ULTRAMagic Archive - Entry 25B
Genre: Third person RPG occult looter shooter
Rating: Mature audiences
Rating: Mature audiences
Acronym: ACR
Synopsis:
The end of the world and then some!
A world on the brink of collapse, the universe has drifted too close to a dying god, causing an invasion of the undead from out of nowhere. Take control of a special operative from The End of the World Combat Brigade (ENCOM) and fight your way through hordes of the undead. With an immense arsenal of guns and magic, it is up to you to turn back the tides of the undead and discover the mystery of anomalous The Reverse Serpent, or fall victim to madness and ruin, dooming humanity to fall.
A third person occult looter shooter with RPG elements, this is when The Reverse Serpent first made itself known. Universe-XT49 had drifted too close to it, becoming tangled in its coils. A plague of undeath struck Earth, but it did not turn anyone living or dead into zombies. Rather, it spawned the undead from nothing. These zombies went on to create fanatical cults that worshiped gods that never existed. With the collective belief and worship of the cults, these gods came into existence.
Four Unreal Gods show up in the first game and are as follows:
In order to combat the cults and enemy Unreal Gods, most of humanity united to form the military organization known as The End of The World Combat Brigade, or ‘ENCOM’ for short. This collection of arcane soldiers from across the world were pivotal in maintaining order and holding back the Undead Plague. In ACR, you create your own character and head out on missions with various ENCOM squadrons, dealing with any undead that get in your way. Your goal is to vanquish any major cult that threatens humanity.
An important NPC throughout the games is Mads Sagan. A 17 year old recluse in the first game, Mads has no parents or known origin, yet he was always waiting for his family to return. Growing incredibly paranoid during the first outbreak, he converted his house into a near impenetrable fortress and locked himself away. Safe from the undead, he began studying all that he could about them and magic in general. ENCOM would eventually catch wind of Mads’ dedicated research and went out of their way to get him under their wings. This was done by them purchasing his house and drafting him into ENCOM. While Mads was initially appalled, he quickly changed his tune when they wrote him a check with many zeroes on it. They saw promise in his research and wanted him to keep going.
Synopsis:
The end of the world and then some!
A world on the brink of collapse, the universe has drifted too close to a dying god, causing an invasion of the undead from out of nowhere. Take control of a special operative from The End of the World Combat Brigade (ENCOM) and fight your way through hordes of the undead. With an immense arsenal of guns and magic, it is up to you to turn back the tides of the undead and discover the mystery of anomalous The Reverse Serpent, or fall victim to madness and ruin, dooming humanity to fall.
- Customize your ENCOM soldier with all sorts of weapons, equipment, magic, and armor to fight off unending hordes of the undead.
- A robust class system, offering many ways to deal with your enemies and make them think twice about messing with humanity.
- Explore the lore and tales of Earth-XT49 with the Shadows Archive mode, detailing the exhaustive and extensive history of the world, with detailed character bios and model viewers.
Four Unreal Gods show up in the first game and are as follows:
- Dithin-Zarr, Northern God of Storms. A brutal warlord who rules with an iron fist and claims to be the true heir of The Reverse Serpent. Legends say his spear can pierce the bedrock of reality itself.
- The Forlorn Child, Southern God of Flames. The only (known) benign Unreal God (at the time) who pledged loyalty to humanity. He manifests as a boy named Antonius Van Agteren and vowed to elucidate man in the magic of the serpent. Notably he was a massive help for Tereza.
- Lady Mildburg of The High Wall, Western God of Mountains. She is neutral towards humanity, but desires the serpent’s power. She is a master of alchemy, but this alchemy is incomprehensible to man.
- Dris-Dris Akkaharr, Eastern God of The Waves. The most chaotic Unreal God, he attacks anyone that does not aid him and views all outsiders as not aiding him. Prone to mad rambling, his insanity can collapse even the mightiest of stars and disrupt the grandest of black holes.
In order to combat the cults and enemy Unreal Gods, most of humanity united to form the military organization known as The End of The World Combat Brigade, or ‘ENCOM’ for short. This collection of arcane soldiers from across the world were pivotal in maintaining order and holding back the Undead Plague. In ACR, you create your own character and head out on missions with various ENCOM squadrons, dealing with any undead that get in your way. Your goal is to vanquish any major cult that threatens humanity.
An important NPC throughout the games is Mads Sagan. A 17 year old recluse in the first game, Mads has no parents or known origin, yet he was always waiting for his family to return. Growing incredibly paranoid during the first outbreak, he converted his house into a near impenetrable fortress and locked himself away. Safe from the undead, he began studying all that he could about them and magic in general. ENCOM would eventually catch wind of Mads’ dedicated research and went out of their way to get him under their wings. This was done by them purchasing his house and drafting him into ENCOM. While Mads was initially appalled, he quickly changed his tune when they wrote him a check with many zeroes on it. They saw promise in his research and wanted him to keep going.
Naturally Mads began research into calling upon a naked singularity, making some in ENCOM question what they had just done. While these people viewed Mads as borderline insane, the idea was deemed sound enough as it was in line with necromantic practices. Mads was certain that he was in contact with a living singularity and the project was greenlit. If it failed, ENCOM could still use whatever data Mads gained, and success would mean they would have access to a potentially powerful ally (assuming whatever Mads summoned was not hostile). Ultimately it was viewed as a win-win scenario given that ENCOM was somewhat on the ropes at the time.
