A fresh DLC release date has been revealed for *Bleach: Rebirth of Souls*. Gamers will be able to begin playing as the newest DLC character and significant Quincy patriarch, Yhwach, starting December 3rd. Season Pass owners will have access to him at that time, while others can purchase him beginning December 10th. A new trailer showcases the character alongside some of his moves in the latest anime fighting game, with the DLC reportedly titled “The Blood Warfare.” Yhwach will be the fourth and last fighter introduced to the game.

You can start using Yhwach by purchasing the $24.99 pass, or you can wait until the 10th to buy him for $7.99. He extends the roster of additional *Bleach: Rebirth of Souls* characters, which are based on key figures from The Thousand Year Blood War anime. In the narrative, he leads the Wandenreich and serves as the final primary antagonist. The introductory trailer labels him as “The Almighty.” It also emphasizes his appearance and attire, displaying him wielding his Reishi Sword during his assaults. We witness him utilizing Sankt Bogen and Heilig Pfeil.

Here’s how Bandai Namco Entertainment outlines the game:

“In *Bleach: Rebirth of Souls*, players can partake in exhilarating action-filled battles featuring iconic characters from the revered anime franchise, including Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Uryu Ishida, and Yasutora Sado (Chad). Players can employ each character’s moves, or Zanpakuto actions, to deplete their opponent’s reishi in a 1 v 1 action confrontation, diminishing their konpaku, or total health bar. After inflicting damage, players can execute key combos to obliterate multiple konpaku and shift the momentum of battle. Gather Fighting Spirit while attacking to achieve an awakened state and unleash a special move.”

CGMagazine’s Chris de Hoog evaluated *Bleach: Rebirth of Souls* with a score of 7/10. He praised its capacity to present “a proper fighting game that recounts the tale from the onset of the series to the conclusion of the Arrancar/Fake Karakura Town arcs—from Ichigo Kurosaki emerging as a Substitute Soul Reaper, to his epic clash with the nefarious mastermind behind all Soul Society’s troubles.” The general consensus indicated that this game effectively captured the series’ peaks as best as possible, making this new Yhwach DLC a potentially fantastic addition to rejuvenate interest in the game player base.

At the time of writing, *Bleach: Rebirth of Souls* has an average Metacritic score of 71 and an OpenCritic score of 72. Similar to other anime fighting games for franchises like *Demon Slayer* and *Dragon Ball*, these games heavily depend on the nostalgia tied to the anime series. The combat aspect serves merely for schoolyard cred when you can boast about defeating your friends as Yoruichi Shihoin. It also offers fans of the anime series a glimpse into how the characters’ attacks would manifest in live game confrontations.

*Bleach: Rebirth of Souls* was released on March 21st, 2025, for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and [Steam (PC)](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1689620/BLEACH_Rebirth_of_Souls/).

In the 1990s, there was a period when FMV games ruled the new-release sections, with numerous prominent titles utilizing the technology in various ways. However, it appears that Izanagi Games is reviving this concept at the Tokyo Game Show 2025 with *AKIBA LOST*. The game promises an ambitious live-action experience that seeks to rejuvenate the full-motion video format with contemporary technology and storytelling.

Scheduled for a 2026 release on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC via Steam, the project collaborates the publisher with Nippon Television and the drama production firm AX-ON, potentially marking one of gaming’s most intricate FMV endeavors in years. While at TGS, I had the opportunity to participate in a round table interview to learn more about *AKIBA LOST*.

The game features Hiromitsu Kitayama in the role of Daiki Shinjo, a former acclaimed game designer striving to regain his former glory. *AKIBA LOST* revolves around an unresolved enigma referred to as “Akiba’s Spirited Away,” which involves the mysterious disappearance of six girls in Akihabara 13 years prior. When Shinjo reveals a game inspired by the incident at an annual gaming exhibition, the vanishings occur anew. Players alternate between Shinjo and six women representing diverse aspects of Akihabara’s subculture: a maid, an underground idol, a food journalist, a shrine maiden, a cosplayer, and a game streamer.

The vastness of production distinguishes *AKIBA LOST* from standard full-motion video games. Director and producer Shinsuke Umeda disclosed at the Tokyo Game Show that the team has recorded approximately 100,000 still images and over 20 hours of filmed content. This seems to be an extensive undertaking, particularly considering the slate of renowned actors dedicated to breathing life into the game’s universe. The team is partnering with Nippon Television, which provides them with a distinct development workflow compared to regular adventure games.

Listening to (田辺桃子 / [Momoko Tanabe](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4009605/)), it sounds like a highly intricate process, yet one that aspires to present a genuinely unique experience. “In the game scenes, we were advised not to move much. We needed to convey emotion through static poses, similar to still images.”

This endeavor merges various elements, and from how director Shinsuke Umeda addressed player choices, *AKIBA LOST* will present numerous paths for tackling challenges and shaping the narrative. “There’s a chance that some decisions made with one character will impact their timeline,” he noted. “However, there’s also the potential that a choice made with another character could influence someone else. Thus, you might end up altering a timeline because of a decision that wasn’t even that character’s doing.”

Full-motion video games enjoyed a fleeting golden age in the 1990s when CD-ROM technology enabled live-action footage. Games like *[Night Trap](https://www.cgmagonline.com/news/night-trap-receive-25th-anniversary-edition/)* and *[The 7th Guest](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/game/7th-guest-vr-meta-quest-3/)* challenged the norm but often struggled with cumbersome interfaces and limited interactivity. Modern endeavors have been scarce, with Izanagi Games’ own *Death Come True* from 2020 standing out as a noteworthy exception.

