Darkstalkers 4: Rise of Belial

Darkstalkers 4: Rise of Belial is the upcoming fourth main numbered entry in the Darkstalkers series of fighting games co-developed by NetherRealm Studios and Dimps (Mortal Kombat X) and published by Capcom (Street Fighter V) using Unreal Engine 4. It is the sequel to Darkstalkers 3 featuring new game mechanics and a 3D fighting engine and animations for the first time in franchise history. All 18 original characters return along with 8 new characters. The game also features Capcom's own Jericho Cross (Darkwatch) and "The Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda" and Mundus (Devil May Cry) as guest characters, the latter being one of six possible end bosses.

The game is slated for a 2019 release for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows.

Synopsis
Set 20 years after Darkstalkers 3, Morrigan's reign as leader of the Aensland family is put to the ultimate test as a third world, Yomi (Japanese for "Underworld") makes it way onto Earth through a rift created by Relic, a grave robber, releasing all dead souls. Among them is none other than her adoptive father, Belial, who tries to reclaim his family's throne for himself. Morrigan, while trying to protect Makai from outside forces, soon finds herself confronted with a dark secret from her past.

Little does she know her father isn't the only one gunning for her, however...

Gameplay/Features
The game features both an array of prominent features from previous installments of the series as well as new features, some inspired from other Capcom fighting games.
 * New and Improved Combo System: For the first time in franchise history, the game introduces the 3-button combo system seen in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and, more recently, the Square-Enix vs. Capcom series of fighting games.
 * Combo Breaker: Due to the game's focus on combo-oriented gameplay, a "Counter" system, which allows the breakage of combos at any time (even while hit-stunned/in the midst of a combo), has been instituted for balancing purposes.
 * Recoverable Damage: As seen in Darkstalkers 3 and MvC3, each player's health meter is divided into permanent red damage and recoverable white damage, allowing the player to slowly replenish a portion of his/her health.
 * Soul Count: Similar to Darkstalkers 3, each player also has a Soul Count. These appear in the form of icons underneath their health meter, where losing one full bar of health subtracts a "life" from their Soul Count. The match ends when the opponent's Soul Count hits 0.
 * Dark Force Abilities: Dark Force Abilities also return from the last game, giving unique abilities to each character for a limited period (signified by a constantly, albeit slowly, charging circular meter with "DF" engraved at the bottom left hand corner of your screen), including newcomers, i.e: Relic can temporarily shapeshift and fully heal himself in doing so for a brief period (Note: his health bar will return back to its previous standing when shifting back to his base pallet).
 * EX Burst: You can quickly glide towards and away from opponents. Ideal for replenishing white health via evading opponents, chasing down foes trying to do the same, and launching surprise attacks (which can then be chained/cancelled into a Dash Combo).
 * Dash Combo: You can lunge for further distances by holding down the left analog stick. This will charge a special "Dash Combo" (albeit while draining your DF meter) that, when executed, allows you to lunge at your opponent from long(er) distances with a combo that automatically absorbs any incoming enemy's attacks while in the dash animation (it can be neutralized with a Combo Breaker).
 * "Dark Launcher" Combo: With a full Dark Force meter, you may utilize a special combo unique to each character (by pressing LT/L1 + RT/R1 + Launcher), known as a "Dark Launcher" that launches the opponent off the ground and continually strikes him/her in midair using 3D animations similar to those seen in Hyper Combos. He/she then caps it off with an Air Finisher (which can subsequently be chained).
 * Blood Lust Meter: You are given a special combo-driven meter below your Health Bar, i.e: the more hits in a single combo, the bigger your BLM. Fulfill your BLM with a 20+ hit combo (NOTE: it can be chained with Hyper Combos before the fact, but not after utilizing them).
 * Dark Execution: With a full Hyper Meter at Lv. 3 or higher, you can perform an insta-kill technique (similar to Guilty Gear XRD Sign) to a stunned opponent (unique to each character), automatically draining one bar from their Soul Count (NOTE: if they have one soul remaining, it will automatically end the match).
 * EX Finisher: With a Max (Lv. 5) Hyper and Blood Lust Meter, you can perform a special character-specific mutilation technique to a stunned opponent, similar to Mortal Kombat's "Fatality" system. This will obliterate the opponent and thereby end the match regardless of their remaining Soul Meter.
 * Choose Your Realm: In the game's Story Mode, you may, for the first time ever, select from one of three different realms to roam after selecting a character, each with their own unique story and set of cut scenes for each individual character. For instance, after battling and defeating Luna, you may select from one of 6 random tarot cards, one for each of the end bosses (foretold through Luna in the following cut scene):
 * Makai (Defend)-Defend Makai from Forces of Dark.
 * Yomi (Purge)-Purge the Earth of the Realm of the Dead and send all the dark souls back to Hell.
 * Human Realm (Conquer)-Conquer the Human Realm.


