Blood+ features an original storyline where Saya and Aoyama provide two perspectives and killing styles - Saya swings her trademark sword while Aoyama makes do with a firearm. Supporting cast members include the ever present cellist Haji and over 20 original characters to the Blood+ world such as Akama, Fukuoka, Shimamura, Momoyama, and Izawa. The cast is rounded out by a legion of Yokushu who burst out of their human shells to reveal the monsters inside.

All orders will include a bonus leather bookmark that's embossed with the Blood+ logo. Until NCS updates otherwise, the bookmark is available.

Jan Code: 4582224491223

View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCSX website.

» In the title screen, a blurry image of honeycombs appear in the background while the Blood+ logo appears in front of it.

» Press START and a static image of a dark clawed hand appears and the following selections may be chosen:

NEW GAME.......Start a new game in adventure mode or action mode
CONTINUE........Resume a game from memory card data
OPTION............Set letterbox (belt or line), vibration (on or off), sound (mono or stereo) camera type (normal or reverse)
SPECIAL............View character models (Saya and Aoyama are viewable at the outset but the others need to be unlocked)

» In the intro to the game, a vehicle rolls across a highway at night and zooms into the distance as a shiny city sits on both sides of the thoroughfare. The driver accelerates to 220 km/h and starts losing control of the vehicle. He spins the car around and successfully avoids a few oncoming vehicles before crashing into a truck. The airbag in his vehicle blows up and he crashes into it. In the next scene, the hand of the driver of the truck falls down from the side door and the camera slowly travels to the back of the truck. From the cracked open door, a naked young girl staggers out and climbs on top of the bridge railing. She wavers slightly and proceeds to fall into the waters below. In the distance, a shadowy figure watches the accident scene through binoculars and focuses on a winged creature that's hovering over the water where the girl fell. In the distance, more creatures gesticulate and scream into the night sky. The camera pans out from the binocular-wielding stranger to show his deep red eyes. Fade out.

» In the next scene, a vagabond with a goatee sits near an outdoor hibachi that's grilling a vegetable dish when he is greeted by Aoyama who asserts "Ohayo San" to get his attention. Aoyama wears the clothes and the coif of a dapper gangster from the roaring 50s or thereabouts. The two hold a conversation and Aoyama eventually walks off, gets a call on his cell phone with a fruity ring tone, and squats down to look up at an airplane in the sky.

» Shortly afterwards, Saya joins a classroom and is introduced to the students. She is directed to her seat and she joins the student body in unassuming manner. Control is handed over to the player after the introduction.

CONTROLS
L-ANALOG...........Movement
O-BUTTON..........Interact with NPCs
X-BUTTON...........Leap
SQUARE..............Swing sword
L2-TRIGGER........View overhead map of town
L1-TRIGGER........Guard
R2-TRIGGER........Duck and roll
O-BUTTON...........Knee kick (used during battle)

» When interacting with the first student inside the deserted classroom, the image of the person being spoken to is shown on a grainy and noisy image that needs despeckling. The camera also shifts from talker to talkee while red bars push onto the side and bottom of the screen to hold the text of the dialogue and character names.

» Before Saya can leave the classroom and get beyond the bulldog guarding the door, visit all of the clues and hints scattered around the classroom which teach the basics of game play. Only then will passage be granted. After going through the door, Saya receives a phone call from Hagi on her pink phone. To meet him, run to the back of the hallway and turn left where you'll encounter three girls hanging out on the stairway. After a short conversation, they'll leave and Hagi may be found sitting above with his cello. A save prompt appears after the meeting. Four save slots are available per 8M memory card.

» Exit the building to the roof and Saya will face off against the three girls from the stairway. Although they appear to be just girls, they're much more inside. One girl flips up her cell phone with camera and points it at one of her cohorts to reveal her monstrous secret identity. The two girls in the back transform into Yokushu while the lead blonde waits a few seconds before her head bursts open to reveal the monster inside. Hagi joins Saya on the roof and hands her a sword which she unsheaths with a clank of metal.

» Saya slashes with the SQUARE button and each attack that connects releases a torrent of yellow sparks which jet out from the wounded Yokushu. An overkill mode may be unleashed where Saya growls out a cry and unleashes a flurry of attacks which cause bubbly black blood to scatter across the screen. During the first battle, Hagi provides tutorials and encouragement. To finish off a Yokushu, run over it and press the TRIANGLE button and a button sequence attack will begin. Before the sequence, Saya plunges her thumb on an area on her sword which sends a trickle of her blood down a groove on the blade which reaches the tip. The sequence then begins where two buttons as shown on the screen must be pressed quickly to trigger the kill move. Ten seconds are allowed for the action to be completed successfully. If good, the word "Excellent" appears and Saya strikes the death blow which causes the Yokushu to turn into a white dusty corpse which crumbles into nothing.

» In the next tutorial, Saya has to guard thrice against a claw attack from a Yokushu. Press the L1-TRIGGER and block three attacks to proceed to the next exercise.

» If Saya jumps up, she can slash three times in mid air with the third slash crashing with a downward stroke on an enemy in front of her. If she's on the ground, she can slash five times in a chained attack to cause mass damage.

» The next tutorial requirement is to use the R-Analog to make Saya roll around in dodging maneuvers. Do it three times and the next exercise begins. Other moves that are taught include fast recovery after an attack, calling upon Hagi, and a knee-kick move which sends an enemy stumbling back.

» To kill the second Yokushu, another TRIANGLE induced button-sequence attack begins where the four face buttons are mashed in the number of times as shown on screen. Once completed, the target again glosses over with cloudy white chaff of some sort and disintegrates.

» The final Yokushu is softened up with sword attacks and finally killed with another rapid sequence attack but this time instead of tapping buttons rapidly, the Left and Right analog sticks are wagged concurrently in a clockwise motion to fill up the sword meter with blood and exact the final death blow.

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