BLEACH Mirrors High has brought a new experience to the iconic franchise, allowing players to step into the world of BLEACH as their own Soul Reaper. Featuring an original story set after the events of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War, the mobile game launched on October 28 featuring new characters designed by series creator Tite Kubo, customizable Zanpakuto, and a card-based action battle system.
With worldwide pre-registrations surpassing 1 million, we had the opportunity to speak with the game’s producers about its development, Tite Kubo’s involvement, feedback from the Closed Beta Test, and what players can expect at launch and beyond. Read on for the full interview, which was conducted shortly before to the game’s launch:
Q: TV Animation Series BLEACH has already been adapted into games many times, from the long-running BLEACH: Brave Souls to BLEACH Rebirth of Souls last year. What led the team to build BLEACH Mirrors High around a brand-new story set after the Thousand-Year Blood War, with the player as their own Soul Reaper, rather than retelling the original story?
A: We started out with the concept of “the Soul Reaper experience” from the get-go, and we started planning with the goal of creating a game where you yourself take on the role of a Soul Reaper. We felt that this could bring something totally new to BLEACH, although of course we wanted to preserve the essence of the franchise, too. Rather than reliving the story of Ichigo Kurosaki yet again, we wanted players to experience a brand-new story as a Soul Reaper living and growing in Soul Society, and we have been aiming to portray that.
Q: Kubo-sensei has said he was involved from the kickoff meeting and “ended up doing more than what was requested” on the character designs. Can you describe what working with him was like day to day, and share if there was a moment when one of his ideas changed the direction of the game?
A: We asked Kubo-sensei to design the game’s two protagonist characters, but in addition to that, Kubo-sensei also provided character designs for their thirteen fellow academy members.
Normally the setting is laid out in the manga and anime, so we can jump right in on creating the details for the story and characters, but this time we first received character designs from Kubo-sensei, and from there we considered the world setting and story. Kubo-sensei also supervised those aspects of the project.
Of course, that wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation of Kubo-sensei and the BLEACH production committee. We’re deeply grateful for the assistance of everyone who helped us with this project, and we believe it helped us deepen our understanding of the BLEACH universe.
Q: To the extent you can share, how should fans understand where Mirrors High sits in relation to the original manga’s canon?
A: The story of this game is an original scenario set in the world after the final battle against Yhwach in the TV anime BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War. It begins with Ryunosuke Yuki, who debuted in the Thousand-Year Blood War anime, taking care of a group of rookie Court Guards, which suggests he may have matured as a Soul Reaper somewhat. To find out more, you’ll have to play the game, and we hope you’ll eagerly await future chapters of the main story.
Q: Players choose either Shirin Migishima or Shirane Sanari, both designed by Kubo-sensei, and can also customize their appearance. How did you balance a protagonist with a defined personality and story against the freedom of a player-created Soul Reaper?
A: The personalities of Shirin Migishima or Shirane Sanari make up the backbone of the character, but the avatar is completely customizable so users can put themselves into the game and experience what it’s like to become a Soul Reaper, which was an important point of focus in development.
Obviously, you can customize the appearance, but you can also adjust your battle style and tactics to suit your personality. If you choose to use Shirin Migishima or Shirane Sanari’s default names, the voice lines will also include their names, but if you change it to something else you’ll instead hear a more generic voice line.
Q: New Squad Members Naru Jurinna, Giro Hando, and Maiko Tokishima will fight alongside characters like Ichigo and Byakuya. What did you and Kubo-sensei focus on so that these new Soul Reapers feel like they truly belong in the world of BLEACH?
A: Naru Jurinna, Giro Hando, Maiko Tokishima and the others were created by Kubo-sensei as rookie Court Guards, so we wanted to depict them as having an active role in the events of the story while maintaining the premise that there is a significant gap in ability between them and Captain-level characters such as Byakuya Kuchiki and Toshiro Hitsugaya.
This is reflected in the gameplay, where we’ve made it so that the players can use the rookie Court Guards Naru Jurinna, Giro Hando, and Maiko Tokishima right from the very first chapter of the main story so players can see what they’re like in action.
Each character also utilizes a different battle style, wielding Zanjutsu, Kido, or Hakuda as befits their character, allowing players to try out the different styles of combat. We hope you look forward to seeing them along with the other trainees in the future.
Q: Zanpakuto customization was one of the most praised features in the Closed Beta Test, with one tester calling it “a childhood dream” come true. As players progress through the story, how far does that personalization go, for example toward a Shikai or Bankai that feels unique to each player?
A: As part of Zanpakuto customization, you’ll be able to choose its blade, guard, sheath, accessories and effects, and as you progress through the main story you’ll even be able to give it a unique Kaigo (release incantation). Do your best to come up with a unique one!