 * Choose Your Path: In addition, you may select from one of 2 stages prior to each of the 8 battles in each realm, each with their own opponent (wholly dependent on which character you select, similar to Street Fighter) and pair of bosses (including a special hidden boss after meeting certain conditions), lending many different possible outcomes based on the choices you make, including the sub and end boss (who's replaced with an alternate boss if playing as that stage's end boss after unlocking him/her):

Roster
Bold=New Character
 * Morrigan Aensland
 * Lilith Aensland*
 * Belial Aensland*
 * Anita
 * Demitri Maximoff
 * Donovan Baine
 * Sparda*^
 * Jedah Dohmu*
 * Vampirella*
 * Lord Raptor
 * B.B. Hood
 * Dominatrix*
 * Jericho Cross*^
 * Sasquatch
 * Jon Talbain
 * Kortana
 * Felicia
 * Hsien-Ko
 * Pyron*
 * Luna
 * Q-Bee
 * Anakaris
 * Rikou
 * Relic*
 * Bishamon
 * Victor von Gerdenheim
 * Drake Aensland*

Italics=Boss Character

* =Unlockable

^=Guest Character

New Character Descriptions

 * Belial Aensland (Demon): Adoptive father of Morrigan Aensland and former Ruler of Makai. Slain Count Dracula and his armies of vampires at his Transylvanian castle in search of his wife, Marianne, after he abducted, raped and impregnated her with his spawn as an insurance policy ("so a part of me can live forever") following his first apparent demise at the hands of Abraham van Helsing. However, Belial's heroics came too late as the Son of Satan's spawn had torn itself from his wife's uterus, killing her. Stricken with guilt over his wife's demise, he adopted a child and raised her as his own until his death (at the hands of Jedah), a succubus, who he aptly named Morrigan. After his soul had been released from Yomi (Realm of the Dead) following Drake's reemergence, his new quest for dominance had gone full circle, wanting to reclaim the Aensland throne for himself, a reign he initially gave Morrigan, and stop Drake in his efforts to unseat his daughter (or outright form a collusion with her) and avenge Marianne's death. The third of his power given to her following his death had also transferred back to himself via his resurrection, making him whole again while setting his daughter on a quest for a newfound power source of her own.
 * Drake Aensland (Vampire/Succubus): Son of Dracula and Marianne Aensland. Born from the genetics of the Father of all Vampires and the Queen of Succubi, his power is scarily far greater than his iconic father's, rivaling, if not outright surpassing that of Belial, "the only S+ class demon". Took on the Aensland name in search of his "sister", Morrigan, ruler of "their" family's clan, who's dark secret is about to be revealed.
 * Dominatrix (Human Super Soldier): AKA Markovna von Laubenzedel (human alias), a blonde-haired, blue-eyed female general/leader of a human resistance against the Darkstalkers. With striking good looks and a no-BS attitude, She spent the last 20 years patenting a Super Soldier serum in order to become the perfect weapon to destroy the Darkstalkers. With lightning-quick, almost superhuman reflexes and strength, she can hold her own with the best of 'em.
 * Vampirella (Vampire): Vampire superheroine. Daughter of Lilith (no relation to Morrigan), she is as deadly as she is seductive and "physically-pleasing" to the eyes. With superhuman attributes, shapeshifting abilities and an undying thirst for blood, she has all the strengths of her race and none of their weaknesses. Sent to warn the Darkstalkers of the emergence of Drake, son of Dracula. However, her presence seems to attract unwanted attention.
 * Anita (Human): The young girl who once followed Donovan around is all grown-up 20 years later. Now a full-fledged adult, she looks to follow in her old master's footsteps... and take down Morrigan and Co. However, despite ultimately sharing the same goal, her ambitions soon put her at odds with Dominatrix, who's efforts are all part of a bigger agenda: world domination.
 * Kortana (Gorgon): A Gorgon sorceress with snake hair follicles scattered around her forehead. The supposed bride of Lucifer, she was tasked with inseminating herself via human pawns as a result of her unique reproductive ability in order to breed an army of undead to battle Sparda. However, they were no match for the Legendary Dark Knight as they were slain and sent to Romi, Land of the Dead along with the Dark Duo. Now having been freed along with the rest of the (formerly) deceased, she's one again set out to embark on a reign of terror... and perhaps avenge her defeat millenniums ago.
 * Relic (Skeletal Oni/Demon): An undead grave robber/soul reaper who goes carrying a still-alive Medusa's head to turn foes to stone and King Midas' hand attached to his right forearm. Responsible for releasing all dark souls from Romi and merging it with the human realm in an attempt to claim them for himself and become the ultimate being.
 * Luna (Witch): A tarot-reading fortune teller who specializes in the art of witchcraft.

