Video Game / Luminous Avenger iX

Get ready for the apeX of 2D action!

Luminous Avenger iX is a spinoff title in the Azure Striker Gunvolt Series, developed by Inti Creates for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam and released on September 26, 2019. Set sometime after Azure Striker Gunvolt, the game follows the adventures of Copen, secondary protagonist, anti-hero and Gunvolt's rival, under the Gunvolt Chronicles banner.

20 Minutes into the Future, superpowered humans wielding wondrous powers known as Septima have begun to spring up at a rapid pace. These metahumans become known as Adepts and quickly overthrow human society, establishing themselves as the dominant race among the populace. The remaining humans, known as Minos, are mercilessly hunted by the Sumeragi Institute of Human Evolution, who seek to usher in the next stage of humanity's evolution.

Despite life having become a living hell, the Minos hold onto a glimmer of hope: "Luminous Avenger iX", a mysterious savior clad in white who fights against the Adept supremacy for the salvation of the Minos. Together with his companion, the "Muse of Hope" Lola, Copen, the Luminous Avenger, must wage war against Sumeragi and their elite Falcons in order to take back the country from the Adept nightmare.

A sequel, Luminous Avenger iX 2, was confirmed at BitSummit 2021 and released on January 27, 2022.

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Luminous Avenger iX contains examples of:

• Absurdly High Level Cap: As in the previous games, except now Levels are even more pointless since they only serve to increase HP. There's also the fact that the last few levels have unreasonably high EXP requirements.
• Adaptational Heroism: Most of Copen's negative personality traits have been reduced or removed, making him a more sympathetic protagonist. He even spares Blade, pushing her to use her Azure Striker powers for good, and ultimately shows remorse for killing the "good" Falcons. It's implied that this is because a century of fighting Adepts has allowed him to change as a person and grow out of his Fantastic Racism.
• After the End: The country that Copen's in is in a pretty sorry state; most of the locations you go to that aren't both active and Sumeragi-controlled are run-down, partially destroyed, abandoned, or most likely all of the above. It's actually a plot point, as its revealed in the final battle against Asimov, it's been a hundred years, and Copen had to become a cyborg to fight against Adepts.
• Alternate Timeline: A big reveal in the late plot is that this game takes place a hundred years after the original Azure Striker Gunvolt, or more particularly the Bad Ending where Asimov killed GV and Joule without remorse. As a result, Copen had to become a cyborg to carry on his battle with an Asimov-controlled Sumeragi for the past century.
• The Alternet: Certain chats have the characters mentioning a variation of the Internet called the "Under-net". Not much is explained about it aside from it being accessible to Minos and seemingly out of reach of Sumeragi. Lola uploads music videos to the Under-net as a way to boost the Minos' morale.
• And Your Reward Is Clothes: Upon defeating Blade EX, you (in addition to Darkness Trigger X) earn a new outfit for Kohaku, which depicts her as an animated pixel sprite.
• Anti-Frustration Features: As well as the returning Anthem and Prevasion mechanics, this game adds a few new ones.
  • When testing EX Weapons out on a Boss to try and find its weakness, Lola will chime in to tell you when you've chosen the correct one. She will also point out when your chosen weapon is doing negligible damage, such as Stellar Spark vs Blade.
  • EX Weapons now have individual energy bars, meaning that you won't have to wait for the bar to recharge if you've wasted all your energy on a weapon that is ineffective. The only downside is that EX Weapons will only recharge when equipped.
  • Darkness Trigger can grant a potent power boost, but also comes with its own set of considerable drawbacks. To prevent it from being activated by mistake, cycling through EX weapons will skip over it. It will also automatically deactivate during cutscene triggers and transitions so you can choose whether or not to turn it back on.
  • Since you can't use EX Weapons without Tags when Darkness Trigger is active, Darkness Trigger has the added benefit of auto-firing your EX Weapon when you get a Tag.
  • Mission collectables take the form of one of the four bars in Copen's emblem. The order in which each of the four parts appears throughout the level is always consistent (Top-Left, Top-Right, Bottom-Left and Bottom-Right), meaning that if you obtain one and remember where it is, you will immediately know where the others are relative to it. The mission select screen also displays which ones you've obtained, and whether or not a mission contains them.
  • Loadout customisation has also been heavily streamlined. Material farming is no longer required to obtain gear, just credits. There is also no Memory mechanic, so the player can equip as many subroutines as they wish.
  • If you don't like Lola's chatter, you can turn her off in the Controls menu.
• Anti-Human Alliance: This game's version of Sumeragi, which is a very stark contrast to their original depiction (suppressing Adepts instead of humans) and more in line with Eden from the sequel. Being run by Asimov might have something to do with it.
