Lord of Vermilion

Lord of Vermilion (ロード・オブ・ヴァーミリオン) is an arcade-based fantasy collectible card game developed by Think Garage and distributed by Square Enix in which players control combat cards on an arcade play surface. The objective of the game is to destroy the enemy team's Arcane Stones and eliminate their servants in order to win the game. Players design and develop avatars, increasing their statistics and obtaining equipment, then compete with each other locally, or online, or play the single player story mode.

As of November 7, 2008, Lord of Vermilion has contributed over 4 billion ¥ in earnings for Square Enix.

A site for the sequel Lord of Vermilion II opened on August 5, 2009 with a release date set for Autumn 2009. Lord of Vermilion II will feature cards with characters from Final Fantasy IV, Romancing Saga 2, Magic: The Gathering and Final Fantasy XI as part of a special crossover.

Gameplay
The player controls up to 4 units on the field at one time including the player's avatar and up to 90 total cost of units at one time. When a unit dies it must be returned to the inactive area and after a set amount of time it can be used again. Active units can only be switched in and out while the players units are in the gate area. Players can damage enemy arcane crystals, the search eye, the crystal shield or gates by putting their units in the associated area as long as no enemies are present. Players can also damage the arcane crystals by destroying all of the opponents units that are on the field.

Story
In ancient times, before the creation of the worlds lived God. He opened his heart and brought forth a vermillion stone in order to create seven different worlds. Whomsoever held the vermillion stone held the power to create worlds, and would reign over the seven worlds as a god, the "Lord of Vermilion". The seven worlds existed side by side in harmony for millennia, their inhabitants separated by boundaries and unable to interfere with one another... until the "Great Collapse".

The lord of the human world, consumed by ambition, sought to use the forbidden magic of the vermillion stone, called the "Arcana", in order to become a god. However, he was unable to wield the power and the Arcana was shattered into seven pieces and scattered amongst the seven worlds, destroying their boundaries. The six worlds were drawn into the human world and they merged. With the six races of the six worlds thrust into the human world, chaos and war broke out.

Ages later, the world, called the "Land of Acheron", is still in turmoil. The six "Lords" of the six races sow strife across the land, warring for each other's Arcana. The player takes the role of a legendary warrior who holds the seventh Arcana and seeks to obtain the Arcana and upset the balance of the world, gathering an army of "Familiars" who hold faith in the legend of the "Lord of the Vermillion".

Characters



 * Player Character: The player character is one of the few humans to survive the Great Collapse, and can be customized by the player. A legendary warrior with mysterious origins, the player seeks to use the power of Arcana, "Miracle", to reshape the world and return harmony to the land, and as such gathers an army of faithful followers in order to wage war on the six "Lords" and become the "Lord of Vermillion". There are two characters which the player may select from: the male Nido (ニド), or the female Rishia (リシア). They each have similar backstories and roles within the story mode.


 * Dux: A mysterious knight completely clad in heavy armor, which completely conceals their identity and gender, who first appears in the tutorial and holds extensive knowledge on Arcana and the world. Dux is later revealed to be a former friend of the player's deceased father who agreed to watch over the player several years earlier.

Expansion sets

 * Version 1.1: Rebellion of the Gods (神々への離反)
 * Version 1.2: A New Omen (新たなる胎動)
 * Version 1.3: Invitation to Purgatory (煉獄からの誘い)
 * Version 1.4: Return to Chaos (混沌への回帰)

Contributing artists
To date, contributing guest artists include: