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The Knight Sabers with Genom Tower in the background. |
Background Information
Bubblegum Crisis first came out in 1987 and was produced Artmic and Youmex. The series follows the adventures of the Knight Sabers, a mercenary group that takes on the excesses of the ultra-powerful Genom, a mega corporation that produces artificial life forms called Boomers. As the Boomers have a way of runnung amok and the AD Police meant to combat them is often incompetent, the Knight Sabers step in to fill the void with their superior technology.
The original series is infamous for not having a true ending and for sending its producer Artmic into legal turmoil. Nevertheless, it was a big success and fans consider it one of the peaks of the OVA boom of the 1980s and early 90s, and a classic in the cyberpunk genre. Its soundtrack is undoubtedly one of the best ever made for an animated series.
Bubblegum Crisis has spawned several spinoffs and sequels:
- Bubblegum Crash
- AD Police Files
- Parasite Dolls
- Several RPG games
- Several video games
There is also a different continuity, the 2040 version.
Standing in the Battledome
Bubblegum Crisis depicts a human civilization on the verge of reaching Type I on the Kardashev Scale. It has advanced military technology with space-based orbital weapons that have superseded nukes as a primary deterrent. Its cybernetic warfare is also advanced, with certain Boomers being able to incorporate and absorb other technology. Advanced artificial intelligence and biotechnology make for armies of formidable Boomers and there is a sprawling network of space satellites of both a military and civilian nature.
The Knight Sabers have hard suits with compact and powerful railguns, lasers, high-vibration blades, advanced hacking abilities, and so on.
Character Profiles
Coming soon.
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Background Information
Breath of Fire is a long-running role-playing video game series developed by Capcom, better known for its action and fighting games. It originated on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. The series is notable for its recurring characters and ambiguous continuity. The game is like Final Fantasy; the stories are tenuously connected but share various species, characters, and gameplay elements. The names of the two lead characters are usually Ryu and Nina.
The story commonly involves a blue-haired hero adventurer named Ryu, after the Japanese word dragon. He can shapeshift into different types of dragons. Throughout his journey, he befriends Nina, a girl with angelic bird wings who is usually a skilled mage. At its inception, Breath of Fire occurred in a medieval fantasy-style fictional world where humans live side to side with anthropomorphic animals or animal hybrids and sometimes talking plants. Following the mainstream success of Japanese role-playing games in the 1990s, the series began using the original anime-style artwork for later Western releases of the games (rather than the Westernized art that was drawn specifically for the Western releases of the first two games), post-apocalyptic themes, and an increased emphasis on character development. Despite these changes, the core structure of Breath of Fire remains essentially linear and plot-focused. As of 2016, six Breath of Fire titles were released, with three games being ported to handheld game consoles and Nintendo's Virtual Console and two to the Nintendo Switch's Super NES games library. By 2022, the series had sold over 3.3 million copies.
The first three games are connected, albeit separated by hundreds or even thousands of years at a time. The fourth game takes place in an alternate universe, though some argue whether it's a prequel to the first three games. The fifth and sixth games are not connected with the others or each other.
Breath of Fire
Thousands of years ago, the goddess Myria sowed discord amongst the Dragon Clan by offering to grant any wish. Feuding over the goddess' favor eventually split the Clan into two competing factions the Light Dragons and the Dark Dragons who engaged in a destructive war. Myria encouraged the fighting and watched the war escalate. Finally, just as the world was on the brink of destruction, the "Goddess War" ended when a heroic Light Dragon and his companions managed to imprison Myria and seal her away with six keys. Each key has a unique magical property that affects the surrounding landscape; the Light Key is hidden in the port town of Auria, providing boundless prosperity for its residents. Alternatively, the Dark Key resides near the slums of Bleak, accounting for that town's perpetual darkness.
The Dark Dragons continue to hunt their longtime enemies, the Light Dragons, and have driven them into isolation. Unbeknownst to the Dark Dragons, the Light Dragon Clan sealed away its dragon powers long ago. The game's protagonist, Ryu, lives peacefully in a village of Light Dragons survivors. Ryu was orphaned when he was young and was raised by his sister, Sara, a priestess who can summon powerful magic. One night he dreams of a dragon that warns him of impending danger; he awakens to find his village has been set ablaze. Sara uses her magic to draw the Dark Dragons away from Ryu and the other villagers but is taken, prisoner. The Dark Dragon Emperor, Zorgon, has announced that it is the birthright of the Dark Dragons to conquer the planet. Zog intends to release Tyr by assembling the six Goddess keys. Ryu leaves the village and embarks on a quest to collect the keys before Zorgon can.
Breath of Fire II
The fictional world of Breath of Fire II is very reminiscent of the previous game, though very few locations have survived the 500-year transition. Windia, home to the royal Wing Clan, still resides to the north. New species include the Shell Clan, a race of giant armadillos, and the Creeping Clan, a monarchy of artisan frogs. The Dragon Clan from Breath of Fire has perished, leaving only scattered statues as proof of their existence. A new religious idol named St. Eva has replaced the Dragon God, and the St. Eva church is rapidly becoming popular all over. Long ago, a demon attacked the woodland town of Gate Village. According to local legend, a huge dragon suddenly appeared and banished the demon. The dragon can still be found slumbering on the outskirts of Gate Village, where it guards the entrance to Infinity.
