Fate Unlimited Codes/System Specifics
This page assumes that you understand numpad notation (pictured below).
Key facts
- Meter carries between rounds, so meter management is incredibly important.
- Everyone but Berserker can double jump, but nobody can airblock. Superjumps always go forward in Fate. You can turn around midair during superjump by hitting your RG button. Holding down during a jump will make you fast fall at the apex.
- This is a 3 button fighter with A/B/C. Buttons gatling in one direction; no reverse beats.
- Every command normal is forward+button (called 6A/6B/6C). 6B tends to be an overhead if the character has an overhead; not all characters do.
- 236X, 214X, and 623X are the commands for specials. 22X, 421X, 646X and 360X are also used by specific characters
- Launchers are jump cancellable on hit, but not on block.
- Jump startup is special cancellable. Perform a tigerknee motion (special command ending in an up direction - ex: 2369X), but hit the button before leaving the ground and you’ll perform a tigerknee cancel; this technique is how you can extend combos.
- 623C is universal dragonpunch (except for Caster, bow mode archer and spear mode Gil): costs 1/3 of 1 bar, the last hit does half a bar of meter damage if it hits.
- Real combos show a red hit count, untrue combos are blue. Tech by pressing any button.
General Movement
Walking
Pressing or holding left or right on the Control Stick or D-Pad will make the character walk forwards towards the opponent, or backwards away from them. This is the slowest and most basic form of movement in Fate/Unlimited Codes, but also presents the least risk.
Dashing and Running
To dash towards the opponent, double tap forward towards the opponent, and the direction can be held to keep running forward. Runs can be cancelled into jump, attacks, or sidesteps.
Backstep
To perform a backstep, quickly double tap backwards away from the opponent. The character will do a backwards dash that has invincibility during its first half, making it useful for dodging attacks if timed properly. Interestingly, backdashes in this game can be cancelled into throw, specials, and sidesteps, making them potentially tricky to punish even if the opponent is waiting for it. However, it's still pretty punishable by whiff cancellable strings or far-reaching attacks.
Sidestep
Pressing B+C / 2B+C will make your character perform a sidestep in one of two directions; B+C without a direction input will make the character step towards the background, while 2B+C will sidestep towards the foreground. Similar to backsteps, sidesteps are also evasive maneuvers as they move the character out of the way of attacks to dodge them, however they differ in that they are uncancellable, are also much worse at dodging moves unless used pre-emptively and are throwable.
Jump and Double Jump
Inputting 7/8/9 on the Control Stick or D-Pad will make the character jump into the air, which is another way to move and also gives access to unique airborne normal and special attacks. This can also be done a second time in the air for a double jump. Jumps have 4 frames of startup, which are invulnerable to throws but are still vulnerable to strikes; interestingly, this jump startup can also be cancelled into specials, even when jump cancelling an attack, which is essential for this game's infamous "Instant Jump Cancel" or more commonly known as "TK Cancel" techniques.
Important to note that there is also 4F of recovery upon landing from any jump, even an empty jump.
Superjump
Inputting 2 shortly before an 8 or 9 jump input will make the jump a superjump instead, in which the character will travel at a higher and further forward trajectory than a regular jump, however double jumping will not be possible. Any valid superjump input will send the character on a forward trajectory, even if done with an 8 jump. Attacking an airborne opponent while superjumping will also afflict them with more hitstun than normal, which is normally enough to always allow all three air buttons to connect even at the end of long combos.
Fastfall
Holding [2] while airborne from any kind of jump after its apex will make the character fall faster from the jump, at a speed about as fast as they went up; this is called a fastfall. Doing this can make jump trajectories come down short so they are a little more difficult to intercept by anti-airs, allows most characters to land quick overhead attacks, and also allows some characters to pull off advanced combo routes with air attacks.
Do note that a fastfall can be input any time after the apex of a jump, but cannot be input at all if the character is already performing an air attack.
Health Gauge
The Health Gauge represents the remaining health of a character. A character loses the round when their health bar is reduced to zero, however the health bar in Fate/Unlimited Codes is uniquely double-layered, so it must go down to the end twice for a character to be defeated. The first half is represented in green, and the second half is represented in yellow.
Every character has their own Health Gauge values, resulting in some characters being able to endure more damage than others:
| Health | Character(s) |
|---|---|
| 11,500 | Berserker, Saber Alter |
| 11,000 | Kirei |
| 10,500 | Saber |
| 10,000 | Archer, Bazett, Shirou |
| 9,800 | Luviagelita, Rin |
| 9,500 | Assassin, Gilgamesh, Lancer, Rider |
| 9,300 | Caster, Zero Lancer |
| 9,000 | Leysritt, Sakura |
The average health in this game is around 9,900.
Mana Gauge
Mana is the essential component of Magecraft in the Fate universe, and thus translates to functioning as the main meter mechanic in this game. Characters gain mana from numerous actions, such as:
- Performing attacks (regardless of if they hit or not)
- Being hit by and blocking attacks
Mana gain varies a lot based on the action. For example, whiffing attack strings builds a very insignificant amount of mana, while actually landing attack strings on the opponent builds a decent amount.
The amount of mana that each character has at any given time is shown via the glowing meter bar underneath their health bar that is divided into 3 sections, each section representing 100% (1 full bar) of mana. This also means that the mana gauge caps out at 300% (3 bars) of mana.
