Ichigo's bankai form) and Rukia Kuchiki's utilization of kidō. For some techniques, characters have available a "spirit gauge," which depletes upon execution. Most techniques are not executed in real time, and instead have an accompanying cinematic that takes place. Furthermore, some characters can transform into certain alternative forms mid-battle, albeit until their spirit gauge is fully drained or the player cancels the transformation. As of Heat the Soul 3, the player may select partner characters to help aid them in battle. Each partner character has different abilities based on their skills from the series. Whereas Heat the Soul 3 allows the selection of up to three partner characters, Heat the Soul 4 only allows two at a time, though the abilities of both can be combined to create more powerful effects.

Each installment introduces new ways of playing through Story Mode. Heat the Soul features a classic story mode, allowing the player to simply relive all the important battles from the beginning of the series. Heat the Soul 2 adds a bit of variety to the original story mode, allowing players to play through each character's individual story.[3] For example, if Ichigo Kurosaki is selected, the player must fight all his battles with the shinigami; if Byakuya Kuchiki is selected, the player must stop Ichigo and his friends from saving Rukia Kuchiki.[3] Heat the Soul 3 no longer uses "Story Mode" but rather "Mission Mode." In Mission Mode, the player must relive the battles of the series, though must meet certain conditions, such as a time limit, before being able to move on. Heat the Soul 4 also uses Mission Mode. Depending on completion time and remaining stamina, the player is awarded a rank of "S" through "C," S being the highest ranking possible.[4] If awarded S or A, a scenario branching occurs.[4]

Installments

Bleach: Heat the Soul

Bleach: Heat the Soul (ＢＬＥＡＣＨ：ヒート・ザ・ソウル) is the first installment in the Heat the Soul fighting game series, released on March 24, 2005.[5] The theme song for the game is *: Asterisk by Orange Range, which also happens to be the original opening theme for the anime. The game has a total of six characters, all of which derived from the Agent of the Shinigami arc. One thing critics seemed to like were the authentic voice-overs during both gameplay and conversation sequences.[6] The voice actors themselves also appeared at the Jump Festa event for a live talk show appearance on a mock radio station just months before the game's release.[6] In recent video game books released in North America, tips for this game are here, as well as 2, 3, 4. 5.

Bleach: Heat the Soul 2

Bleach: Heat the Soul 2 (ＢＬＥＡＣＨ：ヒート・ザ・ソウル２) is the second installment in the Heat the Soul series, released on September 1, 2005.[7] The theme song for this game is Chance! by Uverworld, and the music was composed by Kazuo Hanzawa, under the alias "NON", and Hitoshi Sakimoto. Continuing where Heat the Soul left off, the story mode of Heat the Soul 2 ranges from the Soul Society: The Sneak Entry arc to the end of the Soul Society: The Rescue arc[3] and features 12 playable characters. As opposed to Heat the Soul's story mode, however, this game allows you to follow the story of the selected character rather than a single, designated plot. For example, if you were to choose Ichigo Kurosaki, you would fight all his battles with the shinigami, whereas if you chose to play as Byakuya Kuchiki, you must stop Ichigo and his friends from saving Rukia Kuchiki.

Bleach: Heat the Soul 3

Bleach: Heat the Soul 3 (ＢＬＥＡＣＨ：ヒート・ザ・ソウル３) is the third installment in the Heat the Soul series, released on July 20, 2006.[8] The game features 34 characters, covering events from the Soul Society: The Sneak Entry arc to Ulquiorra Schiffer's introduction at the beginning of The Arrancar arc. Unique to Heat the Soul 3 are "Soul Road" and "Karakura Heroes." In Soul Road, the player is to select the desired character and partner character. Afterwards, the player is set on a board game-like map where the goal is to pass through markers in order to fight enemies. After each match, the player is given an amount of "Trust points" (how many received depends on the mode's difficulty) which go towards leveling up partner characters and unlocking bonuses, such as alternate costumes and new partners. To unlock these bonuses, the player must find a blue marker to turn in their points; however, before doing so, the player must answer a multiple choice question. In Karakura Heroes, the player is put into a humorous side-story, with some extra anime scenes added. Don Kanonji leads a group of shinigami, initially Byakuya Kuchiki and Tōshirō Hitsugaya, on some sort of wacky adventure which involves battling several other characters. At the mode's completion, a scene shows the gang relaxing at an expensive hotel, doing activities that in some way fit their personalities and/or abilities (for example, Hitsugaya snowboarding).

