Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late[Cl-R] Review: Stylish and Deep

QUICK VERDICT

Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late[Cl-R] is a strange but excellent 2D fighting game. It blends fast anime combat, visual novel storytelling, strong character design, deep systems, and a huge amount of single-player content into something that feels both niche and approachable.

The story can be heavy, wordy, and difficult to follow, sometimes feeling like it belongs in a completely separate game. But underneath all of that is a sharp, stylish, rewarding fighter with beautiful presentation and a roster that supports many different playstyles.

It is not the cleanest or easiest fighting game to understand as a complete package, but once the combat clicks, it becomes very hard to put down.

PROS & CONS

STORY & NARRATIVE

Under Night In-Birth Exe has far more story than I expected from a fighting game. This is not just a basic arcade setup where characters fight for vague reasons and then receive a short ending. There is a full world here, with its own terms, rules, factions, powers, and supernatural conflicts.

The basic idea is that parts of Japan are affected by something called the Hollow Night. During this event, a rift opens between worlds and creatures known as Voids appear. Most ordinary people cannot see them, but certain people with access to EXS power can detect and fight them. Those who survive encounters with Voids may become In-Births, people caught within this strange supernatural conflict.

On paper, this is a very cool premise. It has that late-night urban fantasy feeling that Japanese games and anime often do so well. The idea of ordinary streets becoming battlefields for hidden supernatural forces gives the world a strong mood. It feels mysterious, dangerous, and stylish.

The issue is not the idea itself. The issue is the amount of information the game throws at you. The lore can become extremely dense. There are so many names, rules, terms, and character motivations that it sometimes becomes difficult to follow what actually matters. At times, the story feels almost Kingdom Hearts-level complicated, where every explanation creates three more questions.

The game includes lengthy visual novel sections, and these can range from interesting to exhausting. Some scenes last only a few minutes, while others can feel much longer. There are over twenty story interludes, and although many of the characters are likable, the pacing often hurts the experience. Simple plot points can take a long time to resolve, even when you are trying to move through the dialogue quickly.

That said, I do respect the amount of effort here. The story does not feel lazy. It does not feel like a rushed excuse to make the characters fight. The writers clearly cared about this world and its cast. Characters have personalities, rivalries, arcs, and emotional stakes. For a fighting game, that is impressive.

The story mode sections tied directly to individual fights are more enjoyable. These scenes are shorter, more focused, and better connected to the actual fighting. They explain rivalries, character goals, and pieces of the wider narrative without overstaying their welcome as much as the longer visual novel portions.

Overall, the story is ambitious and memorable, but it badly needs tighter editing. There is a great supernatural fighting game narrative here, but it is buried under too much dialogue. If you enjoy visual novels and dense anime lore, you may find a lot to love. If you prefer fighting games to get to the point quickly, the story may test your patience.

GAMEPLAY & SYSTEMS

The fighting is where Under Night In-Birth Exe truly shines.

At its core, this is a fast 2D anime fighter with smooth movement, stylish attacks, screen-filling specials, and a strong sense of flow. Anyone who has played games like Street Fighter, BlazBlue, Guilty Gear, Melty Blood, or Marvel vs. Capcom will understand the basic language quickly. You have light, medium, and heavy attacks, special moves, air movement, cancels, combos, gauges, and super attacks.

What makes Under Night stand out is how it layers strategy on top of speed. The game is fast, but it is not mindless. There is a gauge system that encourages careful decision-making during a fight. You are not just attacking until someone falls over. You are constantly thinking about spacing, pressure, meter, timing, defence, and when to spend resources.

The combo system is complex, but it is also surprisingly approachable. The game uses a structure where button presses can extend combos depending on timing and sequence. You cannot simply mash the same button forever and expect strong results. You need to mix attacks, adjust your rhythm, and understand how your character flows from one move to the next.

This gives the combat a satisfying balance. Beginners can still perform cool attacks and enjoy the action, while experienced players can dig into deeper routes, cancels, setups, and character-specific strategies. It does not feel like a game that shuts the door on new players immediately, which is something I really appreciate.

The comeback potential is also exciting. Once your gauge is filled and your health is low, more powerful special attacks become available. This creates moments where a fight can turn suddenly. A player who seems defeated can still make a dangerous return if they manage their resources well. It adds real tension without feeling cheap.

The roster is one of the game’s biggest strengths. There are many characters to choose from, and they all feel distinct. Some are better for close combat, some control space, some use tricky movement, some rely on range, and some are more technical. I personally got on well with characters like Merkava, Mika, Enkidu, and Phonon, because I tend to enjoy close combat characters or fighters with strong range control.

