Flow Chain: The Flow Chain assesses a player’s performance during a combo based on factors like the variety of moves used, the timing of attacks, chaining enemy kills seamlessly, and the overall flow of combat. At the end of a mission, players are ranked based on the total amount of points gained. From lowest to highest: C (Dying on a mission), B (Average), A (Intermediate), S, Ultimate Encore (High Requirements)
Performing well during combat can grant bonuses, but players must be cautious not to leave themselves vulnerable for too long. As players string together different moves without breaking the combo chain, they can achieve higher Stylish Ranks that indicate the proficiency of the player’s skills, such as
Deja Vu – Base Flow state
- Standard combo timer
- Slight increase to cancel leniency
- Minor score multiplier
Curious
Bodacious!
Ascended!
Smooth!
- Speed and damage boost
- Increases hit count
SSupreme Scintillation!
- Increased Climax gain
- Combo duration lasts longer
SSStunning Seductive Style!
- Onslaughter Mode – Prevents the player from being staggered. Charges up spell cards, Ultimate Attack and Ultimatrigger, activating Onslaughter Mode
- Access to Ascension Finishers with critical hits, granting more invincibility).
– Stripped – Ends a character / boss’ Onslaughter state by hitting them with a Trigger or Trigger Explosion
Converting Flow Chain points into actual score is done by finishing fights, touching checkpoints, using Spell Cards, or clearing a mission. When points are converted into actual Score, they are multiplied depending on how many there are. Lost points are not converted into Score. The conditions for points loss vary, and are detailed in the section below.
Taking damage (Varies how much points are lost depending on how high the damage is), dying, relying too much on evasion, not using enough moves, or being too slow in defeating enemies can break the Chain meter, resetting the multiplier and forcing you to rebuild the score from scratch. The energy will decrease when moves are being repeated or the enemy/player is inactive or too evasive. Certain actions become Stale when used repeatedly. Stale actions deal normal damage but generate reduced Flow Points until different actions are performed. Flow increases most efficiently when players alternate between different forms of offense, such as grounded attacks, aerial attacks, weapon switches, style switches, counters, launchers, grabs, spell cards, and finishers.
Points increase from:
- Fever – Multi-kills in a single chain. (Kill two enemies, three enemies, more than three enemies, etc within half of a second)
- Anti-Gravital – Perform a lengthy mid-air combo with a finisher.
- Skillful Finish – Finish off enemies with a spell card
- Juggling
- Untouchable – Complete an encounter without taking damage.
- Killing big enemies / minibosses
- Weapon switching mid-combo
- Style switching during pressure
- Successful blocks/parries/counters
- Charged attacks and perfect timing inputs
- Combo Finishers executed at high Flow ranks
- Environmental interaction kills (if applicable)
Earning higher ranks not only adds to the player’s score but also unlocks bonuses like extra points or items, affecting progression with new moves, unlocked missions, level-ups, etc.
At high Flow Chain levels:
- Bosses may enter early desperation attacks
- Enemy aggression patterns evolve, attacking more frequently
- Fewer “free openings” are given on enemies, guarding more frequently
- Enemies are coordinated
- Mission layouts alter
At low Flow Chain levels
- Enemies are slower
- Enemies are not coordinated
Various missions have optional tasks that can be done to earn a hidden bonus in Flow points
At the end of missions, points gained from combat will be converted into various ranks, where the player is graded by the following
Combat
How stylish and effective the player was.
Factors:
- Average Flow Chain rank
- Highest Flow rank achieved
- Combo variety
- Weapon switching
- Style switching
- Damage taken
- Successful parries/dodges
- Ascension Finishers
- Juggles, Wall Sticks, Matrix usage
Mission
How well the player completed objectives.
Factors:
- Optional objectives completed
- Hidden encounters found
- Special enemy kills
- Wager victories
- Secret routes
- Bonus challenges
Time
How quickly the mission was cleared.
Factors:
- Total mission time
- Checkpoint reloads
- Deaths
Fast clear = higher rank.
Resources
Measures efficiency.
Factors:
- Recovery items used
- Revives used
- Trigger Bursts used
- Emergency mechanics used
Less usage = higher rank.
| Rank | Score Required |
|---|---|
| Cadet | 0 – 49,999 |
| Elite | 50,000 – 149,999 |
| Performer | 150,000 – 299,999 |
| Real Warrior | 300,000 – 599,999 |
| Stylish Paladin | 600,000 – 999,999 |
| Ultimate Encore | 1,000,000+ |
Juggle and Wall Stick
Juggling involves hitting attacks on launched / airborne enemies. When a nearly-dead enemy is constantly juggled back and forth (With a launch), “Tension” builds, but decreases as the player’s momentum fails. When the enemy glows red upon full Tension, the player can perform a quick finisher (Overkill) on them, dealing extensive damage. Allowing to do varying finishers based on how much tension has built up. Requires precise movement and attack chains to keep the enemy bouncing upward.
Some attacks can cause an enemy to bounce off the ground and back up into the air, or if the enemy is in the air, off the wall, and fall toward the ground. Other moves, however, can inflict a Wall Stick, causing an enemy to get stuck to the wall before sliding down to the ground.
The glued enemy can then be openly attacked, only able to do a Recovery to escape after some time. Of note is that hitting an opponent with a Wall Stick effect from a full screen range can just make them fly far away and never stick to the wall.
If an enemy gets stuck to the wall for a bit, players can continue to combo them with continuous attacks to shatter the wall, granting a bonus amount of points on the Flow Chain.
Ascension Finisher
Ascension Finishers are long, flashy combo finisher made up of rapid chained attacks that becomes available once the opponent reaches low health and the player has a high Flow Chain Rank. When activated, the player enters a free-style attack sequence that must be maintained for as long as necessary before the enemy is launched, ending them.
Ascension Finishers can
- Allow any attack as long as the Chain doesn’t end
- Combo together Spell Cards before the finisher
Wager
When fighting bosses or other players, the combat enters a Wager State, altering the Flow Chain into a contested momentum system. During Wager State, both combatants are actively competing for Flow Dominance.
Flow is continuously contested through combat actions:
Gain Flow Dominance:
- landing clean hits and combo extensions
- maintaining variety in attacks (Flow Chain diversity)
- successful parries, counters, and reversals
- weapon switching mid-combo
- style switching during pressure
- juggle and aerial control
- maintaining offensive momentum without drops
- executing Finishers at high Flow states
Lose Flow Dominance:
- taking damage
- repeated or predictable attacks
- excessive evasion or disengagement
- dropped combos
- long periods of inactivity
- defensive stagnation
The Flow Chain is linked to a cyclical timer that completes a full Cycle every 16.5 seconds.
At the end of each cycle:
- both players’ Flow performance is evaluated
- the player with higher Flow Dominance wins the cycle, gaining Flow Advance.
Flow Advantage grants:
- Increased Climax generation
- Slower Flow Chain decay
- Increased stagger damage
- Improved cancel windows
- Enhanced Finisher damage
– Trivia –
The Flow Chain was inspired by a combination of Devil May Cry’s Style Gauge, Ultrakill’s Style System, Azure Striker Gunvolt’s Kudos, Under Night in-Birth’s GRD System,
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