Ryu Bateson begins the game as a young boy, the son of a priest in the town of Gate. When his sister Yua Bateson goes missing, Ryu's father asks him to fetch her before she gets into trouble. Ryu's search eventually leads him to the wilderness outside Gate, where he finds Yua napping beneath the head of a sleeping dragon. Acting on Yua's advice, Ryu follows suit and falls asleep under the dragon. When he awakens, his family disappears, and no one in town recognizes him. Later that night, a young orphan named Bosch decides to loot the church. Finding nothing of interest, he accompanies Ryu to another town. Many years later, Ryu and Bosch are living in the Town of Origin, performing odd jobs for the Ranger's Guild. After an item is stolen from the home of a wealthy man, Bow is falsely accused of the theft and forced to flee. With the authorities out looking for him, Bosch is left with little recourse but to go into hiding, leaving Ryu to find the real thief.
Breath of Fire III
Long ago, the world's inhabitants lived in technological bliss during the Age of Machines. The machines had one primary purpose: to prevent the Desert of Death from consuming the lands by keeping them at bay. However, war and quarrels ensued between the people of the land, and the area was entirely swallowed by sand. In anguish over being unable to save the people, the goddess split the world into two continents, dividing them by a barrier of water known as the Outer Sea. The Desert of Death was contained in the former continent, allowing life to flourish in the latter. The goddess maintained an ongoing construction of machines, sending them to the hospitable continent through a giant transportation vehicle known as the Black Ship, aiding the humans in rebuilding society. However, the threat to the world was not yet over. In fear that the world would one day be destroyed by the power kept by the Dragon Clan, the goddess created four Guardians. She gave them one objective; to find and eradicate every member of the Dragon Clan to eliminate that threat. However, the Dragon Clan never fought back or made any form of resistance. As a result, the once proud clan was virtually eradicated.
The story begins when a dragon whelp turns up alive in a mine. It escapes and takes the form of a boy named Ryu. The first part of the game is about Ryu trying to survive and find his friends, Rei, a Woren, and his sidekick, Teepo. The second part has an adult Ryu, and his friends investigate why the dragons were killed.
Breath of Fire IV
Like previous games in the series, Breath of Fire IV takes place in a fantasy world inspired by classical European and Japanese folklore. Several races resembling humans and anthropomorphic animals populate the land, carrying a predominate medieval sword and sorcery theme. The world itself is divided into two distinct cultural halves: the Western Fou Empire, modeled after feudal China and East Asia, and the Eastern Kingdoms, with areas resembling both Medieval Europe and Arabia. While both cultures remain in an uneasy alliance following years of turbulent war, the actions of several military officials threaten to pull the world apart again. Watching over humanity are the Endless, immortal godlike beings who take the form of dragons and control the elements that sustain the world. Much of the plot deals with the central characters' interaction with the people and Endless who inhabit the earth.
The story begins with Nina, princess of Wyndia, departing with her childhood friend Cray to search for her missing sister Elina, who's also Cray's fiance. Along the way, they stumble upon Ryu, who doesn't remember a thing besides his name: Not who he is or why he's stranded and stark naked in the middle of the desert. Running parallel to Ryu's story is that of Fou-Lu, an ancient emperor who awakens in his burial tomb halfway across the world in the Fou Empire to reclaim the throne that he left behind 600 years ago. Unfortunately for him, those involved no longer want to give the power up to anyone, not even to an ancient god-emperor and founder of the Fou empire. As the story progresses and our heroes travel worldwide, it becomes clear that Ryu and Fou-Lu's destinies are intricately entwined and key to Ryu's memories.
Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter
Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter takes place where humanity has been forced underground due to the misuse of powerful genetically engineered beings called Dragons. The people are ruled by a powerful and oppressive government headed by the mysterious Regents. Life and society are determined by the D-Ratio, a caste system where the aptitude and value of a human being are determined at birth; high-ranking D-Ratios can live in the better sectors and have the opportunity to advance to high-ranking government positions. At the same time, people with low D-Ratios are limited in where they can live and what they can do for society. Once a D-Ratio is determined for a person, it is set for life and can never be changed. Years of living underground have led to a very polluted environment, with rampant air pollution being a major problem. People with high D-Ratios live near the top of the shelter where the air is cleaner, while people of lower ranking are forced to live in the low sectors where the air quality is almost poisonous. With no natural way to raise and reproduce food, humanity turned to the science of genetic engineering to solve these issues. Genics are animals produced for various tasks by the BioCorp organization for use as a food source or labor purposes. Sometimes the Genics escape and go feral, causing multiple problems for the sectors. The Ranger organization was developed to work as a quasi-military police force that puts down rogue Genics and keeps the government's peace. However, the oppressive nature of society has caused much discontent among the people. Thus a secret anti-government organization known as Trinity, led by a former Regent, has been causing problems for the Rangers and the government as they fight back against the system. People have lived underground for so long that the "Sky" is considered a myth.
The story begins with Ryu, a lower-level citizen, and Ranger who happens across a young mute girl named Nina with a pair of artificial wings grafted to her back. Discovering that the polluted air of the lower levels is slowly killing her, he resolves to rebel against the government and take her to the surface where there is hopefully clean air. But Ryu's quest takes an unexpected twist when he accidentally fuses with a mysterious dragon, gaining the power to transform into an obscenely-powerful draconic hybrid but at the cost of his lifespan. Joining Ryu and Nina is Lin, a member of Trinity who wishes to topple the D-Ratio system and expose the secrets held by the six shadowy rulers of the underground world. But chasing them down are the government Regents and Bosch, a high-ranked aristocrat Ranger and Ryu's former partner, whose pursuit of the trio quickly becomes very personal.
