Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 106
March 11, 2019
Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen is Coming West!
Today, NIS America announced that Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen, will be released in the west in early 2020.
In 2017, Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth came to the west, but despite hearing excellent things about them, I held off on getting them because they were sequels to the never-localized Utawarerumono.
They are hybrid visual novels / tactical RPGs, and they’re supposed to be quite good especially in terms of story.
I’d heard that the anime adaptation of the first Utawarerumono was considered pretty good and an acceptable substitute to catch up on the story before playing Mask of Deception and Mask of Truth, so I gave the first episode a try and decided to watch the entire thing ahead of getting the sequels.
But Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen is a remake of the original game, and now it’s being localized. It will be available both physically and digitally for the PS4, and digitally for the Vita.
I’m excited, and I’m definitely going to get this in 2020.
NIS America also announced western releases for The Alliance Alive HD Remastered (and after I just started the original, too) and Destiny Connect, until the title Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers. They are both set for fall.
Are you excited for Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen and the other announcements?
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March 8, 2019
Freebird Games Releases Paper Memories and Announces Impostor Factory
I love To the Moon, Finding Paradise, and the whole mysterious overarching story that’s been gradually building in their universe, so I was delighted to see that Freebird Games has two new announcements.
First, there is a collection of comics called “Paper Memories,” featuring characters from To the Moon and Finding Paradise. It is available on Steam as DLC for To the Moon or Finding Paradise, and physical copies are available to pre-order now.
According to the description, this comic collection includes over 50 pages of stories about the characters from these games, as well as bonus music tracks.
I’m definitely going to get and read Paper Memories, but the most exciting announcement is the reveal of the next game: Impostor Factory.
In my Finding Paradise review, I commented on the tease that their next game might involve lots of murder… and apparently that is true. Impostor Factory is “a time-resetting thriller-mystery that involves a series of bloody murders.”
That definitely sounds like quite a shift in tone, but I’m already excited for it.
Impostor Factory is set to launch in 2020. What do you hope to see from this new title from Freebird Games?
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March 6, 2019
Judgment (Project Judge) Cover Art & Release Date
The laywer-themed Yakuza spin-off Judgment (titled Judge Eyes in Japan and referred to as Project Judge when it was revealed) now has a western release date and cover art, revealed yesterday.
It will be out on June 25, although digital pre-orders will allow you to start playing on June 21. Physical copies include a reversible cover featuring the Japanese box art and a sticker.
(I’ll be getting a physical copy, not only because I prefer them, but also because that cover art is fantastic.)
Judgment is my second most-anticipated game of the year, so I can’t wait! I’m just disappointed they didn’t announce any sort of Collector’s Edition, at least not yet.
Here’s hoping the Yakuza 3-5 remasters are announced for the west soon as well.
Are you looking forward to Judgment? How do you feel about digital pre-orders including early access to the game?
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March 4, 2019
New Details About Destiny Connect
Last month, we talked about an upcoming turn-based JRPG called Destiny Connect.
Now, thanks to an interview from Gematsu with the game’s director Yoshihiko Toda, we have some more information about it.
Destiny Connect is focused on Clocknee Town. I thought it might begin there and then the characters would journey to other places, but it sounds as though exploring the town through different eras of time is the main focus.
It will take about 20 hours to complete, and there aren’t any side quests.
That disappoints me a little. A good story is what I want the most, but side content can be a lot of fun. Especially if this game takes place in and around a single area, I’d hoped for some side quests to add more variety. It sounds like they’re aiming for a very plot-focused game instead.
The interview also goes into detail about the art style and a little bit about the turn-based combat system, and finally, there is a tease that it might be localized.
I have to admit, I’m less excited about Destiny Connect than I was before this interview, although it still looks cute. What do you think about the latest information?
In other news, KH Insider has a translation of the new Ultimania interview with Nomura, so check that out if you’ve finished Kingdom Hearts 3.
