Due to the unique mechanics of this game, it can seem overwhelming to learn. But really it's just a matter of getting used to the changes in certain familiar mechanics as you will soon see. Now, let's get started.
I. HUD
First things first, we should take a look at the basics of this game, the first being the HUD:
As you may have noticed, there are a lot of bars to watch out for, but it's not that difficult to understand and get used to as you play the game.
1. Lifebar - If you've played fighting games, you know what this is. If not, this is the bar that represents the health of your character. If it goes down to zero, you lose the round. Your main character and your sub character SHARES this lifebar so if the lifebar runs out when one character is out, the other character gets knocked out too. In Ougon Musou Kyoku, you have three lifebars which change color from blue to yellow and to red as each bar is depleted. In CROSS, your characters have only two lifebars but it's recommended to increase the number to three in your options due to the high damage potential of various teams.
2. Break Limit - Your guard meter. As you block attacks, the Break limit starts to get filled up with pink. If you block too much and the Break Limit is maxed out, you will enter a guard break state, which leaves you vulnerable for a long time. Once you are guard broken, any guard damage afterwards is halved. Unlike other fighting games, your Break Limit gauge does NOT deplete over time. The only way you can decrease it is to Touch out, which will be explained later, use a certain character's ability, which will be explained later, or get guard broken, which depletes your entire gauge. The Break Limit fills up a lot faster than other fighting games, which makes guard breaking a very key mechanic in this game.
3. SP Gauge - Your meter gauge. As you can see, your character has a max of 5 SPs to use. You can use your SP to use supers, activate metaworld, which will be explained later, or to use certain touches. The 7 in the HUD represents your partner's SP gauge. When you get hit or attack, you build meter, but it's built for your PARTNER, not yourself. The character that's attacking does not build any meter.
4. Timer - The timer. The normal time limit for each match is 180. Once it reaches 0, the player with the most amount of health left wins the round/match.
5. Metaworld Gauge - Your Metaworld gauge. This mechanic will be explained later so let's skip it for now.
6. Touch Gauge - Your touch gauge. When it's filled, you can press the touch button to tag out to your partner. There are five types of touches, but these will be explained later.
II. Controls
Ougon Musou Kyoku is a five button game.
A - Light attack
B - Medium attack
C - Hard attack
D - Touch
E - Appeal
For our purposes, we will use a numpad to signify motions.
7 8 9 Up-B Up Up-F
4 5 6 = Back Neutral Forward
1 2 3 Down-B Down Down-F
III. Movement
Run [66] - Your character runs across the screen as you hold 6. You can cancel it with an attack or a jump, which makes it into a super jump. If you let go of 6, you'll go into a recovery animation.
Note: You can't block during any stage of the dash.
Note: If you press 8 while running, you'll jump only over so slightly forward. If you do it next to the opponent, you'll land just behind them.
Backdash [33] - Your standard backdash. The distance traveled and the amount of time it takes to backdash is not universal. You are invincible during startup, but you can be punished as you land. Note: If you are hit during any stage of the backdash, it counts as a counter hit.
III. Basic Mechanics
Health - Each character has their own separate health values, which fill one health bar.
Example: Battler has 1400, and when partnered with Beatrice, who also has 1400 health, adds up to 2800 a lifebar. With 3 lifebars enabled, 2800 x 3 = 8400 total health.
1650 - Ronove
1550 - Shanon
1500 - Rosa, Dlanor, Virgilia
1450 - Eva Beatrice, Chiester 410
1400 - Battler, Beatrice, George, Ange, Willard, Jessica
1300 - Erika
1200 - Lambdadelta, Bernkastel, Lucifer, Kanon
1000 - Black Battler
Combo Mechanics - You can chain attacks into combos. A > B > C is one example. You can also do A > 2A > B > 2B > C > 2C with most characters. Melty Blood and Blazblue players will feel right at home.
Appeal [E] - Your character will do a taunt animation for a certain amount of time. You recover a little bit of health as the animation goes on.
Throw [B+C] - The throw command. Every character has a different kind of grab. Even the whiff animations are not universal. B+C is also used to throw break.
Ex: Eva's whiff animation is 26 frames while Shannon's is 50 frames.
Dash Cancel [5C > 66] - You can press 66 after hitting the opponent with a 5C to cancel the attack into a dash, and be able to continue your combo.
Note: Not all 5Cs can be DCed.
Note: Any attacks done after the dash cancel is reduced to a flat rate of 80% damage.
IV. Slightly More Advanced Mechanics
Teching - When you're knocked into the air, you can tech by pressing any attack button before you touch the ground. When you tech, you will be slightly propelled upwards before falling to the ground. You are fully invincible until you land or if you attack as you're falling.
Counter Hits - When you hit an opponent while they're in their attacking animation, they flash red. Counter hits do slightly more damage than normal. If you counter hit an enemy in the air however, you are allowed to continue comboing them in a situation that otherwise would just have them fall them.
