Gameplay and Mechanics

#### *Attacking*

Bloody Roar Extreme uses a 7 button setup P, K, B, G, H, R-Step and L-Step. Each of the attack buttons (P,K,B) can be used in conjunction with a direction to perform a different normal attack for a total of 12 standing normal attacks, 9 crouching normal attacks, as well as various special moves and branching attack strings.

#### *Moving*

Moving is is done with the d-pad or stick, multiple movement types exist pressing forward or back will cause the character to walk at a moderate speed. Characters can also quick dash and run by tapping the direction twice in quick succession (dash) or double tapping and then holding (run) both dashing and running can be canceled with dash canceling being the fastest way to move around and create space. Characters are also able to shuffle by pressing down-forward or down-back, this is slow but allows you to close or create space while crouching. Lastly characters are able to jump in various ways, multiple types of jumping exist, standard jumping can be used in 3 directions up, up-forward, up-back, also running jump allows you to cover greater distance and jump higher by using a runs momentum, finally stop jump allows you change the angle of a running jump by performing a run releasing forward and tapping up a split second later.

#### *Defending*

Bloody Roar uses a multi layered guarding system to light guard simply leave the stick in neutral position (down for lows) to heavy guard hold either back or G (down-back or down+G for lows) an evade is preformed by pressing G just before you are hit it only has a window of a few frames to it must be timed right but allows you to retaliate faster, just defend/dashing guard is performed by quickly inputting a back dash and then hitting G at just the right time before you are attacked.

### **Basic Mechanics**

#### *Beast, Meter and Beast Change*

Every character has 3 forms : Human, Beast, and Hyper form. The term "Beast Change" will appear at the bottom of the screen when you are capable of entering into your beast form. Hyper Form can be activated at any time however you will receive damage upon transforming based on how much of your beast gauge is empty.

It is possible to enter your Beast Form only when your meter is 50% full (blue meter completely filled, changes into a yellow meter). While in beast form your character gains access to new abilities and other advantages (listed blow). In this form it is also possible to perform a single Beast Drive, You will immediately revert to Human Form with 0% meter upon using a Beast Drive regardless if it makes contact or not. Any damage you take in beast also deals damage to your Beast Meter at the bottom of the screen, you will revert back to Human Form on the first knockdown or launcher you receive when your Beast Meter is depleted. Depleted Beast Meter alone won't revert you to Human Form unless your Life Meter is also depleted.

Beast Meter fills gradually as time passes and can enter 3 different states. Blue is when you are in Human Form and the meter is filling up. Yellow is either when you are currently in Beast Form or if you are capable of transforming which is further indicated by the "Beast Change" text next to it. Flashing red/white meter is when you are in Hyper Form and this meter is strictly time-based, meaning incoming attacks do not reduce the amount of time you have to spend in Hyper Form. This meter can also be filled (with varying amounts based on the interaction) by whiffing attacks, dealing damage, taking damage, pressing B when you can't transform. Beast Meter fills faster the lower health you have.

#### *Beast form advantages and changes*

While in beast for your character will gain the following advantages and changes

* Gain new attacks with the beast button
* Deal more damage and receive less damage
* Become heavier and harder to juggle
* Recover a portion of lost life
* Can jump higher and perform wall jumps
* Gain access to air cancel abilities
* Attacks gain new cancel points and other properties
* Hitboxes of characters and attacks change

#### *Beast Drive*

Beast drives are super moves that can be used while in beast for at the cost of all of your remaining meter, the more meter you have at the time of using a beast drive the more damage it will do, every character has at least 2 beast drives with some characters having more. Using a beast drive also fills a portion of your blue health equal the the amount of meter you have when the beast drive is used.

#### *Ability Plus*

Ability Plus is a trait that characters receive when entering hyper beast such as super armour, life steal or other effects, each character gains 2 unique traits and they last for as long as you are in hyper.

#### *Light Guard, Heavy Guard and Guard Breaks*

Light Guard is the standard guard you find in most 3D fighting games, when your character is left in a neutral state they will light guard incoming high and mid level attacks, to light guard low attacks simply hold 2, when a light guard is used to block an attack the character will have a visual display of guarding with one arm, if using a light guard against a guard break attack your character will be guard crushed and will become prone to a follow up attack.