Unlockables

 * Lilith Aensland-Complete Story Mode with Morrigan.
 * Jericho Cross-Defeat Relic after fighting Jericho (Human Realm, S4 [North]).
 * Sparda-Defeat Relic after fighting Sparda (Human Realm, S4 [South]).
 * Vampirella-Complete Story Mode with Jericho.
 * Jedah-Complete Story Mode with Vampirella.
 * Drake Aensland-After unlocking Lilith, Jericho, Sparda, Vampirella and Jedah, defeat Drake with Morrigan on Very Hard.
 * Pyron-Defeat Pyron with Jedah and Sparda on Hard.
 * Relic-Complete Story Mode with Pyron on Hard.
 * Dominatrix-Defeat Dominatrix with Vampirella, Anita and Relic on Hard.
 * Belial Aensland-Defeat Belial with Morrigan, Demitri, Dominatrix and Drake on Very Hard.
 * Shao Kahn Secret Boss Battle-Complete Story Mode without losing any Souls, get a perfect and at least 1 EX Finisher finish.
 * Emperor Ozum Hidden Boss Battle-Finish Story Mode with at least 300,000 points and no continues.
 * Shadow Lazarus Hidden Boss Battle-Get a perfect, a Dark Force execution finish and an EX Finisher finish.
 * Lucifer Hidden Boss Battle-Get a perfect and defeat Kortana (sub-boss) with both a Dark Execution and EX Finish.
 * Yami Hidden Boss Battle-Don't lose any souls and get a Perfect Victory before beating Mundus with a Hyper Combo.
 * Doomsday Hidden Boss Battle-Finish Without losing any Souls, a Hyper Combo finish and 5 Dark Executions.
 * Mundus Mode (Game Mode)-Complete Story Mode on Very Hard with a score of at least 350,000 after unlocking ALL hidden characters.

Development
It's been reported in late 2017 that a "NetherRealm studios collaboration" was in the works. Details of said project were kept well under wraps.

However, at E3 2018, a special teaser trailer was shown, revealing the project in full.

E3 2018 Teaser (Sparda Reveal Trailer)
We hear occult music playing in the background when the NetherRealm Studios logo appears on screen.

"After 20 years..."

Ancient Japanese markings appear on screen, followed by a crescent moon symbol.

"A legendary fighting game franchise..."

Capcom logo flashes on screen.

"Returns."