The third quest in the game focuses on the player going out and collecting the items necessary for Mads to finish his ritual. After finding four forbidden gems aligned to the four classical elements (and getting to know Mads along the way), Mads is able to conduct his ritual. While successful, the results were unexpected to say the least. Mads summoned his living singularity, but it took the form of a black hole with a damaged event horizon manifesting as a man with an eerie smile named Meinhert Sagan (taking Mads’ surname as he had taken a liking to Mads). Meinhert goes on to teach the player void magic, introducing it as a whole into Universe-XT49. Meinhert would stay with Mads, viewing him as his best friend.
Tereza was quick to seek out Meinhert, as a living singularity could defy the insane logic of The Reverse Serpent, aiding her in her quest to learn more about it. While Meinhert was quite unsettling and was freaked out by Tereza being an outsider, Tereza was not complaining and took whatever help she could get. The Ar’ton would also take pity on Mads’ loneliness and began visiting the Sagan household regularly, even mothering him a bit in certain instances. This helped to earn her redemption in the eyes of Lord Ultra and The Madman of Old as it showed she still had empathy in her. This friendship also most likely led to Mads’ eventual awakening as a Bizarre God.
Mads has several side quests throughout the game, focusing on him providing lore, upgrades, and items for your character (on top of getting to know him more). Within the game’s universe, Mads was becoming aware that he was in a game. This would manifest as 4th wall breaks that felt too real to be just comedic writing. Most players are incredibly creeped out by how aware Mads is in the first game. Through his research, Mads slowly became aware of the Cosmos proper, desiring to know more and more about it. This insight was not the most useful to ENCOM, but it allowed Mads to have peace of mind… until he started to realize how dangerous the serpent was, creating a strong desire for him to warn the Cosmos proper.
The rest of the game focuses on ENCOM getting a foothold against Dithin-Zarr, Lady Mildburg, and Dris-Dris Akkaharr. ENCOM is able to weaken the cults, culminating in a showdown with Dithin-Zarr and Dris-Dris Akkahar at The Roaring Jungle Expanse. This epic clash is interrupted just as the player is about to finish off the two gods by General Anton Bloodthresher. His forces come out in full force, forcing ENCOM to retreat. He then recruits Dithin-Zarr and Dris Dris Akkaharr and declares war on humanity, claiming Earth is his for the taking.
What is The Plague of Undeath? This is a magic disease that can only affect those that do not exist. Given the unlimited nature of such a situation, problems arise almost immediately. Fortunately these zombies cannot be cured, but overcrowding is still a problem regardless. Normal people who are infected with the disease do not become undead, but gain the ability to perceive The Reverse Serpent. This can lead to attaining great knowledge or plunging headfirst into the depths of madness.
All members of ENCOM receive the disease so they can learn the skills necessary to combat the plague and the serpent. Some give into madness, but the operatives that remain sane are the best of the best. That is not to say they do not battle bouts of madness, however. There are various mechanics in the game that focus on managing sanity and temporarily giving into madness. Whether or not the player wishes to engage with them is optional.
Interestingly Mads is immune to the plague, yet can still perceive The Reverse Serpent. This was of great interest to ENCOM and Tereza. Many viewed this immunity as a boon, but Mads saw it as a curse. Seeing the serpent in the sky was maddening and ENCOM knew it deep down. ENCOM would perform research into Mads’ condition to see if they could utilize it or understand the plague as a whole. If none of those, they could at least come up with means for Mads to temporarily alleviate it. Something to note is that Mads could lean into magic abilities that required madness without the drawbacks, making him an invaluable companion to the player
ACR Tournament Fighter
The third quest in the game focuses on the player going out and collecting the items necessary for Mads to finish his ritual. After finding four forbidden gems aligned to the four classical elements (and getting to know Mads along the way), Mads is able to conduct his ritual. While successful, the results were unexpected to say the least. Mads summoned his living singularity, but it took the form of a black hole with a damaged event horizon manifesting as a man with an eerie smile named Meinhert Sagan (taking Mads’ surname as he had taken a liking to Mads). Meinhert goes on to teach the player void magic, introducing it as a whole into Universe-XT49. Meinhert would stay with Mads, viewing him as his best friend.
Tereza was quick to seek out Meinhert, as a living singularity could defy the insane logic of The Reverse Serpent, aiding her in her quest to learn more about it. While Meinhert was quite unsettling and was freaked out by Tereza being an outsider, Tereza was not complaining and took whatever help she could get. The Ar’ton would also take pity on Mads’ loneliness and began visiting the Sagan household regularly, even mothering him a bit in certain instances. This helped to earn her redemption in the eyes of Lord Ultra and The Madman of Old as it showed she still had empathy in her. This friendship also most likely led to Mads’ eventual awakening as a Bizarre God.
Mads has several side quests throughout the game, focusing on him providing lore, upgrades, and items for your character (on top of getting to know him more). Within the game’s universe, Mads was becoming aware that he was in a game. This would manifest as 4th wall breaks that felt too real to be just comedic writing. Most players are incredibly creeped out by how aware Mads is in the first game. Through his research, Mads slowly became aware of the Cosmos proper, desiring to know more and more about it. This insight was not the most useful to ENCOM, but it allowed Mads to have peace of mind… until he started to realize how dangerous the serpent was, creating a strong desire for him to warn the Cosmos proper.
