Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 122

Strong PS Plus Lineup, Bad PS Plus News

So the March PlayStation Plus games were announced the other day, and it’s a pretty solid lineup.

Bloodborne and Ratchet & Clank (the new one) are heading up the list for the PS4, along with Legend of Kay for the PS3, Mighty No. 9, Claire: Extended Cut, and Bombing Busters.

Feelings about Mighty No. 9 aside, that’s a good selection of games for PS Plus subscribers.

That’s the good news. They also revealed the bad news: this is the last year there will be PS3 and Vita games included among the free PS Plus games.

Now, that doesn’t seem too bad at first. They’re older systems, so it’s not surprising to see something like this eventually, and there will still be free PS3 and Vita games all the way until March 2019.

Except they won’t replace them.

Right now, a PS Plus subscriber has a lineup of six games to choose from. Sony clarified to Polygon that starting in March 2019, the free games lineup will consist of only two PS4 games.

Even if you don’t have a PS3 or Vita, that could still be a blow. Of this month’s four non-PS4 games, three of them are cross-buy with the PS4.

Of course, you’ll still be able to play any PS3/Vita PS Plus games you already have, but the lineup of new games will be cut from six to two. How do you feel about the plans for PlayStation Plus in 2019? Do you think they will do something to increase the worth despite the fewer games?

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Muv-Luv Is Back on Steam!

Last month, we discussed the disappearance of the Muv-Luv visual novels from Steam, an unexpected consequence of the transfer from Degica to Ixtl.

Now they’re back!

Muv-Luv (Extra and Unlimited) and Muv-Luv Alternative now have new Steam pages, thanks to the help of Sekai Project.

Muv-Luv is now being sold at a lower price, and both are on sale for 30% off until March 15. Muv-Luv Alternative has also been updated with improved scripts, most likely the changes that were never implemented in the previous versions.

So, what if you already had them before the change and you want to switch to the new versions?

According to the official announcement, backers (like me) will be able to get new keys from BackerKit. Valve and Ixtl are working on a solution for users who bought the old versions from Steam.

This has certainly been a strange situation, but at least the Muv-Luv visual novels are available again! If you’re curious about the Muv-Luv series, I reviewed Muv-Luv Extra and Unlimited here and Muv-Luv Alternative here.

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Cover and Contributor List for Darkling’s Beasts & Brews

The cover has been revealed for Darkling’s Beasts & Brews — Poetry With a Drink on the Side, an upcoming poetry anthology I have a poem in.

Me and poetry? Well, last year I saw the call for submissions for this anthology from Lycan Valley Press, the same publisher behind Final Masquerade.

They were looking for poems about monsters, beasts, and creatures for an anthology that would pair each poem with a drink recipe. I turned to my love of yokai once again and wrote a poem based on the legend of the Noppera-bō.

Here is the full contributor list:

DARKLING’S BEASTS AND BREWS — POETRY WITH A DRINK ON THE SIDE

(Cover art by M Wayne Miller, Cover design by Kealan Patrick Burke)

SECTION 1 — COFFEE AND TEA (11 coffee/10 tea – alcohol and non-alcohol)

The Monster Mash by John C. Mannone

The Morning Named Apollo: A Chimeric Blood Song by Stephanie Wytovich

The Lycanthrope by Paula Berman

The Hunter by E.M. Eastick

The Eyes by Mark Mihalko

Fated to Die by Sarah Tantlinger

With Bared Teeth by Javier Gómez

In Our Past Mortality by Jay Rohr

Lust in the Full Moon by Khalil Goddard

Frontier Winter by Catherine Bult

Evolution of a Young Lover by Frank Heather

Nosferatu by Michael Hanson

Redcap by Kurt Newton

The Night Whispers by Sarah Cannavo

A Witch Reflects on Loss by Rie Sheridan Rose

Backwards Footprints by Donald Armfield

Secrets of the Loch by Louise Smith

A Siren’s Pursuer by Donald Armfield

Hunger by Candice Robinson

The Novealla of Vuowro (#) by Ron Riekki

Figment Fantastica by Taye Carrol

SECTION 2 — COCKTAILS AND MIXED DRINKS (alcohol)

The Seafloor God by Ethan Hedman

A Kelpie’s Promise by Trisha Wooldridge

Siren’s Song by L.S. Reinholt

Widow’s Weeds by Linda Lee Ruzicka

Skin Walking by M.F. Senger

Stolen by Jillian Bost

Bedtime by Lynne Sargent

The Witches Give Birth by Joshua Lupardus

The Rattling Tree by Rob E. Boley

The Confession by Timothy Tarkelly

An I’d Swally the Little Bairns by Kimberly Brannon

Plague Ship by Emerian Rich

Death by Breaths by Gerri Leen

Eternal Epitaph by Don Campbell

SECTION 3 – SMOOTHIES (non-alcohol)

