Hey everyone!
Great to see you again! In our previous Preview #1, we introduced the new character Eisa, Driver updates, Prothesis updates, and more. In this follow-up article, we’ll cover the adjustments to Taisuke and some gameplay updates. We’ll also wrap up with the specific details for this upcoming playtest (tl;dr: the playtest starts on November 19th; apply via the Steam store page; we recommend joining our Discord for real-time discussion: https://discord.gg/CH9FpPnH6K).
Without further ado, let’s dive right in!
I. Taisuke Adjustments
In the last playtest, we made some adjustments to Taisuke’s core gameplay and received a lot of your feedback — including that the new Heavy Attack felt complex and difficult to use, and requests to bring back the “Mini-Ultimate” playstyle. And we’ve made the changes!
1. Adjustments to Taisuke’s Basic Skills
First, we’ve reverted the Heavy Attack back to its original version, making it easier to understand:
Consume 1 [Kesa Mark] to slash an enemy. Consecutively using it within 2 seconds increases the number of slashes, up to 3 levels in total.
Normal Attack: Each hit now generates 0.5 [Kesa Mark]. Additionally, the final hit in the combo grants the [Kengi] buff: Base ATK +5%, lasts 5 seconds, stacks up to 3 times.
As for the empowered Normal Attack — “Iaigiri” — added last playtest, we’ve optimized it to ensure smoother combos and better practicality.
After using his Ultimate, Taisuke now gains 3 stacks of “Iaigiri” (max stack count is also 3). Using the empowered Normal Attack (Iaigiri) consumes 1 stack, dealing damage to enemies in a large area. This Iaigiri also generates [Kesa Mark], counts as the “final hit” of the combo, and grants a brief period of invincibility — truly useful!
2. Playstyle Showcase
The “Mini-Ultimate” playstyle is back! Let us explain: One of Taisuke’s Heavy Attack modifications changes it into an attack similar to a small Ultimate (consumes more Kesa Marks, and damage is converted to Ultimate Damage). And it also grants a powerful invincibility effect. Here, Normal Attacks and Iaigiri primarily focus on generating more Ultimate energy to speed up the rotation.
Besides that, there’s another playstyle built around the new “Iaigiri.” It utilizes a chance for “Iaigiri” not to consume stacks, allowing for super long Iaigiri combos. Prothesis set effects can further enhance the rotation by granting more “Iaigiri” stacks through [Final Hits]. There’s also a modification for Heavy Attack that grants “Iaigiri” stacks.
3. Other Related Changes
Taisuke’s “Alienwalker” collaboration skin is now obtainable offline — no more needing redemption codes from outside the game!
Streamlined the skill descriptions for Taisuke and Jean, making their mechanics easier to understand.
Increased the Defense of melee characters. Melee characters can now withstand more hits compared to ranged characters.
Fixed an issue where holding down the attack button for multiple characters could cause the attack frequency to exceed intended values.
II. Gameplay Adjustments
1. Tour Match
The Tour Match is receiving a major update in this playtest.
① New Feature [Touring Challenge]: Players can now select initial match disruptions before starting a Tour Match, customizing the difficulty. Complete challenges to receive rewards.
② New Stage [Speedrun Boss Battle]: The match starts with consecutive boss battles! Significantly increased the number of rewards in the first room.
③ Reworked Round 16 [Consecutive Boss Fight] Reward Calculation: Rewards are now accumulated based on kill count, with rewards granted at certain point thresholds.
④ Tour Match Extreme Level Rule Adjustment: The Extreme Level now has a cap of 500. Losing a battle no longer reduces the initial Extreme Level.
⑤ Removed the Driver quantity cap rule in Tour Match. Redesigned the shop item distribution rules: Material items will no longer be sold in the shop before Round 15. From Round 16, material items can be purchased unlimitedly from the shop.
⑥ [Tour Match Preparation]: Now imposes a disable limit on the number of Basic Drivers.
⑦ Fixed issues in Tour Match including abnormal countdowns, boss resurrection bugs, and monster spawning errors.
⑧ Fixed an issue where the number of Prothesis drops in Tour Match was lower than intended. Tour Match will now also drop Prothesis with high Stars.
2. Other
"Team Match" has been re-added to the playtest version. We also plan further gameplay optimizations based on player suggestions and ideas.
"Breaking Show" — Fixed an issue where Boss • Leo could sometimes disappear during phase transition in the "Transcend," and fixed incorrect tallying of Likes in several Like collection rooms.
Furthermore, we have completely redesigned the difficulty scaling systems for all three game modes: "Breaking Show," "Team Match," and "Tour Match." We sincerely invite you to create a new Data (new save file) to experience the newly balanced gameplay firsthand and provide us with your valuable feedback!
III. Core Combat Experience Optimizations
For all Sequence enemies, the number of times they enter the Fragility Space after their Tenacity bar is broken is now controlled: Basic Sequence and Elite Sequence enemies can be staggered up to 1 time; Boss Sequence enemies can be staggered up to 3 times.
Adjusted the Crit mechanics for Tech Damage, integrating them into the [Electrocuted] effect: Dealing Tech Damage to an Electrocuted unit grants [Tech Overload]: Tech CRIT Rate and Tech CRIT DMG are increased by 2% of your own corresponding CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG stats respectively. Stacks up to 50 times. Lasts 8 seconds.
More action-related status icons are now displayed next to the character's health bar.
Fixed issues where invincibility frames could fail during Ultimate activation or after revival.
Fixed an issue where Digiclone damage multipliers were higher than the player's. Adjusted the Digiclone's Normal Attack cooldown to twice the player's (reducing the base attack frequency of Digiclones).
Removed collision volume for Match Assistants and Digiclones. Also reduced the visual intensity of Digiclone attack effects to lessen screen clutter when many clones are present.
Fixed issues where descriptions for several character-specific sets did not match their actual effects. Greatly increased the number of available secondary attributes for Prothesis (different Prothesis parts have unique secondary attributes). Adjusted the Effect categories for different Prothesis parts, unlocking Level 3 and Level 4 Effects.
Increased the interaction priority for dropped reward pickups, making them easier to collect.
Fixed an issue where gameplay tips popping up during combat did not pause the game. The Match Assistant upgrade interface now also pauses the game (in single-player).
Numerous balance adjustments to the values of Drivers and Relics.
IV. Playtest Details
1. Basic Information
Playtest Period: Starts officially at 2:00 AM on November 19 (UTC) (End date TBD; an announcement will be made before closure).
Platform: Apply via the Playtest on Steam, same method as last time (Applications are OPEN now!).
Playtest Size: Around 200 participants. Playtest slots will be granted based on application order.
Our Discord: https://discord.gg/CH9FpPnH6K - Welcome!
- Note 1: Steam Friend Co-op functionality is confirmed for this playtest — come play together!
- Note 2: Your "Early Access" save data will be automatically downloaded and stored locally on your device, and can still be used later. Participating in this playtest will not affect your existing "Early Access" save!
- Note 3: Using Steam Deck for this playtest is not recommended, as full compatibility has not yet been achieved.
2. Playtest Tasks & Rewards
【General Rules】
Playtest tasks are divided into "Mandatory Tasks" and "Optional Tasks". The two Mandatory Tasks must be completed. For each Optional Task completed beyond the mandatory ones, you can select one additional reward. Please note:
※ Completing only the two Mandatory Tasks without any Optional Tasks makes you ineligible for rewards.
※ Each Optional Task can be completed at most once, and each reward option can be selected at most once. This means you must complete both Optional Tasks to be eligible to receive both rewards.
【Playtest Tasks】
- Mandatory Task A: Fully complete and submit the in-game survey (requires providing your information for record-keeping).
- Mandatory Task B: Play the playtest version for no less than 3 hours (requires providing a screenshot of your Steam playtime).
- Optional Task a: In Tour Match - [Touring Challenge], achieve a Challenge Chest level greater than Green • Level 5 (refer to the [Touring Challenge] section image above for reference).
- Optional Task b: (New save files only) Use this save file to clear Chapter 5 "Breakthing" in Breaking Show mode (requires providing a full screenshot of the Louder interface, showing the save file creation time and Breaking Show clear record).
【Reward Options】
- Reward A: Receive 1 game key for the full version.
- Reward B: Get the opportunity to "sign" 1 piece of Prothesis.
【How to Claim Rewards】
Screenshots proving task completion must be sent to our staff via Discord. Please join our Discord: https://discord.gg/CH9FpPnH6K. Feel free to ask if you have any questions!
3. Prothesis "Signature" Details
For players who successfully earn a "signature" opportunity, our staff will contact you via DM. You can select an unsigned piece of Prothesis and share a story related to it, or any memorable experience you had while playing the game. We will help you write the corresponding story, then confirm it with you before implementation.
In this way, your story will permanently exist within this cyber city. There are still over 600 pieces of equipment available for signing — plenty of chances, don't miss out! (The limit for this specific event is 1 signature, but players who have already left a signature in past events can participate for 1 additional signature this time!)
Don't just think about it — jump into the playtest!