Backstage II

*Backstage II is not an RPG but a psychological-horror adventure game. Most of the gameplay is exploration and/or solving simple puzzles to advance the story.

*Combat in Backstage II is conducted through a Seamless Cinematic Combat System (SCCS) which is a fancy way to say that it's mostly automatic. Combat starts if you collide with an enemy and is over in a few seconds without any input from you. There are NO HUDS, NUMBERS, OR HEALTH BARS ever displayed on the screen, which is why it's seamless and cinematic. The game does not pause or its perspective change for combat. Combat resolves itself automatically largely based on what weapon you have equipped (if any) and a few other factors.

*Improvements to the SCCS since Backstage: The combat system in Backstage II has been seriously overhauled since the original, given more bells and whistles and made more interactive. The player's choices should now have a greater effect on success or failure in combat. The basic system is the came, but modifications include the following:

+Weapons can now be 'equipped' through the main menu. This way you can choose which weapons are used on which enemies, unlike in Backstage where players were all-to-often screwed out of ammo by the automatic prioritization of Guns before Defense Items. (No more will you waste a crucial bullet on a Nightgaunt and then wind up killed by a Clockwork because all you have is a Glass Shard.)

+Defense Weapons have been added to the game. Defense weapons are like defense items, only infinitely reusable. (Unlike a glass shard, a combat knife won't break if you use it to defend yourself.) Defense weapons can only be used by The Prodigal whereas The Prophet still uses Defense Items much like in the original Backstage. To compensate for their infinite uses, Defense Weapons have less-than-perfect Accuracy. Each weapon has a base accuracy represented by a percent chance to hit. Different situational factors (more below) can effect a Defense weapon's accuracy. Although generally preferable, Defense weapons are risky to use- poor acccuracy can result in multiple hits from one monster, although each successive swing increases your probability of hitting.

+Running system has been added. Press SHIFT to toggle between walking and running. (Default is walking.) The main interactive element of combat in Backstage is still trying to avoid monsters to conserve ammunition. The ability to toggle between walking and running adds another level to this mechanic. While running, obviously, you will move faster, but receive a penalty to acccuracy with Defense Weapons. It will be easier to avoid monsters, but if you do run into one, you will have a greater chance of being damaged if you're equipped with a Defense Weapon. Running while unarmed or armed with a firearm has no disadvantages, save that firearms have limited ammo and while unarmed you will be automatically damaged.

+Directional-Combat has been implemented. If you 'Attack' a monster (collide with it instead of it colliding with you) head on you will receive a bonus to accuracy when using a Defense Weapon. If a monster catches you and hits your back or sides, you won't receive this bonus.

+Major Cosmetic Improvement: 18 different fluid character poses, articulated character movement, and improved battle animations make combat in Backstage look MUCH more like combat. If you watch carefully and don't blink, for instance, you could see Raechel attempt to fire at an enemy with an unloaded pistol, have the gun click empty, be slashed by the enemy, and then pistol whip it with the empty gun to kill it. This is the major improvement from Backstage.