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For the main series, see Azure Striker Gunvolt (series)
For the overall franchise, see Azure Striker Gunvolt (franchise)

Azure Striker Gunvolt, known as Armed Blue Gunvolt (蒼き雷霆 ガンヴォルト) in Japan, is a platform game released by Inti Creates for the Nintendo 3DS eShop released in August 2014, and the progenitor of the Azure Striker Gunvolt franchise. In addition to utilizing gameplay similar to Mega Man Zero, Azure Striker Gunvolt also introduced new gameplay elements such as Gunvolt's ability to "tag" enemies and target many at once, adding an additional layer of complexity to the genre. The game also got a PC version on Steam, featuring full Japanese voice acting and some lines cut from the 3DS version.

Gameplay

Azure Striker Gunvolt is a side-scrolling action platformer game. The player controls the eponymous Gunvolt, who is able to jump, dash, and utilize a gun with special bullets that "tag" their targets, which grants a homing effect to Gunvolt's electric fields. The player's actions are limited by an energy bar, which depletes when using the electrical field, using additional movement abilities such as double-jumping or air dashing, or being hit by enemies.

Gameplay focuses heavily on the player's technique and skill in moving through levels. While finishing a level is relatively easy, the game provides a ranking system as well as several optional challenges. The game introduces a "chain" system in which the player's score is constantly increased so long as the player avoids being hit by enemies, with special actions such as defeating an enemy in the air or defeating multiple enemies at one time providing an additional bonus.[citation needed] The game uses an item-forging and equipping system, the former of which is instrumental in achieving the game's true ending.

The chain system (referred to as "Kudos" in-game) is designed to challenge players to combine speed and tactical planning. It naturally increases as GV shocks tagged enemies, with some bonus applying. For example, defeating an enemy with 3 tags give a 10 Kudos "Full Strike" bonus. Should GV be hit, he will lose all his Kudos even if he doesn't take damage. Kudos can be banked in by using a special skill or by touching a checkpoint. If Gunvolt reaches 1000 Kudos in a level, the standard music will be replaced by a J-pop song sung by Lumen.

In the Steam re-release, multiple Speedrun Modes were added. They challenge the player to complete stages as fast as possible under certain conditions, with an online ranking and leaderboard system. These modes include Kudos Keeper, which increases damage the more kudos is earned while also retaining kudos between stages, Perma-Anthem, which places many spikes in stages, but also grants Gunvolt permanent Anthem, and Point Blank, which increases or decreases Flashfield damage based on the distance between Gunvolt and tagged enemies. The Steam version also adds Christmas mode (where points are determined by presents collected as they fall from the sky). Christmas mode is also available on the Nintendo Switch through the Striker Pack.

Stages

Azure Striker Gunvolt is split into stages, which they themselves are divided further based on plot progression. These stages are the setting for the various missions that are assigned by QUILL for Gunvolt. The method of stage selection is inspired by that of the Mega Man series, with several main boss stages able to be played in any order.

Introductory Stage

Boss Stages

Intermission Stage

Final Stages

Special Missions

Once the true ending has been acquired, "Special Missions" are unlocked. Four of the missions are two halves of two regular stages combined, but with added enemies and one of two possible bosses at the end. The last mission is a Boss Rush where you take on all of the game's bosses one after another. Anthem is disabled and there are no checkpoints.

Plot

Azure Striker Gunvolt is set during an unspecified date in the near future, in which several people called "Adepts" have developed "Septimal powers". These powers enable superhuman feats including flight, the use of powerful energy weapons, and manipulation of the elements like fire, water, and electricity. The world is at peace thanks to the efforts of a world-spanning corporation known as the Sumeragi Group. However, the Sumeragi Group is, in reality, controlling and experimenting on adepts. Gunvolt, one of the most powerful adepts, has the ability to create electrical fields and works for an organization known as QUILL, which is seeking to reveal and put a stop to Sumeragi's ulterior motives.

One day, on a critical mission to destroy Sumeragi's Adept radar, the virtual pop idol Lumen, Gunvolt is shocked to discover that Lumen is in fact a young Adept girl named Joule, whose Septima, The Muse, is being used to hunt down Adepts. Rather than going through with the order and killing her, Gunvolt instead breaks her out, and vows to protect her as her guardian, resulting in his leaving from QUILL.

