Are you a fan of fighting games that “go against the grain” like Melty Blood, BlazBlue, or Guilty Gear?
If you have answered “yes,” provided you live in North America and have a Playstation 3 console, look forward to Under Night In-Birth: Exe Late on February 24th. This is an enhanced port of Under Night In-Birth, which released in 2012 across Japanese arcades.
AKSYS Games, Arc System Works’ North American branch, is responsible for the North American publication of the game and has streamed the second trailer for the upcoming release. You can familiarize yourself with the playable characters in Under Night In-Birth: Exe Late, which adds newcomers Byakuya and Nanase.
Sion Eltnam Alasia from Melty Blood and Akatsuki from Akatsuki Blitzkampf join the game as guest characters to make a total of 16 characters for the playable roster.
The console version will feature a one-button auto combo system, which is entirely optional, that allows players to unleash a combo by a push of the button. This is a means to allow new players to easily access combos.
Network Mode allows players in Japan to compete against players in North America and vice-versa.
Under Night In-Birth: Exe Late also has your standard game modes: Arcade Mode, Story Mode, Time Attack, and Survival Mode. You should already know what those modes mean if you have played at least one fighting game.
The game’s story takes place in modern-day Japan and centers on a mysterious dark phenomenon known as “Hollow Night” that engulfs parts of the country on a monthly basis. Affected areas are haunted by shadow-like creatures known as “Voids,” which normal people cannot see.
There are those who can see Voids, only to be hunted by them.
You either get consumed by the Voids or lose your sanity in most cases, but anybody that meets neither fate becomes a titular “In-Birth” and can control “Existence.” There is a drawback, however, as In-Births are neither “living” nor “dead.”
French Bread and Ecole Software worked together to develop Under Night In-Birth.
The former is famously known in Japan for The Queen of Heart, Glove on Fight, Melty Blood, and Ragnarok Battle Offline.
The latter is famously known in Japan for Death Crimson, Melty Blood: Act Cadenza, and Melty Blood: Actress Again.
Both companies also worked together to develop Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax, which Sega published to celebrate Dengeki Bunko’s 20th anniversary. North America will receive that game for Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita later this year.
NIS America will release Under Night In-Birth: Exe Late to Europe on February 27th.