The rest of the game focuses on ENCOM getting a foothold against Dithin-Zarr, Lady Mildburg, and Dris-Dris Akkaharr. ENCOM is able to weaken the cults, culminating in a showdown with Dithin-Zarr and Dris-Dris Akkahar at The Roaring Jungle Expanse. This epic clash is interrupted just as the player is about to finish off the two gods by General Anton Bloodthresher. His forces come out in full force, forcing ENCOM to retreat. He then recruits Dithin-Zarr and Dris Dris Akkaharr and declares war on humanity, claiming Earth is his for the taking.
What is The Plague of Undeath? This is a magic disease that can only affect those that do not exist. Given the unlimited nature of such a situation, problems arise almost immediately. Fortunately these zombies cannot be cured, but overcrowding is still a problem regardless. Normal people who are infected with the disease do not become undead, but gain the ability to perceive The Reverse Serpent. This can lead to attaining great knowledge or plunging headfirst into the depths of madness.
All members of ENCOM receive the disease so they can learn the skills necessary to combat the plague and the serpent. Some give into madness, but the operatives that remain sane are the best of the best. That is not to say they do not battle bouts of madness, however. There are various mechanics in the game that focus on managing sanity and temporarily giving into madness. Whether or not the player wishes to engage with them is optional.
Interestingly Mads is immune to the plague, yet can still perceive The Reverse Serpent. This was of great interest to ENCOM and Tereza. Many viewed this immunity as a boon, but Mads saw it as a curse. Seeing the serpent in the sky was maddening and ENCOM knew it deep down. ENCOM would perform research into Mads’ condition to see if they could utilize it or understand the plague as a whole. If none of those, they could at least come up with means for Mads to temporarily alleviate it. Something to note is that Mads could lean into magic abilities that required madness without the drawbacks, making him an invaluable companion to the player
ACR Tournament Fighter
Genre: Fighting game
Rating: Teenage audiences
Acronym: ACR:TF
Synopsis:
Take the fight to the undead!
General Anton Bloodthresher is out for conquest and it's time to take the fight to him. Can ENCOM stand up against his machinations? Or will they fall like others who have sought to challenge the General? And with Anton’s actions reigniting an old conflict, it is up to ENCOM to keep Earth safe and settle the conflict between ancient enemies.
This is a fighting game that covers the rise of General Anton Bloodthresher and the appearance of two new Unreal Gods. Being a fairly odd follow up to the first game, ACR:TF is widely regarded as a fun and engaging fighting game, rewarding those who take the time to learn its nuances. This game also serves as the origin for a member of the ULTRAMagic Guild, Kerr Duffy, an evergreen member of the guild. Notably his origin within ACR:TF is just as baffling as the Requiem Series itself.
The two new Unreal Gods are:
In this game, Anton attempts a hairbrained scheme to harness the power of the serpent, but instead awakens an entity called Astra Vorax. Astra was the antagonist of Star Requiem, the series that preceded ACR (note that these games have yet to be found). Originally a mindless killing machine, Astra evolved over the course of that series, but was defeated in Star Requiem III and fled to recover. Strangely Astra seems to be an offspring of The Reverse Serpent, which is odd because Astra is not the first creation of the serpent. Manifesting as a half organic robot, Astra can use the power of serpent in a coherent, lucid manner. While not as strong, it can be just as potent. The reemergence of Astra was a breakthrough for Tereza, as it revealed to her that the serpent was manipulating superposition.
Astra’s superposition manipulation (and by extension the serpent’s) is often confused with chronomancy, but the two are vastly different. Chronomancy involves working with predestined events while superposition manipulation creates events. That is what makes the serpent so dangerous. While there are some things it cannot do, it can easily collapse superposition to create great calamities. What keeps it contained within the Requiem Cosmos is that it thinks it has won and become God. It is a nigh foolproof method as stories can only be truly changed by its creator. And it is obvious that whoever created the Requiem Series has no intention of ever letting the serpent go free.
The main character of ACR:TF from a story perspective is Kerr Duffy, a dragon human who was the protagonist of the Star Requiem series. He learned how to fight Astra by manipulating Cause & Effect, and despite not being superposition manipulation, it can counter its effects and has served Kerr well in his fight against Astra. Spotting an opportunity to learn how the Requiem Cosmos worked, Mads and Meinhert tagged along with Kerr, helping him stop Anton, Eltentorr, and Zistractadum. Each character’s story mode campaign ends in a fight with Astra, but only Kerr’s is canon. Kerr and Astra have a final, epic battle at The Abyss of Yore that becomes so chaotic that it sends them to The Unlight in the Cosmos proper. It also destroyed the two unreal gods, setting Anton’s plans back a great deal.
The outcome of the fight drove Mads crazy as he really grew to like Kerr and was looking to him as a means of escape from the Requiem Cosmos. As for Kerr and Astra, they eventually set aside their differences once they realized where they were and what the Cosmos proper was. Kerr would go on to be recruited by the ULTRAMagic Guild by Sir Blood-Wraith Raynot while Astra would go on to wander The Unlight, wanting to learn more about the Cosmos. Back in the Requiem Cosmos, Mads continued to lose his mind over the Cosmos proper, with Meinhert there to calm him. Mads was now more determined than ever to escape the Requiem Cosmos.
Apocalypse Conquest Requiem II
Genre: Third person RPG occult looter shooter
Rating: Mature audiences
DLC: Lost Records
Acronym: ACR II
Synopsis:
The end of the world round 2!
