BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable Review

With the ability to plug in a specialized stick, and offer neighboring players a convenient way to settle a grudge, fighting games are idyllic for home consoles. Although efforts have made to transpose these pugilistic pastimes onto portables- the results have often been lackluster. Specifically, the PSP’s abridged set of face buttons and small display has often hindered the impact of fighting games. Anyone who has ever played Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower or The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga knows that load times off the UMD drive can frequently be notoriously pokey as well.

One of the enjoyable exceptions to this rule has been the output from ARC System Works, whose Guilty Gear titles have presented players with some of the best 2D clashes to be found on Sony diminutive system. Judgment and XX Accent Core Plus managed to effortlessly squeeze the fluid character animation and emblematic butt-rock soundtrack found on home console games, making both title requisite purchases for PSP fighting fans.

As the spiritual successor to the Guilty Gear series, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger was nearly unanimously praised by both critics and players. Recently, Aksys Games has released an iteration of the title for Playstation Portable owners, which preserves ARC Systems Works string of successes for the system. Simply put, it’s one of the best two dimensional fighters for the system, preserving every sprite frame, hit box, and combo string of its console predecessor.

A portion of the adaptation’s success can be attributed to Calamity Trigger Portable’s control system, which focuses around a three button attack system for weak, medium, and heavy strikes as well as an individualized ‘Drive’ attack. Multi-button moves like grabs and barrier blocks can be mapped to the shoulder button, while the analog stick can be dish out specials by pushing in a cardinal direction. Generally, the game’s control system is accurate and should become translucent to players within an hour. 

The portable edition’s one supplement is Legion Mode, which adds an interesting strategic wrinkle to complement the game’s straightforward fisticuffs. Players start with a single fighter, who traverses a board game-like path. Each spot on the mode’s map presents players with a specific number of enemies to be defeated. Once an opponent is beaten, the gamers may add an adversary to their army, while some conquered positions randomly refill a character’s persistent health meter. While the mode is undeniably intriguing, it is also puzzling that the character positions are unvarying. Although Legion offers three playfields of increasing difficulty, there is little incentive for repeat play.

Visually, Calamity Trigger Portable will undoubtedly delight fighting game enthusiasts with its intricately detailed characters, sumptuous background graphics, and vibrant Astral Heat finishers. From the imposing physique of Iron Tagger’s  stature to Litchi Faye-Ling’s suggestive jiggle and sinuous pony-tail, the title has lost little with its small-screen translation. Amazingly, all the in-game character voices are intact, and the game’s extensive story mode even includes intermittent bits of spoken dialog. When playing the Memory Stick Duo-based version of BlazBlue, load times are mercifully brief, typically about two seconds before each ‘rebel’ (the game’s terminology for a single round). Calamity Trigger Portable’s 846 MB footprint is modest, considering the amount of data the game is pushing around.

With a number of retailers selling the 360 and PS3 versions of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger for about $20 USD, seeing the PSP adaption sell for ten dollars more is slightly puzzling. Take solace in the fact that the extra money pays for your admission into the title’s fascinating Legion Mode. Even with its elevated MSRP, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable is certain to please any fighting game purist looking for a little commute-time competition. I know I’ll be appreciating a sporadic fight during my morning train ride.