How to continue the series from here?

[Zesc]

I picked up this game on a whim during sale and had quite a blast playing. But now I'm for all practical purposes done with the game (perhaps I'll try Arcade Mode Arakune one day...) and like to get into later installments of BlazBlue.

As not all of them are on Steam and I have some other concerns, I wonder: which game(s) should I play next?

• I'm interested in more of the story/lore of the game.
  
• Due to living in the infrastructural void known as rural germany, I'd like to avoid games with mandatory online elements for completion.
  
• English Voice is kind of a must - if I want yelling in a language I don't understand, I visit my grandma instead.
  
• I'm afraid some of the later games might've been "dumbed down" for wider audiences, so I seek something with mechanics on the enjoyable level of Calamity Trigger.

That's it, and thanks in advance for recommendations!

[Red]

The "definitive" versions of all of the mainline games are on Steam, actually. And if anything BBCT got the short end on the stick on PC, with broken music in Story mode. So if you want to get further into the series from there, it's Calamity Trigger -> Continuum Shift (Extend) -> Chronophantasma (Extend) -> Centralfiction. Fair warning though, BBCF doesn't have an English dub.

Then you also have both XBlaze VNs also available on Steam (not dubbed in English either), that act as some sort of prequel to BlazBlue. Speaking of side materials, there's also the Phase Shift LNs and the Bloodedge Experience ones (which haven't been officially translated but were picked up by fans), plus the Remix Heart and Variable Heart manga series (same situation here).

Only later ASW games (DBFZ, GGST, GBVSR...) make you connect on startup, and even then you can play offline. BlazBlue games don't have this issue and you can perfectly play offline.

About mechanical complexity, the BlazBlue series changed over time but I'd argue it wasn't "dumbed down" and is still plenty complex even in its "simplest" entries (except BBTAG, but that's a crossover spin-off; we don't talk about BBTAG in here). The most complex game in the series is probably BBCSE, with BBCP trying to go a little less overboard in terms of mechanics after it, but they're still all traditional fighting games (no autocombos, dash macro or whatever you'd expect in newer games, and Stylish mode has its own drawbacks).

Finally: BBCPE is probably the game with the most singleplayer game modes and overall replayability, but BBCF also has a lot to offer with three arcade modes for most characters and a massive 30+ hour-long story mode, among other things.

[Zesc]

Thank you for the extensive (and prompt!) response. Looking at the store page, both CSE and CPE appear to contain the story of the previous game(s), although the latter only has a "digest" version (which I presume means condensed to main story beats).

I might give both of them a try then, it's not like I can only pick one.

Also, about side materials: apparently there is also a BlazBlue anime(?). To be frank, "fighting game anime" sounds like something I wouldn't touch with an 8 meter pole, so does it bring anything to the table the games don't? If it's the full story arc(s), I might consider it as an substitute for CF, as it's apparently dubbed in full.

About the borked music: I saw y'all in the other thread, and am I right to assume the music is only lacking during the VN segments of the story? Because I had combat music throughout my playthroughs.

[Red]

Originally posted by Zesc:

Thank you for the extensive (and prompt!) response. Looking at the store page, both CSE and CPE appear to contain the story of the previous game(s), although the latter only has a "digest" version (which I presume means condensed to main story beats).

I might give both of them a try then, it's not like I can only pick one.

Also, about side materials: apparently there is also a BlazBlue anime(?). To be frank, "fighting game anime" sounds like something I wouldn't touch with an 8 meter pole, so does it bring anything to the table the games don't? If it's the full story arc(s), I might consider it as an substitute for CF, as it's apparently dubbed in full.

About the borked music: I saw y'all in the other thread, and am I right to assume the music is only lacking during the VN segments of the story? Because I had combat music throughout my playthroughs.

You're welcome!

BBCSE includes "Calamity Trigger Reconstruction", which is basically a two hour-ish recap of the first game's True End. It's not mandatory to play it before BBCS's story, but it's pretty neat that it's there (though being a condensed version, some things such as secondary characters are glossed over). However BBCPE only has a very quick summary of the first two games' events, so I wouldn't recommend counting on it except as a refresher.

BlazBlue has no anime. This is not a drill.
... Okay, there's an anime adaptation but it's pretty terrible. It was pretty much released as promotion for BBCP, so it covers BBCT and BBCS but poorly, in 12 episodes. The soundtrack is awesome though, I prefer many of the remixes to the Chronophantasma ones.

