Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 136

Cosmic Star Heroine is Almost Here!

Our long wait is almost over! Cosmic Star Heroine, the upcoming turn-based RPG from Zeboyd Games about a former secret agent trying to save the galaxy, is due out on April 11.

We’ve discussed two RPGs from Zeboyd Games in the past: Breath of Death VII and Cthulhu Saves the World. Unlike those, however, Cosmic Star Heroine isn’t a parody.

I backed Cosmic Star Heroine on Kickstarter because it looked like a fantastic game in the style of classic turn-based JRPGs, and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since.

Both the PC and PS4 versions will be out on April 11, for $14.99. The Vita version has been delayed while they finish polishing it, although it’s cross-buy with the PS4 version.

Cosmic Star Heroine will eventually be available as a limited-time physical release from Limited Run Games, as well.

It’s hard to believe it’s less than a week away. I’m excited for it, and I hope to play it soon… especially since it’s on the list of games I specifically vowed to play this year, of which so far I’ve finished one and started another.

Are you interested in Cosmic Star Heroine?

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks!

The post Cosmic Star Heroine is Almost Here! appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Bayonetta Announcement Set for April 11?

For April Fool’s Day, Sega released 8-Bit Bayonetta on Steam for free.

8-Bit Bayonetta has been available for a while as a browser game you can play on the 404 page at the website for PlatinumGames. This is basically the same thing, just with achievements.

But is there more to it than a joke?

If you look closely at the pictures for the achievements “In the Face” and “High Score,” you’ll notice letters and numbers. When put together, these two images form a URL: sega.com/14111219

(The numbers come from the character’s birthday: 12/19/1411.)

This URL leads to a countdown page, with a timer than ends on April 11 at 8 AM PDT / 11 AM EDT. Behind the countdown, a faint image shows Bayonetta’s heel and ribbon.

The most popular theory from this Bayonetta countdown is that, just like 8-Bit Bayonetta was released on Steam, the original Bayonetta will be made available for the PC at last. Other people speculate this could mean we’re getting a new Bayonetta game, maybe for multiple systems (such as the Nintendo Switch, since PlatinumGames is a confirmed Switch partner).

At the very least, it suggests Sega is willing to give the Bayonetta series a chance again. What do you think we’ll learn when the countdown ends on April 11?

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks!

The post Bayonetta Announcement Set for April 11? appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Tabata Intends to Give Fans a Deeper Look at Ardyn’s Past

Warning: it’s difficult to discuss Ardyn in any detail without implied spoilers, so if you haven’t finished Final Fantasy XV yet and plan to, you should avoid this article.

Ardyn Izunia stands out as one of the strongest points of Final Fantasy XV.

He’s entertaining, mysterious, and one of the most intriguing characters in the game.

In my review of Final Fantasy XV, I criticized the way certain aspects of Ardyn’s story were handled, especially since it didn’t allow the player time to build sympathy for him.

I hoped we might get an update or DLC to explain his past in more detail, show whether he really was the “savior” he claimed to be, and give us the true story of what happened to him.

Well, it just might happen after all.

Director Hajime Tabata previously made comments some fans took to mean he’d consider making an Ardyn DLC, but now it seems pretty definite that we’ll get something. In a recent interview, Tabata was asked, “Will you go deeper in the past of the character of Ardyn?”

He answered, “Yes, we do plan on doing something like that.”

This doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a full DLC episode. It could just be a clarifying cutscene or two. Nevertheless, it means we’ll definitely learn more about Ardyn.

Now, Episode Gladiolus hasn’t received the greatest reviews (and I’m not enough of a Gladio fangirl to play for his shirtless costume), so I’ll probably skip it. If Episode Prompto contributes more to the story (*cough* and features Verstael *cough), I might play that one.

But I can say one thing for sure: DLC set during Ardyn’s past would bring me back to Final Fantasy XV without a doubt.

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks!