Bleach: Heat the Soul 4

Example gameplay from Heat the Soul 4.

Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 (ＢＬＥＡＣＨ：ヒート・ザ・ソウル４) is the fourth installment in the Heat the Soul series, released on May 24, 2007.[9] The game features 51 characters, covering events from The Arrancar arc to the entrance into Hueco Mundo.

Unlike its predecessors, Heat the Soul 4 features a "Character Master" mode. In it, the player chooses a character and goes through a series of five battles and is usually faced with certain conditions, such as using only grab to inflict damage, in order to finish the battle. After the third and final battles, a multiple answer question posed by the character must be answered. Depending on the answer, the player is either rewarded 200 points, 50 points, or nothing. For each battle won, a random number of experience points will be added to the character's total. As the level grows higher, bonuses such as voice tests and alternate costumes can be unlocked.[4] The player is also given 100 points per battle; these go towards unlocking more characters and stages.

Bleach: Heat the Soul 5

Bleach: Heat the Soul 5 (ＢＬＥＡＣＨ：ヒート・ザ・ソウル５) is the fifth installment in the Heat the Soul series based on Tite Kubo's Bleach, released on May, 15th 2008 in Japan. Like previous installments it picks off where the other Heat The Soul left off, the story picks up from the entry of Hueco Mundo to the encounter between Grimmjow and Ichigo. New features include a "Tag Action" system and a new way for releasing zanpakutō. Transformations such as Bankai are now made when 2 bars of reiatsu is obtained and then pressing the L button, rather than selecting a character's Bankai form before a fight. There also seems to be 3 styles of tag action: offensive, defensive and technical. There is also a game mode called Tag Master, which lets you choose 2 characters to fight with in a series of fights. The system also includes specials which use the tagged partner's abilities.

The game features 32 characters usable in Tag Battle mode, while extra characters can be obtained with Bleach: Heat The Soul 4 game save through game conversion. However, these characters are only usable in single mode with no in-game transformation. They are selected through a separate menu accessible by pressing L/R in the normal character menu.

Bleach: Heat the Soul 6

Bleach: Heat the Soul 6 (ＢＬＥＡＣＨ：ヒート・ザ・ソウル6) is the sixth game in the Heat the Soul series based on Tite Kubo's Bleach, which was released in Japan on May 14, 2009. It includes more Arrancar Resurrections like that of Nnoitora, Szayelapporo Grantz or Nel(Gamuza). The game has a new championship mode added in which you can fight tournament style similar to Bleach Soul Carnival and a customization mode exclusive to Heat the Soul 6. The game's story mode starts from the day Ichigo got his powers to the Espada/Soul Reaper showdowns to date in the anime. It boasts an amazing character roster consisting of 74 playable characters including Senna, Sojiro Kusaka, Dark Rukia, and the Visored and Tessai in their Soul Reaper uniforms from the "Turn Back the Pendulum" arc. Its opening theme is "Koyoi, Tsuki ga Miezu Tomo" by Porno Graffitti which was also used for Bleach: Fade to Black.

Bleach: Heat the Soul 7

Bleach: Heat the Soul 7 (ＢＬＥＡＣＨ：ヒート・ザ・ソウル7) is a newest installment in the "Heat the Soul" series released on September 2, 2010. The main change in this game is a 4-Players mode.[10] Battles against giant characters have also been confirmed. New characters that have been announced are Allon (Ayon), Coyote Starrk (Los Lobos), Baraggan Luisenbarn (Arrogante), Tia Harribel (Tiburon), Yammy Riyalgo (Ira), Ulquiorra Cifer (Segunda Etapa), Ichigo Kurosaki (Full Hollow), Muramasa, Hachigen Ushoda, Love Aikawa and Shuren (downloadable content); in all, 84 characters are playable.

Playable characters

The characters in the Heat the Soul series are directly based upon characters taken from Bleach. With Heat the Soul 4 set between Shinji Hirako's introduction and the entrance into Hueco Mundo, "normal" characters originate from The Arrancar arc and later, while "EX" forms, as they're known in the game, are from the Soul Society: The Rescue arc.

To avoid confusion, all characters will be referred to as they are in the most recent installment in the series, Heat the Soul 7. It also appears that most (if not all) characters can change forms during battle. For example, Hollow Ichigo and Ichigo can start out a match with shikai and end it with bankai when they have enough spiritual pressure.