ACR is back, and so is General Anton Bloodthresher. With a new roster of commanders at his side, Anton is out for revenge and it is up to ENCOM to stop him once more. Take control of a unique ENCOM soldier again and fight back the hordes of the undead with blade, bullet, and magic spells. With Brigadier General Karl Dryden coming out of retirement to lead ENCOM against the forces of Anton Bloodthresher, humanity has a ray of brilliant hope shining down upon them. Will it be enough to save Earth from total disaster?
The long awaited sequel that really fleshes out ENCOM, this game focuses on Brigadier General Karl Alphonsus Dryden coming out of retirement to lead ENCOM against Anton’s expanding forces. Two important characters also join ENCOM in the form of Tatiana Dryden and Adriana Hawthorne. Adriana was a tactician and archivist ENCOM needed while Tatiana was looking to join ENCOM to aid in the fight against the undead. Tatiana was also Karl’s adoptive daughter and a close friend of Adriana’s. Both proved valuable to ENCOM, but Adriana had ulterior motives and her own plans. She wanted out of the Requiem Cosmos, but Kerr and Astra had vanished, ruining her plans. Her next best bet with Mads Sagan, given his groundbreaking research.
Karl definitely had his work cut out for him. ENCOM was effective, but was fairly ragtag in the grand scheme of things. The general got to work shaping things up. This ranged from tougher training regimens for recruits, expanding the organization’s arsenal, bringing failing and fledgling organizations to bolster their numbers, and improving work habits in general. While people complained at first, the vast majority of ENCOM members came to respect General Dryden.
Another change was that Mads was finally added to ENCOM as a true member of the organization under Karl’s orders. Adriana was insistent, to Mads’ chagrin, but he caved. ENCOM had way better tools, equipment, and a vast wealth of research he had been needing for his research. He also appreciated their help as always and was growing a little stir crazy hanging out alone with Meinhert all of the time.
Rating: Teenage audiences
Acronym: ACR:TF
Synopsis:
Take the fight to the undead!
General Anton Bloodthresher is out for conquest and it's time to take the fight to him. Can ENCOM stand up against his machinations? Or will they fall like others who have sought to challenge the General? And with Anton’s actions reigniting an old conflict, it is up to ENCOM to keep Earth safe and settle the conflict between ancient enemies.
- All of the hallmarks of ACR, rolled into a complex and satisfying combo system, with tight controls and satisfying moves, all ready to overwhelm your opponent with might and strategy.
- Take control of 20+ unique fighters and duke it out with Anton’s forces for the sake of humanity.
- Explore and demolish over 20 locations across Earth-XT49, each with their own surprises and stories to tell.
- Customize your fighters with all sorts of clothing and equipment options, over 500 in total, with even more to unlock!
The two new Unreal Gods are:
- Eltentorr, The God of Dark. He lurks in the shadows and teaches his followers how to hide and plot. His belief is that knowledge and wit are the key to success.
- Zistractadum, The God of Light. He is a mighty commander who leads his followers in glorious combat. He is of the mindset that might make right. His armies seek to become unstoppable and rule over everything.
In this game, Anton attempts a hairbrained scheme to harness the power of the serpent, but instead awakens an entity called Astra Vorax. Astra was the antagonist of Star Requiem, the series that preceded ACR (note that these games have yet to be found). Originally a mindless killing machine, Astra evolved over the course of that series, but was defeated in Star Requiem III and fled to recover. Strangely Astra seems to be an offspring of The Reverse Serpent, which is odd because Astra is not the first creation of the serpent. Manifesting as a half organic robot, Astra can use the power of serpent in a coherent, lucid manner. While not as strong, it can be just as potent. The reemergence of Astra was a breakthrough for Tereza, as it revealed to her that the serpent was manipulating superposition.
Astra’s superposition manipulation (and by extension the serpent’s) is often confused with chronomancy, but the two are vastly different. Chronomancy involves working with predestined events while superposition manipulation creates events. That is what makes the serpent so dangerous. While there are some things it cannot do, it can easily collapse superposition to create great calamities. What keeps it contained within the Requiem Cosmos is that it thinks it has won and become God. It is a nigh foolproof method as stories can only be truly changed by its creator. And it is obvious that whoever created the Requiem Series has no intention of ever letting the serpent go free.
The main character of ACR:TF from a story perspective is Kerr Duffy, a dragon human who was the protagonist of the Star Requiem series. He learned how to fight Astra by manipulating Cause & Effect, and despite not being superposition manipulation, it can counter its effects and has served Kerr well in his fight against Astra. Spotting an opportunity to learn how the Requiem Cosmos worked, Mads and Meinhert tagged along with Kerr, helping him stop Anton, Eltentorr, and Zistractadum. Each character’s story mode campaign ends in a fight with Astra, but only Kerr’s is canon. Kerr and Astra have a final, epic battle at The Abyss of Yore that becomes so chaotic that it sends them to The Unlight in the Cosmos proper. It also destroyed the two unreal gods, setting Anton’s plans back a great deal.
The outcome of the fight drove Mads crazy as he really grew to like Kerr and was looking to him as a means of escape from the Requiem Cosmos. As for Kerr and Astra, they eventually set aside their differences once they realized where they were and what the Cosmos proper was. Kerr would go on to be recruited by the ULTRAMagic Guild by Sir Blood-Wraith Raynot while Astra would go on to wander The Unlight, wanting to learn more about the Cosmos. Back in the Requiem Cosmos, Mads continued to lose his mind over the Cosmos proper, with Meinhert there to calm him. Mads was now more determined than ever to escape the Requiem Cosmos.
