Combat Angels: Summon of Gods

Combat Angels: Summon of Gods is a 2D fighting game developed by Orange Soft and published by ACS (Japan and US), and Shiny Star Games (Europe). Released for Arcades (System 202: ENDYMION), PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox ONE and the Samsung Zeo.

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, and one button for Dash. Specials, Mana Drives and Divine/ Punishment are done by performing certain commands.


 * Compressed style: One button for normal attacks, one for special moves, one for Dash and one for throws.  Other specials are done by simply combining a direction with the special button (e.g. b+S for Kazuki's "Rekkyaku"). Mana 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 N+S with sufficient Luna. Ascension can be perormed by pressing N+S+D

Each player has a Mana meter which, when filled (the Mana meter can store up to five stocks), allows players to use supers, or "Mana Drives", as well as a Heart meter which decrease as the player blocks attacks, done by holding the opposite direction towards the opponent. When the player's Heart meter is depleted, the player will be put in an "Heartbreak" state, and chip damage will be increased by 1.5% until the Vita meter is fully replenshed.

At the top of the screen, near the end of the character's life bar, is the wing-shaped Blessing meter. For each attack that a player recieves, during a combo, the recepient's side of the Blessing meter increases. The Blessing meter is a main requirement for Ascension. In a match point round, when the Blessing meter is full, and the player's Mana meter is at maximum level, the player can also perform a "Divine Punishment" finish to end the match on the spot.

Above each of the opponent's Mana meters is the Angel Dust meter, which is the primamry gauge used for Angel Dashing (more info below) and is split into three.

Besides the standard weak, medium and strong attack, Combat Angels also features a fourth button named "Dash", which is used for Angel Dashing, a special kind of dash maneuver. Angel Dash is vastly different from normal dashing (or running), in that they are primarily used as cancels for combos. Angel Dash is also much faster than normal dashing, and can also be performed in all 8 directions (only 4 for Koichi). Angel Dashing can be performed by moving toward the desired direction on the joystick and pressing the Dash button (pressing Dash without a direction would cause the character to dash in the direction toward the opponent)

The game's main feature is the "Ascension". Each character has a God/Goddess form that can be accessed by pressing L+M+H at the same time. Ascensions make use of the aforementioned Blessing meter. When ascended, the player turns into their God/Goddess form, which changes their appearance, grants them an altered moveset and increases their attack power and speed. Also, when ascended, the Blessing meter decreases whenever the player is attacked. An ascended player can revert back to their human form by pressing L+M+H again or when they take enough damage that their Blessing meter completely depletes

Another notable feature is "Determination", a special mode that is activated whenever the player has 20-30% health remaining. When active, Determination can power up the player's attacks or make them faster. Depending on the character chosen, the player can enter Determination faster or slower. Also, Ascending during Determination would automatically fill up the Mana Meter to its maximum level.

The game also features "Angelic Crashes" which allow the player to interrupt an opponent's attack or combo with an unblockable flash attack. angelic Crashing can be performed by pressing L+M+H slightly before the opponent's attack hits, and consume half of the Blessing meter per use.

The game also includes "Mana 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 dirction then hold down block and any attack button. Mana Guard can only be done on the ground. And "Mana Cancel" a spevial type of cancel that allows the player to cancel any move by pressing L+H during an attack. Mana Cancels require half of a Mana meter stock.

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 Dr. Usui). By default, each stage is a two-out-of-three wins match composed of "battles" (the announcer says it as: Rise Up to Challenge!, Conflict 1, Advance!).

Mana Classes
Before a match, each player has to choose between two Mana classes, with both of them having different advantages and ways to charge the meter.


 * Red Mana: Offensive class. Charge by successfully chaining attacks together or blocking the opponent's attacks.


 * Blue Mana: Defensive class. Charges whenever attacks are blocked or when the player is at the receiving end of the opponent's attacks.


 * Clear Mana: Combined class. Fills up using both ways (wether on the offense or defense). Clear Mana is exclusive to Dr. Usui, the final boss, and cannot be accessed through normal means.

Story
The year 2000. The Gods and Goddesses of ancient Greece were reincarnated through thirteen babies who were born at the same day, at the same time. These children came from different places around Japan, and were destined to meet each once the right time comes.

Fast forward to 2017. One of the children, Hikari Katsuragi, currently lives life in the streets of Tokyo as a high school student. She had a huge set of friends, among them was Kazuki Kawahara of the school's budo club, as well as a one-sided friendly rivalry with one Reika Hibari, a classmate of hers and the brother of young pop singer Yuichi Hibari

Until one day, she was riding her bike to school as usual when a truck suddenly passed by and ran her over. However, she didn't received any injuries, nor did she feel any pain whatsoever.

