Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r] (Nintendo Switch) Review

Just what is it with ridiculously named Japanese video games? Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r] is one heck of a mouthful, and it is anyone's guess how the creators expect the average person to call it as intended. Whatever the case, this is the latest in French-Bread's successful anime fighter series, which has proven popular enough to become a main event title at yearly fighting game tournament Evo. It is fully deserved, as Cubed3's review of the last instalment's PS4 version can attest to.

The methodical and stylish combat system carries over into [cl-r], which once again retains its grounded approach to battle, with players vying for more GRD blocks than the other, as a small timer winds down throughout battle; once it hits zero, the combatant with the most GRD gains a little boost and can deal more damage. It is this kind of offensive gameplay that makes Under Night In-Birth so exciting both to play and watch.

The same weak-medium-strong button setup that many anime fighters employ makes for a pretty easy to understand game, so anyone can dive right on in and get to grips easily enough. A very in-depth tutorial mode coupled with character-specific combo challenges helps to get players familiar with Under Night's unique gameplay features, including the GRD system and Veil Off mode - the latter of which can be activated with a full meter and allows for infinite use of special moves until it runs out. It feels like there are multiple stages to a single fight, with players pushing and pressing to really build their meters and GRD in order to get to that coveted Veil Off moment. Every battle is thrilling.

This is indeed only another update to the same game that has seen various adjustments since the original arcade version, though. Okay, it boasts over a thousand move and balance changes over the last version; includes one new character in the form of Londrekia, with his slick, icy moves; and adds in some extra narrative to the incredibly long visual novel-like story mode. It isn't entirely void of new content. Is it enough, though? Nintendo Switch owners that haven't delved into this franchise before will find an awful lot to enjoy here, as there are plenty of modes (online included) and a varied cast of characters. As another Under Night In-Birth entry, however, this does feel lacking, despite the gameplay tweaks.

Just one new character and no attempt to add another mode for anyone that has played the previous title isn't enough, especially given the price being asked. Day one DLC is a common theme now, but surely the voice pack for Londrekia should be included in the game as standard, and not portioned off to buy separately? Additional DLC character colours is also a shame, although the range of choice already in there is strong. It's unfortunate, but the next iteration of Under Night In-Birth needs more than this update.