When comparing BlazBlue: Chronophantasma Extend vs Dark Souls III, the Slant community recommends Dark Souls III for most people. In the question“What are the best action games on Steam?” Dark Souls III is ranked 22nd while BlazBlue: Chronophantasma Extend is ranked 53rd. The most important reason people chose Dark Souls III is:
There's tons of lore everywhere for you to discover, but it isn't necessarily told through a conventional story. Weapons, armor, spells, and items you acquire have descriptions on them that tell you where in the game world they came from, any prominent characters they're associated with, and a bunch of other relevant and interesting information. So when you find examples of the lore scattered around the game, like bosses wearing a style of armor you read about, or an obscure NPC mentioned in a sword's description, you know the history behind the design and their purpose without that boss or character needing to explain anything to you. Even though the actual story in Dark Souls III is very thin, there's a lot to find under the surface if you're willing to look for it.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Allows for many different styles of fighting
With a roster of 24 characters (and 2 that can be purchased through DLC) that sees each having a different look and fighting style, there should be an option available for whatever kind of style one prefers. Whether that is close combat, ranged combat, tanks or really fast characters, there is a good mix to be found.
Pro Traditional 2D fighting game style
BlazBlue sticks to the tried and true method of using hand drawn sprites for their characters as well as their backgrounds, which may appeal to those that grew up with fighting games of this sort.
The actual fighting in the game is also traditional in the sense that there is a weak, medium and strong attack for each character as well as different combinations for eachs special moves. A tried and true method developed in the early nineties that still works great to this day.
While not just for nostalgia's sake there is also some benefit to 2D fighting such as being able to fight in the air as well as an overall sense of better space control.
Pro Accessible multiplayer
The multiplayer (PvP) section of the game can be played locally as well as online, meaning players can play at home with friends on one screen as well as with friends or random opponents online. This gives the player the choice of how they would like to play multiplayer, which is not something all PC fighting games do.
The online mode also offers a wide selection of options from ranked matches to player matches as well as online lobbies and viewable rankings.
Pro Good tools for practice
The game offers a training mode as well as a challenge mode. The training mode is an arena where the player can practice any move they like, over and over in order to nail down how to perform them on command easily. Training mode also offers a tutorial section that walks the player through how to perform specific maneuvers and actions in the game. The challenge mode on the other hand is like a tutorial with tasks in that it teaches the player how to do specific maneuvers while tasking them with pulling it off in a specific situation. This makes for a great way to learn all the ins and outs of the game's characters as the it walks you through how to do each task it is asking.
Pro Unique blocking element
In the game there is a secondary block with a meter tied to it that limits its use. This is called the barrier guard. The barrier guard allows for better blocking over a regular block, but is limited to the power found in the barrier guard gauge. This adds a strategical element to the gameplay, as the user needs to access whether or not using the barrier guard is worth it at them time they want to use it as when they run out they will be left with less defenses.
Pro Works great for online competitive fighting
Latency is barely an issue with Chronophantasma Extend (something all online fighters have to deal with), which makes this a good game for competitive online fighting as there should be few problems with missed frames (something that is always important for pulling off moves at the precise moments they need to be executed). The series as well as this game in particular also lends itself well to competitive fighting thanks to the precise controls as well as the vast array of characters available, each with their own look and fighting styles.
Pro Extensive lore that's presented in unconventional ways
There's tons of lore everywhere for you to discover, but it isn't necessarily told through a conventional story.
Weapons, armor, spells, and items you acquire have descriptions on them that tell you where in the game world they came from, any prominent characters they're associated with, and a bunch of other relevant and interesting information. So when you find examples of the lore scattered around the game, like bosses wearing a style of armor you read about, or an obscure NPC mentioned in a sword's description, you know the history behind the design and their purpose without that boss or character needing to explain anything to you.
Even though the actual story in Dark Souls III is very thin, there's a lot to find under the surface if you're willing to look for it.
Pro Stunning environments
The world of Dark Souls 3 looks amazing, so you may often feel the need to stop and take in the beautiful sights. This can be the sheer size of structures, mountains, or caves. It can also be the decorations, inscriptions, or details in a room. There's always so much to look at, allowing you to truly immerse yourself in its world.
Pro Can give a great feeling of accomplishment
The Dark Souls series is known for its difficulty and Dark Souls 3 is no exception. It's filled with difficult enemies and tough boss battles, able to cause you grief on more than one occasion. However, every time you progress to the next safe spot or defeat a boss you'll often be filled with a mix of joy and relief. Beating this game will almost certainly feel like an achievement.
Pro Unpredictable boss battles
The boss battles in Dark Souls 3 consist of several phases, changing up how the bosses fight over the course of the battle. They will gain new abilities, become more aggressive, or reveal various nasty surprises. This creates an enjoyable experience that is different from most modern games where bosses are just glorified pincushions.
Pro A great variety of equipment for almost any playstyle
You'll be finding new pieces of equipment quite often, giving you many options to choose from. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to pick the equipment that best suits your playstyle.
For example, heavy armor will make you move slower, but you'll be better protected. Greatswords have a wide reach, but you swing them really slow. Conversely a dagger is very fast but it has a horrible reach.
Pro Solid controls
This game feels and plays really well. Your character responds to button inputs immediately and it almost never feels like you're losing control over it. The control scheme can also be customized, giving you the option of a more personalized experience.
Pro Great combat system
Dark Souls 3 is a very fast-paced game but it's not just about having quick reflexes. A lot of the combat comes down to exploiting your enemies. To do that, you have to learn their patterns and attack the moment they pause or perform a telegraphed attack. This creates a combat system, which rewards awareness and patience, and is satisfying to master, even if you don't have extraordinary reflexes.
Cons
Con Poor story
The story found in the game for each character in the story mode is not written that well and is mainly fan service for those familiar with the franchise. So for newcomers or those that are looking for a deep and involved story, they may be disappointed.
Con Theme may not be for everyone
Being that the game is heavily themed as an anime, the look of the game may not appeal to everyone. For those that are not fans of anime or risque clothes on women this may be a game to stay away from. While none of this detracts from the gameplay itself, some may not enjoy spending money on something that is not visually appealing to them.
Con Poor support for mouse+keyboard control
The default DS3 key/button bindings actually prevent full use of certain weapons by requiring the shift key to be pressed and not-pressed simultaneously. Rebinding is possible, but limited by issues like the left mouse button overriding all others and certain bindings not actually working in game (e.g. Shift+MiddleClick).
Con It's hard
You should try avoiding the trap of great review scores since most of them fail to mention the difficulty. It's simply put - hard. A lot of the combat requires quick reflexes, good mechanics, and the mental fortitude to carry on after failing for hours. If you're new to the Souls-like genre or simply want to enjoy a relaxing evening playing a video game, you most likely won't enjoy Dark Souls III.
Con Poorly tuned dynamic visiblity
You may notice some texture pop in while sharply turning the camera. It can be somewhat distracting if you notice it, but most of the time you won't because it happens in the distance.
Con Occasional performance issues
There are portions of the game that will have noticeable framerate drops, which can negatively affect the gameplay. Most of the fault lies with the game engine, so getting better hardware won't help that much.