Crisis Moon III

Crisis Moon III is a 2D fighting game developed by Orange Soft and published by ACS. It is the sequel to Crisis Moon II: The Hollow Eclipse and the third and final installment of the Crisis Moon series. Released in 2015 for Arcades (System 203: ATLANTIS), PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox ONE, PlayStation 3 and the Samsung Zeo.

The game would later receive several updated releases. Crisis Moon III EVOLVE is the first update to Crisis Moon III, which includes the two DLC characters from the start and contains additional content such as redesigned stages and two additional characters, including guest character Valeria Lane from the VSRFX series. Released in 2016 for Arcades (System 203: ATLANTIS), PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox ONE, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Switch and the Samsung Zeo.

Crisis Moon III EVOLVE -into- is the second update to Crisis Moon III, which adds two additional characters, including guest character Logan Preaker from the Earth Warriors series. Released in 2018 for Arcades (nex System), PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox ONE, Nintendo Switch and the Samsung Zeo. In 2021, the PC port of Crisis Moon III EVOLVE -into- was retroactively patched to support rollback netcode via GGPO.

Crisis Moon III EVOLVE=R is the third and final update to Crisis Moon III, which adds an additional character, as well as a full overhaul of the game's online mode, implementing rollback netcode via GGPO for all capable systems. Released in 2022 for Arcades (nex² System), PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox ONE, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Gameplay
Gameplay remains the same from the first game, with a few new gameplay mechanics. The game introduces the "Chaos Drive", a special type of super move that can only be performed during Chaos Mode. Unlike Lunar Drives, Chaos Drives do not consume Luna but, rather, instantly end Chaos Mode upon activation, and also keeps the Chaos meter sealed for a prolonged period of time. The damage of a Chaos Drive is scaled by the amount of Chaos meter that remains upon performing the move; the more Chaos a player has upon activation, the more damage it deals.

Along with introducing new mechanics, the game also features several changes to existing mechanics, further refining them. Activating Chaos mode during Bloodlust now grants a full Luna meter, Just Guard and Just Reflector Guard, defensive mechanics which have existed ever since the first game, are now given a bigger importance by rewarding a small amount of Luna after each successful attempt, and Chaos regeneration for all characters has been significantly increased from before.

The EVOLVE update introduces a new mechanic to the game: Crushing Strike. By pressing →M+H, the player can perform a special attack that acts like a normal attack on hit, but would shave off a large amount of Arma when blocked normally. Crushing Strikes can also be charged, with a fully charged Crushing Strike being capable of automatically causing Guard Crush on normal block, regardless of the amount of Arma the opponent has. Crushing Strike consume 25% Luna and can also be charged, prolonging the Guard Crush period.

Introduced in the EVOLVE -into- update are "Generation" characters, special variations of the characters which are given their movesets and stats from a previous Crisis Moon title. Initially, only the CMIII and EVOLVE Generations are available for play, alongside the default -into- Generation, but EVOLVE=R would introduce the ability to play the characters' CM and CMII Generations. As Generations are designed to emulate the way the characters' respective origin game plays, several game mechanics may be unavailable across certain Generations (for example, CM characters are unable to use Blowback Crash/Fatal Shatter or Guard React, nor could they enter Bloodlust).

There are 10 stages in normal gameplay (9 fights with basic characters (matches 4 and 9 are "rival matches" featuring dialogue intros before the match) and the boss fight with Unchained Lilith.

Story
Lilith, known by most as the Originator, is the progenitor of the entire vampire race, whose reincarnated spirit is split between two individuals: Twilight and Dawn. It is said that her resurrection, and subsequent return to the mortal realm, would spell disaster upon the human race. As the fourth and final crimson moon of the prophetic tetrad begins to rise, time is running out for Twilight and Kiyo in their quest to avert the oncoming crisis.

On the night of the third crimson moon, a siege on the Tepes manor, organized by the newly-formed alliance of Kiyo Kamiya, Twilight, Motoko Tsukagami and Reisuke Kogane, had taken place. The four of them would storm the palace before eventually encountering, Count Godfried, the Dominus himself, now aided by Dawn, Soon, a fight would break out in the room of the Blood-Drenched Throne between the four vampire slayers and the Dominus.

However, in the midst of battle, as the crimsom moon shone its brightest, something sinister would end up happening within Twilight. Her vision would blur, as her heartbeat palpitates at irregular speeds. She starts to lose control of her mind, as a primal urge rises up within her. The True Vile Blood was starting to overtake Twilight, slowly corrupting her into a bloodthirsty vampire, injuring her own allies, Kiyo, Motoko and Reisuke in a fit of rage.

