Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 58

Chaos;Head Noah / Chaos;Child Double Pack Localization Confirmed

It’s no delusion, our hopes have come true, the Chaos;Head Noah / Chaos;Child Double Pack released for the Switch is being localized!

After it was teased a few weeks ago, Spike Chunsoft officially announced it yesterday.

The double pack will be released on October 7, with a steelbook launch edition also available to order.

Not only will this be the first time Chaos;Head receives an official English translation, Chaos;Head Noah is the expanded re-release that added significantly more content and is said to be improved in every way. My understanding is that this version is based on the PlayStation release of Noah, which censored some of the more gruesome sections, but it should still be an excellent visual novel.

(The launch edition also includes lingerie costume DLC for the girls in Chaos;Head Noah, except for Seira, whose costume is not included in the western release.)

I played Chaos;Head with the fan translation last October and loved it, so I’m absolutely picking up this new release.

Now, Chaos;Child came out in English a few years ago (despite the questionable decision of translating only the sequel of an untranslated game) and I actually started my Vita copy last year after I finished Chaos;Head, so now I’ll need to decide if I want to finish that or wait for the double pack since I’m still near the beginning. As far as I know, it’s the exact same version, but since the original Chaos;Child translation apparently has some parts that just… aren’t translated… maybe we can hope they’ll fix that for the Switch version?

Either way, I’ll pick up the double back for Noah, at least.

I don’t know what’s up with this recent trend of games people said would never be localized suddenly getting localization announcements, but I’m delighted by it and I hope Yakuza Kenzan and Ishin are next. (Seriously. The Great Ace Attorney, the Crossbell games, and now Chaos;Head? If those are possible, Kenzan and Ishin definitely are.)

Are you planning to pick up the Chaos;Head Noah / Chaos;Child Double Pack? And more importantly, whose eyes are those eyes?

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Everything We Know So Far About Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Ah, now those are words I’m delighted to be able to write!

In the middle of our romance celebration in February, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was announced for the Nintendo Switch.

Not only that, but it already has a release window: September 2022.

That’s right, the next Xenoblade game is coming out this year!

I’m still hoping we get a Xenoblade Chronicles X sequel someday (with a Xenoblade Chronicles X port as a likely first step), but I’m thrilled to get any Xenoblade game.

(As excited as I am for Bayonetta 3, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 vaulted into the top spot as my most-anticipated game of the year as soon as it was revealed.)

And in what is very interesting news, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a sequel that brings together the future of both Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2. In fact, the trailer actually shows that, with some familiar locations popping up in the gameplay segments.

So let’s start by watching the trailer.

The trailer is exciting and teases many intriguing details about this new game in the series, especially the glimpse of two masked characters near the end who are widely believed by fans to be Melia and Nia.

It also shows us a world filled with conflict, a reference to people being used as fuel, and a puzzling line in which a character asks, “What good’s filling up these flickering clocks in our eyes?” Some intriguing story elements are definitely being set up.

The protagonists, as detailed on Nintendo UK’s official Xenoblade Chronicles 3 page, are Noah and Mio, two “off-seers” who mourn for soldiers who lose their lives (which seems to have something to do with the flutes that they play).

Joining them in the main cast are Lanz, Eunie, Taion, and Sena. Curiously, character details translated from the official Japanese Xenoblade Twitter account revealed that all 6 main characters are age 18, except for Mio, who is 19. Yes, even the High Entia and Machina (?) characters, even though they shouldn’t age like Homs, are 18. What does this mean? I have no idea. A popular theory is that enough time has passed for the genetics to have diluted to the point of giving them Homs-like lifespans.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 deals with a war between two nations called Keves and Agnus. Noah, Lanz, and Eunie are from Keves, while Mio, Taion, and Sena are from Agnus, so it seems as though their groups will come together despite the conflict between their countries. Interestingly, “Keves” means “sheep” in Hebrew and “Agnus” means “lamb” in Latin. Is this significant? It can’t be a coincidence.