And They Ride by S.L. Scott

Noppera-bō by Samantha Lienhard

Black Vampire by Lavel Wideman

The War Witch by S.L. Edwards

The Power of the Moon by Ashley Dioses

Fisherman’s Lure by Ken MacGregor

The Beast I Am by Jyothika Aaryan

SECTION 4 – MILKSHAKES (alcohol and non-alcohol)

The Scab That Oozes by Nick Manzolillo

Nightmare Upon Dissolution by Jason Ellis

Night On The Town by Andrew Dunlop

The Faerie Rules by MJ Mars

A Prank Too Far by Anne E. Johnson

Whitechapel Werewolf by Samantha Potts

An Vorvoren a Senar by Darren Lester

Frankenspider by Minerva Cerridwen

The Vampire Ogrencisi by Shalom Aranas

Moon in Purple by Morphine Epiphany

Antlered Avenger by Kimmy Alan

He, The Forest by Jay Outhier

Feetures by Shawn Chang

We Are Legion by Allison Shepherd

SECTION 5 — HAIKU SHOTS (alcohol)

Haiku by Darkling

Haiku by J.E. Mason

Haiku by Sarah Yasin

Haiku by Diane de Anda

Haiku by Vanessa Noel Graham

Haiku by Marjoleine Holsbeek

Haiku by Darkling

SECTION 6 — PARTY PUNCH (alcohol and non-alcohol)

Torture of a Pirate by Ethan Nahté

Food Shopping by Anne M. Gibson

Smoketown Zombies by James Quinn

Just Put Out Your Hand by Juleigh Howard-Hobson

Hunger for Life by Andrew Hudson

My Parents Don’t Like Kali ‘Cause She Drives A Mustang by Wolf Boy

Dinner with Jerry by Sally Max

Eventide by K.A. Opperman

Sodium-Vapor by Lisa Treece

When Monsters Share by Shawn Chang

Underneath the Red Moon by Linda M Crate

Siren of the Woods by Qurat Dar

Tommy’s Knocking by Patrick Winters

New Fur for Old Skin by Oliver Smith

SECTION 7 — KILLER CLOWN RECIPES (non-alcoholic)

Clown Night by L.S Reinholt

Within the Darkness of the Carnivále by Donald Armfield

I’m looking forward to the release of Darkling’s Beasts and Brews, and I’ll let you know once there is more information to share.

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Final Fantasy XV Will Have Four More DLC Episodes

Back in November, we learned Final Fantasy XV would get an Episode Ardyn DLC, along with at least two more “Episode” DLCs.

Since Tabata mentioned fans’ interest in seeing more of Luna, Episode Luna felt like a safe bet as well.

Now, in new interviews translated by Gematsu, he said there will be four more “Episode” DLCs, and they will probably extend into 2019.

He’s also viewing the new DLC as being expansions to Final Fantasy XV’s overall universe, and thinks users no longer want gaps to be filled in the main story.

(The major gaps have been filled, and Episode Ardyn will help, but I’m not so sure they couldn’t make a few more improvements.)

Tabata also mentioned that the PC version of Final Fantasy XV will have an official mod creation tool.

Final Fantasy XV is the game that just won’t end! Support is nice, but it’s odd that even after the Royal Edition comes out, there will still be four DLC episodes not included. Will there eventually be a more complete edition released after the Royal Edition?

And when will it stop?

Now, I’ve criticized Final Fantasy XV’s DLC several times, but I admit I’ll buy that Episode Ardyn DLC. As for the rest, we’ll see.

What do you think about this latest development, and what do you think is the future of Final Fantasy XV?

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Where is the Switch Tales Game?

Back when the Switch was revealed, the Japanese website included the “Tales of” logo among its list of upcoming games.

A few months later, Bandai Namco’s financial report presentation listed a Tales game for the Switch among their plans for that fiscal year. For Bandai Namco, that means sometime before March 31, 2018.

I wasn’t the only one who expected an announcement during their December 16 broadcast, but it came and went without anything.

Now that we’re nearing the end of February, the end of March seems awfully close.

We never knew if the Switch Tales game would be a new entry or a port, but if it’s still planned for the time frame they initially said, a port or remaster seems most likely. They wouldn’t announce a new main entry without more time to promote it.

But if it’s a port, what of? Tales of Innocence R? Tales of Vesperia, like many fans are hoping after Bandai Namco’s recent Repede tweet? Tales of Berseria? Tales of Symphonia Chronicles?

Then again, at this point, maybe their plan has changed and we won’t see a Tales game on the Switch for a while yet.

What do you think? Will we hear about the Switch Tales game soon, and if so, what will it be?

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Trails in the Sky is Slow-Paced, but Well Worth the Journey

When I heard about The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, it sounded like a perfect game for me. A story-driven turn-based JRPG? Sign me up.

