Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 154

Developers of Bravely Default and Lost Odyssey Announce Collaboration

Silicon Studio, which developed Bravely Default and Bravely Second with Square Enix, has announced a partnership with Mistwalker, the creator of The Last Story and Lost Odyssey.

According to the translation from Gematsu, it will be a game “fans around the world can enjoy,” which suggests it might be localized. It also will have “a new and original setting.”

That last statement is especially important because the concept art (pictured) included with the press release has also been used for the console version of Terra Battle, Mistwalker’s mobile RPG.

The concept art makes it seem like this could be the long-awaited release of Terra Battle for consoles, but then it wouldn’t be “new and original.”

(Apparently the art also surfaced in 2009.)

And due to the timing, this probably isn’t the Mistwalker game I mentioned at the end of my Detective Pikachu post.

Mistwalker fell out of prominence in recent years. After Blue Dragon (2006), Lost Odyssey (2007), and The Last Story (2011), along with a few lesser-known DS titles, Mistwalker shifted its attention to mobile games. This might be another mobile game.

If it’s a major RPG, though, it sounds like a dream team. Bravely Default is often heralded as the true continuation of classic Final Fantasy games, and Mistwalker is headed by Final Fantasy’s creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi.

Another planned console RPG from Mistwalker, Cry On, was cancelled in 2008, although Sakaguchi mysteriously released a trailer in 2014.

Cry On will probably never be revived, but this partnership, together with Sakaguchi’s plans for another console game, suggests Mistwalker might become a big name in JRPGs again.

I still haven’t played Lost Odyssey, The Last Story, or Bravely Default, despite having copies of all three. Maybe I can fix that (as part of Operation Backlog Completion) before Mistwalker’s next game comes out.

What do you think Silicon Studio and Mistwalker are collaborating on?

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Final Fantasy XV Promises Unforgettable Dungeons

Square Enix has promised regular updates about Final Fantasy XV starting today. They should be out every Tuesday and Friday.

The first update is about dungeon design.

First of all, I want to say I’m happy Final Fantasy XV has dungeons. With the open world design, they could have chosen to go a different path and not have dungeons to explore. While we don’t know exactly what these will be like, I hope they’ll be traditional RPG dungeons to visit at key points during the story.

As posted on the official blog and translated by Dualshockers, Environment Artist Hiromitsu Sasaki (pictured) and his team hope to make Final Fantasy XV’s environments “beautiful but also dark and scary, so that gamers won’t forget them.”

On Twitter, Sasaki reiterated his points and said he wants to “add beauty in dark/scary places.”

He also expressed his desire to make dungeons “unforgettable experiences” and referenced underground areas.

"I try to make the dungeons unforgettable experiences so I hope you enjoy going underground in #FFXV!" Sasaki-san

— Final Fantasy XV (@FFXVEN) February 19, 2016

It sounds like we can look forward to underground dungeons, then.

(Sasaki and his team are also working on technical details, such as balancing light and darkness and determining the angle of the slopes you can traverse. They also mentioned that battles can take place on sloped surfaces.)

While this update is a little short on actual content, I like these details. I’ve noticed that horror games, from survival horror to games like Bloodborne, often have the most beautiful environments. I look forward to seeing that sort of dark beauty in Final Fantasy XV.

As for being unforgettable, good. This should mean they’re unique. Something that has frustrated me in a few recent games (such as Tales of Zestiria, trial shrines excluded) is when dungeons follow typical patterns and look more or less the same.

In your opinion, what makes a video game dungeon unforgettable?

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Pokémon: The First Movie Retold in iBook Form

Last week, I learned the Pokémon movies are now on iTunes. Not only that, but they also have “interactive iBooks.”

Since the first Pokémon movie was one of my favorites as a kid, I decided to try the iBook.

“A Pokémon Super Story! Pokémon the First Movie” isn’t quite a novelization. It retells the story with basic descriptions, not adding much or going into additional detail. It isn’t a manga, either, although each page uses images from the movie as its background.

Video clips from the movie are mixed in at key moments, and together they follow the entire course of the movie. For example:

Team Rocket watched the battle from a nearby cliff. They saw a Dragonite arrive and deliver a message-bearing hologram to Ash.

(video clip of hologram message)

Ash was excited by the unexpected invitation. “I guess the world’s number one Trainer wants to challenge me to a match!”

Jessie and James decided to follow the trio to find out more.”

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this as a book. I’d also question why you wouldn’t just watch the movie instead. Nevertheless, if you want to enjoy the story in 48 pages and 24 video clips instead of sitting through the whole movie, it’s a decent (and cheaper) option.

iTunes also has the movie digitally… though so does Amazon, and it’s actually cheaper to buy a DVD copy from Amazon, or as part of a Steelbook Blu-ray Collection of the first three.