• Armor-Piercing Attack: Several attacks will bypass Prevasion and hit your health directly, regardless of how many Bullits you have left. As a general rule, if an attack uses electricity it will fall into this trope.
• Bad Future: The game's setting. Luminous Avenger iX is what would've happened if the Bad Ending to Gunvolt 1 came to pass: Gunvolt and Joule are dead and Asimov's plans for Adept supremacy are in full swing, having taken over Sumeragi and transformed the organization to fit his goals. It's been this way for a century.
• Balance Buff:
  • Copen can now Hover indefinitely, compared to the previous game where Hovering would automatically cancel itself after several seconds.
  • Anthem now allows Copen to dash indefinitely without consuming Bullits while it's active in addition to giving permanent Overdrive, in a similar vein to how Anthem gave Gunvolt infinite EP. In 2, permanent Overdrive was the only effect of Anthem, making Anthem either potent or near-useless depending on how many OD Subroutines were equipped and what kinds.
• The Battle Didn't Count: The prologue battle with Blade. Lola points out that Copen's weaponry is barely having any effect, and after Blade's HP is depleted, he simply cuts down Copen with little effort, forcing Copen to retreat.
• Behind the Black: One of the Emblems in Blade's stage is hidden this way. The reception counter at the very start of the stage is a soft platform. Drop through the floor and the Emblem will appear behind the counter.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • After the prologue battle with Blade, Blade effortlessly cripples Copen, striking him through his Prevasion. Just as the situation seems dire, Kohaku intervenes by throwing a smoke bomb from offscreen, giving Copen the cover he needs to escape before Blade takes him out for good.
  • This also happens at the ending as both Kohaku and later Blade arrive to save Copen and Lola.
• Bittersweet Ending: Copen's sister Mytyl had to be given a Mercy Kill after what she was reduced to, but Blade was rescued, Asimov was killed, and Sumeragi was torn down from within thanks to Copen's efforts, hopefully putting a stop to the Minos genocide. While Copen and Lola nearly die, both are pulled from the depths of Sumeragi's Building 13 by Blade and Kohaku.
• Bloodless Carnage: Averted in one scene: Unlike the original game, where Asimov killing Gunvolt and Joule was done with sprites and thus there was no visible blood, the CG that depicts the same event shows Gunvolt's body lying facedown in a pool of his own blood, with Joule's equally dead body on top of him.
• Boss Rush:
  • As per tradition, although they make a point of dividing the returning bosses up alongside some new bosses between two separate missions. The first involves fighting Rebellio, Stella, Crimm, and Mytyl's brain, while the second involves fighting Isola, Bakto, Dystine, Asimov, and Demerzel. This game's boss rush is justified in that the "bosses" are Holograms who have the powers but none of the personalities of the fallen Falcons. This technology is presumably behind what Asimov/Demerzel uses to fashion copies of his old human form, as shown in the ending.
  • A proper boss rush is unlocked after clearing all of the Special Missions. It involves fighting every major boss in the game, culminating in a fight against a souped-up version of the Final Boss.
• Bragging Rights Reward: Defeating Blade EX awards Darkness Trigger X, an enhanced version of Darkness Trigger that gives Lola a Palette Swap and doubles the damage you deal with EX Weapons. However, if you've beaten Blade EX, you've been told by the game you've beaten the most difficult challenge the game has to offer, so the only thing left to do with it is to curbstomp the base game stages with it.
• Call-Back:
  • The first Emblem in Data Center Alpha is in the same place where the Jewel was in Carerra's stage in the first game.
  • One of Blade's moves is a version of Crashbolt, one of Gunvolt's Azure Spirits from the previous game. One of the many hints toward's Blade's Septima.
  • Asimov is seen using his "EAT-R" anti-tank rifle during his boss battle, which was mentioned in the first game but otherwise never on-screen outside of the OVA.
• Chekhov's Gun: Halfway through the game, Kohaku gives Copen a pendant that belonged to her sister, who was assumed to have been killed by Sumeragi in a Heroic Sacrifice. The picture inside the pendant is what helps break Blade's brainwashing, revealing that she is Kohaku's lost sister.
• Cherry Tapping: At the end of the Lola Tank fight, the Lola Tank goes for a last-ditch assault and uses Anchor Nexus to bind Copen. Lola, desperate to save Copen, rams the Lola Tank in the weak spot with her body (a metal orb the size of a baseball). The crystal shatters and the Lola Tank immediately keels over, dead.
