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As such, instead of seeing flashy techniques like in Street Fighter, players of Dawn Of The Monsters can control the likes of Godzilla and similar monsters in a fight against the Nephilim invasion. However, as with any kind of beat ‘em up style game, certain kaiju aside from a Godzilla-inspired monster will rise to the top in Dawn Of The Monsters for their gameplay.
4 Aegis Prime
Possibly inspired by Ultraman, Aegis Prime is the epitome of skill in Dawn Of The Kaiju. Not a machine nor a Nephilim, Aegis Prime is actually a scientist named Eiji Murasame who acquired the power to tap into the light and transform into a colossal warrior. At its core, Aegis Prime is a character dedicated to skilled players due to his advanced skill set. What Aegis Prime lacks in defense, he makes up in terms of high mobility and powerful combos.
Skills: Powerful In The Right Hands
Players with a need for speed won’t go wrong with Aegis Prime, especially with a toolkit designed specifically for those who’ve had a fair share of their fighting games. Aegis Prime might not have the best defenses, but his various moves allow him to perform quick-moving attacks that let him get the upper hand in melee but have all the means to escape as soon as enemies start surrounding him.
Zen Stance (1 Rage): This is the primary attack speed for Aegis Prime. This automatically stops his action and returns him to neutral, allowing him to either extend his combos or get out of danger quickly. Pretty nifty for fighting game enthusiasts that like experimenting with attacks. Erosion Bomb (1 Rage): Aegis Prime unleashes a jolt of energy that attaches a bomb to them, which then goes off. This lowers the defense of the enemy and stuns them, giving Aegis Prime’s attacks more room to hurt the opponent. Shadow Backstrike (2 Rage): This allows Prime to dash behind opponents, causing a shockwave that launches his enemies backward. Aegis Prime is invulnerable during the dodge, allowing him to safely chase opponents as they fall. Mega Mountain Breaker (Cataclysm Attack): After channeling energy into his fist, Aegis Prime will unleash a punch that’s so powerful that mountains can turn to dust. This attack damages all enemies nearby, and its shockwave deals damage to enemies in front of him as well.
In Combat: Advancement Is Key
Given the wide range of Aegis Prime’s arsenal, he’s certainly the most flexible of all the heroes. Players can string a wide range of combos with the right practice and can even push the game’s limits in terms of its combat system.
Strengths: There’s an emphasis on flow when it comes to Aegis Prime, which players will love when they start using his character and his skills more. His moveset and toolkit seamlessly fit into each other, allowing his mobility-focused gameplay to take care of opponents in a quick yet flashy way. Weaknesses: The lack of armor on part of Aegis Prime means he’s almost always vulnerable when used improperly. While he does have the mobility to try and escape foes, his general lack of defenses and reliance on combos makes his skill ceiling a bit higher than usual compared to the other characters.
3 Ganira
Known as the Terror of the Seas, Ganira is the epitome of defense in Dawn Of The Kaiju. Resembling a large crab-turtle-hybrid, Ganira may have been a Nephilim but she fights for the safety of mankind. Unlike other characters, Ganira relies more on defense and support instead of outright offense, providing her with abilities that let her outlast opponents and even summon minions to fight for her.
Skills: The Epitome Of Support
Unlike other defensive and support characters, Ganira’s penchant for aiding her allies comes at the expense of her enemies. This is especially considering a lot of her defensive and supportive skills often come in the form of attacks or buffs meant specifically to mess around with opponents.
Stream Burst (1 Rage): Perhaps the most basic of her attacks, Ganira releases a stream from her body that has a large AOE. Monsters near her get knocked back and are Drenched, meaning they have reduced attack speed and movement. This is a great crowd control option for Ganira and gives her the necessary space. Exoskeleton (2 Rage): Ganira releases a shield while developing an exoskeleton around herself. This shield can absorb one attack, which then explodes and damages opponents near her. This is a great damage absorbent with a punishing element. Summon Minion (2 Rage): This summons a crab minion that attacks enemies surrounding Ganira and can launch opponents or stun them given the chance. Not only that, but the crab can mimic Exoskeleton and Steam Burst without costing Ganira anything. Most impressive is how the crab shares Ganira’s augment upgrades and perks, giving it better survivability. Abyssal Tsunami (Cataclysm Attack): This ultimate attack unleashes a tidal wave that hits enemies on Ganira’s path. Afterward, Ganira and her allies get an impressive defensive boost.
In Combat: Defense Is Good Offense
As a defensive character, Ganira specializes in ensuring her opponents fight her in exactly the way she wants to, especially since she’s extremely hard to take down. Unlike other defensive/support characters in games, Ganira is more than capable of supplementing her defensive inclinations with extremely hard-hitting attacks, giving opponents the business end of her pincers one way or another.
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Strengths: Ganira’s crab minion is easily one of her highlight abilities, especially since the crab minion “catches” an enemy and can even mimic Ganira’s abilities, giving her an edge when it comes to clearing the field. Her defensive prowess means she’s extremely hard to take down, giving players enough time to plan their counters without worrying much about their health. Weaknesses: Of course, it doesn’t help that Ganira isn’t just slow on the uptake, but a lot of her abilities deliberately leave her open to damage just to make sure they score hits. For instance, Ganira’s dash and heavy attacks might hit hard but they do let enemies damage her as well.
