XY Forces

XY Forces (XYフォース) is a 3D fighting game where the characters are inspired by superheroes. It was developed by Burst Arts and published by Namco Bandai for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in June 2007.

Gameplay
The game's arenas are similar to those in Battle World: Fallen Dragons, but include new features such as stage transitions where when characters are knocked back in a certain area, they are sent to another part of the stage. The game also introduces the "Combo Canceller", a system which allows players to interrupt combos twice per round.

XY Forces introduces two minigames that use the game's characters. "XY-Shooters" is a minigame reminiscent to vertical shoot 'em ups, but uses player-selected characters as ships that fire projectiles at incoming enemies. Some Xcrafts have certain abilities, ranging from locking onto targets to instantly killing surrounding enemies. It also features "Sphere Battlers", a puzzle game similar to the Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move video games which features super deformed versions of the game’s characters that attack each other once a player gains an advantage in the game.

The Happy Shop returns from Battle World and serves as an interface to access extra content hidden in chests. In Invasion, the size of the Happy Shop was reduced from 830 to 320. Some boxes also have locks that require keys which can only be found in the Venture mode.

Battle World 2’s RPG-esque story also returns in the form of Venture mode. This Venture mode explores the history of Gekkou, starting prior to his research on the mysterious Z-Gote organism and ending with the main story of XY Forces. Players seeking to unlock the majority of bonus content in XY Forces are required to play through the Venture mode.

Story
XY Forces focuses on a depressed boy named Clovis Sadoul, who won a major tournament as a child, and Yvette Hennequin, a girl who dreams of becoming a Sky Fighter. Clovis has been forced out of hiding when two ancient beings destroyed his town. Soon, he meets up with a group called the Infernal Swords who tries to steal a family heirloom, a green pendant. Clovis, Yvette, and their companions, Shauna LeBeau, Fabien Clair, and Lou Noir have to try to escape the Infernal Swords by seeking a place where they can go in peace; the plan doesn't go like Clovis and his friends expect as they encounter several other items similar to Clovis' pendant. It was later revealed that these items grant the five unimaginable superpowers. Now the five must harness these new superpowers in order to defeat the two beings that destroyed their home, but not if a team of villains chase them.

Characters
Clovis Sadoul: The main character of the series. Clovis is shy and reclusive, and initially, quite cowardly. He was dragged out of his old home by his friends Fabien, Lou, Yvette and Shauna, who were worried for his lifestyle and tried to have him open up. When the mechanical beasts invaded their home, Clovis and friends encountered a group of Xcrafts with the intent of defeating the mechanical monsters. At that point he tries to pilot the Xcraft and plans on avenging his home by defeating the Infernal Swords. Clovis' Xcraft is called the Shield Knight, a more defensive Xcraft with average attack power and speed.

Yvette Hennequin: The neighbour and closest friend of Clovis. She is the daughter of a famous Velo Racer and Sky Fighter, but she herself, despite being an Xcraft pilot, isn't overly ambitious. She cares more about helping out Clovis and training to be a model before walking in her parents' footsteps. She is a capable pilot but she only trains herself so she could be a good sparring partner for Clovis. When her home was destroyed, she found the abandoned Xcrafts and used one of them in their fight against the Infernal Swords. Yvette's Xcraft is the Hex Witch, which has more agility, less defense, and average attack power.

Shauna LeBeau: The optimistic and cheerful member of Clovis' friend group. Unlike the others she has no clear goal in mind aside helping her friends out. She also agreed to piloting one of the abandoned Xcrafts and finding the mechanical monsters that attacked their home. Despite being ditzy, she is a capable pilot, and makes a good sparring partner for Clovis. She has feelings for both Yvette and Clovis, except the latter only sees her as a little sister. Shauna's Xcraft is the Blade Ninja, which is by far the strongest Xcraft of the group.

Lou Noir: One of Clovis' friends, who wants to be a researcher one day. To prepare for this, he has aced in more technical fields in his school. After the mechanical monsters destroyed his town, Lou and his friends ran into the abandoned Xcrafts, which he chose to fight back. In addition to his piloting skills, he can identify the weaknesses of his opponents. He is soft-spoken and gentle, and approaches things logically. Lou's Xcraft is the Flora Crawler, which utilizes in stealth.

Fabien Clair: Another friend of Clovis, who prior to the incident wishes to be a future dance star in the making. When the Xcrafts appeared in front of him and his friends, he knew that there could be a way to avenge their home by piloting one. The eldest of the bunch, he is gentle, brotherly and despite his size quick on his feet. However, he feels there is one weakness that he should overcome if he should ever be as strong as his other friends. Fabien's Xcraft is the Blast Lobster, which is more efficient in ranged attacks.

Viola Dior: A professional photographer who was a member of a newspaper facility in France. When the incident caused her to lose her job, she sought to join the DynaY Force to try and fight back. In the force, she provides photos of events that have happened thanks to the robotic monsters since then. Viola is outgoing and determined with her work, but the thought of fighting in a war can cause her to feel frightened for a while. Her Xcraft is the Vivid Bliss, an agile mech with wings that can emit flashes onto the enemy.

