Fetch the Band-Aids
I’m sure I wasn’t the only fight-fan left both surprised and delighted at last week’s news that the cult fighting game series Melty Blood was getting set to make its return. After all, it has been many years since the schoolyard sluggers last stepped into the ring. But it’s true, the anime fighting franchise is returning in 2021, with the release of Melty Blood: Type Lumina.
Developer French-Bread has followed up its announcement with a brand new teaser trailer, giving us our first look at the sequel in action. There’s a lot of filler here, and unfortunately the heightened presentation style hides much of the action, but we can see Melty Blood‘s trademark 2D anime visuals, as well as some pretty slick animation and special effects. It’s just a start, but it’s an encouraging one.
Melty Blood: Type Lumina will sport a brand new engine, HD visuals, and will feature a roster of around 10 characters, with the game’s roster, stages, and overall narrative adapted from the upcoming visual novel Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon. French-Bread has stated that Type Lumina will feature a range of new battle mechanics but will retain the pace and gameplay series fans have grown used to. One new mechanic, “Rapid Beat,” sounds a little auto-combo–y, which leaves me wondering whether the studio is hoping Type Lumina will capture a wider audience of players than is typical of the series.
Melty Blood: Type Lumina is expected to launch later in 2021 on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.