Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: The Battle of Aces

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: The Battle of Aces
Video game
Developer	Witch Craft
Writer	Masaki Tsuzuki
Publisher	Namco-Bandai
Genre	3D fighting
Platforms	PlayStation Portable
Released	January 21, 2010
Canon
Continuity	Portable
Chronology	0065–66
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Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: The Battle of Aces is a 3D fighting video game written by Masaki Tsuzuki, developed by studio Witch Craft, and published by Bandai Namco on January 21, 2010. The game is set in the Nanoha universe and continues the storyline of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's, albeit in an alternate continuity where Reinforce is given another chance to live on Earth. The age rating for this game is a Canadian equivalent of E10, due to mild violence and zero gore.

Story

After the final Book of Darkness crisis, Nanoha Takamachi and Fate Testarossa refuse to send Reinforce away to ensure that the Book's regeneration program won't harm anyone again. However, this means that the remains of the Book of Darkness (闇の書の残滓 Yami no Sho no zansai) soon return and Nanoha and her friends are forced to fight them. These remnants take form of copies of real people called "dark fragments". These copies are based on the bad memories and fears of people that were involved with the Book of Darkness, that is the Wolkenritter who were part of it, Hayate Yagami who was it's mistress and Nanoha and Fate who were drained by it. Dark Fragments themselves aren't aware that they aren't the real thing (with the exception of Signum on Fate's path) and as such are often more confused by what is happening than anything else. In addition to the Dark Fragments the remains of the Defense System have also raised three much more powerful entities called the Materials, to help with it's restoration. Materials are based on the three mages that were the biggest cause of the defeat of the Defense Program of the Book of Darkness: Nanoha, Fate and Hayate.

All of the playable characters except the Materials have their own different story route in the game. Stories are composed of a series of 1 on 1 battles, most often against Dark Fragment versions of characters, but there are times when actual characters are fought. Mechanically both the Dark Fragments and their original fight the same, being only pallet swapped playable characters. Each story also has two additional/bonus fights that only happen if the player doesn't loose any of the fights (wins all fights 2-0). Clearing the story lines in such a fashion allow the player to unlock playable versions of the Materials to use in Arcade mode.

Nanoha's path: Wings to Tomorrow

During her path Nanoha gets to fight (DF = Dark Fragment, * - bonus fight): Stage 1 - DF Vita; Stage 2 - DF Signum, DF Zafira*; Stage 3 - DF Shamal; Stage 4 - Material-L, DF Hayate*; Stage 5 - Will of the Book of Darkness (DF Reinforce); Final Stage - Material-S.

Fate's path: With the Cherry Blossoms in Bloom

During her path Fate gets to fight (DF = Dark Fragment, * - bonus fight): Stage 1 - Chrono; Stage 2 - DF Hayate, DF Shamal*; Stage 3 - DF Zafira; Stage 4 - Material-S, Vita*; Stage 5 - DF Signum; Final Stage - DF Fate (not Material-L).

Gameplay

The player controls one of the playable characters in real time battles throughout the game. The controls change depending on the distance between the opponents. Fighting at long range, Shooting, Bombardment, and Capture spells are used, whereas at close range, the combatants attack each other physically. For one side to win they must score victories in two out of possible three fights.

Controls

PSP Button	Function at long range	Function at close range
Square (■)	Basic Projectile: The character uses basic attack that is weaker than a High Projectile, but requires less time to charge up by holding the button.	Attack: Hits the opponent with a melee attack. Can be followed up by a melee combo by pressing additional buttons for extra damage.
Triangle (▲)	High Projectile: The character uses a stronger attack than a Basic Projectile, which requires more time to charge up for full power.	Block: Puts up a basic barrier that causes a counter if hit.
Circle (●)	Bind Type Spell: Casts a Binding spell on the target. Once hit, the spell temporarily immobilizes the target, allowing the caster to hit the opponent with more damaging spells if the opportunity arises. Can be dodged or broken out of using Full Drive.	Catch: A short range attack that cannot be blocked or countered.
Cross (☓)	Dash Step: The character quickly moves a short distance in one direction. Can only be used a limited number of times in succession. The exact amount of uses varies from character to character.
Left shoulder button (L)	Activate Full Drive/Special Move: Initially, activates the Full Drive Mode, which heals the character, gives them unlimited dash and magic energy, and makes their attacks deal more damage. Pressing L in Full Drive Mode activates the character's Special Move or "Full Drive Burst", which has the character use a short-range melee attack that, if connects, leads into a stronger spell. For most characters, Full Drive can only be activated twice per round, although some may use it thrice.
Right shoulder button (R)	Shield: Blocks all incoming attacks with the exception of binding spells. A small amount of energy will be consumed when an attack hits the barrier. Putting up a barrier right before an attack hits, however, will activate an "EX Guard" and restore some magic energy instead.

Skills

Each playable character in the game has two unremovable default skills that give them various bonuses in combat. After completing a character's storyline, their skills can be added to other characters' profiles (up to four total skills per non-Material character). However, each extra skill will reduce the character's health bar by 25%. The three Material characters each have six default skills: the default two of each character that had to have had their story completed to unlock the respective Material.

