BLEACH Rebirth of Souls reveals battle and HP system, mechanics for last-minute match reversals 

Bandai Namco Entertainment has released a gameplay trailer detailing the battle system of Bleach Rebirth of Souls. Based on the Bleach anime and manga series by Tite Kubo, the 3D arena fighter is set to launch for the PC (Steam), PS4/PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. 

Apart from retelling a portion of the original manga’s story, Bleach Rebirth of Souls will recreate the series iconic sword battles and character-specific abilities. So far, we’ve been told that the main theme of the game’s battles are dramatic overturns and single-hit knockouts. However, the latest trailer delves deeper into the workings of the battle system (crafted by Tamsoft, the veteran developers of the Battle Arena Toshinden series). 

In Bleach Rebirth of Souls, HP is composed of Reishi (Spirit Particles) and Konpaku (Souls). While Reishi comes in the form of gauges, Konpaku are numbered, with each fighter possessing a total of 9 at the start of a match. As you land attacks, your opponent’s Reishi gauge is depleted, and each time you bring their Reishi gauge to zero, they lose one Konpaku. Combos executed when the enemy’s Reishi gauge is depleted can break multiple Konpaku at once. Victory is decided when either side has all their Konpaku destroyed. 

At the same time, by landing attacks, you boost your Spiritual Power gauge. The spiritual power accumulated while attacking can be unleashed into a special Spiritual Pressure Move or a Reverse Action, which can be activated both when defending and attacking. It seems that timing these moves correctly will be vital in changing the course of a match. 

Bleach Rebirth of Souls also introduces a Fighting Spirit gauge that fills up throughout battle – this gauge allows the player to enter an Awakened State and trigger attacks such as Bankai. These can shatter multiple enemy Konpaku at once, making the outcome of matches unpredictable until the last moment. 

Bleach: Rebirth of Souls is scheduled to launch on PC (Steam), PS5/PS4 and Xbox Series X|S. A release date has yet to be announced.