Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 114

How Will TWEWY Final Remix’s New Scenario Fit Into the Story?

The World Ends With You Final Remix is coming to the Switch on October 12, and they’ve started to reveal details about the new story scenario (translated at KH Insider).

Unlocked after you complete the main game, the new scenario “A New Day” seemingly places Neku back in the Reaper’s Game for a special “Hard Mode.”

(Note: this is not a Hard Mode for TWEWY, it is the new story scenario.)

It also appears as though A New Day will involve Coco, the Reaper girl teased in the initial Final Remix trailer. While I didn’t realize it at the time, this isn’t actually Coco’s first appearance. She appeared in the Japan-exclusive social network spin-off game The World Ends with You -Live Remix- as the player’s guide, and she managed the in-app purchase shop in the mobile version of TWEWY.

This time, it seems she’ll play a role in the story. The initial trailer showed her using a Taboo Sigil.

In A New Day, there are five different types of missions with different effects, such as one where Neku’s HP gradually decreases and one where Noise can split into more Noise. It also features new enemies, new pins, and a new mini-game called Marble Slash.

But what really has my interest is what this means for the overall story. Why has Neku been brought back into the Reaper’s Game?

Click for major TWEWY spoilersI find it hard to believe that Joshua would be in charge of this new “Hard Mode” after what happened, unless he forgot all his character development. The secret ending to The World Ends With You suggested that there might be consequences from the angels that oversee the Game. Did they disagree with Joshua’s decision to spare Shibuya?

Coco’s Taboo Sigil and the potential return of Minamimoto are intriguing as well.

The Secret Reports in the original game opened up the potential for a sequel, and this new scenario feels like it could make use of some of those same ideas. My hope is that A New Day is not only enjoyable in its own right, but helps set up the stage for a TWEWY 2.

On a side note, I wonder if this means Another Day and A New Day will be unlocked at the same time.

Are you planning to get The World Ends With You Final Remix?

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The Last Remnant (PC) is Being Removed from Stores

Remember when Alan Wake was removed from stores? It’s happening again, this time to The Last Remnant.

The Last Remnant is an RPG from Square Enix that has been sitting in my backlog for a couple of years now, although I haven’t played it yet.

It sounds like Xbox 360 players will still be able to get it, but the developers announced that they are discontinuing all physical and digital sales of the PC version of The Last Remnant.

You have until September 4 to get it. To be more precise, they gave the following times in their announcement:

Japan region: Wednesday 5th September, approximately 2:00 (JST)

NA region: Tuesday 4th September, approximately 10:00 (PDT)

EU region: Tuesday 4th September, approximately 17:00 (GMT)

It’s unclear why this is happening. With Alan Wake, it was music licensing issues, but if that were the case with The Last Remnant, why is it only the PC version?

The PC version was given several differences and improvements in response to feedback to the Xbox 360 version, so it sounds like if you want to play The Last Remnant, it’s the best version to get.

They haven’t said anything about a sale ahead of its discontinuation, but on the other hand, it’s only $9.99. So if you want The Last Remnant for the PC, you have a bit under two weeks to get it.

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New Artwork Revealed for Project Prelude Rune

Thanks to Gematsu, I learned that the website for Project Prelude Rune has been updated with new artwork.

You might be asking yourself what Project Prelude Rune is.

I predicted that we’d learn more about it at E3, but that didn’t happen. We still know next to nothing about this game.

When Hideo Baba stopped working on the Tales series and joined Square Enix, he became the head of a new studio called Studio Istolia. Their first game was announced as “Project Prelude Rune,” a new fantasy JRPG.

They revealed a handful of details about it through an interview, where Baba said he wanted it to be a game filled with “kindness” and “warmth” and that it would be a straightforward fantasy world.

From then on, they’ve been silent about the game, until they updated the official website with the new art and positions they’re hiring for.

I’m curious about Project Prelude Rune, even though there are a lot of Tales fans who think Hideo Baba was to blame for some of the later games being not as good. On the other hand, I’d like to know what the game is about and how it will play.

That art is beautiful, though.

When do you think we’ll learn more about Project Prelude Rune?

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A Hat in Time is Coming to the Switch

Yes, I know I still haven’t played A Hat in Time despite backing it on Kickstarter and greatly anticipating it, but I plan to this year.

But in today’s news, this 3D platformer is coming to the Switch!

Fans had hoped for A Hat in Time on the Wii U back when the Kickstarter campaign was in progress, although the developers couldn’t make any promises. Later on, fans hoped for a Switch version. The developers said it wasn’t going to happen…

…but apparently that has changed!

