EndCycle was an Action RPG developed by 12B3 Games for PC. The player follows several notable people in the conflict between two powerful factions: The earnest but foolhardy Crimson Force and the professional but ruthless Azure Shield.
Its gameplay is largely based off the Mega Man Battle Network series, with the player being able to customize a set of skills to use and combat taking place on a grid. Of course, the game comes with its own unique rules: there are neutral panels both the player and enemies can step on and four sets of chosen skills are always available for use at the cost of a constantly filling meter. You can't just stand still and heal all you want, though. Characters who are hit several times in a row become stunned for a long time as the opponent gets a full gauge to play around with!
The final product, VS, changes it some. Each fighter has three sets of four VOCs. Aka chips or skills. Instead of a mana bar instead each direction has its own cooldown between three sets. Where a VOC can be placed is based on its level, 0-1 are down 2 is right 3 is left 4-5 are up, and there are a number in the game. The break meter is unchanged although one reward for breaking is an instant refill of all four cooldowns. In addition styles have been added which can change the nature of a VOC but can also raise its level depending on the style. They can range from forcing movement upon hit, making the user move when activated, changing the VOC's element, causing all hits made by the VOC to heal, to setting a trap that uses the voc when hit.
A playable demo was once available with the story's prologue, a post-game mode that allowed players to actually customize the hero, a free play mode that could be played by 1-4 players and an online competitive multiplayer mode. It was eventually discontinued and removed from Itch.io as the project went through a significant overhaul. Due to how it required an internet connection, it was made completely unplayable and can only be seen in gameplay recordings.
The finished game is titled EndCycle VS and was released in 2022 after a long time in early access. It is also availble for smartphones.
Decrypting EM Trope Waves:
- Aborted Arc: Fin is still playable in the overhauled EndCycle VS, but he's Demoted to Extra and treated as a Butt-Monkey, with only a few nods to his original backstory as new characters take over the spotlight.
- Boring, but Practical: The Chipper VOC only does Scratch Damage and doesn't in any way help you stun enemies, but hey, it costs no meter.
- The A-VA unit charges their super manually and it takes the form of a simple but powerful shot. This allows some flexibility in deck design by giving them the ability to always hit distance with decent power.
- Break Meter: You can "CRUSH" enemies by hitting them several times in a row, which stuns them for a long time and gets you a full special gauge to use. You better not let that happen to you...
- Continuing is Painful: You can continue after a Game Over, but it costs points. You can't just convert them all into exp.
- Counter-Attack: Unlike in MMBN there aren't any bonuses for counters, but successfully interrupting an enemy's attack is always useful.
- Critical Annoyance: The closer you are to being killed in a battle, the more the background fills with dark static.
- Dash Attack: The RushSword VOC makes Fin dash quickly and slash if he successfully moves next to an enemy. You can move up and down while dashing and it is even able to move diagonally between holes set by the Singularity VOC.
- The storm style in Vs. Causes any VOC to dash forward before use.
- Doomed Hometown: Fin's town gets blown up at the end of the demo.
- It still happens in the full game, mainly to try and punish the Crimson Force.
- Exponential Potential: With the Style system you can get a lot of different tactics out of the already plentiful VOC list from simple ones like movement or blocking while using to ones that might as well make new VOC attacks like reverse or digital ones. Yoi can customize your deck a lot.
- Experience Points: Battles award you with points that you can convert into money or experience to level up with.
- Removed in VS, there is sync with a character but aside from an unlock from a specific character it doesn't do anything to power up a character.
- Gameplay Grading: The better you perform during battles, the more points you win.
- Grey-and-Gray Morality: In VS both Crimson Force and Azure Shield are shown to be fairly flawed. This is best shown in the VOC factory raid. The Crimson Force attacks and shows its perfectly capable of spawning hostile Noise in a highly populated area if things go wrong. However we learn this by Crimson Force wrecking the factory in the first place and its clear that, for that particular factory if not others, if they hadn't have attacked it would have been safe to run.
- Mana Meter: The special gauge fills on its own and each VOC requires a certain amount of bars to be used. The player and enemies alike can attack, heal and steal territory with alarming frequency, giving the game a very hectic feel.
- Removed in the full VS abd replaced with individual cooldowns.
- Monster Compendium: The bestiary entry for each enemy is gradually unlocked as you beat several instances of them. They include information on which element they're weak to.
- Powers as Programs: You can earn various VOC items for attack, defense and support purposes. You can bring three sets of four VOCs to battle, with each skill being assigned to an arrow key.
- Pre-existing Encounters: Enemy encounters usually appear in random locations on the field, but are invisible until you get close.
- Skill Scores and Perks: The game uses this system. Each level up is worth one point to increase stats or earn certain VOCs.
- Removed in VS. In Adventure Mode you pick up stats and new VOCs as treasures from battles and shops.
- Video Game Tutorial: The game opens with an optional tutorial and the first few battles have a single pre-set VOC deck to teach the player the gist of the combat system.