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March 1, 2019
Alien Isolation’s Story is Retold in a New Digital Series
I loved Alien: Isolation.
Not only did it capture the atmosphere of the original Alien, but it was a great survival horror game.
It’s one of the best examples I’ve seen of a survival horror game that feels modern while holding true to the core elements of the genre.
So I was disappointed earlier this year when teases of an Alien: Isolation sequel turned out to be for a mobile game that’s nothing like Isolation at all and isn’t considered a sequel despite starring the same character.
Then today I saw IGN had released an exclusive Alien: Isolation digital series, which I thought might be expanding the universe… but instead it’s a retelling of the game’s events, for some reason.
This 7-part digital series combines cutscenes from the game with new scenes to retell the events of Alien: Isolation.
It’s strange. The new scenes are great, but mainly I just find myself asking why. Is it for fans who want to know the story of Alien: Isolation but don’t want to play the game? I want to believe it’s a tease for a sequel, because what else would be the point of making a story recap like this? (And why is it exclusive to IGN?)
The Creative Assembly hasn’t said anything about it, however, which makes it seem less likely that it’s a tease for a sequel from them.
What do you think is going on with Alien: Isolation, and will we ever see a true sequel?
In other news, I have a special sale to announce! Ebook copies of my Lovecraftian horror novella The Book at Dernier will be $0.99 throughout the month of March!
Don’t forget to also check on the Kickstarter campaigns for the Gehenna & Hinnom 2019 lineup, which is closing in on its second stretch goal in the final 48 hours, and our visual novel / action RPG Eternal Radiance, which has 12 days left.
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February 27, 2019
Pokémon Sword and Shield Have Been Announced
We’ve been waiting for news on 2019’s mainline Pokémon games for the Nintendo Switch, and they were revealed today in a special Pokémon Direct.
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will be released worldwide in late 2019.
The three starters are the grass-type monkey Grookey, the fire-type bunny Scorbunny, and the water-type lizard Sobble. It’s set in the Galar region, which appears to be based on the United Kingdom.
“Sword” and “Shield” feel like rather odd titles for Pokémon games, since this isn’t a series that typically involves swords and shields and it certainly doesn’t look like medieval Pokémon or anything like that. The names did make me think of Team Plasma’s knight motif, so I wonder if we’ll have something similar as this generation’s villainous team.
Responses to the reveal are a lot more negative than I expected. It seems like a lot of people were expecting a massive open world Pokémon game, which honestly would have disappointed me.
From what we’ve seen so far, Galar looks like a beautiful region and the gameplay looks like standard Pokémon gameplay. Gyms are back, as well. I’d hoped they might keep the wild Pokémon visible on the field from the Let’s Go titles, but I’m fine with random encounters.
(But here’s hoping HMs are still gone; that was the best change Sun and Moon introduced.)
And could that be the sneaking mechanic from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire?
It’s too early to say if Pokémon Sword and Shield will address the criticisms I’ve had with the last few Pokémon games (although the world map looks like there might be side areas), but right now I’m optimistic and excited to see more!
What did you think of the Pokémon Sword and Shield reveal?
In other news, the Ace Attorney Trilogy will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on April 9, but it’s digital-only.
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February 25, 2019
The Sinking City Might Be Delayed
We haven’t talked much about The Sinking City, but it’s an upcoming game I’m intrigued by.
On one hand, it’s supposed to be open world, and I’m not a huge fan of open world games. On the other hand, it’s heavily inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, so I’m interested.
It’s also an investigation-based game where you’ll need to play close attention to clues and observations to know how you should proceed with your quests. From what they’ve said, it sounds like they really want to put the investigation in the player’s hands.
The Sinking City is set to be released on March 21, 2019… but it might have been delayed.
While no official delay has been announced yet, the game’s Amazon page suddenly changed the release date from March 21 to May 31 (or May 24, depending on which region’s Amazon site you look at). Its Steam page also changed the release date to simply “2019.”
That makes a delay seem likely.