Eagle-eyed fans have also caught a lot of tiny details in the trailer that I would have missed on my own, such as a shape that might be the Conduit on the machine at 1:10, a symbol that appears on the bodies of the three Keves characters, and ouroboros symbols on the party’s weapons (which is especially interesting since the character who might be Melia says, “Ouroboros abhor this world”). Noah and Mio also appear to exchange flutes at some point in the story.

Finally, let’s talk about the art at the very end of the trailer, which shows the sword of the Mechonis from Xenoblade Chronicles alongside the Urayan Titan from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. This is a puzzling scene if this is the future of both worlds.

Click for Xenoblade Chronicles 1 & 2 spoilersThe Mechonis’s sword was destroyed during Xenoblade Chronicles, and Uraya merged into the landmass at the end of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. So why are both intact in the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 3?

What makes this even more interesting is that in a message from Executive Director Tetsuya Takahashi about Xenoblade Chronicles 3, he brings up this key visual as an important point and says that the image of the Mechonis sword alongside the wounded Urayan Titan was first thought up between the development of Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

So whatever this visual means, whatever this is all building up to, they actually had it in mind before they made Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

Knowing this has been planned for so long makes me even more excited for Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I’ve tried to cover everything we know about it at this point, but if I missed anything, let me know in the comments! Are you looking forward to Xenoblade Chronicles 3?

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Spiritfarer: A Journey of Mixed Feelings

We might have just finished our February contest, but today’s post goes back to October, as the winner of last year’s Celebrating All Things Spooky contest opted for a game review, with Spiritfarer as the chosen game.

(While it might seem like I took an exceptionally long time to finish, the winner recomended I wait to start until the final update came out in December.)

Spiritfarer puts you in the shoes of a woman named Stella, who takes over for Charon in his duties of shuttling spirits of the dead to their final rest.

It’s difficult to describe the gameplay genre of this one. At its core, Spiritfarer’s gameplay is sort of a combination of light 2D platforming and a management sim. You have a ship, upon which you can build various houses and facilities, and take care of the spirits who join as your passengers.

You’ll plant seeds and grow crops to cook into meals, fish as you sail around the world, and also use materials you’ve gathered to craft various structures and items to fulfill side quests.

The world is a series of small islands, which you’ll discover as you sail your ship around the world to meet new spirits, take on side quests, and gather resources. It has some light Metroidvania elements, since certain spots and areas can’t be accessed until you have the right abilities, but I’d say that’s a comparatively small part of gameplay.

There are also mini-games that become available on the ship throughout the game to gather special resources.

Exploration and mini-games require a slight bit of platforming know-how, but it’s fairly simple aside from one part that leans a little more into the platforming side of things.

And of course, as you do all of this, it’s to aid the spirits you’ve met and help them move on to their final rest. The tone of Spiritfarer is mixed, since at times (especially when dealing with side quests and characters in the larger world) it can be fairly humorous, while a significant portion of the game deals with death and helping spirits come to terms with their own life, death, and regrets.

However, it never resonated with me quite as much as I expected it to. A couple of characters had stories that hit me hard, but many didn’t strike that emotional chord. That became increasingly common near the end, as I felt I spent less time getting to know the characters and instead simply did a few tasks before they were ready to move on.

(That could partly be a side effect of how by late-game I had so many more resources available to me that I could complete requests faster, though.)

One major thing also disappointed me a bit, although I can see why people would like it.

Click for major Spiritfarer spoilersSo the entire journey seems to be taking place within Stella’s mind, as she’s currently dying, either as a metaphorical journey for her to come to terms with her own death or as a look through her memories since she knew many of the spirits in life.

When I realized it was going in that direction, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed, just because I’ve played so many games now where the fantastic adventure or supernatural events are symbolic of normal real-world things happening to the character.