• Crapsack World: As a game taking place in a what-if scenario where Asimov kills Gunvolt and Joule, things most certainly aren't going good. Humans, now known as Minos are hunted until near-extinction and any non-Sumeragi controlled cities are mercilessly obliterated. If you're an adept, instead of getting the protection Sumeragi promises you with, you will be constantly surveyed and pacified to make sure you don't turn against them, and if you have any Septima that would benefit them, you're instantly conscripted or experimented upon. Stand-outs include Mytyl, who had her brain extracted and tortured to create a mind control device with her Muse, and to a comparatively lesser extent, Dystnine, who was inevitably going to become an experimental subject just because he was a mass-produced android with a Septima.
• Cutting Off the Branches: For the narrative purposes of this spinoff, the game takes place after the ending where Asimov kills Gunvolt and Joule, and cements this game as an Alternate Timeline branching off from the main games.
• Combination Attack: Copen's new Twin Shredder Limit Break is an enhanced version of Shred Storm that involves Copen teaming up with Lola to blitz everything on-screen in a flash of light, ending with a Super Move Portrait Attack that creates a giant X.
• Contractual Boss Immunity: In Special Mission rematches against the powered-up bosses, the bosses lose their weaknesses and are no longer affected by the associated side effects. This doesn't apply to Special Mission 6, however, as all the bosses (except the Final Boss) are the same as their regular counterparts.
• Darker and Edgier:
  • The general tone of the game is much more serious and bleaker than the previous games. The setting verges on an The End of the World as We Know It scenario and the game's Big Bad is notably the most monstrous villain seen in the Gunvolt franchise to date, being similar to Zonda in terms of nominal goal but devoid of her genuine altruism or companionship towards her fellow executives. A lot of the usual fun banter and snarky quipping between the characters has been toned down due to the removal of in-stage dialogue, leaving much of the game's humor to the Team Chats. Despite this, this is the first game in the series that ends on a genuinely happy note, unlike previous games where the "bitter" in Bittersweet Ending was more pronounced.
  • In particular, the fate of Copen's sister, Mytyl, who was used by Asimov as a surrogate Muse, albeit forcibly against her will which involved the extraction of her brain, all for the sake of making sure he ends up completely unopposed. When Copen finds her, he and Lola both note how much she's suffering and the only thing she can communicate to her brother are pleas to be put out of her misery.
• Developer's Foresight: In between the first and second phases of the final boss Copen's left eye is damaged, revealing him to be a cyborg. On top of appearing on his sprite (and in an aversion of Ambidextrous Sprite, only when his left eye specifically is shown), activating Twin Shredder will show custom versions of the cut in images that have his damaged eye clearly visible.
• Die, Chair, Die!: The vending machines in Blade's stage can be destroyed with a Reload Crush, yielding useless drinks or health restoratives. Smashing a pink vending machine near the end of the stage yields a Bonus Emblem.
• Difficult, but Awesome:
  • Darkness Trigger has the potential to put you in One-Hit Kill state if you're clumsy with it, but with sufficient skill and knowledge you can turn Copen into a living natural disaster capable of turning everything around him to ash almost instantaneously.
  • Same could be said of certain other abilities, which allow for things like boosted attack power and more kudos provided you don't get hit.
• Distant Sequel: This is the first game in the series not to be set in an unspecified present-day period, instead being set a century ahead.
• Downloadable Content: You can get a superboss, Blade EX, for $1.99. As per the usual Inti DLC schedule, early adopters (within two weeks after release) can get him for free.
• Dub Name Change:
  • "X-ross Disaster" is "Twin Shredder" in the English version.
  • In the Japanese version, the "Minos" are called "マイナーズ", which is more like the word "Minors".
  • The heavily-Engrishy-laden subtitle of "THE OUT OF GUNVOLT" was changed to "Gunvolt Chronicles".
  • Averted for Copen's Flashfield, which reverts to its original Japanese name instead of being called "Flashshield" like the previous game.
  • The Japanese title is "白き鋼鉄のX", which translates to "iX of the White Steel".
  • In a strange inversion, the Japanese version adopts the localized term "Septima" to refer to the superpowers that Adepts use; in the previous games, it was called "Seventh". Played straight when they then use the term "Septima Holder" to refer to the Differently Powered Individuals, while the localized version still goes with "Adepts".
  • "Winged/Wing Warriors" gets changed to "Falcons". Like in the previous games, many of their attack's names (including their Limit Break) are also changed in the overseas version.
• Dystopia: The opening cutscene has Lola mention how much of a disaster zone their current location is compared to most of the cities they come across. A later chat reveals that most of the cities are kept pristine and in well-maintained condition, but all of the Adepts are strictly monitored by Sumeragi and the surviving Minos have gone into hiding and fear outsiders.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: To those who've already played Azure Striker Gunvolt 3. The Sumeragi infantrymen here do not sport their redesigned combat armor, instead simply opting for a slightly modified version from a century ago. In addition, they still retain their semi-automatic BFG beam rifles as a standard issue weapon rather than a more practical one that can toggle between semi or full-auto. This can make the difference all the more noticeable as 3 is only set several decades as opposed to a century here. Of course, this is all justified or at least handwaved by how this is an Alternate Continuity where Sumeragi has a new leadership with much different intentions that could have very well bled over into technological progress.