It then cuts to familiar scenery. Morrigan is seen bathing in the ocean when flashback images of her battle with Jedah and the subsequent destruction of Majigen in DS3 are shown. However, these flashbacks are soon replaced with images of a blonde general-like woman in red garb showing off lightning-quick reflexes.

"I've waited a long time for this".

A stilled image of the woman cutting and slashing through Felicia in gory detail with her sword is shown.

"The Darkstalkers' reign of terror will soon end, courtesy... of the ultimate super soldier."

Lilith screams horridly as the general hacks her way through Hsien-Ko, then Jon Taliban, and Anarkris before finally slaying Morrigan, tactfully saving the ruler of the Aensland clan for last.

Lilith: "Morrigan!"

The red-clad general is standing proudly over the slain bodies of the Darkstalkers, all laying right next to each other in a blood-soaked heap. Morrigan's gagging underwater continues.

Demonic voices: "It's time you faced your brother!"

Morrigan is haunted by visions of demonic voices calling out to her in a blue aurora while a silhouette of a demonic vampire-like creature appears. He bears a striking resemblance to an iconic vampire of note.

"Come join your true family."

A familiar foe lies over the pregnant body of Morrigan's mother... none other than Dracula himself.

Morrigan gags helplessly underwater.

"Together, we'll finish what my father started many centuries ago."

Images of Dracula slaughtering armies of rebellious humans in Transylvania are shown, dashing and slashing through them all one-by-one.

"Let us watch as the underlings crumble at our feet when we rule Makai together!"

Cuts to a fiery background, showing visions of Morrigan and her (half)-brother standing tall over a burning city inside the Aensland Castle with many wiltering Succubi bodies scattered below. Morrigan continues to gag vividly underwater in real time with her eyes closed, terrified of the visions. It then cuts to a demonic figure, Belial (Morrigan's father) clenching both fists in a howling fit of rage before fading out with a fiery explosion effect, revealing that it was a flash back within a vision-of her father's.

It then cuts to a flashback scene, where Morrigan is seated across from a fortune teller inside a fortune teller's room.

"His name is Relic".

She slides a tarot card across the table where Morrigan is sitting. A large, skeletal figure wrapped in a turban and Arbaic sand outfit is pictured.

"A reaper of souls. Like the humans, he, too, strives for ultimate perfection... by releasing them."

Shot of Relic unearthing dead souls from their graves at a cemetery and releasing them through a giant void with some kind of ancient artifact.

"Thanks to his endeavors, souls of the damned have been purged from Yomi, Realm of the Dead, breeding mass destruction as their world had merged with ours..."

Cuts to post-apocalyptic scenery as a giant rift surfaces in the heart of Makai. Decaying souls begin to rise out of the crumbling ground below as a third realm opens up between the Demon World and the Human World. It then fades to fiery silhouettes of Jedah, Pyron, Huitzil, Lord Raptor, and Mundus.

"Including your father's."

Pans to a close-up view of Belial in a fiery background. Reflections of Morrigan sitting on the Aensland Castle throne and her brother can be seen inside the pupils of his raging, blood shot eyes, showing his true intentions.

"But one such soul is not like the others..."

Music temporarily halts as the screen fades to black.

"Like yourself, he'd slain demons for aeons and aeons..."

A shot of Mundus being slain with a silhouetted demon's sword appears.

"Like you, he became a legend..."

A silhouetted demon figure begins swinging his swod in a fiery background.

"They called him the Legendary Dark Knight..."

It now shows a familiar close up shot of the demon's silhouette before cutting to Morrigan awakening as she rises out of the  water, using bats and water to cover her "sensitive" areas. Morrigan looks ahead and we are treated to a moving shot across the river of a familiar individual clad in a purple cloak starring proudly ahead on top of a hill as the two legendary demon hunters lock eyes.

Pan to one final close up of Morrigan's eyes as she utters his name.

Morrigan: "Sparda."

The Darkstalkers 4: Rise of Belial logo appears on screen, followed by applause from the crowd.

