Hinokakera Chaotic Eclipse/System
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System
Defense
. All guard types obey the rules of the guard levels (see below). . There is no assisted blocking (as in "blocking the first hit of a multi-hitting attack or a combo forces the character to keep guarding without player's help until that attack ends). In Hinokakera guard must be upheld manually.
Guard Levels
. attack | |-> cannot be blocked (unblockable) '-> can be blocked | |-> unconditioned: in any stance, using any guard |------> overhead: while airborne or standing - any guard | while crouching - unblockable |---> mid or high: airborne - only with mighty or just guard | standing or crouching - any guard |-----------> low: airborne - mighty or just guard | standing - unblockable | crouching - any guard '-----> just only: any stance, just guard only
. Levels (dubbed here as "Guard levels") usually refer to different "heights" attacks hit at. Most levels require a certain stance and guard type to successfully defend from. One move can incorporate several hits, each with a different guard level. . First two "levels" are general ones - the attack's either 'unblockable' as it is (throws and catches), or is a 'free-guard' and may be blocked in any way desired without added conditions (these are usually projectiles). . Two more are grounded levels. If these are to be guarded by an airborne character using normal block, a "Critical Hit" will be inflicted. 'Mid' level hits are close to free-guards, with the aforementioned property being their only distinct feature (plus, mids may be recognised as 'high' level attacks, if they pass over crouching characters). 'Low' hits additionally require the opponent to crouch in order to block them. . 'Overheads' are usually, but not exclusively aerial attacks, and they cannot be guarded while crouching. . Last one, 'just-only', is a type of attack, that can be blocked only with Just Guard and nothing else (no stance conditions). J-O attacks are noted as unblockable within the game's official manual, although this is not the case.
Normal Guard, Chip Damage, Critical Hit
. Hold '4' or '1' when being attacked to block. . With every hit blocked, the defending character is pushed away from his or her attacker. The stronger the hit is, the bigger this pushback will be. . Most hits blocked this way, except normals, will force a small portion of their damage through the defence - this is 'chip damage'. In HK, however, it is impossible to suffer a chip death - one is able to keep guarding forever with only one point of health left. . When airborne, attempting to block mid and low attacks using normal guard ends up with defender receiving a Critical hit. . Hitting a guarding opponent gives less Power compared to a successful hit.
Guard Crush
. Every blocked hit depletes the guard meter. When it empties, player suffers a Guard Crush (the crushing hit itself won't do any damage) and becomes temporarily immobilised, open to any attack. Besides the meter itself, this process is represented in-game with normal block's colour going down from blue to red. Guard slowly refills while the character is not being attacked or instantly resets to full after the Crush.
Mighty Guard
. Press and hold 'D4' or 'D1'. . Can be activated at any time as long as the character has Power. Gradually consumes Power during idle guarding, takes bigger chunks when actually blocking hits. . Has an increased pushback. . Does not suffer from chip damage. . Using Mighty Guard does not deplete the guard gauge, therefore Guard Crush is impossible. . In air, can block mid and low attacks. . Hitting a mighty guarding opponent gives only a tiny amount of Power.
Just Guard
. Push '4' or '1' a moment before the incoming attack hits . Is the most effective guard type, but requires strict timing. . Has a drastically decreased blockstun and no pushback whatsoever, boosting player's chances to punish the attacker. Zero pushback also allows the player to retain his or her forward momentum when just guarding (for example, just guarding while running forward, won't stop or push back the character - he or she will continue moving forward) . Does not suffer from chip damage and does not deplete the guard meter. . In air, can block mid and low attacks. . Hitting a just guarding opponent gives no Power.