Determined to preserve Joule's new freedom, Gunvolt, and his remaining allies at QUILL, continue their war for Adepts, all the while, a shadowy, powerful figure in Sumeragi continues his hunt for his lost Muse...

Main Characters

See also: Minor Characters#Games

Character Image
Gunvolt - Voiced by Kaito Ishikawa (石川界人)

The main protagonist. Also known as "The Azure Striker" or "GV", Gunvolt was a member of the resistance group QUILL until he came across Joule. Instead of killing her as his orders say, Gunvolt takes her in and leaves QUILL, though he still accepts missions from them.

Gv p
Joule - Megu Sakuragawa (櫻川めぐ)

Joule is an adept who was being controlled by Sumeragi because of her Septimal power.

Joule p
Lumen - Megu Sakuragawa (櫻川めぐ)

Lumen, also known as the Muse, is a projection of Joule's power. She is used by the Sumeragi to control adepts. Some of her songs are played during the game and she can "reincarnate" Gunvolt.

Lumen p
Asimov - Voiced by Masashi Yukita (雪田将司)

One of the co-founders and leaders of QUILL, Asimov is the one who took Gunvolt into QUILL and effectively raised him, becoming a father figure to him. Aloof and serious, yet somewhat eccentric in his use of English nouns and fascination with Japanese culture, he, along with his teammates, continues to guide Gunvolt after his departure.

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Moniqa - Voiced by Moemi Otaka (尾高もえみ)

A calm, rational young woman who serves as tech support for her teammates. Unlike many of QUILL's members, she is a normal human with no Septima.

Monika p
Zeno - Voiced by Haruki Ishiya (石谷春貴)

An eccentric young otaku of an Adept, Zeno is another agent of QUILL that often provides behind-the-scenes backup for GV.

Gino p
Nova Tsukuyomi - Voiced by Ayumu Murase (村瀬歩)

The main antagonist. A young, mysterious Sumeragi lieutenant, Nova is Sumeragi's most powerful adept and the commander of The Sumeragi Seven. He is in charge of the equally mysterious Project Muse, for which he desperately needs the power of The Muse.

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Merak - Voiced by Yuta Kasuya (粕谷雄太)

A young genius who is intelligent as he is lazy. Apathetic towards even his own life at times, he serves as a commander in Sumeragi's private army.

Septima: Wormhole. Boss of the mission Abyss (Subaquatic Base).

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Carrera - Voiced by Mao Onishi (大西真央)

Hailed as a powerful Adept Hunter who's speech is riddled with Old English, Carrera fights only in name of his selfish desire for power.

Septima: Magnetic Arts. Boss of the mission Spintronics (Datastore)

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Jota - Voiced by Taku Nakamura (中村たく) (Stage name: Shishimaru (獅子丸)

A former soldier, the arrogant Jota serves Sumeragi with the aim of protecting his nation at all costs from terrorists like QUILL.

Septima: Lightspeed. Boss of the mission Minaret (Media Tower).

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Elise - Voiced by Ayano (Ayano Ishimuroya (石室屋綾乃)

A young girl held prisoner by Sumeragi for her power over life and death, and subject to numerous cruel experiments which fractured her personality into different selves.

Septima: Rebirth. Boss of the mission Underworld (Stratacombs).

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Viper - Voiced by Koji Kawakami (川上晃二)

Once a violent gang leader, Viper joined Sumeragi after falling for Lumen's beautiful voice.

Septima: Explosion. Boss of the mission Conflagration (Biochem Plant)

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Stratos - Voiced by Takahiro Miwa (三輪隆博)

A once normal young man who has been driven completely mad by Sumeragi's cruel experiments. Only a drug known as S.E.E.D. keeps his voracious desires in check now.

Septima: The Fly. Boss of the mission Garden (Pharma Lab).

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Zonda - Voiced by Sho Nogami (野上翔)

This enigmatic, love-crazed Adept Hunter is said to wield a strange, yet powerful Septima. The mystique surrounding this Swordsman is so thick that even claims about Zonda's gender are inconsistent.

