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A strategy RPG based on Bleach? That’s the exactly what the next Sega X Bleach project is. I gave Bleach: The Third Phantom a spin and the demo level gave me control over Ichigo, Rukia and Toshiro. I scanned the battlefield and notice I was woefully out numbered by the alien-like creatures on the map. Numbers didn’t mean much though because a three man team of Soul Reapers made quick work of the enemies.
For the most part Bleach: The Third Phantom is standard simulation RPG fare. You walk up to enemies, select attack from a menu and watch the action play out. Once you select your attack the screen switches into a 2D battlefield where Ichigo swings his sword presented in a style similar to Advance Wars. The twist in Bleach: The Third Phantom is you can bring a partner into the fight if they are standing within a one square radius of the attacking character. There is a compatibility meter that looks like it plays into the partner attack system, but I had no problems connecting Rukia and Ichigo in battle since they have a strong relationship.
Sega is going to pack in 180 characters in Bleach: The Third Phantom and that includes original characters for the game’s storyline. However, it isn’t clear if that number represents playable characters of if it’s how many characters you’re going to run into in the game. Still, 180 is large number so your favorite character is probably going to appear in the Bleach: The Third Phantom.