Additionally, raising your Bond Level with certain characters will trigger an Inherit Arts Battle, and victory will grant you skills that you can use to customize the protagonist’s abilities. Try raising the bond level of a bunch of different characters!
Q: Battles combine a team of three with Action Cards, Mortal Blows, and Soul Drive attacks that change depending on the character combination. Why did a card-based action system feel like the right way to capture BLEACH’s sword fights on a smartphone?
A: The reason we considered a card-based action system to be the best choice is that we wanted to create an action game that retains the exhilarating and stylish elements of BLEACH while offering controls that are more accessible for a mobile game.
While there are certainly action games that feature numerous buttons and require players to input complex commands to enjoy them, we wanted to make the game accessible to a broad range of BLEACH fans. Our attempts to develop a game where anyone can easily enjoy cool-looking action-packed battles are what led us to the current battle system.
Q: Six returning characters have been revealed so far, from Ichigo to Toshiro Hitsugaya, with another slot marked “Coming Soon.” What guides your choices about which BLEACH characters join the game at launch and afterward, given that the story takes place after the war?
A: After launch we plan to have a variety of characters appear both in the Soul Summon and the main story, and we’re currently working on some already. In addition to the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, we also plan to add characters from the Substitute arc, Soul Society arc, Arrancar arc and a variety of other time periods, so we hope you look forward to that.
Q: In the Closed Beta Test report, approximately 78% of players said they were “Very Satisfied” or “Satisfied,” while the team noted many comments about crashes on certain devices, raising characters, and the UI. Beyond the fixes already announced, what is the most significant change the team has made since the beta?
A: In the recent Closed Beta Test, many participants praised the core concept of the game, where you take part in the BLEACH world as a Soul Reaper.
On the other hand, we also received a lot of feedback about crashes on certain devices, the character training system, and the UI. In response, we implemented bug fixes, made adjustments to prevent crashes, and made improvements to app usability, starting with the UI. Specifically, to prevent crashes, we made it so the game automatically assigns graphics settings based on device specifications to reduce load on the system.
Additionally, we have increased the number of experience point items granted by Daily Battles, increased the number of Mastery Medals (an item needed to Promote characters) that are awarded, added a function to quickly move to the location where required items can be obtained, and increased the Arena rewards overall. As for the UI, we’ve made it easier to see where each Training Item can be obtained.
We believe these changes have made the game a lot more fun to play, so give it a go!
Q: Some beta testers felt it was difficult to obtain 4★ characters, and the team has said it will make the Summon Exchange Shop easier to find from the Summon screen. What principles guide how you design summoning and character progression for launch, such as fairness, clarity, or how long it takes to get a specific character?
A: We have designed the game so that by playing the main story, Arena, Elite Showdown, Daily Battles, etc. players will naturally obtain Training items that allow them to train their favorite characters. The core game cycle is based on using your trained characters in various modes, thereby acquiring the items required to train more characters.
Q: The beta covered the opening chapter of the story. To the extent you can discuss it, how far ahead is the original story planned, and will Kubo-sensei continue to be involved in new chapters and characters after launch?
A: The main story will have 10 chapters implemented at the time of launch, and subsequent chapters will be added in future updates. Development has already started on the update where Chapter 11 will be added, so please bear with us.
Future chapters also include story elements featuring the activities of the new characters designed by Kubo-sensei, so please look forward to them as well.
Q: BLEACH Mirrors High is launching worldwide, and the beta already supports six languages. Pre-registrations have now surpassed 1,000,000 worldwide. How did planning for a global audience from day one shape development, and did you notice any differences in how players from different regions responded to the beta?
A: BLEACH enjoys worldwide popularity, and global distribution was planned from the very beginning of development. The card system was implemented as part of an effort to make the game as accessible as possible, even in the already popular and accessible action game genre.
There were a few differences across regions in the Beta Test, but the quality of the illustrations, game presentation, and dynamic battle system all received widespread praise.
Q: Finally, for the BLEACH fans around the world who have pre-registered and are counting down to launch, is there a message you would like to share with them?
A: Thank you for reading and for your support. Everyone on the team is excited to finally share BLEACH Mirrors High with players around the world. In this game, you’ll step into the role of a Soul Reaper, wield your own Zanpakuto, and experience a completely original story set in the world of BLEACH. We hope you’ll enjoy carving your own future. We can’t wait for you to begin your journey in BLEACH Mirrors High.
We would like to thank the BLEACH Mirrors High production team for taking the time to answer our questions and share more about the game’s development. We look forward to playing further through its original story unfolds and seeing what awaits us on our own journey as Soul Reapers.
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