Arkane Apocalypse

Arkane Apocalypse is a 2.5D fighting game developed by SBE Tokyo and Orange Soft and published by SBEntertainment and ACS. It is the sequel to Arkane Ascension and the final installment of the Arkane trilogy. Released for Arcades (ACS nex² System), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Picking up where its predecessor had left off, the game establishes the return of the previous 17 fighters, while also introducing 2 new characters designed by both companies' lead designers, all of which are based on the Major Arcana. Like its predecessor, it utilizes Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4, allowing for crisp high-resolution graphics.

Gameplay
Gameplay remains the same from the first game, with a few new gameplay mechanics. The game introduces Final-Arc Judgments, which are cinematic finishers that deal incredible amounts of damage. Final-Arc Judgements require a full Arc meter, and can only be performed during Arc-Burst.

In order to accommodate the addition of Final-Arc Judgments, several changes have also been made to the Arc Burst system. This time around, during Arc Burst, Unter-Arc Surges now cost one Arc stock, while Ober-Arc Surges now cost two stocks. Arc Aces also now decrease the allotted Arc Burst time upon performing, making them less spammable.

"Breaking Blows" have also been introduced. By pressing M+H, the player can perform a powerful attack that sends the opponent flying away from a distance. Charging a Breaking Blow would turn it into a Crushing Blow, which instead causes crumple stun, leaving the opponent open to attacks. Breaking Blows consumes one Arc stock and can be charged.

Another new mechanic is the "Guard React", an invincible attack that deals little damage, but instantly swats an attacking opponent away, making them highly useful for escaping enemy pressure while blocking, without the need for using an Arc Crash, much like Alpha Counters in the Street Fighter Alpha series. Guard Reacts are performed by pressing ←M+H during blockstun and consume one Arc stock.

Story
It's been one year since the incident at the Tokyo Tower, where Takuma Asahara revealed himself and the Overseers to the world before starting a rampage as demonstration of his powers. And even though the heroes managed to prevent more casualties, the cost was still too high, with Cody Albright being one of the victims, her Arkane, the Wild Card, being assimilated onto Takuma's own Arkane: Multute, the God of Chaos himself.

Following the incident, Junko Tsukasa grew strained and distant from her friends, and especially from Soma Ishtar for unwittingly leading Cody to her demise. She would undergo a brief period of self-exile, spending almost a year away from Kirifuda City in order to cope.

Everything looked idle without any new sightings from Takuma and the Overseers until Kiichi Kominatsu had a chance encounter with the hermit known as Shelton Diamond, who knows the current location of the group. Knowing their next chance, Kiichi reunited the heroes once more in order to find the next course of action from the Overseers, but with Junko still in exile, carrying with her volatile emotions, such a matter can be complicated.

But it's not just the discovery of the Overseer's plan, there's also the matter of Shelton's companion: Mari Shiraha, a young girl, the inheritor of the Arkane Direno, the Goddess of Peace. And just in time as the Overseers reach a step closer for the return of Multute.

Soon, the clock strikes midnight, just in time for the final battle, the final apocalypse...

Characters
Besides bringing back 17 of the 18 characters from the previous game, Arkane Apocalypse introduces 2 new characters.

Like the previous game, each designed between either SBE or ACS. Mari was designed by SBE, with D.D. being designed by ACS.

Returning

 * Junko Tsukasa

Arkane: Astra (The Star)

Voice Actors:


 * Junko: Miyuki Sawashiro (JP), Erica Lindbeck (EN)
 * Astra: Miyuki Sawashiro (JP), Erica Lindbeck (EN)


 * Reiji Ookami

Arkane: Fenrir (The Moon)

Voice Actors:


 * Ookami: Yuichi Nakamura (JP), Alejandro Saab (EN)
 * Fenrir: None


 * Yuta Kawakami

Arkane: Sola (The Sun)

Voice Actors:


 * Yuta: Daiki Yamashita (JP), Lucien Dodge (EN)
 * Sola: Kazuyuki Okiysu (JP) Sean Chiplock (EN)


 * Soma Ishtar

Arkane: Harriet (The Magician)

Voice Actors:


 * Soma: Kouki Uchiyama (JP), Khoi Dao (EN)
 * Harriet: Kana Asumi (JP), Faye Mata (EN)


 * Thadde Torrien

Arkane: Trueno (The Chariot)

Voice Actors:


 * Thadde: Jun Fukuyama (JP), Joe Zieja (EN)
 * Trueno: None


 * Kiichi Kominatsu

Arkane: Yousef (The Hierophant)

Voice Actors:


 * Kiichi: Yuichiro Umehara (JP), Ray Chase (EN)
 * Yousef: None


 * Stella Andrews

Arkane: Magdaryne (The High Priestess)