Ex: Try using Battler's 623C on a jumping opponent in the corner and try to use 5C as they're falling down without Counter Hit on, then do it with CH on.
Stun - It is much easier to stun in this game than it is in other games. Hitting a stunned opponent reduces your attacks to 50% of what they would normally do. The stun values are not universal.
High Stun: Lambdadelta, Dlanor
Average Stun:
Low Stun: Bernkastel, Lucifer, Eva Beatrice
Very Low Stun: George
Recoverable Health - When you get hit, you will notice a flashing portion of your lifebar, that's recoverable health. The only way to recover it is to normal touch, which will be explained later.
Clash - When your and your opponent's attacks hit at the exact same time. It will freeze the screen for a small amount of time and negate each others attacks. You are able to take any action immediately after the freeze, but so can the enemy.
V. Advanced Mechanics
Now for the mechanics that make Ougon different.
Touch - Touch or Tag, is just you tagging out to your partner. It can only be done when the touch meter is full except with a certain's character's ability. What makes this so diverse is that there are FIVE different types of touches.
Normal Touch:
Your raw touch. If you press touch while not attacking or blocking, your current character will call your partner for 2 seconds, then switch out. Due to the long startup, it's better to do it a good distance away.
Note: This is one of the few ways to gain access to one of your characters' abilities. When you tag out, you gain the tagged out character's abilities, which will be explained later.
Note: Normal touching depletes 50% of your Break Limit.
Note: Your touch meter will take 3 seconds to recover after using this type of touch.
Attack Touch:
If you press touch while doing a normal attack, you'll instantly tag out and have your partner come in with their own overhead attack. This is a great way of continuing combos and instantly tagging in your partner.
Note: Attack Touch depletes 25% of your Break Limit.
Note: Your touch meter takes 6 seconds to recover after using this type of touch.
Guard Touch:
If you press touch while blocking, you'll push your opponent back a little and tag out. Letting yourself get guard broken is very dangerous, so this is a great tool to stop pressure. This costs one of your partner's SP.
Note: If you hold forward while guard touching, the opponent will stagger for even longer, allowing your partner to come in and attack the opponent while they're staggered. Damage is reduced to 70%.
Note: If you guard touch an aerial attack, the opponent is launched backwards as you tag in.
Note: Guard touch depletes 50% of your Break Limit.
Note: It takes 9 seconds to recover the touch gauge after using this.
Damage Touch:
If you press touch while getting hit, you'll do a burst which knock the opponent all the way into the wall, and after that your partner tags in. This can be only be used when hit with a melee normal attack. The startup is not instant, which means that the opponent can bait it out and punish the burst. This costs two of your partner's SP.
Note: Damage touch can be Clashed.
Note: Damage touch depletes 50% of your Break Limit.
Note: It takes 15 seconds to recover the touch gauge after bursting.
Assault Touch:
You can use this type of touch by inputting 236D. Your character will rush across the screen with full invincibility until it hits the corner or the opponent. When it hits the opponent, the opponent is tripped and you tag out. You can use this to force a close range battle. This costs two of your partner's SP.
Note: Assault touch can be Clashed.
Note: Assault touch depletes 50% of your Break Limit.
Note: It takes 15 seconds to recover the touch gauge after assaulting.
Note: Your partner gains access to the tagged out character's ability.
Abilities - Every single character has an unique ability to be used in battle. They're passives that are in effect for a limited amount of time.
Example: Battler's ability is Resurrection, which recovers health for a brief period of time.
The length of a character's ability is not universal, they all have varying time limits.
Note: A list of each character's abilities can be found at:
Metaworld:
You can activate the Metaworld by spending a meter and inputting A+B+C when the Metaworld gauge turns red. As the Metaworld is in action, the Metaworld gauge depletes and when it's empty, the Metaworld ends. You gain access to BOTH of your characters' abilities during this time. However, the length of both of them is dependent on the shorter ability's length. During this time you also gain access to a Meta Super, which can be used any time for free in the Metaworld by inputting 641236C. The Meta Super is specific to each character.
Metaworld Objection: The opponent can input A+B+C and use up 2 of their own SP to deny your declaration, which resets the gauge. You can reassert your declaration by pressing A+B+C and spending 2 of your own SP, but they can also re-deny it by spending 2 more SP. Finally, you can force the metaworld by spending another SP, which cannot be denied.
Note: If your reassertion is successful, the Metaworld is reduced to only 75% of its duration.
Note: If your final reassertion is successful, the Metaworld is reduced to only 50% of its duration.
Note: The opponent cannot activate Metaworld as long as your Metaworld is in duration.
Note: The opponent cannot tech during the Metaworld.
That's it for the System Guide! If you want more information about this game and the characters, check out the Mizuumi wiki at http://umineko.mizuumi.net
I hope this really helps in learning how Ougon Musou Kyoku works. See ya!
irc.mizuumi.net #umineko
- Larry "Karnoffel"