Fighter1234567
Aaroniero Arruruerie (Kaien Shiba)Red XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[11]Green tickGreen tick
Ayon (Allon)Red XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick
Barragan LuisenbarnRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick
Byakuya Kuchiki (Shikai)Red XGreen tick[3]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick[12]Green tickGreen tick
Byakuya Kuchiki (Bankai)Red XRed X[3]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick[11]Green tickGreen tick
Cirucci SanderwicciRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[11]Green tickGreen tick
Coyote StarkRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick
Dordoni Alessandro Del SocaccioRed XRed XRed XRed X[13]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Gantenbainne MosquedaRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick
Gin Ichimaru (Shikai)Red XRed XRed XGreen tick[14]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Gin Ichimaru EX (Shikai)Red XGreen tick[15]Green tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tick
Grimmjow JaegerjaquesRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[13]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Grimmjow Jaegerjaques (Pantera)Red XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[16]Green tickGreen tick
Hachigen UshōdaRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick
Hiyori SarugakiRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[17]Green tick[11]Green tickGreen tick
Hiyori Sarugaki (with Visored's mask)Red XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[18]Green tick
Ichigo Kurosaki (Bankai)Red XRed XGreen tick[19]Green tick[14]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick[20]
Hollow Ichigo (Shikai)Red XRed XRed X[19]Red X[14]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Hollow Ichigo (Bankai)Red XRed XGreen tick[19]Green tick[14]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Ichigo Kurosaki (Substitute Shinigami)Green tickGreen tickGreen tick[19]Green tick[14]Red XGreen tickGreen tick
Ichigo Kurosaki (Shikai)Red XGreen tick[3]Green tick[19]Green tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick
Ichigo Kurosaki (Full Hollow)Red XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick
Ikkaku Madarame (Shikai)Red XRed XRed XGreen tick[21]Green tick[11]Green tickGreen tick
Ikkaku Madarame (Bankai)Red XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[11]Green tickGreen tick
Izuru KiraRed XRed XGreen tick[2]Green tick[22]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Jūshirō UkitakeRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[22]Green tickGreen tick Green tick
Kaname TōsenRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[14]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Kenpachi ZarakiRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[23]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Kisuke UraharaRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick[24]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Kisuke Urahara (12th Division Captain)Red XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick
Kensei Muguruma (Shikai)Red XRed XRed XGreen tick[17]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Lisa YadōmaruRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[17]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Love AikawaRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick
LuppiRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[13]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Mashiro KunaRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[18]Green tick
Mayuri KurotsuchiRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[23]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Momo HinamoriRed XRed XGreen tick[2]Green tick[22]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
MuramasaRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[25]
Nanao IseRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[22]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Nel TuRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick
Nelliel Tu OdelschwanckRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick
Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck (Gamuza)Red XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick
Nemu KurotsuchiRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[22]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Nnoitora JirugaRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[26]Green tickGreen tick
Nnoitora Jiruga (Santa Teresa)Red XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick
Orihime InoueRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[21]Green tick[11]Green tickGreen tick
Orihime Inoue EXGreen tick[27]Green tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tick
Rangiku MatsumotoRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[24]Green tick[11]Green tickGreen tick
Renji Abarai (Bankai)Red XRed XGreen tick[19]Green tick[24]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Renji Abarai (Shikai)Green tick[27]Green tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick
Rose OtoribashiRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[18]Green tick
Rukia Kuchiki (Gigai)Green tick[27]Green tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick
Rukia Kuchiki (Shikai)Red XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[21]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Rukia Kuchiki (Dark)Red XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick
Ryūken IshidaRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick
Sajin KomamuraRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[23]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
SennaRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick
Shigekuni Yamamoto-GenryūsaiRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[23]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Shinji HirakoRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[17]Green tick[11]Green tick[18]Green tick
Shinji Hirako (with Visored's mask)Red XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick
Shunsui KyōrakuRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[23]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Shūhei HisagiRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[22]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Suì-Fēng (Shikai)Red XRed XGreen tick[2]Green tick[23]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Sōjirō KusakaRed XRed XRed XRed X[23]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Sōsuke AizenRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[14]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Sōsuke Aizen EXRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tick
Szayelaporro GrantzRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[28]Green tickGreen tick
Szayelaporro Grantz (Fornicaras)Red XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick
Tia HarribelRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick
Tia Harribel (Tiburón )Red XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick
Tessai TsukabishiRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick
Tōshirō Hitsugaya (Bankai)Red XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[24]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Tōshirō Hitsugaya (Shikai)Red XGreen tick[3]Green tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick
Ulquiorra CiferRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[13]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Ulquiorra Cifer (Resurrección: Segunda Etapa)Red XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick
Uryū IshidaRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[21]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Uryū Ishida (Seele Schneider)Red XRed XRed XRed X[21]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Uryū Ishida EXGreen tick[27]Green tick[15]Green tickGreen tickRed XRed XGreen tick
Uryū Ishida (Quincy Gauntlet: Final Form)Red XRed XGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tick
Yammy RiyalgoRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[13]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Yammy Riyalgo (Ira)Red XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[29]
Yasutora SadoRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[21]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Yasutora Sado (Brazo Izquierda del Diablo)Red XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick
Yasutora Sado EXGreen tick[27]Green tick[15]Green tickGreen tickRed XRed XGreen tick
Yachiru KusajishiRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick[22]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Yoruichi ShihouinRed XGreen tickGreen tick[2]Green tick[24]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Yumichika AyasegawaRed XRed XRed XGreen tick[21]Green tickGreen tickGreen tick
Zommari LerouxRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick
Zommari Leroux (Brujería)Red XRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick

Reception

Since the series has yet to see a release outside Japan, reviews on the Heat the Soul series from major English video game publications are scarce.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Bleach: Heat the Soul (ＢＬＥＡＣＨ：ヒート・ザ・ソウル)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Alfonso, Andrew (2006-08-01). "Bleach: Heat The Soul 3 Hands-on - Page 1". IGN. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Bleach Heat the Soul 2 (Japan) - Page 2". GameBrink. Archived from the original on 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  4. 1 2 3 Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 control guide (in Japanese and English). SCEI. 2007.
  5. ↑ "Bleach: Heat the Soul". IGN. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
  6. 1 2 "Hands On: Bleach". IGN. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
  7. ↑ "Bleach: Heat the Soul 2". IGN. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
  8. ↑ "Bleach: Heat the Soul 3". IGN. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  9. ↑ "Bleach: Heat the Soul 4". IGN. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  10. ↑ "Bleach: Heat the Soul 7".
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Bleach: Heat The Soul 5 Official Roster Page (Rukia video)".
  12. ↑ "Bleach: Heat The Soul 5>".
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 SCEI, ed. (2007). Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 Japanese instruction manual (in Japanese). SCEI. pp. 38–39.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 SCEI, ed. (2007). Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 Japanese instruction manual (in Japanese). SCEI. pp. 36–37.
  15. 1 2 3 "Bleach Heat the Soul 2 (Japan) - Page 1". GameBrink. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  16. ↑ "Bleach: Heat The Soul 5>".
  17. 1 2 3 4 SCEI, ed. (2007). Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 Japanese instruction manual (in Japanese). SCEI. pp. 40–41.
  18. 1 2 3 4 ""[정보] 블리치 ~히트 더 소울~ 6 스캔샷 PSP 루리웹">".
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Alfonso, Andrew (2006-08-01). "Bleach: Heat The Soul 3 Hands-on - Page 2". IGN. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  20. ↑ ""[정보] BLEACH 히트 더 소울 7 스캔샷 PSP 루리웹">".
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 SCEI, ed. (2007). Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 Japanese instruction manual (in Japanese). SCEI. pp. 42–43.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 SCEI, ed. (2007). Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 Japanese instruction manual (in Japanese). SCEI. p. 47.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 SCEI, ed. (2007). Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 Japanese instruction manual (in Japanese). SCEI. p. 46.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 SCEI, ed. (2007). Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 Japanese instruction manual (in Japanese). SCEI. pp. 44–45.
  25. ↑ ""Bleach: Heat the Soul 7: Muramasa announced">".
  26. ↑ ""Bleach: Heat the Soul 5 Official Website">".
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bleach: Heat the Soul official site" (in Japanese). SCEI. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
  28. ↑ "Bleach: Heat The Soul 6>".
  29. ↑ "Bleach: Heat The Soul 7: Yammi Release>".
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