Eternal Fighter Zero

Infobox VG
title = Eternal Fighter Zero


developer = Twilight Frontier
version = 4.02
released = December 30, 2001 (JP)
genre = Fighting
modes = 1-2 players
platforms = Windows
media = CD (2)
input = Keyboard or joystick

Eternal Fighter Zero is a series of doujin fighting games for PC computers produced by Twilight Frontier, including characters from the visual novels "Moon.", "", "Kanon", and "Air".

Although the all female cast originates from visual novels, many of the special abilities and the game's system itself draw heavily on many different prominent fighting games such as Street Fighter, King of Fighters and Guilty Gear. The characters' play-styles are tributes not only to the character herself, but also to popular fighting game characters. The plethora of references is due perhaps to the fact that EFZ is a dōjin game — a game made by fans for fans.

Gameplay

Eternal Fighter Zero uses four buttons to perform moves: Light, Medium, Heavy and Special. The game's graphical interface consists of 5 bars, with the 4th and 5th bars appearing with specific characters and situations. The first is Health (the largest bar), second is Special (the biggest bar at the bottom, which allows super moves (Eternity Specials) to be used), and Reinforce Gauge (the smallest of the bottom bars). The fourth bar appears below the Health bar for specific characters when using particular special moves or attacks. For example, a charge gauge which determines when a particular special attack can be used.

When a character is launched, a fifth bar appears below them. This slowly decreasing bar dictates how long the character can be juggled (hit while in the air to keep them afloat) before negating all attacks and allowing the victim to perform an air recovery.

pecial bar

The Special bar is used to perform Eternity Specials and Final Memory. The bar is charged by attacking an opponent, and it can reach a maximum of three levels. When an Enternity Special is performed, the bar drains correspondingly to the level of the move executed. Performing a Final Memory attack drains the bar completely.

Reinforce Gauge

The Reinforce Gauge plays a key role in "Eternal Fighter Zero"'s combat system. The gauge is charged slowly over time, and has three states:
*When the bar is dark blue, moves that require the Reinforce Gauge are unavailable. When the bar fills, it turns red.
*When the bar is red, two features are available to the player: Instant/Refrecant Charge and Reinforce Attacks. When a Reinforce Attack is used, the Reinforce Gauge turns goes down one meter, where the accumulated red meter reduces to dark blue status. When an Instant Charge is used, the Reinforce Gauge empties completely. If the Reinforce Gauge fully accumulates, it turns bright blue.

*When the bar is bright blue, it stops charging and both Instant Charges and Reinforce Attacks are available, draining only 25% of the meter per Reinforce Attack. When a character with a bright blue bar takes damage, the bar is drained relative to the damage received. When empty, the bar reverts to a dark blue state.

Instant and Refrecant Charge

Instant and Refrecant Charges reduce the delay of attacks to zero, making it possible to do a connection of attacks that are impossible to do normally. Instant Charges however, when activated with a blue bar, enhance the damage percentage ratings of all attacks up to 50%, the percentage slowly decreasing as the bar drains.

Reinforce Attacks

Reinforce Attacks (RF) enhance particular special moves with increased damage and other properties. RF attacks are simple to activate, and perhaps one of the easiest of the advanced tactics in this game. RF Attacks are generally useful for all levels of skill. High-level play however, usually reserves the Reinforce gauge for Instant Charges, allowing extended combos.

In general, the only difference between RF and normal attack will be the number of hits and their damage. However, some RF attacks have other properties, such as allowing the player to combo off a hit that would otherwise not be able to initiate a combo.

Eternity Special and Final Memory

Eternity Specials are powerful special attacks that drain the Special bar when performed. Most of these have three different levels, which determine the power and sometimes nature of the attack, as well the number of Special bar levels it consumes. Level 3 attacks drain the bar entirely, while weaker level 1 attacks drain it only 1/3 per attack, making it possible to perform them multiple times without needing to recharge the bar in between.

