Hinokakera
| Hinokakera | |
|---|---|
 Official poster for the "Chaotic Eclipse" | |
| Developer(s) | Reddish Region |
| Publisher(s) | Reddish Region |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | rev.1 - December 30th 2003 rev.2 - July 13th 2006 rev.3 - February 8th 2008 rev.4 - December 31st 2010 |
| Genre(s) | 2.5D fighting game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer |
| Distribution | 1 CD |
Hinokakera (ヒノカケラ), sometimes abbreviated as Hikake (ヒカケ), is a Japanese dōjin 2.5D fighting game (full 3D graphics, but the gameplay is based on 2D style games), set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world. The game is developed and self-published by Akaishi Ryuuka (赤石 榴火) under the name "Reddish Region". The game has had 4 major revisions so far.
Revisions
- 1st (up until v1.11c) - Hinokakera the Fragments of Innocent Sinner. Original game featuring 10 characters, with 3 of them initially hidden.
- 2nd (v2.00 - v2.02) - Hinokakera the Fragments of Innocent Sinner Reinforced Edition. This revision was made available on the official site as a free patch to v1.11c - it made all characters playable from the start and introduced major changes to the gameplay, by adding two "reinforce" modes for each character, dropping some of the combat features and bringing the overall pace closer to modern examples of the fighting genre (like Guilty Gear). Visuals were also improved to a certain extent, and, additionally, v2.02 patch added a standalone p2p netplay client.
- 3rd (v3.00 - v3.01a) - Hinokakera fragment:Eclipse. Added 3 more playable characters and a visual novel-like Story mode.
- 4th (v1.00 - v1.01) - Hinokakera Chaotic Eclipse. This revision is the first in the series to have noticeably updated visuals, along with tweaks to the combat system and character balance. Other changes include a reworked netplay client now integrated into the game and a new sidestory option to the Story mode (only v1.01). Also notable is the fact that the author decided to reset the version numbering back to 1.00, despite all the preceding trial versions of Chaotic Eclipse bearing v4.xx designation.
Gameplay
In its current iteration Hinokakera features an unorthodox mix of both 2D and 3D traditions. While the combat system itself is rooted in 2D, all battles take place in endless 3D stages with no boundaries or objects, similar to Tekken series of fighting games. Characters also have the ability to sidestep.
At the same time, 2D part also presents a combination of both old and new elements - system of links and combos is similar to that of Melty Blood and Guilty Gear games, whereas movement resembles King of Fighters and Street Fighter for the most part, with airdashes and double jumps, common in modern fighting games, being a special ability of some characters or having additional requirements to perform.
Characters
As of fragment:Eclipse the game has 13 characters to choose from. The game started with 7 of them forming the original cast:
- Raven
- Silvis Laws
- Aya
- Camille Enfield
- Kasumi Seiga Freslight
- Celes Alfort
- Hardy Alfort
Additional three were unlockable characters, that were added to the default roster from v2 onwards.
- Clestis Farrell (boss for most of the cast)
- Aronia Excel
- Kakeru
Fragment:Eclipse introduced three more playable characters:
- Malakh (originally appeared in v2 as an unplayable hidden boss, though one could select it using hacks)
- Ashley (unlockable in v3, regular character in Chaotic Eclipse)
- Aya/immortal (unlockable in v3 and Chaotic Eclipse)
See also
External links
- Reddish Region Website (Japanese)
- Hinokakera fragment:Eclipse at MobyGames
- Hinokakera fragment:Eclipse and *Chaotic Eclipse at Neoseeker