The post Tabata Intends to Give Fans a Deeper Look at Ardyn’s Past appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition Announced

One of the many (and I mean many) games I intend to play someday is Planescape: Torment, which many people describe as one of the best RPGs ever.

(Its recent spiritual successor, Torment: Tides of Numenera, is also supposed to be excellent.)

Well, Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition is due out on April 11!

According to the official website, Planescape Torment will be enhanced by Beamdog (the company behind the Enhanced Editions of Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate II, and Icewind Dale) together with Planescape designer Chris Avellone.

It will feature remastered music, a high-definition interface, and enhancements such as “tab highlighting, area zooming, combat log, quickloot, and more.” If you don’t like these features, you can turn the enhancements off.

Unless there are problems with Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition, it sounds like this will be the best version to play! (I was just looking at the original the other day, too.)

Thoughts on Planescape? Will you pick up the Enhanced Edition?

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks!

The post Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition Announced appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Final Fantasy XV Chapter 13 Gets a “Verse 2” Update

The newest update to Final Fantasy XV makes a few changes, especially to the controversial Chapter 13.

As I said in my review, I liked Chapter 13. It was actually one of my favorite parts of the game. Many players didn’t, however.

The new update enhances the Alterna, Holy, and Death spells, along with other small changes. This should reduce frustration in the chapter, since you’ll be able to better deal with enemies.

It also adds “Verse 2,” an alternate route through Chapter 13 where you play as Gladiolus.

As the trailer shows, Verse 2 follows Gladio during Chapter 13, and it looks as though new cutscenes will shed light on certain parts of the story… including a couple characters who definitely needed more time and clarification.

If you’re playing through Final Fantasy XV, you’ll be able to choose between Noctis and Gladio’s routes in Chapter 13. If you’ve already finished the game, you can go to the “Special” section of the main menu to play Verse 2 alone.

While I enjoyed Final Fantasy XV, I haven’t returned to it since I finished. Nevertheless, I’m curious about Chapter 13 Verse 2 if only for the new cutscenes. Chapter 13 was one of my favorite parts of Final Fantasy XV without the patch, but maybe I’ll return for this update to see what Gladio’s route is like.

Are you going to play the new Chapter 13 path?

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks!

The post Final Fantasy XV Chapter 13 Gets a “Verse 2” Update appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

World of Final Fantasy: An Adorable and Exciting Adventure

When World of Final Fantasy was first announced, fans weren’t sure what it was. Well, it turned out to be a pretty awesome turn-based RPG.

World of Final Fantasy feels like a strange hybrid of Final Fantasy, Pokémon, and Kingdom Hearts.

In some ways, it’s a crossover game, with characters from across the entire Final Fantasy series present in a single world called Grymoire. However, their lives and motivations make sense in the context of this new world, even if they have similarities to their original counterparts.

The main protagonists are two original characters, twins named Lann and Reyn. They enter Grymoire to search for their missing family and learn the truth about their past.

They also learn they have the ability to capture monsters, which leads to the Pokémon-esque monster catching system. Each monster, or Mirage, has its own requirements to be caught. For example, you might need to use fire attacks on one Mirage, while another just needs its HP lowered.

(You can repeat the process on the same Mirage to make it easier to capture–something I didn’t realize until halfway through the game.)

In battle, your captured Mirages fight in “stacks” with Lann and Reynn. The monsters in your stack determine the abilities you have available, and some can stack to form more powerful spells. Every Mirage has its own skill board to fill out as it levels up, with a few blank slots to allow a bit of customization.

It’s an interesting twist on traditional Final Fantasy combat, and if you dislike the new battle menu, you can change it to a more classic style from the settings. World of Final Fantasy also has random encounters and fixed save points–in short, it’s the most traditional Final Fantasy game we’ve had in a while, although it still lacks a proper world map.

(They showed off a little world map and airship in previews, but they’re disappointing when it comes to actual navigation.)

But even though I wanted a world map, I loved World of Final Fantasy. It’s fun to play, it’s a solid turn-based RPG, and it has a pretty good story.

