, sometimes shortened as , is a series of 2D visual novel fighting games, co-developed by dōjin circles Type-Moon and French-Bread as the meta-sequel of the Type-Moon's first visual novel Tsukihime. The first game was originally released at Comiket in December 2002, and later spawned multiple sequels, such as an arcade version titled Act Cadenza, developed by Ecole Software, which has also been ported to the PlayStation 2, the first Type-Moon title to receive a console release. A manga series, written and illustrated by Takeru Kirishima, was first serialized in Kadokawa Shoten manga magazine Comp Ace in 2006. The series ended in 2011 with nine bound volumes released in Japan. The latest title, called Melty Blood: Type Lumina, was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows on September 30, 2021. It serves as a reboot of the series, and takes place in a new continuity first depicted in Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon-, a remake of the original Tsukihime. Gameplay Melty Blood makes use of widely used concepts in fighting games such as cancels (canceling a normal attack with a special attack before its animation ends, allowing for more complex and damaging combos) chain combos (normal moves that cancel into other normal moves) and the use of super bars (Magic Circuits). It also introduces Shielding, an advanced defensive technique; and French-Bread games’ staple gameplay mechanic Reverse Beat, a type of chain combo that can cancel from a higher normal move to a weaker normal move. Melty Blood's primary gameplay mechanic is an ability to cancel a normal attack to an air throw. Depending on the Moon, a mode of the character with varying normal moves and special moves, certain system mechanics are different or unavailable. (E.g. Full-moon cannot Reverse Beat) Plot The original Melty Blood game takes place in one year after Satsuki Yumizuka's non-existent route of Tsukihime and a month after Kagetsu Tohya. In the beginning of August 2001, Shiki Tohno hears of a new series of murders in Misaki Town, similar to the ones that took place in Tsukihime, in the last weeks of October 1999. Whilst searching for the murderer he meets Sion Eltnam Atlasia who initiates a fight with him, attempting to capture him. After the fight she reveals that her reason for trying to capture him is to get in contact with the "True Ancestor" (referring to Arcueid) so