Maybe it’s a little hypocritical of me, since there are games with that premise that I love, but I just found the on-the-surface premise of taking over for Charon to be much more interesting than another symbolic story.

Overall, I ended my Spiritfarer playthrough with mixed feelings. I expected an emotional experience in which I’d really fall in love with the characters. I ended up with a pleasant game that tugged at my emotions a few times, but didn’t leave a lasting impression. Oddly enough, I found the gameplay more addicting, despite expecting its simple systems to be a backdrop to the characters.

I did enjoy Spiritfarer, in the end, but it was a different experience than I thought it would be.

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Star Ocean: First Departure R – A Slightly Tedious Journey

Back when Star Ocean: The Divine Force was announced, I said I intended to play Star Ocean: First Departure R before it came out.

And you know what? I actually did!

In the midst of all the romance games I played in February, I also played through Star Ocean: First Departure R, which is a remaster of the remake of the first Star Ocean game (whew).

The story starts out with a group of friends in a small village who encounter a terrible disease that is turning people to stone. While searching for a cure, they run into two people from a starship and learn that, their planet is part of a universe with advanced technology and has been caught up in a war with an alien race.

Now, you might expect this to turn into a spacefaring adventure. That doesn’t exactly happen. The space opera setting is there, but they soon learn that the only way to find a cure is to go back in time to their own planet’s past.

As a result, the majority of the game has a medieval fantasy setting despite the larger context.

It is an action JRPG, and the combat is… fine. More interesting is the skill system, which lets you put points into a lot (and I mean a lot) of skills to increase stats, gain combat bonuses, and learn special abilities.

Unfortunately, this eventually resulted in First Departure R feeling tedious to me. Some of the abilities are great, such as one that lets you change the encounter rate or one that lets you temporarily lower your stats in exchange for more exp. But a significant number are related to the game’s numerous crafting skills. Crafting requires materials and often special crafting items as well. Attempting it uses up those items, but there’s a chance of failure even if the skill is at max level.

You can influence the success rate further, however, by playing music. Music is tied to other skills. You’ll need instruments, and you’ll also need to have music written. These skills also require items and have their own success rates.

I can see how the system sounds neat, and I’m sure there are people out there who adore it. I am not one of those people. Using items with skills to help me use different items with different skills to craft something and not even be guaranteed success drove me crazy. After a certain point, the game felt like it expected me to be crafting better gear, too.

It’s a shame, because there are other aspects of the game that I really liked. The story is nothing special, but there are multiple party members to recruit based on different conditions, which means I only got to see some of the characters and their stories.

Character interactions also come into play through “Private Actions,” a system which lets you split up in town and witness special character events.

(Unfortunately, there is no airship, so the only way to backtrack is to use ships to travel between port towns and walk across the world map for everything else. I like backtracking, but that was annoying enough that I didn’t backtrack to check for new Private Actions as much as I would have liked to.)

In short, Star Ocean: First Departure R left me with mixed feelings. It has some aspects I loved, but also some that annoyed me enough that I was just ready to be done with it. As you might guess, that presents me with an important question… will I enjoy other Star Ocean games?

What are your thoughts on First Departure R and the Star Ocean series?

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My Second Domino Lady Story is Out in Domino Lady Volume Four

Our 2022 romance celebration is complete, and just in time for an exciting announcement: I have a new story available in the newly-released pulp fiction collection Domino Lady Volume Four.

This is my second time writing about the classic pulp heroine known as the Domino Lady.

My story this time, “The Domino Lady Deceived,” sees Ellen Patrick’s latest heist thwarted in a scheme that puts her up against a shady English art collector.

It was a fun story to write, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

“The Domino Lady Deceived” appears in Domino Lady Volume Four alongside three other short stories, written by Gene Moyers, Kelly Nolan, and Kevin Findley respectively.

It is available now from Amazon in both print and ebook formats. You also can buy it in PDF format directly from Airship 27.