Apocalypse Conquest Requiem II
Genre: Third person RPG occult looter shooter
Rating: Mature audiences
DLC: Lost Records
Acronym: ACR II
Synopsis:
The end of the world round 2!
ACR is back, and so is General Anton Bloodthresher. With a new roster of commanders at his side, Anton is out for revenge and it is up to ENCOM to stop him once more. Take control of a unique ENCOM soldier again and fight back the hordes of the undead with blade, bullet, and magic spells. With Brigadier General Karl Dryden coming out of retirement to lead ENCOM against the forces of Anton Bloodthresher, humanity has a ray of brilliant hope shining down upon them. Will it be enough to save Earth from total disaster?
- Fight off the armies of Undead with an expanded combat system, with new classes, weapons, and spells.
- With the new subclasses system, take your combat to a whole new level with new abilities and tactics to send the undead packing.
- A revitalized boss encounter system that allows for unique showdowns and rematches, with an improved boss rush mode.
The long awaited sequel that really fleshes out ENCOM, this game focuses on Brigadier General Karl Alphonsus Dryden coming out of retirement to lead ENCOM against Anton’s expanding forces. Two important characters also join ENCOM in the form of Tatiana Dryden and Adriana Hawthorne. Adriana was a tactician and archivist ENCOM needed while Tatiana was looking to join ENCOM to aid in the fight against the undead. Tatiana was also Karl’s adoptive daughter and a close friend of Adriana’s. Both proved valuable to ENCOM, but Adriana had ulterior motives and her own plans. She wanted out of the Requiem Cosmos, but Kerr and Astra had vanished, ruining her plans. Her next best bet with Mads Sagan, given his groundbreaking research.
Karl definitely had his work cut out for him. ENCOM was effective, but was fairly ragtag in the grand scheme of things. The general got to work shaping things up. This ranged from tougher training regimens for recruits, expanding the organization’s arsenal, bringing failing and fledgling organizations to bolster their numbers, and improving work habits in general. While people complained at first, the vast majority of ENCOM members came to respect General Dryden.
Another change was that Mads was finally added to ENCOM as a true member of the organization under Karl’s orders. Adriana was insistent, to Mads’ chagrin, but he caved. ENCOM had way better tools, equipment, and a vast wealth of research he had been needing for his research. He also appreciated their help as always and was growing a little stir crazy hanging out alone with Meinhert all of the time.
Some developments with the first generation occurred prior to and during ACR II:
Anton was at a bit of loss given the departure of Astra, but that was not going to stop him. He was there to win and that was a minor road bump on his path to victory. For the time being he planned to keep challenging ENCOM until he found a new goal for his plans. Fortunately for him the undead cults were running around like headless chickens, needing a leader. He would organize a handful of them that would go on to create three new Unreal Gods that would persist for the rest of the series.
The new Unreal Gods are as follows:
The four new classes include:
For the player, these give the RPG systems unbelievable depth and complexity. For ENCOM, this was a turning point and gave them an edge against Anton and his armies. ACR II also introduced a heavier focus on cooperative play, leading to all sorts of new abilities and strategies. Naturally Tatiana serves as the tutorial guide for the new systems, if the player chooses to explore it.
Due to Adriana hanging around Mads, Mads and Tatiana would become a couple. Mads had been an awkward recluse for the longest time, but Tatiana was intrigued regardless of Mads’ mannerisms. He was a kind man and his dedication to his studies was something to be truly admired. With encouragement from Meinhert, Mads began talking with Tatiana. She was enthralled with his knowledge and was eager to learn all she could from him. And of course Mads grew to appreciate her presence as she was nice, sweet, and fun loving. It was a reprieve from the years of loneliness prior to getting involved with ENCOM and he was falling in love. Mads would promise Tatiana that when he found a way to leave the Requiem Cosmos, he would find a way to bring her along, one way or another.
ACR II’s story is a series of skirmishes between ENCOM and Anton, with the latter putting the former on the ropes multiple times. With one great push from Karl at the end of the game, ENCOM was able to come out on top. Anton’s forces were greatly diminished, causing him to go into hiding for a time to reformulate his plans. This absence allowed humanity to prosper for a time, leading to them gaining a foothold on the plague and numerous undead cults still out there. ENCOM also used their newfound victory lap to truly strengthen itself, even going so far as to begin research into space travel. As for Mads and Tatiana, they returned to studying and research, with Mads starting to go out more and have fun (his mood improving thanks to Tatiana’s encouragement).
The Lost Records DLC takes place a year after the game’s story and focuses on Adriana. She has gone missing and the player accompanies Mads and Tatiana to find her. Adriana sought out the Cliffs of Oblivion at the edge of the Requiem Cosmos to look for a portal to the Cosmos proper. After learning about Anton’s previous life, that being a repugnant cult leader from a realm known as The Unlight, she wanted to see if she could go there and help ENCOM in any way. Aside from the story, the DLC gives the player more info about Adriana, Karl, and Tatiana, expanding on their background before entering the story proper. Of particular interest to people like Tereza and Mads was that Karl would have dreams of the Cosmos proper, particularly another version of Earth where he served as a General in a fledgling army.
