COLD❄BLOOD is an original competitive fighting game developed by TimeStrike for The V² platform, being the first and possibly only major entry in the Zaxiverse setting. COLD❄BLOOD is an amalgamation of nearly all the company’s scrapped works rolled up into a single property, with this reflected in its diverse roster, gameplay, mechanics, modes, and especially its story mode. Like the unfinished concepts and projects before it, COLD❄BLOOD was inspired by dozens of rock/metal tunes and an uncountable number of mature fictions (including the Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice). The story mode of Zinfestation itself is a deep reflection of the writer's personal psyche and the traumatic experiences they've been through, and is considered by some critics to be the game's highlight. It is notable for featuring TimeStrike's most acclaimed cast of characters to date, introducing numerous characters that would become widely celebrated by the company's fanbase. It also reintroduces TimeStrike's well-known Silver Zin and Mallory Zin characters, who were last seen in The Reaper's Lament as newborns.
Though the gameplay formula has been noted for being similar to the Super Smash Bros. series', COLD❄BLOOD is seen by its creator as a "twisted evolution" of its playstyle. It was released on November 4th, 2021 and was supported by TimeStrike through the Ice Cold World Tour. Played frequently on that tour was an original song called "Brave New World", which serves as the game's main theme. Its release also coincided with its related Japanese anime series, Incubus Eyes, which is open for guest writing. The game would later be ported to the Nintendo Switch on February 2nd, 2022, released on the same date as Silver Zin's inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Three story expansion packs titled BITTER💊SCARS, HEART💔PATCH, and FINAL✨CHAPTER were made, which each serve as follow-ups to COLD❄BLOOD's main story (Zinfestation). The FANTENDOVERSE pack, which introduces eight fighters to this game from the New Fantendoverse or at least from related dimensions, was released after the game's story was complete.
Fighters · Supports · Bosses · DLC · Genesis · Species · Gallery
Zinfestation · Incubus Eyes · Story Expansions · Setting · Competitive · Cuisine
Plot
- "The story for COLD❄BLOOD takes place aboard Satellite 15: Zaxinian Lifts, which is a postmodern space colony that was made from carving a moon into the shape of a bug, excavating its insides out as best as possible, then polishing it so well that no edge looks rough anymore. It has fifteen sibling satellites that look like different bugs, and together, they're all part of the Zaxina System. They revolve around that system's titular Zaxina, which itself is a monarchic world ruled by the legendary Zin bloodline, its surface shaped like an enormous fleshy skull. The satellites serve as not only shelters for humanity and its many subspecies, but also factories that mass-produce resources for Zaxina in exchange for their continued independence. Satellite 15 is controlled by Lord Kýrios and Zodiez, who oversee the satellite's economy and factory output and give feedback to Zaxina's king on a weekly basis, and together they've been making Satellite 15 a reputable force.
- Tragedy would soon strike when everyone least expected it, altering the course of time permanently. Around thirty years ago, the almighty and universally feared Saliva Zin was the undisputed strongest person alive. Since he was harvesting so many resources so quickly and had spread much of his influence across the Zaxiverse, it was thought that he'd eventually hold absolute power over every inch of that universe's dimensions. But Saliva Zin would not be prepared for what infamously became known as the Virtue Seal, which would abruptly halt his reign and leave the future of the Zaxinian Empire at a strange standstill. Saliva was known as a brilliant tactician and a fearless commander, but high praise would make him to grow to become ignorant of his consequences and make him overly cocky. He became so full of himself that he challenged Zin traditions by having two children (which stole too much of his time) and conquering tiny spaces for the hell of it. When the Heroes of Virtue managed to make him fall into their trap on the forgotten and dying planet Kosmoxeth, they got their reaper to put him down for good.
- Saliva Zin's untimely and unexpected loss would result in his two almighty and deceptively strong children being passed into the care of their mother, Spittle Zin. Because neither of Saliva's heirs were old enough to seize Zaxina's throne, the duty was temporarily passed to his father Dribble Zin. As it turned out, she only had these children to please the king, so she wouldn't be a very gentle or resourceful mother to either and would deal with their bad behavior through torture devices and trashing of prized possessions. Spittle would only really go easy on her children if they had great school grades, if they were on holiday, they did great with training, or it happened to be their birthdays. Silver and Mallory saw her actions through different lens; Silver would see her abuse as a necessity for increasing his pain tolerance and for increasing his maturity in situations where he'd otherwise feel insecure, while Mallory would writhe and scream in pain and wish for it all to end, unable to shake off those pains.
- Spittle was responsible for homeschooling the children, training them for Zaxina's throne, and providing them all the same- for most of their lives, Silver and Mallory only knew Spittle in person. Thus, they were left to bond with each other and with no one else. They would be like best friends together early on in their lives, overcoming obstacles together and becoming involved in each other's interests. Silver and Mallory would remain this close until their mid-teens, where their differences would become much more apparent and recognizable to each other. Mallory would become a very clingy person that relied heavily on others for her happiness while weaseling her way around issues, while Silver would grow more independent and gradually more interested in conquering the world than spending time with others. Even with all of this mentioned, Mallory always wanted Silver to be the Zaxiverse's one and only god, because she believed that he would end everyone's suffering across the universe.
- When the two reached appropriate age and were freed from Spittle's clutches, things began taking dramatic changes. Mallory would immediately flee Spittle's home with as many possessions as she could carry, wanting to take time to internalize everything that's happened to her. Silver instead would leave home to challenge his grandfather for the throne, who was unwilling to give it up. Though Silver's immensely strong attacks would destroy a good chunk of the Zaxinian Empire's infrastructure and leave long-term damage to the economy, his cockiness and independent nature would make him lose the fight. In fact, Dribble would send him flying way out into the cosmos! Upon making collision with the exterior of Satellite 15, Silver would immediately fall unconscious and face memory loss, and he'd soon get picked up and carried into the satellite by the DNA-testing company C.O.T.S. However, what happened with Mallory is a different story, and something we have yet to know much about.
