Attackers of the Night

Attackers of the Night is an action video game collaboration between Sega and Namco Bandai.

Plot
Attackers of the Night follows the story of Mitsuru Tojo, a teenage girl who has spent her entire life in Shibuya, Tokyo, which has now been infested by all sorts of unspeakable evil, which includes the fiends known as "Oni" and also many legendary creatures; also, the morning never comes, meaning that it is always and will forever be eternal darkness. Little does our heroine know, she possesses deadly powers, which have existed since Mitsuru's birth. A team of ragtag assassins, Dismemberment Inc., sensed this and arrive in Shibuya to protect Mitsuru. They also want to restore the peace of that location once and for all, so that tyranny can no longer curse the land.

Main protagonists

 * Mitsuru Tojo: A young girl and the leading protagonist of Attackers of the Night. At the age of 16, Mitsuru is an unassuming, timid youngster who was somehow "gifted" heroic abilities since birth, although she is oblivious to this fact. Throughout the course of the installment's plot, Dismemberment Inc. attempts to protect her at all costs. Mitsuru is voiced by Yumi Uchiyama in the Japanese version, and Christine Marie Cabanos for the English dub.
 * Kaito Suzuyage: The captain of the Dismemberment Inc. organization. Kaito is an 18-year-old young man with excellent leadership skills, but a rather poor sense of direction. He harbors a sardonic wit from time to time. Throughout the course of the game, Kaito and his entourage do everything in their power to protect Mitsuru, no matter the circumstances. Kaito is voiced by Kiyoyuki Yanada in Japanese, and Patrick Seitz in the English adaptation.
 * Waraji Ishizuka: A member of the Dismemberment Inc., Waraji is a boy at the age of 17. He is very childish and often goes straight into action before thinking a lot of things through; prior to joining Kaito's organization, he used to endure near-death punishments from his mother and father, who (as a result of the oddities occurring in Shibuya) have since died. Waraji was also much more silenced and a bit like a "turtle not yet coming out of its shell". He is voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi in Japanese, and Todd Haberkorn in English.
 * Rankataki "Ranka" Hiyama: A member of the Dismemberment Inc., Ranka is an 18-year-old female. She tends to smoke frequently and is usually depicted as being aloof, but if anything OR anyone precious to her is attacked or insulted, she goes into an unstoppable rage which can only be tamed by Kaito, whom she harbors a crush on. Due to her appearance, Ranka is typically mistaken for a boy, but does not stress over the matter. She is voiced by Atsuko Tanaka in Japanese, and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn for the English version.
 * Tazuna Reiji: A member of the Dismemberment Inc., Tazuna is a 16-year-old male character. As a child, he had an encounter with a Jubokko, who apparently sucked out his human blood and replaced it with a vampire's. He is straightforward and aggressive, personally preferring not to sweat tiny details and having the irresistible urge to annihilate evil. For some reason, he has no recollection of his old self; one day, Tazuna will search for the answers needed. He is voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama in Japanese, and Yuri Lowenthal in the English dub.
 * Masatake Kyomaru: A member of the Dismemberment Inc., Masatake is 17 years of age. Masatake seems to be androgynous, and because of this, it is truly unknown whether Masatake is male or female. This strange person normally has a habit of speaking in riddles. Masatake is very knowledgeable when it comes to information, such as being familiar with several of the creatures that infected Shibuya and explaining them in great detail. Masatake is voiced by Mie Sonozaki in the Japanese version, and Stephanie Sheh in the English dub.

