Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein
Encyclopedia
Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein, released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 as is the 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...

 weapon-based fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...

 released by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...

 for the arcades
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...

. It is the sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...

 to Star Gladiator
Star Gladiator
is a weapon-based 3D fighting game released by Capcom for the PlayStation-based ZN-1 arcade hardware. It was Capcoms first polygonal fighting game, preceding the original Street Fighter EX by a few months. A PlayStation port was released on November 1996. It was followed by a single sequel,...

and runs on the ZN-2 hardware, an improved version of PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...

-based ZN-1 hardware its predecessor ran on. A Dreamcast port was released in .

Gameplay

The control system from the first Star Gladiator was reworked and rebuilt for the sequel. Much like the first game, players are given an arsenal of four usable buttons. Two of the buttons are attacks for a fighter's weapon while one button is used for a kick attack and the final button is used for inward and outward sidesteps as well as dashes. The Plasma Combo System was discarded in favor of the Plasma Strike System, in which all characters have a Super Meter (similar to the ones found in Street Fighter Alpha 3
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Street Fighter Alpha 3, known as in Japan and Asia, is a fighting game by Capcom originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware. It is the third game in the Street Fighter Alpha series, following Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams and Street Fighter Alpha 2...

and Darkstalkers) and that they can raise it to level 3, enabling them to pull off super moves called Plasma Strikes. Unlike the first game, fighters are able to battle on an endless 3D plane, meaning that ring-outs were unavailable upon sight. Like other 3D fighting games, set combos were implemented through tapping a specific sequence of buttons. However, characters could perform special moves from within the combos themselves, akin to 2D fighting games (similar to the treatment found in the Street Fighter EX
Street Fighter EX
Street Fighter EX is a head-to-head fighting game with 3D graphics, originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN hardware in . It is a spin-off of the Street Fighter series co-produced by Capcom with Arika and was the first game in the series to feature polygon graphics...

series). Characters can also counter incoming attacks using a Plasma Reflect or Plasma Revenge tactic against their opponent, requiring at least half of a Super Meter level.

One new tactic introducted from within Plasma Sword is that characters were granted a special skill called a Plasma Field. With the use of one level from the super meter, the character who activates it will emit a sphere of Plasma energy around them. If the opposing character is hit by it, the playing field will be temporarily boxed in with four invisible walls, making escape from the Plasma Field difficult. The effects of the skill vary with each character, ranging from infinite Plasma Strikes, growing to gigantic sizes, and even stopping time.

With the exception of Rimgal and Kappah, the remaining characters of the original Star Gladiator return for the sequel. The ten returning characters are joined by fourteen new characters, in which ten of the new characters are considered to being "mirror images" of the returning ones while the remaining two have their own unique fighting styles. The ten "mirror image" characters share the same weaponry, attacks, and Plasma Fields of the original cast, but each "mirror image" character have their own unique Plasma Strikes, new design, and original story. There are two hidden characters from within the game and can only be played through the use of a code.

The Arcade Mode of Plasma Sword has the player going through eight stages of combat. Upon reaching the fifth stage, the player's character will encounter a mid-boss that further advances the story of the specific character. Once the player reaches the eighth and final stage, they will battle against a specific final boss for their character. Depending on the performance of the player from within the duration of Arcade Mode, the specific character will have a unique ending. If the player has to use a continue while fighting their eighth opponent or during earlier competition, they will have an abridged (false) ending. A one-credit play with no continues will reward the player with an extra fight against another specific boss character - which is safe to continue from - and an extended conclusion that is considered to being the "true" ending of the character.

Story

In the epic battle of the Final Crusade that occurred from last year, Hayato Kanzaki had slayed the evil Dr. Edward Bilstein and brought the end of the Fourth Empire's terror and destruction throughout the entire galaxy. The fall of the Fourth Empire and the death of its leader were momentous occasions of last year and it signaled the restoration of peace and happiness, but all is not well in the galaxy.

Rumors have been circulating about the unexpected return of Bilstein in a new cybernetic body, as well as the appearance of a ghost who eerily looks like Bilstein's old cybernetic body. At the same time, the Fourth Empire has taken the opportunity in rebuilding its forces and the loyal members of the organization are determined to carry out Bilstein's will of eliminating those that stand in the way of their master's galaxy conquest.

Hayato, June, Saturn, and Gamof realize that the threat of Bilstein is far from over and that the four of them must head back into combat in order to defeat Bilstein and the Fourth Empire once and for all. However, the quartet is not alone in their second struggle as they have new friends to assist them in the matter, including the strong war soldier Gantetsu; former enemy turned ally Zelkin; the aspiring hero Eagle; and a mysterious young girl named Ele. Hayato and his friends will find themselves heading back into the hard ordeal as Star Gladiators, Fourth Empire members, and neutral parties will be thrust into a war that will determine the fate of not only the Earth, but the entire galaxy.