I’ll probably play The Sinking City eventually once it does come out, especially since both the story and gameplay sound interesting to me. For now, we’ll have to wait and see if it’s been delayed or not.
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February 22, 2019
Yes, Last Idea is a Mobile Game
Since we talked about it on Wednesday, we might as well follow through. Square Enix officially revealed Last Idea, and yes, it is a mobile game.
Describing it as a “treasure hunting RPG” for iOS and Android, they released a short trailer that shows… well, pretty much nothing.
Fortunately, some additional information about Last Idea was also announced. You play a treasure hunter who travels to the “Silent Castle” in search of treasure and rescues a girl with amnesia.
It is supposed to be a simplified hack-and-slash action RPG.
So… still no clear reason for it being called Last Idea. Now, mobile games aren’t inherently bad, it’s just that the microtransaction-heavy free-to-play gacha system is apparently so profitable, they’re the mobile games that make it. They haven’t said yet if this will be a gacha game, but on the other hand, there’s nothing particularly compelling about what they’ve announced.
I was intrigued by Square Enix announcing a new game, but so far Last Idea doesn’t seem like it’ll be my sort of thing. What do you think of Last Idea?
In other news, don’t forget that the Kickstarter campaign for Gehenna & Hinnom’s 2019 lineup, including my sci-fi horror story “The Rings of Khal’Uth,” has just over a week to go. It’s almost reached its first stretch goal, so spread the word!
Meanwhile, we’re still going strong with the Eternal Radiance Kickstarter campaign, having met our initial funding goal. Now we’re aiming for the stretch goals as well. If you like visual novels and action RPGs, take a look!
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February 20, 2019
Square Enix Has a New RPG Called Last Idea
Square Enix is set to reveal a new RPG called Last Idea.
All we have so far is an official Twitter account, as well as a report from Gematsu that the account is following an artist who has worked on mobile games.
That makes it likely that Last Idea will be a mobile game, although we don’t know for sure. More information should be coming soon.
I’m just puzzled as to why they decided to call their new game Last Idea (are they running out of ideas? is it a comedy?), but maybe the name will make more sense once the game is revealed.
Despite my doubts, Square Enix is working on a lot of games I’m interested in (Final Fantasy VII remake, Project Prelude Rune, Babylon’s Fall, Oninaki), so I’m at least curious to see what Last Idea is. It does feel likely that it will be a mobile game, but I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt for now.
What do you think Last Idea is, and why did they go with that title?
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February 18, 2019
Episode Ardyn Releases March 26, Prequel Anime Out Now
The last Final Fantasy XV DLC, Episode Ardyn, now has a release date: March 26.
I’d expected it to be $4.99 like the previous character episodes, but judging by the Japanese price, it looks like this one might be a bit more expensive. Square Enix should announce the international pricing soon.
Hopefully the higher price means it will be longer than the others. There was a time when they thought they’d have an entire game’s worth of story for him, after all.
The woman in the key art was also revealed as Aera Mils Fleuret, the first Oracle.
Ardyn will have special abilities because of his nature, including “Shadow Move,” which lets him move around the map at high speeds, and the power to turn enemies into daemons that also enables a special one-hit kill attack.
As conflicted as I’ve been about Final Fantasy XV, I still plan to get Episode Ardyn, although of the original DLC episodes, I only ever got Prompto’s. Seeing more of Ardyn’s story is something I’ve wanted for a long time.
Speaking of which, the short prequel anime, Episode Ardyn Prologue, is available to watch online now. It’s about 15 minutes long and sets the stage for Episode Ardyn.
A book called Final Fantasy XV: The Dawn of the Future was also announced, with an English version planned as well. Since that was the original name for the second set of DLC, it sounds as though the novel will cover the stories originally intended to be in the cancelled DLC episodes.
Final Fantasy XV certainly has had an interesting life… I’m looking forward to Episode Ardyn, at least, and then I hope we can move on toward a brighter Final Fantasy XVI. What do you think?
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