Breath of Fire 6: Guardians of the White Dragon
The sixth game takes place 1000 years after an apocalyptic battle ended when a young man utilized the devastating "Power of the Dragon". The fallout from this conflict resulted in the gradual desertification of much of the world. Over the years, the peoples of the world have created new communities, paving the way for an era of peace. However, this tranquillity is interrupted when the expansionist Insidia Empire begins to covertly invade and conquer many of the world's smaller countries. One of the many territories that fell under the Empire's control was Dragnier Village, the home and birthplace of the Hero. In the wake of the Empire's attacks, the village was decimated, and many of its inhabitants were killed. Peridot, a traveling magician, finds the Hero unconscious and manages to wake them. The Hero regroups with their allies only to find that Ryu, the town's mayor, and the Hero's older brother, is missing. This sets into motion the player's quest to locate Ryu simultaneously and halt the spread of the Empire's power.
This was devastating for longtime fans because it was a Japan-only mobile game and received overwhelmingly negative player feedback, and its player base quickly shrunk. The game's server shut down on September 27, 2017, after only six of the game's eight planned episodes were released.
Standing in the Battledome
Breath of Fire as a whole is a fairly powerful verse. The first three games are around city level to planet level. Goddess Myria, with her powers sealed away into six Goddess Keys, are capable of causing earthquakes anywhere on the planet, turning night to day or day to night, turning spring into a perpetual winter, and time and space manipulation. Goddess Myria herself split two continents apart from each other. However, it's assumed that Goddess Myria was responsible for creating pocket dimensions containing countless stars in multiple dungeons, so likely star level to solar system level, depending on how long it took to create this. BoF1 Ryu and his party defeated her by combining into the Infinity Dragon. BoF3 Ryu defeated Goddess Myria without relying on a massive fusion form. Momo herself can summon a planetoid comet to hurl at foes, and BoF3 Ryu can fuse with her. Their speed is massively hypersonic+ due to Judas casually dodging ground to lightning magic from BoF1 Ryu's sister, Sara. BoF1 Ryu and his party defeated Judas. Cannon fodder bandits could react to BoF2 Nina's lightning magic. BoF3 Ryu and his party have fought machines that can shoot lasers.
Breath of Fire IV's top tiers is star level due to the party being capable of generating a supernova. Fou-Lu in Tyrant form can fly into outer space and fire a planet-size energy nuke. Ryu's Kaiser form can fly into outer space too and is Tyrant's equal. It also makes their speed sub-relativistic. Other Endless can summon meteors and generate planetary tsunamis, snowstorms, and rainstorms.
Breath of Fire V's top tier's destructive power is hard to determine. The dragons could decimate the outside world so much that it became uninhabitable and toxic for a while, so the population had to resort to living underground though it was unknown how long it took for the dragons to do this. Ryu’s dragon Odjn is also known as the Destroyer of Worlds. Ryu defeated the previously chosen one of Odjn, Elyon, who seemed still to inherit some of Odjn’s dragon features and powers. Defeated Bosch, the chosen of Chetyre, another dragon and enemy of Odjn. After Bosch’s defeat, Chetyre burst out of Bosch, reborn, only for Ryu to use all his power to kill it. The characters can react and block missiles, guns, and lightning magic making their speed massively hypersonic.
Their hax is pretty decent and ranges from reality warping, BFR, soul manipulation, mind manipulation, time manipulation, spatial manipulation, paralysis, transmutation, and instant death.
Supporters of the Series
- Papa Nier
- shade0180
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OBD Profiles
Character Profiles
Breath of Fire I
- Ryu
- Nina
- Gilliam
- Danc
- Manillo
- Builder
- Deis
- Mogu
- Zorgon
- Judas
- Goddess Myria
- Ladon
Breath of Fire II
- Ryu Bateson
- Bosch Doggy
- Rand Marks
- Rinpoo Chuan
- Nina Windia
- Sten Legacy
- Tapeta
- Aspara Gus
- Ray Bradoc
- Deathevan
- Barbaroi
Breath of Fire III
- Ryu
- Rei
- Teepo
- Nina
- Momo
- Peco
- Garr
- Balio & Sunder
- Mikba
- Gaist
- Elder Jono
Breath of Fire IV
- Ryu
- Nina
- Cray
- Ershin
- Scias
- Ursula
- Fou-Lu
- General Yohm
- Captain Rasso
Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter
- Ryu
- Nina
- Lin
- Bosch
- Violet Zeno
- Elyon
- Cupid
- Vexacion
- Hortensia
- Jezuit
- Deamoned
- Chetyre
- Dover
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Background Information
Hollow Knight is a hand-drawn 2D Metroidvania developed and published by independent Australian developer Team Cherry, after a successful Kickstarter campaign. It was released in February 2017 for PC via Steam. It was A Nintendo Switch port was released on June 12, 2018. A version with the subsequent free updates called Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 25, 2018. The concept behind Hollow Knight was originally conceived in 2013 in the Ludum Dare game jam. Team Cherry wanted to create a game inspired by older platformers that replicated the explorational aspects of its influences. Inspirations for the game include Faxanadu, Metroid, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and Mega Man X.