Also yeah, music is only broken in BBCT's Story mode where it's dead silent unless you use workarounds. And if you're in for the lore and singleplayer content, then you might be happy to know BlazBlue's story modes are quite significant in terms of playtime (however expect to read/listen a lot). Good luck with BBCT in particular though, its progression system is pretty convoluted and will have you jump between character storylines to unlock new routes. I'd recommend playing Arcade mode before Story mode in ASW in general (especially Guilty Gear Xrd, where Arcade mode is directly before the main story), but as far as I can remember no Arcade story is actually "canon" and the actual canon is the Story mode.

[Zesc]

I'll definitely grab CSE and CPE then. If future brain rot makes me more tolerant, I can pick up CF later, afterall. (*Sigh* of course both have multiplayer achievements...)

How reliant upon each other are the VNs? According to a Lost: Memories review, the game basically starts with the events of Code: Embryo from a different view points, and after having felt my brain physically smooth out from reading the latter's About This Game section, I'd very much like to skip it. (And yes, I fully intend to play with Voice Over off then.)

I found CT's progression not that convoluted after I realized game overs sometimes progress too - basic VN stuff, really, outside of a few characters (Ragna and Noel, iirc) which apparently need you to perform some DDs and AHs on the right characters. I would have never found these without a guide, but outside of leaving that stuff out, I don't see how you can make it more straightforward without making it linear with what little choice the genre dictates.

I found that Arcade after Story was a good choice; not just because I had time to get used to the characters both mechanically and narratively - not sure if I would have enjoyed Nu's arcade without the slightest clue of what her deal is.

[Red]

Originally posted by Zesc:

I'll definitely grab CSE and CPE then. If future brain rot makes me more tolerant, I can pick up CF later, afterall. (*Sigh* of course both have multiplayer achievements...)

How reliant upon each other are the VNs? According to a Lost: Memories review, the game basically starts with the events of Code: Embryo from a different view points, and after having felt my brain physically smooth out from reading the latter's About This Game section, I'd very much like to skip it. (And yes, I fully intend to play with Voice Over off then.)

I found CT's progression not that convoluted after I realized game overs sometimes progress too - basic VN stuff, really, outside of a few characters (Ragna and Noel, iirc) which apparently need you to perform some DDs and AHs on the right characters. I would have never found these without a guide, but outside of leaving that stuff out, I don't see how you can make it more straightforward without making it linear with what little choice the genre dictates.

I found that Arcade after Story was a good choice; not just because I had time to get used to the characters both mechanically and narratively - not sure if I would have enjoyed Nu's arcade without the slightest clue of what her deal is.

XBlaze technically doesn't require prior knowledge of the BlazBlue series, and from everything I've seen and heard you can safely skip Code:Embryo and only play Lost:Memories since it basically recaps the former. Also Code:Embryo is pretty bland and too long for its own good despite trying to have a dynamic presentation, if you ask me. I still haven't played Lost:Memories, but from what I've heard it's just "alright" and I'd guess you can skip it without losing much, unlike most other side materials that explain some characters' backstories (who otherwise just appear in the series without any explanation).

Phase Shift is a prequel set during the Dark War (and it has a partial adaptation in BBCP), Bloodedge Experience introduces Naoto; Remix Heart and Variable Heart are about Mai, and XBlaze Code:Embryo tries to explain stuff that happened long before BlazBlue and introduces a certain character that becomes relevant in BBCF. From what I've seen, XBlaze Lost:Memories adds lore about Celica and Konoe Mercury, but I don't know how much.

I still think BBCT's progression system is complex since character stories aren't self-contained (which can be really confusing since the game doesn't tell you where new routes are available) and some routes are really not obvious to trigger, as you mentioned. Wins/losses opening up different routes doesn't shock me either though, if anything that's a neat touch. BBCS is a bit more tame in that regard with (mostly? can't remember exactly since it's been years since I've last played it) separate character stories, some of them unlocked as you progress through other characters' arcs. Then BBCP and BBCF have a much more streamlined approach and less jumping back and forth between stories.

As for Arcade and Story order: it ultimately doesn't matter for BlazBlue, even though the arcade version released before the retail one. Arcade modes are mostly "what if" scenarios (a recurring theme in the series), and even BBCF's three arcade "Acts" serve as a prequel-but-actually-not in that IIRC they follow some of the events from the main story but aren't actually canon.

[Monster]

If you interested in this rabbit hole.
This is a list, i made for myself, on everything i could find, in release order (for games, release on consoles = added story mode)
25.06.2009 BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Game)
25.06.2009 BlazBlue: Happy Trigger Fan Disc Drama CD (Drama) {Only in Japanese}
22.07.2009 BlazBlue: Drama CD BBDrama Rebel One (Drama) {Only in Japanese}
02.09.2009 BlazBlue: Material Collection (Artbook\Short Stories) {Fan Translation}
09.12.2009 BlazBlue: Drama CD BBDrama Rebel Two (Drama) {Only in Japanese}
01.07.2010 BlazBlue: Continuum Shift (Game)
01.07.2010 BlazBlue: Drama CD ~Burudora Bangai Hen~ Tsubaki no Dokomade Ikuno (Drama) {Only in Japanese}
20.08.2010 BlazBlue: Phase 0 (light novel) {Fan Translation}
08.09.2010 BlazBlue: Drama CD The Wheel of Fortune (Drama) {Only in Japanese}
14.02.2011 BlazBlue: Chimelical Complex Volume 1 (Manga) {Fan Translation}
15.12.2011 BlazBlue: Chimelical Complex Volume 2 (Manga) {Fan Translation}
07.04.2011 Blazblue: Continuum Shift Material Collection (Artbook\Short Stories) {Fan Translation}
20.04.2011 BlazBlue: Phase Shift 1 (light novel) {Fan Translation}
20.01.2012 BlazBlue: Phase Shift 2 (light novel) {Fan Translation}
19.05.2012 BlazBlue: Phase Shift 3 (light novel) {Fan Translation}
20.09.2012 BlazBlue: Phase Shift 4 (light novel) {Fan Translation}
19.01.2013 BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger - Part 1 (light novel) {Only in Japanese}
18.05.2013 BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger - Part 2 (light novel) {Only in Japanese}
09.10.2013 until 25.12.2013 BlazBlue: Alter Memory (Anime)
07.02.2013 BlazBlue: Remix Heart Volume 1 (Manga) {Fan Translation}
09.09.2013 BlazBlue: Remix Heart Volume 2 (Manga) {Fan Translation}
09.05.2014 BlazBlue: Remix Heart Volume 3 (Manga) {Fan Translation}
06.09.2014 BlazBlue: Remix Heart Volume 4 (Manga) {Fan Translation}
20.08.2013 BlazBlue: Continuum Shift - Part 1 (light novel) {Only in Japanese}
18.01.2014 BlazBlue: Continuum Shift - Part 2 (light novel) {Only in Japanese}
08.10.2013 BlazBlue (Manga)
23.07.2013 XBlaze Code: Embryo (Game)
24.10.2013 BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma (Game)
20.06.2014 BlazBlue: Bloodedge Experience - Part 1 (light novel) {Only in Japanese}
20.11.2014 BlazBlue: Bloodedge Experience - Part 2 (light novel) {Only in Japanese}
09.04.2015 XBlaze Lost: Memories (Game)
06.10.2016 BlazBlue: Central Fiction (Game)
20.10.2016 BlazBlue: Spiral Shift – Hero of the Frozen Blade (light novel) {Fan Translation}
09.12.2016 BlazBlue: Variable Heart Volume 1 (Manga) {Fan Translation}
07.07.2017 BlazBlue: Variable Heart Volume 1 (Manga) {Fan Translation}
09.03.2018 BlazBlue: Variable Heart Volume 3 (Manga) {Fan Translation}
31.05.2018 BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle (Game)
16.02.2021 BlazBlue Alternative: Dark War (Mobile Game) {Only in Japanese} Shutdown

[Zesc]

Originally posted by Monster:

If you interested in this rabbit hole.
This is a list, i made for myself, on everything i could find, in release order (for games, release on consoles = added story mode)
[*snip*]

Thanks for the work, but I'm afraid that the wiki[blazblue.wiki] (or at least one of them) has an even more comprehensive list (without crossreferencing it I also knew it's lacking that one mobile rhythm game which honestly, should be revived for PC. BB's OST simply slaps.)

And seeing that part of the media includes apparently radio shows and stage plays(?), the both of us certainly chose a particularly tricky rabbit to keep up with. ^^

Anyway, thanks for the effort. Meanwhile, I'm half-way through Continuum Shift (fairly certain there's no story in the abyss, but reaching level 999 has become a matter of pride for me) and wonder whether XBlaze Lost can be enjoyed in parallel with CPE or should be played after.

EDIT:Oh, also, and the wiki doesn't seem to be mention this, but BlazBlue (just like the other ArcSys franchises) can be played as physical card game[www.playexceed.com]. I have seen the Guilty Gear variant in person and am currently trying to get my grabby claws on the BB ones!