None of them contain the Pikachu short, for some reason.

I love this movie. Sure, people criticize its hypocritical (poorly-localized?) message about how Pokémon shouldn’t fight in a series all about making Pokémon fight, but I’m here for Mewtwo! Mewtwo and his journey still resonate with me.

This iBook did contradict my theory about the crying-Pokémon scene…

SpoilerI always believed their sadness made Mewtwo relent and restore Ash to life, not that Pokémon tears have miracle resurrection powers.

…but I might still interpret it my way.

“A Pokémon Super Story! Pokémon the First Movie” isn’t the ideal way to re-experience the first Pokémon movie’s story. It’s not quite a novelization and it’s not particularly interactive. Nevertheless, if you just want a quick, basic retelling, it’s not bad.

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Super Mario RPG: Where It All Began

Except I played it on the Wii.

After years of being a huge fan of both the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series, I finally played Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. This game, developed by Square of all companies, was the first ever Mario RPG.

And… I liked it. I did.

Yet I didn’t love it as much as everyone else seems to.

It deserves credit for laying down the groundwork for subsequent games. In Super Mario RPG, I see the origin of both Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi’s gameplay.

For example, you can use timed hits, which add an element of action to the turn-based battles by letting you increase the power of your attacks or defend through good timing. Aside from that, it plays like a typical turn-based RPG, although your party shares a single FP (magic) pool.

Super Mario RPG also has a traditional party system. Over the course of the game, several characters join your party, and you choose which ones to have in your battle party. Neither Paper Mario nor Mario & Luigi do this, and it’s a system I’d like to see explored again by Mario RPGs.

Although it follows several JRPG traditions, it doesn’t have an overworld like classic Final Fantasy games. (This disappointed me, since I love world maps.) While areas do connect to one another, each is accessible from a map more akin to a traditional Mario level-select screen.

The areas themselves are charming (although every dungeon had at least one part that annoyed me), and I enjoyed the character interactions. There were several fun NPCs and enemies, and the party was entertaining as well. Super Mario RPG also seems to have begun the tradition of portraying Bowser in a more sympathetic light, as he’s a decent ally and a good boss to the minions you meet in Monstro Town.

I had high hopes for the original characters who join the party, in part because I hear praise for Geno wherever I go. You know what, though? I liked Mallow better.

Not in combat, no. Once the princess leveled up enough to survive battles, I barely used Mallow. But in terms of the story, Mallow had character development, an interesting premise, and an enjoyable subplot.

Geno… was there to save the world.

Saving the world is great and all… but I never got a good sense for Geno as a character.

And that brings me to my final concern: the story. People talk about how Super Mario RPG has a deep, epic story. Could someone please explain that to me?

To me, Super Mario RPG’s story felt pretty basic. Sure, the first Paper Mario had a basic story, too, but people don’t herald it as epic. And yes, it’s an old game, but Super Mario RPG was made two years after Final Fantasy VI, so epic RPG stories existed at the time.

But after all this criticism, I want to repeat what I said at the start: I liked Super Mario RPG. I’m happy I played it, and I enjoyed playing it.

I just never felt myself dying to play more.

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A Close Look at the New Project Setsuna Footage

Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna (Setsuna of Snow and Sacrifice), or “Project Setsuna,” as it was referred to at E3, is one of my most-anticipated games of 2016.

It’s being developed by Tokyo RPG Factory, a new studio created by Square Enix specifically to create new RPGs. Setsuna is an old-school, turn-based RPG, and so far it looks fantastic.

New footage was recently shown, so let’s see what we can learn.

Now, I don’t know Japanese, so they might say all sorts of things about the game I can’t pick up on. Just looking at the footage, though, fills me with excitement.

First, it looks like there are at least 6 party members. I assume the one in the lead is the mercenary, I think the red-haired one is Setsuna, and I know there are characters named Kuon (the hooded one?) and Yomi (dark-haired guy?). I don’t know who the others are.

Three are in the party at a time, and all three appear on the world map. We need more classic RPG overworlds, and best of all, they show off an airship! I love flying around a world map in an airship.

With the airship, they show off a bit of the world map. Mainly snow. Some fans are afraid this means the setting won’t be too varied. Snow is in the title, so it might show up a lot.

It looks like enemies appear on the screen, rather than random encounters. It has an active-time battle turn-based system, like in Chrono Trigger and many Final Fantasy games. Your position on the battlefield also affects your attacks.