Upon regaining control of herself, Twilight can only shed a tear in remorse as her friends lie before her feet, injured and almost killed by her own hand. As days would pass, Twilight would slowly lose control of her vampiric blood, further alienating herself from her own friends, in spite of their best efforts to help Twilight out in her struggle against her corrupted blood.

This all culminated one night, when, after a brief, but heated, argument with a classmate, Twilight's corrupted blood would take over once again and eventually kill her classmate in cold blood. Horrified by what she had committed, Twilight would end up running away, leaving her friends behind. With her urges of bloodthirst growing more and more, she feels a need to isolate herself from humans before she starts hurting other people close to her.

As all of this was happening, a larger crisis was unfolding on a much wider scale. With the arrival of the fourth crimson moon imminent, the vampires began to attack humans more and more frequently. As the days go by, all of these would eventually lead to a widespread outbreak, as vampires continued to attack the humans, resulting in over millions of human casualties all over the world and various countries being put in a state of calamity.

Shortly after the first wave of vampire killings, the Hunter Organization had officially announced an all-out war against the vampires, effectively thrusting the world into chaos. Meanwhile, as all of this was happening, Kiyo and his friends continued to search for clues on Twilight's disappearance, until they had found her diary, abandoned in her seat at school, explaining everything they needed to know about her condition in full detail.

As it turns out, Twilight had already known of the vampire onslaught, and had wanted to warn the rest of the people about it before her condition worsened. It was also revealed that the reason for all the attacks was to awaken Lilith, the Originator of the vampires. Realizing what they had to do, Kiyo, Motoko and Reisuke set off to the crimson moon in order to find Twilight's whereabouts and put a stop to the awakening of Lilith before it's too late.

Returning

 * Kiyo Kamiya

Voice Actors: Hiro Shimono (JP), Johnny Yong Bosch (EN)


 * Twilight

Voice Actresses: Emiri Kato (JP), Erin Fitzgerald (EN)


 * Motoko Tsukagami

Voice Actresses: Kana Asumi (JP), Carrie Keranen (EN)


 * Abel of the Light

Voice Actors: Norio Wakamoto (JP), Travis Willingham (EN)


 * Kagetsu

Voice Actors: Hikaru Midorikawa (JP), David Vincent (EN)


 * Caren Thornheart

Voice Actresses: Atsuko Tanaka (JP), Tara Platt (EN)


 * Roman Black

Voice Actors: Rikiya Koyama (JP), Patrick Seitz (EN)


 * Terence F. Reid

Voice Actors: Yuko Sanpei (JP), Brina Palencia (EN), Nobuo Tobita (JP; Burzum), Derek Stephen Prince (EN; Burzum)


 * Prisoner #459

Voice Actors: Akio Ohtsuka (JP), Jamieson Price (EN)


 * Magical BraveHeart Neko Nia

Voice Actresses: Kanae Ito (JP), Christine Marie Cabanos (EN)


 * Barrett McBride

Voice Actors: Kazuya Nakai (JP), Matthew Mercer (EN)


 * The Red Knight

Voice Actors: Fumihiko Tachiki (JP), Kirk Thornton (EN)


 * Count Godfried, the Dominus

Voice Actors: Taiten Kusunoki (JP), Crispin Freeman (EN)


 * Dawn

Voice Actors: Akira Ishida (JP), Yuri Lowenthal (EN)


 * Ermingarde Lenne Stadfeldt

Voice Actresses: Rie Kugimiya (JP), Laura Bailey (EN)


 * Reisuke Kogane

Voice Actors: Kissho Taniyama (JP), Todd Haberkorn (EN)


 * Hao Lianhua

Voice Actresses: Yuki Matsuoka (JP), Cristina Valenzuela (EN)

New

 * Jeremy Knives

Voice Actors: Hiroyuki Yoshino (JP), Spike Spencer (EN)

A deranged man who derives pleasure from the pain of others, Jeremy Knives is a serial killer-turned-vampire who, after being revived by Dawn, is given the task to kill Kiyo Kamiya.

Long before his vampirism, Jeremy is already a man with a depraved and twisted mind, having spent most of his life lurking in the streets, going on a half decade-long killing spree, having slain dozens of people at that point. One cold night, as he was hiding from a bunch of cops who was chasing after him, he decided to kill himself by disembowelment rather than giving the cops the satisfaction of killing him by themselves, only to later be revived by Dawn as a vampire that same night. As the crimson moon rises, Dawn gives him one task: to kill Kiyo Kamiya, or any of his allies, leaving none of them alive, which he eagerly accepts.

Jeremy fight using his vampiric blood manipulation powers, taking the iron from his own blood and turning it to liquid metal. He could then solidify this liquid metal alloy and morph it into weapons such as buzzsaws, blades and other instruments of torture.