Upon opening her eyes, she saw a sillhouette of the Goddess Athena in front of her. It seemed as if she tried to save Hikari from the truck. Since then, Hikari has wondered if she has any "powers".

Meanwhile, Dr. Kunihiro Usui, a scientist and the owner of the Usui Group, one of the leading companies in Japan, knows all about the reincarnations and has devised a plan to use them for his plans to take control of Japan. He kidnapped four of the children, brainwashed the two of them, stole the powers of the other two for their own use, and for the next step, invited the rest to a tournament, where he could be able to gather their powers to unleash a cannon set to nuke the entire country of Japan.

The rest of the children, including Hikari, receive their invitations and decides to join the tournament, not knowing about Dr. Usui's true intentions.

Characters

 * Hikari Katsuragi

Voiced by: Megumi Nakajima (JP), Christine Marie Cabanos (EN)

A normal high school student who was saved from an accident by what appears to be a Goddess. She enters the tournament to seek answers about the powers within her. Her Goddess is Athena, the Goddess of wisdom.

Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (JP), Erik Kimerer (EN)
 * Kazuki Kawahara

A class heartthrob and member of the school's Budo club whom Hikari has a crush on. He decides to join the tournament to help Hikari in her quest. His God form is Eros, the God of love.


 * Reika Hibari

Voiced by: Ai Kakuma (JP), Cassandra Lee (EN)

A classmate of Hikari and her self-proclaimed rival. She decides to enter the tournament to settle their differences. Her Goddess form is Hestia, the Goddess of the hearth.

Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino (JP), Todd Haberkorn (EN)
 * Makoto Shimazu

A young fisherman who used to travel the seas alongside his grandfather Mitsuyoshi. He decides to enter the tournament to find a cure for his grandfather's illness. His God form is Poseidon, the God of the seas.

Voiced by: Yuka Iguchi (JP), Xanthe Huynh (EN)
 * Yukiho Kato

A mysterious young girl who possesses an obsession with bows and staying up late at night. She appears to know a lot about the Goddesses. Her Goddess form is Artemis, the Goddess of hunting.


 * Koichi Kutaragi

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (JP), Matthew Mercer (EN)

A delinquent who is notorious for his sheer strength and love for fighting. He joins the tournament just for the hell of it. His God form is Ares, the God of war.


 * Asami Fujisaki

Voiced by: Saori Hayami (JP),

A young woman who runs her family's flower shop following her mother's death. She joins the tournament so she could win the prize money to pay the rent for her place. Her Goddess form is Demeter, the Goddess of agriculture.


 * Akito Fujisaki

Voiced by: Miyu Irino (JP), Bryce Papenbrook (EN)

A freerunner who helps his sister Asami by delivering ordered flowers to customers. He decides to join the tournament alongside Asami to watch over her. His God form is Hermes, the God of travel.


 * Michelle Humphries

Voiced by: Chiaki Takahashi (JP), Lauren Landa (EN)

A popular actress known for her looks and knowledge in jeet-kune-do. She joins the tournament in search of her sister Marie, who was kidnapped by Dr. Usui. Her Goddess form is Aphrodite, the Goddess of beauty. Voiced by: Tetsuya Kakihara (JP), Vic Mignogna (EN)
 * Yuichi Hibari

A young musician and the brother of Reika who had recently survived a fire during one of his concerts. He enters the tournament to seek the truth about the mysterious fire. His God form is Apollo, God of the Sun.


 * Shino and Shiho

Voiced by: Ryoko Shiraishi (JP, both), Cindy Robinson (EN, both)

A pair of twins who were kidnapped and brainwashed by Dr. Usui. They were ordered to enter the tournament so he could fulfill his plans. Shino's God form is Hades, the God of the Underworld, while Shiho's is Persephone, the Goddess of the Underworld.


 * Remi Usui

Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (JP), Karen Strassman (EN)

Dr. Usui's wife who helps him with his plans. She is one of the hosts of the tournament and the vice-president of the Usui group. Her Goddess form is Hera, the queen of all Gods.


 * Dr. Kunihiro Usui

Voiced by: Takashi Kondo (JP), Doug Erholtz (EN)

A scientist who plan to unite each of the Gods and Goddess' reincarnations to unleash the power of Zeus amongst Japan. He is one of the host of the tournament and the president of the Usui Group. His God form is Zeus, the king of all Gods.

Stages

 * Sakura Park


 * Budo Club Dojo


 * Track and Field Yard


 * Raging Seashore


 * Yukiho's Mansion


 * Esaka


 * Backyard Garden


 * Convenience Store


 * Penthouse Suite
 * Concert Stadium


 * Dark Room


 * Inside the Usui Building


 * Rooftop of Usui Building