- When the rebellious and sinister Mallory Zin illegally broke into Satellite 15 and began to cause mass destruction and spell disorder for everyone aboard, things would take a much greater turn for the worse. Lord Kýrios turned his attention to the recently awakened and still amnesiac Silver Zin, drawing a connection between him and the unwanted invader and commanded him to remove his kind from the satellite as well as reverse all the damages done within a one-year time limit. By this point, Mallory had already built a cult around herself ("Mallorism") and had begun plans to take as much of the satellite for herself as possible, so Kýrios assigned Silver as his mercenary to take her down. However, when the lord's usage of this unwilling soldier has him face up against targets that he has different feelings about, including the leader of C.O.T.S. (Ms. Replicate) and the Leper Messiah, the amnesiac boy begins to think for himself, and the journey of his course becomes so much different.
- Yet when you keep the time limit in mind, Silver has just one year to reverse all these damages and save the satellite from impending doom. Can he fulfill his contract? The fate of the world lies in his hands."
Setting
"Satellite 15: Zaxinian Lifts" is the main setting for COLD❄BLOOD, being one of sixteen space colonies in the Zaxiverse's Milky Way Galaxy that revolve around the fleshy and meaty Zaxina planet. Each of these satellites' shaped bodies were made from chipping at and hollowing out Zaxina's moons, with all being capable of safely housing and supporting millions of individuals as well as being surrounded with a transparent power shield that prevents attacks from reaching them so easily. Each satellite additionally serves as a trading port, delivering goods between themselves, their ringmaster Zaxina, and to infinity and beyond. All of these colonies are split up into numerous sectors that vary immensely environmentally, meant to suit humanity's various needs and to house many different types of animals. Finally, they're all navigated through usage of voice-controlled air trams, which zip in and out of the many satellite passageways flawlessly.
Satellite 15's a particularly strange location among these space colonies, with how strangely vertically oriented it is when compared and contrasted with its siblings. Thus, elevators, winding staircases, and rope-operated platforms are all commonplace on the satellite, giving the place its official codename "The Zaxinian Lifts". This is because the satellite's interior blueprints were incorrectly followed, and what was supposed to be the ceiling winded up becoming the floor, leaving the architects with no choice but to work around the unsolvable issue. This colony currently fulfills the purpose of being the efficient meeting and negotiating center for all the commanders of the moons orbiting Zaxina itself. Though ol' 15 has an unmissable crutch in being designed topsy-turvy completely unintentionally, it is still well-managed and it's thought to be the leading model for all other satellites to follow.
Satellite 15 is currently operated by Kýrios, the satellite's recently-recruited lord emerging from a bug-like world some light days away from Zaxina. The ship's armies for land and air combat are handled by General Scotch and Admiral Millicent respectively, and both send out their troops weekly to mine up and bring materials and resources to the satellite or carry them out as necessary. It's notorious among other satellites for its high crime rate, probably as a result of its upside-down geometry being used against the authorities' will and its still somewhat inexperienced government. With how frequently Kýrios and Zodiez fight for dominance in the throne room, there's a lot of work they're leaving to their shady and cranky police forces. The satellite's ruleset loosely follows that of the United States of America's constitutional amendments. These include:
- The right to have freedom of religion, speech, and assembling.
- The right to life, liberty, and property.
- The right to live a private life undisturbed by modern society.
- The right to live your own life as your own person.
- The right to drink, smoke, and reach home base at the age of 18.
- The right to not be searched or have something taken without reason.
- The right to not be discriminated, no matter whether it is racist, sexist, etc.
- The right to not have your DNA used for any nefarious schemes.
- The right to not be exploited for personal gain by the authorities.
- The right to remain silent with non-moral judgments.
Zaxina is a completely separate world, dominated by barbaric warrior-like species known as "Zaxinians", which are a hermaphroditic species of creatures known for their high degree of intelligence, 800-year longevity, and sleek and shiny dark look. Because of their ability to self-reproduce, Zaxina follows a very strict one-child policy. These Zaxinians go through many phases and forms as their existence transcends centuries, these phases progressing further and further and lasting longer completely dependent on how healthy the individual is. How they transform is largely dependent on their genetics, morals, influences, powers, and whatever was given to them via vaccines. Silver and Mallory respectively have very special second forms, able to respectively become a basilisk and a dragon- these animals respectively reflect the extremes of their personalities. It should be noted that Zaxina is an extremely dangerous place to live in, with many poisonous lakes and volcanic vents as well as very hostile natives.
In the Zaxiverse, humans have become a vastly successful species and have rapidly expanded across the cosmos in the past 200 years, crossbreeding with numerous species and becoming the dominant lifeforce. They couldn't have done it without the aid of the Zaxinians that let them leave Earth and venture out to begin life anew in the depths of space- but in exchange for humans having access to a vaccine that makes them super versatile and immune to hundreds of thousands of diseases, they must also share their technology with these aliens so they themselves can do more research on perfecting their DNA experiments. Many thousands of human being variations are scattered across the cosmos, even if they don't look particularly human-like, and they can undergo so many mutations that it's possible for them to go from being a human to being just your average little poodle.
In summary, Satellite 15 is a unique place with a systematic environment that accurately replicates various habitats found across the cosmos throughout its many chambers and sectors, home to an uncountable number of species and organisms. The satellite is operated by Valerie Heartgold among numerous other high-profile politicians, and it has an air base somewhere on the north side of the satellite that launches armed wingcraft into the depths of space. Zaxina meanwhile can be inhabited and adapted to by various species, but it's a dark and dangerous place with many toxic trenches and little remorse in its weather-beaten valleys. The vegetation on Zaxina is purple and the ground is sticky and gross, yet oddly edible if washed.
Many "FDX" models (Feminine Disposable Xylographers) work aboard the satellite to carve and change the architecture of the satellite and give it a unique visual flair. They are all led by Lady PAIN-T, who gives them orders and colors to design the satellite with.
For information about species on Satellite 15, check here.
Appearance
The satellite's architecture generally boasts of high-rise buildings with cross-bracing and strong foundations. The elder astronauts would architect passages with unorthodox shapes and occasionally cross them over each other and occasionally loop them around buildings. Many buildings are designed to be shaped like arches, half-circles, and whatever's generally bendy, and many of the satellite's roads are traveled through electronic lifts. Many of the modern designs were improved upon and fixed up by the FDX robots built by Penny Wisyneat. The satellite itself is very sturdy and made from the strongest materials available- it's not made from the sturdiest materials and isn't invincible, but it's still tough to obliterate and cut through.