Here's a story summary, long ago, a great and powerful being known only as the Pale King once ruled over Hallownest, a vast and ancient land of bugkind buried deep underground. Though long fallen to ruin after a dimly remembered catastrophe, explorers and thieves still brave its dark roads, its caverns, and towers, searching for riches and wonders. Lately, though, something has changed. Villagers and explorers venturing into the caverns have stopped returning. The caverns throb and tremble with savage energy that sends creatures mad with rage and robs explorers of their memories.
As the enigmatic knight, players journey through the fallen kingdom of Hallownest in search of their origins, finding new areas, challenging several enemies and bosses, and gaining new abilities along their travels. The game is a platformer focused on exploration, featuring simple but fairly hectic melee combat and finding and equipping several ability-enhancing charms to augment the protagonist. The world is very open-ended, and acquiring a new power often opens up several new areas to explore in classic Metroidvania fashion. There's also a heavy focus on boss battles, with unique and challenging mandatory bosses plus over a dozen extra bosses in obscure places, with more extra challenges for the dedicated player. Like Souls games, the story is usually explored in pieces of lore and flavor text spread throughout the kingdom.
Over the course of its update history, the game has released four free expansion packs. The first, Hidden Dreams, was released on August 3rd 2017, being mostly a slight tweak to the base game that added in some new bosses and features. The second, The Grimm Troupe, was released on October 26th, 2017. It added a side quest that can be explored in the middle of the game and several new items and characters. The third, Lifeblood, was released on April 20, 2018. It focused entirely on optimizations to the game and some quality-of-life updates to features, such as allowing players to place their own map markers. The fourth and last free update, Godmaster, was released on August 23, 2018. It adds a new area explicitly devoted to a series of Boss Rushes, culminating in a gauntlet that has the player face off against every single boss in the game, with two new endings from besting the ultimate challenge.
Hollow Knight was well received by critics, with particular praise for its combat and difficulty level. By December 2020, the game had sold 3 million copies. A sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, is currently in development.
Standing in the Battledome
Hollow Knight is decently powerful. Most characters can destroy walls, stone pillars and metal posts, shake an entire chamber, obliterate a whole floor, and cause tremors. The best feat is upon the Hollow Knight's awakening; he shakes the entire Hallownest kingdom while creating a dense fog that also consumes Hallownest. There is also The Pale King's large form as a Wyrm who burrowed his way through mountains to arrive in Hallownest.
Their speed is around supersonic. Most characters can generate sonic booms and minor air distortions. Though it's debatable for the top tier characters being lightspeed. You have several minor characters and obstacles firing beams of light. Said light is referred to as light, travels in a straight line, burns on contact and reflects and refracts. Plus, the Radiance generates consecutive light, most likely with the sun's power. The Knight is capable of moving out of the way or dodging. Probably aim-dodging.
The universe has a substance called Soul, an arcane life force that animates creatures and can be found in the air itself. Soul can be used to cast spells, and the Knight (and all of the inhabitants) can absorb Soul either by taking it by force by other creatures by striking them. It's a combination of energy manipulation and soul manipulation. The Knight can use this to phase through walls or fire energy blasts that phase through inanimate objects. Most characters have strong resistance against this. There is another energy source called Essence, fragments of light that dreams and memories are composed of. Essence can also take the shape of those who have died. The Knight has been given a talisman to use, the Dream Nail, which creates an ethereal nail that transcends the physical plane, and cuts through the veil that separates the waking world from dreams. The Knight can use it on people (corpses included) and objects to read thoughts, enter their memories or dream realms, and gain Souls without killing or injuring anyone. The Dream Realm in the Hollow Knight universe is a plane beyond the physical world, a space between body and soul containing eternal dreams and memories of beings. Dreams can take shape in the waking world, such as Spirits via ghosts and the Whispering Roots. You also have the Dreamers, three beings that can BFR people into the Dream Realm. There is the Nightmare Essence, which takes the form of flames instead of light, is unique to the Nightmare Realm and the Grimm Troupe.
You have the Higher Beings that are god-like creatures that reside in the kingdom of Hallownest (might be others around the world) that exist above all others with particular abilities and powers common bugs don't have. The Pale King of Hallownest is a Wyrm that is described as a being of light and was able to expand the minds of bugs, giving them sapience. He has the power of foresight, and his power still lingers on even after his death. The Radiance, another Higher Being who created the Moth Tribe and ruled over parts of Hallownest before the Pale King arrived. Her light is described to be brighter than the light from Essence, the substance that dreams are made of. After Hallownest almost entirely forgot her, she started exerting her power through dreams of bugs that led to the Infection. There are characters with strong resistance to this Infection, like The Knight, Hornet and The Hollow Knight (before he became a seal for The Radiance). The Infection corrupts minds. In the Dream Realm, The Radiance seems to be the sun. It's unclear if she even has a physical form anymore, but The Knight can enter other characters' dreams and is physically there.