I believe the snowflake gauge that builds during battles is the Setsuna gauge, which adds additional effects to your attacks through timed button presses. I remember something about combination attacks, too, like in Chrono Trigger. It looks like an example of that at 13:06.

Since I can’t read their dialogue, I don’t have a good sense of the characters or story. My only fear for Project Setsuna is that it might have a scaled-back story. I want it to be just as epic as, say, Final Fantasy VI! The gameplay, though, looks pretty solid. This might be enough to convince Square Enix turn-based RPGs aren’t outdated.

Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna will be released in Japan next week (February 18) for the PS4 and PS Vita. We should know more about it then. Localization is planned for sometime in 2016.

What do you think about Project Setsuna based on this new footage?

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Ace Attorney 6 Prosecutor Revealed

It’s time to deviate from the usual blogging schedule, because Capcom has unveiled the mysterious Ace Attorney 6 prosecutor we’ve been wondering about.

He… or possibly she, as Court-Records says the prosecutor’s gender is unclear even in the full Famitsu article, is an international prosecutor and a monk in the Kingdom of Kurain, Nayuta Saadmadhi.

Nayuta believes a guilty verdict brings salvation to the culprit’s victim.

Also, how do you top the convicted murderer “Twisted Samurai” prosecutor? Call your new character the Funeral Prosecutor.

The scans also show Apollo and Athena facing off against Nayuta to defend a girl named Mimi, who seems to be involved in Trucy’s magic show.

Fans at Court-Records also noticed that in the background behind Mimi, there is what appears to be a poster for the Gramaryes… but with someone in green on it.

This “green Gramarye” has raised questions, and some fans theorize it’s Apollo’s father.

It would definitely be nice if Ace Attorney 6 finally wrapped up the loose ends from Apollo Justice, which this suggests it might.

Let’s go back to the prosecutor, though. Nayuta is from Kurain… but facing Apollo in Japan (which will probably be localized to America, as usual).

Does this mean Phoenix will face a different prosecutor? And why would a prosecutor from Kurain go to Japan/America right when a lawyer from Japan/America goes to Kurain? It sounds like there will be a connection between the two…

Share your theories and thoughts on the Funeral Prosecutor in the comments! Also, do you think Nayuta is male or female? At a quick glance, I say “male,” but then I take a closer look and say, “No, that might be a woman…”

(I still want to face Vampire Edgeworth, Capcom… please give us DGS after this!)

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Star Ocean 5 Has a Great Spaceship With a Terrible Name

As you know, my excitement over Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness has made me interested in playing the entire Star Ocean series… which I still haven’t done, but Star Ocean 5 continues to look great.

The latest news (thanks, Gematsu) from Square Enix is about the spaceship.

You’ll use it to travel in between worlds, but it also has shops inside and a shuttle used to access the planets.

Since I’ve never played Star Ocean, I don’t know how ships are usually handled by the series, but this sounds cool.

It looks pretty nice, too.

Star-Ocean-5-ship-shuttleStar-Ocean-5-ship-shopsStar-Ocean-5-ship-inside

And the ship is called the Charles D. Goal F.

…What?

Some people have suggested this name is a pun or reference, but… I don’t know, when I read the name “Charles D. Goal F,” I don’t quite think of an awesome spaceship traveling the stars.

Square Enix revealed new details about things other than the ship, too, such as the battle system, group battles, and “private actions,” where you have conversations with party members. You can read all about it at Gematsu, while I continue to make vague plans about trying the series before Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness comes out.

…But really, the Charles D. Goal F? Really?

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Want Adventures of Mana on the Vita? Tell Square Enix!

Let’s talk about Adventures of Mana.

When I heard about its localization, my first question was, “What game is Adventures of Mana?”

Adventures of Mana is a remake of the first game in the Mana series.

Called Final Fantasy Gaiden in Japan, the first Mana game was localized in 1991 as Final Fantasy Adventure. In North America, that is. It was released in Europe as Mystic Quest, not to be confused with Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, which is a different game entirely.

In 2003, it was remade for the GBA as Sword of Mana. This remake altered the gameplay and plot. It was remade a second time in Japan, but unlike Sword of Mana, this remake only updated the graphics and music of the original.

And now it’s been remade yet again, this time as Adventures of Mana!

Adventures of Mana recently released in the West… for iOS and Android only. The PS Vita version was not localized. This annoyed a lot of fans, and Square Enix actually listened!

It began with a tweet from Square-Enix Europe asking you to let them know if you want Adventures of Mana on the Vita.