Guard Cancel
. Whenever the player is Just Guarding, he or she has an option to cancel the guard into virtually any attack by simply inputting its motion - while this is commonly referred to as Guard Cancelling in other fighting games, Hinokakera calls it "Counter Braking". . The input has to be at least two sequential key presses. In order to GC using a weak normal, for example, one has to tap 'A' twice. Same goes for command normals and groove Forces - Counter Braking with a Launcher attack will require a '6B, 6B' input. . Another rule for Guard Cancels is that the motion must be input right after the actual hit is Just Guarded (recognised by the sound), not before or during it. . With these rules in mind and quick enough input it is possible to Guard Cancel into anything, including supers and overdrives (but excluding normal throws, and as a side note, overdrive mode activation is also eligible for a GC, but it is not visually distinct, as the ODM flash will negate the GC's own yellow bubble spark)
Autoguard
. Autoguard (or Active Guard) happens when some of the move's startup and/or attack frames have the ability to automatically Normal Guard without interrupting the attack's animation. . AG won't block any kind of attack thrown at it, but only a predefined type, usually falling to stronger hits. . The character receives more guard damage in AG frames, which makes it possible, at least in theory, to be guard crushed. . It's unclear whether autoguarding player can receive a critical hit or not.
Superarmour
. In Superarmour (or Armor Guard) frames character will flash yellow when hit. While similar to autoguard in that it prevents the move from being interrupted, superarmour absorbs incoming damage in its full instead of blocking it, and it is possible for the character to be knocked out. . Depending on the move, SA frames may be both startup and active ones. If latter is the case, then the character will receive increased counter damage (technically, he or she will be countered). . SA usually works against a set type of weaker attacks. For example every character's 'C' normals have SA frames against 'A' normals.
- Invincibility
. Similar to the above, certain frames may grant invincibility - either complete or partial (ex.: against anything except throws).
Evasion
Air and Ground Recovery
. After being hit into unconsciousness, the character does not automatically recover as soon as the hitstun wears off - while he or she is still airborne, player has an option to manually recover via Air Recovery, also known as Tech or Ukemi. . As with jumping, tech has three directions - neutral ('D'), forward ('6D') and backwards ('4D'). . When recovering, character is rendered fully invincible for a number of frames. . Variation of Tech, known as Ground Recovery becomes available when character hits the ground after the fall. Its input and directions are the same as those of airborne recovery. . Since the amount of hitstun the attacks deal varies, so does the untechable time. Some attacks by default or in certain situations are completely untechable. Others can be recovered from only after hitting the ground (i.e. using Ground Recovery).
Force Wakeup and Wakeup Roll
. When lying on the ground, there are 3 possible wakeup solutions (without attacking). First two have invincibility frames against throws. . Wait until the character stands up by him/herself. . Force him or her to stand up earlier by pressing 'D'. . Finally, force to wakeup and "roll" away from the opponent at the same time using the '4D' motion. The latter, however, is possible only if the character is lying on his/her back. Also, the directional part of the input does not mean "away from the opponent", but rather "the direction your character's head is facing".
Throw Escape
. To escape a normal ground throw, one must input the throw motion, '4C', the second he or she is caught. . Because of a rather strict timing - escape command must be entered almost at the very moment opponent does his or her throw (even before the throw "spark" appears) - it is not uncommon for escapes to happen unintentionally, when both players attempt to throw each other at the same time.
Reactive Brake
. When the character's attack is being Just Guarded, the player has an option to cancel said attack in order to block a possible guard cancel, switch to defence or otherwise change the tactic. RB requires 20 Brake points and a '4D' input the moment the attack is Just Guarded.
Interruptive Brake
. A universal escape move done via the combination of '4' or '6' and either 'AD' or 'CD' when the character suffers from hitstun. IB requires precisely 100 Brake points to operate. . It will immediately negate any kind of hitstun and will counter attack the opponent. . The IB attack itself does zero damage (hence no actual counter), but has the highest priority (equal to that of the Overdrive Mode activation) and will clash with any incoming hit. The opponent, should he or she recover from attacking quickly enough, can block the I-Brake. . Using IB applies a penalty to the player's Brake gauge - for a while (7 seconds or so) it won't regenerate. Also, hitting with IB will give a small amount of Power to the opponent.
Offense
Attack Levels
. Attack levels are a rather obscure property of every offensive move in Hinokakera - there are no sources elaborating on how the system works, so the information here comes mainly from observations.
Throws
. Every character in the game has at least 2 normal throws - one on the ground and one in the air. Unique to each character is how far the opponent will be thrown and whether characters will switch sides after the throw or not. . Both are unblockable (but ground throws are escapable), have a similar damage output, won't counter or get countered, and cannot be cancelled after the hit (yet whiffing throws obeys the general rules and can be Offensive- or Tech-braked). . Characters who are being thrown are unable to use the Brake meter. . Normal throws have no effect on characters who are recovering from the blockstun or are in their hitstun frames (command throws work against stunned characters).