• Easter Egg: Every stage has a unique secret that can only be found with a little investigative work or looking it up on the internet.
  • There is a small chance that the title screen will be replaced by crudely-drawn white blob versions of Copen and Lola with a goofy arrangement of the normal title music playing in the background.
  • In the prologue stage, using Reload Crush on the cracked floor where the second Checkpoint is will cause a statue of Romeo (AKA Creepy Electro-Whip Guy from the first Azure Striker Gunvolt) to fall from the ceiling and play an accompanying voice clip.
  • In Rebellio's stage, there are conspicuously-placed animal karts outside the mall. If Copen stands on the panda kart, it will slowly roll forward until it hits an obstacle, after which the kart's head will fall off.
  • In Stella's stage, you can find a Super-Deformed Lumen sprite hiding in a corner in the second half of the stage.
  • In Crimm's stage, there is an extremely rare chance that one of the laser-triggered buzzsaws will be replaced by a giant iron maiden with Gibril's face on it.
  • Halfway through the first area in Dystnine's stage, there is a big screen with a power button on it. Using Stellar Spark on it will cause the power to turn on, displaying various images of Lumen. It also has a rare chance of displaying an image of Lola instead (using her Gunvolt 2 artwork).
  • In Data Center Alpha (Bakto's stage), there is a stationary platform you come across during the second moving platform ride in the second half of the level. There is a rare chance that the flying enemy to the right of the platform will be replaced by a shining golden carp.
  • Kohaku has several outfits that can only be unlocked by playing the game on certain holidays (New Year's Day, Halloween, and Christmas).
• Easy Levels, Hard Bosses: Copen's ability to fly frequently allows him to bypass obstacles and enemies and his Prevasion ability can negate most damage sources. Bosses in contrast generally have means to hit him even while airborne and most have attacks (entire movesets in some cases) that bypass his Prevasion ability. Learning to fight them without Prevasion can be quite a challenge for new players.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Considering the association between The Muse and butterflies, it should become painfully obvious what the Butterfly Effect is referring to in hindsight.
  • Referring to Blade's true identity:
    • Copen and Lola call Blade with male pronouns, but her voice was decidedly feminine ^note While female voice actors were known for voicing young boys in Japanese anime, Blade's VA doesn't even try to sound like a boy at all. Sure enough, Blade is actually a girl, just clad with so much armor that she's rendered nearly unrecognizable.
    • One of the first, subtle signs that Blade isn't what he seems to be is when Kohaku throws a smokescreen to get Copen and Lola out of the way when he's about to kill them, something that made him feel uneasy. It's no coincidence, and it's not because of the smoke.
    • When Copen was raiding the Medical Center for Kohaku and Blade was about to kill him, Lola tells Copen that he looks like he's controlled. She then mentions Kohaku and unintentionally throws him into immense distress, which Copen takes advantage to snag the medicine for her and run. As it turns out, Blade is actually Kohaku's sister, and this is her trying to fight back Asimov's programming on her.
    • After snagging the medicine, the other kids will mention that Kohaku had a sister that was presumably killed when Sumeragi intercepted them on the way to a new hideout, where she acted as a distraction against their troops and was never seen again. She is not dead; after that confrontation, Asimov placed a Septima extracted from Gunvolt's corpse into her, then brainwashed her to become a replacement Gunvolt codenamed "Blade".
  • In Stella's stage, there is an Emblem that is impossible to get to without taking damage with your normal jump height. You need the assistance of a Spring Jump to get it safely. The EX Weapon that gives said boost is also one of Stella's weaknesses.
  • Similarly, Bakto's stage takes place in an abandoned version of Carerra's level Spintronics, and the old laser cannons are now indestructible. You'll have to use an EX Weapon to take them out without destroying them. Said weapon, the Shroud Spear, is also extremely powerful against Bakto.
  • One chat has Kohaku complaining that Copen hardly ever eats during meals. Given that he's a cyborg, human nutrition isn't necessarily a priority.
  • The health recovery items look different from the ones in the previous games. They resemble something a machine would use.
  • The main batch of Sumeragi Adepts you have to defeat this time is called Winged Warriors/Falcons, complete with feather-pen Transformation Trinket and Feather Motif during transformation and death. Recall that in the first game, the True Final Boss leads an organization named FEATHER/QUILL.