If you enjoy pulp fiction or crime stories, you should enjoy this collection of the Domino Lady’s newest adventures. Meanwhile, the first story I wrote about the Domino Lady, “The Domino Lady Takes the Case,” can be found in Airship 27’s previous volume, Domino Lady Volume Three. My story in that collection is more of a mystery, with the Domino Lady taking on a murder investigation after becoming suspicious of an attempted cover-up.

I’m looking forward to delving further into the world of pulp fiction in the future! If you pick up this latest collection, don’t forget to leave a review and share your thoughts on “The Domino Lady Deceived.”

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Valentine Video Games Festival: Cupid Parasite

For our final review of this year’s Valentine Video Games Festival, we’ve got a big one to discuss: Cupid Parasite, an otome in which the main character is literally Cupid.

Cupid is a young goddess who realizes that humanity has made all sorts of advancements on its own, but the gods won’t acknowledge that. So she descends to Earth to prove that she can bring couples together as a human, without using her bow.

Under the name Lynette, she becomes an advisor at Cupid Corporation, a prestigious matchmaking company, and her big opportunity comes when she’s asked to take charge of the matchmaking for five male clients who have been nicknamed the “Parasite 5.”

From an actor so obsessed with mythology that he can’t stop talking about it for five minutes, to a businessman who refuses to appear in person and sends a representative in his place, the Parasite 5 have proven to be so troublesome for the company, she’s guaranteed a promotion if she can help them find love.

Cupid Parasite is a romantic comedy, and it is funny. There were parts of the common route that made me laugh out loud, and a lot of the routes had equally funny moments.

(The secret route was also so much funnier than I expected.)

When I finished my first route, I was already satisfied. I enjoyed it so much that I would have considered it a game worth playing even if I didn’t like the rest. Little did I know he wouldn’t even end up being my favorite, with a couple of the others unexpectedly rising to the top.

Click for my attempted Cupid Parasite route rankingAllan has to be near the top, which I did not expect when I first saw him. He’s either first or second, with the secret route taking the other spot. I felt guilty doing any other route after Allan, but then the secret route ended up being incredible too.

Ranking in third is Shelby, whom I went for first and expected to be my favorite. He’s wonderful.

Fourth has to be Raul, because he’s just so much fun.

And then Gill and Ryuki take up the final two spots, probably Gill fifth and Ryuki sixth. Gill was sweet but a little annoying (on the other hand, the CAR SCENE), and Ryuki had a nice story but just didn’t appeal to me as much. …He also suffered because I did his route right after Allan’s, though. Sorry, Ryuki.

This is one of the rare ones where I’d say I loved every route. I liked some more than others, but even my least favorite was still good.

(Although for a minor thing that bugs me, how did they give a character the last name Lovecraft and not acknowledge H.P. Lovecraft at all?)

The romances all feel natural, and their stories go in different directions depending on whose route it is. They’re fairly lighthearted, although a few have more serious plot stakes, and some of the “normal” endings are arguably more interesting than the best endings.

I also appreciate that it doesn’t keep the protagonist in the dark for too long. Certain characters have secrets that the player learns before Lynette does, but once you’re actually on their route, she usually finds out pretty quickly.

I had so much fun with Cupid Parasite, it’s already one of my favorite otome games despite not having as strong a focus on plot as my usual favorites. It’s romantic and hilarious, and I love these characters so much. A fandisc was recently announced for Japan, so I can only pray it gets localized.

What better way to end the romance game festival than with an excellent otome where you play as Cupid? Today is your last chance to enter this year’s , so check out the details and leave a comment below with your thoughts on Cupid Parasite!

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Valentine Video Games Festival: A New Don

Today we’re taking a look at another otome, this one being A New Don.

The main character is Fia, a young woman growing up on a hog farm whose dreams of going to the city come true in an unexpected way when she inherits the leadership of a mafia family.