Supporting characters

 * Naomi Omigawa: A woman who owns the fictional liquor store, Lacquer Head. She is one of the few ordinary citizens residing in Shibuya that have the ability to see the nightmarish demons and spirits, which is a trait of hers that she is truly ashamed of. Naomi is voiced by Yuko Kaida in the Japanese version, and Julie Ann Taylor for the English version.
 * Akira "Akiga" Saigao: He is a middle-aged man who spends most of his time relaxing up on the tallest of buildings in Shibuya. In the past, he used to be kept at an insane asylum due to undisclosed reasons. Akira, usually referred to by "Akiga", hangs out with a Snowy Owl called Haruto, who was responsible for getting him up on a building's roof. He is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita in Japanese, and Kirk Thornton in English.
 * Haruto: A Snowy Owl and Akira's long-time companion. Although he is not able to speak, his facial expressions are animated and, because of this, he could quite possibly be an owl of many characters. It has been mentioned that Haruto was the one who made his best friend stay up on the lanky roofs of the buildings. His vocal effects are provided by Mitsuo Iwata for both the Japanese and English adaptations.
 * Minase Aoigurashi: Minase is an ordinary high school student. Although he always tries to hide it, he is truly the heir to the Aoigurashi clan and appears to be adept at black magic. Minase intentionally acts akin to some kind of perverted goofball in order to hide his actual nature. He is voiced by Yuki Ono in Japanese, and Dave Wittenberg for the English dub; Wittenberg is uncredited.
 * Hotaru Shima: Hotaru is an innocuous young girl. According to her unnamed father, she is full of purity and frequently visits the Catholic Church to continue living under that influence. Despite the fact that she has the power to clearly see the creatures, Hotaru pretends as if they are non-existent, perhaps due to her upbringing. She is voiced by Kana Asumi in the Japanese version, and Michelle Ruff for the English dub.
 * Doctor Jigoku: A senescent, but also perspicacious man. Despite his namesake, Doctor Jigoku acts as a Level Guardian and supporter to Dismemberment Inc., usually the one who offers them the most threatening of weapons and defensive items. He is voiced by the late Takko Ishimori in the Japanese version, and Steve Kramer in the English dub.
 * Isamu Anno: She is a young woman and caretaker for those who have gotten fatally injured in some way. Despite the masculine given name, Isamu is female and apparently regrets the fact that her parents gave her the name she received. For the most part, she is good-natured and kind, if a bit of a klutz at times. Her voice actresses are Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese) and Lauren Landa (English).

Antagonists

 * Yutaka Tsubaki: Yutaka is Attackers of the Night's central antagonist. He was the person held responsible for allowing all of the evil creatures to overrun Shibuya, and also the person who "destroyed" the light. Dismemberment Inc. have been chasing after him for a while, requesting that he surrender or die slowly. Yutaka's disposition is very calm, but also uncaring and sadistic. He is voiced by Ryo Horikawa in the Japanese version, and Doug Erholtz in the English dub.
 * Hitotsume-kozo: A pint-sized yokai who acts as Yutaka's one-man entourage. He is characteristically known for his bald head and cyclopia. Hitotsume does not enjoy creating destruction and is fairly harmless, but Yutaka strong-armed him into working for the madman. He might suffer from an inferiority complex. His Japanese and English voices are Noriaki Sugiyama, and Erik Kimerer, respectively.
 * Araki Aoyudaba: Araki is a young, beautiful teenager who has rather deceiving looks; in truth, she is pretty much a 100-year-old sorceress with an overly blunt attitude. Despite being at odds with the Dismemberment Inc., her views towards her superior are implied to be marginally worse; Yutaka took her in when Araki was but a small child trapped in loneliness, but the latter never felt grateful. She is voiced by Omi Minami in Japanese, and Cherami Leigh in the English version.