During a special Gamescom announcement, they revealed new “Seal the Deal” DLC coming to the PC version, and then announced A Hat in Time for the Switch.

There is no release date yet.

As for Seal the Deal, it will be given to Kickstarter backers for free, be free for everyone for the first 24 hours, and then cost $4.99. It adds a new chapter, a new difficulty mode, 6 new Time Rifts, and new costumes/badges/etc.

(Oddly, there are reports that the DLC won’t be coming to consoles.)

They were pretty definitive about no Switch version, but I always kind of hoped they’d change their minds. Are you planning to play A Hat in Time on the Switch?

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The Spyro Reignited Trilogy Delayed to November

After the controversy about the required downloads, we got some more bad (or possibly good) news about the Spyro Reignited Trilogy.

Instead of releasing on September 21 as planned, it has been delayed until November 13.

The official word from Toys for Bob just says it “needs more love and care.”

Delays to polish up a game that isn’t quite ready yet happen often enough, but this raises questions about whether or not it will affect the download situation.

Once it became clear that the Spyro Reignited Trilogy wouldn’t have download codes, just a mandatory update to make the game playable, the prevailing theory was that Ripto’s Rage and Year of the Dragon wouldn’t be finished in time for the game to go gold ahead of September 21. The idea was that they would get the disks ready without the final content, and then finish up the rest in time for the required day-one download.

Therefore, if they’ve delayed the Trilogy because the games aren’t ready yet, isn’t it possible that this delay will allow them to put all three games on the disk?

Of course, we don’t actually know why they made the decision to require downloads. Activision told IGN that a download will still be required, but maybe it will at least be smaller?

(Or, even better, maybe it will now be a normal day-one patch to fix some issues, but the games will all be playable without it.)

Do you think the delay is related at all to the download controversy? Do you think it will affect it? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Egglia: Legend of the Redcap Moving Offline

A year ago, I reviewed a game for MonsterVine called Egglia: Legend of the Redcap.

A few things made it catch my attention more than the typical mobile game. It was a turn-based RPG, it had a strong team behind it (including Yoko Shimomura composing the music), and it was a premium game (one payment instead of being free-to-play with microtransactions).

I enjoyed some aspects of it, but I never stuck with it since despite being a premium game, it used a lot of free-to-play mobile game mechanics, mainly timers and a required Internet connection. The required Internet connection is the one that really kept me from playing it as much as I wanted.

Still, when I saw it was being discontinued, I felt disappointed that I’d never be able to play it again… until I read the full announcement and saw that it’s being replaced by an offline version.

Egglia: Legend of the Redcap has been officially shut down, but Egglia: Legend of the Redcap Offline has launched. Players will have until September 28 to transfer their content to the new app. (Unfortunately, it sounds like there are no plans to translate the later story expansions that were released in Japan.)

The offline version removes the online features. I haven’t tried it yet, but I assume the timers will stay. Nevertheless, with the ability to play offline, I might just see it through to the end this time.

Games like this make me wonder why mobile developers feel such a need to include these tedious gameplay mechanics. Most mobile RPGs I’ve seen have variations on the same systems in place. My favorite mobile games have been the ones that felt like regular games that just happened to be on mobile devices, games that didn’t follow the same model. If we saw more mobile games like that, I wouldn’t be as worried about things like the Wild Arms mobile game.

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Will We Get a Third Luigi’s Mansion?

When Nintendo revealed Simon Belmont for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the video included Luigi ineffectually trying to fight monsters with the Poltergust, the vacuum he uses in Luigi’s Mansion.

However, the vacuum’s design appears different from both the Poltergust 3000 (used in Luigi’s Mansion) and the Poltergust 5000 (used in Dark Moon).

This has led some fans to speculate that the redesigned Poltergust in the Smash Bros. trailer might be a sign that a third Luigi’s Mansion game is in development.

Of course, we have the original Luigi’s Mansion being brought to the 3DS later this year. That itself could be intended to revive interest in the series before a new game comes out.

Whether they’re teasing it or not, I’d love to see a third Luigi’s Mansion game…

…if it follows the structure of the first game, not the second.

I’ve written before about how I consider the original Luigi’s Mansion to be vastly superior to Dark Moon, not only because Dark Moon focused so much more on comedy, but mainly because Dark Moon divided the game into a series of missions.

Luigi’s Mansion had a linear progression, yes, but as more of the mansion opened up, I felt I really got to know it. It was a more immersive experience, and I loved it. Dark Moon abandoned that for a mission-based system.

So if there is a Luigi’s Mansion 3, I hope it returns to the more exploration-driven style of the first game. Maybe reactions to the upcoming 3DS version will help. If we get another Dark Moon, I might just skip it.

