Kamen Rider: Super Climax Heroes/System
This page explains core mechanics for Kamen Rider: Super Climax Heroes.
Battle Styles
There are six different Battle Styles that can be used in the game, all of which are chosen at character select after picking your character. The chosen Battle Style determines your character's Style Action, and depending on the character, can also change their move set.
Form Change
Form Change Style (abbreviated to FMC) allows a character to freely switch between multiple forms on the fly, offering different strings, special moves and sometimes Rider Arts. This Battle Style can provide a lot of versatility if you're willing to learn all your character's forms.
After selecting Form Change, you are usually given a choice of which form to start as. Some characters, such as Fourze, have non-standard options on Form Change that will be detailed on those characters' pages.
Form Change transformations often provide invincibility frames, making them useful in defensive situations.
Power Up
Power Up Style (abbreviated to PWR) allows a character to transform into their selected Power Up form for 3 stocks of the Rider Gauge. Much like Form Change, Power-Up offers new moves, but unlike Form Change, Power Up's Style Action can be used to cancel strings and blockstun, making it useful in both offensive and defensive situations.
While current health remains the same, guard meters and current damage scaling does not. This means Power Up can be used in two interesting ways:
- Using (or cancelling) a Power Up mid-combo will effectively reset damage scaling, boosting the damage of a follow-up combo.
- Using (or cancelling) Power Up will refresh the Guard Gauge.
Speed Up
Speed Up Style (abbreviated to SPD) allows a character to activate Speed Up mode, where everything except that character is slowed down tremendously. This requires at least 2 stocks of the Rider Gauge, and lasts until it fully drains.
During Speed Up, the initiating character will have access to extra moves for the duration. The activation itself can cancel from normals, and is useful for both whiff punishes at any range, and heavily damaging custom combos.
Speed Up mode can end prematurely under some circumstances, such as the initiating character entering an opponent's cinematic (ie throw) or being knocked down. When this happens, the gauge drain stops without using up the remainder of the Rider Gauge.
There is also a grace period at the end of Speed Up's timer to stabilize Speed Up combos, during which Speed Up won't end until the character returns to neutral.
Assault
Assault Style (abbreviated to AST) allows a character to activate Assault mode, where they gain extra or altered moves, increased damage output, and a defense boost. Assault activation requires at least 2 stocks of the Rider Gauge, and lasts until it fully drains.
Like Power Up, Assault activations can be used to cancel normals and blockstun.
Assault characters also have access to Instant Charge — by pressing Special at the end of certain strings that knock the opponent backwards, the camera will focus on them while they pose, instantly granting one full stock of the Rider Gauge.
Support Attack
Support Attack Style (abbreviated to SPT) allows your character to call in a Striker, a special support attack that has different effects depending on the character. Striker calls cost two stocks of the Rider Gauge, and can be called at almost any point, making them very effective as both offensive and defensive tools.
You can also call your striker during hitstun at an increased cost of 4 stocks of the Rider Gauge. Their function is otherwise unchanged, dealing full damage and potentially starting a combo or KOing your opponent.
Tag
- Note: Tag Style is banned in tournament play.
The only style usable by all characters, Tag Style allows you to play as a team of two characters that share the same health bar. The Tag gauge has two Style Actions: Tag-Out and Tag Assault. It also replaces the Rider Art command with a special version of Tag Assault.
Tag-Out swaps your point character with your reserve character. These can be used to cancel strings at the cost of two stocks of the Rider Gauge. While tagging out, the point character is vulnerable until the moment they jump out, at which point the reserve character will enter the ring with a flying kick.
Similar to Power-Up forms, Tag-Out refreshes damage scaling and the Guard Gauge.
Tag Assault brings your reserve character into the ring, allowing you to control both characters at once. This can be used at any level of the Rider Gauge, but will drain whatever is left, with the reserve character leaving when the gauge is emptied. In this state, all inputs will be executed by both characters, making it difficult to control, but incredibly powerful if used correctly.
Alternatively, the Rider Art button will activate Tag Assault, but the reserve character will be controlled by the computer.
HP and Defensive Stats
Every character in Super Climax Heroes has a hit point value of 10,000 points alongside a unique defense modifier that determines how much damage they take from attacks, ranging from 0.85 (15% damage reduction) to 1.40 (40% bonus damage).
Additionally, all characters have a guard meter value ranging from 2700 to 4100 points. An attack's guard damage is roughly equal to 75% of the damage it would deal on hit, taking into account the opponent's defense modifier.
A spreadsheet noting every character's defense modifier and guard meter values can be found here.
Rider Gauge
The Rider Gauge is Super Climax Heroes' super meter, used primarily for offensive techniques like Rider Cancel, Rider Art and Rider Finale. The Rider Gauge can hold up to four stocks of meter worth 1000 points each, for a total of 4000 points. It can be charged by landing attacks, or by manually charging it with the - button.
An attack's meter gain is equal to 28% of the attack's base damage. Meter gain does not scale alongside combo scaling, but it is locked out after a combo reaches 50 hits.
Climax Time
Underneath the timer is the Climax Gauge. The Climax Gauge is filled as both players deal damage, and when completely filled, will activate Climax Time. Once Climax Time is initiated, both players have their Rider Gauges completely refilled, and all attacks for both players get a meter gain bonus (from 28% of base damage to 35%). Both players also gain access to a Final Reflect when their meter is full.
While the Climax Gauge appears to be shared between both players, in reality, each player effectively has their own Climax Gauge which tracks total damage dealt, with Climax Time activating when a player enters the final 40% of their HP (here, Climax Time activates for the player who dealt the damage past the threshold). The player who activated Climax Time will get placed into a special super freeze that can allow extra time to link certain attacks which, when combined with the meter refresh, can create situation combos only possible due to a Climax Time activation.
Final Reflect
During Climax Time, when you have a full Rider Gauge and are not in hitstun, if your opponent attempts a Rider Finale, pressing Rider Finale at the prompt will initiate a Final Reflect. This is a competitive quick-time event played by both players to determine who gets to perform their Rider Finale.
Combo Restrictions
Combo Damage Scaling
Super Climax Heroes uses a very simple damage scaling formula for combos, applying a 10% damage reduction for every move performed up to a maximum reduction of 90% (the move will only deal 10% of its base damage). This is applied on a per-move basis rather than a per-hit basis, so individual attacks that hit multiple times are scaled per use rather than per hit.
Some attacks, such as certain projectiles, cutscene-initiating Rider Arts and Rider Finales, are not subject to combo damage scaling.
Progressive Juggle Gravity
Juggled opponents are progressively launched smaller distances by attacks the longer a juggle combo goes on. Juggle gravity progression increments even prior to a character being launched, and it increments more harshly when hitting a knocked down opponent.