Fodder

 * Amanojaku: They are an oni of small stature. Amanojaku have a neverending tendency to provoke a normal person's darkest desires, just so they can perpetrate wickedness. They are voiced by Yuji Ueda.
 * Aobozu: These creatures are blue monks. The Aobozu tend to kidnap small children and later devour them, as they try to grow stronger while doing so. They are voiced by Unsho Ishizuka.
 * Ashinagatenaga: They are a pair of yokai; one of them (Ashinaga-jin) possesses tremendously long legs, yet the other (Tenaga-jin) has ridiculously lanky arms. By being enslaved by Yutaka, the duo usually attacks by catching their enemies, bifurcating them immediately after. Ashinaga-jin is voiced by Go Shinomiya, while Tenaga-jin is voiced by Hidenari Ugaki.
 * Bake-kujira: These yokai are highly aggressive and resemble some sort of gigantic, hollow skeleton whale. Depending on the color, they perform different actions: a black Bake-kujira floats around and poisons its foes, while the red ones tend to bring misfortune wherever they go. They are voiced by Haruka Tomatsu.
 * Basan: Large chickens that can breathe ghost-fire from their mouth as an attack. The only method of killing them is if someone were to quietly sneak behind them, or else they abruptly vanish. They are voiced by Wataru Takagi.
 * Chochinobake: The Chochinobake are comprised of bamboo and paper. They also have one eye and long tongues protruding from their open mouths. Once someone foolishly encounters a Chochinobake, the creature either lights him or her on fire or self-destructs upon impact. These enemies are voiced by Ken Takeuchi.
 * Enera: Enera are yokai composed of smoke. Once they emerge, these things have the ability to take the form of an ordinary human. Only those who are pure of heart can sense their presence, which is considered a weakness for the Enera. They are voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto.
 * Goryo: Vengeful ghosts that are derived from the most aristocratic of classes. They are very capable of widespread destruction, apparently being "gifted, dead terrorists", if you will; such things they can cause include earthquakes or typhoons that can be summoned. The citizens of Shibuya consider them notorious. Goryo are voiced by Shinji Kawada
 * Hannya: These animated masks represent jealous female demons. They casually appear when the matter of romance is concerned, and tend to only kill women, for they want to spend the rest of eternity with their male lovers. The Hannya are voiced by Ami Koshimizu.
 * Heikegani: The Heikegani are crabs with shells that resemble the faces of samurai. Depending on how they resemble more or less a samurai's mug, they can be either spared or killed without remorse. They are voiced by Koichi Yamadera.
 * Hitodama: Ghostly balls of fire that only appear during the middle of the night. A Hitodama's purpose is to drive off an ordinary human to his or her death. They are voiced by Nobutoshi Canna.
 * Hoko: Tree spirits that appear to look very similar to dogs. They easily blend in with grassy environments and erratically attack their prey. The Hoko are voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro.
 * Ittan-momen: The creatures that are made from rolls of cotton. Despite their adorable exterior, they are beyond untamed and do not hesitate to kill their foes, in which they usually wrap around their faces just to suffocate them. They are voiced by Hiroyuki Yoshino.
 * Mokumokuren: These spirits are a swarming mass of eyes. They appear on Japanese paper sliding doors and walls, usually for espionage; when no one bothers to look, the Mokumokuren shoot lasers out of their eyeballs or can summon decrepit hands from out of the ground. They are voiced by Taiki Matsuno.
 * Nukekubi: Although they appear to be human, The heads of Nukekubi can detach from the bodies, all while the latter becomes inanimate. They find a victim by screaming loudly in order to increase their fright, and then they slip in rather quickly and bite the flesh out of them. They are voiced by Akira Ishida.
 * Tengu: Perhaps the most memorable of Japanese demons. They have both human and bird-like characteristics, are portrayed with unsually thick noses, and act very conceited. The Tengu are dangerous spirits of mountains and forests; it's been rumored that their style of martial arts is so deadly, not even a member of Dismemberment Inc. would be alive past ten seconds. They are voiced by Jurota Kosugi.