Jeremy's Edge is "Satan's Blade", which summons a spinning buzzsaw towards his opponent, which can be held for even more damage. Using his buzzsaw attacks will fill up his Satisfaction Gauge for up to three levels, with each level increasing his buzzsaw's power, with Level 3 buzzsaw moves dealing a very high amount of chip damage on block. His Chaos ability is "Silent Scream", which powers up his buzzsaw attacks, making it much easier to fill up his Satisfaction Gauge to reach Level 3, while also preventing buzzsaw overheat.

Playstyle-wise, Jeremy combines a quick rushdown playstyle with optimal chip damage, possessing some of the highest chip damage in the entire game with his Level 3 buzzsaws. He is a relatively easy character to pick up, but is best played by intermediate players who can bring out the full potential of his chip damage.


 * Misuzu Kamishiro

Voice Actresses: Natsuko Kuwatani (JP), Michelle Ruff (EN)

A rather stoic girl whose heart yearns for revenge, Misuzu Kamishiro is a member of the Kamishiro clan on Hunters whose sole reason to fight is to seek revenge for her sister's death.

Long ago, the Kamishiro clan had created a unique technique that breathes life into inanimate objects using Spirit Energy, a technique that would eventually be passed onto multiple generations, with Misuzu and her sister Mizuha being its current inheritors. Much later on, Mizuha met Dawn, guising himself as a normal human, whom she would fall in love with, which would eventually create a rift between the two sisters after Misuzu casted her doubts about her sister's lover, until one day, Dawn would reveal that he was faking his feelings for Mizuha all along, before up killing her in cold blood and stealing the Kamishiro family technique from her, proving her suspicions right all along. Regretful that she wasn't able to fix things sooner, she sets off onto the crimson moon to avenge her sister's death by killing Dawn with her own hands.

Misuzu fights using pieces of paper and origami art, given life using the Kamishiro method, and then sent to attack the enemy. Her impeccable skills in origami, combined with the family method, allows her to summon living origami animals, as well as conjuring origami weapons.

Misuzu's Edge ability is "Orizuru" (折鶴; Folded Crane), a long-range attack in which she summons a large paper crane that flies toward her opponent in order to to attack them. All of her normal Edge attacks have a second follow-up attack triggered by a second press of the E button, and can also be chained into one another. Her Chaos ability is "Senbazuru no Matsuri" (千羽鶴の祭り; Festival of a Thousand Cranes), which improves all of her Edge attacks in unique ways, while also giving her Edge normals the ability to deal chip damage.

Playstyle-wise, Misuzu is predominantly a zoner, using her Edge attacks to keep their opponents at bay, while also possessing great mixup potential with some of her special moves, at the price of having pitifully low health. Her excellent zoning abilities via her Edge, as well as her, make her an ideal character for intermediate level players.


 * Phantom Kujo

Voice Actors: Masashi Ebara (JP), JB Blanc (EN)

A self-proclaimed phantom hero, Takaya Kujo, otherwise known by his alter-ego Phantom Kujo, is a vigilante Hunter who fights to protect Karyudo City from the vampire onslaught.

Average bumbling salaryman by day, brave vampire hunter and guardian of the city by night; these are the words that best decribe the enigmatic entity known as Phantom Kujo. Over the years, he has shared a long, storied friendly rivalry with fellow Hunter, the late Blaze Heathcliff, which is why, upon hearing rumors about Blaze's apprentice carrying his legacy, he was quickly intrigued. Amidst the crimson moon, he takes on the mantle of the Phantom and sails onto the night once again, not only to protect Karyudo City from the vampire onslaught, but also to search for the apprentice of his longtime rival and best friend.

Phantom Kujo fights using a multitude of bizarre weaponry, chief among which are his trusty prosthetic jack-in-a-box boxing glove arm, as well as the many items in his Phantom Pocket. What he lacks in spirit energy, he more than makes up for with the sheer variety of anti-vampire weapons he carries.

Phantom Kujo's Edge ability is "Phantom Pocket Surprise", in which he tosses out a random item onto the ground, which interacts with the opponent in several ways. Items spawned by Phantom Pocket Surprise include a rice ball that regains health, a throwing knife, a bomb, an anvil, a vial of poison, and a chibi Phantom that latches onto the opponent and explodes, with each item having an improved "Mega!" variation that spawns at a much less frequent. Her Chaos ability is "Mega Phantom Pocket Supreme", which briefly turns all of his item spawns into their Mega! variations.

Playstyle-wise, Phantom Kujo has a somewhat unorthodox playstyle, possessing "stretchy" normals that give him an edge with zoning, as well as his random items that each give him an advantage in several ways. His bizzare playstyle and heavy reliance on RNG make him a character best reserved for experts.


