.hack//Link 3: INTERMission Code: Truth

.hack//Link -RISING GEAR- Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth is an expansion story mode which is considered as a true final chapter of RISING GEAR but was originally scrapped back then and now being revived as an exclusive expansion for the game, only available in .hack//Link -RISING GEAR- Ver. 2.01821208..... for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Microsoft Windows (Steam), and Microsoft Windows (Epic Game Store).

The story would started following the Ending D: The Path Shines Within the [D]oor at the mid-credit scenes which continues where it left off, but it starts before reached the Ending D as setting for the prologue chapter.

Development
According to the directors, the story of '''RISING GEAR -Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth- was originally planned to be a brand-new expansion story mode for downloadable season pass content also to be part that leads to later entries like .hack//Link 2 and .hack//ReCODE -The Infinity World of the God-''' however, it was been scrapped for several different reasons, first reason is due to not enough budget and they've been getting this through a lot for making consideration whether they would created it, however, the budget issues is the part of reason why they decide to scrapped the story.

The second reason, although the storyline in '''RISING GEAR -Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth- was truly envisioned for what's next for the stories which can be told in downloadable story mode expansion content as a reason why he left a major biggest cliffhanger in Ending D: The Path Shines Within the [D]oor, however as a budget reasons left them decide to scrapped the ideas, but left the teases on later entries with a Final Secret Ending Percentage as he want to left it for fans imagination for what's really happen as it caused a speculation and theories happened among the community as more and more progression toward percentage final secret ending been made, even though several characters from CHRONO RiSING Trilogy''' are appeared in canon universe which raised more questions, including Schwarz true face identity. However, according to him as it was really a good decision to catch their attention and left a major cliffhanger of what's truly happened in CHRONO RiSING Trilogy or it's true end of the trilogy story.

Inside the main story of Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth was ultimately intended to fool fans with the biggest major plot twist that all trilogy of CHRONO RiSING is revealed to be a direct-sequel to .hack//Link -Chrono Gear- but right before the ending of the game which bridge the gap within one year, and the story was ultimately set in the canon verse all along which questioned if the setting and chronological that happens in the trilogy was all a setup or lies which left another interesting questions and cliffhanger, but director would love to deep dive to the story once more and revive the original envisioned true final chapter of the RISING GEAR storyline. And in .hack//Link -Chrono Link- Definitive Edition featured a full-final secret ending in 100% percentage which teases their true final chapter of the story which was scrapped and director teases that RISING GEAR re-released version will includes a scrapped main story mode which was never made it in the downloadable story mode expansion content and hoping that it would clear all answers that were happens in the later entries and how it leads all of this.

The main storyline of Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth according to director is much bigger, very impactful and open interconnected toward plots of Chrono Gear, 3rd Season and Final Season .hack altogether, while teased a very powerful plot twist, turning points, darker stories, shocking truth, different directions and more for people would captured something that they would not prepared for this twist and it's ultimately suspenseful as the story direction taken on choices, higher-stakes, twist, pain, powerful emotional, complex, cruelty, dramatic, reflection, sense of realism, heartwarming, existential crisis, and satisfying bittersweet conclusion to the trilogies once and for all given the characters, including Tokio, Saika, AIKA and Akira development toward the next level of their performance through voices and character movements brings entirely new to this story which is something that director had originally envisioned prior to being scrapped, while it adds a new parts of the main storyline plots to interconnected with .hack//Link -Chrono Gear- RE: ENTER, .hack//Link 2, .hack//ReCODE: The Infinity World of the God and directly leads to .hack//Link -ChaosWort-, .hack//Link -The War of the Twilight and .hack//Link -The Final Twilight-.

Synopsis
The day in Legion Unity which is the day for the biggest celebration of their win against the corruption of CyberConnect Corporation and Exterminators gives the balance and justice for all people who died in the Massacre of the Player's Tragedy gets what it deserve and the door to the future begin to arrived, the light of the futures to all of his friends, including Saika, Akira, AIKA, and his comrades has now open...

But everything's change soon, when Tokio awakened unseen memories that don't belong to him, or so it was used to be...

''An unseen vision that he never saw before, something that kept him more bothering than how it was to be and everything in his mind overflowing with an unexistence memories that he couldn't feel if he ever did that, something is missing, something that his heart telling him that he lived in the blissful lies much toward his disbelief, until he received an emails... the emails that came from Helos-Pierce who shockingly still alive as they thought they already defeated him...''

He asked Tokio to come to the End of Terminal, not as an enemies, but as someone who could give him a clues about the vision that he had saw something would happen without words but eyes can see that could change the fate forever.