Heavy Guard can be used to defend against guard breaks, G for high/mid and 2G for lows, when using heavy guard you take significantly increased block stun against *all* attacks making it not something you want to use in every situation, when using heavy guard your character will visually block with both arms.

Guard Breaks are special attacks that are highlighted with a gold burst, these attacks can break through light guard, guard attacks, super armor and various counter type moves, they will not break through heavy guard however. Each character has multiple guard breaks and they come in various forms with various other properties depending on the character, from and attack.

#### *Damage Scaling and Aerial Diminishing Returns*

After an opponent is launched into the air every subsequent hit deals less damage (by about 25%) and causes their character to sink closer to the ground as if they were heavier making them harder to juggle, ground bounds ignore diminishing returns sinking effect but not the damage scaling. Throws bypass damage scaling even when used in combos making hit-throws such as Marvel's QCF+B good combo enders.

#### *Air Recovery and Air guard*

Aerial recovery is performed by pressing any of the attack buttons or G when after launched, air recovering with G and a directional input also allows you to fall in that direction in an attempt to escape incoming attacks but be warned using air recovery will reset air hit diminishing returns and scaling, if you are hit by a launcher or other attack that puts you into a spinfall animation you will be unable to use air recover. After air recovering you are able to guard with G or back but only once and after air guarding an attack your character will go into falling guard broken state even if hit by a none guard break attack, in this state you are unable to attack or defend but you will fall to the ground quicker than normal.

#### *Throws and Throw Teching*

Throws are split into two types, Neutral Throws and Command Throws, neutral throws are performed by pressing forward+G, neutral throws change depending on what form you are in and cannot be crouched and crouching vs a neutral throw will result in a crouching throw, neutral throws can be teched with any of the attack buttons provided you aren't pressing any directions when you attempt to tech. Command throws are performed with a special input and every character has at least one command throw usually done with 236+G but the amount of command throws and how to do them varies depending on character, command throws must be teched with an attack button + the last directional input of the command throw itself (236+G would be teched with 6+P for example) and inputting the wrong direction will result in a tech lock out where you will be unable to break the throw even if you attempt to press the correct input afterwards, unlike neutral throws command throws can be crouched unless its a special low hitting command throw (Stun and Marvel).

#### *Evade*

Evade allows you to quickly dodge an opponents attack, this can be performed by pressing G just before you are hit and the window of success is just a few frames, an attack must already be in motion before you can attempt to evade even if you are within the evade window making preemptive evade attempts impossible. You are unable to evade from block and blocking or getting hit will result in a small lockout period where evading becomes impossible. If successful you will see your character do an evasive maneuver and the opponents attack will whiff, you are able to cancel the recovery period of an evade with a throw, attack or movement if done just after the point the evade succeeds, it is also possible to evade multiple attacks in quick succession with repeated evades. Successfully evading in human form will build meter. Throws cannot be evaded.

#### *Guard Attacks*

Guard attacks are special armored attacks highlighted with a green electrical aura, each character has one of these moves with 214 + P or K, guard attacks only have upper body armor so they will lose to low attacks as well as throws and guard breaks. The amount of armor as well as other properties of the attack varies depending on character.

#### *Lie Down/Ducking*

Pressing and holding 22 will cause the character to go into a lie down/ducking stance, in this stance you will evade all high and mid attacks but take increased damage and hitstun from low attacks. There are 3 moves that can be performed from this stance one for each attack button and they vary depending on character. The ducking stance has a limited duration and your character will eventually return to a crouching position. You can cancel out of this position with a dash or command move.

#### *Stagger State and Lever Recovery/Quick Recovery*

Various attacks on hit or counter hit put the opponent into a stagger state, while in stagger state you are prone and unable to attack or defend though you can still attempt to tech throws, various types of stagger exist each one with slight different properties and effects. Getting hit in stagger causes the attacks hit effect to rank up (for example Marvel 236+P normally causes floating stagger but against an opponent already staggered it will cause a launch). Its possible to reduce the duration of stagger by using lever/quick recovery which can be performed by rotating the stick or d-pad in either direction.

#### *Crushing*

Various attacks in Bloody Roar have a built in dodge vs certain other attacks such as highs or lows letting them beat them clean, examples of this are Cronos 6K which beats lows and Alice 236+B which beats highs, the amount of moves that can crush and what they can crush vary depending on character and form.

