.hack//Infection

Infobox VG
title = .hack//INFECTION|

developer = Bandai (US)
CyberConnect2(JP)
publisher = Bandai
designer =
engine =
released = flagicon|Japan June 20, 2002 flagicon|USA February 11, 2003 flagicon|Europe March 26, 2004
genre = RPG, simulated MMORPG
modes = Single player
ratings = ESRB: T (Teen)
PEGI: 12+
OFLC: M15+
USK: 12+
South Korea:12
CERO: A
platforms = PlayStation 2
media = DVD-ROM
requirements =
input =
picture format = 480p (EDTV)
480i (SDTV)nihongo|".hack//Infection"|.hack//感染拡大Vol.1|dotto hakku//Kansen Kakudai Boryūmu Wan|lit. ".hack//Infection Spreading Vol.1" is the first part in a series of four PlayStation 2 video games based within the ".hack" universe. The game simulates an MMORPG entitled "The World" and accomplishes this without requiring the player to ever actually venture online. The game is part of a serial storyline, with each of the four games slowly released over the course of a little over a year. ".hack//Infection"'s storyline continues in ".hack//Mutation", which is followed by ".hack//Outbreak" and ".hack//Quarantine".

Each installment of the game is accompanied by a DVD containing an episode of the ".hack//Liminality" OVA series. The four episodes happen in the real world, as opposed to the fictional MMORPG, "The World", in which the game takes place. The events of "Liminality" take place alongside those of the games.

Gameplay

The games themselves feature a linear storyline that concludes in each installment with the player receiving a Data Flag. Once the Data Flag has been received, the file may be converted to the next game, allowing a player to start each additional chapter with any items and level ups they may have had on their original file. However, players may still start the game without having played any of the previous installments in the series.

At startup, players find themselves facing a mock desktop, complete with icons reading "The World", "Mailer", "News", "Accessory", "Audio", and "Data" arranged vertically on the lefthand side. The last menu item, "Data" allows the player to save their game data, while "Accessory" and "Audio" allow players to customize their desktop – changing the wallpaper, what background music is playing, or watch cinematics from the game. While these choices are all limited early on in the game, performing various tasks will allow players to unlock more of these special features. "News" opens up a browser, displaying various news information going on in the outside world that the game is set in. "Mailer" takes players to their e-mail inbox, where various characters they encounter through the course of the game will write to them – sometimes with simply humorous greetings and other times with tips and hints that steer the story towards its next plot point. It is the first icon, located at the top of the desktop, that sends the player off and running into the game.

From there, players may choose to Login to the world, check the Message Board for more hints and clues on where to go next, or Quit and return to their desktop. Log In sends the player directly into "The World" – placing them at the Chaos Gate in the server they last used. From this town, players may shop for items, store unneeded items, save their game data, raise grunties (only on certain servers), talk and trade with other NPCs (non-player characters) or simply use the Chaos Gate to generate an almost infinite number of fields.

Fields have varying difficulties and are of some elemental type (Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, Thunder, and Darkness) that all skills players can employ stem from. While each character has their own normal means of attacking, they can also use a wide variety of skills. However, the only skills a character knows are those possessed by their equipment. Weapons, hats, armor, gloves and boots not only provide bonuses to an assortment of attribute scores (such as attack, accuracy, or evasion) but also bestow the players with skills that consume a set amount of the characters' SP. SP, unlike HP, slowly recovers over time – the speed of which varies from class to class.

The outlaw player Kite has an additional set of abilities under the heading "Data Drain". Some monsters may have an infinite number of hit points, or may simply get back up after being felled. To overcome these beasts, Kite may have to employ the strange power of the Twilight Bracelet to Data Drain the monsters into significantly weaker versions of their data-corrupted selves. This ability can be used on any normal monster as well, turning them into a ridiculously weakened version for an easy victory. Doing so causes Kite and his party to earn considerably less XP (experience points) and doing so frequently causes a much worse effect... the more Kite uses Data Drain, the more his body becomes infected. As the Infection spreads, Kite suffers from negative status conditions, stat penalties, XP loss, or even an automatic game over. On the flip side, the less Kite uses this ability, the more the Infection recedes – forcing players to use a measure of restraint when it comes to the powers of the Twilight Bracelet.

The combat system has been criticised for having awkward camera controls. Views do not shift automatically during battle so in order to find a comfortable view the player will have to manually move the camera angle themselves. It's also been criticised for requiring the player to open up a menu to cast a spell, which breaks the real-time action of the battle. Also, Experience Points are not divided equally among party members, which can lead to 'grinding' issues.

tory

Set after the events in the anime ".hack//Sign", the story begins as players take on the role of Kite, who joins his real life friend, Yasuhiko, in the popular MMORPG "The World". Yasuhiko is better known as Orca, a player of legendary status in "The World", and rightly earned. From the message boards within the game, Kite learns that Orca has helped many beginner players set out, just as he does Kite. However, what starts off as a simple crash course in the game's mechanics turns horribly wrong.