Dash Normals
. In addition to normals, there is a minimum of 2 dash normals per character (except Malakh), "dash-neutral C" and "dash-crouching C", performed while dashing or running. If the player chooses Technical mode, 4 more normals are added - two for each attack button. Dash normals' combo options depend on which reinforce mode has been chosen.
Launcher
. This command normal has a different input depending on the character but shares the same property of kicking the opponent high up into the air, allowing a follow up with the chase jump and, consequently, an air combo. . "Launcher > chase jump" combination allows for a double jump afterwards.
Crouch-Guard Crusher
. The most common input for this command normal is '4B', although it varies from character to character and is not available to everyone. . This attack has a special effect on crouching characters who block using Normal Guard - upon hitting them, the attack will take away a greater portion of their guard gauge. Even if their guard is full, crusher will instantly kick it into the red zone. A partially depleted guard will be crushed. . Although expected, it does not do any extra guard damage against crouching characters who suffer from Negative Penalty, yet, as all other moves, it does against standing opponents.
EX Moves
. Known also as Extra Skills, these, in turn, are a different kind of specials, that obey their own set of cancelling rules, and are generally more powerful bridging the gap between specials and supers. . EXs can be divided into two groups: powered up versions of other specials and standalone attacks. There are also followup attacks, that spend 25 Power and look like EXs, but the official manual doesn't treat them as such. . EX moves commonly have invincibility frames somewhere on them.
Cancels
Basic Cancel Definition
"Cancel the recovery frames of an attack into another attack in order to hit again before the opponent's hitstun wears off" - that's the primary idea behind cancelling and combos in general. . Basic cancels tend to be the general stepping stones of combo-making, that usually refers to cancelling into specials, ethereals or ODFs, by inputting the motion of said attack while the previous one is still recovering. If the recovery does not permit cancelling, Brakes come into play.
Self Cancel
A Self cancel is the attack's ability to cancel into itself. By default, only 'A' normals are able to do so, but in Overdrive Mode certain specials gain the same ability with the help of Force Cancelling.
Chain
. Chain (or "gatling") cancels mostly refer to normals and their variations linking together, thus forming basic combos, like 'A > B > C'. Basically, this is a nickname for "buffering" (see below), only applied to normals or command normals. The in-game alias for such combos is "multiway combo".
Jump Cancel
. Jump cancel, as the name implies, means cancelling the recovery frames into a jump, possibly extending the combo with an aerial strike or into an air combo altogether. Only normals (but not all) can be jump cancelled, with few specials being an exception to this rule (see Just Frame Cancels).
Just Frame Cancel
. Just Frame Cancels, or JFC's for short, apply to specific special moves that vary for each character. . Just Frame Cancels possess a window typically no larger than 1-2 frames. . Some specials have a Just Frame jump Cancel while others have a Just Frame cancel follow-up move (e.g. Kakeru'sK stance > A
can be Just Frame jump Canceled after the 2nd hit, and hisK/H stance > 236A > C
has a Just Frame Cancel follow-up move with 6C after the 2nd hit which isn't listed anywhere for some reason) . Not all JFC's seem to be documented (likeKakeru's K/H stance > 236A > C > 6C
isn't in the html manual that comes with the game), so experiment with your character and see if some special moves have any hidden JFC's.
Specific cancelling conditions
. Self and chain cancels are possible only if the attack did hit or was blocked. Jump cancels - only after successful hits. . Both also apply to Just Frame Cancels respectively, i.e. you can only Just Frame jump Cancel on hit, while you can execute a Just Frame Cancel follow-up move on either hit or block.
EX Cancel
. EX cancels are a specific and more loose version of buffering, done using Extra Skills. EXs can cancel almost any normal or special, and do so in earlier frames of their recovery. EXs can cancel into other EXs. Even if 'B/C' versions of certain moves cannot cancel into each other, chances are their EX versions can.