In the weeks that followed, producer Takashi Mishima announced via message to the fans (subsequently posted on Twitter): "We are proud to be continuing the 25 year history of the Darkstalkers franchise with a proud partner like NetherRealm Studios, and to finally be working on the much-awaited 4th installment on next-gen systems. We are very receptive to the fan's crowd response at E3, but be assured, we're just getting the band rolling: we have several more big reveals-including a couple more surprises-coming".

Vampirella Reveal Trailer
We're treated to haunting dark music playing in the background as the NetherRealm Studios logo flashes on screen, followed by Capcom's. A woman is shown walking, showing only her leather black boots. It's not long before we hear a seductive feminine voice as soon as she stops.

"At long last, I'm back..."

We get a provactive shot of a woman's backside covered in a familiar red undergarment as she bends over a sink.

"Not as the bodacious blood-sucking vixen you're used to seeing me as, but as the messenger this time. Who woulda thunk it?"

We get a nice shot of her piercing blue eyes as she starts putting dark eye mascara on her face.

"Of course, that's not to say I won't do a little ass-kickery in between. After all, it's what I do best."

We get a close up of the woman's cheeks as she starts putting makeup on.

"But first, I must warn the others."

Fast cut to a group portrait of the Darkstalkers clan.

"There's a new terror in town, this one eclipses all of his predecessors by far."

Woman puts down the makeup.

"His name is Drake, and his blood runs deep, deeper than anyone would've thought possible."

A distorted shot of a helpless woman-Morrigan Aensland's (late adoptive) mother (and Belial's wife, who she never met) being pinned down nude and groped by none other than Count Dracula, revealing the cause of conception to be rape.

"He has ties to both the Dracul and the Aensland blood heritage."

Woman turns over a tarot card with Morrigan Aensland on it, in her base black outfit.

"Who would've known that the leader of the Aensland Clan's half brother... is also the Son of Dracula?"

Fast cuts to a portrait on the wall. Morrigan is pictured, and to her right: none other than Drake. Through his spikey black hair and blood red eyes, he bears a striking resemblance to the Son of the Devil (his own father!) himself.

"I mustn't let him get far."

Fast cut to a split second silhouette of Drake's demonic face.

"I have to warn the others before it's too late."

The woman puts down the lip gloss after smothering her lips in a searing red. Camera pans up as she looks, revealing the woman as Vampirella, clad in her familiar, scanty red outfit. The Darkstalkers 4: Rise of Belial logo soon flashes on screen as the segment comes to a close.

Jericho Cross Reveal Trailer
Eerie Western music plays in the background following the NetherRealm Studios and subsequently Capcom logos as we cut to a graveyard.

"It's been a long time coming."

We get a silhouette of a black straw cowboy hat as a dark figure starts looking upward, cutting away right before he can reveal his face in full.

"I've waited centuries for this day."

We get a silhouette of the back of his uniform, covered in a blue aurora from head to toe.

"I've laid waste to Lazarus and his ilk, but I knew the day would come when Darkwatch would need me again."

Camera pans on the Darkwatch symbol engraved on the man's uniform before fast cutting to a face silhouette of Vampirella.

"This is on you, Vampirella, you brought me back."

The undead cowboy finally faces the camera for the first time, getting a nice close up of his glaring red eye patch. None other than Jericho Cross himself.

"And now that I'm back, I've come to finish the job."

Cross flips both of his revolvers into his gun holsters before fading out to get a full view of Cross, in all his black attire from head to toe.

"It's the job I've been sent to do since the Old West: rid the world of blood-sucking vermin like you, and others like you."

A panoramic clip of Cross slaying Lazarus in the first Darkwatch game is shown.

"You can take this promise to the grave: The Darkstalkers will soon know my name."

Cross turns around and starts marching down the grave yard the other way. It then cuts to the Darkstalkers 4: Rise of Belial logo before fading out.

"Dark Beginnings" (Lilith OVA/Easter Egg Trailer-TGS 2018)
The NetherRealm Studios and Capcom logos flash on a darkened screen as the 4th promotional trailer is unveiled to an emphatic Tokyo Gameshow 2018 crowd.