Kite and Orca encounter two strange creatures: Aura, who appears as the floating ghost of a young girl, and the monsterous humanoid figure known as Skeith, who is chasing after Aura. Orca soon gives chase after the pair but ends up over his head as he battles Skeith. The battle ends with Skeith using a strange ability on the legendary player. When Skeith turns his attention to Kite, the legendary hacker Helba intervenes, and things begin happening very quickly and the game's server crashes.

Kite soon discovers that Yasuhiko, Orca's real life persona, lies comatose. To make matters worse, Yasuhiko is not the only player of "The World" in this condition. As a result of his encounter with Aura, Kite discovers that he now the wields the Twilight Bracelet and is host to many strange abilities including Gate Hacking (which allows Kite to enter previously restricted fields within the game) and Data Drain (an attack that alters the corrupted data in certain enemies, usually resulting in them becoming significantly weaker). However, Data Drain is the very attack that Skeith used to put Yasuhiko into a coma. Though Kite intends to use these abilities to find the cause of the comas and save the victims, he finds himself the enemy of CC Corp. (the game's administrators), as well as other players, for engaging in what are illegal activities.

He quickly teams up with BlackRose, a young girl whose brother, Kazu, has suffered the same fate as Yasuhiko. The two set off on a quest to get to the bottom of what is really happening (which the game's administrators may or may not be hiding) and find themselves not only opposed by Balmung (Orca's in-game partner), but also mired in a recreation of the epic poem known as the Epitaph of Twilight.

Characters

Player-controlled characters

;Nihongo|Kite|カイト|Kaito anime voices|Sayaka Aida|Mona Marshall:A Twin Blade in the online game "The World" and Orca's friend in real life, Kite is the main protagonist of ".hack" – possessing courage in abundance and an overwhelming drive for helping others. He is kind, considerate, and courteous to those he meets in "The World"; even those who seem a hindrance to his righteous quest to save the coma victims. He wields the Twilight Bracelet, an illegal item of The World, that grants the user the power of Data Drain and Gate Hacking. As said by Aura, "The power that this bracelet holds, can bring either salvation or destruction at the whim of the user."

;Nihongo|Orca|オルカ|Oruka anime voices|Yasunori Masutani|Kirk Thornton:A Blademaster in the game, in real life he is known as Yasuhiko and is a friend of Kite's. He uses the same character model as another Blademaster – Bear from ".hack//Sign", though there is no relation between the characters. This and many other similarities between character appearances are made light of in ".hack//Gift". One of the Descendants of Fianna (two legendary players of "The World") he is known to many within the game – not just for his monumental conquering of the limited challenge known as the One Sin event, but also for being a player whose kindness may only be rivaled by Kite's. Orca has been known to assist fledgling players of "The World" in numerous ways, lending his strength theirs. Orca should have been the true keeper of the Twilight Bracelet, but he was data-drained by Skeith before he got the chance to activate it.

;Nihongo|BlackRose|ブラックローズ|Burakkurōsu anime voices|Masumi Asano|Wendee Lee:A Heavy Blade in the game, she bears the same character model of Mimiru from ".hack//Sign", but they have different color schemes. Though they share the same class within the game, there is no relation between the two characters. BlackRose is just starting on her adventure at the same time as Kite (though this is a fact she attempts to hide when they initially meet). The two clash immediately, but warm up to each other little by little. While it is a mystery what she is attempting to accomplish early on, it becomes revealed slowly that she is in the same boat as Kite; she is trying to find out why her brother Kazu is in a coma. BlackRose is a young woman with a tough-as-nails attitude and can be a bit full of herself at times. Luckily, she has Kite alongside her to balance her out and keep her in check.

;Nihongo|Mia|ミア anime voices|Minami Takayama|Debra Rogers :Mia is a Blademaster with a strange character model. She appears as a humanoid cat covered in purple fur and features like those of a cat or, some say, a rabbit. Mia has a long tail that pokes out of her clothes and long rabbit-like ears. A truly strange character, made increasingly strange by her ability to see Kite's Bracelet. She is almost always in Elk's company, the pair eternally searching for and collecting Aromatic Grass.

;Nihongo|Elk|エルク anime voices|Mitsuki Saiga|Brianne Siddall:A Wavemaster usually found in the company of Mia, he bears the same character model of Tsukasa (with a different coloring), though there is no connection between the two. Elk shows a great loyalty to his odd companion, and infinite concern for her as her mysterious condition slowly worsens throughout the game. Due to the resemblance of Tsukasa, Mia is very fond of Elk.

;Nihongo|Piros|ぴろし anime voices|Masaya Onosaka|Darran Norris:A Heavy Axeman and a strange one at that. Piros believes he is the true protagonist of the story and refers to Kite as "he of fair eyes." ("Ii me wo hito shita yo"). His odd speech pattern is not as odd as his character model – Piros appears to have a shrunken head, given the Brobdingnagian proportions of his body. He involves Kite in his misadventures... which are usually the result of his naivety. Although he can be very childish at times, Piros is actually a graphics designer, a programmer, who spends his time playing The World.