Offensive Brake
. Using 80 Brake and a simple 'D' input, this cancel can be applied to all kinds of normal and special attacks and to all of their parts - from startup to recovery. . OB can be executed in both A and T grooves. Assault Brake and Technical Brake are touched on in the respective Assault and Technical groove section. . When used within a combo, OB rolls back the damage correction back to 75%. . After the O-Brake and until it is no longer possible to land more hits in a combo, opponent's Brake meter is disabled.
Force Cancel
. An automatic, Power-spending cancel active only during the Overdrive Mode, that allows to link specials not linkable otherwise, by giving them a kind of "EX cancel" freedom. Its appearance is that of a quick orange spark not unlike the air recovery FX.
Ethereal Forces
. Your average super attacks, with every character in possession of at least
2 of them.
. Normally spend 50 Power, with occasional followups requiring additional 25
Power.
. Can be cancelled into from normals and most* specials, EXs included.
*(Kakeru's stance moves, while they are technically special moves,
cannot be canceled into ethereals for example)
HOWEVER, additional 15 Power is required when the ethereal is cancelled into from a
special move. (e.g., 236B > 2141236C
costs 65 Power instead of 50 Power)
. Like EXs, have invincibility as their most common property.
. During ethereals, the opponent cannot use the brake gauge.
Overdrive Mode
. Available to all characters as a "once-per-match" powerup that can be activated at any time using the 63214D command, it gives a massive boost to offence, as well as enhancing defense. . The moment ODM is activated, character becomes surrounded by a colorful geyser, which, itself, is a move of the highest priority. It cannot be countered, but is able to counter any other attack, albeit without delivering the actual counterhit damage. To balance this, HK does not permit cancelling the ODM activation in any way. . While active, the word "OverDrive" is displayed atop of the player's Power meter. It starts depleting at a constant pace as soon as it's activated, and nothing, besides player winning/losing the round or using the Overdrive Force, can interfere with it - that way the ODM lasts around 12 seconds. . This is what Overdrive Mode gives: - Character regenerates health when not guarding or unconscious; - Opponent's Brake gauge turns grey, thus disabling its accumulation and the usage of any brake consuming techniques; - Player can perform an Overdrive Force; - Player is able to Force Cancel attacks; - Player gains the ability to double jump without any setups; - It is easier for the player to inflict high-level counters (according to the official manual).
Overdrive Force
. Available only during Overdrive Mode, this is the most powerful and suitably flashy attack in character's possession with a shared 236236C motion. Its only requirements are activated Overdrive Mode and 100 Brake. . Of all the Brake consuming moves, ODF is the only one to ignore the extra 20 points the character can amass when low on health - once activated, ODF will use the needed 100 points along with any excess. . ODF's damage depends on how much Power the player had at the moment of execution. Empty Power meter results in ~4500 damage, while 100 points of Power equals ~6000dmg. The trick is that by using the Power value, game sets an equal damage correction for every hit in the attack sequence (ignoring the usual rules of damage correction), producing a constant 75% correction with zero Power and 100% with 100 Power. In addition, damage can be boosted through counter or critical hits. . If the ODF is incorporated into a combo, it will do considerably less damage due to its own damage correction rules being applied. For example, Raven's standing 'C' causes the next hit in the combo to deal 85% damage. If this next hit is an ODF, then with 100 Power it will have a universal prorating of 63,7% instead of 85%. ODF's universal prorating won't go lower than 20% however. . Once ODF is executed, Overdrive Mode ends.
Assault Vs Technical
Groove Comparison
. In Chaotic Eclipse each player can choose from one of the two grooves (or Reinforce Modes) when selecting a character. Each groove has its own specific Brake type and Force move (which all cost 40 Brake) along with other, less noticeable differences. ASSAULT TECHNICAL . Number of dash normals --------------- 2* 6* . Dash normals are chain-cancellable --- yes no . Groove Brake is ---------------------- offensive defensive/evasion . Groove Force is ---------------------- always offensive mainly support . Chip damage attacks deal is ---------- increased** normal . Dash C buttons and 5C deals ---------- less damage*** more damage
* Malakh has no dash normals in neither of the grooves, and Ashley gets 4 in Assault and 12 in Technical. ** Meaning that A-Groove character will deal equally higher chip damage to Technical and Assault characters alike. *** Nearly half as much damage around the board, likely a balance decision due to the extra damage a simple combo that utilizes Assault Brake can do (simply a theory).