 * Dr. Vanessa Blatt

Voice Actresses: Yuko Goto (JP), Lauren Landa (EN)

A seemingly kind and soft-spoken doctor at first, Dr. Vanessa Blatt is in actually a deranged scientist who, after descending to madness, decided to turn herself into a living insect hive.

For many years, a top secret government experiment has been going on behind the scenes involving the creation of "Hybridkinds", crossbreeds between humans and Otherkind, a project that was initially spearheaded by Dr. Vanessa Blatt. Unsatisfied with her various inhumane experiments on prisoners, she decided to take it upon herself and started conducting similar experiments on her own body, injecting her body with insect pheromones to take control of all the cockroaches around her, turning herself into a brand new kind of Hybridkind, calling herself a "living hive" of insects. With the crimson moon's rise, she takes it upon herself to test out her new abilities on any human or Otherkind subjects running around town, willingly or not, all in the guise of a mild-mannered doctor.

Dr. Blatt fights using a full colony of cockroaches that follow her every command, which she then uses to swarm the opponent all over. Living inside the recesses of her body, these roaches come out of her orifices upon command, ready to prey on their next target once their master sends the signal to attack.

Dr. Blatt's Edge ability is "Dead Cell", which allows her to set up a "Cell" which she can then choose to detonate for oppressive pressure. She can set up to 3 Cells at a time, both on the ground and while in midair, after which she can detonate them via her "Infest" special move, which causes the Cell to burst in an explosive beeline of insects with ground, Cells shooting vertically and air Cells shooting horizontally. Her Chaos ability is "Between Angels and Insects", which drastically increases the blast radius of her Cells, while also turning all of her air Cells unlockable in the air.

Playstyle-wise, Dr. Blatt is a highly oppressive, pressure-oriented character, who combines her strong set play game with the unique ability to cancel her specials into one another. She is an advanced character reserved for expert players who are able to apply pressure to their opponents with her expansive toolkit.


 * Lilith

Voice Actresses: Emiri Kato (JP), Erin Fitzgerald (EN)

A vengeful entity awakened after a millennia-long slumber, Lilith is the Originator, the progenitor of the vampire race borne from combining the two reincarnated souls into one.

Lilith's existence traces back to the earliest records of humanity, described as the first wife of Adam, whose banishment from the Garden of Eden led to her abandoning any semblance of her humanity, eventually morphing her into the creature that people know of today. Eventually, her soul was split in two, but even so, she continues to linger on within the realm of the mortals, living on in the souls of two vampiric individuals, one male and one female, with the latest vessels being Twilight and Dawn, and the merging of these two souls together would eventually lead to her awakening. In the eve of the fourth crimson moon, the ambitions of Count Godfried, the Dominus become clear: he seeks to awaken the spirit of Lilith within both Twilight and Dawn, and eventually use her power to create a brand new world where the vampires reign supreme.

Lilith fights using all the blood from the Blood Sphere, which has been converted into a form of amorphous energy. Her status as an exile from Eden, combined with her descent into darkness, enables her the power to control both light and darkness interchangeably.

Lilith's Edge ability is "Lux et Tenebrae" (Light & Shadow), which allows her to switch between her two concurrent elements: light and darkness. All of her special moves gain different properties depending on the current active element, with light attacks dealing decreased damage while allowing her to regain life, while darkness attacks promise more damage at the cost of her own health. Her Chaos ability is "Vigilae" (Awakening), which grants her the mobility of her Unchained form, as well as doubling the damage of her special moves.

Playstyle-wise, Lilith is a character who, in the right hands, has the potential to trump over everyone with her excellent offense and defense, with only her poor mobility and damage output without Vigilae holding her back. She is a character best reserved for experts who can switch between her two elements and make the most out of Vigilae.

DLC

 * Mordecai Evans

Voice Actors: Hiroshi Kamiya (JP) Steve Staley (EN)

A pretty-faced servant with a rather troubled past, Mordecai Evans is the trusty butler of Ermingarde Lenne Stadfeldt, having spent his life by her side for nearly a decade.

In the past, Mordecai was a merciless vampire, capable of slaying armies of Hunters, until one day, after an attack on the Stadfeldt household which resulted in the death of its patriarch, Alois Stadfeldt IV, he bore witness to a young Ermingarde crying on her father's dead body. Felling immense guilt from his actions, he decides to throw away his former life of killing for blood and swore his undying loyalty to Ermingarde, serving for her for the rest of his life as her trustworthy butler, all without telling who the murderer of his father was, feeling that his confession would strain their near decade-long relationship. As the crimson moon starts to rise once again, he decides to assist Ermingarde in battle, protecting her from any forthcoming adversaries at all costs.