There is the Void that opposes the light and is referred to as darkness or shadow. This also means that the Void opposes the Higher Beings, such as the Radiance and the Pale King, who are described as light. The Void has potential when it unifies. The Pale King and the White Lady spawned Vessels that are beings of the Void and are Higher Beings. They also stated to have two souls, though Jinn also stated that The Knight has no soul. The Knight is a Vessel; they were able to obtain the Void Heart and unify the Void. With the Void unified, The Knight was able to defeat the Infection. The Knight and other Vessels physical forms can come back to life after death. This leaves behind a Shade an echo of their previous life that they can absorb back into themselves. Shades are their original forms, a liquid substance that can't truly die as long as the Void exists.
There have been debates if the inhabitants of Hollow Knight are bug size or human size. There is more evidence leading to human size. However, you might wonder why there are weapons called nails and needles, most likely an artistic choice.
Supporters of the Series
- Papa Nier
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OBD Profiles
Character Profiles
Protagonists
- The Knight
- Hornet
Hallownest
- Quirrel
- Cloth
- Nailmaster Mato
- Nailmaster Oro
- Nailmaster Sheo
- The Pale King
- False Knight
- Mantis Lords
- Soul Master
- Ogrim
- Broken Vessel
- Traitor Lord
- The Hollow Knight
- The Radiance
- Troupe Master Grimm
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Background Information
Grim Dawn is an action role-playing game (ARPG), developed and published by Crate Entertainment for Microsoft Windows in February 2016 and released for Xbox One in December 2021. Developed using the Titan Quest engine, it is set in a thematically dark apocalyptic fantasy world loosely based on the Victorian era and received generally favorable reviews from critics. The game is similar to Diablo.
The game takes place in Cairn, where a once proud empire has been brought to ruin, and the human race is driven to the edge of extinction. Cairn has become ground zero of an eternal war between two otherworldly powers, the Aetherials, who view human bodies as a resource to use, and the Chthonians, creatures from the void who are intent on destroying humanity before that can happen.
Humans, at some point, had come into communication with extra-dimensional beings. They learned things from the whisperings of these otherworldly entities and eventually attempted to open a portal to bring one across. Naturally, being paranoid of the unknown as humans often are, they also devised a way to imprison it once it came through. Through experimentation, they learned that these beings, made of aether, a sort of spiritual energy, could fuse themselves with the human mind, possessing and controlling their host if they could subvert the human's will. The researchers discovered that a human, once possessed, retained heightened abilities after the aetherial being was purged from them. Naturally, this research got out of control, as such things always do. The researchers brought over more aetherials, but they got loose. The aetherials could then open more portals into their own world, bringing over large numbers of their brethren. This cataclysmic war not only decimated human civilization but warped the very fabric of reality and, in its wake, gave life to new horrors. Humans have also replaced gold with iron as their currency, and civilization is nothing but a memory.
The world of Cairn can never be fully restored to how it once was. Grim Dawn is about survival and adaptation to the grim new reality. Small enclaves of human survivors exist scattered throughout the world, holed up in hidden refuges. These humans have quietly watched the warring invaders destroy one another and have become wise to the strengths and vulnerabilities of their otherworldly foes. A few survivors have begun to exhibit strange new abilities after surviving possession or exposure to the warp. These survivors are called Taken. Some fear these unnatural powers but give much new hope of launching a resistance to fight the "outsiders" and reclaim what's left of their world.
The player starts the game as an Aetherial-possessed human who was captured by a group of humans seeking refuge at Devil's Crossing, a prison with road access to many parts of Cairn that have since been destroyed or overrun by the Aetherials and their possessed human slaves. The leader of the refugees, Captain John Bourbon, gives the orders for you to be hung, but as you hang by the noose, the Aetherial possessing you escapes. Bourbon then cuts you from the noose despite some protests from the other refugees. When you awaken, you are given some basic equipment by the refugees at Devil's Crossing and are free to explore the world with your newfound abilities as a Taken, although you can choose to complete quests that will hopefully aid the remaining human survivors in ultimately stopping the Aetherial and Cthonian war which threatens to destroy Cairn entirely.
There are two expansions, Ashes of Malmouth and Forgotten Gods. The plot in Ashes of Malmouth centers around the Taken working alongside the Black Legion to assault the city of Malmouth, which has been converted into the Aetherials' main base where their leader, the Shaper of Flesh, is on the cusp of creating a new weapon that could shatter the human resistance and complete the Aetherial takeover of Cairn. In Forgotten Gods, the Taken is approached by the cults of the Witch Gods to confront a great evil in the Korvan Basin, an abandoned, sandy region to the far east of Cairn, whose resurgence would signal the destruction of not just Cairn but possibly the Eldritch realm itself.
Standing in the Battledome
Grim Dawn is a fairly powerful verse, there is a lot of cosmic horror and meddling between gods. Random people or monsters like the Behemoth is responsible for moving the stars in the sky, the Shieldmaiden is responsible for keeping the stars there, the Spider traps stars for the gods and Targo the Builder is responsible for creating the tapestry upon which all stars are set. People can ascend and become gods or be forcibly turned into gods. Such is the case with the Three Witch Gods, Dreeg, Bysmiel, and Solael were all mortals before achieving godhood through merit or punishment. The gods also turned Rhowan's throne and scepter into constellations. Along with his crown. Yugol is so powerful that he threatens to destroy everything that the primordial gods created, and he is only stopped by the sunlight of thousand-thousand suns. The Dying God Ch'thon was the father of all of the gods, and his children betrayed him. It was Empyrion who defeated him. The Taken defeated Korvaak a primordial god who rivals Ch'thon. Korvaak can create an entire constellation of stars and should be as powerful as his brother Empyrion, who pierced Ch'thon with the Spear of Heaven. Korvaak is faster than the Behemoth, who can move stars around the universe. This scales to the other gods and the Taken.