On the other hand, characters like Hilda, Vatista, and the grappler-style fighters were much harder for me to understand. They simply do not match the way I naturally play. But that is not a flaw. In fact, it shows how varied the roster is. The game offers enough different styles that most players should be able to find at least one character who feels right.

I also liked how the game can surprise you in local play. I was using one of my favourite characters and still got beaten by someone using a character I did not understand at all. That says a lot about the roster and the design. The game gives different types of players different ways to express themselves.

The tutorial system is excellent. It explains attacks, cancels, counters, specials, movement, and more advanced mechanics in a clear structure. It breaks things down by difficulty, which helps a lot. You can learn the basics first, then slowly move into more complex systems when you are ready.

Some advanced combos are still hard. I had trouble with certain cancels and more demanding inputs. But the important thing is that the game does not require mastery of everything just to enjoy single-player content. You can finish plenty of character stories and modes without needing to become a tournament-level player.

That is one of the game’s greatest achievements. It is deep without being completely hostile. It respects skilled players, but it also gives newcomers a way in.

WORLD DESIGN

As a fighting game, Under Night In-Birth Exe does not have world design in the same way an RPG or adventure game does. Its world is built through stages, character dialogue, visual novel scenes, and atmosphere.

The setting itself has a strong identity. The idea of the Hollow Night gives the game a mysterious urban mood. It feels like a hidden world exists just beneath normal life. That feeling works well with the anime-inspired presentation, giving the game a sense of late-night danger and supernatural tension.

The stages look good, but they are mechanically simple. Most arenas are horizontal, single-level fighting spaces. They exist mainly as backdrops for combat. They do their job well, but they do not change the way you fight.

Part of me would have liked some environmental interaction or hazards, something closer to Injustice, where stages become part of the fight. But I also understand that Under Night is built around clean competitive fighting. Adding stage hazards could damage the balance and focus of the game.

So while the stages are not mechanically exciting, they are visually strong. They support the tone without getting in the way. For this kind of fighter, that is probably the right choice.

VISUAL DESIGN

The presentation is one of the best parts of Under Night In-Birth Exe.

The game looks fantastic. The hand-drawn anime and manga-inspired art style gives it a strong identity from the moment you see it. The characters are expressive, sharp, and full of personality. Even if someone is not usually into anime or manga, it is hard to deny the quality of the character designs.

There is a clear sense of craft in the animation. Attacks have impact, movement feels smooth, and special moves fill the screen with energy. The game has that beautiful 2D fighting game quality where every frame feels considered.

The roster is also visually varied. Characters do not blur together. They have different silhouettes, weapons, colours, and animation styles. This is important in a fighting game because you need to quickly understand who is on screen and what kind of threat they represent.

Some designs are elegant. Some are strange. Some are intimidating. Some are playful. Together, they create a roster that feels memorable.

The visual style reminded me a little of Marvel vs. Capcom in terms of energy and impact, but with a much stronger manga and anime influence. It has that bold, stylish fighting game look where everything is exaggerated, but still readable.

The backgrounds are also attractive, even if they are not mechanically complex. They give each fight a sense of place and atmosphere. They are not the main attraction, but they help build the world.

Overall, this is a beautiful 2D fighter. It has style, clarity, and personality.

SOUND & MUSIC

The sound design is excellent.

Character voice work adds a lot of energy to the fights. Attacks, specials, intros, and battle cries all help make the characters feel alive. The voice acting fits the exaggerated anime tone well, giving each fighter more identity.

The music is also a major highlight. It is energetic, intense, and full of momentum. It gives fights a strong rhythm and makes battles feel more exciting. This is the kind of soundtrack that pushes you forward. It makes training, arcade fights, and dramatic clashes feel more alive.

The sound effects are also satisfying. Hits have enough impact, specials feel powerful, and the audio feedback helps sell the speed of combat.

In a game this fast, sound matters. You need attacks to feel sharp. You need specials to feel dramatic. You need music that keeps the pace high. Under Night succeeds at all of this.

PERFORMANCE

On PS4, Under Night In-Birth Exe felt smooth during offline play. Fighting games need responsiveness, and the game generally delivered that in arcade, story, versus, and training modes.

Most basic moves and specials were fairly easy to perform on both, although a Pro Controller made it easier overall. It felt more comfortable for longer sessions and more reliable for directional inputs.

Some advanced combos and cancels were still difficult. That may be partly the controller, but it is also because the game has genuinely demanding techniques at higher levels. For casual and single-player play, this was not a major issue.

Online was more mixed. I was able to find matches, but matchmaking felt inconsistent. It was hard to tell whether this was because of a smaller active player base, connection issues, or timing. When matches did connect, there were moments of noticeable lag.