Septima: Phantasm Mirror.

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Copen - Kosuke Masuo (増尾興佑)

Gunvolt's de facto rival. Son of a Sumeragi scientist and an accomplished genius in his own right, Copen works against both QUILL and Sumeragi, with the vengeful goal of wiping out all Adepts.

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Development

Azure Striker Gunvolt was developed by Inti Creates, the Japanese video game development company that also created the Mega Man Zero series, Mega Man ZX, and both Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10.

Inti Creates later released an update for the game on March 5th, 2015 on the Nintendo eShop. The update fixes typos in the game's dialogue, fixes various bugs in the game, the ability to transfer save data from the demo version to the purchased version, new features only available to the New Nintendo 3DS, and more new and/or updated content.

Version History

3DS

Version date Details
1.0 Initial release.
1.1 [1] 2015.01.14
  • Added save data transfer from demo version.
  • Specification change so that the voice [live novel] when using the X button (message ON / OFF) automatically returns.
  • Fixed bug that made progression impossible.
  • Typo corrections.
  • Minor bug fixes.
1.2 2015.03.05
  • A new Boss Rush Mission is now playable: Earn 1000 Kudos to hear "Eternal Blue", the English version of Lumen's Beyond the Blue song!
  • A new song by Lumen, "Sakura Efflorescence", has been added to the list of songs available in normal mission playthroughs.
  • Support for the New Nintendo 3DS(TM): Use ZL / ZR Buttons to change weapons and enjoy faster load times, improved overall performance, etc.
  • Data from the demo version can be transferred to the full version, retaining all items and credits. This can only be done after the first playthrough of the demo version.
  • The ending theme song has been changed to Joule's new song "Cyanotype".
  • A bug that prevents players from progressing mid-game has been fixed.
  • Some script errors have been corrected.
  • Other small bug fixes.
1.3 2016.10.20
  • Japanese Voice Mode from the Steam version has been added. This restores mid-stage dialogue and voices that were cut from the original localization of the game.
  • The entire game has been re-localized to better match the addition of the voices.
1.4 2016.12.22
  • Fixed a bug where the game would crash upon starting Special Mission 5.

Soundtrack

The game's soundtrack was composed by Ippo Yamada, Ryo Kawakami, Katsunori Yoshino, and Mina Hatazoe, with Hakofactory writing the song lyrics, and Yamajet arranging. Nearly all vocal tracks are sung by Megu Sakuragawa in-character as Lumen, with Sachiko Hara singing Eternal Blue. It was released as the Armed Blue Official Soundtrack, and higher quality versions of the original eight vocal songs were also released as the album Azure Phosphorescence. The game's main theme is Beyond the Blue, with other vocal tracks including:

Special Promotion

If Azure Striker Gunvolt was purchased before November 28th, the owner received a code on their receipt to download Mighty Gunvolt. After the promotion ended, Mighty Gunvolt became available on the 3DS eShop for $3.99. A similar promotion occurred during the Steam release of Azure Striker Gunvolt.

Trailers and Other Footage

1st trailer
Introduction video
English 2nd trailer
Japanese 2nd trailer
Prototype footage
English Steam ver. trailer
English Steam ver. trailer (long ver.)
Japanese Steam ver. trailer
Japanese Steam ver. trailer (long ver.)