Spending Mana
In Fate/Unlimited Codes, there are many ways that mana may be spent. Some mana expenditures require at least 100% (1 bar) of mana, while others can be used at any amount and can also vary in the amount of mana they cost and how quickly. Here is a list of the most common / universal usages of mana in the game and how much they cost:
| Cost | Action(s) |
|---|---|
| 25% | Advancing Guard |
| 30% | 623C |
| 60% | Reflect Guard |
| 100% | Guard Cancel, Most supers |
| 200% | Burst |
| 300% | Holy Grail super |
Immediately after spending any mana, the character will go under a short mana cooldown where actions that would normally build mana will not build any at all.
Attacking
Throws
Inputting 6A+B when very close to an opponent will perform a Throw on them. Your character will grab the opponent and perform a special damaging animation on them, sometimes allowing for a combo afterward. All throws are frame 3, so they can be a great option at point-blank range to either open up a guarding player as a mix-up, or to punish even some of the least punishable recovery moves (if the opponent is in range to get grabbed).
However, opponents cannot be grabbed when they are in jump startup or in the air, even when in range. Opponents also cannot be thrown while they are in hitstun nor blockstun, and throws will also fail if they clash with a strike on the same frame. Beware that if there is no opponent nearby to be thrown or the opponent is in an unthrowable state, your character will do a throw whiff animation that is easily punishable.
Throw Break
Inputting 6A+B or 4A+B within the first few frames after being grabbed by an opponent's throw will perform a Throw Break, breaking yourself free from their grab without taking damage and also separating the two characters. Throw breaks are also not possible if the character is in the middle of an attack.
Supers
Supers cost 100 meter generally, most are on the motion: 236236A/B. You can cancel normals into supers and specials, but you generally cannot cancel specials into supers, unless you are activated.
Activate
Activate is performed with A+B+C. If done during neutral, it will heal you and launch enemy backwards; if done while attacking it will be a cancel. Meter drains to 0 after doing this. Supers will drain your meter as usual as well, but you lose access to 623C/ Heavy DP’s meter draining effect.
During activate, specials can be cancelled into supers.
Burst
By pressing A+B+C in block or hitstun, you can spend 200 meter, and get the opponent off of you with burst. You cannot burst while activated, even if you have enough meter.
300 meter activate
Every character has a unique ability that can only be used by activating with 300 meter (some of them have additional requirements too)
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail fills by people taking damage. Once filled, one player can activate with 300 meter to gain access to a powerful super that does 4k (half opponent’s life).
Defense
Guarding
Holding a direction away from the opponent in a neutral state when about to get hit by an attack from the front or sides will have your character guard against the attack instead. In this game, guarding is only possible on the ground, not while airborne. There are also some moves that must be blocked in a crouching position (with [1]) such as Archer's 2B, and others that must be blocked in a standing position (with [4]) such as Kirei's 6C, however most moves can be blocked both ways.
Pushblock
By pressing A+B during blockstun, you will use pushblock and can create distance between you and your opponent. This is intentionally weaker if either character is against a wall/corner. It costs 25 meter and has no cooldown, but does force the defending character into 20 frames of blockstun. Versus high blockstun moves, this can cause you to be actionable sooner instead of later, but against low blockstun moves this can actually cause you to be even more disadvantaged than normal.
Guard Cancel
By pressing 6+B+C while in blockstun, you will spend 1 bar and do an invincible attack that does no damage, but forces the opponent off of you. This can be blocked and punished.
Reflect Guard
Reflect Guard as a Parry
RG is a universal parry. It costs meter, but the meter is refunded upon successfully parrying an opponents attack. It can be used vs frame traps.
Reflect Guard Cancel
Reflect guard can also be used as a cancel that can cancel anything on startup, hit or whiff except for supers. It can cancel into offensive moves, but not defensive actions like block/backdash. It has cooldown, costs half a bar of meter and locks you out of meter gain for a short period of time.
Advanced Mechanics
Everything below here is a chronicle of emergent gameplay mechanics and tactics that have been discovered in Fate/Unlimited Codes. Many of them are incredibly relevant and viable in high-level gameplay, and thus players who are looking to play this game competitively are recommended to learn them.
Instant Jump Cancel
Localized in the PSP version as "Instant Jump Cancel", but more commonly known as Tiger Knee Cancel (TKC) or sometimes Jump Cancel Cancel (JCC), is a technique in which a character cancels their jump startup frames into a special or super. This can even be done during the startup frames of a jump cancel after landing a jump cancellable attack, which allows for moves that normally don't lead to much getting many new combo routes that would otherwise be impossible.
For example: Normally, Kirei cannot special cancel his 2C on hit, only jump cancel, which will only lead him into a short air combo ender. However, if he cancels the jump cancel's startup into a special, then he can do something like throw a 236A key after 2C, which can allow him to link 5B into a different combo afterward. However, jump startup in this game is only 4 frames, so this can be tight. Instead of having to input the motion after the jump cancel frame perfectly, Kirei will instead input it as 2369A, in which case he will have much more time to buffer the motion before the jump cancel so it can execute even with the very short jump startup window.
There is one exception though; you cannot TK Cancel a special move into itself (same motion + same strength), so TK Cancels like trying to loop Archer's 623B into itself are not possible, however TK Cancelling his 623B into 62369C is a valid TKC.
Below are some recommended methods of inputting TKCs:
tkc 236X = 2369X
tkc 214X = 2147X
tkc 623X = 62369X (stick/pad) / 6239X (hitbox)
tkc 421X = 42147X (stick/pad) / 4217X (hitbox)
tkc 22X = 228X, do 282X for normal TK. Sometimes 282X is easier for a specific TKC into it to for some players.
tkc 646X = 6469X
tkc 236236X = 2362369X
