Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 100
July 24, 2019
Oninaki Demo Now Available
A demo for Tokyo RPG Factory’s upcoming action RPG Oninaki, which we’ve discussed in the past, is available now on all platforms.
The demo has two modes: “Story Mode,” which takes you through the start of the game (and will let you transfer your progress to the main game), and “Battle Mode,” which gives a deeper look at the combat than what is available in the story demo.
I haven’t finished the demo yet, but I played the start earlier today, and I’m intrigued.
Remember when we discussed the premise of Oninaki and how dark it seems? A world where you aren’t allowed to grieve for dead people and might be killed if your grief prevents someone’s soul from moving on certainly sounds depressing, and it’s even clearer in the demo.
I’m not crazy about the main character yet, but some of my favorite games have protagonists who start out unlikable. I’m interested in seeing where the game takes this grim premise.
Gameplay-wise, I wish it was a turn-based RPG, but the action combat felt fine to me. I also enjoyed the look at daemons, lost souls you bond with to use their special abilities in combat. They have their own skill trees, and it sort of reminded me of Blades in Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
Oninaki’s demo has already left me with a better impression than Lost Sphear’s did, although I still need to finish it. Did you try the Oninaki demo?
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July 22, 2019
J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars Starts Strong, Ends Okay
Saturday was the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, and I decided I wanted to play a space game to celebrate.
I ended up picking J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars, a point-and-click adventure game following Rachel, the sole survivor of an expedition to a distant solar system, as she works with the ship’s AI Julia to piece together the mysteries of the solar system and what went wrong.
Adventure games can be hit or miss for me, but right away I liked the gameplay style of J.U.L.I.A. It has a button for you to see everything you can interact with, and the first part of the game focused on exploring to find clues about what happened and how to proceed, such as learning passwords that give you access to datapads used by members of the team.
The main character does not personally visit the planets, but instead sends down a recon robot. Upgrading the robot is another key part of progression, with some challenging (but satisfying) blueprint puzzles required to do so.
After you investigate the first area, it introduces another cool mechanic: an optional feature where you arrange events as they happened, to piece together the mysteries you uncovered. It was a nice way to lay everything out in a linear fashion when you initially learn about it through scattered clues.
Then the solar system opens up and you can visit other planets, so I was pretty excited to see how it would proceed.
Unfortunately, J.U.L.I.A. lost something in the later parts of the game for me. It became a bit less investigation-focused, involved more puzzles that sometimes weren’t explained well, and introduced elements that took away from its initial grounded feeling.
Click for J.U.L.I.A. spoilersAn advanced alien race guiding life in the universe and the museum based on Rachel’s memories… I feel like this entire section could have been removed. Not only does it change the tone of the story, but it also mainly existed to point Rachel toward the way to purify the lake. Having her find the hidden planet (or find answers another way) more natural would have fit the story better, in my opinion.
The game’s big twist also felt fairly obvious, although it made sense and was handled well enough. The ending, however, felt a little lacking to me too.
Nevertheless, there were parts of J.U.L.I.A. that I thoroughly enjoyed, especially in the beginning, and it was certainly a good pick for a space theme. Have you played J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars?
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July 19, 2019
Shadows of Adam Developer Announces Two New Games
In 2016, I backed a turn-based RPG on Kickstarter called Shadows of Adam. You might remember it as one of the games on my list to play this year.
The developer, Something Classic Games, has now announced not just their next project, but their next two projects.
These two new turn-based RPGs are called Pillars of Dust and Quartet.
Pillars of Dust is intended to have an arcade feel and features two characters whose stories intersect and influence each other based on which you play first.
Quartet, meanwhile, is a story-driven game with eight heroes and four opening chapters. From the way it’s described, it sounds like you’ll play each opening chapter and then the characters’ stories will all come together (so pretty much what I hoped Octopath Traveler would be).
Guessing Octopath? We welcome all comparisons. However this game's characters interact in meaningful ways and there's an overarching plot that connects them all
July 17, 2019
Luigi’s Mansion 3 Gets a Halloween Release Date
Luigi’s Mansion 3 was one of the highlights of E3 for me, especially the Nintendo Treehouse gameplay segments, but the one disappointment was that it didn’t have a release date yet.
But now it does!
Luigi’s Mansion 3 will be out on October 31, a fitting date for a spooky game.
When the game was first announced, I was excited and hopeful that it would feel more like the original than Dark Moon.
