| Under Night In-Birth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre(s) | Fighting, Visual novel |
| Developer(s) | |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Creator(s) |
|
| Platform(s) | |
| First release | Under Night In-Birth September 20, 2012 |
| Latest release | Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes] January 25, 2024 |
Under Night In-Birth [3] is a fighting game series developed by French-Bread and Ecole Software. Initially published in arcades by Sega in 2012, Arc System Works assumed publishing duties after the game's first home console release in 2014.
| Under Night In-Birth (Exe:Late ([st/cl-r])) | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Director(s) | Nobuya Narita |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Artist(s) | Seiichi Yoshihara |
| Composer(s) | Raito |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | September 20, 2012
|
| Genre(s) | Fighting, visual novel |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Sega RingEdge 2 Sega ALLS HX (Exe:Late[clr]) |
The first entry in the series, Under Night In-Birth, was released exclusively as an arcade game using Sega's RingEdge 2 arcade board on September 20, 2012 by Sega in Japan. In March 2013, support for Sega's ALL.Net P-Ras Multi service was added. [11] A major revision, subsequently entitled Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late (アンダーナイトインヴァースエクセレイト, Andā naito invāsu ekusereito), was released on September 9, 2013. This updated version of the game would receive a port published by Arc System Works for PlayStation 3 in Japan on July 24, 2014. [12] A 2015 release for North America and Europe was later announced, [13] with the North American version published by Aksys Games on February 24, 2015 and the European version released by NIS America on February 27, 2015. Exe:Late was released on Steam for Microsoft Windows systems on July 12, 2016.
A further update to the game entitled Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] [14] was announced on May 15, 2015. [15] Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] was released on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in Japan on July 20, 2017, [16] and in North America and Europe on February 9, 2018. [7] Arc System Works later published this version on Steam for Microsoft Windows systems on August 20, 2018. [17]
A final revision of the game, entitled Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r] [18] , was announced on August 3, 2019 at Evolution Championship Series. It was released for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on February 20, 2020 in Japan and North America and February 21, 2020 in Europe. [19] A version for Steam for Microsoft Windows was released on March 27, 2020, superseding the Exe:Late[st] release from 2018. [20] The PlayStation 4 and Steam versions of Exe:Late[st] received updates to match the contents of this revision, while those who purchased the PlayStation 3 version were eligible to upgrade to the latest version via a limited-time discount, which ran until April 30, 2020 in Japan and North America, and April 31, 2020 in Europe. New content exclusive to Exe:Late[cl-r], such as a new playable character and additional character palettes, could be added to Exe:Late[st] through the purchase of paid downloadable content. [21] The game was released for Amazon Luna on January 21, 2021. [22] An arcade port of Exe:Late[cl-r] using Sega's ALL.Net P-Ras Multi service was released on April 15, 2021. [23]
| Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes] | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | French-Bread |
| Publisher(s) | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
|
| Director(s) | Nobuya Narita Osamu Sugiyama Kamone Serizawa |
| Producer(s) | Nobuya Narita Osamu Sugiyama |
| Designer(s) | Seiichi Yoshihara |
| Artist(s) | Seiichi Yoshihara |
| Composer(s) | Raito |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows January 21, 2024 (PlayStation Early Access) January 25, 2024 (global release) Arcade TBA |
| Genre(s) | Fighting, visual novel |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Sega ALLS |
On September 21, 2021, director Nobuya Narita and composer Raito confirmed on Twitter that the "next" installment of Under Night In-Birth was in development. Narita expressed interest in the announcement of said title coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the original release of the game. It was not explicitly stated whether this referred to a new version of Under Night In-Birth or a wholly new title set within the same universe. [24] [25] Eventually during Evolution Championship Series on August 4, 2023, the title was announced to be a sequel titled Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes] and it was released on January 25, 2024. It serves as a final chapter of the series. [26] It features DLC characters in season passes. [27]
During Paris Games Week 2023, an open beta test for [Sys:Celes] was announced to take place from November 17 to 20, 2023 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. [28] An early access release was made available for PlayStation owners in Japan, Hong Kong, England and the United States on January 21, 2024.
After Stormy Night tournament in November 2, 2024, an arcade version for Sega's ALLS was announced, and it will be powered by ALL.Net P-ras Multi version 3. [29]
Under Night In-Birth is a 2D fighting game with similar mechanics to Melty Blood , Guilty Gear and BlazBlue . Characters have weak, medium, and strong attack buttons, along with a fourth one tied to the game's Grind system. Attacks can cancel into each other in any order, and they can also cancel into special attacks and super attacks.