Before we get into the story, I want to discuss what I considered to be World of Final Fantasy’s greatest strength and one of its greatest weaknesses: intervention quests.

Intervention Quests

Early in the game, you meet The Girl Who Forgot Her Name. This mysterious character has power over time and space, and therefore lets you “intervene” to help your allies.

This means you’ll get to see story events that don’t directly follow Lann and Reynn, but Lann and Reynn will fight the actual battles. These are some of the most interesting and often funniest scenes in the game, and they give the various Final Fantasy characters a chance to really shine.

Both the intervention quests and main story are filled with Final Fantasy references.

Unfortunately, while the setup makes sense since you’re messing around with time and space, I often wished they were normal side quests encountered normally in the world, instead of selected from a list. Most don’t involve any gameplay aside from the battles, and I couldn’t help but see missed potential.

Additionally, there’s a certain point in the game where the story is also tied to completing intervention quests. When they become the main focus instead of a side activity, the pacing slows to a crawl. A traditional JRPG structure could have greatly helped World of Final Fantasy there.

But those are minor criticisms of a pretty awesome game. Now, intervention quests may be entertaining, but what about the overall story?

Story and Writing

World of Final Fantasy’s writing uses a lot of subjective humor. Either you’ll love the banter between characters, or you’ll find it (and them) annoying.

Lann and Reyn use the manzai style of comedy we discussed recently in reference to Lady Layton’s humor. Lann is the boke (funny man), and Reynn is the tsukkomi (straight man).

In our Lady Layton discussion, I mentioned Abbott and Costello, and if you don’t like a style of humor that focuses heavily on one character (Lann) saying stupid things and getting words confused, while the other character (Reynn) gets annoyed, the twins will drive you crazy.

I loved it and found it entertaining. That, together with humorous shout-outs to the Final Fantasy series and many funny monster descriptions made World of Final Fantasy’s writing a treat.

WoFF-Reaver-Mu-descriptionWoFF-Copper-Gnome-descriptionWoFF-Vampire-descriptionWoFF-Squidraken-description

The story itself starts out simple, but it gets pretty crazy. It isn’t just a cute adventure where you catch monsters and fight alongside chibi Final Fantasy characters, but a full-fledged JRPG story in its own right.

If it feels too slow and simple when you start out, give it time. Major revelations and twists are waiting for you ahead. The characters are interesting, the plot is intriguing, and it’s definitely worth it to play for the “true ending” in order to experience the full plot.

Even then, although the story is self-contained, World of Final Fantasy’s in-game “Who’s Who” guide introduces so much expansive lore, they easily have room for a prequel, a sequel, or even a new series.

Click for World of Final Fantasy lore spoilersIf you did the intervention quests to reach the true ending, you know there’s a Bahamut aside from Brandelis. Actually, they’re both Bahamuts.

There’s a family of Alexanders, too. Were you wondering why Alexander, such a powerful being in other games, was reduced to a bridge here? That’s because Big Bridge Alexander is only one of them. The primary Alexander is in the game, too.

She’s a major character.

In fact, when Brandelis refers to the “A-Worlds,” that’s his name for Alexander’s worlds.

See, after the Cogna invaded a different world, Alexander merged with the soul of a woman named Roksanne, and started calling herself Enna Kros… and she created Grymoire after looking at other worlds in the Extraverse and picking the pieces that she liked…

(Yes, World of Final Fantasy’s lore says all Final Fantasy games, and possibly things like Kingdom Hearts as well, exist in a massive multiverse that inspired Alexander/Enna Kros to copy pieces for her own universe.)

(And after my silly “Enna Kros is Xehanort!” theory, I’m glad I didn’t imagine all of the weirdness surrounding Enna Kros, such as the Girl Who Forgot Her Name hesitating over what gender to consider her.)

Toss in references to Enna Kros having other forms, hints that maybe we’ll meet her other chosen heroes in another game, and the ending’s open-ended nature, and World of Final Fantasy is begging for a sequel.

