Melty Blood Actress Again

Melty Blood Actress Again is the first game of the Melty Blood series which can be considered a sequel rather than an expansion or port of a previous game, which the events of this game take place exactly one year after the death of Night of Wallachia in the true ending of Melty Blood, followed by the events of Melty Blood Re-ACT in relation to White Len and Aoko Aozaki and some events of Melty Blood Act Cadenza, that are the story-modes of White Len, Neco-Arc and Neco-Arc Chaos when he faced Neco Chaos Black G-666. It is an arcade game, and was released in September, 2008.

It features many drastic new mechanics, two new characters, and 3 different fighting styles for all characters known as, Full Moon Style (Power), Crescent Moon Style (Speed) and Half Moon Style (Simple). Crescent Moon Style stands out for Act Candenza veterans, Half Moon is mainly for beginners or for those wishing to make use of an altered moveset in their favor, while Full Moon gives those in the previous installments the most tweaks to the characters moveset (e.g. Tohno Shiki can use one of Nanaya Shiki's attacks in his Full Moon version).

The game also shows a new final boss, known as Dust of Osiris, who is responsible for events caused in the game and also for the return of TATARI phenomenon in Misaki Town. She is the final boss of the story-modes of most of the characters. The character Neco-Arc Chaos was again a non-selectable character, but Neco-Arc can be selectable via a code. Also the game has gained the addition of pairs Neco & Mech and Koha & Mech as not selectable characters and enemies of story-modes of Miyako Arima and Neco-Arc respectively.

Role

A year has passed after the events of true ending of Melty Blood, with the death of Night of Wallachia in the hands of Sion Eltnam Atlasia, Arcueid Brunestud and Shiki Tohno and also after the events caused by White Len and Aoko Aozaki in Melty Blood Re-ACT and some smaller events in Melty Blood Act Cadenza (Miyako Arima, White Len, Neco-Arc and Neco-Arc Chaos). The combatants who were involved in the case of the two previous TATARIs in Misaki Town feel that something is missing, as if they had forgotten of someone who they knew some time ago (Sion Eltnam Atlasia) and that the events caused by the Night of Wallachia in Misaki Town one year ago returned, as if it had never happened in the first place.

This makes the combatants as Shiki, Sion, Arcueid, Ciel, Akiha Tohno, Hisui and Kohaku act and remake their roles in the event known as "Hologram Summer", caused by the Dead Apostle Ancestror, Night of Wallachia once again, and beyond of enemies that appeared and was materialized by TATARI original caused in Misaki Town a year ago, also appear three new combatants who were not present in the original event, which are the friend that Sion lost four years ago, Riesbyfe Stridberg, the greatest personal enemy of Shiki Tohno/Shiki Nanaya who murdered the entire clan of Nanaya, Kouma Kishima, and the responsible for the vampiric attacks caused more than two years ago in Tsukihime, Michael Roa Valdamjong (Near-side version).

But as with Sion had already perceived, and also those not directly involved with the events of the first Melty Blood (Miyako Arima, White Len, Aoko Aozaki, Neco-Arc, Neco-Arc Chaos, Mech-Hisui and his copies and all the manifestations generated by TATARI in the past (Red Arcueid, Shiki Nanaya and Nrvnqsr Chaos), except Night of Wallachia who also had their memories altered a bit, noted that there is a new entity in the shadows, hidden from everyone and everything and is this entity, that somehow, reactivated the TATARI phenomenon that should no longer occur in the world again with the death of Wallachia in Melty Blood and the defeat of White Len in Melty Blood Re-ACT in the past. This new enemy is willing to redo the events caused in first Melty Blood with a sinister goal of eliminating all life on planet earth and exterminate all humanity for using TATARI, by sealing the reality inside of the fantasy by using a forbidden ritual that can transform everything and everyone in Philosopher's stones, with the objective to build a super computer that would become an eternal record of the existence of the human race, to cause their own version of the end of times'.

While Sion and the other individuals who were not affected by changes of altering memories, days and dates of this new entity, trying to solve the new case of TATARI and do Shiki and the others returned to remembering of Sion and that the TATARI already caused by Wallachia occurred a year ago, the other beings materialized by TATARI resolve to follow their 'scripts' and take the opportunity not only to cause terror in the inhabitants of Misaki Town, but want to take revenge on those responsibles who caused their 'deaths' in the past in this city, with some they solve try break free from the control this new TATARI to go behind of the responsible for the remake of Hologram Summer and try to prevent that this entity destroy all life on earth and all humanity.

According to Melty Blood Actress Again Official Complete Guide released for the PlayStation 2 game, the story-modes that have a chronological order according to the timeline of Tsukihime/Melty Blood are those of Shiki Tohno, Riesbyfe Stridberg (Route A), Sion Eltnam Atlasia, and Satsuki Yumizuka.