Bosses

 * Akashita: A beast with clawed hands and a very hairy face; most of his body is shrouded by a dark cloud. He shows a rather vindictive personality, wanting to kill the members of Dismemberment Inc. because they slaughtered quite a lot of devils since "that period". He is voiced by Yuto Nakano in Japanese, and Dan Woren in the English dub.
 * Akkorokamui: This creature is a great sea monster (resembling that of a squid) with a morbidly obese shape. At first, she displays a ditzy and understanding nature; although this is later revealed to be Akkorokamui's way of luring people to their deaths, as she is, in reality, quite a ferocious and seductive one. She is voiced by Mami Koyama in Japanese, and Wendee Lee in the English adaptation.
 * Byakko: A Japanese white tiger. Enormous in size and aggressive in character, he is one of the few demons who quickly lost all rational behavior at his own will, rather than succumbing to insanity due to Yutaka's brainwashing. Byakko is voiced by Koji Ishii in the Japanese version, and Paul St. Peter in the English dub.
 * Fujin: The Japanese god of the wind, who is often seen together with Raijin, the Japanese god of lightning, thunder, and storms. Unlike his partner, Fujin is the more collected and sagacious of the two. He is voiced by Kenyu Horiuchi in the Japanese version, and Travis Willingham in the English dub.
 * Gashadokuro: A giant skeleton who was created from the gathering of bones, which belonged to humans who died due to starvation. She is quite voracious, in the sense that she becomes ecstatic upon biting off one's head. She is voiced by Takako Honda in the original Japanese-language version, and Karen Strassman for the English dub.
 * Karura: Karura is a divine personage with the DNA of both an eagle and an abnormal human; his head is that of a bird's, while his torso belongs to an ordinary fellow with unspeakable power. Karura usually feeds on dragons or serpents, although the taste of human flesh does not bother him at all; far from it. He is voiced by Takaya Kuroda in Japanese, and Jamieson Price in the English dub.
 * Okubi: Okubi is a vast head in the sky. His painfully dark humor and tendency to mock everyone and every single thing he sees makes him quite a disquieting force, but this only masks Okubi's true demeanor: that of a mentally crazed killer who would never stop and think to take a person's life away. He is voiced by Bin Shimada in the Japanese version, and Liam O'Brien in the dubbed adaptation.
 * Onibaba: She has the outward appearance of an elderly female, but in actuality, Onibaba is a yokai that has an insatiable appetite for humans of all shapes and sizes. The reason for her untranquil hunger has to do with the fact Yutaka once sealed this beast into a dark chamber for almost more than several thousand years, without any food. She is voiced by Masako Nozawa in Japanese, and Philece Sampler in English.
 * Wanyudo: A living and breathing oxcart wheel drenched in the most terrifying of flames unimaginable. In the past, a salaryman indiscreetly gazed at the object and his soul was snatched from him, hence the reason as to why there is a distinct face in the middle of the wheel. Although its personality is not at all quite clear, the Dismemberment Inc. obviously believe Wanyudo to be a nightmarish target. Its unique vocal effects were supplied by Takehiro Murozono and Mai Nakahara, respectively.

Gameplay
In Attackers of the Night, the player assumes control of one of the members of the Dismemberment Inc. organization; he or she is unable to use Mitsuru Tojo, the game's central protagonist, until the final level. The installment normally plays out similarly to your typical action game: navigate an area, collect objects, and take down enemy units all while avoiding all certain types of nasty obstacles. Throughout each of the nineteen levels (referred to as "Episodes"), there are multiple pathways you can take in order to obtain special items or other goodies. For the most part, there exists only one hub world you start out in before entering an Episode: the newly-corrupted Shibuya. While here, you can actually interact with the residents, some of them offering special missions; completing the extra missions allow you to gain 600,992 ryo (Attackers of the Night's currency). By meeting up with Doctor Jigoku, aka the Level Guardian, the player can upgrade the statistics for any contributor of the DI; new weapons with their own set of unique abilities and defensive equipment can also be purchased.

During boss battles, the mechanics of the installment change from straightforward action into a complex beat 'em up. The objective during these epically intriguing fights is to, simply put, defeat the enemy. Depending on the conditions, there are at least two ways to stun a boss: either throw inanimate objects, such as a barrel filled with venom, at him/her, or attack the weak point a certain amount of times. After this has been accomplished, the player is free to unleash hell on the boss, being allowed to use a variety of combos to further diminish their health. Be forewarned, since this only lasts for particularly a minute. Last thing: lather, rinse, repeat. Eventually, once a boss has been killed, experience points and the like are gained.

Details

 * Developer(s): Namco Bandai Games
 * Publisher(s): Sega
 * Composer(s): Yasuharu Takanashi, Akira Senju
 * Artist(s): Kenichi Yoshida
 * Engine: Unreal Engine 3
 * Platform(s): PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC, PlayStation Vita
 * Genre(s): Action, beat 'em up
 * Mode(s): Single-player, multiplayer, online multiplayer
 * Media/distribution: Blu-ray Disc, DVD, PSVita Card, Wii U Optical Disc