Introduction

After almost twelve years of anticipation, the fighting game cult classic “Under Night In-Birth”’s sequel releases on January 25th, 2024. 

Named “Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes],” it is published by Arc System Works in collaboration with the developing company French-Bread.

The game itself will serve as the last chapter of the overarching story written by producer Nobuya Narita. 

Brief Story Summary of Under Night In-Birth For New Fans

The story of “Under Night in Birth” follows a phenomenon called the Hollow Night, which occurs once a month. During the Hollow Night, creatures called voids appear. These voids feed off of an energy called EXS that humans possess. Most humans caught in the hollow night either die or become voids themselves. Those who survive are called In-Births. The story follows high schooler Hyde Kido, who barely survives a void attack. Through this, he gains new abilities. 

He then meets a girl named Linne, who has been alive for the past 500 years. Linne makes Hyde promise to kill her as his powers have the chance to end her existence. Then, factions such as Licht Kreiss, Ritter Schild, and Amnesia attempt to use the Hollow Night to achieve their goals. Amnesia’s leader, Hilda, intends to use something called The Paradox’s Altar in order to become a Re-Birth. A rebirth is a more powerful version of an In-Birth. After being defeated, Hilda reveals she was only a puppet for Linne’s brother Kuon. The story ends on this cliffhanger. 

Reasons To Be Excited About Under Night In-Birth 2

While still sporting its iconic cast, new faces such as Kaguya and Kuon make their first appearances in this game. Adding new faces to an established cast is bound to shake up previous dynamics. In an already fascinating world, these additions may serve as catalysts for the rising tensions between the story’s different factions.

It is not clear what role these characters serve in the story yet. However, their announcements have sparked intrigue among many fans, including this author. While not much has been revealed about the game, fans eagerly anticipate its release. Playable on the Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5, the visuals and gameplay of [Sys: Celes] appear impressive. Judging by recently released trailers like this one, the game also shows promise and potential story-wise.

What We Don’t Know

It is difficult to determine whether the game will do well. Reviews have only been released in Korea, and a select few were allowed to beta-test the game last year.

Considering this lack of information, [Sys: Celes] remains an enigma. It is frustrating to know so little about the game despite its upcoming release. Only a few character trailers have been released. All character trailers that have come out have only furthered speculation. For example, why is Kaguya important to the faction Licht Kreiss? The lack of knowledge makes this game frustrating to cover at the time of writing this. However, hopes for the game are high in the two weeks before it releases.

Its predecessor, a revised version of the original arcade game, received a nine out of ten review on Steam. Understandably, this leads fans to have high expectations for [Sys: Celes].