Grant Barnett: An expert athlete and a member of the DynaY Force. He excels at a variety of sports, such as bike racing and mountain climbing. When the monstrous robots attacked, he was barely injured in a rock climbing event until the DynaY Force arrived, who treated his injuries and allowed him to join the force. Grant puts his athletic abilities to use in infiltration missions. Aside from that, he tends to be fashionable concerning his hair. Grant's Xcraft is the Fossil Rider, which is more nimble on rough terrain.

Corni Haillet: A young rollerskater who is a veteran of the DynaY Force. Her late grandfather Zurki is in charge of the Master Labyrinth, where only the strongest warriors can escape, which she had passed before she joined the DynaY Force. When she received news about the Master Labyrinth being destroyed by the robotic beasts, she became more determined to avenge her grandfather's handiwork. Corni's Xcraft is the Master Anubi, which has the strongest attack power.

Ramos D'Amboise: An elderly kendo master who serves as a teacher-figure for some of the DynaY Force members. He originally lived a peaceful solitary life in his own garden, free from any troubles. This lazy life of his suddenly ended when the robotic monsters attacked him and his home, forcing him to reenter his Xcraft and fight back. The wisest member of the team, Ramos tends to be the tactician for their attacking strategy. His Xcraft is the Formula Seed, a hard-to-control mech that should be mastered.

Clint Walsh: The inventor of the DynaY Force. Responsible for most of the Xcrafts the team uses, he has been a respected member since. Despite this, many of his other inventions apparently fail to work. When he noticed Lou Noir for the first time, he knew that there would be a rivalry of minds clashing together. Clint is mostly seen as a calm and cool-headed individual, but the sight of Lou can be enough for him to get flustered. His Xcraft is the Electro Satel, which, when charged with electricity, has higher defense.

Valeria Makris: An alien girl who joined the DynaY Force upon contact with Earth. She originates from the planet Choa, where a species of moth-like humanoids reside. Her race also suffered the fate of the robotic monsters, and she now seeks revenge for them. While she may seem delicate by appearance, on the inside, she is a ruthless warrior willing to risk her life to save both the Earth and Choa. Valeria's Xcraft is the Illusio Wisdom, which can activate boosters to increase speed.

Olympia Lara: A member of the DynaY Force who serves as an esper. She actually challenged the robotic monsters in the past before they began attacking the world, but doing so caused a strain in her mental abilities. With her telekinesis in a temporary state of block, she decides to rely on her Xcraft to challenge the monsters once again. Olympia is a strong and motherly figure for the team who usually motivates her team to fight on. Her Xcraft is the Ion Phaser, with its psychic capabilities.

Ulrich Endresen: The captain of the DynaY Force. A strong and admirable leader of the team, he sees to it that the world is free of any world-ending threats. He witnessed the rise of the mechanical monsters for himself and assembled his team to combat them. He also received news of five outdated Xcrafts being reclaimed by teenagers. Ulrich is a selfless man who will do whatever it takes to take the Earth (and Valeria's home, Choa) back from the monsters. His Xcraft is the Polar Breaker, an ice-type mech with extra armor.

Josef Fleur-de-lis: The final boss of the game. Josef is a seemingly respected philanthropist, at the head of the company that owns a news station. Behind this handsome appearance, he is in reality the leader of the villain team, Flame Swords. He uses the Infernal Swords to gain the power of Xenicarus and Yardrogale, the two robot monsters that have been attacking Earth and Choa lately, to power a weapon, planning on destroying the world, which he sees as corrupt and ugly, and rebuilding it more beautifully, as he believes mankind is beyond salvation. Josef's Xcraft is the Infernal Lion, which is a faster mech with high attack power.

Gekkou: An ancient warrior who was the inventor of the Annihilist Weapon years ago as a way to end a war. Since it required the lifeforce of humans, it costed many lives, as well as his. After reincarnating several years later he has been doing research on the Z-Gote under the request of someone named Joe. But the Infernal Swords kidnap him and forces him to reveal the location of the Annihilist Weapon, which he did. Now he desperately searches for a way to gather Z-Gote to prevent that. Gekkou's Xcraft is the Ash Fighter, which excels in all areas.

Xenicarus: One of the two mid-bosses of the game. Xenicarus is an ancient guardian robot designed by an ancient civilization thousands of years ago. It was created to battle against the destruction robot Yardrogale, but their battle has been halted by the Annihilist Weapon until thousands of years later. Its latest battle with Yardrogale was what set the plot of this game in motion, causing the five that resided in the destroyed village to fight back.

Yardrogale: One of the two mid-bosses of the game. Yardrogale is a destroyer robot created by an alien species sent to destroy the Earth thousands of years ago. It has clashed with Xenicarus, which was built to protect the Earth, until the Annihilist Weapon was used to stop their battle. Thousands of years later, Yardrogale and Xenicarus awaken and continue their battle, destroying anything in their path.

Stages

 * Chaos Rain
 * Scorching Temples
 * Hidden Chamber
 * DynaY Force Training Area
 * Concrete Battlefield
 * Fellship
 * Amber Oasis
 * Ruined Village
 * Mainframe
 * Flame Swords' Fortress
 * Switch Resort