Side note: Chibi Enna Kros is adorable.

The story might look simple on the surface, but when you dig into the lore, it gets kind of insane… and if they don’t make another game in the series, all of that lore will go to waste! So, where’s our sequel?

If you haven’t figured it out, I loved World of Final Fantasy. It was an excellent game and a worthy addition to the Final Fantasy series. If you love turn-based RPGs and monster-catching games, definitely give this one a try!

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks!

The post World of Final Fantasy: An Adorable and Exciting Adventure appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

April 17 Ace Attorney Live Stream Will Feature DGS 2

It’s Ace Attorney’s 15th anniversary!

…Okay, so the series’ anniversary was in 2016… but Capcom is still celebrating, this time with a special Japanese live stream on April 17.

This live stream is meant to commemorate the entire series, but in addition to discussing Ace Attorney overall and revealing the results of character popularity polls, they’ll also be featuring the next upcoming game in the series: Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2.

Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2, also known as The Great Ace Attorney 2, is the sequel to the as-yet-unlocalized Dai Gyakuten Saiban. Both games star Phoenix Wright’s ancestor.

Only a few details have been revealed about Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2 so far, but this live stream will include new information and its first live gameplay footage.

It’s probably too much to hope they’ll announce localization of the first game during a Japanese live stream, but I still believe the success of the sequel will improve our chances. (Unless copyright reasons are getting in the way, in which case we might not have a chance at all. But I prefer optimism!)

Are you interested in Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2? Do you think we’ll ever see The Great Ace Attorney released outside of Japan?

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks!

The post April 17 Ace Attorney Live Stream Will Feature DGS 2 appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Lady Layton Will Have Comedy Elements

The Professor Layton games always involve some comedy and humorous situations, but it sounds like the upcoming Lady Layton: The Millionaire Ariadone’s Conspiracy might take it a step further.

A little over a week ago, Famitsu featured an interview with Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino about the upcoming game. While he didn’t reveal a lot, we now know a bit more about Lady Layton from Nintendo Everything’s translation of the information.

(I’m late with the news–I missed the translation when it came out.)

As we discussed in the past, Lady Layton will feature smaller mysteries for the protagonist to solve. The interview described it as a “high-speed comical puzzle solving story.”

He then described the relationship between Kato and Sharo (the talking dog) as similar to “boke and tsukkomi,” which refers to a comedy duo that plays off each other.

(It’s similar to the funny man/straight man comedy used by duos like Abbott and Costello. World of Final Fantasy is an example of a recent game that used boke and tsukkomi character types. Didn’t this come up with Spirit of Justice, too?)

Kat will be the funny character, while Sharo is the more serious character who will explain what she said. This will lead to the story feeling like a comedy.

Curiously, there are a few details Hino refused to give, including its place in the timeline and Luke’s relationship with Kat and Sharo.

We still don’t know a lot about Lady Layton, but I’m looking forward to it! Although I still wish they’d clarify how Kat has a talking dog…

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks!

The post Lady Layton Will Have Comedy Elements appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Pokémon Omega Ruby and the Delta Episode

I intended to skip Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

The third generation of Pokémon was my least favorite, and I didn’t enjoy the OR/AS demo, either.

Then, I heard people talking about the Delta Episode, a new post-game story segment added for the remakes. Many fans praised the Delta Episode as being some of the greatest writing in the Pokémon games so far, next to Black/White and Looker’s side quest in X/Y.

Pokémon Black and White are among my favorites for their storytelling, and I enjoyed the Looker quest more than the entire main game of X and Y. Plus the Delta Episode has an oddly Kingdom Hearts-like battle theme, which I love.

So I made up my mind: I would get Pokémon Omega Ruby, rush through the main game (as much as I ever rush), and play the Delta Episode.

I also decided to give my entire Pokémon team Kingdom Hearts names, and since I thought I might do that for Sun/Moon, I’d restrict myself to only prequel names!

