BlazBlue Entropy Effect X Demo Impressions

91Act, blazblue entropy effect x, U&I Entertainment

Console gamers, your time to enjoy BlazBlue Entropy Effect is coming, with a small twist! Renamed Entropy Effect X, the 2024 release is making its way to PS5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch on February 12th. For those who may be roguelite fans but not know anything about the BlazBlue series, that’s quite all right. Entropy Effect X is a spin-off that takes place separately from the main plot of the series.

For those who perhaps haven’t played it on mobile or PC just yet, the demo gives you a great introductory experience. Play as one of three characters available in the BlazBlue Entropy Effect X demo. The three characters available to you are Es, Ragna, and Hibiki. The demo throws you right in, playing as Hibiki as your tutorial character. Learn how to run, jump, dash, and attack to defeat your enemies. At the end of each area, choose your next entry point. After a few different stages, you’ll face up against the big bad for the level. Here are some quick impressions for the PlayStation 5 demo.

Gameplay

In this demo, you’ll get to play up to three levels if you survive long enough. This roguelike side-scrolling adventure feels a bit like Shinobi meets a classic beat ’em up adventure. As you clear a level, you can earn a new power-up for your character to create the next best build. After the tutorial, you get to choose from the three characters to dive in. For those who don’t know who the characters are, you’ll get to watch a quick video that tells you how the characters play, so you can choose your favorite. While I played with Hibiki and Es, Ragna felt the smoothest. This was even despite the fact that he sacrifices some of his HP for special moves. After your first run, you’ll notice there is an opportunity to also select characters to inherit their special attacks if you’ve met the conditions.

On this run with Es, we also decided to have Ragna’s ability behind us.

Enter the battle and enjoy side-scrolling action. Dash, jump, attack, and dive to defeat all of those enemies that get in your way. Special attacks will require some MP, and if you find yourself using it up too quickly, don’t worry, you may get the chance to increase your max MP as you choose your next level. The same is true of your HP; there are ways to increase your maximum. This is the general gameplay loop as you make choices, allowing you to build your character in a way that feels right to you. Of course, what feels right to you may take some time and quite a few runs. Thankfully, on the demo, you will get this opportunity to try your best with these three.

Art & Music

The cyberpunk aesthetic is quite satisfying as you navigate the city. While you traverse this side scroller, you’ll notice the music slowly becoming more intense as you go. The combat is also extremely smooth and satisfying to watch. There’s something about the color scheme and the stylistic attacks that just really pops off the screen. So much so that I can’t imagine how people have played this on mobile because it feels like it deserves a big screen.

Hibiki shows off a special move against the flames of war. Don’t do this, though; there is damage to be incurred.

Of course, it could be that it’s just the anime-style visuals that speak to me. This is something that has been prevalent in the BlazBlue universe as a whole since its initial entry in 2008. Again, this is a spin-off of the series, but it retains the attractive visuals fans have come to know and love. It will be interesting to see how the remainder of the lineup translates over to consoles. So far, these three have set the bar quite high.

Overall

Roguelite fans who enjoy side-scrolling action will get their fill of this demo and perhaps even more. The gameplay is remarkably smooth and plays very well with a controller. The only downside of the demo is knowing that there are quite a few characters that will only be available in the full game. After about 90 minutes, I found myself wanting to try different combinations of character skills. Having Ragna’s skill be inherited by many was fun, but I do find myself curious if another character will lend themselves well to Ragna on the map.

For those who were already looking to pick up the game, you may wonder, “it is still worth playing the demo”? Well, this is important, especially if you’re on PlayStation 5 like I was. “After playing the demo, a mysterious bonus can be obtained in the full version”. What could that be? The demo description doesn’t give any insights unfortunately. Perhaps those who are fans of the series may already have an idea of who or what the surprise bonus will be.

Always read the terms and conditions carefully, sometimes there’s something cool in there…

Another bit to note is that unless you know Japanese, you will need to read the dialogue. The game does have a storyline, but it’s the action combat that will keep you coming back for more on this demo. Lastly, there’s one more bit of good news with BlazBlue Entropy Effect X that may interest you.

I’d Play, but I Want Physical Copies of My Games…

The deluxe edition comes with quite a few goodies for fans of the series.

There is good news for most of you physical collectors! For those who are more interested in a physical copy, they will be available on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch on February 20th. There’s quite a bit to be found in this physical deluxe edition. The Deluxe Edition content includes:

The physical Deluxe Edition features all the content on a disc/in-cartridge.
BlazBlue Entropy Effect X – Standard Edition game, Two Character Palette Sets
BLAZBLUE Character Palette [The Other Side] (14 Characters) Hibiki, Ragna, Noel, ?-No.11, Es, Rachel, Taokaka, Jin, Kokonoe, Hakumen, Mai, Hazama, Bullet, Naoto (This set will receive additional palettes for any characters added in future updates.)
BLAZBLUE Character Palette [X-File] (14 Characters) Hibiki, Ragna, Noel, ?-No.11, Es, Rachel, Taokaka, Jin, Kokonoe, Hakumen, Mai, Hazama, Bullet, Naoto (This set does not include palettes for future characters. Separate purchases may be required.)
BLAZBLUE ENTROPY EFFECT X – Complete Original Soundtrack (5 Sets / 91 Tracks Total) ACE-OST MIND TRAINING, ACE-OST PHENOMENON, ACE-OST MIND TRAINING II, ACE-OST OTHERWORLD VOICE, BLAZBLUE ENTROPY EFFECT X – OST Infinity Edition

Personally, the idea of having the entire game on the disc is a selling point alone. The trend of so many games still needing downloads after being purchased can be a bit frustrating. Perhaps the time the game was available on PC and mobile has allowed them to ensure the full game can be on the cartridge. Minus any DLC purchases, of course. Sorry, Xbox gamers, at this time, there are no notes of it having an Xbox edition, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated if this changes.

BlazBlue Entropy Effect X is releasing digitally on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch on February 12, 2026. Physical copies available on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch on February 20, 2026. This demo was played on PS5. If you haven’t already played this on PC, will you be picking this up on console? Let us know in the comments down below or on the Gamer Social Club Discord, where you can chat about your favourite games, join in community game nights, take part in giveaways, and more!