Crisis Moon: The Bloody Symphony

Crisis Moon: The Bloody Symphony is a 2D fighting game developed by Orange Soft and published by ACS Softworks. Released in 2011 for Arcades (System 202: ENDYMION), PC, PlayStation 3, XBox 360, PlayStation Portable (as Crisis Moon: Portable Edition) and the Samsung Zeo. It is the first non-exclusive Orange Soft title since Fight or Die 3: Fatal Vengeance and their first game to be released on the PC platform.

Gameplay
The game uses an interchangeable 4-button system. At the start of the game, the player can choose between two control schemes:


 * Standard style: Three buttons for light, medium and heavy attacks, one for Trigger (special ability) attacks and one for Reflector guard. Specials, Lunar Drives and Lunar Requiem are done by performing certain commands.


 * Compressed style: Two buttons for light and heavy attacks, one for special moves, one for throws and one for Reflector guard. Other specials are done by simply combining a direction with the special button (e.g. b+S for Kiyo's "Inverse Needle"). Lunar Drives are done by performing a quarter-circle forward or back S with sufficient Luna. Lunar Requiem is done by performing a quarter-circle forward and pressing L+H+S with sufficient Luna. Tap G during opponent's attack to Break.

Each player has a Luna meter which, when filled to a certain level, allows players to use supers, or "Lunar Drives", as well as a Vita meter which decrease as the player blocks attacks,  done by hoding down the joystick/d-pad to the opposite direction. When the player's Vita meter is depleted, the player will be put in a "Guard Crush" state, which leaves the player temporarily vulnerable, and chip damage will be increased by 1.5% until the Vita meter is fully replenshed. At the top of the screen, below the time limit counter, is the Blood Sphere, which fills up as the fight continues. In a match point round, when the Blood Sphere is full, and the player's Luna meter is at maximum level, the player can perform a "Lunar Requiem" finish to end the match on the spot.

Aside from the four main attack buttons, Crisis Moon also features a fifth  "Reflector" button, which is used for its namesake mechanic "Reflector Guard", a defensive mechanic that deflects most types of attacks and decreases the enemy's Vita Meter by a small amount, executed by quickly tapping the Reflector button as soon as the opponent's attack connects. While Reflector Guard works against most attacks, it cannot deflect attack grabs (e.g. Twilight's Love/Lust) and Lunar Requiems.

The game also features "Breaks" which allow the player to interrupt an opponent's attack or combo with a flash that surrounds the character. There are two kinds of breaks: the Vita Break, a non-damaging variant which consumes Vita, performed by pressing L+M+H+T at any time, but work best when performed slightly before the opponent's attack hits, and the Blood Break, which causes a small amount of damage and instead uses the Blood Sphere. Blood Breaks can be done by pressing the attack button that the opponent uses for their attack (light, middle, heavy or Trigger) and the Reflector button slightly before the opponent's attack hits. Blood Breaks also require precise timing.

Another notable feature is "Chaos Mode", a special mode that grants the player special abilities that help give the player an advantage during a fight. Each character has a different ability for Chaos Mode. Chaos Mode is activated by pressing L+M+H simultaneously, when the player has obtained the letters for the word "Chaos" located below the life bar. In Full-Monn Type, however, Chaos Mode is activated by performing a command akin to that of a Lunar Drive.

The game also includes "Steady Guard", a special type of Guard that averts all chip damage sustained in normal blocking, done by hoding down the joystick/d-pad to the opposite direction and holding down the Reflector button. Steady Guard can only be done on the ground. "Flash Step", a special dash that allows players to scoot away from attacks and, if close to the opponent, move towards the other side, done by pressing down-forward or down-back twice on the joystick/d-pad.

In order to avoid game-breaking infinite combos, the game features an "Equilibrium" system that limits the maximum hits in a combo. Below the screen, between the two Luna meters, is the double-sided Equilibrium meter. For each attack that a player recieves, during a combo, the recepient's side of the Equilibrium meter increases. When any side of the Equilibrium meter gets filled up, the recepient is sent flying away towards a certain distance, foiling any potential additional hits. The Equilibrium feature can be turned off with a setting in Options mode.

There are 10 stages in normal gameplay (9 fights with basic characters (matches 4 and 9 are against a "rival") and the boss fight with Dominus). By default, each stage is a two-out-of-three wins match composed of "strifes" (the announcer says it as: As The Darkness Falls, Strife 1, Revolt!).

Types
Before a match, each player has to choose between three "types", each with a different Luna meter type and advantages. Each type is named after a tage of the Moon:
 * Quarter Moon-Type: A three-level Luna meter that allows the player to chain Lunar Drives together. Low attack power, high speed, medium defense.
 * Half Moon-Type: A two-level Luna meter that allows the player to cancel any move using Tsuki Cancel by pressing L+M+H. Medium attack power, medium speed, high defense.
 * Full Moon-Type: A single-type Luna meter that can be charged by pressing and holding L+H (hold down L+S in Compressed style) simultaneously. High attack power, low speed, medium defense.
 * New Moon-Type: A five-level Luna meter that combines the abilities of all three Types. High attack power, high speed, high defense. The New Moon-Type is exclusive to Dominus, the final boss, and cannot be accessed through normal means.

Story
For every 10 years, as the moon turns blood red, Count Godfried Dominus hosts a battle royale to determine the strongest amongst the others, dubbed as the Crimson Carnival. As the blood moon rises once again, Dominus deems it worthy to revive the Crimson Carnival once again.