Mordecai fights solely with his legs, boasting powerful kicks capable of intense damage without the use of any weapons. Upon choosing to serve for Ermingarde, he has sworn to never use his own hands in battle ever again, only using them in the direst of situations.

Mordecai's Edge ability is "Moscow Mule", a strong kick from his feet that he can charge further by holding down the E button. All of his Edge moves have 3 levels, by holding down the E button, he will charge the move from Level 1 to Level 3 and back down to Level 1, and releasing the button executes his Edge for that particular level, with his Level 3 Edge moves being capable of doing the most damage and hitsun, making them the best choice for continuing combos. His Chaos ability is "Spirytus", which improves all of his Edge moves to Level 4, giving them increased damage, histun and improved properties, while also removing the need to charge them up.

Playstyle-wise, Mordecai excels in rushdown, capable of crushing through an opponent's defense with his Level 3 Edge attacks, as well as dealing devastating amounts of damage with his hard-hitting combos. He is a character that newbies can easily pick up and play, with an easy to understand Edge mechanic and equally simple, yet highly damaging combos.


 * Yuuno

Voice Actresses: Rie Tanaka (JP), Wendee Lee (EN)

A lone vagabond who wanders around in the dead of night, Yuuno is a mysterious woman who carries with her a sword, as well as a bunch of secrets regarding her past.

Yuuno's full name is Yuuno Kirisaki, part of the Kirisaki clan of Hunters, once thought to be completely wiped off the face of the Earth after Dominus' massacre on their village several years ago, as well as the biological mother of Kiyo Kamiya. Following the massacre of her village, she went into hiding for several decades, refusing to show nary a glimmer of existence to anyone else, until recently, when Yuuno has caught wind of rumors regarding her son and his current involvement with a series of attacks on the Tepes Manor. At long last, she decides to break her decade long silence and set off to the crimson moon in order to watch over her child and finally, tell him the full truth about what happened that day.

Yuuno fights using a katana which she calls "Keiri", which bears more than a striking semblance to Kiyo's own Keiri. However, compared to Kiyo, Yuuno primarily employs iaijutsu techniques in combat, cutting through her opponents with blistering speed.

Yuuno's Edge ability is "Harukaze" (春風; Spring Breeze), a move which allows her to dodge away to the background or roll towards or away from the opponent, when a direction is pressed. Her central game mechanic comes, not from her Edge ability, but from her "Yogiri" (夜切り; Night Cutter) series of special moves, which are performed by holding any of the three attacks buttons for an extended amount of time, the longer the button is held, the more powerful the attack becomes, with each special having three levels each. Her Chaos ability is "Sekiran" (夕嵐; Evening Storm), which drastically decreases the charge time for Yogiri, allowing players to reach Level 3 much faster.

Playstyle-wise, Yuuno is a character reliant on moving around the arena with her several unique mobility options such as her Harukaze rolls and spot dodges, as well as her exclusive short hop, before attacking at the right moment. Her rather unconventional playstyle, as well as heavy execution make her a character meant for expert players.

Introduced in EVOLVE

 * HAV-OK

Voice Actors: Nobuhiko Okamoto (JP), Bryce Papenbrook (EN)

A wheelchair-turned-weapon of mass destruction, the HAV-OK Unit is the creation of Reo Hazuki, an eccentric crippled Hunter who who refuses to let his disability get in his way.

An aspiring inventor since childhood, Hazuki's dreams were put on hold after both of his Hunter parents were killed during battle, prompting him to take up their shoes. He had been training to become a Hunter until his first mission, where he was left badly injured and unable to walk again, but despite this setback, he decided to press on, combining his passion for invention with his duty as a Hunter, modifying his wheelchair into the HAV-OK Unit, a battle chair fitted with various anti-vampire weapons, among several other modifications. With the forthcoming rise of the crimson moon, Hazuki decides to take HAV-OK out for a test run to witness its true capabilities.

Hazuki fights using the "HAV-OK Unit", a wheelchair-turned-battle mech, loaded with various weapons suited for combat against vampires, as well as jet thrusters. He had created the HAV-OK Unit specifically to allow himself to continue his Hunter duties while crippled, but is still currently seeking a patent.

HAV-OK's Edge ability is "Volta Orb", which summons an electric Orb, to the targeted location, which then shoots a bolt of electricity toward the opponent. Up to three Orbs can be set in the stage at a time, with each Orb having a brief heating period before firing, and can also be charged by holding down the E button, with charged Orbs dealing much more damage, Orbs are also vital for some of his special moves and Lunar Drives. His Chaos ability is "Ampere Overdrive", which grants major improvements to his Orbs, as well as all Orb-related attacks.

