Aquapazza: Aquaplus Dream Match - Looks can be deceiving

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Hello everyone! After the last entry dedicated to Mercenaries Saga 2, the Tactic RPG game for the Nintendo 3DS, in this new entry we are going back once again to the 2D fighting genre with one of the last games released in the genre for the PlayStation 3, a game that follows the path of Under Night In-Birth, a fighting game of which I talked about a couple of entries back, as well as many other fighting games I have talked about in this blog. The game is called Aquapazza: Aquaplus Dream Match. Let’s see what one of the last fighting games of the previous generation has to offer.

Developed by Examu and published by Aquaplus in 2011 exclusively for the Japanese arcades under Taito’s popular arcade board Taito Type X2, Aquapazza: Aquaplus Dream Match is a classic style 2D fighting game that gathers in a single game several characters from several of the games and graphics novels published by Japanese editor Aquaplus, so we are talking about another “dream match” (as the title of the game says) much in the vein of other crossovers such as Dengeki Bunko or Nitroplus Blasterz, of which I also talked about a few entries back in this same blog. The game was ported to Sony’s PlayStation 3 in 2012. For those that don’t know Examu, we are talking about one of the best 2D fighting game developing studios out there at the moment, and their CV includes hits such as the Arcana Heart series and the above mentioned Nitropluz Blasterz, so we are talking about guys that know the craft. Just like in Dengeki Bunko or Nitroplus Blasterz, the game’s roster is made up of characters that belong to series that are completely unknown to most of the western audience, so perhaps only the most devoted fans of the Japenese animation and video game industry will recognize some of the faces featured in the roster of Aquaplus. The roster contains just 13 characters, a number that surely feels short when compared to most rosters nowadays, however, as if often happens in this kind of fighting game, the great personality of all of its characters makes playing with each of them feel like a unique experience, with all the characters having their very own unique fighting style that helps to set them completely apart from the rest. On top of the main 13 playable characters, the game features another 13 secondary characters that will play the role of support characters that, just like in games such as Vanguard Princess, Dengeki Bunko or Nitroplus Blasterz, we will be able to call up during the fights in order to get some assistance. The support characters will also have their own unique attacks, and their effectiveness will vary depending on our main character and our fighting style, so we will have to try several combinations till be find our very own “dynamic duo,” since mastering this system could be the different between the victory and the defeat when things get ugly.

On top of the support characters system, Aquapazza features other system that is an essential part of the core gameplay of the game, a system known as Active Emotion System, which reminds of the GRD System of Under Night In-Birth. Just like in French Bread’s title, Aquapazza will reward the players that adopt an active attitude during the combats, while punishing those that adopt a more passive (or extremely defensive) aptitude, thus we have that those players that are constantly delivering attack after attack will see their Emotion Gauge increase, and once it fills up, they will be reward with a bonus that will improve their character’s stats, on the other hand, those players that abuse the use of a defensive style will see their characters stats decrease, on top of giving the chance to our rivals or breaking our defense and leaving us completely exposed. This system causes the combats of Aquapazza to be vibrant (although it never reaches the level of Guilty Gear/BlazBlue), plus this system is particularly important in Aquapazza given the fact that, regardless of our character, all the characters inflict and take exactly the same amount of damage, meaning that characters are only different in combat style terms, but no in their attributes. Of course, no good fighting game can focus all it’s gameplay on just attacking, and though Aquapazza definitely distances itself from the more methodical and strategic style of Street Fighter, the game also offers the possibility or filling up our Emotion Gauge with the Impact Guard system, which will require us to block the rival’s attacks just at the right moment, and which will also allow us to avoid receiving chip damage (the small damage you receive when blocking special attacks such as a Haoduken). On top of all this, Aquapazza also includes the typical power gauge located at the bottom of the screen that will allow us the perform the most powerful attacks of our character, on top of all the other typical actions you can find in most games of the genre, such as counters, Cancels or throws, so, despite its colorful and rather friendly presentation, Aquapazza is a complex and demanding fighting game that will require a fair amount of hours of practice to master, although it is still more “noob-friendly” than Guilty Gear of BlazBlue.

Regarding the game modes, Aquapazza includes all the modes you could expect from a game of the genre. The game includes your typical Story Mode in which we will have to defeat a series of CPU-controlled characters while the story will be narrated in between the combats via conversations among the characters. Once we complete the Story Mode, we will unlock a second Story Mode that will allow us to dwell deeper into the characters stories. We can also find the typical Versus Mode that will allow us to face our buddies in local multiplayer matches or fight against CPU-controlled rivals, then we have the Training Mode, which will allow us to practice the different techniques and combos of all the characters, there is also a Score Attack Mode, and then finally we have the Online Mode, which, despite working perfectly fine, as it always happens with this kind of niche fighting games, the lack of popularity of the game (especially in the west) can make it difficult to find rivals to fight against.

Finally we have the game´s presentation, which, frankly speaking, is pretty good. Already in the character selection screen we can feel the great attention Examu has dedicated to this aspect of the game, as while we are choosing the characters, instead of the typical static portrait, the game will display fully animated portraits that seem to have been drawn directly from an anime series. All the characters have been modeled with a great deal of care, with the models displaying all kind of details that enhance the characters personalities, and the same can be said about the fluid animations, including the spectacular animations of the special attacks, and the 2D stages (yay!) in which the combats will take place are no less great, displaying all kind of details that make them come to live, and that include all kind of places, from anime/manga conventions, to Japanese idol concerts (otaku dances included). All this is enhanced by the vivid color palette the games uses, which really helps to transmit the feeling of being playing some kind on interactive anime, and while it´s true it never reaches the level of gorgeousness of the big boys such as Guilty Gear or BlazBlue, the big amount of effort that Examu has invested in the graphics of Aquapazza just cannot be denied.

Aquapazza didn´t come to revolutionize the genre, but that doesn´t mean is a bad game by any means, in fact, the game manages to deliver a fun and solid gameplay system that will surely please even the most demanding fans of the genre, and though the game is surely not perfect, Examu has managed to deliver another title that is up to what it is expected from them, something that is not easy if we take in count the fierce competence in the genre nowadays, so all those PS3 owners (the title is still a PS3 exclusive) and fans of the genre that are looking for something new should definitely give a chance to Aquapazza, since I´m sure the game won´t disappoint. Enjoy!


GAMEPLAY VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icBSjSCOT10