Black★Rock Shooter THE GAME
ブラック★ロックシューター THE GAME Burakku Rokku Shūtā THE GAME
Developer(s)	Imageepoch
Publisher(s)	JP - Imageepoch NA/EU - NIS America
Release date(s)	JP - August 25, 2011 NA - April 23, 2013 EU - April 24, 2013
Genre	Action RPG
Game modes	Single player
Ratings	CERO: B PEGI: 12 ESRB: T
Platform(s)	PlayStation Portable

Black★Rock Shooter THE GAME is a role-playing game based on the Black★Rock Shooter concept, released on the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP), developed by Imageepoch. The game combines elements of role-playing game, shooting game and third-person shooter game. The main theme song for the game is "NO SCARED", performed by ONE OK ROCK. The game was released on August 25^th, 2011 in Japan, with a North American and European release scheduled for April 23^rd and 24^th, 2013 respectively.

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where 19 years have passed since an alien invasion has annihilated a vast majority of the human population. The remaining inhabitants on Earth are given the responsibility of the Earth's safety from the invaders, until the awakening of Earth's ultimate weapon against the invasion.

StoryEdit

Main Article:Black★Rock Shooter THE GAME/Event Timeline

In the year 2032, Earth suffers from a sudden invasion by alien forces. Nineteen years passed after that event, and with chaos ruling the globe, the only way to rescue the world from utter destruction is to survive and fight against those who force Earth into complete annihilation.

The main character of the game, Black★Rock Shooter (in the game a "living weapon" designated with the name BRS), is entrusted with the responsibility to protect mankind, possessing the abilities to fight against the invaders as the ultimate weapon. She emerges from the ruins of San Francisco, and witnesses an amassing of surviving troops which becomes her support throughout her mission.

CharactersEdit

Main article: Black★Rock Shooter THE GAME Characters

Main Characters

• Black★Rock Shooter
• Nana Gray

Antagonist

• White Rock Shooter

Seven Apostles

• MEFE
• MZMA
• SZZU
• CKRY
• LLWO
• XNFE
• SAHA

GameplayEdit

For more information about gameplay, proceed to the Gameplay Guide.

Black★Rock Shooter THE GAME possesses elements of both role-playing and third-person shooter genres. The player assumes the role of Black★Rock Shooter, the main character, and follows her battles against the alien forces, with occasional assistance from non-player characters.

Battle SystemEdit

In battle mode, Black★Rock Shooter's objective is to defeat the monsters within a set area. The players fight in real-time and in three dimensions, allowing Black★Rock Shooter to move across the battle area to gain mobility or position herself for attacks.

Like in a third-person shooter, the player is given a hit point bar (pictured in blue) which the player must maintain while fighting, and aiming at enemies are usually done by using the directional keys in the console. The game also provides a weapon energy bar located below the hit point bar (normally green) which enters an "overheat" status when the weapon is used excessively in battles.

Amount of damage inflicted by the player to the enemies are denoted as well.

Character DevelopmentEdit

Like in traditional shooter games, the character receives experience from battles, a feature common to role-playing games. The character's progress is also based on levels, which denote the player's experience in battle.

DevelopmentEdit

See full article: Black★Rock Shooter (Developments)

The jrpg.jp domain, owned by Ryu's Office, which is then headed by Ryuta Kounuma (known for Valkyria Chronicles II and Persona 3 and Persona 4), released a teaser video on August 14^th, 2010 after the release of the Black★Rock Shooter (OVA). The next day, a website was opened, with a promotional video and a tagline. Other details, including whether it is related to Ordet's OVA production, are unknown.^[1] Meanwhile, there were no related news regarding the game posted in both the official site of the OVA and in Huke's blog site.

On November 24, 2010, Imageepoch held a gaming conference where they plan to announce the Black★Rock Shooter JRPG, alongside seven other games. The conference was livestreamed on NicoNico Douga's website.^[2] Good Smile Company, who is in-charge of making Black★Rock Shooter figures, was among those in attendance. Imageepoch revealed that Black★Rock Shooter THE GAME is being directed by Kazuya Niinou (Trauma Center, Etrian Odyssey, Last Ranker) and a scenario by Kazushige Nojima (Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X, Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II).

After the day of the conference, a new updated version of the official site for the game was launched, although the original teaser is no longer available, and news from the conference was added.

In an interview by Dengeki, Imageepoch's owner Ryoei Mikage confirms that they will release the game overseas, having a contract with NIS America, and that NISA will be releasing their titles in the US and probably also Europe.^[3] Although the initial decision of NISA was considered as "still under consideration"^[4], NISA finally confirms the release of the PSP game in North America and Europe.^[5]

The game was released in a regular-edition set at ¥6,279 with a White Premium Box Edition Bundle version for ¥10,479. The official site posted that the game was to have a release date of March 27^th, 2011, however, it was later removed due to unknown reasons.

Cast names confirmed include Maaya Sakamoto, Miyuki Sawashiro, Masaki Terasoma, Mai Nakahara, Tomokazu Sugita, Youko Hikasa, Yoshimitsu Shimoyama, Hiroshi Kamiya, Asami Shimoda, Yousuke Akimoto, Kenji Hamada, Mitsuaki Hoshino, and Katsuhisa Houki.

Packaging ArtworkEdit

Japanese cover art.

Japanese Special White Premium Box Edition Bundle.

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ReferencesEdit

External LinksEdit

• Official JP site