Everything I’ve seen since then has just made me more excited, from their comments during Nintendo Treehouse about how they adjusted the style and structure after looking at feedback from Dark Moon, to the confirmation that you can explore the hotel once you’ve unlocked a given floor and that puzzles will make use of multiple floors.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 is one of my most-anticipated games of the year, and I’m excited we’ll be able to play it on Halloween.
Are you planning to get Luigi’s Mansion 3?
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July 15, 2019
The First Yo-Kai Watch Is Coming to the Switch
In a new video from Level-5’s virtual Youtuber, it was revealed that the first Yo-Kai Watch game is coming to the Nintendo Switch.
Early reports said it would release alongside the Nintendo Switch Lite, but that might not be the case. Rather, she says you’ll be able to play Ni No Kuni at launch (as the Switch version comes out September 20) and play Yo-Kai Watch 1 later on.
No release date for Yo-Kai Watch 1 on the Switch has been announced yet.
I enjoyed the original Yo-Kai Watch despite its flaws, and although I still haven’t gotten around to Yo-Kai Watch 2, I hope to soon
(I’d like to play Yo-Kai Watch 3, but since physical copies have become incredibly rare despite its North American release being just earlier this year, right now I’m just hoping Level-5 follows this by bringing Yo-Kai Watch 2 and 3 to the Switch as well.)
Since there hasn’t been an official reveal yet, we don’t know if this will be a port or a remake… but they almost have to make some changes to the gameplay due to the game’s use of the touchscreen. Yo-Kai Watch 4, which came out for the Switch in Japan on June 20, made significant changes to the combat. I doubt Yo-Kai Watch 1’s combat will be revamped to that degree, but they’ll need to do something since there’s only one screen.
Mobile ports of Yo-Kai Watch were originally announced and then never heard from again, so maybe the Switch version will make use of whatever they intended to do there.
I probably won’t play it again unless there are significant changes, but it’s a nice opportunity for new fans to get into the series. What do you think about the first Yo-Kai Watch coming to the Switch?
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July 12, 2019
Shin Yakuza News Coming August 29
We’ve slowly been getting details about Shin Yakuza, which will star a new protagonist named Ichiban Kasuga, but while we thought news was coming on Wednesday, we’ll have to wait a little longer.
Wednesday’s announcement turned out to be just the reveal of the actress who won the audition for the role of co-star, with details about the game now set for August 29.
(We knew Wednesday’s news would be the audition results, but the original announcement said new information would be shared as well.)
Right now, we still know very little about Shin Yakuza, but back in May, the director said the story was complete.
There have also been various hints that it will feel different from past Yakuza titles, but no one really knows what that means yet.
Ichiban is also a character in the Yakuza mobile game, which is currently exclusive to Japan.
Of course, I have a long way to go before I’m ready for the next Yakuza game. I’m playing Judgment now, but I still have Kiwami 2, 3-5 (here’s hoping for localization news about the remasters) and 6 to play. Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to seeing what August 29’s announcement brings!
Are you interested in Shin Yakuza?
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July 10, 2019
I Finally Finished Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (Base Game)
Just under a year ago, I started Final Fantasy XIV for the second time and vowed that this time I would stick with it to the end for the sake of the story.
And I did!
I mean, I got distracted by the Gold Saucer too. But after just under 108 hours of gameplay, I completed the main story of the base game, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
You really can play a lot of Final Fantasy XIV by yourself if you just want to experience a story. Dungeons and trials (bosses) are the main things you’ll need to team up with other players for, and that’s what pushed me away the first time. I disliked going through dungeons with other people, mainly because they’d rush through while I wanted to look around and take my time.
So I joined up with a nice Free Company, and thanks to the other players there, I made it through the dungeons and could largely enjoy the story the way I wanted to.
Now, when people praise the story of Final Fantasy XIV, they’re mainly talking about the expansions, not A Realm Reborn itself. For the most part, A Realm Reborn’s story is just… decent. It’s bogged down by a lot of filler quests, which annoyed me, but then I reached a certain point in the plot where things got shaken up a bit and I was genuinely invested in what would happen next.
(Ironically, it occurred shortly after the point where I quit the first time… although I remember going to Coerthas even though I wasn’t that far in the plot, so apparently my first attempt to play Final Fantasy XIV resulted in me wandering to random places before giving up. On the other hand, the Coerthas section was one of my favorites in the game, so I might have been wishing I was there in the plot instead.)
The plot had some good moments, and overall I enjoyed myself much more this time around. I picked up Heavensward during the free promotion earlier this year, so I’m looking forward to progressing through the in-between quests to reach it.