  • Copen seems to be extremely adverse to conversations related to the Butterfly Effect or sometimes even mentions of it, that at one point Lola had to restrain herself from explaining it to Kohaku. Of course he does because that's his sister's disembodied brain.
  • It's subtle but pay attention to the infrastructure and assets (in Sumeragi controlled cities), and you'll notice that it is far advanced^note They field Garand fighter jets when its made clear that the Fazent fighter jet is yet to be properly operational due to engine problems for example and way ahead of the present day, especially if you compare to the technology levels and aesthetic in the previous games. It's a hint that the game is set a century later in the future.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: During the Final Boss battle, it is possible to see images from Copen's past flicker by within the Ominous Visual Glitch caused by Copen's damaged eye.
• Fusion Dance: In the prologue mission, a Sumeragi soldier uses his Septima to merge with a rusted and broken down Mantis mech as a miniboss battle. Copen must deplete the robot's health to force the soldier to un-fuse with the machine, then battle him in the robot's place.
• Gaiden Game: To the core Azure Striker Gunvolt series. This is represented by the game's title, which is prefixed Gunvolt Chronicles.
• Guide Dang It!:
  • This game's mission collectibles are Emblems, gold medals that can be found in each stage. Every stage has four Emblems; collecting one grants 500 Kudos, while collecting them all grants an additional 1000 Kudos as an "Assembled!" bonus. However, unlike the Jewels and Azure Spirits from previous games, some of the Emblems are extremely well hidden, with some of the most devious ones tucked behind fake walls and breakables that give no indication that they're passable at all, and one particularly one that's completely invisible in Data Center Beta that requires you to use Anchor Nexus to find a hidden enemy in a corner. Unless you like Trial-and-Error Gameplay, you may find yourself resorting to online help to get them all.
  • There are four pink pentagons that appear at the top right corner of the title screen, but it is never stated how you're supposed to get them. You need to beat the game, get all Emblems, clear Special Mission 6, and clear all Score Attacks.
• Hard Mode Perks: Playing on Fearless difficulty gives you the biggest score bonus after clearing a stage. It also enables use of the OD High Pride ability, which gives a scaling damage multiplier when in Overdrive.
• Have a Nice Death: Dying to a boss will yield a unique monologue as they react to what has just transpired.
• He Knows About Timed Hits: In one chat, Lola talks about how she can stay in Muse form for longer when Copen is in a good mood, such as when the Kudos meter on the left side of the screen reaches 1000 Kudos or more. Kyota is understandably confused by the use of the terms "Kudos" and "left side of the screen", which Lola just brushes off as "technical jargon".
• Hijacked by Ganon: Asimov, the True Final Boss of the first game, turns out to be the Big Bad once again.
• Hourglass Plot: Just like the first game, the turning point in surviving against an Azure Striker is a pendant of purely sentimental value.
• Idiosyncratic Combo Levels: Netting consecutive airborne kills will cause Lola to chime in for each kill, up to the maximum of five kills.
• Interface Screw: One happens during the final battle after Demerzel breaks one of Copen's camera eyes, resulting in static interference during the fight.
• Inconsistent Dub: Copen's Flashshield is called "Flashfield" in this game as it is in the original Japanese. This gets somewhat bizarre when you realize that it shares its exact name with Gunvolt's ability and its name in the localization was changed to "Flashshield" in the previous game for this exact reason.
• Irony: Muse's Kiss is strong against the two bosses in the game who are affiliated with The Muse: the Lola Tank and Mytyl.
• Levels Take Flight: The first half of Isola's level, the Radio Tower, takes place on a highway of flying cars used as a Sumeragi transport route. The presence of bottomless pits is partially mitigated by the fact that Copen can literally fly out of danger.
• Mirror Boss: Copen and Lola fight a giant tank in the shape of Lola 2/3rds of the way through the game. It uses all of Lola's EX Weapons against you, with Calling Your Attacks included.
• Mission-Pack Sequel: The game is basically Copen's campaign from Gunvolt 2 given an entirely new game focused around it. The core gameplay has been streamlined significantly but is otherwise quite similar.
• Money for Nothing: Averted, unlike the previous games. Credits are an extremely valuable resource, and you need a lot to buy the abilities you need. The game is also very stingy with Credit payout, meaning you will need to farm hard to get many of the better abilities.
• Muggles: The Minos, who suffer from severe oppression and are actively hunted and killed by Sumeragi due to their powerlessness.
• Multi-Platform: Luminous Avenger iX is the first game in the Azure Striker Gunvolt series to have simultaneous a multi-platform release, releasing on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC through Steam (the previous game were initially developed for the 3DS and later ported to other systems).