The Grind system, abbreviated to GRD in the game, is a tug-of-war mechanic between players that rewards them for certain defensive and offensive actions during gameplay. This is visually represented by an on-screen gauge called the Grind Grid, which shows the influence each player has during a match. Playing aggressively and utilizing system mechanics well increases a player's influence over the Grind Grid, while actions such as taking damage and retreating lowers their influence. At set intervals of time, the game evaluates which player has the most influence over the Grind Grid and rewards that player with various advantages, such as a temporary damage increase and the ability to cancel any attack at the expense of resources. When utilized poorly, such as failing to guard against an attack with the appropriate defensive shield, a player can temporarily be locked out of functions related to the Grind system and placed at a disadvantage.
A traditional super meter known as the EXS Gauge fills up whenever players attack or get hit. Characters can expend resources from the gauge for various functions, such as enhancing special attacks, performing super attacks known as Infinite Worths, or changing momentum from a defensive position. At low health, characters can also use a unique super attack called an Infinite Worth EXS, which are highly damaging and often feature a cinematic element when performed successfully.
Each later release after the original adds new features:
Every month, since feudal times, a phenomenon called the Hollow Night brings forth invisible creatures called Voids. They feed upon a power known as EXS, a latent resource within every human, and they harvest EXS from those who are unfortunate to wander into the Hollow Night. Many of these attacks end in death, insanity, or a human being transformed into a Void and the city of Kanzakai has been facing an ever increasing amount of cases of missing people due to these frequent attacks. Those who survive these encounters become beings known as In-Births, gaining the ability to manipulate their bodies' natural EXS. After surviving a Void attack, high school student Hyde Kido develops his own power after narrowly escaping with his life thanks to the assistance of his impromptu savior, a mysterious girl named Linne. She explains that on-top of being an In-Birth, she has been alive for the past 500 years and has been seeking a way to end her life permanently, with Kanzakai being her most recent stop on her journey. She explains that Hyde's newly developed ability holds promise in being the one to finally end her cursed existence and she has him make a promise to end her life when the time is right. Before that however, Linne has her sights set on stopping a group of In-Births in town known as Amnesia, led by a woman called Paradox, from ascending to become a Re-Birth, a powerful existence that surpasses ordinary In-Births.
Other groups of In-Births out in the Hollow Night prepare to make their way to Paradox's Altar for their own reasons. The Licht Kreis, a foreign group of In-births intent on policing the usage of EXS around the world has returned to Japan to investigate the city's growing case of Voids and In-Births while the ancient group of In-Births known as the Night Blade continue to patrol their ancestral homeland.
By the end of the Exe:Late sub-series, Hyde and Linne confront Amnesia's leader, Hilda the Paradox and bring an end to her plans. However, the true mastermind behind Hilda's movements, among many others, Linne's older brother, and the original wielder of Hyde's sword, Kuon the Aeon has yet to show himself during the Hollow Night. He would reveal himself a month after Hilda and Hyde are defeated. For months, Hilda temporarily become a Zero Vessel that cause her to lose her In-Birth power, before she regains it back. When Kuon finally makes his true plans that will lead to the destruction of the world, Linne goes on a journey to confront her brother alone. [26]
The original release of the game included ten playable characters, with two more being added post-launch before the game was retitled to Exe:Late. The roster currently has a total of 27 fighters as of Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes] and one of its Season Pass DLC, with two of these being guest characters from other fighting games. Most of these playable characters who are added after the original title originally either non-playable or being referred by most of them in previous entries. The game has Japanese-language voice acting. [30] Some characters who first appeared in Exe:Late to Exe:Late[st] later appeared in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle , where they received English voice actors for the first time. [31]
Guest Characters:
| 2012 | Under Night In-Birth |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late |
| 2014–2016 | |
| 2017 | Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] |
| 2018–2019 | |
| 2020 | Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r] |
| 2021–2023 | |
| 2024 | Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes] |
Under Night In-Birth began development in 2010. Series director and producer Nobuya Narita explained that development arose from the team's experiences working on Melty Blood , and a tentative remake of the game. French-Bread originally planned to work in high definition for the remake, but development later stalled while Type-Moon went on to work on Witch on the Holy Night . Early prototypes provided the foundation for Under Night In-Birth. Narita emphasized they wanted to differentiate the game from Melty Blood, so the lore, visuals, systems and combat flow are very different from the previous game. It marked the team's first game using high definition and hand-drawn high-resolution sprites. [32] Due to the challenges they faced working in high definition with high-resolution assets for the first time, the French-Bread staff members frequently consulted BlazBlue game creator Toshimichi Mori. [33]
A decade later, French-Bread and Type-Moon would eventually work together again to continue development on the Melty Blood HD remake project. With the studio's work on Under Night In-Birth serving as the foundation, the previously untitled remake was announced as Melty Blood: Type Lumina , which serves as a reboot to the Melty Blood series and as a tie-in to the remake timeline of Tsukihime franchise.