Many of the satellite city buildings feature several spires atop their ceilings, colorful stained glass windows, polished marble or wooden surfaces, murals and hieroglyphs written in the walls, and labyrinths of rooms that are easy to get lost in. Solar panel and satellite antenna fusions are commonly lodged onto building designs too, obtaining wireless signals and solar power simultaneously. Greek-style columns and pediments often form part of these buildings' designs as well, respectively holding these buildings together and standing tall above doorways. Should a building have columns holding up its structure, it is far from uncommon to see statues of popular figures stuck between them. Many of the arts carved into the satellite's buildings depict events that occurred in the satellite's timeline.
Visuals
COLD❄BLOOD has a cartoonish yet dark visual style to it, combining a futuristic interstellar environment with gritty cel-shaded models and environments, looking almost like it came out of a seriously-themed Marvel comic book. Although all humans and creatures are designed with somewhat realistic proportions, the way the characters are drawn and shown ensures the game continues its gritty comic book theming. However, the game does not have a pop-out look nor comical graphics, aiding the game in having a realistic edge when compared to the likes of other cel-shaded games (such as The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker or Jet Set Radio). The game presents high levels of violence in various in-game scenarios, from the bloody in-game battles to the sometimes very gory story mode sequences. However, the game does not press on the violence too much and tries to limit showing the goriest details until there's some very important part of the story that would be worth showing them off at (character deaths, for example). When it comes down to the styling of the game's menus and general aesthetic, COLD❄BLOOD was inspired by Persona 5.
However, the way the game's story is told and the way the game's sense of personality is handled is almost akin to that of several high-budget animes across the world, which COLD❄BLOOD happens to have the production values of. The game's story makes use of several high-quality camera shots making use of well-timed panning, zooming, and angled shots as well as stop-motion and highly exaggerated battle scenes.
Gameplay
The game's battles are enlisted under three formats: Survival, Bloodbath, and Engage. "Survival" is the game's main mode, where all players are given stocks (or "lives"). If their Stamina or Hunger gauges reach zero, or if they fall off to their death, they will respawn if they have at least one stock remaining. Last player standing is the winner. In "Bloodbath", the stages take significantly longer to collapse and there's a much greater focus on seeking out replenishments. Players only have one stock in this mode, but their health is tripled to ensure the matches remain long and exciting. "Engage" has all the players team up together to take down the same threat: a boss character. As the bosses' attacks alone can intimidate and frighten players, the stages in Engage mode do not collapse.
In the rules setting, the player can choose to enable or disable items, enable or disable stage hazards, enable time limits for the modes, etc. They can choose how frequently food and medicine spawn, how bulky everyone's Stamina and Hunger meters are at a match's start, and the velocity the stage collapses at. You can disable the HyperDrive, Stylish Points, and Hunger systems.
To see more about items, check here.
COLD❄BLOOD is an aggressive fighting game known for its ferocious nature and blinding pace, with fighters encouraged to be fast and furious as they beat each other up. Battles in this game naturally display a very violent, cold-hearted nature where nobody shows any mercy, thus the name of the game. Players have to quickly decide whether to go in for the kill or let their enemies starve, all the while having to source food and medicine for themselves, meaning that one must keep track of their priorities at all times during battle. To make matters even more exciting, the ground will rapidly crumble underneath all the action, meaning nobody can linger. This floor will collapse with time, eventually opening up to unveil an instant-death hazard- usually an electric current or a bottomless pit. Players are encouraged to place on their best performance; they should play well to gain a lead in battle!
The player's best measures for countering pressure include learning and exploiting their enemies' weaknesses as well as parrying any and all of their incoming attacks as they move in closer and closer. There is a tight window for parrying, so it must be performed wisely. As the ground around them collapses and leaves them little room to spare, the player must learn to take advantage of what is available and use it well, or they will slip off to their untimely deaths below. The pressure is on as the player must keep themselves well-replenished throughout the whole match if they wish to survive. Small wormholes may occasionally spawn, dropping off an item or two real quick before vanishing into thin air. Big wormholes will instead spawn a (permanent) wide platform referred to as a "cornucopia", with this platform stocked with many goods. If the player locates any black orbs, they can be held up for one second to restore some of the battlefield's lost ground. Slamming any enemy against a wall will make them take more damage than usual.
The "parrying" mechanic allows characters to briefly surround themselves with a defensive shield, blocking attacks from reaching them. The "parry breaker" mechanic can be activated by holding down and tapping the blue or purple action buttons, which will drain at the HyperDrive Gauge but make that character faintly glow. If the player's next attack hits a character that currently has active parry frames, that parry will shatter, leaving them helpless on the floor and lowering their knock-back rate to zero for a brief period of time. Depending on how much of the HyperDrive Gauge was absorbed, the time the enemy's down for varies, but a fifth of it must be swallowed at minimum. On the other hand, if characters parry at exactly the right timing, they will do a "perfect parrying", forcing the other character to take recoil damage. They can also block parry breakers, rendering those characters immobile for about half as long.
As the intense action continues, the player must keep a sharp eye on their two vital meters, referred to as their "Stamina" and "Hunger" gauges. The Stamina meter represents the player's health- if the player takes damage, the amount of Stamina remaining will drop, and they will consequentially become easier and easier to knock away. You can determine just how powerful an attack in the game is by observing how much Stamina it depletes versus how bulky the target is. The Hunter meter drains slowly over time during the course of a match, draining quicker and quicker if the player goes a prolonged period of time without food. Starving players will be punished for not balancing their priorities by having their movement and defenses halved and having them become easier to stun. If either of these gauges are fully drained, the player loses a stock (or "life"). If all stocks are lost, the player loses the match.
If two players are remaining, and if one of them has no stocks remaining, the winner can choose to head over to them to finish them off, or watch them struggle until their heartrate fails. If the enemy is struck, they will let out a bloodcurdling scream or cry as they fall to the ground in slow motion, ending the game.
One of the player's most vital tools is the HyperDrive Gauge, a multi-purpose feature integrated into the core of COLD❄BLOOD's gameplay. The player can charge up this gauge by manually charging it up (a slow process) or by receiving Stylish Points. They can decide whether to wait until the HyperDrive Gauge fully charges to use their HyperDrive, or spend chunks of the meter to perform "Hyper Attacks" or simply boost all of their main stats. If the player manages to fill it to the max, they can trigger their "ZONAL FEVER", their ultimate attack- it's something their enemies get all paranoid over because it's just so strong and almost impossible to counter. It should be noted that the HyperDrive Gauge will begin to deplete slowly if the player's Hunger meter reaches below 35%, as they will stop having the energy necessary to keep it steady. Below 10%, the meter will refuse to fill no matter what the player does, and they won't be able to use their ZONAL FEVER attack.