Eventually the trio track down Adriana and the group finds the portal they need after fighting their way through a great deal of zombies. The only issue was that the portal was only one way and single use on account of aging portal mechanisms. It was so tempting for Mads, but something inside him told him he needed to stay a bit longer, so he insisted that Adriana went for it. Adriana was hesitant as she would miss everyone, but Tatiana reassured her she would grin and bear as long as the departure helped them in the long run. It was a tough decision, but Adriana ultimately accepted. She declared that if she could not stop Anton in the past, then she would at least send back any help she could. Adriana stepped into the portal, never to be seen again as the portal fizzled out and the frame collapsed.
What is not documented in the games (for obvious reasons) is what happened to Adriana in The Unlight. She managed to track down Anton’s past life and all she had to do was join an organization of “knights” led by a treacherous queen. Things were looking good as a position had just opened up and the queen liked Adriana, but one of the members, a hexer, had other plans. This woman would send Adriana on a bit of a wild goose chase as she had a hunch as to what Adriana was planning to do. There was also the fact that she did not want Adriana involved in the cult’s dirty business.
By the time Adriana was recalled, past-Anton was dead. This made her angry and confused, but was able to move on from the upset once the queen returned to the kingdom she betrayed as one of its rightful monarchs and reformed her knights, with them insisting Adriana join them. Things were not going according to plan, but Adriana definitely appreciated having access to The Singing Storm Tower and its vast libraries, on top of now living in The Iron City, one of the greatest city-states within The Unlight. She was not able to figure out how to get her newfound knowledge back to ENCOM until she reunited with an old friend…
Aside from keeping her ENCOM gear, Adriana brought something else with her: The Annihilator, her rotary cannon shotgun. The gun in question was an absurd contraption that resembled a minigun, yet fired shotgun rounds. It naturally requires extensive magic just to function without breaking, not to mention preventing the wielder from being harmed. The runes engraved all over perform tasks such as lowering the recoil, repairing the weapon, keeping the sound at a reasonable volume, and giving the operator a modicum of control. Adriana was never a fighter, so she chose a weapon with stomping power based on the recommendation of Karl. Despite being a pain to use, the gun has protected her more times than she can count, especially while on a mission to the Tower of Babel with members from The ULTRAMagic Guild.
By now a great deal is known about the undead. It all starts with the virus. The Undead Plague is not conventional disease, nor is it a standard concept. The plague is a manifestation of The Reverse Serpent’s power, rationalized as a virus by those below the serpent. It is widely accepted that only the serpent itself can comprehend the mechanisms behind the power. What the virus does is collapse superposition in favor of bringing forth an undead from the potential for one to exist. As stated previously, this creates problems for any timeline as overcrowding can quickly get out of hand if the undead are not dealt with.
The undead created from the first game up until the Necropolis games are considered first generation undead. These undead were fairly simple, falling into basic combat archetypes, further aligning with the four classical elements. In ACR there were the slasher (melee unit), gunner (ranged unit), mortician (medic unit), and defender (self explanatory, focusing on protection). ACR II introduced the scout (stealth unit), flyer (aerial support unit), and tank (self explanatory, but focuses on combat as opposed to the defender). The elemental affinities are clear and precise, and it is ideal to use the appropriate elements against them.
Bosses consist of the strongest undead who excel in a particular skill and/or elemental affinity. They are also instances of unique undead coming into existence. These undead are more intelligent than their standard counterparts, going out of their way to interrupt missions and challenge the player in both games, notably being more complex in ACR II. While difficult, these optional challenges offer great rewards such as unique weapons, powerful equipment, stat upgrades, special consumables, and rare upgrade materials. While they draw from the boss drop table, they are considered bonus drops and do not take away from the main encounter.
The final confrontations have the player fighting the boss directly, granting huge exp rewards and valuable loot. The bosses can be fought over and over again if the player has the right items. These fights will ramp up in difficulty as the player goes on, but will also offer improved rewards in return. There is also a boss rush mode in all of the games (unique spin offs notwithstanding) that will offer rewards unique to those modes that carry over to the main game.
While The Undead Gods are harder to study, the help of Antonius and Lady Mildburg greatly improved ENCOM’s understanding by this point in the series. Whether or not they are undead is up for debate as they fit the definition of undead, but are vastly more complex than what the Undead Plague brings into existence. They draw from the power of the serpent, but were brought forth by the fanaticism of the cults through their collective worship and belief. The god being benevolent or malevolent is completely up to chance. Like all other enemy NPCs, they can be fought as bosses regardless of their alignment, and can even be refought with the correct items.
A recurring boss fight in every game is Antonius as an optional super boss. Wanting to train himself and see what the player can do, he will accept their challenge once the player has gotten their character’s stats high enough (although he can be fought at low levels if the player is persistent with dialogue choices). Antonius is a difficult, yet fair and satisfying fight, requiring the player to memorize patterns and be proactive. The player is also encouraged to try out different builds and strategies against Antonius, with him adjusting the rewards based on how well the player does.
Antonius is a fan favorite character for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, he is kind, plucky, and helpful. His positivity despite how grim things are is welcomed by NPC and player alike. Secondly, he always brings something new to the table in each game. When fighting him, he is always a good sport. If the player loses, he will warp the two back to his home, preventing a game over, and will offer the player advice on how to beat him. When the player wins, Antonius will congratulate the player and give their character a hug.
Surprisingly many players consider Antonius as a good way to learn each game, given that the boss fight is designed around challenging the player and getting them to think outside the box. Starting in the next mainline game, Lady Mildburg would join Antonius as a recurring super boss. While not as endearing, her boss fights are still regarded as very fun and challenging. She even hints at teaming up with Antonius for a couple of challenges at some point in the future.