Skill	Effects	Primary user	Secondary user
Auto Guard	Barrier is cast automatically but is more likely to be broken.	Zafira	Material-S
Axel Loader	When emptied, the Axel Dash Bar reloads quicker.	Fate	Material-L
Axel Stock Plus	The Axel Dash Bar (how many times Dash Step can be used in a row) is increased by one.	Fate	Material-L
Close Range Defense	The damage taken from close range attacks is decreased by 25%.	Zafira	Material-S
Close Range Power	All close range (melee) attacks deal 25% more damage.	Vita	Material-S
Combo Power	The chance to chain a combo is increased by 50%. Damage to guarding spells is increased by 25%.	Signum	Material-L
Drive EX (critical)	In Full Drive Mode, all attacks deal more damage.	Chrono	Material-L
Drive EX (long)	The Full Drive Mode duration is increased by 2.5 seconds.	Chrono	Material-L
Drive Loader	The Full Drive Cartridge Bar is automatically restored to 2 after each battle.	Shamal	Material-D
Drive Stock Plus	The Full Drive Cartridge Bar (how many times Full Drive can be activated per round) is increased by one.	Reinforce	Material-D
Healing	Health points are automatically restored when they fall to critical levels or when a Barrier spell is cast.	Shamal	Material-D
Long Range Defense	The damage taken from long range attacks is decreased by 25%.	Signum	Material-L
Long Range Power	Depending on the distance, all long range attacks deal 25% to 50% more damage.	Nanoha	Material-S
MP Cutdown	Each successful hit drains the opponent's mana by 5%.	Hayate	Material-D
MP Gain	Each successful hit restores own mana. The total mana pool is increased by 25%.	Reinforce	Material-D
MP Guard	The opponent's MP Cut skill is negated.	Nanoha	Material-S
MP Loader	The Full Drive gauge is refilled 25% faster than normal.	Hayate	Material-D
Shield Breaker	The chance to break the opponent's Barrier is increased by 25%.	Vita	Material-S

Characters

There are nine playable characters in the game, each with their own story route.

The three Materials must be unlocked by clearing the story modes of their three "component" characters with all the Warning battles and can only be used in player vs. computer game modes.

• To unlock Material-S as a playable character, complete Nanoha, Vita, and Zafira's story routes.
• To unlock Material-L, complete Fate, Signum, and Chrono's routes.
• To unlock Material-D, complete Hayate, Shamal, and Reinforce's routes.

Unison Reinforce is a variant of Reinforce which is only playable in the final battle of her story mode.

Name	Status	Device	Skills	■	▲	●	Full Drive Burst
Nanoha Takamachi	Playable	Raising Heart Exelion	Long Range Power MP Guard	Axel Shooter	Divine Buster	Restrict Lock	Starlight Breaker
Fate Testarossa	Playable	Bardiche Assault	Axel Stock Plus Axel Loader	Plasma Lancer	Haken Saber	Thunder Rage	Jet Zanber
Hayate Yagami	Playable	Schwertkreuz Tome of the Night Sky	MP Cutdown MP Load	Brionac	Balmung	Claiomh Solais	Ragnarok
Signum	Playable	Laevatein	Combo Power Long Range Defense	Sky Fang	Flying Dragon Flash	Schlangebeißen	Sturmfalken
Vita	Playable	Graf Eisen	Shield Breaker Close Range Power	Schwalbefliegen	Tödlichschlag	Raketenhammer	Gigantschlag
Shamal	Playable	Klarwind	Healing Drive Loader	Wind Shackles	Wind Shield	Mirror of Travels	Linker Core Removal
Zafira	Playable	none	Auto Guard Close Range Defense	Protecting Fist	Iron-clad Stance	Running Beast Fang	Steel Yoke
Chrono Harlaown	Playable	S2U Durandal	Drive EX (critical) Drive EX (long)	Stinger Ray	Delayed Bind	Struggle Bind	Eternal Coffin
Reinforce	Playable	none	Normal: MP Gain Drive Stock Plus Unison Reinforce: All	Bloody Dagger	Nightmare	Seal Bind	Thunder of the Night Sky
Material-S	Secret	Luciferion	Long Range Power MP Guard Shield Breaker Close Range Power Auto Guard Close Range Defense	Pyro Shooter	Blast Fire	Rubellite	Luciferion Breaker
Material-L	Secret	Vulnificus	Axel Stock Plus Axel Loader Combo Power Long Range Defense Drive EX (critical) Drive EX (long)	Lightning Blade Tip	Light Wing Decapitation	Divine Thunder Hammer	Lightning Blade Decapitation
Material-D	Secret	Yersinia Kreuz	MP Cutdown MP Load MP Gain Drive Stock Plus Healing Drive Loader	Yersinia Dagger	Doom Bringer	Arondight	Excalibur

External links

• Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: The Battle of Aces at the Japanese Nanoha wiki
• Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: The Battle of Aces FAQs at GameFAQs.com