*AKIBA LOST* adopts a novel approach. The game employs a “zapping” mechanism that enables players to seamlessly switch between characters, experiencing events from various viewpoints. A 360-degree camera perspective allows players to look around each scene from the character’s viewpoint. This creates what director Takumi Umeda labeled a “multi-angle ensemble suspense game,” where the decision made by one character can send ripples through the entire narrative.

Nevertheless, *AKIBA LOST* seeks to offer something exceptional and potentially remarkable. Umeda seems to be drawing inspiration from what he cherished about games in this vein, stating, “We aspire to incorporate technologies and systems that have never been showcased in an FMV before. I used to create games with [Kodaka-san](https://danganronpa.fandom.com/wiki/Kazutaka_Kodaka) from *[Danganronpa](https://www.cgmagonline.com/tag/danganronpa/)*. I aim to pursue something innovative within the realm of adventure games. Therefore, I’m looking to create a new FMV in this era.”

Observing the room filled with actors, all blending seamlessly, I would have presumed they had collaborated on numerous projects previously. However, after hearing Hiromitsu Kitayama discuss his experience on this project, that wasn’t true.

“In drama productions, it’s actually quite rare for everyone to already know one another,” Kitayama remarked.

The Hive Scum makes its debut in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide like a desperate soul retrieved from the depths of Tertium, armed with a gun purely out of necessity. This is the game’s first genuine DLC class, and Fatshark dives deeply into the fantasy: you are neither a soldier, nor a zealot, nor sanctioned by any authority. Instead, you’re a cartel fixer pulled from the hive’s underbelly, high on dubious stimulants and primed to slice, poison, or blast your way through heretics with a recklessness that Darktide has never experienced before.

What stands out immediately is how boldly the Hive Scum deviates from the polished archetypes that Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has employed thus far. This isn’t a class centered on discipline, faith, or tanking. It revolves around momentum, improvised brutality, and an array of toxins that will excel in multiplayer settings. It represents the units authentically and effectively. The class feels quick, twitchy, and always on the verge of spinning out of control, which is precisely what makes it invigorating.

The toolkit of the Hive Scum is unified by two essential concepts: chaotic, high-stakes combat flow and a significant dependency on homemade chemical boosters. The Stimm Lab introduces the most intriguing new mechanic to Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. Rather than depending on conventional mission Stimms, you can create your own “Cartel Special,” customizing bonuses that accompany you in every mission. The more potent you make it, the longer it takes to cool down.

This compels you to strike a balance between power and cooldown. It’s a transformative mechanic that shapes your entire playthrough. Would you prefer a rapid speed boost or a damage-focused option that you activate only a few times during a level? Each choice alters the class and makes it feel authentically unique to the player, in ways that other Darktide classes don’t quite achieve.

The combat skills amplify the Scum’s character even further. Desperado transforms you into a frenzied, gun-wielding terror completely invulnerable to ranged attacks and boasting unlimited ammunition for the duration of the timer. Rampage shifts you into a melee-focused character, stacking buffs as long as you maintain hits on enemies. While Desperado embodies chaos, Rampage represents organized mayhem.

Then there’s Stimm Supply, a deployable crate that disperses whatever chemical concoction you brewed in your lab to your entire team, granting the Scum a unique utility absent in other classes: player-crafted team support.

The blitz abilities also reinforce the Hive Scum identity even more. The Blinder grenade delivers a concussive blackout that flattens enemies and grants you space, aligning perfectly with the Scum’s dart-in, bail-out approach. Conversely, Boom Bringer acts as a pocket missile launcher capable of turning the tide of battle with precisely targeted shots. The Chem Grenade seems purpose-built for the Hive Scum fantasy, releasing a toxic canister that transforms an area into a poisonous trap, causing enemies to explode as the gas disintegrates them.

In terms of weaponry, this class showcases some of the most distinctive identities introduced in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. Dual-wielding here is not merely a gimmick; it is essential to the gameplay. The dual stub pistols render the Scum a nimble gunfighter, inflicting substantial damage while maneuvering through adversaries.

The unique spin flare action grants the next shot pinpoint accuracy and added weak spot damage, which is satisfying, especially with a coordinated team. The dual autopistols prioritize a rapid fire rate that decimates close-range foes while consuming ammunition faster than nearly any other weapon in Darktide. Conversely, the Needle Pistol excels against larger enemies; a few precisely placed needles can take them down swiftly.

Melee options complete the new class in an unexpectedly cohesive manner. The dual shivs are just what you would anticipate: exceptionally quick, ideal for backstabbing and slicing through unarmored foes. The crowbar unexpectedly shines, featuring two stances—one for multi-target staggering and the other designed for plunging the hooked end into a single enemy before yanking it out for additional damage.

It all embodies the gruesomeness characteristic of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. Then there’s the Bone Saw, laced with toxins that you can alternate between. One variant dissolves flesh with Chem Toxin; the other degrades armor with Brittleness stacks. It resembles industrial gear repurposed by someone who definitely shouldn’t possess industrial tools.

After several days of playing the Hive Scum class, it feels significantly faster and more chaotic than any other class in Darktide. The essential aim is