Playstyle-wise, HAV-OK is a character who relies heavily on set play, with most of his core gameplay relying heavily on setting up his Orbs properly. He is a character best reserved for expert players who are able to strategize and plan out his orbs properly, as well as shift to rushdown when the situation requires it.


 * Valeria Lane

Voice Actresses: Mitsuki Saiga (JP), Karen Strassman (EN)

A crude woman with an appetite for battle, Valeria Lane is a half-human, half-cyborg fighting machine, leader of the Raven Crest gang and a test subject of the VSRFX project.

Valeria was once a simple girl who lived a humble life in the ranch alongside her brother Claude, until one day, both she and her brother were brainwashed and given cybernetic implants by an unknown shadowy organization. After a long cryogenic sleep, she eventually wakes up, prompting her to escape the clutches of the organization with the help of a few friends along the way, and thus begins a long journey full of fighting, meeting many people, both friend and foe, along the way, eventually forming the Raven Crest gang alongside her brother Claude, Ran Howard and many others. One day, during her journeys, Valeria finds herself in the streets Karyudo City, amidst a bright crimson moon, where she must now survive in a new world full of enemies unlike any she's ever faced before.

Valeria fights with an advanced style of martial arts, exclusively utilizing her her fists and feet during battle, in spite of her cyborg implants. Always on the offensive, she is both revered and feared for her excellent combat ability in spite of her lack of magical ability or weaponry.

Valeria's Edge ability is "Strike Force", a close-range attack which allows her to string together a lengthy sequence of gut-busting strikes and blows. After performing an Edge attack, she is then forced into a "Strike" state, in which she cancel any of her unique Strike moves into any other move, provided she never repeats one attack twice in a row, as well as granting her a set of Strike mode-only specials that serve as combo enders. Her Chaos ability is "Cybernification", which briefly morphs her into her Cyborg Valeria form, granting various buffs to some of her Strike mode-exclusive special moves along the way.

Playstyle-wise, Valeria is a character who excels best at close range, with her Strike Force strings giving her a massive edge at rushdown, as well as huge mixup potential. Her freeform, but not too demanding string combos make her an ideal choice for beginners who are working on improving their execution.

Introduced in EVOLVE -into-

 * Shiori Shikabane

Voice Actresses: Rina Sato (JP), Kira Buckland (EN)

A cheerful reaper with a sanguine smile and a sadistic streak, Shiori Shikabane is a happy-go-lucky reaper possessing the body of a fallen Hunter to reap the souls of the damned.

At first glance, Shiori appears to be a somewhat average-looking woman in her early-to-mid-20s, but in fact, she is in actuality a Shinigami, a grim reaper, paying a visit to the realm of mortals after being etranced by the death and deceit surrounding Karyudo City. Requiring a vessel in order to operate in the mortal realms, the spirit of Death decided to possess the body of a recently deceased Hunter, christening herself as "Shiori Shikabane" and presenting herself as the nonchalantly cheerful, happy-go-lucky "sweeper" of the Hunter Organization, using her job as a front to reap more souls for the realm of the Dead. As the crimson moon shines up in the sky, Shiori wanders through the night, searching for souls to reap, regardless if they're human or vampire.

Shikabane fights using a scythe, originally used by her host body as her weapon of choice against vampires, now used to reap the souls of the damned. While she cannot use spirit energy natively, she does possess the ability to use the spirit energy from all of the souls she steals to imbue her attacks with their power.

Shikabane's Edge ability is "Which soul should I reap...?", a long-range attack with her scythe which can be charged in order to further increase its range and imbue them with Guard Crush properties. While charging her E attacks, she can cancel her attack with a Red Dash, which, when cancelled into a special or Lunar Drive, turns them into their respective Red variants, which feature enhanced properties from their normal variations. Her Chaos ability is "Feeling very lucky today, ahaha~ ♡", which significantly boosts the speed of her Edge attacks, as well as greatly widening the timing window required to perform her Red specials.

Playstyle-wise, Shikabane appears to be a rather basic rushdown character at first glance, but deceptively, is actually a complex fighter boasting intricate yet highly damaging combos, with her Red mechanic adding a deeper layer of complexity to her core gameplay. Mastering her unique flavor of rushdown requires heavy amounts of execution, thus making her one of the hardest characters to play in the game.


 * Logan Preaker

Voice Actors: Daisuke Kishio (JP), Robbie Daymond (EN)

A pure-hearted hero of justice, Logan Preaker is a teacher-turned-leader of the Earth Warriors galactic defense force who finds himself lost within the mad world of Karyudo City.