(The Steam port also references Ace Attorney in one of its achievements, which might be why I originally saw it.)

I played it on Steam, but you can also get it for the PSP.

Trails in the Sky follows two new junior bracers (sort of an international peacekeeping organization), Estelle and her adopted brother Joshua, on a journey across the kingdom to prove themselves worthy of becoming full-fledged bracers and also search for clues about why their father disappeared.

It has a slow-paced story, but I didn’t mind that.

Actually, I liked how the stakes felt lower early on in the game, especially because it felt oddly like a detective story at times. We were the bracers investigating crimes and mysterious events, while the larger plot slowly built.

I’ve heard that Falcom (who also developed Gurumin, which I liked a lot, and the Ys series) originally intended it to be one game, but when it became too large, they split it into Trails in the Sky and Trails in the Sky Second Chapter.

That must have contributed to the slow pace at least somewhat, so I’ll be interested to see if the pacing feels the same in Second Chapter or not.

Click for Trails in the Sky implied spoilerI also can’t wait to play SC because of that cliffhanger! With how Trails ended, I really want to know what’s going to happen next.

There is also a twist that surprised me so much, that alone made me love Trails in the Sky a lot more.

But while the story is slow-paced, don’t take that to mean there isn’t a lot of it. Not only is it a story-driven game, but there is more NPC dialogue here than I’ve seen in anything else. After nearly every plot event, the NPCs gain new dialogue, and talking to everyone helps both with worldbuilding and seeing how their lives change.

In general, it makes the world feel like a very “real” place outside of events that directly relate to the main plot. There are also cute little touches, like text whenever you examine a treasure chest you already opened.

The characters were enjoyable, and there’s a nice contrast between Estelle’s hotheaded preference to whack things into submission and Joshua’s calm assessment of most situations.

(My favorite, though, has to be Olivier. That character type and attempts at humor often annoy me, but Olivier was handled in such a way that I loved him and nearly laughed out loud at some of his scenes.)

There’s no world map here, but instead you travel between interconnected regions. You’re restricted to the region you’re currently in, but you can always backtrack to places within that region – and you’ll want to, because Trails in the Sky had ridiculously short windows for certain side quests and collectibles. If you want to do everything, your best bet is to backtrack everywhere at every possible opportunity.

Combat lets move around on a grid in battles like in a tactical RPG, but it generally feels like a traditional turn-based RPG. In addition to regular attacks, you gain special skills by equipping “quartz,” and also have character-specific abilities, including special S-Crafts that let you interrupt the turn order.

The quartz system feels complicated at first, but it’s actually not bad once you get used to it. I also found the default mouse & keyboard controls to be bad, so I played with a controller.

Overall, Trails in the Sky is a solid turn-based JRPG with plenty of side content, tons of dialogue, and a slow-paced but enjoyable story that will leave you anxious to play its sequel.

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Layton’s Mystery Journey Anime Gets a Trailer and Date

Near the start of the year, we discussed the newly-announced anime based on Layton’s Mystery Journey.

Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy is quite a mouthful of a title, and they must like that, because the anime is apparently called Layton Mystery Detective Agency: Kat’s Mystery-Solving Files. (I don’t think we need “Mystery” twice in that title.)

Layton Mystery Detective Agency: Kat’s Mystery-Solving Files will be aired every Sunday at 8:30 JST in Japan. The first episode has been announced for April 8.

They haven’t said anything about subtitles or a dubbed version yet, but hopefully there will be a way to watch the Layton anime in English.

Level-5 also released the first trailer.

The most notable part of this trailer is that at the end, Kat encounters someone who appears to be Professor Layton himself! But since this is the Professor Layton series and we don’t see his face, I’d say there’s a good chance it’s someone else in disguise.

I still hope to play Layton’s Mystery Journey soon, especially if there’s a chance we’ll be able to watch this series. Are you looking forward to the Layton anime? What do you think of the trailer?

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All My Romance Offerings for Valentine’s Day

If you’re familiar with my writing, you might associate me with horror, but I do have work in the romance genre, too!

For Valentine’s Day, I’ve decided to give a general overview of my romance work, including a game we haven’t discussed before.

First, there’s the lone romance among my published stories. “A Special Present,” found in the Love Under the Mistletoe anthology, is a sweet romance about two of Santa’s elves who fall in love. However, I will point out that it’s one of my earliest published stories, so the writing may not be as polished as usual.

It might be my sole romance story for now, but I’ve been writing more romance lately, so that may change. (*anxiously watches the #KissPitch progress*)

Let’s move on to visual novels.

Ascendant Hearts came out last month, and it’s seen positive reviews so far. It’s a romantic comedy set in a fantasy world that parodies JRPG tropes, and there are three romance choices (as well as a non-romance ending).