• Mythology Gag: Just like the previous game, the name of Copen's primary Limit Break is a pun on the title of the game. In this case, the Japanese name is "X-ross Disaster", pronounced "Cross Disaster", but the "X" in the name by itself is pronounced "ix".
• Nerf: Copen's Prevasion will now consume 2 Bullits instead of just 1, and there are many more attacks that it will not trigger for.
• Nostalgia Level: The first half of Data Center Alpha is set in a broken-down version of the second half of Carrera's level from the first game. The conveyer belts and magnetic ceilings are both offline, and the magnetic platforms have been replaced with proximity-triggered versions.
• Offscreen Start Bonus: The first Emblem in the prologue level is in a hidden crevice inside the wall that Copen is standing next to at the start of the level.
• Optional Stealth: One of the new enemies is a grounded security robot that scans the area in front of it. If Copen gets caught in the scanner the robot will lock itself in place and fire a constant stream of energy bolts at him. Dashing into it from behind will knock the robot's head off its body, leaving it permanently disabled.
• Palette Swap: A good chunk of enemies in the game are enemies from the first and second Gunvolt games given new paint jobs. Some have new Underground Monkey variations, however.
  • Copen himself has received a minor visual overhaul, most noticeably with his headset and gun.
• Plot-Triggering Death: Gunvolt's death at the end of the first game serves as the catalyst for the plot of iX. Joule's death also motivates Asimov to use Mytyl as her replacement, although Joule dies in both timelines so it matters less.
• The Points Mean Nothing: Unlike previous games there's no Challenge System to incentivise going for better level rankings and times by offering additional credits/crafting parts. The only reward for getting the highest rankings is now a star on the file select screen. Which is a good thing given that the ranking system is much less forgiving than the Azure Striker games.
• Post-End Game Content: Like the two previous games, completing the story unlocks a set of special missions that feature more challenging enemy placement. Unlike said games, the bosses of these missions have more elaborate patterns that make them more challenging as well. This even applies to the Boss Rush, which ends with an enhanced version of the Final Boss with some unique dialogue to both start and end the fight.
• Posthumous Character: Both Gunvolt and Joule/Lumen, who were murdered by Asimov in the first game's Bad Ending, the Alternate Timeline in which this game takes place.
• Power Copying: Copen's trademark ability returns, now with seven new abilities for him to take.
  • Stellar Spark: Derived from the power of the Azure Striker, and Copen's starting EX Weapon. Fires electrical bolts ahead. If Tagged, a Flashfield will appear around the target and zap them continuously. Behaves similarly in Darkness Trigger.
  • Anchor Nexus: Obtained from Rebellio. Activating it causes Copen's Bits to take formation around him; when a valid target is in range, a unique lock-on marker will appear. Bullit Dashing will cause your dash to automatically home in on the target and hit for heavy damage. In Darkness Trigger, Bullit Dashing into a Tagged target will cause purple drills to assault the target.
  • Orbital Edge: Obtained from Stella. Spins two disks around Copen. If Tagged, the disks will appear around the enemy. In Darkness Trigger, two purple disks will automatically appear and spin repeatedly, accelerating with each revolution.
  • Photon Detonator: Obtained from Crimm. Fires sparks that travel forward and explode on contact. If Tagged, the sparks will home in on the enemy. In Darkness Trigger, explosive sparks will automatically fire and explode on the target in three-round salvos.
  • Muse's Kiss: Obtained from Isola. Hold the EX Weapon to charge a pink bullet and fire it at enemies. At max charge, it will fire a hologram of Lola that deals massive damage. If Tagged, the weapon will fire in the enemy's direction. In Darkness Trigger, the weapon will repeatedly fire Lola holograms on a regular basis.
  • Rising Cyclone: Obtained from Bakto. Summons a blue hurricane on Copen's position that deals damage and propels Copen upwards. If Tagged, the hurricane appears at the enemy's position. In Darkness Trigger, the enemy is repeatedly assaulted with cyclones.
  • Shroud Spear: Obtained from Dystnine. Summons spears that wrap enemies in cloaks. Deals little damage, but incapacitates enemies and renders them harmless for a short period of time. Will not ensnare most bosses. If Tagged, the spears will home in on enemies. In Darkness Trigger, cloak spears are automatically fired at the target repeatedly.
  • Darkness Trigger: Obtained from Blade. When activated in the Pause Menu or via Shortcut, Lola enters Darkness Trigger mode. While Lola is in Darkness Trigger, Copen's EX Weapons are augmented and will attack automatically, but he is unable to use them without Tags. In addition, when Copen is not Tagging an enemy, the ability will force him to take constant damage. Lola cannot use Darkness Trigger when Anthem is active, and the effect will cancel itself if Twin Shredder is used, Copen dies, or a cutscene occurs.