Formerly a history teacher, Logan's life would take on a drastic change once an hostile alien race called the Zlocu invaded Earth, losing his family and friends, as he tried to evacuate to a safe zone only to be met by a ruthless Zlocan ambush. After a chance encounter with four fellow escapees, he and the others were transported to a celestial place, where they were each granted a set of weapons befitting them, realizing that their destinies were intertwined by a prophecy: four brave warriors who are destined to protect the universe from a widespread threat, thus the Earth Warriors were born. After defending an experimental Army-developed portal from the Zlocu causes him to be transported away from his world, Logan wakes up in the streets of Karyudo City, gazing upon a crimson moon, where other, more vile fiends welcome him to the fray.

Logan fights using Corragio, a beam saber that changes its blade depending on his stance: a rapier one second, and a katana on the other. His swordsmanship skill, rooted from his childhood training, allows him to seamlessly switch between the two different sword styles.

Logan's Edge ability is "Courageous Shift", which allows him to switch between his two unique sword fighting styles: "Bushido" and "Cavaliere". He can choose to switch between Bushido and Cavaliere stances mid-combo via his unique ability to Shift Cancel out of certain moves with a quick tap of the E button, though he is hard limited to only two Shift Cancels per combo. His Chaos ability is "The Will of One", which buffs his attack power significantly, while also allowing him to Shift Cancel from any move, as well increasing the hard limit for available Shift Cancels in a combo up to three.

Playstyle-wise, Logan is a unique character with two stances that cover entirely different playstyles: Bushido grants many useful tools for heavy rushdown, while Cavaliere sports long-ranged attacks that are perfect for zoning out the opposition. Due to his high execution barrier and strict Shift Cancel windows, he is a character best suited for expert players.

Introduced in EVOLVE=R

 * Naru Amanohara

Voice Actors: Ryo Hirohashi (JP), Casey Mongillo (EN)

A rather androgynous young Hunter with a big heart, Naru Amanohara is a close friend and fellow Hunter ally of Motoko Tsukagami, who volunteers to search for Twilight in their stead.

Born as one gender, but raised as the other by their biological family, the Amanohara clan, due to a curse with the men of the family, Naru prefers to see themselves as someone who has no definite gender, having split themselves from the Amanohara clan's influence at a young age in favor of living freely on their own with the Tsukagami clan. Forming a strong bond with the Tsukagami's sole daughter, Motoko, the ardent youth would take their knowledge of the naginata with them, refining their own technique with Motoko's assistance, eventually joining the Hunter Organization alongside her and proving themselves to be a formidable Hunter on their own right and a master of the naginata. After discovering about Twilight's disappearance from Motoko and her friends, Naru volunteers to join them, risking their life amidst the crimson moon, for the sole purpose of making their friend happy.

Naru fights with a naginata, a Japanese polearm, and a weapon typically associated with grace and femininity. Their incredible mastery of the naginata, combined with the Amanohara family technique of conjuring mirror clones to double their bodies, turns it into an instrument of mass destruction.

Naru's Edge ability is "Gensokyo" (幻想鏡; Illusionary Mirror), an attack in which they send out a clone to attack the opponent, allowing the player to perform a tandem attack. Each of their Edge attacks have a "fakeout" variation with the clone attacking, and a "real" variation where the real Naru performs the attack themselves, with both versions having hugely similar properties on hit and block, and serve multiple purposes such as combo filler, pressure resets, zoning, antizoning and even misdirection. Their Edge ability is "Maboroshi no Mai" (幻の舞; Dance of the Phantom), which enhances the properties of their Edge attacks, as well as boosting attack power.

Playstyle-wise, Naru is a character who excels heavily on neutral, keeping the opponent at bay with a combination of their far-reaching normals and clone attacks. Their ease of use as well as simple Edge mechanic compared to the others makes them a beginner-friendly choice.

Stages
The game features all new-stages, with the previous stages appearing as DLC.


 * Midnight in Karyudo
 * Lone Riverbank
 * Grove of Blossoms
 * Saving Guidance Sanctuary
 * Buddha's Rest
 * Room of Secrets
 * Endless Plains
 * Demented Museum
 * Underground Sewers
 * Nekomata Festival
 * Hell's Pit Fighting
 * Battle Scarred Ruins
 * The Blood Sphere
 * Memory of the Lost
 * Princess' Playroom
 * Risen Tower
 * Sleeping China
 * Urban Abandonment
 * Literary Paradise
 * High-Rise Moonlight
 * Cold Chamber
 * The Birthplace
 * Grid-III