Notes:
- It's advisable to only trigger the HyperDrive Gauge at Level 1 when one is in an emergency situation. If the player activates the gauge at this stage, their character's stats will briefly be boosted by 1.1x and they will remain boosted until the gauge fully empties out (5 second boost).
- If the player triggers the HyperDrive Gauge while it's at Level 2, their character will receive 1.25x boosts to each stat. These acquired strengths will be enough to help them finish their enemy off, though this boost lasts no longer than the last. Slightly more useful than the boosts acquired at Level 1.
- At Level 3, the player can trigger the HyperDrive Gauge to receive 1.4x boosts to each stat. This boost lasts 10 seconds overall, making the player significantly more dangerous than they would be at Level 1 or Level 2.
- Eventually, the player can reach Level MAX if they charge the HyperDrive meter a ways beyond Level 3. At this stage, they will be able to use their ZONAL FEVER attack.
- If the player skips out on their ZONAL FEVER move and opts instead to use a Hyper move, the meter resets back to Level 3. This is considered a waste of time, considering it takes a while to reach Level MAX.
- ZONAL FEVER moves can be disabled for competitive purposes, meaning the HyperDrive Gauge will simply max out at Level 3 and cannot go beyond that threshold.
- Should their ZONAL FEVER be used, their meter will fully empty out.
One of the game's key mechanics is "Stylish Points". If the player deals enough damage at once, they will receive something called a "rank" next to their HUD, and every rank has a special point value to it. Longer strings of attacks and bigger totals of dealt damage will provide the player better ranks. Every rank offers the player Stylish Points, with greater ranks earning them even more points, which are used to increase the rate at which the HyperDrive gauge fills. The more points they have, the faster the HyperDrive gauge fills up, with a 50% difference noticeable if the player has accumulated 50 Stylish Points- the maximum. It's recommended that the player mixes up their attacks frequently, as fresh performances will guarantee the player will keep earning points- stale moves will ensure the chain of attacks used will only net the player half as many points (as well as decrease the amount of damage the player deals). A move is no longer considered "stale" if the player performs at least eight other attacks.
If the player takes a single hit while holding any Stylish Points, their point counter will reset at zero! The player's pressured to play flawlessly if they wish to keep those benefits, as defending a "Stylish Crown" can prove to be real challenging. If a player has 20+ points, their parrying window will slowly begin to decrease in size, making it even harder to defend against oncoming attacks. As insult to injury if the player has 40+ points, receiving damage will cause a glass-shattering sound effect to play as the counter resets to zero, and their HyperDrive gauge will receive a 25% slowdown for roughly 15 seconds.
- X rank requires the player deal 27%+ damage in a string of attacks, earning them 50 points.
- S rank requires the player deal 20%+ damage in a string of attacks, earning them 30 points.
- A rank requires the player deal 14%+ damage in a string of attacks, earning them 15 points.
- B rank requires the player deal 9%+ damage in a string of attacks, earning them 8 points.
- C rank requires the player deal 5%+ damage in a string of attacks, earning them 4 points.
- D rank doesn't net the player any points; this is achieved by dealing 4% or less damage.
Rewards can be received through Arcade Mode, Tourney Mode, Devil's Dance, and Training, which the player should be aiming to gather. These rewards include character profiles, guides for the satellite's respective locations, tips and tricks for the player's guidebook, tracks for the sound test, badge decorations for your V² system, and of course, money. This money can be used to purchase anything mentioned before as well as locked characters that could only be obtained by meeting specific criteria. By accumulating lots of in-game money, the player can also purchase DLC characters, though the player will have to work considerably to get around paying real money for them. It can also be used for betting in High Stakes mode.
The player can also receive decorative objects and business cards that they can use to decorate Silver's house for story mode. The money the player earns can be spent on purchasing stuff to decorate his house with, like tables, beds, etc. The player can also paint Silver's home in any color they wish, provided they purchased the paint necessary to get the colors they want. If the player earns enough money, they can purchase some ridiculous things like pools, fountains, and even evil underground lairs as expansions to Silver's house. Some places can't be edited, i.e. key locations in the main story.
Upon clearing Arcade Mode on the highest difficulty setting with any character, the player will be rewarded with the ability to switch menu designs. This will change the colors, aesthetics, and voice actor for the in-game menus. The designs the player can switch between are all dependent on who've they've used to beat Arcade Mode's toughest difficulty setting so far.
The assertive and rude tomboy harlequin, Anchor Emcee, is a brutally honest and hateful person that bathes in the spotlight and pushes others out of her way if they've taken too much screentime from her. She frequently provides commentary on a match, keeping track of who's where and indicating who's in the lead and who's behind. Anchor expresses excitement and unrestricted joy when she watches others get beaten up, and disappointment whenever fighters spend too much time stalling or when the battle's been taking too long. If the player pauses the game, they can read the information sheet of anyone on the battlefield, provided they've been beaten before. These sheets were written up by Anchor Emcee and they're basically insulting biographies, although they're still truthful and not too misleading.
The audience will cheer players throughout the match, though they will become less enthused towards characters that frequently lose. However, their cheering for the unpopular player(s) will suddenly erupt into place if they are shown to be winning a match or otherwise displaying the advantage. The audience will chant a character's name when they're approaching victory and express their emotions in different ways depending on the circumstances of a match's events. Whenever a match gets intense, frost will build around the sides of the playing screen to indicate the intensity, and the audience will be quieter to let the cold blood between the enemies run.
Anchor Emcee's commentary is entirely optional and can be disabled on the rules screen, as can the audience.
Controls
- Sliding the left analog stick left and right lets the player's character walk, while double-tapping in the direction they want to go makes them run. This stick can be used in conjunction with the attacking buttons to influence what attacks the player uses, and if necessary, influence just how they work.
- The right analog stick lets the player manually charge their HyperDrive meter for as long as they wheel it around, it charges at a snail's pace of course but still something noteworthy.
- The red button has the player use their "common attacks". The player has attacks for all situations- whether they're on the ground or in the air. It can also be used to pick up items and throw them.