• Precision F-Strike: While Gunvolt games generally shy away from strong vulgarities, Bakto drops a "shit" when Copen confronts him in battle.
  "If it'll bring back the Family, I'll eat dog shit and ask for seconds! I live by the code!"
• Protagonist Title: "Luminous Avenger iX" is a nickname used by the Minos for Copen. Gunvolt himself appears only in a flashback where his dead body is seen on the floor after Asimov shot him.
• Quirky Miniboss Squad: This time, it's the Falcons, elite soldiers of Sumeragi who are conscripted by the corporation for their exceptionally strong Septima. Sumeragi also gives them "Falcon Quills" that unlock their Septima's full potential and give them armored forms. Blade is the top member amongst them all.
• Remixed Level:
  • The first half of Sumeragi Bunker 1 is a more difficult version of Sumeragi Building 13 with more obstacles and gimmicks from other stages.
  • Data Center Alpha is partially comprised of a portion of Carerra's stage Spintronics. The magnetic ceilings and conveyor belts have been turned off, and the electricity-powered platforms have been replaced by proximity-triggered versions.
• Replacement Goldfish: The final mission reveals Asimov used both Blade and Mytyl to replace the dead Gunvolt and Joule as the "King and Queen" for the new world. He was willing to wait a century for someone with sufficient compatibility for the Azure Striker septima to show up to do so.
• Retcon: In 2, Lola briefly lost access to The Muse when Zonda stole the Shards from her, implying that she needed Joule's power to trigger The Muse. In this game, it is stated that Lola can use the power because she scanned it like all of her other EX Weapons. It's a plot point, as this game takes place after the Bad Ending of Azure Striker Gunvolt, she never got a Muse shard. Instead, her Muse powers are merely based off of the Muse Septima. Which is why she can tell that the Butterfly Effect is in fact Copen's sister Mytyl, or what's left of her.
• Robotic Reveal: Copen had to become a cyborg to be able to hold up against the increasing number of Adepts and last a century past normal human life spans. Notably, this shocks Asimov, who Copen notes should know better since it had been a century since they last saw each other and prompting him to ask if Asimov's been losing his mind.
• Samus Is a Girl: Copen and Lola assumes Blade is a sword-wielding man. Blade is actually Kohaku's sister.
• Score Multiplier: The same rules for Kudos Multiplier caps apply as in Gunvolt 2. In addition, Copen has access to Heaven and Hell, which disables Prevasion and sets his HP to 100 but gives him a 50% bonus to all Kudos obtained.
• Shock and Awe: One of the new characters in this game is a masked swordsman who makes use of the Azure Striker septima, called simply Blade, who's one of Sumeragi's strongest enforcers. Copen has also retained his Stellar Spark EX Weapon. There are also several normal enemies that generate balls of electricity to attack.
• Shout-Out: In the localization, Isola's Limit Break is called "Wonderful Rush".
• The Stinger: Kohaku makes her way to an incapacitated Copen and Lola after the latter sends a faint distress call, only to be halted by four Asimov clones. As they prepare to gun her down, Blade intervenes and holds them off while Kohaku continues to Copen's whereabouts. She borrows his gun and finishes off a damaged Demerzel in his stead, and safely makes it back out with Blade, Copen, and Lola.
• Superboss: You can fight Blade EX via DLC, who has a teal Palette Swap and uses Berserk Trigger on top of another one as his Desperation Attack to make every attack even faster, bigger, and more dangerous. It also not only heals him to max HP on use, he will keep using it at low HP and requires bursting down at low health to kill (or if you're particuarly insane, make him repeat 7 more times).
• Super Mode:
  • As in the previous games, dying may cause Lola to resurrect Copen and use the Anthem Septima to transform into Awakened Mode. A remix of Gunvolt 2's "Igniter" overrides the background music, and Copen gains both unlimited access to Overdrive abilities and limitless Bullit Dash.
  • New to this game is Lola's Darkness Trigger form. When activated, Lola enters a berserk state and causes the song "Beyond Probability" to begin playing over the BGM. While in Darkness Trigger, Copen gains infinite EX Weapon Gauge and all of Copen's EX Weapons take on enhanced forms, but Copen is unable to attack without Tags and will constantly lose HP unless an enemy is Tagged.
• Superpowered Mooks: Sumeragi's forces feature lesser adepts who, unlike the soldiers of Eden in 2, possess septima strong enough to fight with. One stage features several of them who wield Psychokinesis, while in another there's one capable of possessing a wrecked mech who serves as a mid-level boss.
