Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 130

Mystery RPG The Good Life Sounds Weird and Interesting

I have yet to play the cult classic Deadly Premonition or the bizarre-looking D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die, but I’m intrigued by the next game from their developer.

Hidetaka Suehiro, also known as Swery, has revealed that his next game (with his new studio, White Owls) is a mystery RPG called The Good Life.

The Good Life follows a photographer named Naomi who ends up stuck in a rural English town called Rainy Woods until she can pay off a massive debt.

Oh, and at night, all the townspeople turn into cats.

With that simple premise, The Good Life sounds both interesting and pretty weird at the same time. I like it!

Naomi also turns into a cat at night, so you’ll have to explore and interact with people both as a human and as a cat to find all the clues you need to solve the mystery.

The Good Life will be crowdfunded through Fig on September 2. Since I’ve backed a game on Fig before, I’ve gotten to see the campaign page for The Good Life early. It looks interesting to me, and even though games that have life sim elements are often hit or miss for me, this one sounds like I’ll like the way it works.

(In the meantime, I hope I can make enough backlog progress to stop writing so many blog posts that mention how I haven’t played [relevant game] yet but want to.)

What do you think of The Good Life?

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Undertale Comes Out Tomorrow for PS4 and Vita

Undertale was quietly announced for the PS4 and PS Vita during E3, although not during one of the press conferences. Now the time is almost here!

Undertale will be out tomorrow, August 15, on PSN. Not only that, but it’s cross-buy, so if you buy it once, you’ll have it for both the PS4 and the Vita.

If you pre-order it before then, you’ll also get a special PS4 theme.

Now, I love having physical copies of games, so I actually ordered mine from Fangamer. Physical copies, both standard and Collector’s Editions, are available for the PC, PS4, or Vita.

I went for the Collector’s Edition, and I can’t wait.

According to the site, standard edition orders and CE orders placed before the end of July 20 will ship in late September. All late CE orders will ship in December. I made my order in time, so I should get a physical Collector’s Edition of Undertale next month.

Are you interested in Undertale on the PS4 or Vita? If you’re undecided, maybe my review of Undertale will help you make up your mind.

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Parachronism: Order of Chaos is Now on Indiegogo

Back in early 2015, I announced that I had joined Ninja Vault as an editor to work on an action RPG called Parachronism: Order of Chaos.

(At the time, Parachronism had more point-and-click adventure elements that have seen been removed in favor of a more MMORPG-like gameplay style, although it is still a single-player game.)

We thought Parachronism would be out later that year, but game development is a much longer process than we realized. Since then, we’ve made significant progress on the game and have started an Indiegogo campaign to fund the final stages of development.

Parachronism: Order of Chaos follows a young woman who is transported back in time, into a fantasy world inspired by Ancient China. The people there recognize her as Zhou Qin Ying, the princess of the Chrolstice Kingdom, and so she pretends to have amnesia while hoping to find a way to return home.

However, she soon learns that the world is being threatened by a phenomenon known as the “time chaos,” and she might be the only one who can stop it.

It is a single-player action RPG inspired by JRPGs and MMORPGs. It includes a relationship system, time management, crafting, and more.

As a writer and editor for the project, I’m best-suited for answering questions about the story, characters, and world. However, if you have more questions about Parachronism after viewing it on Indiegogo, I’d be happy to help.

We’re interested in gathering feedback, so share all your thoughts on Parachronism: Order of Chaos in the comments below.

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Apollo Justice Confirmed for the 3DS

It was rumored a while ago, but now it’s official, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is coming to the 3DS.

With the addition of Apollo Justice, this means the entire mainline Ace Attorney series is now available for the 3DS.

It also kills my hopes of a Not Phoenix Wright Trilogy made up of Apollo Justice, Ace Attorney Investigations, and an official localization of AAI2, which would have brought all of the remaining DS games to the 3DS.

Still, I don’t give up that easily. Now I’ll just hope for an Investigations double pack bringing the two Miles Edgeworth spin-offs to the 3DS at a later date.

Apollo Justice will be on the eShop for $19.99 and include:

upgraded visuals
the ability to skip text
both the English and Japanese versions

Interestingly, this announcement also confirmed that there are differences in the background art for the two versions. (I previously had a discussion with someone about how Dai Gyakuten Saiban’s localization issues might be due to visual references to the copyrighted Sherlock Holmes stories. Now I believe even more that those references could be altered to avoid a problem.)

When the news first came out, fans noticed the description mentioned “five full cases” even though Apollo Justice only has four cases, and hoped this might mean a bonus case was being made. However, it now says “four full cases,” so this was most likely a mistake.

Meanwhile, if you thought some of the recent Collector’s Editions were bad, you might need to sit down before you look at the new special collection Japan is getting for the Ace Attorney series. It includes all six main games, a soundtrack, and many other CE goodies (including a gold plate and autographs) for 150,000 yen or roughly $1360.

Wow.

Well, it’s nice that new players will now be able to play the entire main series without needing a DS game, but I’m still hoping for the spin-offs! Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney will be out on the eShop this November. Are you getting it?

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When Will We Learn More about Pokémon Ultra Sun and Moon?

I still haven’t played much of Pokémon Moon.

I’ve meant to, but I keep putting it aside in favor of other games. The beginning’s slow pace has made it difficult for me to get into it, even though I enjoyed the more story-driven focus of Pokémon Black and White.

However, I’m still interested in learning more about Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, which will be out on November 17. In particular, I want to know what they are.

Are they upgraded versions of Sun and Moon? Are they sequels like Black/White 2? I had these questions when they were announced, and I still have them.