;Nihongo|Mistral|ミストラル anime voices|Atsuko Enomoto|Sandy Fox:A Wavemaster who joins Kite's campaign quickly, she is a treasure hunter and a young woman with bright pink hair that is outshined only by her eternally cheerful personality. She is truly an oddity among the friends that Kite makes within the game, as there is little to guess about her. Unlike the others, she plays the game just to play the game. While she has no mysterious role or secretive agenda, although she is very fascinated by the Twilight Bracelet, as she is a treasure hunter, she does jump on the bandwagon that is Kite's crusade. She tends to behave much like how a stereotypical MMORPG "noob" behaves: hopelessly enthusiastic, begging to be given rare treasures, and using lots of smilies in her messages. Near the end of the game, she goes "off-line" in order to give birth in real-life.

;Nihongo|Sanjuro|砂嵐 三十郎 anime voices|Yasunori Masutani|Steven Jay Blum:A heavy blade player in the game, Sanjuro is an American man who loves Japanese films – specifically samurai films and the work of actor Toshiro Mifune and director Akira Kurosawa. Indeed, the only thing Sanjuro may enjoy more than samurai films is telling people about his favorite samurai films. His love may extend past films and may encompass all things samurai, considering that his character model is a samurai and he has a small obsession with collecting katana – kotetsu swords in particular. He is optional, and can only be found if the player reads his message board entry and helps him find a rare weapon.

;Nihongo|Gardenia|ガルデニア anime voices|Yumi Touma|Carolyn Hennesy:A quiet Long Arm with a great love for flowers, she takes Kite to fields that have something to do with flowers in the name. Though she appears quite mysterious, she is not truly a part of the conspiracy that the outlaw player Kite is battling. Gardenia is a true romantic even though her personality is a little on the hostile side. She enjoys foreign films. She is also optional, though her recruiting manner is different. To acquire Gardenia, you must read a message board post from her "groupies", and go to their meeting place, where Gardenia will join you in the hopes of keeping her unwanted fans off her back. She resembles the character "Mimika", who Mimiru saw use "Ap Crystal" in the episode "Intermezzo", but, contrary to popular belief, is not one of the three players who controlled Mimika.

;Nihongo|Natsume|なつめ anime voices|Maaya Sakamoto|Lia Sargent:A Twin Blade just like Kite, she is in a constant search for more power and fears that she will never be good enough. Her character model is the same as the lesser known A-20 of ".hack//Sign". Despite this, she still has an upbeat nature and is a welcome addition to any team. In real life, she is in the ninth grade, and she plays "The World" to make herself more confident in the every day trials of life. Like Sanjuro, you must read her weapon-hunt request and help her acquire a rare sword before she will join you.

Artificial intelligence

;Nihongo|Aura|アウラ anime voices|Maaya Sakamoto|Lia Sargent:Aura is the perfect AI, created by Harold Hoerwick, and is the spirit of The World. She was created to be the daughter that Harold would never have with Emma Wielant, deceased author of the epic poem Epitaph of Twilight and Harold's love interest. Since her awakening by Tsukasa, she has been fleeing the clutches of Skeith, as witnessed by Orca and Kite, and several other players as well.

;Nihongo|Morganna|モルガナ・モード・ゴン|Morugana Mōdo Gon anime voices|Rie Tanaka|Valerie Arem:Morganna is the AI created by Harold Hoerwick to oversee Aura's birth. The eight Phases, which are under her control, were created by her and contain part of her data. However, Morganna eventually realized that after Aura's birth, she would have no purpose. Unable to comprehend what she would do in that time, she tried to stall Aura's birth indefinitely. In ".hack//Sign", she imprisoned the character Tsukasa in "The World" and tried to use his negative emotions to keep Aura from waking, but the plan failed. Angry at Aura, she sent Skeith (the first Phase) to destroy her and later activated the remaining seven Phases.

;Salesmen in Root Towns:In each of the five Root Towns of the world, there are stores available to the player to purchase or sell items, save the game, or store items. Each of these stores has its own curator, who share the character model of system administrators such as Lios.

;Grunties:Grunties are little creatures found in root towns. They start out as infants and you feed them to become adults. When you talk to them, they will tell you what they wish to eat and give you clues as to where to find them. Certain combos will get you different kinds of adults. When one has reached adulthood you will be given a Grunty flute, which will call a Grunty whenever you are in a field. You can ride around on them and move about the field quickly and avoid combat.

Trivia

* Several names of NPCs and weapons are references to CyberConnect2's two previous titles: "Tail Concerto" and "Silent Bomber". Advertisements for these games also appear above the News section of the desktop.
* There is a small bug dealing with the characters who have Talk replies about trading items (Fool, Stare, John, Tim, etc.). If the player trades with the character for all their items, the character's Talk reply will be "Select number to trade," which is what the trade menu reads when you have selected one of your items to trade that you have more than one of.