- The green button allows the player to use their "special attacks". They usually play a big role in the character's playstyle. Being stationary, holding left or right, holding up, and holding down indicate which special they'll use.
- The blue button and purple button are primarily used for jumping and double jumping, nothing more.
- The left shoulder button lets the player grab their enemy. Use the red button to pummel them and analog stick inputs to throw them around.
- The right shoulder button allows the player to perform a quick parry, which allows them to block an attack or two from making contact very briefly.
- The left inner trigger lets the player choose to boost their character's stats via the HyperDrive meter, sacrificing all of it nearly immediately.
- The right inner trigger lets the player glow with a mystic purple aura, allowing them to use a third of their HyperDrive meter for a Hyper attack. Can be directionally inputted like with the green button.
- The bottom triggers together let the player use their ZONAL FEVER attack, which is usually the most powerful move available in their arsenal bar none.
- The pause button lets the player pause the game. Yes.
- The directional buttons can be used for taunting.
It is recommended to research the controls of Super Smash Bros. to have a good understanding of the controls, as COLD❄BLOOD was significantly inspired by that series and plays somewhat similarly.
Modes
The insanely heated, bloodthirsty mode named "Versus" serves as COLD❄BLOOD's main mode! Crawl your way to victory by gathering whatever food you can and beating your enemies into bloody pulps- knock them off the collapsing platforms, relieve them of their stamina, or snap their vertebrae! Players have to keep on their guard by parrying oncoming foes, then beat them up in return however they can, and then unleash their ultimate attacks against them! The player can play on the Survival, Bloodbath, or Engage submodes, which can be used in Special VS as well with minor changes. Respectively, they're about fights to the finish, survival of the fittest, or whittling down a boss. Two presets for this mode exist: "Hardcore" and "Softcore", which are prominently used online but can be utilized in local multiplayer or against CPUs. The former always has the timers on and sets all items and hazards off, intensely focusing on the action and being an ideal choice for competitive players. "Softcore" instead has everything available by default, bringing the chaos level to the max! Whichever mode you choose is up to you; after all, COLD❄BLOOD's all about choosing your preferences! You can also pick "Randomize", which will give you an unorthodox set of choices to play under- and you won't know what it is until you jump in! There is also a special variation of Versus Mode, named "Genesis Versus". This mode only allows the usage of the Genesis avatar character, allowing human and computer players alike determine which Genesis they have is the best one to use. Every Genesis has its own moveset, quirks, and appearance, and what each one looks like is completely up to the players' preferences. This submode is very popular online and at competitive scenes across the world, where Genesis-only tournaments are held to see who can make the best moveset for Genesis (or who can make the prettiest one). The Survival, Bloodbath, and Engage submodes apply to Genesis Versus as well. | |
"Special Versus" twists the fundamentals of the original Versus Mode, bringing forth new layers of intensity and chaos unseen before! These matches allow players to optimize their characters with whatever stats and gimmicks they wish (like they were designing Genesis), so they can be geared up for intense combat. Decide whatever best fits the character you're playing, whether you're working on customizing a premade character or whether you're customizing Genesis! Seek out your foes like you would in the normal modes, but don't stray too far from the action or you'll eventually get swallowed up by toxic gases that are closing in! There's several changes to gameplay that make Special Versus "special". Many special gummies spread through the dungeon boost the player's brand-new "Special Meter", with bigger gummies filling it up more. Once it's completely filled, the player will briefly turn metallic and invincible! Several stones can be gathered that negate the player's current weaknesses or grant them all-new strengths. The caverns the players are trapped within loop horizontally and vertically, meaning nobody can hide for long, but little hiding holes can have cornucopias, stashes of food, or just lots and lots of gummies to horde up. Good luck surviving! There's yet another thing that makes Special Versus somewhat special. There are some maps through the pre-generated stages that imply that the stages aren't wholly infinite- if you take very specific paths through the maze, you will wind up in an open-world section filled with treasures and creatures that you would find in story mode! These treasures are minor, as there's a big gimmick here- the "Poison Chamber". You can only be in that chamber for 10 seconds before you're blown back into the caverns, so you can choose whether to make poison run through the caverns more rapidly or drain it all completely! Whatever you feel is more strategic for you. Many of these new gimmicks can be disabled to make Special Versus ironically about survival in a cold, empty and desolate cave. The music is also turned down significantly to reflect this. | |
Welcome to "Arcade Mode", the special single-player campaign! Here, the player's character moves up a long spiraling staircase surrounding a ridiculously tall radio tower reaching out from Satellite 15, stopping every few floors to challenge enemies blocking off gates that take them higher. Each gate is numbered to tell the player how high up they're going. The player must carefully preserve their three stocks and take as little damage as possible, as all stocks and percentages are carried between matches! As the rounds progress, the difficulty curve sharpens, and the challenges given to the player will become harder and harder! The challenges faced in Arcade Mode are simple, usually requiring the player to take down their enemy in a standard Versus match. Sometimes the player will have to beat them under a given time limit, face them while they have some special advantages, battle them while ignoring a boss looming over them, etc. The challenges can throw players in for a loop when they're least expecting it, however! Players could wind up taking part in abridged versions of the submodes featured in "Fun & Games" or running through one of the levels featured in the game's story mode. Beyond Arcade Mode's first phase, most of the matches are exactly what you'd expect, with no twists. The player must clear a given number of stages before they're able to advance to the next phase of Arcade Mode. They will enter the tower itself and have to fight a gauntlet of numerous DNA-made clones before battling a titanium version of themselves, then they will face off against the mode's final boss- Mallorynth. Upon the player slaying the gigantic beast, they will take their rewards (like money!) and leave the mode. If they lose the mode, however, they'll lose most of everything they've earned to that point! Complete Expert mode without losing a stock, and you'll be in for a real nasty surprise... it'd even make gods shiver! There are ten challenges in Normal Mode, twelve in Hard mode, and fourteen in Expert Mode to clear before the player can move on to Arcade Mode's second phase. | |
"Tourney" allows players to set up their own little COLD❄BLOOD tournaments! Up to 32 players are allowed to participate, whether it's in singles or doubles tournaments. Once the host has set up the rules, the matches can get going! The default ruleset places everyone in three-stock Survival matches, with each match having a time limit of 5 minutes. There won't be any ties in these tournaments; any players left tied (such as for third place) will battle it out to determine their final standing! A submode, named God's Bracket, allows players to use the pseudo-boss characters in combat. Besides the standard Tourney Mode and God's Bracket, there's also Stylish and Special competitions, where you respectively must achieve the maximum amount of Stylish Points (or have the most when time runs out) or achieve your ZONAL FEVER as early as possible. Both tourneys ensure that no players can die, and when a character hasn't been attacked for long enough, their knockback scaling is reset. There's also a Fakers' bracket, where players participate in tournaments focused around a single character. Interestingly, the original appearance for each character cannot be used in this mode. If two characters look alike, the match will be a sudden death! Matches will flow seamlessly online, as even if should anyone drop out, artificial intelligence scripted after the drop-out's playing style will be implemented to keep them going in the tournament. If there is hardly any intelligence to run off of, the enemy's level will be cranked up to level 9. Should a robot win a tournament or win a high enough position within one, the participant that dropped out will not receive any rewards. Offline, players have to pass around controllers to the next person, as only four controllers can be connected to the V² at one time. CPU-only tournaments are possible, and all CPU-only matches can be skipped at will. | |
The mode "Fun & Games" is actually a collection of several submodes that make up this one!