ACR Grand Prix
- Antonius joins ENCOM, greatly bolstering their forces. It also greatly advanced research into the undead given that Antonius was an Unreal God.
- Lady Mildburg gave up on trying to claim the serpent’s power and joined ENCOM. She also began to mother Antonius, seeing him as the son she never had.
- Dithin-Zarr and Dris-Dris Akkaharr merged into Dithin-Akkaharr, God of Typhoons. He would go on to join Anton, causing great trouble for ENCOM.
Anton was at a bit of loss given the departure of Astra, but that was not going to stop him. He was there to win and that was a minor road bump on his path to victory. For the time being he planned to keep challenging ENCOM until he found a new goal for his plans. Fortunately for him the undead cults were running around like headless chickens, needing a leader. He would organize a handful of them that would go on to create three new Unreal Gods that would persist for the rest of the series.
The new Unreal Gods are as follows:
- Zistratorr, God of Chaos. He was created from the remains of the light and dark gods. He is a tactical reflection of the two gods, desiring success and progress at no matter the cost.
- Ultonn the Ravager, a god of metal who is able to create machine zombies. Anton’s heavy artillery and vehicles consist of Ultonn’s creations.
- Syllsonna the Tempting, a seductive and deadly goddess who is capable of enthralling the simple minded into useful pawns for Anton’s ambitions. She is notably in love with Ultonn.
The four new classes include:
- Paladin, a combat medic class.
- Titan, a class all about dealing high amounts of damage.
- Mage, A dedicated magic class centered around casting devastating spells
- Marksman, a long range gunner focused on stealth, sniping, and precision attacks.
- Blood, focusing on summoning.
- Madness, focusing on ‘high risk, high reward’ gameplay.
- Void, focusing on tech and skill-based strategies.
- Chaos, creating a class that does the opposite of what it is supposed to do (example: A fighter that focuses on gunplay and vice versa).
For the player, these give the RPG systems unbelievable depth and complexity. For ENCOM, this was a turning point and gave them an edge against Anton and his armies. ACR II also introduced a heavier focus on cooperative play, leading to all sorts of new abilities and strategies. Naturally Tatiana serves as the tutorial guide for the new systems, if the player chooses to explore it.
Due to Adriana hanging around Mads, Mads and Tatiana would become a couple. Mads had been an awkward recluse for the longest time, but Tatiana was intrigued regardless of Mads’ mannerisms. He was a kind man and his dedication to his studies was something to be truly admired. With encouragement from Meinhert, Mads began talking with Tatiana. She was enthralled with his knowledge and was eager to learn all she could from him. And of course Mads grew to appreciate her presence as she was nice, sweet, and fun loving. It was a reprieve from the years of loneliness prior to getting involved with ENCOM and he was falling in love. Mads would promise Tatiana that when he found a way to leave the Requiem Cosmos, he would find a way to bring her along, one way or another.
ACR II’s story is a series of skirmishes between ENCOM and Anton, with the latter putting the former on the ropes multiple times. With one great push from Karl at the end of the game, ENCOM was able to come out on top. Anton’s forces were greatly diminished, causing him to go into hiding for a time to reformulate his plans. This absence allowed humanity to prosper for a time, leading to them gaining a foothold on the plague and numerous undead cults still out there. ENCOM also used their newfound victory lap to truly strengthen itself, even going so far as to begin research into space travel. As for Mads and Tatiana, they returned to studying and research, with Mads starting to go out more and have fun (his mood improving thanks to Tatiana’s encouragement).
The Lost Records DLC takes place a year after the game’s story and focuses on Adriana. She has gone missing and the player accompanies Mads and Tatiana to find her. Adriana sought out the Cliffs of Oblivion at the edge of the Requiem Cosmos to look for a portal to the Cosmos proper. After learning about Anton’s previous life, that being a repugnant cult leader from a realm known as The Unlight, she wanted to see if she could go there and help ENCOM in any way. Aside from the story, the DLC gives the player more info about Adriana, Karl, and Tatiana, expanding on their background before entering the story proper. Of particular interest to people like Tereza and Mads was that Karl would have dreams of the Cosmos proper, particularly another version of Earth where he served as a General in a fledgling army.
Eventually the trio track down Adriana and the group finds the portal they need after fighting their way through a great deal of zombies. The only issue was that the portal was only one way and single use on account of aging portal mechanisms. It was so tempting for Mads, but something inside him told him he needed to stay a bit longer, so he insisted that Adriana went for it. Adriana was hesitant as she would miss everyone, but Tatiana reassured her she would grin and bear as long as the departure helped them in the long run. It was a tough decision, but Adriana ultimately accepted. She declared that if she could not stop Anton in the past, then she would at least send back any help she could. Adriana stepped into the portal, never to be seen again as the portal fizzled out and the frame collapsed.
What is not documented in the games (for obvious reasons) is what happened to Adriana in The Unlight. She managed to track down Anton’s past life and all she had to do was join an organization of “knights” led by a treacherous queen. Things were looking good as a position had just opened up and the queen liked Adriana, but one of the members, a hexer, had other plans. This woman would send Adriana on a bit of a wild goose chase as she had a hunch as to what Adriana was planning to do. There was also the fact that she did not want Adriana involved in the cult’s dirty business.