If you'd like to play Adventures of Mana on PS Vita let us know on the SE Blog!
–> https://t.co/WX0pgwAVYs

— SQUARE ENIX EUROPE (@SQUARE_ENIX_EU) February 5, 2016

Both the European and North American blog posts have been updated to include a new message:

Thank you for all of your comments on a PS Vita edition of Adventures of Mana.

We’ve been listening to your feedback and because of your passion for the game, we’re going to look into making a PS Vita version of Adventures of Mana for the west. We can’t guarantee we’ll be able to make this happen but we will see what we can do.

We’ll let you know if we have any news, so watch out for future updates and thank you for your support.

It’s nice to know Square Enix is listening to fans. So if you want Adventures of Mana to be available on the PS Vita in the West, visit the blog and let them know.

I played Sword of Mana years ago. I had no idea it was a remake of the first game. It didn’t have the deepest plot, but I enjoyed it. I’m not sure how the versions compare, but it looks like Adventures of Mana is based more on the original Final Fantasy Adventure than on Sword of Mana.

Have you played any games in the Mana series? Are you interested in this one? Let me know in the comments… and let Square Enix know if you’re interested!

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Final Fantasy XV’s Villains Look Pretty Cool

Over the weekend, Square Enix shared more details on the upcoming Final Fantasy XV through its latest Active Time Report. If you missed it, you can check out the full thing here:

This ATR provided a lot of information about how the magic system works and showed how the battle system has changed since Episode Duscae. They also announced a special event for March 30, which is when they’ll also announce the release date. (Some people have criticized them for announcing the announcement of the release date, but they already announced the announcement would come in March back during Gamescom 2015.)

You can get all of those details from the above video or Gematsu. Now let’s talk about the most exciting revelation: the villains!

Okay, this is a JRPG, so we have no guarantee these guys will be the main villains for the whole game. Still, the Niflheim Empire has been presented as the major antagonistic force so far.

First, we have Iedolas Aldercapt, the emperor. He’s not directly in charge at the start of the game, but look at that evil smile! I think we can safely call him an evil emperor.

True power currently lies with Chancellor Ardyn Izunia. Despite his pink hair and resemblance to Luka (am I the only one who sees that?), he look sinister.

Apparently he’s a clever, humorous character building the empire’s power by expanding the use of Magitek Infantry. I can’t help but get a slight Kefka vibe from this description of our evil chancellor.

Those Magitek soldiers were developed by a character who didn’t get as much of the spotlight, but still seems important, Verstael.

He’s described as a “researcher,” but look at that face. He’s a mad scientist!

I had to cut his image from a diagram showing the Niflheim leadership because he didn’t get a full shot like the others, but I hope he still has a fun role to play in the game.

And while the Magitek soldiers are robots, they’re led by a human, General Glauca.

What’s going on with his armor? I’d love a full-body shot of Glacua to get a better look at his crazy armor. He’s masked, which makes me even more interested in this dark knight.

Finally, one of Niflheim’s aerial divisions is led by a dragoon, Aranea Highwind.

Apparently she was initially shown back when the game was Final Fantasy Versus XIII, so fans are thrilled to see she’s still in the game. I didn’t pay attention to Versus XIII, but she seems interesting. Crazy helmet, though.

I love villains. They can make or break a story for me. Back at Gamescom, they said Final Fantasy XV’s villains would top even Sephiroth and Kefka. If they can pull that off, awesome. It’s a bold claim to make, though…

With an evil emperor, an evil chancellor, a mad scientist, a masked knight, and a black-armored dragoon, they definitely have potential. Then again, mere screenshots and descriptions of Final Fantasy XIII’s villains probably look promising, too.

Will Final Fantasy XV’s cast of villains live up to their potential or fall flat? Join me in the comments to speculate on Iedolas, Ardyn, and all the others.

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Tales of Symphonia PC Comes Out Today!

I intended to talk about the latest Final Fantasy XV news today, but we have something even more exciting to discuss! Tales of Symphonia will be available on Steam in just a few hours!

At the time I’m writing this, the Steam page lists 7 hours until the game comes out.

The PC version is basically the same as the PS3 version, which I played, so it has additional content that wasn’t in the original Gamecube version (including more story details).

Tales of Symphonia quickly became one of my favorite games ever after I played it last year. I even cosplayed one of its characters. I still think about it regularly.

Symphonia is the second game in the series to be released for Steam. If it does well, maybe we’ll see even more Tales games on PC… maybe even some of the older games that are now rare and hard to find! (Or maybe my dream of a Symphonia prequel will finally come true.)

If you’re on the fence, check out my review or ask me questions in the comments. I’d love to answer any Tales of Symphonia questions you have!

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