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The "Devil's Dance" mode serves as the game's most challenging and most infuriating, yet the most rewarding if the player is successful with it! A lady named "Kasdeya" will spin the Wheel of Impending Doom to decide just what rough, high-difficulty tasks the players will have to do to please her. The mode tests all the players' patience to a high degree, with her challenges being quite obscene (having to land very specific combos, making skillful leaps across gaps, etc. all being part of her arsenal). Her girlfriend, Lyric, will inform the player about the match's rules each time and will be the one responsible for bringing failed contestants into the kitchen to be "prepared". With every challenge passed with at least two players remaining, it will be removed from the wheel, being replaced with a spin-again option or possibly a slot that brings a fallen character back in. If all challenges are finished, Kasdeya will break the wheel and retreat from the area, leaving the remaining players to win the mode! Winning the "Devil's Dance" will result in large bonuses, thanks to the sheer difficulty of this mode. Consider it a test of the player's skills to phenomenal degrees, and if mastered, it will be easy to gain all sorts of new content quite fast! The mode can be played on Hard Mode, Expert Mode, or Ridiculous Mode. "Ridiculous Mode" forces the player to rely on luck. Sometimes a successfully beaten challenge will be replaced with an "elimination" slot, enemies and bosses will rely on predictable patterns far less, and the chances of getting really ridiculous challenges get higher and higher. At the same time, the rewards present in this mode are very rare gifts the player rarely receives in other modes, so it's sometimes vital to try out this mode to get bunches of them at a time. By the end of this difficulty setting, the player will fight Lyric and Kasdeya themselves alongside anyone else that survived the competition. Once they're beaten, the mode is won. | |
Are you new to the frenzy action of COLD❄BLOOD and have no idea what's going on in it whatsoever? That's why General Scotch is recruiting YOU as a Vinegar Troop, so you can learn how to fight with VIGOR! (You can run away later.) Scotch will instruct you on how to use your moveset to its fullest potential, giving you basic instructions on how to battle his weaker forces and teaching you the game's core mechanics along the way. Once you finish an exercise, he will give you a rating of up to three stars. If you got one, that means you've shown your capabilities just well enough to pass. If you got two, that means you've done an above-average job. If you got all three, you will be given praise and a bit of cash. However, if you got no stars, you have to reset the exercise. Once you've finished "Basics" training, Scotch will offer you an "Advanced" course that will teach you tips, tricks, and strategies for fighting all the game's different characters, with every lesson ending by having you fight that respective character. There is also an exercise where you can work on beating Scotch, which he'll reluctantly accept (to put it lightly). There's also exercises for playing each character in the game. Like the Basics training, you can achieve stars for how well of a job you've done for each exercise. Once that's completed, he will bring you the choice of tackling "Challenge Mode", whereas you'll do several very difficult tasks for Scotch utilizing all your skills underneath time limits. These give you the most money for getting three-star ranks. For every tier of Training you finish, you get to see the leaderboards for each level you've cleared, showing the world records. Instead of Scotch, his brother General Snickers will walk in and point at them, saying "Can ya prove your worth as a general?" and explaining how high scores work. He'll also show some of the games present in "Fun & Games" and allow players to try pre-designed versions of them that can be practiced or speedran on, as well as offer the player a "Predictable Challenge" for the Arcade Mode that's always the same each time for the sake of speedrunning purposes. None of these predictable variations of these modes offer any treasures besides possibly the world record or a spot on the leaderboard, if the player happens to be good enough. | |
Welcome to "Designer Mode", your own personal playground for level design! Arrange those collapsing blocks you love so much any way you like, making it as wide or tall as you want, apply whatever music and backgrounds you got... yeah, it's pretty basic stuff. Feel free to introduce solid ground, wherever you personally want items to spawn, and wallpaper/decorative items that you got from the in-game shop. You can even paint these blocks however you want, make them nice and sloped, texture over them... or just make your own shapes! The interface is somewhat similar to that of Super Mario Maker, with Zodiez's arm being your cursor and with every tool and feature nicely packed into folders for your convenience. Likewise, it's fairly easy to delete anything you place down. You might think that with the way COLD❄BLOOD's stages are designed, that there isn't going to be much spice you can give to your stage designs. You'd be wrong- you can make swinging/tilting platforms, switches that trigger moving platforms/doors, enemy spawn points, and even places where you'd like bosses to be summoned. In the latter's case, you can see all the different spaces they can travel to based on the level's layout and based on all their patterns- some of the boss attacks can be disabled to make bosses work in the player's environment. Hazards such as time-dependent wind bellows, spike pits that may or may not have the capability of retracting and extending, and bumper blocks can also be applied to make your stage just a bit more risky. Once you've finished your stage, you can upload it for the rest of the world to play, though it might get taken down if it goes against the mode's terms of use. You can give a small description that sums up what the stage is about, name it, and tag it with whatever you find appropriate. It's up to you whether or not others can edit your stage as is, in case you don't want people mooching off your hard work. You can also see whatever levels your friends have made or look at popular levels online for inspiration. All stages show you how much the stage's been played, how many unique visits it's been given over time, how many people like (or dislike) it, and how many have saved it to their own systems. Several official accounts, named after Satellite 15 characters, have their own levels you can play. | |
