is a 2015

action role-playing video game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing game genres. Definition Action role-playing games emphasize real-time combat whe ...

developed by Gust and published by

Koei Tecmo is a Japanese video game, amusement and anime holding company created in 2009 by the merger of Koei and Tecmo. Koei Tecmo Holdings owns several companies, the biggest one of those being its flagship video game developer and publisher Koei Tecmo ...

for the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...

and

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

. The PlayStation 4 version received a North American release on March 29, 2016, with a European release following on April 1, 2016, and a

release on February 7, 2017. The game was followed up by a sequel titled ''Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon'', released August 2017 in Japan, and October 2017 worldwide.

Gameplay

The game features an RPG battle system where characters fight alongside contracted demons known as Servans. These demons can be summoned during battle through the use of SP, and are categorized into attacker and support types. As they become stronger through subsequent battles, they gain new abilities.''

Dengeki PlayStation was a Japanese video gaming publication by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks). It primarily features information pertaining to the PlayStation brand. ''Dengeki PlayStation'' was originally founded as a magazine in 1994 and ran until 2020, ...

'' volume 593 (9 July 2015 issue)
page 90-91
. Arnice can also land attack chains using light, heavy and special attacks, with each chain gradually filling a transformation gauge. When gauge is full, the player can trigger a transformation which increases her offensive power. This demon form allows her to control flames, while her rabbit form focuses on speed and melee combat, and her phantom form improves her recovery capabilities. She is also able to transform her blood into creating different types of blood power weapons depending on the situation, such as daggers and longswords, which change her attack moveset and the abilities of summoned demons. Drops of blue blood are gained by defeating enemies and completing quests, and they can be spent as currency at certain shops or used to level up the main playable character, Arnice. The Ende Hotel acts as a

hub world An overworld or a hub world is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres, such as some pla ...

, allowing the player to accept quests, buy items, plan daytime activities, change equipment, and save the game. The game also contains an optional arena where players can take on various challenges and earn rewards, and these include battles with special restrictions placed upon them and fighting against enemies within a labyrinth.

Setting

The game follows the journey of two girls and is set on the fictional island-kingdom of Ruswal, where nights are plagued by Azure-blooded demons, where no one sleeps at night. Although it is dangerous for humans to leave their homes after dark, the brave knights known as the Curia are trained to fend off the ever growing threat. After humans emerged victorious from the battle against the demonic Nightlord many years ago, the blue blood from the monster scattered and polluted those who bathed in it, changing them into creatures known as fiends, which steal night-time from the people. Although Arnice has polluted blood, her heart remained intact.

Characters

*: The protagonist of the game, who is a holy knight serving a mysterious organization known as the "Curia." She is part human and part monster, having had contact with the blue blood of the Nightlord, and she has a bloodsucking ability which arises from her monster side, and can use her own blood to create a demon sword. Voiced by

Mao Ichimichi is a Japanese actress. She started her career as a Japanese idol member of Horipro's HOP Club under the stage name and is a gravure idol. She started an extensive voice acting career under the stage name . Biography Ichimichi worked with Ho ...

. *: A saint who is destined to seal what remains of the Nightlord, and is a close friend of Arnice. Voiced by

Hiromi Igarashi is a Japanese voice actress from Sapporo, Hokkaido. She is affiliated with Mausu Promotion. Her major roles are Anzu Futaba in the Japanese idol franchise ''The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls''; Hina Takanashi, the youngest daughter in '' Listen ...

. *: A pure-blooded demon that lives within the opera house. Voiced by

Tomoyo Kurosawa is a Japanese actress and singer. Her major voice acting roles include '' Yuki Yuna is a Hero'' as Itsuki Inubozaki, ''Arknights'' as Amiya, '' Sound! Euphonium'' as Kumiko Ōmae, Otome Arisugawa in ''Aikatsu!'', Rebecca in '' Cyberpunk: Edgerunn ...

.''

Weekly Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the form of special top ...

'', 9 July 2015 issue
page 62-63
. *: A hotel manager and cafe owner. Voiced by

Masaki Terasoma is a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is affiliated with Mausu Promotion. Biography After graduating from Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, Terasoma joined Haiyuza Theatre Company. In 1984, he made his film debut in '' W's Tragedy''. ...

. *: A member of the holy knights and Arnice's senior. Voiced by

Ayane Sakura is a Japanese voice actress. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. Her roles included Natsumi Koshigaya in '' Non Non Biyori'', Shiromi Iori in '' Blue Archive'', Secre Swallowtail in '' Black Clover'', Ochaco Uraraka in '' My Hero Academia' ...

.''

'' volume 593 (9 July 2015 issue)
page 88-89
.''

'', 9 July 2015 issue
page 60-61
. *: A self-declared researcher of monsters. Voiced by

Yoshitsugu Matsuoka is a Japanese voice actor from Hokkaido affiliated with the talent agency I'm Enterprise. Honored at the 6th Seiyu Awards for Best New Actor in 2012 and the 10th Seiyu Awards for Best Lead Actor in 2016, he is best known for being the voice of ...

. *: A merchant who is a realist. He is well-informed with apparitions and the Curia, and has a hidden side. Voiced by

Satoshi Hino is a Japanese voice actor. He is known for his roles in various anime series, such as '' Shakugan no Shana'', '' The Familiar of Zero'', '' Gintama'', '' Nabari no Ou'', '' Naruto Shippuuden'', '' Overlord'', and '' Yowamushi Pedal''. Personal ...

.''

'' volume 594 (23 July 2015 issue)
page 50-51
. *: A bewitching, pure-blooded apparition who leads visitors astray with her sweet fragrance. She seemingly seeks for the soul of the Nightlord, although she is currently secluded to her palace. Voiced by

Eriko Matsui is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Nakamura-ku, Nagoya. She is affiliated with DAX Production. Early life Matsui graduated from Aichi Prefectural Gamagori High School. She graduated from the voice actor talent department at Yoyogi Anima ...

Development

The game was developed under the leadership of development producer Keisuke Kikuchi who has previously worked on the ''

Deception Deception is the act of convincing of one or many recipients of untrue information. The person creating the deception knows it to be false while the receiver of the information does not. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Tort of ...

'' and ''

Fatal Frame ''Fatal Frame'', titled in Japan and ''Project Zero'' in Europe and Australia, is a Japanese survival horror video game series that was created, published and developed by Koei Tecmo (originally Tecmo). Debuting in 2001 with the Fatal Frame (vi ...

'' game series, while the general producer was Tadanobu Inoue. The character sprites and background art were illustrated by Yoshiku. The game, along with the other Social Gust game, Atelier Sophie, experienced delays in release citing final adjustments as the reason for delay. First-print copies of the game featured DLC codes for Gust from the ''

Hyperdimension Neptunia is a series of role-playing video games produced by Compile Heart and Idea Factory, which revolves around and parodies the real-life video gaming industry and other forms of Japanese culture. The series has also branched off into a manga, li ...

'' series as a subordinate demon.

Reception

Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...

'' gave the game a review score of 32/40. The game sold a total of 79,227 physical retail copies across all three platforms within its first week of release in Japan. The game received "mixed or average reviews", according to review aggregator

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

Notes

References

External links

* {{Gust 2015 video games Action role-playing video games Fiction about diseases and disorders Gust Corporation games LGBTQ-related video games PlayStation 3 games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation Vita games Single-player video games Koei Tecmo games Video games about demons Video games about vampires Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Windows games 2017 video games Nintendo Switch games Yuri (genre) video games