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PS3: 80/100 [34] PC: 81/100 [35] PS4: 78/100 [36] NS: 82/100 [37] PS4 (cl-r): 80/100 [38] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 9/10 [39] |
| Eurogamer | 8/10 [40] |
| Famitsu | 29/40 [41] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 4/5 [42] |
| IGN | 8/10 [43] |
The PlayStation 3 version of the game received a 29/40 by Famitsu . [41] Reviewers appreciated the ease of the controls but felt there was a barrier to entry and that the basics could be better explained. [44] Kyle MacGregor of Destructoid said that it was "an intelligent, tactical fighting game that I'll surely be playing for a long time to come." Victor Ayora of IGN Spain said it was "One good fighting game. Maybe it's not as deep as previous Arc System Works games, but successfully achieves what it is aiming: to let the player enjoy it." Biagio Etna of IGN Italy lauded the art and combat system but criticized the steep learning curve and the pacing of the visual novel-style Chronicle Mode introduced in Exe:Late[st]. [45] Filippo Facchetti of Eurogamer concluded "an interesting 2D fighting game with a very unique fighting system. Just try it, and you'll be amazed." Exe:Late[cl-r] was nominated for the category of Best Fighting Game at The Game Awards 2020, but lost to Mortal Kombat 11 . [46]
Sonic the Hedgehog is an animated television series that aired from 1993 to 1994 based on Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise. It was produced by DIC Productions, Sega of America, and the Italian studio Reteitalia in association with Telecinco, and is the second of DIC's Sonic cartoons, following Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. To distinguish it from other Sonic media, fans commonly refer to the series as "Sonic SatAM", in reference to its Saturday morning timeslot.
Tsukihime is a Japanese adult visual novel game created by Type-Moon, who first released it at the Winter Comiket in December 2000. In 2003, it was adapted into both an anime television series, Lunar Legend Tsukihime, animated by J.C.Staff, and a manga series, which was serialized between 2003 and 2010 in MediaWorks shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh, with 10 volumes released.
Celes Chere is a character and protagonist in the video game Final Fantasy VI. She was created by Yoshinori Kitase and was his favorite character in the game. She struggles with allegiances between the Empire and the rebel group, the Returners before ultimately siding with the latter. She appears in other Final Fantasy titles, including the Theatrhythm series and World of Final Fantasy.
This Ugly yet Beautiful World is a Japanese anime television series created by Shouji Saeki and Hiroyuki Yamaga. It was animated by Gainax and Shaft.
Melty Blood, sometimes shortened as Merubura (メルブラ), is a series of 2D visual novel fighting video games, co-developed by dōjin circles Type-Moon and French-Bread as the meta-sequel of Type-Moon's first visual novel Tsukihime.
Square's role-playing video game Final Fantasy VI, which was released as Final Fantasy III in North America, features fourteen permanent player characters, the largest number of any game in the main Final Fantasy series, as well as several characters who are briefly controlled by the player.
Kuon is a 2004 survival horror video game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 2. Published by FromSoftware in Japan, it was released in North America by Agetec, and in Europe by Nobilis and Indie Games Productions in 2006. The narrative takes place in Japan's Heian period, and follows the actions of three protagonists during an outbreak of monsters at Fujiwara Manor in Kyoto; Utsuki, daughter of the onmyōji Ashiya Doman, Doman's apprentice Sakuya, and the veteran onmyōji Abe no Seimei. Gameplay has the different characters exploring the grounds and buildings of Fujiwara Manor, solving puzzles and fighting off hostile monsters.