Gameplay changes:

• Three different versions of each character, including new moves for each and different system mechanics.
  • Crescent Moon Style (Speed) tends to be the original version of the character closer to their Re-ACT and Act Cadenza versions. This version also plays more closer to the classical style of the series' mechanics with several new touches for this type of game style (such as characters gaining new moves), as well as being the style that has the most meter control-heavy of magic circuit gauge out of the other two styles.
  • Half Moon Style (Simple) tends to be the arranged version of previous characters via their Act Cadenza versions, while having more simplistic touches (as well as weak yet combo-heavy capabilities) such as a 6AAA auto-combo command normal series, an automatic shield counter (which cannot be held) and automatic MAX Mode activation when reaches 200% of magic circuit gauge. This mode, along with Full Moon Style, gives to the characters altered normal attacks as well. EX Guarding is disabled, but with a stronger normal guard meter, as well as a lack of Blood Heat Mode.
  • Full Moon Style (Power) tends to be a new moveset all together, and tends to feature more heavy-hitting traits (such as more frame advantage-heavy normals and more damaging moves with less combo-ability). This mode features the ability to automatically charge up one's magic circuit gauge for their MAX mode instead, and can only enter into Blood Heat Mode. EX Shielding, dodging/air dodging, Reverse Beats, air dash-cancellable j.B's/j.C's and Heat Mode are unavailable in this mode.
• Larger stages, including both new and alternate versions of stages from Re-ACT and Act Cadenza . There are also newly rearranged versions of some of the classic BGM's from the first two games via a new original soundtrack.
• A fighting game-traditional Guard meter which depletes upon blocked attacks and results in a 'Guard Crash' vulnerability state upon depletion. This meter is more resilient when using Half Moon Style.
• Aerial Circuit Sparks (Available in all Moon styles).
• New alternate air throws landed via counter throw (Featured in Current Code v1.05)

New playable characters introduced in Actress Again and his updates of the same game are:

• Riesbyfe Stridberg
• Michael Roa Valdamjong (Near-Side version)
• Shiki Ryougi (exclusive character for PlayStation 2 port and Current Code Versions)
• Seifuku Akiha (exclusive character for PlayStation 2 port and Current Code Versions)
• Mech Hisui & Kohaku (exclusive character for PlayStation 2 port and Current Code Versions)
• ArcheType Earth (exclusive character for PlayStation 2 port, return in Current Code as hidden boss and come back as complete new character in Current Code Ver. 1.07 and PC port)
• Mech Hisui & Neco-Arc (exclusive character for PlayStation 2 port and Current Code Version)
• Executioner Ciel/Powerd Ciel (exclusive character for Current Code v1.05 and PC port, technically returning from Melty Blood Re-ACT)

Melty Blood Actress Again PS2

In August 2009, the game has gained a version for PlayStation 2, based on the version A of Arcade, where the game gained some changes in gameplay, choosing the gameplay found in the arcade version (Arcade) or found in the new PS2 version (Original) in Option Mode.

The characters Neco-Arc, Neco-Arc Chaos and the pairs Neco & Mech and Koha & Mech become in secret playable characters, after finishing the game with certain characters in Arcade Mode (Neco & Mech and Koha & Mech are not selectable in Arcade Mode because these pairs in the game not having story-modes).

The game also adds a form of Akiha Tohno wearing her school uniform (Seifuku Akiha) as a new character with her own story-mode.

Shiki Ryougi, the main heroine of Kara no Kyoukai, ends up doing a guest appearance on cast of Tsukihime and in storyline of Melty Blood, where it is brought to the world of Tsukihime due to the effects caused by the TATARI of Dust of Osiris and driven by an unknown force that makes her think that all she lived in Melty Blood Actress Again is nothing more than a dream for her. It's called of his world to remove and eliminate the two threats that have appeared in Misaki Town and can destroy the life on the planet and all humanity (in this case Dust of Osiris and Archetype:Earth), but Shiki Ryougi think that your goal and your main target in Misaki Town is to hunt down and eliminate the one who has the same kind of power she has (Mystic Eyes of Death Perception) and is responsible for causing this crazy dream she was living, which is this case, Shiki Tohno.

The game also has a new mode, the Boss Rush Mode, which also has its own story-mode and takes place after the events of Melty Blood Actress Again, where Shiki Tohno ends up getting a new one confusion apparently made ​​by Neco-Arc but in reality, it was one of the plans of Kohaku as Doctor Amber, where she planned to take again the control of the Tohno Mansion for making Shiki fight against the original versions of the final bosses of all games of Melty Blood (Night of Wallachia, Miyako Arima, White Len, Aoko Aozaki, Koha & Mech, Dust of Osiris, Akiha Tohno as a special boss and finally G-Akiha), with all of them appearing in a new fighting style, the Eclipse Style. Due to the return of G-Akiha, she gained new sprites animation, new moves, and has a level of difficulty increased to defeat her. However, if after finishing the story-mode of Boss Rush Mode with Tohno Shiki once and then finish the same mode with any character without losing a round, the player faced the princess version of Arcueid, called Archetype: Earth, as a secret boss and defeat it, it becomes selectable (except in Arcade Mode), being always in Eclipse Style and is by far the strongest character in the game.

Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code

A new arcade version of Melty Blood Actress Again was released somewhere in ending of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, became known as Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code. The game is an arcade port of the original PS2 version of Melty Blood Actress Again, with new changes involved character tweaks, new intermission skippings (e.g.: skipping the vs. screen and intros), new special effects for Heat and Blood Heat mode, the adding of HQX2 filter for the characters of game and the inclusion of characters Shiki Ryougi, Seifuku Akiha and of the duples Neco & Mech and Koha & Mech of PS2 version, as well as the removal of Archetype:Earth as a selectable playble character due to imbalance of character and that she had only one fighting style (Eclipse Style), only appears as hidden boss in place of Ryougi Shiki.

Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code Ver. 1.05

On May 18, 2011, a upgrade was released to Current Code, which is Ver 1.05. In this version, the most powerful form of Ciel which appeared in Melty Blood Re-ACT as a boss to Arcueid, Executioner Ciel, returns with the name of Powerd Ciel as a selectable character, with new sprites animation, new moves, gaining three fighting styles (Crescent Moon, Half Moon and Full Moon) and her own story mode in the game, where she has gained her own ending. The game received some minor changes in the gameplay, as new counter-hit versions of aerial throws, which when, opponent ends up bouncing on the floor instead of falling immediately, allowing the player to carry out new aerial combos.

Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code Ver. 1.07

On October 14, 2011, a last upgrade was released to Current Code, which is Ver 1.07. In this version, some of the characters have gained some new moves and improved some properties of normal moves that the characters of this game already possess. The tag teams Neco & Mech and Koha & Mech were given their own story modes in the game, including conversations with enemies, bosses and their own endings. Riesbyfe Stridberg also gained a new alternative route in the game, whose events take place after the main event of Melty Blood Actress Again. With his actual existence being maintained now by Sion Eltnam Atlasia and living on the streets with her and Satsuki Yumizuka (indicating that the endings of story-modes of Sion and Satsuki in this game are indeed chronological), in this new adventure of yours, Riesbyfe is convinced by Neco-Arc to protect her from their rivals. But the real news this version of game was the return of the true form of Arcueid as Princess of the True Ancestors, Archetype:Earth, as a selectable character again, but this time with her own animation sprites, totally new moves, gaining three fighting styles (Crescent Moon, Half Moon and Full Moon) and her own story mode in the game, where she has gained her own ending.

Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code Ver. 1.07 PC

On December 31, 2011, with the release of volume 3 of Carnival Phantasm, along came the PC version of Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code as an extra bouns. Based in Ver. 1.07, it brings all 31 characters of  game already available at the beginning and also gained the Netplay mode (from Rev 1.1.0), where you can perform online games with other players over the Internet. Currently the game is in its latest version (Rev 1.4.0) and many of the bugs from previous versions have been fixed. But the PC version of game as well as Arcade Version of Current Code, lack the extra modes that were in the PS2 version of Melty Blood Actress Again, like the Survival Mode and Boss Rush Mode, although the text files of the story-mode of Boss Rush Mode are still inside of the game for PC, indicating that the Ecole can someday launch a new patch revison to rehabilitate this mode again. The game is currently available as of April 19th, 2016 on steam for 24.99 usd.

Characters involved with the main storyline of Melty Blood Actress Again:

• Shiki Tohno
• Sion Eltnam Atlasia
• Arcueid Brunestud
• Ciel
• Akiha Tohno
• Hisui & Kohaku
• Kohaku
• Night of Wallachia/TATARI
• Nrvnqsr Chaos
• Sion TATARI
• Red Arcueid
• Akiha Vermilion
• Mech-Hisui
• Shiki Nanaya
• Satsuki Yumizuka
• White Len
• Neco-Arc Route B
• Aoko Aozaki
• Kouma Kishima
• Riesbyfe Stridberg
• Michael Roa Valdamjong
• Shiki Ryougi
• Archetype: Earth

Characters with their own storyline that happen after the events occurred in main storyline of Melty Blood Actress Again:

• Shiki Tohno Boss Rush Special Story Mode
• Hisui
• Miyako Arima
• Neco-Arc Route A
• Neco-Arc Chaos
• Seifuku Akiha
• Neco & Mech
• Koha & Mech
• Riesbyfe Stridberg Route B