• Surprisingly Happy Ending: Despite how immensely bleak almost everything about this game's setting is, unlike the previous two Gunvolt game's Bittersweet Endings, the game actually does end on a genuinely optimistic note, with Blade and Kohaku managing to save Copen and Lola, and as the sequel indicates, the world has largely remained peaceful after Asimov's demise.
• Tactical Rock–Paper–Scissors: Like in the previous game, each boss has an EX Weapon that they're weak to. In this game, not only do super-effective EX Weapons deal a ton of extra damage, but they may also have varying bonus effects depending on the boss.
  • Using Photon Detonator against Rebellio interrupts his attack and forces him to teleport.
  • Using Orbital Edge against Crimm will eventually break his armor, preventing him from using his bubble shield.
  • Using Shroud Spear against Bakto wraps him in cloth, momentarily disabling him. While this removes your Tags, this interrupts his attack.
  • Using Rising Cyclone against Isola will cause her energy clones to dissipate on contact, vastly reducing her attack range.
  • Using Anchor Nexus against Dystnine lets you bypass his Counter-Attack and interrupts his attacks outside of his counter stance.
• Theme Naming: The Sumeragi Falcons (except Rebellio) are named after science fiction movies, in some cases serving as a Meaningful Name.
  • Blade: Blade Runner. The plot of Blade Runner deals with androids human enough to replace actual humans, echoing Blade's role as a loyal drone created in the image of Gunvolt to replace him in Asimov's scheme.
  • Crimm: Pacific Rim. Possibly an on-the-nose allusion to Hollywood's obsession with explosions and special effects.
  • Stella: Interstellar. Makes more sense when you combine her Japanese name ("Inters") with her English dub name. Insterstellar features time dilation as a major plot element, which is a phenomenon caused by extreme gravitational forces.
  • Dystnine: District 9. Dystnine's role as a being who has developed supernatural and inexplicable powers and is now on the run from a powerful MegaCorp who wishes to experiment on him for their own gain mirrors the plight of Wikus in the titular film.
  • Isola: Isola: Persona 13. The film deals with a girl with multiple personality disorder, not unlike Isola having two very different personas in and out of the spotlight.
  • Bakto: Back to the Future.
• This Is a Drill:
  • Anchor Nexus takes the form of a drill head made of thread forming around Copen as he dashes into the target. If he has Darkness Trigger active, several thread drills converge into the enemy on impact.
  • Bakto's Limit Break has him summoning gigantic energy drills from the walls of the arena. Incidentally, his Septima is called "Spiral".
• Three Laws of Robotics: Referenced by Dystnine if he kills Copen.

Dystnine: My emotions have allowed me to transgress the three laws. They will try to dispose of me now. Even so, my purpose has been fulfilled. I have properly avenged you, my lady.

• Time Skip: A major plot twist is the 100-year time gap between this game and the end of the original Azure Striker Gunvolt.
• Unfriendly Fire: The Sumeragi robots equipped with rotating spiked shields are unique in that their attacks will actually damage any other enemy they come in contact with. Since the cases where this is possible generally place weaker mooks in the path of the shield, this tends to be a One-Hit Kill on the unfortunate victim.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Not all Mino hideouts welcome Copen and Lola, despite their efforts in warding off Mino lairs from Sumeragi attacks. In a chat, Lola and Copen tell Kohaku that not long ago some minos threw rocks on them when they entered their hideout, and most of the Minos shy away from Copen because of the risks that accompany him.
• Unrobotic Reveal: The Sumeragi AI Copen has been gunning for is actually Asimov, having transcended his human body to become an Elemental Embodiment of pure electricity. This process hasn't come without drawbacks, however, as Asimov needs to rely on technology to hold his form together, which ultimately leads to his death when Copen wrecks his containers and Kohaku finishes off the last one.
• Utility Weapon: Just like the previous game, there are colored blocks scattered around various stages that can only be destroyed by an EX Weapon. In this case, using Orbital Edge against them will shatter them instantly.
• Wham Episode: The last three missions of the game turn the entire story on its head.
• Wham Shot: The CG of Asimov standing over Gunvolt and Joule's lifeless corpses, revealing that the game takes place after the Bad Ending of Azure Striker Gunvolt.
• With Lyrics: "Full-Power Support: Full Throttle" is Isola's stage theme remixed with Isola singing over it.
• You Monster!: Copen's reaction when Asimov reveals how he killed Gunvolt and Joule and used Blade and Mytyl to replace them.
• You Can't Thwart Stage One: Asimov's plot for world domination nearly succeeds, until Copen serves him a steaming hot plate of Laser-Guided Karma.
• You Will Not Evade Me: Anchor Nexus (Rebellio's weapon) allows you to auto-aim with your Bullit Dash, allowing for easier tagging, in addition to enhancing the power of the Bullit Dash itself.

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