By the time Adriana was recalled, past-Anton was dead. This made her angry and confused, but was able to move on from the upset once the queen returned to the kingdom she betrayed as one of its rightful monarchs and reformed her knights, with them insisting Adriana join them. Things were not going according to plan, but Adriana definitely appreciated having access to The Singing Storm Tower and its vast libraries, on top of now living in The Iron City, one of the greatest city-states within The Unlight. She was not able to figure out how to get her newfound knowledge back to ENCOM until she reunited with an old friend…
Aside from keeping her ENCOM gear, Adriana brought something else with her: The Annihilator, her rotary cannon shotgun. The gun in question was an absurd contraption that resembled a minigun, yet fired shotgun rounds. It naturally requires extensive magic just to function without breaking, not to mention preventing the wielder from being harmed. The runes engraved all over perform tasks such as lowering the recoil, repairing the weapon, keeping the sound at a reasonable volume, and giving the operator a modicum of control. Adriana was never a fighter, so she chose a weapon with stomping power based on the recommendation of Karl. Despite being a pain to use, the gun has protected her more times than she can count, especially while on a mission to the Tower of Babel with members from The ULTRAMagic Guild.
By now a great deal is known about the undead. It all starts with the virus. The Undead Plague is not conventional disease, nor is it a standard concept. The plague is a manifestation of The Reverse Serpent’s power, rationalized as a virus by those below the serpent. It is widely accepted that only the serpent itself can comprehend the mechanisms behind the power. What the virus does is collapse superposition in favor of bringing forth an undead from the potential for one to exist. As stated previously, this creates problems for any timeline as overcrowding can quickly get out of hand if the undead are not dealt with.
The undead created from the first game up until the Necropolis games are considered first generation undead. These undead were fairly simple, falling into basic combat archetypes, further aligning with the four classical elements. In ACR there were the slasher (melee unit), gunner (ranged unit), mortician (medic unit), and defender (self explanatory, focusing on protection). ACR II introduced the scout (stealth unit), flyer (aerial support unit), and tank (self explanatory, but focuses on combat as opposed to the defender). The elemental affinities are clear and precise, and it is ideal to use the appropriate elements against them.
Bosses consist of the strongest undead who excel in a particular skill and/or elemental affinity. They are also instances of unique undead coming into existence. These undead are more intelligent than their standard counterparts, going out of their way to interrupt missions and challenge the player in both games, notably being more complex in ACR II. While difficult, these optional challenges offer great rewards such as unique weapons, powerful equipment, stat upgrades, special consumables, and rare upgrade materials. While they draw from the boss drop table, they are considered bonus drops and do not take away from the main encounter.
The final confrontations have the player fighting the boss directly, granting huge exp rewards and valuable loot. The bosses can be fought over and over again if the player has the right items. These fights will ramp up in difficulty as the player goes on, but will also offer improved rewards in return. There is also a boss rush mode in all of the games (unique spin offs notwithstanding) that will offer rewards unique to those modes that carry over to the main game.
While The Undead Gods are harder to study, the help of Antonius and Lady Mildburg greatly improved ENCOM’s understanding by this point in the series. Whether or not they are undead is up for debate as they fit the definition of undead, but are vastly more complex than what the Undead Plague brings into existence. They draw from the power of the serpent, but were brought forth by the fanaticism of the cults through their collective worship and belief. The god being benevolent or malevolent is completely up to chance. Like all other enemy NPCs, they can be fought as bosses regardless of their alignment, and can even be refought with the correct items.
A recurring boss fight in every game is Antonius as an optional super boss. Wanting to train himself and see what the player can do, he will accept their challenge once the player has gotten their character’s stats high enough (although he can be fought at low levels if the player is persistent with dialogue choices). Antonius is a difficult, yet fair and satisfying fight, requiring the player to memorize patterns and be proactive. The player is also encouraged to try out different builds and strategies against Antonius, with him adjusting the rewards based on how well the player does.
Antonius is a fan favorite character for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, he is kind, plucky, and helpful. His positivity despite how grim things are is welcomed by NPC and player alike. Secondly, he always brings something new to the table in each game. When fighting him, he is always a good sport. If the player loses, he will warp the two back to his home, preventing a game over, and will offer the player advice on how to beat him. When the player wins, Antonius will congratulate the player and give their character a hug.
Surprisingly many players consider Antonius as a good way to learn each game, given that the boss fight is designed around challenging the player and getting them to think outside the box. Starting in the next mainline game, Lady Mildburg would join Antonius as a recurring super boss. While not as endearing, her boss fights are still regarded as very fun and challenging. She even hints at teaming up with Antonius for a couple of challenges at some point in the future.
ACR Grand Prix
Genre: Combat Racing Game
Rating: Teenage audiences
Acronym: ACR:GP
Synopsis:
Race across the end of the world and leave the Undead in your dust!
ACR Grand Prix is a strange spin-off of the Requiem Series. It is a combat racing game that is not canon to the Requiem Series. Mads, Karl, and Adriana do not remember it, drawing a blank when asked about any aspect about it. Regardless of this anomaly, the game is fun, fast paced, pedal to the metal action. And despite the lack of canon, the lore and trivia for the characters, locations, and elements of the series it offers is canon. Mads and the others have been able to vouch for this aspect of the game.
Rating: Teenage audiences
Acronym: ACR:GP
Synopsis:
Race across the end of the world and leave the Undead in your dust!
- Take control of your favorite characters in a high stakes grand prix across the world.
- Race through familiar locations, old and new!
- Outspeed your opponents or destroy them with a flurry of gunfire! It does not matter how you cross the finish line as long as you are first!
- Take on up to 8 racers online or challenge your friends in split screen mode.
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