I was excited when I learned Ultra Sun and Moon news was coming over the weekend… but it was just the announcement of Dusk Form Lycanroc.

We still have a little over 3 months before Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon come out, but I hope we learn more about them before then. What do you think Pokémon Ultra Sun and Moon are — and when do you think we’ll find out?

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Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2 is Now Out in Japan

Well, the second Dai Gyakuten Saiban (The Great Ace Attorney) game is now out in Japan.

Most criticisms I’ve seen about the first game concerned its loose ends and lack of resolution. It seems like it was written with a sequel in mind, and this game should bring everything together.

Look at that cover! It’s so cool! From the first game, the vampire-like prosecutor was enough to make me desperately want the game, but now he’s joined by several other awesome-looking characters in the background.

Unfortunately, there still has been no localization announcement.

For a while now, my hope has been that once the sequel came out to wrap up those loose ends, Capcom would consider it worthwhile to finally localize both games. If a significant amount of time passes now, and there’s still no news… it really starts to look unlikely. Whether the problem is copyright issues with Sherlock Holmes or something else, we might have to give this one up.

On the positive side, if it’s a copyright issue, we can start hoping again in… 2023.

What do you think? Do we have a chance of seeing Dai Gyakuten Saiban 1 and 2 (officially) in the West?

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Tales of the Rays is Now Out!

Tales of the Rays, the mobile Tales game that actually looks like a Tales game, is now available in the West for iOS and Android devices.

I got it, although since it’s one of those games that requires an Internet connection to play, I haven’t gotten very far yet. However, so far it seems interesting.

A lot of fans wondered how the typical Tales combat system would work with a touchscreen, and Tales of the Rays uses a simplified system that lets you attack using taps and swipes.

It’s too early for me to judge the plot, but there definitely is an original story here. It seems as though the main characters, Ix and Mileena, will be visiting other worlds where past Tales characters live.

My track record with ongoing mobile games isn’t great. I quit Tales of Link, only played a little bit of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, and recently stopped playing even Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ, because I got tired of all the filler. But who knows! Maybe Tales of the Rays will be the one that holds my attention.

And a Tales of Zestiria event starts tomorrow in Tales of the Rays. Maybe I’ll be ready in time to participate in that.

Have you started Tales of the Rays? If so, what do you think of it so far?

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Does Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories Work as a Novel?

Last week, I read Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, which took over my thoughts so completely I realized the next book I read would suffer in comparison. So, I decided to read something where I already knew the story: the novelization of Chain of Memories.

Like the first Kingdom Hearts novelization, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is largely just a retelling of the game’s events.

(I believe it follows the original, not Re: Chain of Memories, because of certain scenes that are different between the two.)

It’s a nice way to re-live the story, and without the frustrating card battles, I was able to focus on the story itself. Chain of Memories doesn’t get enough credit for its story. It introduces Organization XIII, sets into motion important events for later games, and puts Sora in a pretty dire situation.

Click for Chain of Memories and Dream Drop Distance spoilersIf Naminé had actually been loyal to Marluxia, the plan to warp Sora’s memories and make him a puppet might have worked. Chain of Memories shows Sora’s breakdown very well. Little by little he changes, until he only cares about Naminé.

It works a lot better than Sora sinking into sleep/darkness in Dream Drop Distance, since there’s no clear progression there. This sort of gradual shift would would have made DDD’s storytelling stronger.

The novelization also includes Reverse/Rebirth, Riku’s story. I was curious about how it would work as a novel, since the game lacks content for Riku’s story. There are new Organization XIII scenes, but the worlds are largely empty.

Well, the novelization handles it by showing events not only from Riku’s point of view, but also from the Replica’s point of view! That’s the most interesting part of the novel, with its only flaw being that it reuses some of the scenes from Sora’s story, which is repetitive even though it’s coming from a new viewpoint.

Yes, Repliku fans, this one’s for you.

In short, the Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories novel is a light, enjoyable retelling of the game’s events, perfect if you want to experience it without the battle system or want new insight into the Riku Replica.

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Dragon Quest XI Localization Confirmed

The Japanese release of Dragon Quest XI is imminent, and many JRPG fans like me have been waiting patiently in the hopes of localization news.

Well, it’s finally happening!

Dragon Quest XI will be brought to the West as Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, as revealed in a special announcement. It’s due out in 2018, with more details to follow this Fall.

So far, they haven’t said which versions will be localized, but I’m hoping for both. While both the PS4 and 3DS versions of Dragon Quest XI are turn-based JRPGs, they have several differences. One of the most noticeable differences is the art style, because the 3DS version actually lets you switch to a retro 2D-style appearance.

Then there’s the mysterious Switch version, which we know nothing about… will that finally be shown this fall, when we learn more about the English release?

I’m pretty excited about this news, although I really should play more Dragon Quest games. Are you excited for Dragon Quest XI? Which version(s) do you think will be localized?

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It Came Back is Now Available

After pre-orders opened up last week, my horror novelette It Came Back is now available!

You can read it for free at The Book Smugglers or buy an ebook copy from Amazon, Smashwords, or directly from the publisher (available at the bottom of the page).

And of course, you can add it on Goodreads.

The Book Smugglers also has a short post from me about the inspirations and influences that led to It Came Back. This is also included with the ebook copies.

Inspiration can come from anywhere, and mine aren’t often what you’d expect. The video game I mention in that post was from one of my favorite series. Silent Hill? Nope. Resident Evil? Nope. Ace Attorney!

And it led to a horror story.

Yep, that’s how inspiration works sometimes.

I hope you enjoy It Came Back and consider getting the ebook version. If you read it, be sure to leave a review and let me know your thoughts!

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