Arkane Ascension

Arkane Ascension 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 Arena. Released for Arcades (ACS nex² System), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Picking up where its predecessor had left off, Arkane Ascension, the game establishes the return of the previous 12 fighters, while also introducing 3 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.

The game later received an update in the form of Arkane Ascension: -assoluto-, which added new characters and stages, as well as rebalancing some characters. It was released as a free patch for Arkane Ascension, but additional purchases are needed for the two new characters.

Gameplay[]

Gameplay remains the same from the first game, with a few new gameplay mechanics. The game introduces a brand new "Barrier Crush" mechanic. Situated on opposite sides of each stage are "barriers" that act like walls which can be broken upon several hits to the corner, exposing a larger part of the stage.

The game also introduces "Arc Guard", a special type of Guard that averts all chip damage sustained in normal blocking, and drains the Arc meter instead of causing Guard Crush. It is done by holding down the Reflec button + any other button while blocking.

In response to complaints about the previous game being far too complex for new players, the game introduces a sixth button, the Special button, which allows for easy special moves without the use of motion inputs.

In order to balance these shortcuts out and avoid spamming, short, MOBA-style cooldown periods are implemented for these shortcuts. Performing specials through motion inputs are still available and are immune to cooldown.

Story[]

Following the attempted resurrection of Gleichgewicht and their eventual defeat, Junko and her allies attempted to capture Ookami due to his role involved in the resurrection, only to collapse out of exhaustion from the battle. Unknown to them, he was taken by a mysterious figure who offered the chance to "rectify" the world that wronged him. Reiji himself finds the person to be rather sketchy, but with nothing else left to lose, he chose to accept, without thinking about any repercussions.

5 months later, it all seemed everything returned to normal to those involved. Except individuals like Sachiko and Abnu have gone missing ever since, which attracts the attention of the Conclave's Wise Men, enlisting Kiichi and his apprentice, Stella, to further investigate an approaching enemy presence which has connections to the events from before. Knowing they can't act alone, he calls for those with whom he had crossed paths with and/or were involved in the fight against Gleichgewicht to establish a proper fighting force. Ysabella, still reeling from guilt over her deception, accepts the offer.

However, as friends and foes reunite for another bout, more people with the Arkane are felt nearby, in backgrounds no one expected to see. Among them is said to hold the key for the reunion of the two Gods that created the land. An Arkane which has the potential to bring catastrophic consequences once it falls to the wrong hands. The elusive "wild card".

And thus, the next step for ascension begins...

Characters[]

Besides bringing back the main 12 characters from the previous game, Arkane Ascension introduces 3 new characters.

Like the previous game, each designed between either SBE or ACS. Two of them (Takuma and KOGA) were designed by SBE, with the rest (Cody) being designed by ACS. The DLC expansion, -assoluto-, introduces two new characters: Hana Sun (designed by SBE) and Mikado (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), Billy Kametz (EN)

Fenrir: None

Yuta Kawakami

Arkane: Sola (The Sun)

Voice Actors:

Yuta: Daiki Yamashita (JP), Erica Mendez (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)

New[]

Itsuko "KOGA" Koga

Arkane: Kushinada (The Empress)

Voice Actors:

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

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

Considered to be the most recent sensation in the world of music in Japan, Itsuko Koga, going by the stage name of KOGA enjoys both a flourishing solo career as well as the lead idol of the group known as the Blackdollz, with a charismatic personality that attracts a large army of followers. It all seemed that she would be destined for a life of luxury and fun. However, a combination of the draconian standards of the idol industry and a defamation attempt would lead her life taking a turn for the worse. A day after rejecting the advances of famous philanthropist and entrepreneur, he leaked to the press to doctored photos of KOGA going out of a red light district with a man. This led to a massive amount of backlash among her fans and others, with the breaking point being a bodyguard sacrificing himself to protect KOGA from a crazed fan holding a knife. This spiral of misery culminated in her attempting to take her own life in her apartment until she heard a kind and gentle voice telling her not to. Afraid that she went mad, the voice then reveals herself to a spirit of kindness living inside of her called Kushinada. She tells her of there's more than this looks and must look for the ones who can get her a top of the one who framed her and restore her reputation. With nowhere else to turn to, she runs into the group of heroes who could help her uncover the mystery...while also dealing with a handful of fans in it.

Takuma Asahara

Arkane: Multute (The Devil)

Voice Actors:

Takuma Asahara: Ayumu Murase (JP), Kyle McCarley (EN)

Multute: Hiroki Tochi (JP), Xander Mobus (EN)

A world-renowned celebrity who's been called the "eternal 20 year old" for his rather youthful look despite his birth records showing him to be born around the 1960s. He's been a master of many professions, including entrepreneurship, marketer, philanthropist, internet influencer, F1 driver, the host of his own talk show and entered the world of acting. What seems to be the face of a successful and even rather charming celebrity, lies a very wicked persona of a being hell bent on the total domination of the world, even being the host of the God of Chaos himself, Multute. After being offered as a sacrifice to host the God by his own father, it enhanced his strengths but keep the most wicked ideals that Multute himself created and has to eat flesh blood and skin from young people in order to keep his body from falling apart to reveal his true self. Outside the spotlight, he's a high ranking member of a dark cult called the Overseers of Mu, formed by a cabal of businessmen, politicians and other types of people who are hellbent in taking the full power of the Arkane and the gods themselves, Multute being one of them. Responsible for actions like defaming KOGA and causing the death of Cody's brother Kyle in a circuit race back in Japan, he will stop at nothing to claim his objective, even towards his own allies.

