up missions", new Virtuaroids are open for selection and play in the other modes. A split-screen two-player mode is available, with the choice of playing on the same team or against each other. In the Japanese version, the Database mode is available, and the databases can be collected throughout the Dramatic Mode. These databases include stories, characters, and items associated with them. Some of the databases include a description of the particular subjects. This mode is not available in the English localization of the game. Characters The following characters are non-playable characters that appear in the single-player Dramatic and Challenge modes, of the game. In gameplay, they are controlled by the computer. Most of the non-playable characters were created for use in the game, although some of them come from previous games in the Virtual-On franchise, some with minor alterations. Apharmd "Hatter": A wild and energetic Virtuaroid that the player saves earlier in the game. He constantly helps the player during some missions in the game. Temjin "White Knight": The most powerful Temjin model in the game. He's found in the middle of the game, searching for Shadow VR's, VR's infected by a virus that makes them get colored in Red/Black. In their First Meeting, he tests the player to discover If their VR is MARS or a Shadow. Then he helps them in their journey until they reach the last stage of Earth, where they fight against their own Shadow VR. "Rose Trio" Cyphers: They are female VR's the player fights during some missions on Mars and Earth. When the player defeats them, Jennifer Poison, one of the Cyphers gives the player an item that allows them to reach the boss of the stage. They don't like Apharmd Hatter due to his wild personality after he said the player should not trust them. The pilots of the Special Virtuaroids are taken from novelizations of the Virtual-On franchise; such as One Man Rescue and Fragmentary Passage. These Special Virtuaroids can be unlocked if a player meets certain requirements. Reception The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, however, Famitsu gave it a score of 33 out of 40. As of March 2021, Cyber Troopers Virtual-On MARZ is the most recent game in the Virtual-On franchise (except for a Japan-exclusive crossover game with novel series A Certain Magical Index). In 2004, Sega integrated Hitmaker into