Kiyotaka "Kiyo" Kamiya is a high school student who possesses the Eyes of Future Death, an ability that allows him to "see" the death of any living thing that exists. One day, while Kiyo was walking from school, he noticed a mysterious hooded figure walking on the street and getting in the way of a speeding car. After he sees a prediction of the mysterious entity's death, Kiyo went out of his way to saye the entity from the car. He then discovered that the entity was a girl named Twilight. Realizing her injuries, Kiyo decides to take her home with him in order to take care of her. Howerver, when Kiyo woke up the next day, he discovers that Twilight is gone.

Weeks later, Kiyo goes out to buy a gift for his girlfriend Motoko Tsukagami when he notices a bunch of people looking at a nearby alley. He decided to take a peek and discovered that it was the dead body of a girl, about the same age as him. After seeing her death, he discovers that she was killed by what appears to be a vampire.

That night, Twilight returns to his life once again, teling him the truth that he is not a Kamiya, but a Kirisaki, a clan once known as formidable vampire slayers or "Hunters" and that he was the only one left in his clan to save the world from vampires, leaving a white envelope and a sword behind. As Kiyo opens the envelope, he discovered that it was his invitation to the Crimson Carnival. He then picks up the sword and reads the embedded inscription "Satsugai-sha"

With a knife on one hand and the Satsugai-sha on the other, Kiyo joins the tournament.

Characters
See also: List of characters in the Crisis Moon series


 * Kiyo Kamiya

Voiced by: Hiro Shimono (JP), Johnny Yong Bosch (EN)

A high school student who possesses the Eyes of Future Death. Fights with a knife and sword.

Voiced by: Emiri Kato (JP), Erin Fitzgerald (EN)
 * Twilight

A mysterious girl who befriends Kiyo and joins him in being a Hunter. Fights with silver daggers. Voiced by: Kana Asumi (JP), Carrie Keranen (EN)
 * Motoko Tsukagami

Kiyo's girlfriend who also serves a Hunter by night. Fights with spiritual energy. Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto (JP), Travis Willingham (EN)
 * Abel of the Light

A Catholic priest and one of the strongest Hunters alive. Fights with his blessed staff Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa (JP), David Vincent (EN)
 * Kagetsu

A ninja and the sole survivor of his clan. Fights with ninjutsu. Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (JP), Tara Platt (EN)
 * Mida Curtis

A dark sorceress with a streak of vampire blood within her. Fights with her black magic. Voiced by: Akio Ohtsuka (JP), Jamieson Price (EN)
 * Prisoner No. 405

A prisoner who was subject to horrible experiments by an unknown organization. Fights with his demonic right arm. Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (JP, human), Patrick Seitz (EN, human), Pre-recorded howls (wolf)
 * Roman Black

A werewolf seeking revenge against Dominus after the fall of his race. Fights with his sharp claws. Voiced by: Yuko Sanpei (JP), Brina Palencia (EN)
 * Terence Reid

A young boy who is possessed by evil spirits. Fights with his shadow. Voiced by: Kanae Ito (JP), Christine Marie Cabanos (EN)
 * Shekinah

A nekomata who fights to "save the world from evildoers". Fights with her paws and quick reflexes. Voiced by: "TAKA" (noises)
 * Mr. X

A strange, faceless figure with an unknown agenda. Fights with ghost-like abilities. Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki (JP), Michael McConnohie (EN)
 * The Red Knight

A violent zombie knight reanimated by Dominus to serve as his bodyguard. Fights with the cursed sword Iscariot. Voiced by: Taiten Kusunoki (JP), Crispin Freeman (EN)
 * Count Godfried Dominus

Current head of the vampires and the host of the Crimson Carnival. Fights with blood.

Stages

 * Tokyo in Rain
 * Moonlght Park
 * Sakura Fields
 * Church of Saving Guidance
 * Temple Ruins
 * Black Altar
 * Asylum
 * Stone's Peak
 * Neko Village
 * Clockwork
 * Treacherous Woods
 * Fallen Warriors' Graveyard
 * The Blood-Drenched Throne
 * Grid

Sequel
A sequel to Crisis Moon, Crisis Moon II: The Hollow Eclipse, is under progress. it will feature new characters as well as new gameplay mechanics and stages. It will be released for Arcades (System 201) and Zeo.

Trivia

 * The song in the game's intro is "KiLLiNG ME" by Japanese rock band SiM. The music video for KiLLiNG ME (as seen above) is available as an unlockable item in the game's Gallery mode.
 * Similar to Code Chronos, a demo version of Crisis Moon was released in the Samsung Apps LIVEPLAY store before the official release. The demo versions contains only three characters: Kiyo, Twilight and Motoko, and was available for free.
 * Using Abel's Lunar Requiem "Divine Judgment of God" against antagonists will result in them being sent to burn in Hell, while using it on protagonists will result in them being absolved and sent to Heaven.
 * Crisis Moon: The Bloody Symphony was nominated for "Fighting Game of the Year" in the 2014 Game Ideas Wiki Awards. However, it lost to Street Fighter V Outrage.
 * The game's cutscenes are done by the animation studio J.C.Staff.
 * Each character's color palette #12 and #14 is a reference to other characters.
 * Kiyo is Kojou Akatsuki and Yu Narukami
 * Twilight is Merry Nightmare and Kaori Kanzaki
 * Motoko is Botan and Reimu Hakurei
 * Abel is  and
 * Kagetsu is Scorpion and Chipp Zanuff
 * Mida is Caster and
 * Prisoner No. 405 is Cable and Nathan Spencer
 * Roman is Jon Talbain and Tsume
 * Terence is Haise Sasaki and Ciel Phantomhive
 * Shekinah is Ichigo Momomiya and
 * Mr. X is Q and Hazama
 * The Red Knight is Berserker and Alphonse Elric