Kagero: Deception II

Kagero: Deception II (影牢～刻命館真章～, Kagero: Kokumeikan Shinsho) is the second installment the strategy-RPG Deception series, developed and published by Tecmo. Kagero was first released for the PlayStation in 1998, but was later made a downloadable title in 2008 for the PlayStation Network.

Overview
With changes from its predecessor, including shifting the viewpoint to third-person and emphasis to trap combos, Kagero: Deception II formed the foundation of current Deception titles and would be built upon in future titles.

In the game, the player assumes the role of Millennia, a young woman being used as a puppet and guard for a human-like, immortal race known as Timenoids, whose power is desired by the humans whose lives they govern. Millennia finds herself in the middle of the war between her own race and her captors, with her chosen side dictated by the player.

The change in how traps functioned gave this game a much more strategic edge than the first game, with traps able to interact with one another in long strings that could be likened to Rube Goldberg set-ups, just much more lethal and involving other people. Trap improvement was conducted by using the points earned after successfully killing each invader, called Ark, and by following a somewhat logical "tree" -- improving an Arrow Slit after a Lightning Rod was created could make a Laser Arrow, for instance. Six secret traps could be unlocked in future replays by completing the game and achieving all four endings in the game, as well. Traps, when constructed, could be used as often as the player liked, but required a recharge time between uses in any given level.

Links to Dead or Alive
One of Ayane's costumes in Dead or Alive 2, and its remake Dead or Alive 2: Ultimate]], was based on the outfit worn by Millennia in Kagero: Deception II. As well of the clothing, Ayane's tribute costume also included Millennia's red tattoo located on her upper back, which is visible thanks to the backless dress.

It should be noted that both characters are similar in design, as they are both young women with short hair.