The Nightmare of Bilstein has now begun...

Characters

Hayato Kanzaki:
Hayato is the main protagonist of the series, who happens to be an intergalactic bounty hunter that wields a Plasma Sword. He defeated Bilstein from the Final Crusade and has settled down with June, spending his days peacefully in rebuilding the orphanage with the bounties he earned. During the events from the first struggle against the Fourth Empire, he has also befriended Gamof, Gantetsu, Zelkin, and Saturn. One day after coming back home from another successful bounty hunting mission, Hayato is shocked to learn that June has suddenly disappeared with his friends telling him what happened. Hayato sets out to find her and to finish things with Bilstein once and for all.


Black Hayato:
In his last fight against Hayato, Bilstein had managed to implant some kind of "genotype" microchip in the hero. It eventually took control of Hayato and that the microchip had turned him into Black Hayato: a fighter with a cold and emotionless fighting personality, the opposite of the original Hayato's own personality. While he is evil, Black Hayato still hates Bilstein for what he did, as he'll attack and eliminate anyone who gets in his way through the use of his Plasma Sword. If the player completes the game with him, he'll try to kill June on sight, but the small bit of consciousness that Hayato has left will attempt to stop him. Should Black Hayato win, the effects of the microchip will remain permanent and the real Hayato will be gone forever. It should be noted that in Gantetsu's ending, Black Hayato is shown as a separate entity from the original Hayato when he is actually in the latter's body.


June Lin Milliam:
A skilled British gymnast who fights with a Plasma Ring. She settled down with Hayato after the events of the first game and developed feelings for him. When she heard of Bilstein's unexpected return, she painfully left him to avenge her father's death and to prevent the monster from hurting anyone else she has cared about. Hayato eventually catches up to her and shields her from a blow from Bilstein's ghost, angering June to defeat the fiend for good.


Ele:
A mysterious young girl who traveled from a distant future. She was taught how to fight by her mother and fights with a Plasma Ring. In her time, Bilstein's ghost - who was obsessed with his hunt for Hayato - attacked Ele's home. The status of her father is unknown but her mother had died during the incident. As she has a time limit of how long she can stay in the past, Ele hurries to vanquish Bilstein's ghost and prevent the event from ever happening. She is highly implied to be Hayato and June's daughter. Ele makes a cameo appearance in one of Hayato's victory poses in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and in Felicia's ending in Capcom Fighting Evolution.


Saturn Dyer:
A green skinned alien with a cone-shaped head who is quite the joker and fights with Plasma Yo-Yos in combat. He is often considered to be the comic relief of the series and that he always has a calm yet friendly personality to those that meet him. He hails from the planet of the same name (though not the one we know in our solar system) and that he's known for being a popular street performer in his homeworld. Upon hearing of his planet's downfall to the Fourth Empire, Saturn goes along with his friends to defeat Bilstein and to save his fellow people and family.


Prince:
The royal prince of the Planet Saturn, Saturn Kuida-Ore the 3rd fights with a special set of Plasma Yo-Yos and his own unique style of elegant performances. He grew jealous of Saturn as he got more attention from the citizens of the planet and within time, he had developed a strong determination to beat Saturn and prove that he's a much better street performer. After adopting the alias of Prince, he allies himself with Bilstein and uses the Fourth Empire's influence as a front for chasing his own rival.


Gamof Gohgry:
Gamof is a brown-furred alien woodsman, who happens to be the leader of the people of the forest planet De Rosa, and fights against all threats with his Plasma Axe. While Gamof is considered a strong and benevolent leader to his fellow people, he is challenged by an evil contender (who is playable as a palette swap) who works for the Fourth Empire. Gamof fights to ensure his planet's safety and to help his friends in battling against Bilstein and the Fourth Empire. June visits Gamof and the planet many years later with her young daughter Ele, saying that Earth has no real nature left.


Gantetsu:
Gantetsu is a heavy drinker and extremely strong soldier who wields his own Plasma Axe in battle. Though he lacks strategic thinking, Gantetsu makes up for it with his tough stamina and relentless endurance in pure combat. Under orders from his superiors, Gantetsu is given the mission of tracking down Franco Gerelt for his war crimes against humanity. Upon managing to capture Gerelt and learning of his tragic story, Gantetsu quickly forgives him and takes him to a bar for a victory drink.


Franco Gerelt:
Gerelt is a Spanish matador who is an expert fencer that fights with a Plasma Rapier, and values honor from within the fights that he participates in. During the events of the Final Crusade, Gerelt was captured by Bilstein and had a bomb implanted in his chest, forcing him to join the Fourth Empire in hopes of not only stopping the bomb and defeating Bilstein, but also to rescue his wife and daughter, who were kidnapped by the villain. He committed heinous crimes against humanity in a reluctant manner, and even when Bilstein was defeated by the forces of good, he hesitated to return to his family, who were rescued safely by the Earth Federation forces. However, Claire's sacrifice as well as his wife and daughter's love convinced him that everyone can be forgiven in the end, and so Gerelt was able to move on in his life with his family, putting his hard ordeal behind him.


Claire:
Claire is a long-time friend of Gerelt and works with him under Bilstein. It is unclear of why Claire had joined the Fourth Empire, but it is speculated that something tragic had happened to her in the past and that she saw the Fourth Empire as a way of escaping her inner pain. In battle, she is known as Scarlet Del Sol and is a master at fencing, using her precise skills and Plasma Rapier to mercilessly defeat her opponents. Unlike Gerelt, she is very loyal to her master and holds the button to the bomb planted in Gerelt. Upon learing about Gerelt's revolt against Bilstein, Claire confronts him and demands an explanation from Gerelt, leading to a battle between the two fencers. Before Claire can make her final move against Gerelt, Luca confronts them unexpectedly, under orders from Gore to eliminate Claire. When Luca explodes from a Plasma energy overload due to the intensity of the match, Claire shields Gerelt from the blast and dies in his arms. It is implied from within Claire's last words that she may have developed feelings for Gerelt during their time together in the Fourth Empire, and that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.


Vector:
An emotionless robot created by Bilstein to become the ultimate killing weapon that wields a Plasma Gun. Bilstein implants a program to make the robot self-evolutionary and unleashes it to test its potential abilities against his enemies. Should Vector prove successful in its mission, Bilstein will then unleash an army of Vectors to destroy anything against him.


Omega:
An older prototype of the current Vector model who also wields a Plasma Gun, it was long deemed faulty by its creator for being too compassionate. After hearing that it has a "heart", it searches to know what it is before its energy runs out. After failing to gain answers from Bilstein, it encounters Ele who thinks it is another killer Vector. She soon realizes its true nature and explains that the "heart" the robot wants is something that is felt. As soon as Omega figures out what she means, its energy runs out. Years later, Omega is found by a pack of kids, one of them pointing out that the robot is smiling.


Zelkin Fiskekrogen:
An avian humanoid hailing from the planet Klondike who uses flight and a Plasma Claw in battle. His race are valiant warriors and treasure honor and power found in true battle. His former alliance with Bilstein was formed because of his hatred for humans, due to their past prejudice against his people. However, after fighting Hayato from the Final Crusade, he found that Earthlings had honor as well. Feeling responsible for the tragedy he has caused, the warrior had defected from the Fourth Empire and was obligated by honor to "repay the debt" to Hayato and his friends. If Zelkin fights and wins against Hayato, he will give him one of his head feathers as a sign of respect.


Eagle:
Eagle is an ordinary man who used to work as a pretend superhero at Gorakuem Amusement Park with a pair of artificial wings. The tyranny that Bilstein caused had motivated him to become a real hero of justice, expressing it in a typical superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...

 fashion whilist wielding a Plasma Blade in battle. It is suggested that Eagle is Capcom's in-joke character as he'll claim that he is the real Zelkin, harking back to past hero films where animal characters were actors in a suit
Godzilla (1954 film)
is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...

.


Gore Gajah:
A strange and unusual sorcerer with an enigmatic appearance who fights with both a Plasma Mace and Plasma Magic. In his never-ending research for Plasma energy, Gore had joined Bilstein's Fourth Empire as Bilstein had a large library of forbidden Plasma info. However, Gore had planned to secretly betray Bilstein and take everything for himself. His plans go awry when Bilstein commands him to retire the artificial girl he made, because Bilstein had feared about the possible security threat that Luca had posed to him and the Fourth Empire. Gore rebels against Bilstein's command and goes into hiding with Luca. To avoid easy detection, Gore had changed his appearance with Plasma Magic and went into leisurely seclusion, possibly marrying Luca as well.


Luca:
An artificial girl made by Gore who also uses a Plasma Mace and Plasma Magic. She is her creator's fiancée and is only dedicated to Gore. Though having a kind and cheerful personality, she has unusual sadistic tendencies and is naive to the concept of pain and death, killing other people as if it's a game. Omega will not recognize her as "human", sending her into denial about her existence. If Bilstein tells her that she isn't human, Luca's mind will reach its breaking point and she will unintentionally murder Gore.


Blood Barbarians:
A European man who previously worked under Bilstein with a robotic arm and a Plasma Sword. The brainwashing that Bilstein cast on him wears off and the warrior regains his freewill. Much to his dismay, the damage has been done and is irreversible; his left arm is dependent on Bilstein's existence and he has killed far too many innocent people. Sickened by the microchip that controlled him, Blood heads to the tyrant's side in a mission of eliminating Bilstein once and for all. He walks on a path of mortal redemption, intending to kill Bilstein and himself for the sins that were committed in the name of the Fourth Empire. If Blood is the one to defeat Bilstein, the place where they fought will begin to collapse and he will sacrifice himself to lessen the reactor's explosion in order to save the Earth and its people.


Shaker:
One of the many clones of Blood who strangely shares his progenitor's levitating arm and Plasma Sword. The group of clones bicker over the identity of the original Shaker and a specific one sets out to prove who's the original. All Shakers love punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 music and especially love guitars.


Dr. Edward Bilstein:
A powerful tyrant and mad scientist who wields a Plasma Sword and leads the Fourth Empire in his universal conquest. Bilstein was killed in the Final Crusade by Hayato, but was able to transcend his spirit to a new cybernetic body and lives again. After rebuilding his forces and conquering other planets, he once again resume his plans for complete domination of the galaxy. Bilstein particularly focuses his efforts on Earth, the planet that evaded him the first time.


Ghost Bilstein:
Bilstein's old cybernetic body that was discarded after Bilstien himself was able to transcend into his new cybernetic body. For an unknown reason, it gained a small bit of Bilstein's consciousness, and because of that, it was able to live once more without its previous host. It is an unthinking entity who wields a Plasma Sword and is purely obsessed with slaying Hayato, eliminating anyone who gets in its way. If Ghost Bilstein defeats Hayato, it will deem Hayato as too weak and will continue on its relentless rampage, destroying anything in its path to find the "real" Hayato. Ghost Bilstein makes a cameo appearance in Tekkaman Blade
Tekkaman Blade
or Teknoman is an anime series, released in 1992 and 1995 in both Japanese and English language versions.-Plot:During the year 2300 AD , otherwise known as United Earth Year 192, the Earth is under attack from an extraterrestrial enemy known as the Radam...

's ending in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, where he's about to beat Blade, until Hayato comes to Blade's rescue and assists him in battling against Ghost Bilstein.


Rain:
Bilstein's beautiful and ambitious daughter who wields ice powers and a Plasma Scythe. She was sent by her father to capture all of the male Plasma masters and imprison them at Bilstein's lair. Later, her father had planned to use their DNA - Hayato in particular - and impregnate his own daughter, making her the mother of "New Human Beings" - people who would hypothetically have unstoppable Plasma power to the point of easy world domination. If she succeeds her mission in defeating and subduing Hayato, Rain will find her father's plan boring and after beating her own father, Rain will nominate herself as queen of the universe with the men as her slaves.


Kaede:
A young, sly kunoichi
Kunoichi
is the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...

 hired by the Earth Federation to seal the Plasma power of all the other Plasma fighters with her ninjutsu and a huge Plasma Hammer. When her benefactors turn on her, she escapes from their base with ease, but not before she steals all the money from their safe so that she can spend the rest of her days in complete luxury. Kaede is a secret character and can be played using a code.


Byakko:
A mysterious tiger humanoid assassin who fights with incredible and dual Plasma Claws. He is a member of 'The Four Saint Beasts' (based on the Chinese constellations
Four Symbols (Chinese constellation)
The Four Symbols are four mythological creatures in the Chinese constellations. They are:*Azure Dragon of the East *Vermilion Bird of the South *White Tiger of the West *Black Tortoise of the North...

) which is created by the Union to foil Bilstein's plans. His mission is to destroy the source of the Plasma weapons and any wielder he meets. He is also suspected by Gantetsu to be the one who decimated his troop in a past incident. His win quotes suggest that he has a Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...

-like nature. If he succeeds in his mission of defeating Bilstein, the Union will order Rai-on to execute him as he has become "too powerful" and a possible threat. Byakko escapes, saying he has much to live for and that he can't die just yet.


Rai-on:
Another member of 'The Four Saint Beasts' who has the same mission as Byakko and wields his own dual Plasma Claws. He is more vicious by nature and is a wrathful ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...

. He is a lion humanoid and is essentially a color swap of Byakko with black fur - instead of white - with red eyes. His ending is similar to Byakko's - with him defeating Bilstein first and that Rai-on is then forced to battle against Byakko. Though Byakko escapes, Rai-on sends the other Saint Beasts to hunt the wounded Byakko down and that he'll anticipate another bout between him and his former teammate. Rai-on is another secret character playable through a code.

External links

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