How do you feel about the Luigi’s Mansion series and the potential for a third game? Do you think the redesigned Poltergust is a tease, or is the new design strictly for Smash?

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Should I Give Inazuma Eleven Another Try?

With localization confirmed for Inazuma Eleven Ares, I’ve once again been thinking about the series.

A couple years ago, I included Inazuma Eleven on a list of games I wish I loved. When I think about it, it still sounds like the sort of game I would enjoy.

I love JRPGs and story-driven games, and I enjoy games by Level-5. Inazuma Eleven seems like a natural fit, even though I’m not a big fan of sports and sports games.

When I tried Inazuma Eleven, I enjoyed it right up until the soccer matches became more prominent. I can’t remember if I was bad at them or if I just didn’t find them fun, but they were the reason I quit playing the game despite liking the rest of the content I’d seen.

So I put it aside. But from time to time I see it recommended for RPG fans, and that gets me wondering about it again.

With Inazuma Eleven Ares coming to the west next year, should I give the game I have another try? Is there anything I should keep in mind about the gameplay that might help?

(And while we’re at it, I keep wondering if I should give Okami another try, too…)

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Destiny Chronicles Gameplay Update

One of the games I’ve mentioned in the past that I’m working on is Destiny Chronicles, an RPG styled like action JRPGs.

Destiny Chronicles is currently planned for the PC, PS4, and Switch.

Last November, I let you know that even though Destiny Chronicles didn’t meet its Kickstarter goal, we would continue to work on it for an eventual relaunch.

Progress has been going well. We’re planning to relaunch the Kickstarter campaign in about 1-2 months, with a playable build so you can see how it feels.

In the meantime, there is a new gameplay video available showing off combat and Celeste’s special abilities. Take a look.

Destiny Chronicles has already come a long way since our initial Kickstarter, so I’m feeling optimistic about the relaunch. Of course, I’m mainly involved on the writing side of things, but feel free to ask me any questions you have about the game.

What do you think of Destiny Chronicles so far?

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Chuusotsu: A Thought-Provoking Story in a Lighthearted Package

After I played the demo for Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation: Time After Time, I backed it on Kickstarter.

From the demo, I expected it to be a lighthearted, funny story set in a weird world with a wacky dystopian setting.

And it was! But it was also much more than that.

In this world, everyone is given a seal that determines their job and capabilities. The main character, Arue, is a Chuusotsu, someone who didn’t graduate from middle school and therefore lost her seal. Without a seal, she is both physically and mentally weak, but she signs up for a program that will help her get a chance to take a re-evaluation test.

She and two other Chuusotsu girls are given an apartment to stay in, but there is a condition: they have one week to reach full synchronization with each other and answer the philosophical question, “What makes a wonderful life?”

As I read it (it’s a kinetic novel, so there are no choices), my first impression was that it was the most lighthearted dystopian story I’d ever seen. The three main characters are lovable, there’s lots of goofy moments, and it made me laugh… despite the obvious dystopian setup of their society.

Yet as I read more, the story became more meaningful. It’s pretty funny at times, but it also takes a serious look at Arue’s past and the decisions that brought her to this point. Arue is also torn between two things: what she believes she needs to do (pass the re-evaluation and become a government worker to support her family) and what she wants to do (write manga). You might see the ultimate message coming from a mile away, but it takes a serious, heartfelt journey to get there.

And it doesn’t shy away from the dark side of the setting, either. My early view of it didn’t quite hold up. It has lighthearted moments for sure, but it knows it’s a dystopia.

There were a few twists in the story I never saw coming, and while the main plot wraps up nicely, it does leave several questions for the potential continuation teased at the end.

Click for major Chuusotsu spoilerMore than anything, I’m curious about how they changed Kokoro’s fate. Arue credits the butterfly effect with altering certain things, and that works for most of the changes (in one scene, Arue notices that the anti-Chuusotsu message board gets more extreme in each loop, and I assume that is tied to how they interacted with Kokoro and what she witnessed them doing), but not that final change.

Kokoro would have already had her job long before that week, so how did their final time leap change that? She also spoke differently, which makes me believe it wasn’t a sudden change.

Since the Soul Link machine keeps a record of being activated even after a time leap, my guess is that it–whatever its true purpose is–played some role in changing Kokoro’s past.

There’s a side story coming up next that I’m excited for, but even more than that, I hope they write (and translate) a sequel. I’d love to see more in this universe.

Overall, Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation: Time After Time is a thought-provoking visual novel with a good message about friendship, following your passions, and what makes a wonderful life. It looks cute and quirky on the surface, but it also has a lot of depth.

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