Cody Albright

Arkane: "Wild Card" (The Fool)

Voice Actors:

Cody: Shino Shimoji (JP), Kira Buckland (EN)

"Wild Card": None

At first glance, Cody Albright appears to be a normal young girl who lives a simple, happy life, living with her parents and siblings, having previously migrated from England. However, on the eve of her 16th birthday, everything would change. All of a sudden, she discovered a strange power within herself: an uncanny ability to both instantaneously mend and destroy everything she touches at complete random. Not knowing what to do, she chose to keep the power within her secret. But all that would change one day, when, during a particularly heated F1 grand prix, Cody, right before her very eyes, bore witness to her brother Kyle, himself a renowned F1 champion, suffering a fatal crash, something which she ended up attributing to her power, causing her to suffer a mental breakdown as she thought she had caused her own brother's death. While sitting on the empty bleachers hours after the race, crying alone, she was approached by Ysabella De Leon, who, realizing that she might be possessing the fabled "Wild Card", an Arkane possessing immense power at the cost of being borderline uncontrollable, decided to give her a talk, reassuring that the accident wasn't her fault, and offering her a chance to use her mysterious power for the greater good, an offer that Cody reluctantly accepts.

Added in Assoluto[]

Mikado

Arkane: Susano'o (The Emperor)

Voice Actors:

Mikado: Show Hayami (JP), Keith Silverstein (EN)

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

The enigmatic head priest of the Overseers of Mu, everything about "Mikado" and his elusive past is shrouded in mystery. Nobody knows his name, his identity, or his face, as he barely appears in the public eye, and in the select few times that he does, his face is usually obscured by his Overseer robes and the half-mask that he constantly wears all the time. What is known about Mikado, however, is that he is a ruthless, unrelenting leader, being the right-hand man of none other than Takuma Asahara. It is with the duo's devilish partnership that Takuma rose into prominence and infamy all over the world. With a mind as sharp as his tongue, he proclaims to be the mastermind behind all of Takuma's heinous actions, laying out every single plan for Takuma with meticulous detail. Rumor has it that his combat prowess is unrivalled, apparently boasting a vast mastery of dark magic, as well as one of the strongest Arkanes in the form of Susano'o, the Emperor. It has been heavily speculated that Mikado is related to, not one, but two of the other Arkanes by way of blood, but this rumor remains unconfirmed.

Hana Sun

Arkane: Justina (Justice)

Voice actors:

Hana: Yo Taichi (JP), Erika Ishii (EN)

Justina: None

Hana Sun is said to be one of the most dedicated persons to have ever served the Taipei police department. She was born from a family of fighters of varying degrees, from a Karate master and teacher mother, and a father who served in the army. Both the training at the academy and at home shaped her fighting abilities to the fullest extent to the point it attracted the attention of the Taiwanese and American military to become the first operator of a brand new suit developed by both countries as well as the multinational Industrie et Chance based in France. Little they knew is that a big reason why she accepted the offer was because she's a hidden fan of the tokusatsu genre, having watched many of the shows in her childhood and was also a reason for joining the police force, thinking having an armor would allow her to live the dream of becoming a hero, just like in the shows she used to watch. During a test run of the suit, she over exceeded expectations of the top brass, but was also risking to have her health drained due to the suit's pressure. While it seemed she may die, she managed to make it past the limit, leaving them puzzled in how did she managed to survive past the suit's time limit. But Hana knew why, because she realized that her Arkane named Justina awakened inside of her. She gave her the energy to operate the suit to its fullest potential, which would make her into a formidable fighter. Despite this confusion, the high-command hire her for a deployment in Japanese soil due to recent incidents involving violent activity from an unknown group. Hana, now living in both her fantasies yet also acknowledging the dangers of the assignment, will make sure the job goes as smooth as possible, while also keeping her fanboyism of the genre well hidden to prevent embarrassment.

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: Discover the secret of the Arkanes in this new exhilarating chapter.
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 game's development was delayed for months due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, which forced developers to work at home. Despite the game having just entered early production at that point, a teaser was shown at PlayStation's State of Play event in June 2020.
The song in the game's opening song is "Warning!" by BAND-MAID.
Like its predecessor, the game's announcer is Rumiko Varnes.
This is the first ACS game to utilize rollback netcode on release. Prior to this, Crisis Moon III EVOLVE -into- was reroactively patched to utilize rollback netcode in order to test out proper implementation.
Originally, the game was to use a Season Pass for additional content distribution, much like Sentoki 5 before it. However, the devs eventually settled on releasing the -assoluto- update, as they didn't have enough time to implement the new characters within the story.