Voice Actors:


 * Stella: Lynn (JP), Reba Buhr (EN)
 * Magdaryne: None


 * Ysabella De Leon

Arkane: Guerrero (Strength)

Voice Actors:


 * Ysabella: Miki Ito (JP), Nicole Karrer (EN)
 * Guerrero: None


 * Aika Sakakibara

Arkane: Simpatico (The Lovers)

Voice Actors:


 * Aika: Risa Taneda (JP), Cristina Valenzuela (EN)
 * Simpatico: Tomokazu Sugita (JP), Kyle Hebert (EN)


 * Sachiko Yumiya

Arkane: Roulette (The Wheel of Fortune)

Voice Actors:


 * Sachiko: Azumi Asakura (JP), Cassandra Lee (EN)
 * Roulette: Azumi Asakura (JP), Cassandra Lee (EN)


 * Abnu Dimtu

Arkane: Abnu Dimtu (The Tower)

Voice Actors:


 * Abnu: Ryota Takeuchi (JP), Jamieson Price (EN)


 * Arvid "Graveren" Steensen

Arkane: Mayhem (Death)

Voice Actors:


 * Graveren: Wataru Hatano (JP), Andrew Russell (EN)
 * Mayhem: Sayaka Ohara (JP), Katelyn Gault (EN)


 * Itsuko "KOGA" Koga

Arkane: Kushinada (The Empress)

Voice Actors:


 * KOGA: Sumire Uesaka (JP), Jeannie Tirado (EN)
 * Kushinada: Sumire Uesaka (JP), Jeannie Tirado (EN)


 * Takuma Asahara

Arkane: Multute (The Devil)

Voice Actors:


 * Takuma Asahara: Ayumu Murase (JP), Kyle McCarley (EN)
 * Multute: Hiroki Tochi (JP), Xander Mobus (EN)


 * Mikado

Arkane: Susano'o (The Emperor)

Voice Actors:


 * Mikado: Show Hayami (JP), Keith Silverstein (EN)
 * Susano'o: Show Hayami (JP), Keith Silverstein (EN)


 * Hana Sun

Arkane: Justina (Justice)

Voice Actors:


 * Hana: Yo Taichi (JP), Erika Ishii (EN)
 * Justina: None

New

 * Mari Shiraha

Arkane: Direno (The World)

Voice Actors:


 * Mari: Maria Naganawa (JP), Lizzie Freeman (EN)
 * Direno: Yuu Kobayashi (JP), Laura Post (EN)

Mari is the young companion of the enigmatic Shelton Diamond, an 11 year old girl who possesses a big curiosity yet still unbelievable amount of wisdom for someone of her age. And for a good reason, for as she's blessed as the inheritor of the Goddess of Peace herself, Direno. Her first demonstration of her seemingly supernatural luck came as a result of a train crash back in Japan, where most passengers where killed, yet miraculously, especially when she was a newborn baby, she survived, and her adopted father, Shelton, gave her the name of "Mari Shiraha" due to the feather that was found near the wreckage. From there, she was raised in his unorthodox ways, which in the long-term, meant preparation for the day that her "guardian" inside of her may come out to change the world forever, and even though it may mean losing her "father", she would gladly accept her fate if it means the world can be safe. It is through her "guardian" where she takes her fighting skills in the open, using her range and strength to defend the child by every means necessary while she remains blissfully unaware of the power Direno holds through her.


 * Duo Decim

Arkane: Gallow (The Hanged Man)

Voice Actors:


 * D.D.: Daisuke Ono (JP), Jason Marnocha (EN)
 * Gallow/Tina: Takashi Kondo (JP; Gallow), Jay Presto (EN; Gallow), Mamiko Noto (JP; Tina), Mela Lee (EN; Tina)

In a rather sizable village within the rural parts of Green Bay, Wisconsin, lived an individual named Allan Conrad Lynch, who lived alongside his sister, Tina. Orphaned at an early age due to their parents being murdered by criminals, Allan swore to seek revenge, eventually living a double life as a vigilante, known for hunting down and killing feared criminals and hanging them onto a tree. Until one fateful day, Allan chose to pursue and kill a wanted bank robber and mugger that was on the loose, and succeeded in doing so... only for the mugger to reveal itself as his own sister Tina, who as it turns out, had been providing money for herself and her brother through illegal means for most of her life. A revelation that wound up shocking Allan to his very core, shattering his fragile mind and driving him to a slow downward spiral, later going on to become the infamous serial killer known as "Duo Decim", also known under the initialisms "D.D." or "012", taking the date of his sister's death, the 12th of December as a self-imposed mark of shame, so that he will never forget his own sin. Little do people know, most of his actions are due to the influence of the shapeshifting serpentine Arkane known as "Gallow", who openly manipulates and takes advantage of D.D.'s deteriorating mind, even taking the form of his dead sister in order to taunt him.