The game seemed to buffer some moves and animations in a way that kept matches playable, but online still did not feel as clean as offline. For serious competitive play, this could be an issue. For casual testing and occasional matches, it was acceptable, but not ideal.

Offline performance is strong. Online performance is usable, but not something I would buy the game for alone.

DIFFICULTY

Difficulty Rating
6 / 10

Under Night In-Birth Exe is an interesting case because it is both approachable and complex.

For beginners, the game is welcoming. The tutorial is strong, the basic controls are understandable, and the roster offers many characters who are fun to use without needing deep mastery. You can enjoy arcade mode, story mode, and casual matches without fully understanding every system.

But if you want to play well, the game becomes much deeper. The gauge systems, cancels, combo routes, spacing, pressure, and character matchups all add complexity. Advanced play requires timing, knowledge, and discipline.

This is not a simple button-mashing game, even if it allows new players to have fun early on. There is a large gap between playing casually and playing properly.

That is a good thing. A strong fighting game should be easy enough to begin, but deep enough to study. Under Night achieves that balance well.

The main difficulty problem is not the combat. It is the story. The visual novel sections can be hard to follow because of how much information they contain. The lore itself becomes its own challenge.

REPLAY VALUE

Replay value is strong.

There are around ten modes, giving single-player fans plenty to do. You can play story content, arcade-style battles, training, missions, versus, and online matches. For a genre that often relies mainly on multiplayer, this is a generous package.

The biggest source of replay value is the roster. Because the characters are so different, learning a new fighter can almost feel like starting a new game. A close-range character, a ranged character, a technical character, and a grappler can completely change how you approach a match.

There are also plenty of unlockables tied to the visual novel and other modes. This helps make the story content feel more rewarding, even when the pacing is slow.

If you enjoy mastering characters, experimenting with combos, or slowly improving your understanding of fighting games, there is a lot here. If you only want to clear the story once, the replay value may depend on how much you enjoy the combat.

For fighting game fans, replay value is excellent.

RECOMMENDED FOR

Recommended for:

• Fans of anime-style fighting games
• Players who want a deep but approachable 2D fighter
• Fans of visual novels and dense supernatural lore
• Players who enjoy learning different characters
• Anyone who likes stylish Japanese games with strong identity

Not recommended for:

• Players who dislike long dialogue scenes
• People looking for realistic fighting games
• Anyone who dislikes anime presentation

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I came away from Under Night In-Birth Exe impressed, but also slightly tired.

The fighting itself gave me exactly what I wanted. It was fast, stylish, sharp, and rewarding. I liked testing different characters, finding the ones that fit me, and slowly understanding how the systems worked. Merkava, Mika, Enkidu, and Phonon were the characters I connected with most, because they matched how I like to fight.

I also enjoyed how approachable the game felt. Fighting games can often feel cold to newcomers. They can make you feel like you are not allowed to have fun until you have studied them for fifty hours. Under Night does not feel like that. It lets you enjoy yourself early, while still showing that there is much more to learn.

The visual style also made a strong impression. This is a great-looking game. It has that clean, confident Japanese 2D style that immediately gives it character. It looks like something made with real affection for anime, manga, and arcade fighting games.

The story was more complicated for me. I liked the premise. I liked the mood. I liked many of the characters. But the amount of dialogue became draining. There were times where I wanted the story to breathe more, say less, and trust the player to understand the important parts.

Still, I would rather a fighting game try too hard with its story than not try at all. Under Night has ambition. It has identity. It has a world. Even when I found it exhausting, I respected it.

Online play was the weakest part of my experience. It worked, but matchmaking was uneven, and lag appeared in some matches. I would not recommend buying this only for online play unless you already know the community is active on your platform. But as an offline, local, and single-player fighting game, it has a lot to offer.

FINAL VERDICT

Under Night In-Birth Exe is a stylish, strange, and highly enjoyable fighting game. It is not perfect. The story is too wordy, the lore is difficult to follow, and the visual novel sections can become exhausting. Online play can also be inconsistent, especially if you are looking for smooth matchmaking.

But when the game lets you fight, it becomes something special.

The combat is fast, deep, and satisfying. The roster is varied. The tutorial is helpful. The presentation is beautiful. The music is excellent. The single-player content is much stronger than expected. Most importantly, the game manages to be both approachable for newcomers and rewarding for players who want to master its systems.

It feels experimental, but not careless. It feels dense, but not empty. It feels niche, but not unwelcoming.

Under Night In-Birth Exe is a game with rough edges, but also a strong soul. For players who enjoy anime fighters, visual style, complex systems, and strange supernatural storytelling, it is absolutely worth playing.

It may talk too much, but when it fights, it speaks clearly.