The stakes are high! All bets are on! Participate in super speedy, one-minute matches under set conditions, like avoid the hordes of enemies trying to pin you down or deal as much damage as you possibly can! Don't spend too much time being like a sitting duck, your observers are counting on you, my friend! Every minute, left and right, people are wagering money on who they think will win, and between matches you too can bet your money if you're feeling mighty cocky! The more money that's bet on you, the greater the payoff! Some of the money betted on you will shower over you! However, if you fail the match, the people who betted on you will lose money, and the money you bet on yourself will also be lost! You need to think very carefully about how you want things to play out! Occasionally, little trophy stands depicting numerous Satellite 15 characters can be picked up by the player, only appearing once a match. If one's snatched up, the person who collected it will gain an advantage in the next round that strongly has to do with what the next match is all about! If you see that trophy, think about what challenge they might be implying's coming next and plan which character you want to use in advance. Only the audience knows what challenge you and your rivals are going to go through, after all! Remember that if you're lucky and play very well, you can gain loads of money within a short period of time, but as anyone can drop in at any time, you might come across someone that plays loads better than you do. You could get lucky by playing those not at your level, though! Members of the audience can do more than just bet money- they can vote which matches are going to happen next and decide whether or not the players should be allowed to switch characters. They can also decide what advantages or disadvantages can be applied across the board for all characters, and attach stars to people they like so that they can be notified when those people are currently playing High Stakes. You should play well if you want that sweet, sweet cult following! It can be a really tough time if you're not skilled enough at the game to know how to place high in all events, so if you're going to jump into High Stakes, prepare for a lot of unique situations and prepare for some unforeseen bullshit. | |
Here's another strange mode, titled "Puppet Show". One player gets to have complete control over the environment, capable of picking whichever characters and rules and settings they want to see in the match before people join in! Other players will then assume the pre-picked characters like they were vessels, with three required to get the ball rolling (though CPUs can play along if needed). The player is simply referred to as "The Master", assuming the body of The Manipulator to fit the role. The Master will be picking the stage and whatever challenges they wish for their competitors to overcome, making things tough over the course of this mode's two minute time limit. Until time's up, the other players must simply abide to the Master's every whim. Split-screen is enabled in this mode, with the Master having the top third of the screen exclusively to themselves. They can choose which bits of the stage get to collapse faster or slower, switch items and mechanics on or off, apply new physics to the battlefield, and summon boss enemies. Every decision made will freeze the Master from doing another for roughly three seconds. The rest of the screen will display the other fighters, attached to the Master's strings, duking it out while strongly trying to fight their control. They only have one stock each, so they must be very careful to survive or they will detach from the Master's strings and succumb to their death below. If all players are loosened from the Master's strings, the Master will have victory and laugh maniacally. Survive all of the Master's challenges, and you will prevail over him. However, if you performed exceedingly well, to a degree where you surpassed the other players, you will become the new Master. Every character that isn't the Master has a Performance Gauge- the better one reacts to an obstacle, the more filled it will become. It will also become more and more filled as it dishes out damage, and will deplete every time that character takes damage. The only things the Master cannot control are how full the HyperDrive meters become, how many Stylish Points all characters have, and how much Stamina everyone has, though the Master can drop healing items and such if they feel so generous. But the question is- can you fight what's controlling the environment around you? | |
This is the eponymously named story mode of COLD❄BLOOD, also referred to as Zinfestation. When the rebellious and sinister Mallory Zin illegally breaks into Satellite 15 and begins to cause mass destruction, Lord Kýrios turns his attention to the recently-awakened Silver Zin and commands him to remove himself and his sister from the satellite or there will be consequences. Unaware of who he really is or where he really is, Silver (reluctantly) agrees in hopes he'd find answers to his questions. But when Kýrios turns him into his main mercenary and turns him against the likes of other vermin inhabiting the satellite, Silver begins to develop some curious traits of his own... COLD❄BLOOD's story mode is split into three "acts", known as The Mercenary, The Rebel, and The Threat, which Silver must platform through all the same. The campaign doesn't just follow Silver as he attempts to do what Kýrios asks him to do, he must also discover his own answers, think for his own, make friends his way, and remember just who he is. |
Characters
Playable Characters
There are forty-eight playable characters in the base COLD❄BLOOD roster, with eight additional characters exclusively available as downloadable content- of the base roster, twenty-four characters are playable by default and the rest remain unlockable. Up to four fighters can join the battle at a time, as COLD❄BLOOD supports snappy four-player action. Each fighter has their own stylish selection of moves to choose from, and all have their own special animations, victory screens, etc. - as they're all unique, they each offer something new another character doesn't.
More than one character can show up at a match at one time. No characters can share the same skin, so if one is already chosen, the other player must roll with it and choose a different one.
Support Characters
There are thirty-six support characters present in COLD❄BLOOD. They generally appear on the sidelines, whether it's in the game's story mode or in some Incubus Eyes episode, but some only show up as support characters at the moment. Right before any match in Versus (or Special Versus) Mode, the player can equip their selected character with up to three support characters; depending on the priority they're given (Gold, Silver, or Bronze), the effects of the equipped support characters may vary in strength or portion. All of the player's supports must be distinct (non-identical).
All character supports that are equipped will show up in the background with colored auras surrounding them. Those with red, blue, yellow, and green auras are respectively supporting Player 1, Player 2, Player 3, and Player 4.
Bosses
Boss characters are really challenging, imposing figures that require a lot of skill and patience to overcome, usually being bulky and large. There are twenty-two of these characters overall in COLD❄BLOOD. You are not trying to make these big boys starve, nor are you trying to make them fall off the edge. You are instead having to focus on whittling down their massive health meters until they fall and surrender to your superiority. Good luck!
Items
Miniature wormholes will periodically open up in the middle of battle, dropping down items that the players can use, of course assuming these items are enabled to begin with. Bigger wormholes will sometimes appear to drop off a wide platform that's loaded with items, referred to as a "cornucopia". It is up to the match's host on whether or not these items should be enabled or disabled.
