Even its bare-bones control scheme, in fact, often seems squandered.īloody Roar 3-like its predecessors-is all about one-button 12-hit combos, resulting in spectacular, albeit canned, animations. And while that isn't necessarily negative in itself, the game's fighting system, sadly, in no way warrants anything more complex. As you've surely surmised, the control scheme is frightfully simple. The controls are modified slightly once you're in beast mode-the button previously used to shape-shift allows you to execute specials and supers. The shoulder buttons, finally, have right and left sidestepping commands mapped to them, allowing you to somewhat effectively circle or otherwise spatially flimflam your opponent. There's also the beast-change button, which allows for metamorphosing once the rage meter is full. There's one button for punching, and one for kicking, along with one that simulates the pressing of both simultaneously, for grabbing.
But after two iterations and roughly zero major alterations to the formula, the series is screaming for a change-a change that Bloody Roar 3 fails to deliver.īloody Roar 3's control scheme is pretty basic.
Even its basic premise-fighters transforming into beasts and their fighting styles being altered-was definitely workable, the first time around.
For its quirky, imaginative designs, the games deserve credit. Aside from the token werewolves, -lions, and -bats, the series features a handful of other less orthodox hybrids-in it, you'll find werechameleons, -moles, -bunnies, and even -robots (or "iron moles"). The Bloody Roar series, for those new to it, is about human warriors with the supernatural ability to assume the forms of beasts. For what it's worth, newcomers will be able to get up to speed very quickly. The game is visually keen, and its pacing is marvelous, but its fighting system is remarkably slim, emphasizing one-button combos and nearly instant-kill supers. Bloody Roar 3 is the developer's latest, and it doesn't buck the series' legacy at all. With its focus on fighting theatrics and half-man, half-beast designs, Eighting's breed of fighter seems content to gloss over things like technique and depth, delivering a visually dynamic, yet ultimately limited, experience. Harsh as it seems to say, the Bloody Roar series has always focused on style over substance.