Under Night In-Birth Sys:Celes PC review: Amazing gameplay held back by a lackluster port

As a long-time fan of this franchise, I was excited to get hands-on with Under Night In-Birth Sys:Celes. The naming convention is just as complex as the gameplay can get, given the number of new additions and updates to the already exciting anime fighter title. However, I’m reviewing the game on PC, and as many have pointed out online, this version of the title did not start on a very strong note. I’m one of the many that have had a wide assortment of problems that seem to come and go with the wind.

While I am enjoying the game and do feel that Under Night In-Birth Sys:Celes is an incredible title with a lot of potential, the PC version has been wildly disappointing. From recorded footage not showing up to crashes and worse, this fighter title has been one of the most frustrating games I've reviewed in a while.

Under Night In-Birth Sys:Celes’s gameplay is tight and satisfying

With a huge roster and amazing gameplay, this fighting game delivers on the presentation (Image via Arc System Works)

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Under Night In-Birth Sys:Celes's gameplay was easy to pick up and has been enjoyable so far. It felt a lot like BlazBlue to me, but that might simply be due to the characters I picked. That said, it introduces a ton of new gameplay mechanics, like the GRD (Grind) system. That's represented by a meter in the bottom center of the screen, and you’ll see it move between both player’s sides.

It shows the influence of each player on the match through their offensive and defensive strategies/attacks. I love it, even if I don't understand it perfectly. As a match wears on, at set intervals, the system will determine who is doing better, and reward them with a variety of useful buffs.

I’m most definitely an Under Night casual, so I’ve still got a lot to learn about Under Night In-Birth Sys:Celes and its various new mechanics. For example, there’s Creeping Edge (allows you to roll forward to try and dodge through attacks - may lower GRD), Guard Thrust input being changed, and the Celestial Vorpal State that completely fills your GRD gauge, and more.

Even when I wasn't winning, I had an amazing time (Image via Arc System Works)

However, what I do love is that it retains the “Smart Steer” or auto combo system that many games have been adopting. It allows you to get an easy grip on what your character should do and feel like. Will it win you matches against veteran players of Under Night In-Birth? Probably not, but that doesn’t take away from how good it feels.

In addition, Under Night In-Birth Sys:Celes has one of the best tutorials I’ve ever seen. It covers a large amount of fighting game mechanics and fundamentals that most games do not. Players can learn about the Neutral game, mix-ups, block strings, and much more. I was impressed to find such a detailed tutorial in a fighting game, a trait that should be adopted by more titles from this genre.

Under Night In-Birth Sys:Celes’s other game mode offerings are lackluster

While the tutorial is amazing, the other modes are a little lackluster (Image via Arc System Works)

While the tutorial in Under Night In-Birth Sys:Celes is incredible, I am afraid the praise for game modes ends there. Nothing else stands out as special or noteworthy. The Arcade Mode is the only story you get, and it is a typical gauntlet of matches that you find in any fighter game.

You have Arcade, Versus, Tutorials/Training, and the Online Network content. You can also customize your player card, character color, and the announcer, which is admittedly a neat addition. However, when compared to more modern fighting games like Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising or Tekken 8, it falls short in regard to extra modes/content.

The PC version of Under Night In-Birth Sys:Celes has been plagued with issues

The wait times for online matches were egregious, so I spent more time in offline modes (Image via Arc System Works)

The PC port of Under Night In-Birth Sys:Celes had several frustrating aspects. Many players, myself included, suffered frequent crashes and matchmaking problems across the board. While the matchmaking and PC issues appear to have calmed down, there are many others that still need to be worked on.

For at least three days, anytime I tried to boot the game up, it would flicker between my three monitors and refuse to let me input anything on the main menu. It wouldn’t stay in one place long enough to even allow me that. However, that problem has stopped, at least for now.

The absence of a Borderless Windowed mode is baffling and has made playing the game on my PC less fun than it should be. As someone who frequently alt-tabs to look at things on other monitors, a lack of a Borderless Windowed mode is a big miss for me.

The visuals and sound quality of Under Night In-Birth Sys:Celes are gorgeous, with one exception

The main menu is an incredibly dreary, bland affair (Image via Arc System Works)

I’m a huge fan of the visual style of the Under Night games. All three new characters (Tsurugi, Kaguya, and Kuon) look fantastic, and in particular, Kaguya is one I really enjoyed playing. I am also a huge fan of the soundtrack - good BGM is essential for an enjoyable fighting game experience.

However, why does the main menu look like it’s from 2007? It’s stuck in 720p and looks washed-out and dull. Compared to the rest of the game’s sharp, striking visuals, the main menu, in spite of being the first thing you see, looks quite bland.

In conclusion

While there are issues with the PC port, the game still delivers excellent fighting game action (Image via Arc System Works)

I understand that I’m being a little harsh on the Under Night In-Birth Sys:Celes PC version. 2024 is a huge year for fighting games, with so many great titles either out or on the way out. Under Night is even one of the EVO 2024 main stage games. While I’m being critical of the PC version for its many flaws, I did love the game and find it quite appealing.

The actual moment-to-moment events and gameplay are incredible, and even while losing, I had a blast as the game itself is remarkably fun. That said, I have to judge it based on the merits of the version I’m reviewing, and not the other versions that lack similar problems.

The problems with the PC version take away from what is a perfectly enjoyable fighting game. It feels like there’s a glaring flaw for every positive aspect. For example, while the netcode is great, there’s no crossplay.