Cut Content

  • According to Toshiaki Tai in the Official Complete Works interview, Zonda was intended to be a boss in GV1, but was ultimately shelved. While Zonda did end up as a boss in Mighty Gunvolt, Tai wanted to use the character in a main game, hence the inclusion in Azure Striker Gunvolt 2.[2]
  • Plasma Legion may have been intended to be a boss for GV1, since the design first appeared in the Armed Blue Gunvolt Official Soundtrack booklet with a "Does not appear in this game" disclaimer, and concept art of it in the Official Complete Works is placed in the first game's section and depicts it in what appears to be Eridu. Its soundtrack booklet profile also speaks of delays due to confusion in development, and hints at the proposal for its Aero Runner SP skill contributing to the confusion. Additionally, the medium boss Mantis Legion's profile refers to it as something ordered by the Sumeragi top brass to "make it in time" and it "not being the machine the developers really wanted to make".
  • Also within the Armed Blue Gunvolt Official Soundtrack booklet, there is an epilogue that was made near the end of GV1's development, which was not finished in time for the final game. It reveals Copen's survival and shows him reclaiming his stolen gun, which is stained with Asimov's blood and with it a sample of the Azure Striker.
  • There exists an unused portrait of Gunvolt within the game's files, possibly intended for the true ending mission.
  • There are three unused music themes within the game files. Two are slightly modified versions of Copen and Nova's second battle themes, while the third is a remix of the Sumeragi boss theme which appears to have been intended for Asimov. The normal Sumeragi and Asimov battle themes are listed as GV_BGM_015 and GV_BGM_019 respectively, while the unused theme is listed twice as GV_BMG_015a and GV_BMG_019a.
  • Merak was originally intended to be the intro boss in 1st Sumeragi, and was demonstrated in the stage for the game's prototype footage, but this idea was dropped. It was later used in Azure Striker Gunvolt: The Anime.[2]
  • Designer Munehiro Araki wanted the opening scene with Romeo to take place in a torture room, but the idea was discarded. He also drew a wooden horse, but this was deemed "too dangerous", and in the end it became a normal storage room.[2] Torture instruments did appear in the anime, however.
    • As reported by the official Inti Creates Twitter account, according to Tsuda the original Romeo scene was so hardcore that it was CERO Z rating (18 years or older audiences only) class content and unsuitable to be shared on Twitter. Only one keyword hint was given: Bathrobe.[3]
  • In the game's reveal trailer, as well as prototype footage, Voltaic Chains cost 2 SP. This was changed to 3 SP in the final release.

Gallery:

Unused themes:

Character Music
Copen
Nova
Sumeragi/Asimov

Character Ranking Polls

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Inti Creates EN Christmas poll image

Inti Creates conducted three different character polls to determine the Halloween 2014, Christmas 2014, and Hanami (cherry blossom viewing party) 2015 wallpaper character placements.

Halloween poll

The Halloween poll was exclusively conducted by the Japanese Inti Creates Twitter account and the wallpaper featured nearly all characters in the game. Elise came in first place and got the most prominent spot.

Total votes: 241 (including 21 invalid votes).[4] Final results:[5][6]

Rank Character Votes Costume
1 Elise 62 Witch
2 Zonda 49 Scantily clad mummy
3 Stratos 22 Beelzebub?
4 Asimov 14 Grim reaper
4 Joule 14 Catgirl
6 Lumen 12 Devil
7 Moniqa 11 Maid
8 Zeno 8 Jester
9 Gunvolt 7 Vampire hunter?
10 Copen 6 Knight
11 Viper 5 Copen's steed
12 Nova 3 Vampire
12 Jota 3 Seraph
12 Merak 3 Bear pyjamas
15 Carrera 1 Frankenstein's monster

Christmas poll

The Christmas poll was conducted by both the Japanese and English accounts and featured six high ranking characters. Full English results were not disclosed. Elise, Lumen, Moniqa, and Joule got on the wallpaper, along with Gunvolt and Asimov in doll form. A picture with just Joule, and a picture with Joule, Lumen, and doll GV were also released.

Total votes: 260 (including 7 invalid votes)[7]

English results:[8]

Rank Character
1 Gunvolt

Japanese results:[9][10] (GV and Asimov were erroneously listed as 19 votes, which was corrected in a later tweet.[11])

Rank Character Votes
2 Joule 41
2 Gunvolt 29
2 Asimov 29
4 Lumen 24
5 Zonda 17
5 Elise 17
5 Moniqa 17
8 Copen 14
8 Merak 14
10 Viper 13
10 Jota 13
12 Stratos 9
13 Zeno 8
14 Nova 5
15 Carrera 3

Hanami poll

The Hanami poll was conducted by the Japanese Twitter account, while the English side used a poll on the official Inti Creates English website instead,[12] The wallpaper featured six high ranking characters, and uniquely the winners of the Japanese (Nova) and English (Joule) polls were both given front placement instead of votes being combined.