2 Tempest Galahad
Possibly inspired by Gundam and other mecha anime, young pilot Jamila Senai was tasked to drive Tempest Galahad in the defense against Nephilim. Tempest Galahad is the first ATOM, or Atomic Telekinetically-Operated Mecha, that humans created specifically to combat monsters. As such, instead of boasting powerful techniques or brutal displays of strength and power, Tempest Galahad relies on a wide variety of weapons to keep up with her companions. Her arsenal allows her to adapt to any combat situation.
Skills: Control The Battlefield
Whereas Aegis Prime relies on movement, Tempest Galahad has more than enough resources at her disposal to take care of opponents at a distance. All of her attacks help her control the flow of battle by keeping enemies at bay and ensuring she only fights up close with those that she actually lets inside her space. It’s interesting how her skill set also gives her ample opportunities to secure the distance between her and her opponents when necessary - essentially giving her total battlefield control.
Reload (1 Rage): Perhaps her most important ability, Tempest Galahad will take this time to load special bullets in her arm cannon. There’s a mini-game where players need to “hit” a button on a bar, which reloads her two bullets instead of a single one if players succeed. The catch here is that players maintain the four-bullet maximum in Tempest’s gun so her attacks almost always get augmented. Macroburst Shot (2 Rage): Tempest Galahad uses her large cannon to fire a projectile that can reach opponents almost at the other side of the screen. What’s amazing here is that Macroburst Shot can knock enemies away from her, ensuring her targets almost never get the chance to approach her. Boltshock Mine (2 Rage): Tempest Galahad jumps back and throws a mine onto the field. Players can detonate the mine, which then compresses enemies into the mine before exploding and dealing AOE. Aside from crowd control, the backflip component is great for mobility. Storm Cannon (Cataclysm Attack): The ultimate attack of Tempest Galahad, Storm Cannon unleashes a burst attack that hits opponents in a line in front of her.
In Combat: Adaptability Means Survival
The many tools in Tempest Galahad’s disposal ensure that she has all the means to cope with any combat situation. Not only that, the long-ranged nature of her attacks means she has all the means to keep enemies at bay while she picks them off. This makes her a relatively easy character to use.
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Strengths: The various combat opportunities that her weapons offer let Tempest Galahad make use of all her arsenal to perform a wide variety of effects. Aside from keeping opponents afar, her Boltshock Mine can control exactly where they go, and her Macroburst Shot and Storm Cannon ensure enemies are punished for being in her general vicinity. Weaknesses: Aside from her Boltshock Mine, Tempest’s other movement options aren’t as helpful when keeping opponents away from her. When enemies get too close, Tempest is forced to back away - which means being cornered by opponents with her lack of strong melee options might put Tempest in a bad spot.
1 Megadon
Perhaps inspired by Godzilla, Megadon the Living Volcano is the first Nephilim to awaken and fights for Earth to defend it against the Nephilim invasion. While the means to control it remain unknown, Megadon is probably one of the most powerful kaiju in Dawn Of The Kaiju precisely for its extreme aggression and power. His reliance on powerful attacks and speedy abilities can help Megadon tear through crowds of enemies with ease.
Skills: Aggression Beats Caution
Due to his nature as an offensive-reliant character, a lot of his skills rely on securing the hit as often as possible in order to beat enemies to submission. It’s his straightforward combat approach that makes Megadon fit the definition of “beat ‘em up” as the game’s genre, and his moveset suits it perfectly:
Flex (1 Rage): Megadon uses this move to raise his body temperature, having him glow. This boosts his damage for a few seconds before returning to normal. What’s interesting is that this ability can stack three times for a damage boost as high as 52-percent. Not only that but getting hit while doing this (Flex Parry) will instantly give the maximum buff to Megadon, making this a perfect way to introduce enemies to his combos. Magma Eruption (2 Rage): Megadon jumps and then slams his fists into the ground. This shockwave is strong enough to cause an explosion and blast enemies away. This is a great way to create a cluster of enemies that Megadon can rush-attack and use AOE attacks on. This is also a great way to start comboing into Heat Breath. Heat Breath (2 Rage): Perhaps the most staple special attack in Megadon’s arsenal, Heat Breath unleashes a flamethrower projectile from Megadon’s mouth. This causes enemies to get Burnt, which is a nifty damage-over-time debuff. Volcanic Ignition (Cataclysm Attack): Similar to Magma Eruption, Megadon triggers his ultimate attack by punching the ground. This time around, a fire tornado just spawns from the ground and forces enemies close. Upon a particular distance, the magma tornado can outright destroy foes due to its massive damage numbers.
In Combat: Pure Power Is Everything
Megadon is easily the most aggressive among the characters, and his slow nature is compensated with his sheer flexibility and power. A lot of his heavy attacks can pummel opponents to the ground, ensuring that they’re ground to dust. For Megadon, power is everything, and this mentality ensures he’s got something in store for enemies who’re just looking for a good punch.
Strengths: Being a pure power fighter, Megadon has no match in terms of offensive might. His attacks are built specifically to destroy opponents as fast as possible, meaning he’s deadliest at melee. Enemies just excited to get up close and personal won’t be happy with the result. A lot of his heavy attacks don’t just pummel opponents but can knock them down or even juggle them, leaving room for combos. Weaknesses: His slow speed does mean every moment counts when Megadon is in combat. His lack of mobility options also means there’s not much Megadon could do when cornered, as such he’s got to decimate opponents as soon as possible before opponents can get the upper hand in both numbers or by attacking during an opening.
Dawn Of The Monsters was released on March 15, 2022, and is playable on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 5.
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