There are multiple legendary magical types of equipment, such as boots where someone can potentially transcend infinite timelines. Maces forged in the heart of dying suns that can puncture holes in reality. Guns that can rip through the fabric of reality. A bunch of daggers that can cut through time and dimensions. Some other daggers that are imbued with Ch'thon's power. Scepters with Ultos's power, God of the Sky who can cause cataclysmic storms.
All the classes are capable of devotions, which allows the Taken to draw the power of primordial and ascendant gods. Occultists, in particular, can channel the power of the Three Witch gods and become the mortal vessel for Solael. This potentially includes the Taken. Occultists can manipulate entropic energies that can rupture the fabric of reality. Oathkeepers can temporarily achieve ascension, Inquisitors also have a Word of Power that lets them kill things with their voice. Arcanists can become Avatars of the Aether and freeze things at absolute zero. Aether is Grim Dawn's equivalent of radiation but on steroids, as it can alter and distort living creatures. Every mortal has the blood of Ch'thon flowing through their veins. Everyone can interact with intangible beings made out of all kinds of energy and elements. Any Takens are immune to possession and can summon Riftgates that open portals to the Void to travel, potential BFR. Other hax abilities the verse has, in general, include precognition, paralysis, petrification, life drain, blood manipulation, mind manipulation, illusion creation, soul manipulation, making creatures vulnerable to elemental manipulation or energy-based attacks, inflicting diseases, inflicting instant necrosis, bone manipulation, reality warping, negating regeneration, transferring damage to someone and disintegration. The Taken and other notable characters have high resistance to these abilities too.
The verse rivals other RPGs like Arcanum and potentially Divinity.
Supporters of the Series
- Papa Nier
- Atem (Gwyn)
OBD Profiles
Character Profiles
- The Taken
- Inquistor Creed
- Ulgrim
- Captain John Bourbon
- Warden Krieg
- Theodin Marcell
- Darius Cronley
- Bysmiel
- Dreeg
- Solael
- Mogdrogen
- Ch'thon
- Empyrion
- Korvaak
- The Ravager
- Lokarr
- Callagadra
- Crate of Entertainment
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Background Information
The Yokoverse is a collection of fantasy or sci-fi works by Yoko Taro, ranging from video games, novels, mangas, CD dramas, and a stage play, all of which take place within the same multiverse. There is some argument of Drakengard 2 not being canon due to some inconsistencies and not being developed by Yoko Taro, but he was the video editor. Completely irrelevant now due to there being a multiverse. Like Nasuverse, much of its complexity of information is present within scattered interviews and databooks.
This section will only cover the summary of the main games.
Drakengard 1
Drakengard takes place in a world named Midgard, protected from the Watchers by four Seals: the Seal of the Ocean; of the Desert; of the Forest; and the Goddess of the Seals herself. The Cult of the Watchers has subjugated the Empire and seeks to summon the Watchers by destroying the four Seals. During all this, the player follows Caim, a prince of a kingdom besieged by the Empire, and is on a mission to destroy the Empire while also protecting his sister Furiae. Also known as the Goddess, Furiae is part of the four Seals that protect the world from the Watchers; she is a living Seal, and her death would bring chaos and destruction to Midgard. Caim is joined initially on his quest by Inuart, his best friend and Furiae's betrothed, before she becomes a Goddess. At the beginning of the game, Caim is mortally wounded during his one-army rampage while rushing to his sister's rescue. Towards Furiae's castle amid a battle, Caim discovers a chained and wounded red dragon in the courtyard. Caim has a grudge against dragons as an Imperial black dragon killed his parents. However, despite his hatred for dragons, Caim proposes that the two should form a pact to save them both. In forging a pact, Caim can control the dragon during flight, has access to the dragon's vast strength, and can telepathically converse with the red dragon or any pact user, but gives up his voice in exchange. However, if either of the pact partners dies, so will the other, and it seems the pain one feels is transferred to the other as well. Caim is eventually accompanied by four other characters, the circumstances of each being varied and always tragic or just messed up in general.
Drakengard 2
Drakengard 2 is a direct sequel to Drakengard 1, initially placed in the timeline following the events of Ending A. In 2013 within the Drag-On Dragoon 3 Complete Guide + Settings, the game was retconned into an isolated timeline. While the events preceding the game mirror Ending A of Drakengard 1, it no longer follows the true Ending A. The game begins with Nowe, the protagonist joining the Knights of the Seal, whose purpose is to protect the keys holding the red dragon's seal in place, which prevents the end of the world. Nowe begins to wonder about the ethics of the Knights when he discovers that the keys are powered by the life force of some of the land’s citizens. His faith is further shaken when General Gismor tries to poison him, then reveals that he poisoned his predecessor, General Oror, Nowe’s adoptive father. Nowe’s anger prompts him to attack Gismor, severing his arm, before fleeing from him and the other Knights. Eris, a friend of Nowe’s within the Knights, sets off to convince Nowe to return. While on the run, he is accompanied by a dragon named Legna. They soon meet Manah, a sorceress, on a quest to free the people from the Knights' rule. Nowe decides to join her. During their travels, they meet Urick, an ex-Knight who trained under General Oror.