"Some of you may not recognize me."

Cut to overhead shots of a younger, demon-like critter looking up at a giant glass wall in front of her... none other than Lilith Aensland herself.

"That's okay, I'm merely a figment..."

The giant life-sized mirror cracks in front of Lilith, distorting the reflection of her.

"A figment of the Vindicator of the Dark."

Camera shows a silhouetted reflection of Morrigan-her surrogate twin/clone-in the broken glass reflection as the camera pans upward.

"Since the dawn of our Dark Beginnings, my sister has been a constant seeker of death."

Shows clips of Morrigan Aensland seducing humans-both male and female alike, showing her bisexual tendencies-and making them bow to her every whim like the famous succubus she is.

"But as luck would have it, it seems death has now found her... 20 years later."

Shot of Morrigan walking past a tomb in a raging sandstorm, marked 'Tomb of Dracula'. A glowing X-ray of a gestating seed can be briefly seen through the coffin as she continues her deathwalk through the raging sandy gusts of wind.

"Over the years, she's stood toe-to-toe with the best of them..."

Cut to a montage of Morrigan battling Jedah, Demitri and Pyron.

"But nothing can prepare even the mighty heir of the Aensland throne for the hell Relic has unleashed to us."

Morrigan continues walking following a sandstorm-covered silhouette of Relic merging Yomi (Underworld) with the Human and Dark Worlds as the blowing winds create a giant cut out of a familiar demonic face in the sand.

"The Great Belial has returned, now seeking domination of the realm he once called his home."

Panoramic shots of a silhouetted demon roaring and clenching both fists in a cathedral appear.

"Less my visions deceiveth me, there are others like him now roaming free among the living."

Morrigan continues her deathwalk, walking by a sawed-off skull helmet in between a pair of spiked shoulder pads and a decaying bone in the sand.

"I must find her."

Legion of bats flocking on a darkened screen.

"Through hell, fire and brimstone, I must reunite my soul with hers, and give her the strength to continue fighting another day."

Shot of Morrigan shouting in a clench-fisted rage through the blowing sandstorm wind and debris.

"I must make her whole again."

OVA of Lilith merging her body with Morrigan's, making her a complete being again.

"While I still can."

A shadow silhouette of Belial standing in between legions of souls and a raging sandstorm in the background appears before fading to black. The Darkstalkers 4: Rise of Belial logo appears on screen, followed by text advertising an ominous-themed 2019 release date with the PS4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows logos appearing below.

Trivia

 * Relic, the winner of the Darkstalkers Embrace the Dark contest in 2013, makes his highly-anticipated series debut.
 * It's been confirmed in an interview with producer Takashi Mishima (Dimps) that Capcom purchased videogame licensing rights for Vampirella to permanently join the Darkstalkers' rogue gallery and the IP rights to Darkwatch--a High Moon Studios game they published in the US for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox back in 2005--for "future use", teasing a possible Jericho Cross appearance in Square-Enix vs. Capcom 3: Triple Threat and/or a second Darkwatch game.
 * NetherRealm Studios is fully involved with the game's development (along with Dimps, who worked with Capcom on SFIV, SFxT and SFV) while a separate development team at Capcom retains creative control, possibly to coincide with Square-Enix vs. Capcom 3 's development.
 * NetherRealm Studios' involvement with the game played an integral role in Shao Kahn and Doomsday appearing as special guest hidden boss characters (via the game's "dead have returned" plotline), having used them in Mortal Kombat 9 and Injustice: Gods Among Us, respectively with Shadow Lazarus (Shadow merged with Lazarus) and Yami appearing courtesy of Capcom (also as a running joke, "Yami in Yomi"), who own creative rights to the game.
 * Ironically, these 2 were the voter's top choices in a Twitter poll to the FGC, titled "What Guest Character(s) Would You Like to See Rise From the Dead as Special/Hidden Bosses?"
 * The Dark Execution and EX Finisher moves were also inspired from NRS' involvement with the Mortal Kombat series as a tribute to their famous "Fatality" system.