Another year, another game in the Bleach franchise. The Bleach series focuses on our bright haired hero, Ichigo Kurosaki and is the sequel to the DS game Bleach: The Bladed Fate that got a release last year.

Bleach: Dark Souls is largely like it's predecessor with a few changes to the core gameplay. After all, it would be hard to try and improve a game that was already fantastic in the first place, and like the previous entry, this title has been released a while back now over in Japan. Fans that got The Bladed Fate will feel at home with the familiar, lovely looking graphics and combat system, but will be aware of the few tweaks that developer Treasure has made to the core mechanics, and it's these players that can instantly jump onto the online section of the game for some intense high speed fights. But for you new guys out there, you've got a few things to learn.

Thankfully for the newcomers to the series a tutorial mode has been included for the player to get used to the rather in depth battle system and controls of the game, allowing you to be able to pull of those killer combos without having to furiously do different actions on the D-Pad then pressing random attack buttons, ultimately leading you to fail and accuse you're opponent of cheating. After all, gaining a win will rely on you're ability to attack without giving you're opponent a chance to strike you back. So if you're one of those newcomers getting into learning the mechanics of the game, things won't be too hard thanks to the shortcuts on the touch screen which just need a tap to launch. Next to these shortcuts, there will be cards on your deck which will enable you to have different special effects which can help you in battle, a feature that was also present on The Bladed Fate. This time however you will have 4 cards along with the attack shortcuts and after each card is used another random card will appear on your deck. These cards can range from the player becoming invisible or increasing their attack power to offer different play styles to the player. A good structured deck can help you win the battle if executed properly, making the game rely on a good deck as well as the good fighting skills.

Duke it out on the DS.

Some other changes to this entry of the series is that some of the returning characters return with some new moves, some new modes and obviously with a new story, there are some new characters. Dark Souls has 17 new characters added to it's roster giving the player a total of 44 players to choose from. The story now takes place after the first season of the anime, and this time the Hollows have infiltrated the Soul Society, although it just seems like the story is there to connect each of the fights. Although in the case of Dark Souls, the story is something you don't really need since this is all about that the intense fighting.

The main campaign mode will probably last you 6 or so hours and offers a good learning curve for the beginners through easing them into the combat by providing the hot links on the bottom screen. However, the spamming attacks and constant use of the hotkeys will get that newbie nowhere thanks to the deep combat system that players fell in love with in the previous entry. It retains a good balance, the new players use the same attacks and touch cards all they want to progress through the story, but against the skilled folk online who have memorized those long chain combos and laugh at the thought of using hot links will beat you silly. It's a game that many folk will no doubt come back to since it is a fantastic fighter game. So perhaps those who spam will at a point move out of their shallow tactics.

The online component of the game offers lag free matches as well as actually having a good ranked match making mode which will bring players together with a similar skill level. As well as this it offers you the chance to turn off the spirit cards to give players the chance to properly duke it out, or if you find that guy who always switches planes to avoid being hit, you can turn those off as well. There's quite a bit of customization to give you kind of match you want to be in. And as with every online DS game out there there is a mode so friends can meet up, and also the free for all option which drops 4 random players into the battlefield to see who the last player standing is. Certainly the online aspect of the game will keep you hooked.

Frantic fighting action.

As with The Blade of Fate, there are unlockables to find throughout the game such as artwork and different character colours. The graphics and the smooth 2D/3D have remained largely unchanged and look as good as ever as well as some catchy tunes. Overall there is quite a lot to sink your teeth into and any fan of the series will no doubt spend a lot of time with the game to get everything completed. Even when you do thanks to the customization options for the online part of the game there's a lot to go back for. This is no doubt one for the growing amount of Bleach fans out there as well as those who like good solid fighting games, you won't need to be a fan of Bleach to get a lot of fun out of it. And what's more, some players might even find themselves going through each character until they get the right one for them since the characters don't all play the same.

Bleach: Dark Souls is a well rounded game that many fans will enjoy. You have a large roster of characters, a fantastic combat system, great online component and lots to do. How Treasure can improve on this for the next entry will surely be interesting. They know how to make a good solid fighting game.