NieR
NieR is a spin-off and an indirect sequel to Drakengard 1 after Ending E and taking place on Earth. In 2003, a large, monstrous humanoid creature landed in Tokyo and was killed by a mysterious creature resembling a dragon before the Japanese airforce shot down the dragon. In the aftermath, a disease called White Chlorination Syndrome began killing people or converting them into zombie-like monsters, resulting in the near-extinction of the human race. Mankind survives the conflict, but at the cost of nearly all of humanity dying. The remaining survivors do their best to survive in a world robbed of resources and technology for the next thousand years. Yet the already dwindling population is again under threat from Black Scrawl, a disease that seems to be connected with the malevolent creatures known as Shades. One of the victims is a little girl named Yonah.
There are two versions of the game, Gestalt and Replicant, and each has a slightly different protagonist. The former is a burly middle-aged man who is Yonah's father, whereas the latter is a slender adolescent who is Yonah's elder brother. Though everything else remains the same, the age gap between the two protagonists produces a different context for the story, with the world-weary father contrasting sharply with his younger, foolishly-optimistic counterpart. In the summer of 2049/2053, a father/brother and daughter/sister take shelter from a prolonged snowstorm in the remains of a grocery store. Two mysterious black books lay on the ground near them, and the man, Nier, kicks it away as it taunts him about obtaining its power. The girl, Yonah, suffers from an uncontrollable cough, and the two struggle to find food.
Suddenly, the pair are attacked by strange humanoid creatures, and Nier has no choice but to accept the book's power to defeat them. However, after the altercation, Nier discovers that Yonah has also touched one of the books, which has a negative effect on her condition, worsening her cough and causing black markings to appear on her skin. Yonah collapses, and Nier calls for help as the camera pans away. 1,312/1,412 years later, a similar-looking man/young boy also named Nier searches for a cure for his daughter's/sister's illness. The world has seemingly regressed to that of a medieval age, Nier and Yonah living in a small village with modest amenities. Nier survives by hunting Shades and relying on the charity of his village, but he is powerless to help Yonah. However, after a chance encounter with a talking magic book named Grimoire Weiss, he discovers that there may be a cure after all and immediately sets out on a quest to find it, using his newfound Sealed Verse spells to cut down anything in his way. During his travels, he is joined by a scantily-clad, foul-mouthed swordswoman named Kainé, and Emil, a lonely young boy with terrible powers.
Drakengard 3
The third game in the Drakengard series, along with the supplementary manga Drag-On Dragoon: Shi ni Itaru Aka, is a prequel to the first game. Despite being a prequel, Drakengard 3 mostly follows separate timelines unrelated to the events of Drakengard. It explores more of Midgard than the first two games, as pacts or the seals do not exist yet. In the distant past, the dark ages swept the world with wars and tyranny, and the Intoner goddesses appeared before its suffering men. With the ability to manipulate magic through song, the goddesses subdued the world’s feudal lords, bringing peace to a rough earth. The goddesses were revered as Intoners and were entrusted with governing the world.
The Intoner known as One has a strong will to bring peace and stability to the world. She is the person who will unite the Intoners and stand on top of the world. But one day, her older sister Zero appears before her with a dragon. Zero, too, is an Intoner and the strongest of their kind. Zero then declares war on her sisters because the world doesn't need six Intoners but only one, that is herself. So what exactly are the Intoners? Dark clouds hang over the world once more.
NieR:Automata
NieR:Automata is set in the same universe as the Drakengard spin-off NieR, but Automata is set in its distant future, and the original game is not required viewing. The year is 11945 A.D. For thousands of years, mankind has been locked in a seemingly endless war against an alien invasion and their armies of "machine lifeforms". The last few remnants of humanity have been forced to take shelter on the Moon, from which they deploy intelligent android troops to liberate Earth in their stead.
To break this stalemate, humanity created a new organisation called YoRHA, comprising their most advanced android models and military technology to date. Stationed upon an orbital base called the Bunker, the YoRHA-model androids work tirelessly as the new frontline against the machine lifeforms occupying Earth. 2B (YoRHa No.2 TypeB) is an enigmatic but dedicated YoRHA combat model assigned to a plucky intelligence operative named 9S (YoRHa No.9 Type S). Together they are sent to the ruined surface of Earth to investigate the strange activities of the machine lifeforms, some of whom appear to mimic aspects of human civilisation.
SINoALICE
SINoALICE is set in a world called Library filled with countless stories. The characters within each story wish to revive their author for their desired future. To do so, they work together to gather Lifeforce and fight the Nightmares that devour stories, knowing they will inevitably have to kill each other to get their wish. This is what the characters are led to believe from the two puppets, Parrah and Noya. All the characters are twisted versions of the original characters, like how Red Riding Hood is a murder hobo and wants her author to make more play things that don't die for her. Sleeping beauty wants just to sleep and all other things to be removed from her story. All of them represent different concepts.