Satellite Cuisine
COMMON (85% chance of appearing)
RARE (15% chance of appearing)
CONDIMENTS (25% chance of appearing)
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Stages
The battling arenas of COLD❄BLOOD don't follow the conventions of fighting game stages, rather being closed-in arenas that are claustrophobia-inducing and tough to survive in overall. Over time, the stable footing will begin to crumble and give away, exposing a bottomless pit or some other hazardous instant-kill obstacle (with high-voltage electric beams being most common). Players are encouraged to chase after their enemies and rip them to shreds as fast as possible or they might wind up falling straight towards death- alternatively, they can seize this opportunity to try and send their enemies plummeting down! The rate of collapse accelerates or decelerates depending on the mode, with some gamemodes disabling this hazard entirely. This can also be manually adjusted in the battle rules.
Be on the look out for wormholes that drop items, as some items may stabilize the stage's footing or at least make conditions more bearable.
Soundtrack
The first half of COLD❄BLOOD's soundtrack was accompanied by the release of three full-length studio albums, all developed by the grunge-era band Black Haze, which is in-universe a band composed of numerous COLD❄BLOOD characters but in reality TimeStrike's inner composing team attempting to capture the essence of music from the early 90's. This side of the album is purchasable on TimeStrike's store and can also be streamed on Spotify. The tracks from this collection alternate between being energetic tracks frequently borrowing elements from the pop and dance genres and dark, gloomy tracks with an ominous touch to them all. Both of Pierce Hazel's voice actors recorded their vocals on the albums for the Western and Japanese releases. The player can switch between whichever voice they prefer at any point.
The second half of COLD❄BLOOD's soundtrack is composed of music that COLD❄BLOOD's owners earned the rights to use. When the licensing expires, substitute music composed by TimeStrike's sound team will be used in their place. The soundtrack makes use of varied rock music spanning from the 80's to present day, particularly tracks you can either headbang or drink to. Much of the chosen music is high energy can be chosen for any arena. Also on this soundtrack is the game's signature theme, "Brave New World", written with Silver's Western and Japanese actors taking vocal duties.
Licensed tracks
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Gallery
For a full gallery, check here.
Trivia
- The artstyle and aesthetic of COLD❄BLOOD is hand-drawn to resemble a cross-fusion between typical comic book visuals yet with the styling and aesthetic of Persona 5.
- Credit to Exotoro (t∣b∣c) for roughly 97% of the character artwork.
- Credit to Dr. Drebbles (t∣b∣c) for the arts for Millicent, Aileen, Aquelia, Iantha, and the Queen of the Scorpage.
Game Trivia
- COLD❄BLOOD's gameplay being somewhat reminiscent of Super Smash Bros.'s is a reference to the creator's first fighting project, Brawl of the Fandraxonians, which itself ripped off the series' gameplay. It was also done this way to serve as a homage to the series' gameplay style, which has entertained Athena since 2015.
- The game takes numerous gameplay elements from not just Brawl of the Fandraxonians, but also other fighting games the creator has made over the course of their time at Fantendo and on the Lapis Wiki.
- COLD❄BLOOD previously existed as the "Zaxinian Lifts", which played minor roles in the New Fantendoverse and featured much of the same characters as COLD❄BLOOD had. It was significantly more complex and far more inconsistent as a project, bouncing all over the place and being very hard to write, prompting Athena to cancel it.
- Athena reworked the project into COLD❄BLOOD because she wanted to give these characters a second chance and show that she's actually a somewhat decent writer. She spent a few all nighters trying to work these characters out and improve what was there before.
- Unlike the Zaxinian Lifts, which was a group of loosely connected projects, COLD❄BLOOD is a singular project.
- COLD❄BLOOD gets its name from an Apocalyptica song, named "Cold Blood". The chorus lyrics "We killed it in cold blood, did it for so long, God rest her soul · Until there was no love, until it was all gone, nothing could grow · We killed it in cold blood" reminded Athena of how she treated her beloved properties and how much she's neglected progressing her properties and characters, and made her feel guilty over cancelling the project. It inspired her to continue her works, albeit significantly changed up to be more workable for her.
- The name is used in-game to refer to the poor chemistry between Silver and Mallory, who both have a cold-blooded relationship with each other.
- It also refers to the game's violent, bloodthirsty nature, corresponding well with the game's genre.
- Characters present in COLD❄BLOOD that weren't in the original Zaxinian Lifts include Admiral Millicent, the Methademic, and Beck 82-99. Numerous characters got renamed, as well (Fandraxono -> Kýrios).
- All characters in COLD❄BLOOD are NO LONGER free to use (effective August 4th, 2020). Please contact the creator via Discord or Twitter if you wish to use them on this site.
Lore Trivia
- Holidays found aboard the satellite hold some parallels with Earth's, as some of the satellite architects are human imports from there. However, since numerous holidays from Earth would lose their context and meaning aboard the satellite, Satellite 15 has its own set of special days to celebrate.
- May 10th has the satellite celebrate the anniversary of the first day where the satellite was opened for public access. The day is celebrated with a massive feast in the town hall, overseen by the mayor while having Kýrios as a special guest. It's notable for being the only time of the year where the walls get draped red.
- July 31st serves as Family Day, where Kýrios brings everyone down to a secret chamber hidden below his throne room, a pristine palace which is exclusively used for Family Day. This day serves as a way for everyone to get to know each other better, and food and drinks are aplenty. It's an all-purpose holiday.
- ValCoins make up the currency of Satellite 15, and can only be exchanged aboard that satellite as well as its brothers and sisters that orbit the planet of Zaxina. Though only ValCoins are accepted as money aboard Satellite 15, here's how USD (United States Dollars) compare to ValCoins: $1 is equivalent to 20 ValCoins, $5 is equivalent to 100 ValCoins, $10 is equivalent to 200 ValCoins, $20 is equivalent to 400 ValCoins, $50 is equivalent to 1000 ValCoins, and $100 is equivalent to 2000 ValCoins.
- ValCoins exist in 20-pieces ($1), 100-pieces ($5), 200-pieces ($10), 500-pieces ($25), 1000-pieces ($50), 2000-pieces ($100), 5000-pieces ($250), and 10000-pieces ($500). Rarer more valuable pieces do exist, but they're rarely ever seen or in print. They also exist as individual coins (5¢). The more value the coin, the bigger it is.
- As their name suggests, they were named after the mayor of New Naxaz City and main Satellite 15 representative, Valerie Heartgold.