Introduced in EVOLVE

 * Science Wonderland
 * Raven Crest Hideout

Introduced in EVOLVE -into-

 * The Gates of Purgatory
 * Battle of San Jose

Introduced in EVOLVE=R

 * Tsukagami Shrine

Game Modes

 * Tutorial (Learn the fundamentals of the game, from the basics to the most advanced techniques! One player only.)
 * Arcade (Enjoy Crisis Moon in this perfect conversion of the arcade to your home! 10 stages with 9 normal fights (matches 4 and 9 are against a "rival") and 1 final boss battle. Two player support.)
 * Versus (Gather your friends and challenge them in a heated battle, or just sit back and engage in a fight against the CPU! Local two player/vs. CPU mode.)
 * Score Attack (Battle against a series of opponents to get the highest score! Results may be uploaded online. One player only.)
 * Time Attack (Beat the game in the quickest time possible! Results may be uploaded online. One player only.)
 * Unchained Attack (Oulast the onslaught of Unchained combatants in this ultimate boss rush! Results may be uploaded online. One player only.)
 * Tower (See how long you can survive against the ruthless Tower with just one life meter! Survival mode. One player only.)
 * First Blood (One shot is all it takes to survive or die in this never-ending battle! Survival mode. Both players are only given 1 HP per battle. One player only.)
 * Challenges (Perform a set of exercises exclusive to each character! One player only.)
 * Story (Witness the conclusion of the Crisis Moon saga as the last crimson moon makes its mark! Story mode is set up like a visual novel, with fully-voiced dialogue, multiple endings (a bad ending, a joke ending and the true ending), fights and animated cutscenes by J.C.Staff. One player only.)
 * Online (Challenge players from around the world! Game uses delay-based netcode; 2021 update for EVOLVE -into- and EVOLVE=R uses rollback netcode via GGPO.)
 * Gallery (Enjoy the music, videos and illustrations! Includes artwork, videos, sound test, medals etc.)
 * Customize (Personalize your game by purchasing custom items using your BP! Allows players to purchase alternative colors and custom menu elements via in-game currency. Color Edit is also available via DLC.)
 * Options (Adjust the game's settings to your liking! Includes game options, controller setup and various other settings.)

Trivia

 * The song in the game's intro is "Wrong" by the Japanese band Coldrain. It was included as the second track, as well as the third lead single off of their 2015 album "Vena".
 * Each subsequent update would feature a brand new intro along with a new song to accompany it: EVOLVE's intro song was "Born to Bleed" by Coldrain, EVOLVE -into- featured "R.I.P." by Coldrain as its intro song, and EVOLVE=R included the song "Phantom Terror" by Yousei Teikoku for its intro, marking the first time the band was featured in the series after 9 years.
 * Early promotional material from before the game's release gave feature an alternate logo with the subtitle "Scarlet Illumina". While the subtitle was removed in the final game, it was used as the name for the True End chapter in Story Mode, and for Lilith's battle theme.
 * For story reasons, Twilight would receive a brand new Chaos mode ability in this game: "True Vile Blood: Crimson Corruption": It operates in much the same way as Crimson Outrage did in the previous games, but now gives Twilight a brand new idle stance, more brutal attack animations, new voice lines consisting mostly of screaming and yelling, and an exclusive Lunar Drive.
 * Miyu Matsuki originally provided the voice of Misuzu's sister Mizuha, who briefly appears in a flashback during Misuzu's arcade ending. Following Matsuki's illness and eventual passing in 2015, the role of Mizuha was taken over by Noriko Shitaya for the console version's Story Mode cutscenes.
 * Originally considered as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch, Crisis Moon III EVOLVE's release was pushed back several months for refinement, due in part to the negative reception of ACS's other launch title on the system: Cross Chaos, which was lambasted due to its poor performance on the system.
 * Valeria Lindbergh, protagonist of the VSRFX series of beat-em-ups, was given her VSRFX Gaiden attire, as per the director Katsuyuki Tabata's request. In-game, she was also given her alternate maiden surname of Lane due to complications with the Japanese pronunciation of her regular name.
 * Concept art for EVOLVE -into- revealed several characters that were considered to be added onto the roster at some point, but weren't able to make the cut. At least one of them appeared to be Kira Kamiya, an alternate, darker, version of Kiyo who originally debuted in the Team Clarent Project-published crossover fighting game Dimension Bellum: Chaos of Three Worlds.
 * Originating in the science fiction novel Earth Warriors as its main protagonist, Logan Preaker's moveset was heavily based on his prior fighting game appearance in Cross Chaos, tweaked slightly to fit within the vastly different mechanics of Crisis Moon.
 * Initially slated for a 2020 release, Crisis Moon III EVOLVE=R was nearly cancelled due to the 2019 Coronavirus pandemic. To compensate, a special update was released for the PC port of EVOLVE -into- which adds support for rollback netcode via GGPO.
 * While designing the new exclusive character in EVOLVE=R, Naru Amanohara, the staff couldn't figure out whether the character was meant to be a boy or a girl. Eventually, the character designers opted to make them gender non-conforming instead.