English poll results: (Total votes: 323)[13]

Rank Character Votes
1 Joule 43
2 Lumen 37
3 Gunvolt 34
3 Copen 34
5 Creepy Electro-whip Guy (Romeo) 29

Japanese poll results (Total votes: 195):[14][15][16]

Rank Character Votes
1 Nova 26
2 Zonda 25
3 Zeno 18
4 Joule 17
5 Asimov 13
5 Lumen 13
7 Stratos 12
8 Creepy Electro-whip Guy (Romeo) 10
8 Merak 10
14 Elise 9
14 Moniqa 9
12 Jota 8
13 Mushroom (the bird from a home convo) 6
13 Viper 6
15 Gunvolt 6
16 Copen 4
17 Dr. Kamizono 1
17 Kanedoboo (Comcept Inc. pig mascot) 1
17 Spyder 1
17 Carrera 1

Reception

Azure Striker Gunvolt received positive reviews, with many praising the art style and gameplay, though it did receive some minor criticism for its similar plot to the Mega Man Zero series.

The Steam release initially received harsh reviews due to the numerous technical issues. As these issues were patched and exclusive modes were added in, the port began receiving more positive reception.

The game sold over 100,000 units six months after its release, described as well for "a download-only Nintendo 3DS game." From 90,000 to 170,000, each milestone was celebrated with artwork by character designer Munehiro Araki. The 100k milestone received two different illustrations.

By May 28th 2016 three-fourths of sales were overseas.[17] As of June 30th 2016 sales in North America were 2.5 times greater than in Japan.[18]

Although one of the intended demographics was children and the goal was to get them into action games, when Inti Creates created a graph to classify player age ranges it was found that less than 1% of players were elementary school children, something which disappointed director Tsuda a bit.[19]

Timeline of 3DS e-shop sales milestones:

Sales Date Illustration
90,000 Jan 8, 2015.[20] GV1 90k
100,000 Mar 13, 2015.[21] GV1 100k 1

GV1 100k 2

110,000 Apr 27, 2015.[22] GV1 110k
120,000 Jun 28, 2015.[23] GV1 120k
130,000 Sep 11, 2015.[24] GV1 130k
140,000 Jan 26, 2016.[25] GV1 140k
150,000 Mar 24, 2016.[26] GV1 150k
160,000 May 26, 2016.[27] GV1 160k
170,000 Jul 14, 2016.[28] GV1 170k
180,000 May 1, 2017.[29]
250,000 Sep 7, 2017.[30]

External Links

References

  1. GV1 home site (JP)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Gunvolt Official Complete Works interview
  3. https://twitter.com/GunvoltOfficial/status/505008116904112128
  4. GunvoltOfficial tweet about Halloween poll conclusion
  5. GunvoltOfficial tweet about Halloween poll ranks 1 through 4
  6. GunvoltOfficial tweet about Halloween poll ranks 6 through 15
  7. GunvoltOfficial tweet about Christmas poll results
  8. Inti Creates EN tweet about Christmas poll results
  9. GunvoltOfficial tweet about Christmas poll ranks 15 through 8
  10. GunvoltOfficial tweet about Christmas poll ranks 5 through 1
  11. GunvoltOfficial tweet about Christmas poll results correction
  12. http://inticreates.com/new-gunvolt-wallpaper-24-hour-voting-content/
  13. IntiCreatesEN tweet about Hanami poll results
  14. GunvoltOfficial tweet about Hanami poll results and ranks 17 through 13
  15. GunvoltOfficial tweet about Hanami poll ranks 12 through 4
  16. GunvoltOfficial tweet about Hanami poll results and ranks 3, 2, and 1
  17. 4Gamer.net interview with Aizu and Tsuda for Inti Creates' 20th anniversary.
  18. https://cgworld.jp/feature/201606-e3-indies-3.html
  19. Dengeki Online interview with Aizu, Tsuda, and Inafune, part 2 (English translation)
  20. https://twitter.com/IntiCreatesEN/status/553176849430216706
  21. https://twitter.com/IntiCreatesEN/status/576260640722972672
  22. https://twitter.com/IntiCreatesEN/status/592825635296292866
  23. https://twitter.com/GunvoltOfficial/status/615354565567881216
  24. https://twitter.com/IntiCreatesEN/status/642321716199292929
  25. https://twitter.com/GunvoltOfficial/status/692183842552168452
  26. https://twitter.com/GunvoltOfficial/status/713200023190659072
  27. https://twitter.com/GunvoltOfficial/status/736029786535919616
  28. https://twitter.com/GunvoltOfficial/status/753787519087419392
  29. https://www.4gamer.net/games/314/G031464/20170512116/
  30. https://twitter.com/IntiCreatesEN/status/905973583016591360

