BEYBLADE X XONE Review

Growing up, I was dedicated to the original Beyblade anime. It was by far one of my favourite series, however, I couldn’t celebrate it much at school when I was a kid. No one underestimates the underground Beyblade battles of the playground, those were serious business. So, when I heard about BEYBLADE X XONE, that nostalgic feeling pulled me over. I had to try it out.

Of course, I’m well aware that Beyblade is in no way like it used to be. Sure, the core of the series is the same: you battle against other spinning tops until one is either knocked out of the arena or stops spinning. Back in my day, there was the fantasy element, with different spirits inhabiting each blade, but… I’m pretty sure they threw that bit of lore away over a decade ago.

But it’s fine! I still liked the idea of BEYBLADE X XONE. It had some visual novel elements, and you could control your Beyblade by commanding it to attack or counter. Then, use some special attacks, in a way that is oddly reminiscent of rock-paper-scissors, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll win. When you win, you gain experience and you might also get a new Beyblade or some other new parts to customise with.

The main goal of the game is to get your character, Sheer, to the 100th floor of the X Xone. Meeting new friends and rivals, it’s a pretty simple structure. But, at least you can travel away from the tournament to go to the shop or travel around the world map to take part in exhibition matches. Plus, you can pick up different parts while you wander around the map. The parts of the Beyblade vary, with them including the blade, ratchet, and bit, but not all parts are compatible with each other, and you can enhance them by partaking in exhibition matches and earning EP.

Apparently, Knife Shinobi, your Beyblade (what happened to the days of Dranzer and Dragoon. What happened?) is apparently a very rare blade, which may have been given to you by your father — a legendary blader, but not a Blade Breaker of the days of old, so how legendary can he be — you’re just an amateur entering the tournament. But Knife Shinobi attracts the attention of some professional bladers, and I have to admit that the inclusion of pro teams is a nice touch. I’m glad that’s still an element. However, it’s a little underwhelming.

Of course, you’ll also meet other characters who appear in the Beyblade X anime, but you can go in with no information on the series. For example, I had no idea who Team Persona was, and that didn’t really impact me at all. It’s like you’re playing as your own OC, and you can talk to the characters however you so desire. Or, at least as limited by the three options given to you. Plus, it’s nice to customise your Beyblades, but all you need to do is consider the type you’re battling against.

Truthfully, I think it’s nice that you can increase your bond with your fellow Beybladers, but these mostly rely on you answering in a way that makes you not a jerk. Considering there are only ever two given options at a time in these scenarios, it’s pretty easy to do. But, I do wish there was more you could do outside of the Beyblading, which shouldn’t be something I should say about a Beyblade game. But, let me explain a little bit more about how the Beybattles work.

So, there are four types of Beyblades: stamina, balanced, attack, and defence. Stamina blades spin a lot, while attack and defence have higher attributes on those stats, and balanced is a healthy mixture of all three. You can customise your blades to your heart’s desire, but, admittedly, I did find that the gameplay was a bit… lacking. There are only three types of ways to win; Xtreme finish, where you manage to knock it out with your X attack; knockout finish, where you manage to knock your opponent out with an attack; and survivor finish, where you manage to outspin your opponent. To use your X Attack, you need to build up your X bar, which means you’ll need to successfully attack and counter, allowing you to move to the rock-paper-scissors element of the battle. However, you also need to keep an eye on your stamina while you do this.

Of course, there are some elements that make each one different. Sometimes, there are two-on-two battles that mean you choose two of your Beyblades to go against your opponent’s. Occasionally, there are obstacles that will be on the field, such as pillars, that your blade will be able to ricochet against if you angle it correctly. The inclusion of Battle Net is also a nice touch, as it gives players the chance to earn some credits to buy more parts and gain more experience, so if you want to grind, it’s definitely worth it. Plus, it allows you to battle other NPC bladers of your level. Players can also take part in the online mode, where you can partake in casual or ranked matches, but as someone who doesn’t like playing against strangers online… I didn’t pay too much heed to it. After all, it’s essentially just the usual Versus mode.

Unfortunately, I just don’t think it’s worth the roughly £34 price tag that it’s at. There are some significant issues, including the screen glitching during auto-chase sequences, where there are some flashing bars as the blades spin around. Looking at other player reviews, I don’t think it’s just a problem on my Steam Deck, and while it’s fully voice-acted and a step up from Beyblade games from my childhood, it’s just not the high-octane-Beybattle-extravaganza it advertises itself as. It’s a shame because no doubt fans of the series will enjoy it, and maybe I’ll pick it up again, but right now, it’s too expensive to justify anyone spending that kind of money on it.

Although I have to admit, I was pretty curious about the Beyblade X anime, so I guess it did accomplish something for me.