A while back, I did a general review of the series, and graded Melty Blood Actress Again an 8 of 10. Now that there IS a PC version out, which I have, I can dissect this one. Melty Blood Actress Again: Current Code is the PC port of what could be considered the sequel to the Melty Blood Re-ACT: MB Actress Again. As with the previous titles, there is no universal Story Mode, instead focusing on individual characters under Arcade Mode.
The character count features 31 playable characters, adding in some fresh faces and a few other traits. As before, Current Code features 3 styles of gameplay, named after different moons: Full, Half, and Crescent. Half Moon and Crescent Moon style respectively represents Simple and Speed gameplay, and is best used by veterans of Act Cadenza, as the play style falls similar to it. That said, Full Moon style is essentially the Power gameplay aspect, which follows gameplay with similarities to mostly Melty Blood Re-Act. Depending on which style chosen, characters can have access to different moves, such as Shiki Tohno using one of Shiki Nanaya's moves (technically one of Shiki's original moves from the initial Melty Blood.) The interface has changed a bit from the console version, but that doesn't take away from the gameplay itself. In this game, visual effects of Heat and Blood Heat modes are advanced, and even at Max mode, the character is slightly outlined in a certain color. Aerial sparks are also added, but only for certain Moon styles. There is also a guard meter, Which premiered since the initial Actress Again, making it the only game to feature one. When depleted, a Guard Crash state leaves the player more or less vulnerable. There is also alternate air throws used during aerial combos. Even within Actress Again itself, various tweaks were made between each version, even going as far as the story for certain characters. More stages were also made, including alternates of those featured in Re-Act, complete with stage animations. Though minor, the voices for the characters, aside from retaining the seiyuus from the original onward, are also redone.
Now we'll get into the different characters appearing in game. To start off, I'll speak of those appearing as premier playable characters in Actress Again Current Code. Powered Ciel, who's usually seen during the use of Ciel's Arc Drive, is made playable. Initially, she appeared as a boss character in Re-ACT, in which she couldn't flinch upon receiving damage, giving her a Super Armor trait. In Current Code, that aspect is removed, making her flinch like the majority of characters. As with some others, this could be considered an alternate version of Ciel, a slightly more sadistic one at that. Another alternate version comes for Arcueid in the form of ArcheType Earth. A form of her before the drastic cut of hair into the one we all know and love, ArcheType-Earth is a princess version of Arcueid, said to be her at full power. In her boss form, she uses the exclusive Eclipse Moon style, which gives her a gradually refilling Magic Circuit, which makes her a threat. In the original Actress Again, she was playable, but unlockable, and she was pretty unbalanced. Aside from using Eclipse Moon style, her Last Arc was an instant kill for most characters, Shiki Tohno being the only exception. I say this, because as with Arcueid originally, her Last Arc featured a difference in appearance as well as damage, pending on character. Ironically, she was also a mere sprite swap of Arcueid, retaining a majority of the latter's moves. In Current Code, she returns as a complete new character with her own sprites and attacks. Compared to her PS2 appearance, she is rebalanced, and can use Full, Half, and Crescent Moon styles regularly, though her Eclipse Moon version remains a hidden character. Unlike before, she has her own story, and can be selected right off the bat in Current Code. Michael Roa Valdamjong is the central antagonist of Tsukihime, and is given his first in-game appearance as a character. Appearing in his Near Side form, he appears as a capable fighter, with use of Magecraft, especially that of the thunder element. His role plotwise is nothing short of a standing joke, though he does have a special pre-battle standoff with Shiki, and with Arcueid, a special scenario in her 8th stage, with different post-battle picture and dialogue after she wins (her post battle picture is that of Red Arcueid.) Riesbyfe Stridberg also debuts, while she initially appeared as part of Sion TATARI's Last Arc. Friend and savior of Sion, she is revealed to be alive in Sion's story, as well as Sastuki Yumizuka's. Like Ciel, she has an overbearing weapon, with destructive powers. The appearance of her weapon is shaped like a string instrument, lime a large bass or guitar, as opposed to the brutal gun-like appearance of Seven, Ciel's handheld cannon with the spike added. While not new in the Type Moon works over all, Ryougi Shiki, the heroine of Kara no Kyoukai, appears as a playable character in Actress Again. Like Shiki Tohno, she fights with a knife as well, her Arc Drive being a different take of both Nanaya and Tohno's Arc Drives, though it hears movements from Shiki's Last Arc.
Other characters playable are either other alternates, or different tag-team characters, not to take away from the recurring Hisui and Kohaku entry. Mech Hisui and Kohaku is a character and creation tag-team, with Mech-Hisui obviously being a mechanical replacement of her twin sister. Mech-Hisui also pairs with Neco-Arc, the comical small parody of Arcueid. Nrvnsqr Chaos's parody, Neco-Arc Chaos, is no longer selectable by secret means, being a legitimate character selectable in Actress Again. Then there's Akiha Tohno, who's recent alternate features her in sailor uniform school clothing. She features the same moveset with variants, and unlike her normal and Vermilion forms, does not have the red claw-like animation for her regular hits. G-Akiha returns as a boss rush character, after her initial appearance in Re-ACT, though in here, her difficulty is increased and features new moves. Like before, she isn't useable, save for cheating means. The last boss, and the antagonist stirring the events of Actress Again into motion is Dust of Osiris, a potential future variation of Sion composed of TATARI's remnants, succeeding Night of Wallachia (who is the disembodied TATARI, and the one who made Sion one of his kind) as the Thirteenth Dead Apostle Ancestor. She, too, is a giant character, but her form is still small, using a gigantic being named Hermes as another means of attack. In spite of her role, some players don't face her, or they do so, prior to Stage 9. Outside of Actress Again, she also appears in the Carnival Phantasm OVA series, the 3rd volume of which this game was released as part of.
Tweaked here and there in some areas, it retains the gameplay aspects of Actress Again, as I said before. There was even a netplay demo of Current Code 1.07 released prior to December of 2011, when the PC game was officially released. The character portraits, and in some areas, the sprites were enhanced, thanks to an enhanced graphics engine used. Used on Windows XP, Vista and 7, this is more or less the complete package, suitable for doujin game lovers. Melty Blood Actress Again: Current Code gets an upgrade in score from me. Not perfect, but a 9 of 10 comes pretty damn close, as it's easily the best of the Melty Blood series.
No comments:
Post a Comment