Navigation

Series Navigation

Azure Striker Gunvolt, Luminous Avenger iX, and Mighty Gunvolt series
Video Games
Azure Striker Gunvolt series Azure Striker Gunvolt 1Azure Striker Gunvolt 2Azure Striker Gunvolt 3
Luminous Avenger iX series Luminous Avenger iX 1Luminous Avenger iX 2
Mighty Gunvolt / Gal*Gunvolt series Mighty Gunvolt / Gal*GunvoltMighty Gunvolt Burst / Gal*Gunvolt Burst
Other Striker PackGUNVOLT RECORDS CychronicleAzure Striker Gunvolt (DOS)
Side Stories and Other Media
Drama CDs Justice RageAdmiration to PeaceLazy KingdomArmed Blue GunvoltShort StoriesClockwork DaydreamEden's PartyIsola: Full Power IdolPrologue: The Muse of HopeSpectrum Theater
Other Side Stories Fleeting MemoriesCopen's StoryJoule's StoryGV and Quinn's Story
Miscellaneous Azure Striker Gunvolt: The AnimeArmed Blue: Gunvolt (manga)
Non-story Media Dengeki Nintendo Character ProfilesArmed Blue: Gunvolt Complete Works
Soundtracks
Official Game Soundtracks Armed Blue Gunvolt Official SoundtrackArmed Blue Gunvolt: Sou SoundtrackLUMINOUS AVENGER IX SOUNDTRACKLUMINOUS AVENGER IX 2 SOUNDTRACKMighty Gunvolt Original Soundtrack
Official Vocal Albums Azure PhosphorescenceAzure Trance -Into the Blue-Electro RotationAkashic RecordRoRo MelodiesRoRo Robotics VoxButterfly's Journey
Fan Discs Justice RageAdmiration to PeaceLazy KingdomClockwork DaydreamEden's PartyIsola: Full Power IdolPrologue: The Muse of HopeSpectrum Theater
Limited Edition and Other Promotional Soundtracks Morpho Song Re-collection -2018 Remix-Cyber Diva Roro Medley CDMighty Gunvolt Burst Original SoundtrackArmed Blue Gunvolt Gibs Soundtrack CDARMED BLUE: GUNVOLT Anime BGM Collection & Anime Song Collection
Other MORPHO VIRTUAL LIVE 2020 (Blu-ray)

Azure Striker Gunvolt Navigation

Azure Striker Gunvolt 1
Main Pages Game PageGallerySoundtrack (Azure Phosphorescence) • CreditsStory Scripts
QUILL and co. GunvoltJoule (Lumen) • AsimovZenoMoniqa
Boss Characters NovaMerakJotaViperCarreraEliseStratos | Copen
Other Characters ZondaRomeoMinor CharactersMedium BossesCommon Enemies
Main Missions Anthem (1st Sumeragi)Abyss (Subaquatic Base)Minaret (Media Tower)Conflagration (Biochem Plant)Spintronics (Datastore)Underworld (Stratacombs)Garden (Pharma Lab)Kaleidoscape (Sinner's Row)
Final and Special Missions Hostage (Urban Run)Streak (Eridu)Stratosphere (Babel)Idolatry (Firmament) / Azure (Firmament) | Special Missions
Songs Beyond the BlueReincarnationNebulous ClockAzure DoorPain from the PastScorching JourneyRouge ShimmerA Zip to the MoonSakura EfflorescenceEternal BlueCyanotype
Story Elements AdeptsSumeragi GroupQUILLGlaives
Gameplay Mechanics Score and Kudos (Secrets) • Equipment (Materials) • SkillsChristmas Mode
Fan Discs Justice RageAdmiration to PeaceLazy Kingdom
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