After about 20 hours, I made it to the end of the main game with Lea, Isa, Eraqus, Vinewinder (I was trying for the Unversed “Glidewinder”), Bll (my hand slipped), and Groudon (I never name Legendaries).

Pokémon Omega Ruby still isn’t one of my favorites. I liked some of the changes, like the additional character development for Wally and Maxie, but the story still felt bland to me overall.

Then it was time for the Delta Episode!

The Delta Episode was interesting. I’m happy I played it. It’s much more story-driven than Pokémon usually is, which I like, and I hope Pokémon continues to go in a more plot-focused direction.

It wasn’t perfect. There was a lot of running back and forth between locations, without the pacing to make it feel better. I swear at one point they had me go from Point A to Point B only to immediately send me back to Point A.

Nevertheless, it was enjoyable, and it even had a bit more moral complexity than the series usually has.

Click for Delta Episode spoilersA giant meteoroid is hurtling toward the world, and so the scientists and Steven decide to use Infinity Energy to warp it somewhere else.

Infinity Energy. If you’ve played Pokémon X and Y, you know where that comes from, and yes, it’s the same here.

And where will the meteoroid go? They don’t care, as long as it isn’t here.

Zinnia stops them and says they could send the meteoroid on a path toward an alternate world that lacks the technology to stop it, and then she destroys the equipment necessary to their plan without explaining her alternate plan.

Oh, and Zinnia is the one who stirred up Team Magma and Team Aqua in the hopes that the rampaging Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre would summon Rayquaza.

So on one hand, the scientists are willing to use Infinity Energy and risk sending the meteoroid toward another world (there’s no proof the other world exists, but they don’t care where the meteoroid goes), and on the other hand, Zinnia is willing to endanger the world and sees no need to explain herself.

Both are trying to do the right thing, but neither is entirely that. That sort of morally gray situation doesn’t come up often in Pokémon.

It also introduced the possibility of a Pokémon multiverse, with the suggestion that the original games still exist in an alternate universe.

The Delta Episode’s connections to Kalos even made me realize I didn’t dislike all of Pokémon X/Y’s story. I actually enjoyed its backstory. It was the main story, and especially Team Flare, that disappointed me.

In short, while the Hoenn games will never be my favorites, I’m happy I played Pokémon Omega Ruby and the Delta Episode, and I look forward to seeing where Pokémon’s storytelling goes from here.

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks!

The post Pokémon Omega Ruby and the Delta Episode appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

My Breath of the Wild Conflict

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been out for almost two weeks now, and I still can’t decide if I want to get it or not.

On one hand, it’s a Legend of Zelda game. While I never got into the older Zelda games (except for Link’s Awakening), I’ve enjoyed the newer ones.

On the other hand, it’s an open world game. Open world games are not my preferred type. I like a more structured approach, with separate areas to unlock and progress through.

And yet, I loved Xenoblade Chronicles X. Monolith Soft, the Xenoblade developer, helped with Breath of the Wild’s open world. If XCX won my heart despite its open style, maybe Breath of the Wild will, too.

But at the same time, when I hear praise for Breath of the Wild, it’s usually focused on how much freedom there is and how many different things there are to do. Those aren’t bad things, but the emphasis on those parts makes it sound again like the sorts of open world RPGs I usually avoid.

Still, other people have said Breath of the Wild has enough structure that I could play it like a semi-linear game if I wanted to, while still haven’t the option to explore.

As you can see, I’m conflicted about this game. (It’s not the only one. I still haven’t decided if I’m going to give Paper Mario: Color Splash a chance.) I don’t have a Nintendo Switch, but if Breath of the Wild was structured more like the past few Zelda games, I’d have probably picked it up for my Wii U by now.

Maybe I should finally get around to playing Majora’s Mask instead.

What do you think? Do you recommend The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild even to someone who doesn’t often enjoy open world games?

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks!

The post My Breath of the Wild Conflict appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.