When the player reaches the Act of Reality, it's revealed the main character's twisted version isn't their real selves. Instead, it's revealed that the Library is a purgatory for those who have died, and characters like Alice, for example, is a 16-year-old high school student sleeping with one of her teachers who eventually became pregnant and ultimately committed suicide. Snow White's real name is Yukishita Miki, a 23-year-old nurse at a hospital in Shinjuku. She eventually became obsessed with the ideals of justice. The Library also acts as a purgatory for Drakengard and NieR characters, even androids like 2B, 9S, and A2 can appear here. Parrah and Noya also have connections to Accord from Drakengard 3
NieR Re[in]carnation
NieR Re[in]carnation is set within the NieR universe; the world occurs within the Cage, a series of towers and dungeons, sometime in the future. A girl awakens on a stone floor with no voice and no memories. Instead, she is greeted by a strange being calling itself Mama. To restore what she has lost and to redeem herself from past sin, the girl and Mama travel to reawaken fragments of a forgotten world in the form of the Weapons from the Dark Scarecrows.
However, each Weapon contains a threat, in a form resembling a flock of crows, that tries to corrupt its memories. Thus, the girl is tasked to aid Memory Characters in eliminating these invasive enemies to restore the Weapons’ original flow of its story. This, in turn, will help her regain her memories. As they ascend higher levels of the Cages, they run into a Dark Monster, with motives unknown whenever it appears and flees, as if leading them for some reason.
The first main story arc, "The Story of the Girl and the Monster", concludes in twelve chapters. After the ending of the first story, the next main story arc, "The Story of the Sun and the Moon", follows two high-school students from modern-day Japan as they're transported to the Cage. While both are determined to get back home, players can choose the Sun route (a girl trying to reconcile with her father) or the Moon route (a boy trying to save his mother).
Canonicity
- Drakengard
- Drakengard 2
- NieR (Gestalt & Replicant)
- Grimoire Nier Book
- NieR CD Drama
- The Fire of Prometheus
- Drakengard 3 Character Stories/Novellas
- Drakengard 3
- Drag-On Dragoon: Utahime Five
- Drag-On Dragoon: Shi ni Itaru Aka
- Drag-On Dragoon 3 Complete Guide + Setting
- Drag-On Dragoon 3 Story Side
- YoRHa Girls Ver.1.1a Stage Play
- NieR:Automata
- SINoALICE
- NieR:Automata: Long Story Short
- NieR:Automata: Short Story Long
- YoRHa:Dark Apocalypse
- NieR:Automata: YoRHa Boys
- NieR Re[in]carnation
- NieR Replicant Ver.1.22474487139…
Standing in the Battledome
The Yokoverse is a powerful verse with a few god tiers like the Management being in charge of the Cage and keeping the multiple worlds in check in NieR Re[in]carnation, Parrah and Noya from SINoALICE have control over the Library and can create worlds. Accord travelling while observing several timelines and parallel worlds. Parrah and Noya have some sort of connection to Accord due to being similar models. The low-tiers range from wall level to city block level, mid-tiers are city level to island level, and high-tiers are planet level+.
Mostly everyone's speed is massively hypersonic+. So while characters from NieR are FTL, some Drakengard characters could possibly scale.
They have some hax abilities such as reality warping, transmutation, infecting someone with a virus, matter manipulation, soul manipulation, mind manipulation, intangibility, ability to harm non-corporeals and intangibles, gravity manipulation, pseudo black holes, absorption, time manipulation, BFR, reactive evolution.
Supporters of the Series
- ChaosTheory123
- Papa Nier
- shieldbounce
- Xhominid The Fool
OBD Profiles
Character Profiles
Drakengard 1 Characters
Drakengard 2 Characters
- Nowe
- Eris
- Urick
- Gismor
- Oror
- Zhangpo
- Hanch
- Yaha
NieR Characters
- Nier
- Kaine
- Emil
- Devola and Popola
- The King of Facade
- Louise
- Halua
- The Adminstrators
- Hansel and Gretel
- Roc
- Hook
- Knave of Hearts
- Beepy
- Wendy
- Goose
- The Shadowlord
Drakengard 3 Characters
- Zero
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Cent
- Octa
- Decadus
- Dito
- Michael
- Mikhail
- Gabriel
- Gabriella
- Accord
- The Flower
- Male One
- Nero
- False One
NieR:Automata Characters
- 2B
- 9S
- A2
- Commander
- Anemone
- Jackass
- Simone
- Grun
- Pascal
- Adam
- Eve
- The Terminals (N2)
- Father Servo
- Prometheus
SINoALICE Characters
- Alice
- Snow White
- Cinderella
- Gretel
- Sleeping Beauty
- Red Riding Hood
- Kaguya
- Pinocchio
- Little Mermaid
- Dorothy
- Nutcracker
- Three Little Pigs
- Aladdin
- Rapunzel
- Hamelin
- Little Match Girl
- Parrah and Noya
NieR Re[in]carnation
- Fio
- Levania
- Carrier
- Hina Akagi
- Yuzuki Kurezome
- Rion the Wanderer
- Dimos the Clockwork Soldier
- Gayle the Prosthetic Hunter
- Akeha the Assassin
- Argo the One Who Challenges Mountains
- O63y the Man in White
- F66x the Woman in White
- Lars the Vengeful Young Soldier
- Griff a Young Captain of Deep Regrets
- Noelle the Sealed Girl
- Saryu the Silver-haired Witch
- Priyet the Unsightly Werebeast
- Marie the Virtual Songstress
- Yurie the Digital-Age Empress