#### *Rising Attacks and Tech Roll*

After you get knocked down and are on the floor you have the option to use rising attack or tech roll, a rising attack is performed by pressing K, this move is fully invincible on start up deals damage and causes a knock down on counter hit, this attack however is extremely punishable if blocked or evaded. A tech roll is performed by pressing any of the four directions which will cause your character to roll in the direction pressed and is good for putting space between you and your opponent, tech roll is vulnerable to pursuit attacks during its startup.

#### *Pursuit Attacks*

Pressing down + one of the attack buttons against a knockdowned opponent will cause your character to do a pursuit attack, these can be done quite late and are good for catching people trying to tech roll.

#### *Air Chains*

Air attacks can be chained into each other but no same attack can be used more than twice in a single chain, the standard basic air chain path used in Extreme is K > P > B.

#### *Hard Knockdowns*

Hard knockdowns prevent your character from performing any action after being knocked down for a short period, hard knockdowns usually come from attacks that send your character forcefully across the arena, into walls or slammed down into the ground, the duration of a hard knockdown depends on the amount of damage done with the attack or combo that caused the hard knockdown with more damage giving a longer duration.

#### *Hyper Burst*

Hyper can be used as a burst to escape situations that would not normally be escapeable such as combos, to do this simply enter hyper during hit or block stun, when using hyper this way its properties will change causing it to deal a small amount of damage and blast your opponent away from you, but it also gains more recovery time making it susceptible to bait and punish attempts. It is also possible to hyper burst out of a knockdown causing your character to be put into the air briefly. Throws cannot be hyper burst.

#### *Blue Life*

When taking damage a portion of the damage dealt will remain as blue health (about 40%), when in beast this blue health will recover at a rate depending on character (see individual character stats sections, lower Rcv = faster health regeneration). Using a Beast Drive will instantly restore a portion of this blue health equal to the amount of beast meter when used.

#### *Weight*

Character wight effects how high characters are launched, how fast the fall during air combos and juggles characters and how they are effected by bound, with heavier characters generally being harder to juggle. a characters weight class can change depending on form.

#### *Facing Backward*

While facing backward your character will take increased damage, however you are given access to your back turn attacks, holding G while facing backwards will cause your character to quick turn after they are attacked, this is good for avoiding strings but not single high damage hits.

#### *Walls and Ringout*

Walls can be broken in Bloody Roar Extreme, each wall is made up of several segments which are broken individually by knocking the opponent into it with the amount of hits required depending in the force of the attack, once a segment has been removed it is possible to knock the opponent through the gap and get a ring out. Wall settings can be changed in the extra options menu.

### **Advanced Mechanics**

#### *Command Cancel and Cancel Points*

Command cancel allows you to cancel most special moves during start up by pressing G, the point and window at which a special move can be cancelled varies depending on move, character and form but almost all can be canceled within the first few frames. On top of this many strings have cancel points that let you cancel one of your attacks into a special move (Shenlong 8P,6P for example) once again these cancel points vary greatly from character and from. When combining these two techniques together you are able to create extremely strong mixups, tick throws and various other setups to great effect and is key to Bloody Roars offensive game (same Shenlong example becomes 8P,6P xx 214P,G) canceling different specials can give different effects (Cronos 214K for example has a lot of forward momentum even when canceled)

#### *Air Cancel*

Air Cancel is the ability to cancel the recovery of an attack against an airborn opponent, this can be done in 3 ways:

1. Jumping, this allows you to pursue your opponent into the air and attack them with an air chain or other jumping attack.
2. Up + P/K/B, this allows you to directly cancel into one of your attacks.
3. Tiger Knee a special or super input, this allows you to directly cancel into one of your special moves.

Air cancel is an important part of Bloody Roar's combo system allowing to bridge the gap after a launcher and prevent air recovery by following up with an air chain or other move, There is no limit to how many times you can air cancel per combo as long as your opponent is still airborn an air cancel can be performed however air cancel can only be used while in Beast.

#### *Jump Cancel/Un-Jump*

Un-jumping is a method of staying grounded after performing an air cancel with a jump, it is performed by rolling the direction from up at the point of cancellation to either forward or backward and can be used in conjunction with various forward or back attacks (such as Busuzima's 4K) to extend combos that would not normally be possible to do in time.