'What he really want to say? how is he know about the vision he saw? and what does he meant to be Fate that will forever change? He can feel that the time has come...'

Story Chapters

 * Prologue -Initiate Code: 2.01821208.....-
 * Chapter 1: Terminal of End
 * Chapter 2: Outsider
 * Chapter 3: One Way toward Another
 * Chapter 4: The Final Sea of the Memories
 * Chapter 5: The Other Version
 * Chapter 6: The Truth
 * Chapter 7: Akashic World
 * Chapter 8: Decision
 * Chapter 9: Stirring Cycle
 * Chapter 10: Tears of Feelings
 * Chapter 11: Hate
 * Chapter 12: Hero or Not
 * Chapter 13: Reality vs Ideals
 * Final Chapter: CHAOS RISING
 * Epilogue: The Promise
 * Ending E: The... [E]nd...?

Chrono Guild

 * 9 - Tokio Kuryuu
 * ENTIES - Saika Amagi
 * Geist - Akira Kuryuu
 * AIKA
 * Fluegel - Ryuji Sogabe
 * Kruger - Hiroshi Nagatori
 * Alibaba - Mio Shinomura
 * Neil - Chiko Nomura
 * Kyushu - Shiho Takeshi
 * Nishijima81 - Nishiki Kyojima
 * Sol - Souma Shigemura
 * Mereleona - Emilia de Mirabeau
 * Miki-Seven
 * Ninjato - Hiroyuki Nakita
 * Jikanet

Alliance

 * Helos-Pierce
 * Kite - Kazumi Ito
 * Helba
 * Lios
 * Zelkova
 * Missy-White
 * Yata - Takumi Hino
 * Pi - Reiko Saeki

The Final Sea of Memories

 * Tokio Kuryuu (Past)
 * Saika Amagi (Past)
 * Fluegel (Past)
 * Cello (Past)
 * Geist (Past)
 * Klarinette (Past)
 * Trommel (Past)
 * Orgel (Past)
 * Metronom (Past)
 * Genius (Past)
 * Davis (Past)
 * Kite (AI)
 * Haseo (AI)
 * Tsukasa (AI)
 * AI Creation of Twilight Knights...
 * Relena Northstein

Others

 * Jun Bansyoya
 * Metronom - Nomura Kaname
 * Dr. Octa Asgrodia
 * Davis - Yuuji Shigemura
 * Yun-EL
 * Sophora
 * Veronica Bain
 * Akiroda Matsunaiga (Mentioned)
 * Jyotaro Amagi
 * Dominique de Mirabeau
 * Waltz Matsunaiga (Mentioned)
 * Masumi Aida
 * Tobias - Eri Ikuta
 * Eri Etou
 * Sora Yuuki
 * Tomohiko Okano
 * Tanaka Kakeru
 * David Steinberg
 * Eleanor
 * Jingweon
 * Yasuke Matsunari
 * Miller
 * Tokio Kuryuu (Real)
 * Emma Wielant

Gameplay
As the RISING GEAR Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth is a brand-new direct continuation from RISING GEAR storyline would had a same gameplay and major improvements from RISING GEAR Ver. 2.01821208...... while the several features element gameplay has gone limited in this expansion story mode like Tournament, Area World Field & Dungeon and several more, the game will also featured a new gameplay system, such as:

Tidbits

 * The main storyline expansion was directed and written by Masayuki Sano, Takaya Haguchi and Kazunari Ito, considered as the canonical storyline to the franchise and the grand finale to the CHRONO RiSING Trilogy Saga as it finally open up the direct-connection with .hack//Link -Chrono Gear- and the later entries of 3rd Season and Final Season of .hack titles.
 * To unlocked the Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth story mode expansion, you need to viewed the Ending D: The Path Shines Within the [D]oor and press the D-pad down button for ten times which lead you directly to the brand-new title screen, exclusively for main story expansion and choose the difficulty mode once more.
 * You can also transferring your save clear data from the main game in order to continue play this game, but players and fans first would be warn what will happened as the story progressing forward.
 * Chikayo Fukuda and Hiroyuki Sawano would returned to composed over 20 additional soundtrack exclusively for .hack//Link -RISING GEAR- Ver. 2.01821208.....
 * The story of RISING GEAR Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth will entirely focuses on Chrono Guild which includes Tokio, Saika, Akira, AIKA, Alibaba, Toki-Runty, Emilia, Kruger, Sol, Neil, Kyushu, Nishijima81, Miki-Seven, and Ninjato, as they explores the truth behind everything that comes what they didn't even realize so far as before and brings an emotional journey that would leads to this story.
 * Jikanet, Fluegel, and Kite will also made appearance in this game as well. Director asks fans to look forward about Fluegel on something unique circumstances and as for Kite, director teases something bigger that might could lead what happens to him following .hack//Legacy and directly lead to .hack//Link 2.
 * Helba has a mysterious role in this storyline and expect something twist could happen as the main story progresses.
 * Genius will join the party to investigate the world that he was trapped since he was came from the world that Helos-Pierce mentioned, The Outsider.
 * The Outsider is a mystery plot story development that become a main focus to this story, as due to Exterminator, including Hackers from Netslum are actually came from the outside which is the mystery world become powerful mystery. According to director, there's other people who might came from the outsider as well which raise the question that soon would be revealed in the game.
 * Akashic World is also something that since it was first mentioned in .hack//Link 2 and once again would be a main focus of the mystery in this story mode expansion.
 * The question about why The Real World, even CC Corp Conspirators and Exterminator wants to kill Saika Amagi would soon to be revealed in this story, and director teases that these something that would causes conflict to happen between the guild as the story progresses.
 * Interestingly Helos-Pierce won't be a main antagonist or even final antagonist to this game, as the story progresses, unexpected things would happen as the story continue forwards.
 * .hack//Link -RISING GEAR- The Hollow Fate would be directly tie-up and connected to this expansion story mode of RISING GEAR Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth.
 * The Final Sea of Memories in the Chapter 4 would cover the events of the original IMMORTAL DUSK events from .hack//Link -Chrono Gear-.
 * Director teases another full potential development for Tokio, Saika, AIKA, and Akira which would be completely different than before, as it's development potential could reached to the next level.
 * The heartwarming relationship between Tokio and Saika might be a main focus to this story as well that could impact the decision what comes forward.
 * Story forwards would be something that fans and players needed to prepare their mental for what's coming because this story mode won't holding back for what would happen as it progresses, because this game is about existential crisis, pain, cruelty, suffering, sadness, twisted, stakes, decision and the path that could forever change the franchise and characters soon without everyone realizing it.
 * Which also mean that more surprise could happen and possibly bringing more people mind blown and didn't expecting this coming at all, but players need to be ready because once you progressing forward, the light-hearted stories and happy ending that something you all already experience from the original is only just a illusions or fake, because this would ultimately brings more cruelty, pain, and biggest plot twist of all, even tries to fool all fans from the very beginning.
 * Fans need to prepare the tissues or doing therapy because this story would be an anti fan-service and could possibly broke fans heart with this inevitable twisted direction that could changes something forever without it, but depends which fan service they would choose, but they won't gonna listen to fans after playing this, because this storyline is a powerful hurt, pain, sadness, darker, and tragic, these will change course of the story forever with all question that soon would be revealed.
 * This would become a major development for Tokio's character, but this story mode expansion will revealed something that could possibly connected to his Unseen Vision that could become a key toward another biggest plot twist in the main storyline.
 * More importantly RISING GEAR Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth would be fully R-Rated and would be intense than before, players would be warned for their mentals to be ready as the story keep progressing and nothing is safe from the truth.
 * This is how it would leads to .hack//Link -Chrono Gear- RE: ENTER, .hack//ReCODE -Beyond the World-, .hack//ReCODE -The Dragon Sins and the Eight Curses-, .hack//Versus -Integrity Code-, .hack//Link 2, .hack//ReCODE -The Infinity World of the God- and the upcoming of the two titles of anime and games, .hack//Link -The War of the Twilight- and .hack//Link -The FInal Twilight- as each of Chrono Guild characters would be appeared in each of those titles.
 * Since the scrapped storyline has been revived as an exclusive main story expansion for .hack//Link -RISING GEAR- Ver. 2.01821208..... they tried to majorly improved, enhance and redone the narratives to make it more exceeded from what they truly created before it was scrapped and adds a several parts that connected and foreshadowing toward later entries while also increased the depth-story development and expand the story to explores new ways to exceeded their works from what it was already been done before which they interested to majorly improved this storyline to make it even more better than before and ways to totally exceeded the fans expectation.
 * The main direction would whole new different to the storyline of RISING GEAR and it intentionally to expand and exceeded something that never even explore or even didn't made it to try which now been re-established in this story mode expansion.
 * Script was also made an improvised to make it more different from what their previous version that got scrapped, while they teasing more fleshed out characters progression, developments, plot, complex direction, and given a satisfying journey in the bittersweet ending of the game, and this story can even surpassed what they already written or even what they truly intended before it got scrapped. Director considered this version as a major superior from what they truly intended before the storyline got scrapped.
 * Interconnection between this story with later entries is more tighter than before and even deeper than what writers could had expected, is something that rivaled what they previously did before it got scrapped, it would be fully ties up with .hack//Link -Chrono Gear- as a whole along with the later entries of the game titles of dothack.
 * Director expect this story to be fully exceeded fans expectation and concentrate toward something that already lead to this, people wouldn't ready for this anti-fan service which it would follow as how Director had envisioned to the story, along with the tone, story, and more would be completely different from previous game, he wants fans and players expecting the dilemma course, darkside of .hack settings and the origin of Schwarz.