Rings of Power is a 1992 role-playing video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Electronic Arts (EA) for the Sega Genesis. The player takes on the role of an apprentice sorcerer named Buc, whose quest is to assemble a team of adventurers and collect eleven rings to defeat the evil god Void.
Takashi Takeuchi is a Japanese artist. He is notable as the co-founder of the visual novel, anime development and production enterprise Type-Moon, and for his illustrations on the visual novels, Tsukihime and Fate/stay night, which were adapted into an anime and manga series. He has frequently collaborated with fellow game designer Kinoko Nasu. In 2008, they contributed the special scenario to the Sega/Chunsoft Wii visual novel 428: Shibuya Scramble, which subsequently received a sequel anime titled Canaan. His real name is Tomotaka Takeuchi.
The Broken Jug is a comedy written by the German playwright Heinrich von Kleist. Kleist first conceived the idea for the play in 1801 after looking at a copper engraving in Heinrich Zschokke's house entitled "Le juge, ou la cruche cassée". In 1803, challenged over his ability to write comedy, Kleist dictated the first three scenes of the play, though it was not completed until 1806. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe first staged the play in Weimar, where it premiered on 2 March 1808.
Akatsuki EN-Eins is a series of Japanese dōjin 2D fighting games, developed by the dōjin circle SUBTLE STYLE for Microsoft Windows and arcades. It takes place in an alternate 21 century in the year 200X - 20XX, but with a World War II era aesthetic.
Tokyo March is a 1929 Japanese silent drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. It is one of the left-leaning "tendency films" Mizoguchi made in the late 1920s. Only a fragment of the film exists today.
Shining Hearts is a PlayStation Portable role-playing video game for the Shining series. Other ones include Shining Tears and Shining Wind. It was adapted into an anime miniseries Shining Hearts: Shiawase no Pan.
Soft Circle French-Bread, also known simply as French-Bread, is a Japanese video game developer founded in 1995 as Watanabe Production, based in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. Originally a doujin circle, French-Bread became well known for their work in fighting games, particularly the Melty Blood series. In recent years, they worked on other licensed-based fighting games, such as Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax and the company’s original game, Under Night In-Birth. Most of its developed video games are commonly released for Microsoft Windows, Sega arcade systems, and PlayStation consoles.
Amnesia is a Japanese visual novel series by Idea Factory. It was first released in August 2011, for PlayStation Portable, and then a fan disc in Japan, Amnesia Later, was released in March 2012. Another sequel titled Amnesia Crowd was released in April 2013. They were later combined for a PlayStation Vita release titled "Amnesia Later x Crowd V Edition" in October 2014. A Nintendo Switch port of Amnesia: Memories and Amnesia: Later×Crowd was globally released on September 20, 2022. Due to its positive reception in Japan, it produced various related merchandise such as drama CDs, character music CDs and books. A 2013 anime television series has been produced by Brain's Base.
Hyperdimension Neptunia is a 2010 role-playing video game developed by Idea Factory and published by Compile Heart in Japan, NIS America in North America and Tecmo Koei in Europe exclusively for Sony's PlayStation 3. It is the first installment in the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise and is a take on the seventh generation era "console war" among the three major home video game consoles: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii.
The Challenge: Battle of the Exes II is the 26th season of MTV's reality game show, The Challenge, and the sequel to the show's 22nd season, Battle of the Exes. Filming occurred in Pedasí, Panama and Ørsta, Norway in August and September 2014, with former cast members from MTV's The Real World, The Challenge, and Are You the One? competing. With Are You the One?, this season marks the first to feature cast members from a show not produced by Bunim-Murray Productions.
The 2019 Evolution Championship Series was a fighting game event held in Las Vegas from August 2 to 4, 2019 as part of the long-running Evolution Championship Series. The event offered tournaments for various video games, including Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, and Dragon Ball FighterZ, as well as the newly released Soulcalibur VI, Mortal Kombat 11, Samurai Shodown, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; the latter received the most entrants with over 3,500 players participating, making it the largest in person Super Smash Bros. tournament of all time.
Melty Blood: Type Lumina is a 2021 2D fighting video game released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows and Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the Melty Blood series and the first main game since Melty Blood Actress Again (2008). It was developed by French-Bread with assistance from Tamsoft and GameLoop, and was published by Lasengle, Aniplex’s video game division originally belonged to Delightworks.