Final Memory is a powerful last-resort attack similar to Eternity Specials, but much stronger. However, to perform this attack the Special bar is required be at the fullest level and the character's health must be at 1/3 or less (indicated by the flashing of the health bar). Final Memory drains the Special bar entirely.

Character differences

Each character has different characteristics in the game. Certain unique characteristics are indicated by a fourth bar that appears for them.

For example, Ikumi's gauge is named 'Blood'. This gauge goes up when Ikumi gets blood on or under her. When this gauge reaches the limit, Ikumi enters Genocide mode. This mode allows her high damage and Recoil Armor. The enhanced Recoil Armor enables Ikumi to carry on attacking in the face of most oncoming attacks. For example, when she prepares for 'Farewell', which is her Eternity Special, it has some delay. Even though her opponent may attack her during that delay, trying to interrupt her skill from being executed, Ikumi will still continue attacking. However, Ikumi will not make her attack for some attacks.

Another example would be Shiori. She uses a shield and this protects her from magic or distance attack.

Recoil Guard/Counter

Recoil Guard is a mix of the Just Defend system from the SNK game "" and the parry system from "Street Fighter 3", as well as the Guard Impact system from "Soul Calibur". The maneuver is performed when the player blocks right before the opponent's attack hits the player's character. The defender will take no chip damage and can then counter with an attack. However, the counter can be re-Recoil Guarded by the opponent. In high level play, it is common to see five or more Recoil Guards alternating from the opposing sides performed in sequence.

Recoil Guarding can also nullify the knockback effect of attacks. This is most apparent while Recoil Guarding in the air; the defender will carry on her original landing trajectory, as opposed to being knocked back.

The chance of subsequent Recoil Guards activating decreases by half when used on the ground. This does not affect aerial Recoil Guarding, however.

Air Dashing

Another key technique is the Air Dash. Air dash allows the player to cover distance quickly, and can be used to cancel the recovery frames of some attacks. An advanced player can utilize aerial dash to continue a combo with out the use of instant charges.

Characters

Moon.

*Ikumi Amasawa (天沢郁未)

=

*Mizuka Nagamori (長森瑞佳)
*Rumi Nanase (七瀬留美)
*Akane Satomura (里村茜)
*Misaki Kawana (川名みさき)
*Mayu Shiina (椎名繭)
*Mio Kouzuki (上月澪)
*Doppel Nanase (ドッペル七瀬)
*Unknown (みずか)

Kanon

*Ayu Tsukimiya (月宮あゆ)
*Nayuki Minase (水瀬名雪)
*Makoto Sawatari (沢渡真琴)
*Shiori Misaka (美坂栞)
*Mai Kawasumi (川澄舞)
*Sayuri Kurata (倉田佐祐理)
*Kaori Misaka (美坂香里)
*Mishio Amano (天野美汐)
*Nayuki Minase (awake) (水瀬名雪(起))
*Akiko Minase (水瀬秋子)

=Air=

*Misuzu Kamio (神尾観鈴)
*Kano Kirishima (霧島佳乃)
*Minagi Tohno (遠野美凪)
*Kanna (神奈備命)

Version history

The five versions of the game are (from oldest to latest):
*Eternal Fighter Zero
*Eternal Fighter Zero -RENEWAL-
*Eternal Fighter Zero: Blue Sky Edition
*Eternal Fighter Zero: Bad Moon Edition
*Eternal Fighter Zero -Memorial-

Netplay

A fan-made netplay application is in development. A beta version can be found at http://chrono.at.infoseek.co.jp/

External links

* [http://efz.proboards36.com/index.cgi?board=efz EFZ forums World of Eternity]
* [http://www.tasofro.net/efz/index.html Official website]
* [http://www.shoryuken.com/wiki/index.php/EFZ EFZ Entry in the SRK wiki]
* [http://efz.mizuumi.net/ EFZ wiki]
* [http://www.insertcredit.com/reviews/efz/ Review on Insert Credit]
* [http://www.ntsc-uk.com/feature.php?fea=DoujinFighters NTSC-uk looks at Eternal Fighter Zero and other Doujin games]