UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes Review (Switch)

Japanese developer Frenchbread's phenomenal anime fighter, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r], impressed the heck out of us when it dropped in its final revised form on Switch back in 2020. Nabbing a 9/10 score in our review, it quickly became one of those very special games that we just straight-up refuse to ever delete off our SD cards. Still easily one of the console's best fighters, it's a slick and addictive work of indie art that only missed out on a perfect score due to some very disappointing online issues. And hey, now it's got a sequel!

Yep, UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes (herein referred to as 'UNI2' because we're down with the kids) sees you return to a world where humans ravaged by the 'Hollow Night' (scary void monsters) become In-Births. In-Births gain the ability to control a power known as EXS, and that's how...well, that's how they fight so good. We don't understand much more of the story in all honesty, beyond this and the fact there's a 500-year-old girl named Linne knocking about, we're just happy that we understand what the franchise's crazy name is all about now.

In terms of the core combat on offer in this return, we are sticking with the game's fantastic GRD (Grind Grid) system. Explained as simply as we can, the GRD sits at the bottom centre of your screen and is composed of six blocks per fighter. As you attack, move forward, and generally dominate a scrap tactically, you fill your side of the GRD aiming for the most blocks filled when the little spinning timer in the middle fills up (every 17.5 seconds or something like that). Why should you bother watching stupid little blocks fill up instead of just focusing on kicking your opponent really hard in the chin and face? You get a damage bonus, mate — you temporarily activate 'GRD Vorpal' mode where you gain the upper hand and can push the advantage.

It gets even more interesting. Once you've got some GRD in your GRD (seriously though) you can hold in the 'B' button to exchange it for EXS, the stuff that powers your big special moves bar. Deciding when to hold out for a Vorpal boost, when to cash in for some EXS, and so on, is what it's all about and this is layered into a fighting game that otherwise should be easy enough for any fan of the genre to pick up quickly. If you know how to Hadouken or Spinning Bird Kick, you'll know how to utilise most characters' power moves from the get-go, which makes this an easy recommendation to the curious.

The beautifully balanced tug-of-war presented by the GRD system is at the heart of what's special about Under Night, a highly unique and extremely effective setup. It gives this series a feeling of urgency — of tactics and strategy at all times — that scratches a deep 2D fighting itch. It's the good stuff, in short, and in this sequel a couple of clever modifications and improvements have been made to freshen up the addictive core experience.

With regards to combat, the changes for part two include a new 'Celestial' variant of GRD Vorpal which kicks in once you go over six full blocks in the Grind Grid. We've spent quite a bit of time playing, and we reckon anyone worried about this new variant being OP can relax. Gaining a full GRD and actually managing to enter Celestial, and then keeping it rolling and pulling off fancy combos that let you extend your advantage...well, it's not that easy and there aren't any shortcuts to get you there instantaneously through fancy combos and so on.

Beyond this new variant of attack boost, there's also a new dodge/roll mechanic called 'Creeping Edge' that allows you to roll through an incoming attack with zero damage but at a loss to your GRD. As expected from such an immaculately presented game, every change here feels as though it's been very carefully made so as not to disturb the magic balance.

Of course, if you're already a fan, you'll know the last game had some fairly glaring issues when it came to online play, and so perhaps the headline addition to this sequel, beyond even the combat improvements we've detailed, is rollback netcode that deals with those problems — a big win. Custom colour slots, new stages and character themes, freshly recorded dialogue, and a fully reworked soundtrack have also been added to the mix alongside three brand new characters in the form of Tsurugi, Kaguya, and Kuon.

So that's what's been put in — all good. But unfortunately some things have also been taken out and, depending on how huge a fan you are of this franchise and its worldbuilding, you'll need to adjust your disappointment accordingly.

The game's regular 'Chronicle' story mode, which sees you watch without any actual gameplay or fights, has gone missing this time and, although it's not a part of the game we really bothered with in all honesty, it's a shame that something else wasn't put in its place. As a result, the single-player offering feels a little more threadbare this time around, even though what's been taken away didn't involve any actual playing. Not a big deal for us, but your mileage may vary and all that.

Away from this very slight niggle though, this is another fantastic effort from French-Bread. We know that anime fighters can seem daunting; stuff like Blazblue — you know you want to play it, it looks so good, but damn it's all new and complicated and the story is impenetrable. However, the bar to entry here is genuinely not a problem if you just get your head around that GRD system. Once that's in your memory banks, this becomes a much easier prospect, with movesets and combos that should make straight sense to anyone who's spent any time playing the most popular AAA fighters of the past few decades.

We should also point out that the roster of pugilists here is a real doozy with incredible depth and variety. From more straightforward fighters like Hyde, Orie, and Gordeau, to technical nightmares such as Vatista and Yuzu, each character gets their own story to play through in the game's traditional arcade mode, complete with cutscenes that should help ease the pain of the missing Chronicles, and all of the usual time attacks, score attacks, survival, and multiplayer varieties of play are back this time.

Also, it was mentioned in our review of the first game, but it's worth saying again here: We can't think of another fighter that gives you more complete training modes and tutorials than Under Night. There's a ton of stuff to dig into here for those who want to get serious with labbing and all of that jazz, and the strategic depth on offer sits beautifully alongside fighting mechanics that make it so more casual players can also have a great time.

Finally, performance in this Switch port has been 100% perfect for us across the board. This is a phenomenal-looking game, especially in handheld, and it sticks resolutely to its frame rate no matter how explosive your finishers get. Controls-wise, we played with Joy-Con, a Pro Controller, and a third-party dock with fancy buttons and sticks and all did the job just fine. Obviously, the default Joy-Con come in last in order of preference for fighting games, but they get the job done, and combining sticks and the D-Pad (we find, at least) gives you enough options to ensure you don't need a controller upgrade to get full enjoyment out of this one.

So, Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes — no real surprises — is a cracker overall. It takes away one mode, which is a shame, but it adds rollback netcode and plenty of deep, satisfying action to dig into, alongside additions to combat and slick new characters that have been carefully considered and implemented. Another big win for French-Bread, then, and another must-play 2D fighter to add to the Switch's impressive roster. There are one or two big new fighting games releasing soon after this one on other platforms, and this indie gem can genuinely sit shoulder-to-shoulder with the lot of them.