.hack//Link -RISING GEAR- Ver. 2.01821208.....

 * Receiving new emails from Daisuke Uchiyama as part of thanks for playing .hack//Link -RISING GEAR- Ver. 2.01821208 and also transferring the save clear data to .hack//Link -RISING GEAR- Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth in order to start a new game, while it contains a warning sections and cautions for players and fans before entering an expansion story mode.
 * Flashback Mania from all trilogies of CHRONO RiSING Trilogy main storyline cutscenes would be added to the game as part of remainder back from previous game which now made directly connected to this expansion story mode game or also as a nostalgia, which that includes .hack//Link -RISING GEAR- Hollow Fate.
 * Bonus Items and equipments available as you converting the save clear data, which earn a bonuses, such as:
 * Bonus Items: Health Drink 5x, Soul Drop 4x, and Restoration Drop 3x
 * Bonus Book Enhance: All Status 10+ Book
 * Bonus Non-Items: 08092020
 * Earning 100.000 Gil
 * Bonus Key Items: The World of Rising Gear and The path to the Unknown.

.hack//Link -Chrono Gear- Special Edition

 * Receiving new emails from Daisuke Uchiyama as part of thanks for playing .hack//Link -Chrono Gear- Special Edition and also transferring the save clear data to .hack//Link -RISING GEAR- Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth. Several new emails message from Anonymous (Real Tokio Kuryuu) which contains three message which first email for Saika Amagi, the second email for Fluegel and the third for Tokio Kuryuu which seems has a different topics for each three of the emails which fans and players needs to figure it out.
 * Flashback Mania from .hack//Link -Chrono Gear- main story cutscenes would be added which also has important parts regarding about the original events of IMMORTAL DUSK events, but there's more unexpected flashback mania could happen as the story progressing through and player might enjoyed the old gameplay of PSP version for nostalgia while referenced, mention and call-backs the main plots from Chrono Gear.
 * Bonuses video footages for players who had transferring their save clear data to RISING GEAR Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth, such as:
 * 8 bonuses video footage of Breaking News regarding about The Network Disaster Tragedy happens in the "True" real world and mentioned for another incoming impact soon in the several hours of countdown.
 * 3 bonuses video footage of Breaking News regarding about the original IMMORTAL DUSK incident in the several month ago in the year 2020 A.D.
 * 3 bonuses video cam CCTV regarding the events about the original IMMORTAL DUSK and The Network Disaster Tragedy in the real world.
 * 2 bonuses video cam CCTV in NAB Command Room during events of The Network Disaster Tragedy.
 * 1 bonuses video unknown scenes which was actually scene that came from .hack//Link -RISING- but the face was unknown, however it shown in a montage format.



Sequel
See .hack//Link -ChaosWort-

Trivia

 * The requirements for accessing the RISING GEAR Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth by pressing D-Pad down ten times was inspired by Twilight Syndrome from Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair which contains the Truth Edition and by pressing D-Pad down five times allows you to accessed the truth edition of Twilight Syndrome that contains a Truth Route.
 * RISING GEAR Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth is True Route and Final Chapter to RISING GEAR storyline which contains an unexpected truth that happens all along that would open the secret that was been hiding from entire time which leads through the True Ending and True Conclusion to the trilogies.
 * It would be all confirmed that the trilogies of CHRONO RiSING Trilogy is a direct-sequel to .hack//Link -Chrono Gear-which started few months following the events of the original IMMORTAL DUSK, however, these events is set prior to the ending of Chrono Gear version as where prior the "Real" Tokio Kuryuu reunited with Saika Amagi once more in the hospital which set a year following the IMMORTAL DUSK incident, but it set few months following RISING GEAR Ver. INTERMission Code: Truth events.

See Also...

 * .hack//Link -RISING GEAR- Ver. 2.01821208.....