Review: Beyblade X: Xone Isn’t Revolutionary

It’s hard to believe that the Beyblade franchise is over twenty years old. However, the concept of two spinning tops duking it out with one another has been ubiquitously ingrained in cultures for generations. It even can be traced back to the Edo Period with the game Beigoma. (You know, that mini-game in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.) There have also been a plethora of Beyblade video games, which do not have the best track record. They tend to fall into the trap of offering repetitive gameplay. Beyblade X: Xone is probably my favorite Beyblade game to date, and it has a ton of admirable qualities. But it still features the same drawbacks of its predecessors, which won’t persuade casual fans to give it a go.

Beyblade X: Xone is the first Beyblade title to reach Western audiences since Beyblade: Evolution, which released over a decade ago. The game’s premise is set around Beyblade X, the franchise’s fourth generation. You don’t necessarily need to watch Beyblade X to understand Beyblade X: Xone, as the storyline is primarily focused on new characters. However, the game does feature characters such as Multi-Nana-Iro, Jian Strong, and the protagonist Robin, so there are plenty of easter eggs if you are up-to-date with the franchise.

The entire narrative feels true to the show’s spirit and has some upbeat and comedic moments, which any avid fan will find enduring. All these moments unfold with some wonderful visual novel cutscenes, very similar to Digimon Survive. You take control of a brand new character called Sheer, who is entering a Beyblade competition using the Knife Shinobi 4-60LF they inherited from their father. To win this competition, Sheer will have to earn points by beating Bladers and climb to the highest floor of The X Tower. Sheer quickly gets noticed by fellow competitors for their raw talent and the rare Beyblade they use, which results in them forging some unlikely friendships.

The protagonist’s default name is Sheer, but you can change this at any time. When I initially started playing Beyblade X: Xone, there was a character limit of four to five words, but a patch the other day has completely solved this issue. You can also change the gender of your character to male or female. I wish there were more customization options for your character, like different hairstyles or clothes, as this would have helped personalize them.

You’re quickly thrown into spinning tops with a basic tutorial on participating in Beyblade matches. Sadly, the English translation for this tutorial is not the best, which makes the first few battles confusing. It might take a while to get the gist of the fundamentals because of this, but when it clicks it can be fun. Your goal is to ensure your Beyblade outlasts the opponent, but how you beat the enemy’s tops will determine the points you will be rewarded. Whoever earns the predetermined number of points first will be crowned the winner. This adds a strategic element to each fight, as you could win a match in one round if you knock out the foe’s Beyblade in the right way. When you first start the battle, you will be in the launch phase, propelling the top into the stadium. Where you launch it in the arena will determine its movement.

When the Beyblades are launched into the stadium, they will move automatically. If they collide with one another, they will take damage. Each Beyblade has the equivalent of two health bars: the spin gauge and the burst gauge. The spin gauge represents how long the Beyblade can stay spinning, and this bar depletes over time. The other health bar, the burst gauge, indicates how many hits the Beyblade can endure before it breaks into different pieces. One point will be rewarded if the Beyblade stops spinning, and two points will be awarded if it bursts.

You can perform attacks and counterattack moves by consuming bars in your active gauge, which, if implemented correctly, can cause a healthy amount of damage to the opposing side. However, the most exciting aspect of a battle is the X Phase. If a Beyblade collides enough times with a rival, the X gauge will become full and will trigger the X Phase. This is basically an elaborate rock, paper, scissors mini-game. If you win, you will inflict a ton of damage to the opponent. Knocking out the enemy during the X Phase will give you a staggering three points, which can sometimes be enough to win a 1v1 Beyblade match. A small cutscene will also transpire as a result. Graphics-wise, these segments are rather solid and somehow make the battles feel far more intense than they actually are. The cutscene will also change depending on what move or Beyblade you’re using, which makes these moments more intersting.

The Beyblade battles feel so high-paced that it’s hard not to find them entertaining. Even if you blink for a second, the whole course of the match can change. Every battle also has a rock soundtrack, which some may find a bit obnoxious as it leans on the heavier side, but it adds to the octane, exhilarating tone they’re trying to achieve. The soundtrack is good, but nothing compares to the Beyblade X opening from L’arc~en~Ciel. I guess anything other than that would have always been interpreted as a downgrade. My only minor critique of the battling system was when I was near the end of the game, some of the matches became a little repetitive because no new gameplay mechanics were introduced. But for the majority of my time, I found them engaging, and the battling system ticked all the boxes for what I wanted from a Beyblade experience.

You can freely move around The X Tower when you’re not partaking in battles. This lets you talk to other characters, customize your Beyblades, or head to a shop to spend money you have earned from winning battles. There are three types of Beyblades: attack, defence and balance, which all have different benefits in a match. I gravitated towards offensive beyblade setups, but I often bought different Beyblades in the shop and experimented, as they are relatively cheap to buy. No matter your preference, you will find a playstyle tailored to you, as many options are available.

You can also take on exhibition battles by heading to the world map. These fights will give you points you can spend on a Beyblade to make them more powerful. But when you head to one of these locations, it will activate a cutscene and take you to a battle. So, if you were expecting an experience like Shadowverse: Champions Battle, where you freely walk around environments, then you will be disappointed. The only place you can roam is The X Tower, which is incredibly linear. Call me greedy, but I would have liked to travel around the small locations on the world map, like the Sushi Bar or the Beyblade Gym. This could have been an easy way to make the game feel bigger.

There is also an online mode with three options: casual, ranked and custom. You can pick three Beyblades you currently have on your save file and then bring them to an online game. I could only find matches in ranked mode, but they were pretty decent. That said, if you encounter an overpowered player, they will demolish you within seconds, which is not so fun. If you intend to play Beyblade X: Xone with a friend online, using more basic Beyblades for the fights might be a good idea. I ran into no lag or connectivity problems in any of my matches online.  

Beyblade video games have a reputation for not being too great. Although there are blemishes in the gameplay and the environmental spaces, which could have been improved, I think this is the best Beyblade game out there. But by no means is this game stellar, either. Ultimately, you will find redeemable characteristics to Beyblade X: Xone if you keep up-to-date with the franchise or have nostalgic memories of earlier generations.

Beyblade: X Xone is now available on the Switch and PC.