Ascendant Hearts isn’t quite as “safe” as my elf story, although it’s still pretty tame unless you get the NSFW patch from the website. Even then, there are no H-scenes and the story remains the same.

Moving on, I wrote the script for a second galge/bishojo visual novel just released last week! My Strange Girlfriend lets you romance three girls afflicted by a strange curse that gives them animal characteristics. It’s a cute story, with some humorous moments as well as serious scenes.

I’m currently working on another visual novel with a similar style.

So there you have it: my current romance offerings for Valentine’s Day. Horror and romance by the same writer? It’s more likely than you think.

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Catching Up on the Weekend’s Kingdom Hearts 3 News

This weekend was pretty incredible for Kingdom Hearts fans. We hoped we’d get something from D23 Expo Japan 2018… and it turned out to be two trailers and a wealth of information.

I went through a spoiler-filled analysis of the story content in these trailers at KH Theories, so here I’ll focus more on going through the new information we have.

Here is the first trailer.

This trailer confirms several things:

Marluxia is returning.
Vanitas is returning.
The Monsters Inc. world is real.
Ariel appears to be a summons.

It was also interesting to see Sora’s interactions with Marluxia and Vanitas, since he has connections to them without knowing why.

The second trailer mainly introduces the new theme song by Hikaru Utada, “Oath” in the Japanese version and “Don’t Think Twice” in the English version. However, it shows some adjustments to scenes from previous trailers as well as new content at the end.

In the new scene, we see Riku (with a new design) and Mickey in the Realm of Darkness. Riku’s Keyblade has somehow been broken, and he leaves it behind for “the other me.” Official renders include what appear to be his new Keyblade.

This has prompted a lot of speculation.

But even more information came out over the weekend besides what was revealed in the trailers!

Do you miss NPCs in Kingdom Hearts? It looks like they’re back for Kingdom Hearts 3! A “Making of Kingdom Hearts III” presentation at D23 included a look at the Kingdom of Corona (Tangled), which is a lively world filled with NPCs.

You can check out more NPC shots here.

Square Enix also revealed a new Game & Watch style mini-game (this seems to be be based on Disney’s Giantland), that the final stage is something Nomura has always wanted to do, and that KH3’s Gummi Ship segments will include an open exploration phase and a combat phase.

I’ve never enjoyed the Gummi Ship segments, but it sounds like it might be more fun in Kingdom Hearts III.

Meanwhile, it also sounds like Kingdom Hearts Union Cross and Kingdom Hearts III will be linked in some way. Nomura calls this Project Xtrace.

KHUX will start using completely new worlds, the main scenario will develop rapidly, and KH3 will reveal why Ventus is around during Union Cross.

(Maybe I should start playing it again…)

Kingdom Hearts III will also include a Rare Heartless themed after Japanese pudding, and they’ll have fruit accessories. The Gummi Ship will also be customizable, in a system similar to how customization worked in Kingdom Hearts 0.2.

Finally, development of the worlds has been split into three stages. The first stage, which includes Toy Story, Monsters Inc., and Olympus, is 90% complete. Tangled is in the middle stage, which is 60-70% complete. They’ve indicated there are 10 worlds, but it’s unclear if this refers to all the worlds or just Disney worlds.

Phew. That’s quite a lot of new information! Are you excited for Kingdom Hearts III? What do you think about the new details that were revealed this weekend?

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The Good Life Kickstarter Launches on March 26

Remember The Good Life, a strange mystery RPG from the developer of Deadly Premonition that we discussed back in August?

The Good Life definitely sounded interesting, although a bit confusing. (It’s an RPG, but also a life sim? Plus there’s photography? And all the characters turn into cats at night? Except then they announced a dog edition?)

Swery (Hidetaka Suehiro) and his new studio tried to crowd-fund it through Fig, which might not have been a good idea. Fig’s investment model could be worthwhile, but it doesn’t have strong name recognition yet.

In the end, The Good Life raised $682,864 of its $1,500,000 goal (wow!), which meant the campaign was unsuccessfully and the game was left unfunded.

This week, Swery announced that a new crowdfunding campaign for The Good Life will be launched through Kickstarter on March 26.

Hello everyone. I have a good news for you guys.
We decided that we will relaunch of crowdfunding campaign of "The Good Life" on 26th March 2018 (PST).
See you AGAIN soon, and I love you all!!
SWERY#TheGoodLife #SweryNewGame pic.twitter.com/ANwfz7KNID

— HidetakaSwerySuehiro (@Swery65) February 8, 2018

According to his announcement, they have made changes and are much more prepared for the campaign this time than they were the first time. It should be interesting to see what parts have changed.

So if you were interested in The Good Life and wished it met its goal, don’t lose hope yet. It’s coming back next month for another try!

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