DLC

 * Shelton Diamond

Arkane: Osmundas-Tra (The Hermit)

Voice Actors:


 * Shelton: Hidekatsu Shibata (JP), Mike Pollock (EN)
 * Osmundas-Tra: Cho (JP), Brook Chalmers (EN)

For the common folk, Shelton Diamond appears to be a run-of-the-mill elderly salesman who demonstrates precious objects from town to town while displaying a laid-back and near blissfully ignorant attitude, likely due to his age. Delving deeper, however, one finds out that Shelton is in fact one of the first few who became aware of the existence of the Arkane in the 20th century, and sought to study each of them and every associated item to find out more of what they are. With time, he became aware of the dangers said items and Arkane could posses to Humanity, so he, alongside a friend from the Conclave, collected every item they could find and store them in a hidden place where it can be protected by all costs. Unfortunately, it was all for naught as members of the Overseers managed to discover the place and led an assault to it, killing almost everyone except for Shelton, who was offered a deal by the ancient being of Osmundas-Tra, representing the Hermit who resides inside the lamp, which is in fact an Arkane container coming from as far as the first years of the Middle Ages. In exchange for protecting him, he will resurrect him but under the condition that he finds the Arkane that destroyed his home once. Left with no choice, Shelton trekked around the world ever since in search for more of the items and meeting other key people related to the search, and was the one responsible for adopting Mari, who became like a daughter to him. After years of searching, Shelton discovers the final hideout of the Overseers, and with that final chance, he will ensure that the world will be saved by not just them, but also the Arkane themselves.


 * Shizuru Onitsuka

Arkane: Libra (Temperance)

Voice Actresses:


 * Shizuru: Ami Koshimizu (JP), Allegra Clark (EN)
 * Libra: None

Lurking beneath the outskirts of Kirifuda City, is a woman with dyed red hair in her early-20s, with a bottle of vodka constantly plastered on her right hand. Said woman is Shizuru Onitsuka, a streetwise vagabond who, despite being homeless, is an incredibly capable, ferocious and pragmatic fighter, with the aid of her Arkane, Libra, who she uses to aid her in no-holds-barred beatdowns rather than channeling her abilities. In her younger years, Shizuru was the leader of a notorious gang of delinquents, the Tenjou-Tenge clan, with both Junko and Reiji as some of her former underlings, marking Kirifuda City as their turf and ruling the streets with a solid iron fist. However, the constant friction between the three of them eventually caused the Tenjou-Tenge calan to split apart in separate ways. Several years later, after she discovers her Arkane one night during a drunken stupor, she winds up in a chance reunion with Junko during the latter's self-exile, which would eventually lead to her being roped into the entire Arkane business. At first, Shizuru couldn't care less about the Arkanes and their power, until she hears of the stories about Reiji and his alliance with the Overseers. Furious, Shizuru offers herself to join Junko in order to beat some manners into her former comrade.

Game Modes

 * Tutorial: Learn everything about the game, from the basics to the advanced techniques.
 * Arcade: Enjoy Arkane Ascension in its original arcade form.
 * Versus: Engage in head-to-head battles against friends or the CPU.
 * Survival: Battle against an unlimited onslaught of enemies until you are defeated.
 * Attack: Beat the game within the shortest time or with the highest score possible.
 * Practice: Master your moves and combos.
 * Challenge: Perform a number of challenges made for your chosen character.
 * Story: Witness the climactic final chapter of the saga of Arkane.
 * Online: Go online and challenge players from all around the world.
 * Gallery: Check out the illustrations, listen to the music or customize your profile.
 * Options: Adjust the in-game settings.

Trivia

 * The song in the game's opening song is "Super Sonic Aurorally" by Ling Tosite Sigure.
 * This time around, the game's default announcer voice is provided by LilyPichu. An alternate, male announcer (Luke Correia) is also available, and several character-based announcer packs are available as DLC.
 * Some of the game's English voice cast was recast due to several events and chages within the voice acting industry.
 * Due to Billy Kametz's unfortunate passing in June of 2022, the role of Reiji Ookami was instead given to Alejandro Saab.
 * For story reasons, Erica Mendez does not reprise her role as Yuta Kawakami. Instead, Lucien Dodge now provides Yuta's voice.
 * Due to Billy Kametz's unfortunate passing in June of 2022, the role of Reiji Ookami was instead given to Alejandro Saab.
 * For story reasons, Erica Mendez does not reprise her role as Yuta Kawakami. Instead, Lucien Dodge now provides Yuta's voice.

Subpages
Arkane Apocalypse/Soundtrack