Assault Groove, Assault Brake, Assault Force
. Assault focuses primarily on combos and boosts the combo potential of lower level attacks, i.e. normals. . Assault brake allows to cancel the recovery of any standing, crouching, dash or command normal with a '6D' motion. After AB, the character automatically dashes forward, allowing the player catch up with his or her opponent. Moreover, the damage correction after AB is reduced by 10%, potentially bringing the correction value up to 100% (but not beyond that). Assault Brake is allowed whenever the attack connects, be it an actual hit or a blocked one (any guard type is ok). . Assault Force ('3D' input) is a quick knockdown attack, that can both start and continue combos. If charged (except one character) it gains additional properties and can be blocked using only Just guard.
Technical Groove, Technical Brake, Technical Force
. Tech.groove is a much less straightforward mode that revolves around tricks and the ability to change one's tactic on the fly. . Technical Brake ('4D'), unlike its Assault counterpart, has nothing to do with damage. In a nutshell, it's an Offensive Brake, that spends less power and works only in specific situations. Those are: player's attack is whiffing or the attack is being or is about to be guarded by normal or mighty guard. Not all attacks are eligible for a TB, however, but the rules in general are pretty loose allowing some projectiles to be T-Braked even from up close. . Similar to TB, Tech.Force ('3D') is a support move most of the time, not necessarily doing damage, but giving wider combo opportunities instead.
Miscellaneous
Negative Penalty
. If the player keeps backing away from his or her opponent without attacking (as in successfully hitting the opponent) and generally goes into strong defense, Negative Penalty will occur. Backdashing, walking backwards and back jumping will all trigger NP. Whiffing attacks while doing so won't prevent the NP. . Visually, the character will turn red and his or her movement speed will decrease. Further running away will produce a red ripple-like effect around the character - in this state the movement speed is even slower. . Additional effect NP bestows upon its victim are increased guard damage the character takes from all attacks (it's effectively doubled) and reduced guard meter regeneration. . NP uses a sort of cooldown system - standing still will eventually end the NP. It will happen even faster if the character successfully attacks or, which is the primary NP-negation method, moves forward. Should he or she resume the runaway tactic shortly after NP has worn off - it will take effect faster than before. . Sidestepping does not count towards neither NP nor its negation. NP also does not affect sidestepping speed.
Counter Hit
. Counters happen whenever player's attack hits opponent's in its startup or attack frames and vice versa. Depending on the strength of opposing hits, either only one will be successful or both will counter each other ("trade"). Attacks' strength also influences what counter level will occur - 1, 2 or 3, with higher levels generally giving more hitstun and untechable frames. In addition to this, all counters, no matter which level, have an increased damage (it appears to be a countering hit-only bonus, not affecting the rest of the combo, if there is one).
Critical Hit
. Critical hit happens whenever an airborne character attempts to Normal guard mid or low attack. Aside from longer untechable frames, critical hit modifies the actual damage correction value and hits for 130% damage (this value is given in the official manual, it may and probably does work differently in-game) instead of 100%. This means, hits that combo off it will also do more damage, due to correction now counting down from the increased value and not the usual 100%.
Clash
. Occurs when two opposing moves' hitboxes collide in their attack frames, and is accompanied by a blurry lightning spark. Clash's outcome depends on the strength of said attacks or, perhaps, some obscure "priority" - it's not clear in HK. . Attacks of equal strength negate each other and recover, without either side taking damage. . If one of the hits is stronger than the other, it will negate the opposition, but won't weaken itself, delivering full damage and, most likely, a counter. . In multi-hitting/autocombo attacks (those that are a series of distinguishable hits), if only a part of the sequence had clashed, remaining hits will not be cancelled or negated, hitting as they would normally, unless countered. . Weak projectiles simply disappear upon clashing.
Power Raid
. Already described as part of the "Interface" section, Power Raid happens automatically when both characters are low on health and have amassed Power meters worth more than 100 points. . When in Raid state, any Power-accumulating attack will shave Power points off of the opponent's meter. The downside of this is that the player will receive less Power in return.