I’m happy I stuck with Final Fantasy XIV this time, and I don’t intend to quit anytime soon! Have you played Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn? How do you feel about it and its expansions?
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July 8, 2019
Pokémon Sword/Shield: Gigantamaxing, New Characters, & More
A new trailer has been released for Pokémon Sword and Shield, revealing a new gameplay mechanic, more Pokémon, and two characters I’ve got my eyes on as the game’s villains.
Pokémon Sword and Shield have been taking a lot of heat lately for the decision to remove the National Pokédex, but as someone who has never transferred my Pokémon from generation to generation, it doesn’t bother me personally (although I understand a lot of people do and dislike this change).
Anyway, the big feature introduced with the new trailer is “Gigantamaxing.”
While we already knew about Dynamaxing, where your Pokémon becomes huge and more powerful, certain Pokémon can instead take on a Gigantamax form, where they also gain a special G-Max Move specific to their species. It sounds to me like a cross between Mega Evolution and Z-Moves.
Drednaw and Corviknight were revealed as two Pokémon with Gigantamax forms.
The trailer also introduces some new Pokémon: Alcremie, Yamper, Rolycoly, and Duraludon. Of these, the only one that really stands out to me is Alcremie, which looks delicious cute.
From the Pokémon Nintendo Direct, we already knew the Pokémon League in this region is a major deal, and the battles to become Champion are broadcast on TV.
The new details explain that you must be endorsed by someone to enter the Gym Challenge, and then trainers who beat all eight Gym Leaders can compete in the annual Champion Cup.
In addition to the Champion, Leon, who was shown previously, we’ve now gotten to see some more key people. Chairman Rose manages the Pokémon League and also runs a large business, his secretary/vice president Oleana manages the company, and I’m calling it right now that these two are villains.
They also introduced a couple more Gym Leaders, a Fighting-type specialist named Bea and a Ghost-tyep specialist named Allister.
Update: I missed this the first time, but apparently Bea is exclusive to Sword and Allister is exclusive to Shield.
Finally, if you get the Double Pack, you’ll get Dynamax Crystals that let you face Dynamax Larvitar and Dynamax Jangmo-o in Max Raid Battles regardless of version. Larvitar is normally a Shield-exclusive Pokémon while Jangmo-o is Sword-exclusive. Digital copies of the game purchased before January 15 will also get 12 Quick Balls.
How do you feel about Gigantamaxing and the new Pokémon? Do you think Rose and Oleana are villains? Share your thoughts on the latest Pokémon Sword/Shield news in the comments!
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July 5, 2019
Robotics;Notes Elite and Robotics;Notes DaSH Localization Confirmed
One visual novel I’ve been hoping for localization news about is Robotics;Notes.
Robotics;Notes is part of the Science Adventure universe, along with Steins;Gate and Chaos;Child (which I still need to play), as well as the other visual novels in their respective series.
Well, my hopes have been fulfilled! At Anime Expo 2019, Spike Chunsoft not only announced a western release for Robotics;Notes Elite, but also for its sequel, Robotics;Notes DaSH.
Robotics;Notes Elite, which unlike the similarity in their titles is not akin to Steins;Gate Elite but rather is simply the definitive version of Robotics;Notes, will be out in 2020 for the PS4, Switch, and PC. Its sequel will follow later that year.
The story involves a robotics club that uncovers some sort of conspiracy, and if it’s anything like Steins;Gate, I’m sure it will be exciting.
From what I understand, Robotics;Notes DaSH also ties a bit more directly to Steins;Gate.
I’m looking forward to both of these visual novels… and in the meantime, I really ought to play Chaos;Child! Are you interested in Robotics;Notes?
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July 3, 2019
Metal Wolf Chaos XD Will Be Out August 6
If you’ve been waiting for Metal Wolf Chaos XD, the remaster of FromSoftware’s too-American-for-America shooter finally announced for the west last E3, you’re in luck.
Some fans hoped they might have a surprise release tomorrow for the Fourth of July, and while it isn’t quite that close, Metal Wolf Chaos XD is just over a month away.
It will be released on August 6 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC for $24.99, with a mech skin as a preorder bonus.
While it doesn’t seem like the physical release from Special Reserve Games has been officially announced yet, it looks like it’s still happening.
A new trailer is also available.
While I’m not a huge shooter fan, I’m interested just because of the game’s reputation and how crazy it seems.
Are you planning to get Metal Wolf Chaos XD?
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