Fans of the BlazBlue series are already excited with the recent release of BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma as well as the imminent localization of XBlaze – Code: Embryo, the visual novel that takes place 150 years before the events of BlazBlue. Recently, producer Toshimichi Mori dismissed notions that fans of his series do not play the game for the story.
“I think the story is what fans are looking forward to and what makes BlazBlue unique.”
This is in direct opposition to a speech given at GDC in which Tom Abernathy (Narrative Lead of Riot Games) and Richard Rouse III (Design Lead of Microsoft Game Studios) claimed that “plot is highly overrated.” (Clearly, they never asked us). Mori is so confident that his fans enjoy his story that he may have dropped a bit of a bomb that fans were never expecting.
“You know the BlazBlue Phase 0 novel? Chrono Phantasma has the Phase 0 story in it. If people are fans I can see if I can ask if it can get localized.”
This light novel was written back in 2010 and has four sequels. It contains a story that connects the events prior to BlazBlue (possibly the XBlaze story) with the events of the first BlazBlue game. In it, Ragna the Bloodedge ends up traveling back in time and has a secret battle with the Black Beast. While there is no official word on this novel getting released, this is one of the first times that a producer has ever showed interest in getting a novelization translated and sent westward.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed!
