I was super hyped when I first heard of Melty Blood: Type Lumina (MB:TL). I have had great memories playing Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code (MBAACC) as it’s one of my all-time favorite fighting games. So, seeing a new game in the series was definitely something to look forward to and I was eager to find out what the new game would implement this time. The game even had updated sprites and was looking smoother than ever. I should note that I am mostly ok at fighting games, so I am not the most experienced in games like these.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Nice, fun, and fluid combat
- Accessible gameplay for newer players to pick up and play
- Free DLC characters, with more on the way
- Nice soundtrack that fits the Melty Blood feel
- Beautiful artwork that is very nice to look at.
Cons
- Not enough single-player content to keep the player entertained
- While the combos are simple, they can get rather tedious
- Auto combos are very disruptive, and you can pull them off by accident sometimes
Story
The story for MB:TL takes place ten days before Tsukihime-A Piece of Blue Glass, with each character having their own story for you to go through in the arcade. Some stories on certain routes do even take place during the events of Tsukihime-A Piece of Blue Glass. I have not played the VN so I can’t exactly say much on the events of it, I wish I could play it but Type-Moon has not released it yet on PC and I don’t know for sure if they will. All we can do is pray and see how things go from there.
Gameplay
MB:TL is more of a simple fighting game, which is perfect for newer players to pick up and play. There is an auto combo system that will do the work for them, so they won’t feel pressured to learn anything. That’s not to say the game won’t take skill to learn some of the mechanics as it does have stuff that takes time to learn, like parrying and a few more things. Combat is fun and fluid, you will have access to special moves by your special meter which will fill up in accordance throughout the match. You can even get access to a Full Moon mode where you will do extra damage and get more special moves. The game as a whole is very easy for newcomers to pick up and play.
While the roaster is not as big as it was in MBAACC, it’s still a decent size and they are adding new characters into the game for free. Yes, you heard me, for free - you don’t have to pay a dime for these characters. At the time of my writing, Mash from the Fate series and Neco-Arc will be playable on August 19th, so keep an eye out for those characters.
As much as I do like MB:TL's gameplay, it does have a few issues that hold the game back from being perfect. There is not enough single-player content to really keep someone invested for a long enough time. There is an arcade mode but that’s really it. Yes, there is a training mode and some missions, however, it’s not enough to keep someone interested. While the combos for the game are simple for players to pick up, the auto combos do have issues. They can get rather tedious because each button does the same auto combo, but some moves are different. The end result is the same and nothing really feels special to me and because of this, the game can get rather boring.
Another issue that you may come across is that you may do an auto combo by mistake when you had no intention of doing it. This is because when you press the button a third time, it will go and do its combo. There is a way to cancel it out when you are in the air but it’s still an annoying issue overall.
I should note that online does have a few issues as well, mainly with the net code and the fact that even when you are in a lobby, you can only do one match at a time. However, online is kind of dead for the most part anyway, you may get a few matches but don’t expect Guilty Gear Strive levels of players.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is really awesome, French-Bread did a fantastic job making each song sound unique from each. My favorite has to be the intro, it always will be catchy as hell and just all-around entertaining as usual.
Graphics and Performance
MB:TL is a beautiful game all around, the sprite work is just amazing in its detail is just pretty. I tested the game on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB, AMD Ryzen 5 1500X Quad-Core Processor 3.50, and 16 GB of RAM. I experienced no issues when I was playing and had a nice constant 60 FPS.
Final Verdict
If you loved playing MBAACC then you may enjoy this game as well, on a sale, however. While I will not lie that MB:TL is a fun game, it has its faults. I’ll even go on and say that MBAACC is a more polished game. As that game has a bigger roaster and just overall more fun gameplay that you can enjoy overall.
I am not trying to downplay MB:TL at all but I am just saying that for comparison's sake. I had fun while I was playing this game but with the mentioned issues that I have stated above. I can’t recommend this game at full price, even with the free DLC characters.