It’s a short visual novel with several choices that let you get to know either Andino, the old Don’s right-hand man who has some secrets to hide, or Giacomo, the old Don’s grandson who hates Fia for taking what he thinks should have been his.

Several choices can also lead to death, so it’s a good idea to save often.

A New Don does a good job with its setting and story, and with making its major characters sympathetic. There are some fairly emotional moments. I did feel like the romantic chemistry could have been built up a bit more; it feels less like burgeoning romance so much as shooting people together until you realize you want to kiss.

(Then again, maybe that fits the setting.)

One of the things that drew my attention to this visual novel was that it’s by Heiden, the same developer who made Dr. Frank’s Build a Boyfriend, which I really enjoyed. A New Don isn’t nearly as funny and lighthearted as that one, although it does have some moments of humor (especially since you have a giant hog as a pet).

Overall, A New Don is an enjoyable otome that you should play if you’re looking for a short crime story flavored with some romance.

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Valentine Video Games Festival: LoveKami -Healing Harem-

Last year I mentioned that I’d picked up the third LoveKami game in another visual novel bundle, so let’s keep the tradition going and talk about LoveKami -Healing Harem-.

Like its predecessors, it’s set in a world where goddesses have come to Earth to learn more about humanity.

It starts when the protagonist helps out a Tatarigami, a goddess whose powers bring trouble and misfortune, and she immediately declares herself to be his wife.

This causes conflict with the region’s guardian goddess, who is a reformed Tatarigami, and another goddess close to the protagonist (who also brings misfortune, but more in a “bad luck” sort of way than the dark powers the other two have), who then declare themselves to be his better half and mistress respectively.

As usual for the series, Healing Harem is largely a kinetic novel, with a single choice partway through that puts you on one of the three routes.

It goes all in on the fanservice, and as you might guess from the title, it doesn’t even try to pretend it’s anything other than a harem fantasy. Two of the routes specifically involve the goddess in question dealing with her jealousy of the other two, although the remaining route focuses more on the goddess wanting to do nice things for the community.

The story is lighthearted and has some interesting moments, although the romance feels a bit odd since all three are already in love with the protagonist to some degree.

(One of them is also a yandere, and her route basically runs with that as a character quirk you must accept.)

Healing Harem’s story setup makes me wonder if it would have worked better as a fully kinetic novel with all three stories occurring at the same time, since the route structure doesn’t make as much sense when they’re a harem anyway. Anyway, it’s a more interesting story than Divinity Stage, but not as entertaining as Useless Goddess.

So if you’re there for the fanservice or the jealous harem fantasy, or really like the LoveKami universe, LoveKami -Healing Harem- makes for a decent addition to the series. Are there any diehard LoveKami fans out there? And don’t forget, the previous two LoveKami games are among the prizes you can win just by leaving a comment in this year’s !

(Meanwhile, on the other end of the visual novel spectrum, an official tweet suggests we might actually get the Chaos;Head Noah/Chaos;Child bundle in English!)

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Valentine Video Game Festival: LoveKami -Healing Harem-

Last year I mentioned that I’d picked up the third LoveKami game in another visual novel bundle, so let’s keep the tradition going and talk about LoveKami -Healing Harem-.

Like its predecessors, it’s set in a world where goddesses have come to Earth to learn more about humanity.

It starts when the protagonist helps out a Tatarigami, a goddess whose powers bring trouble and misfortune, and she immediately declares herself to be his wife.

This causes conflict with the region’s guardian goddess, who is a reformed Tatarigami, and another goddess close to the protagonist (who also brings misfortune, but more in a “bad luck” sort of way than the dark powers the other two have), who then declare themselves to be his better half and mistress respectively.

As usual for the series, Healing Harem is largely a kinetic novel, with a single choice partway through that puts you on one of the three routes.

It goes all in on the fanservice, and as you might guess from the title, it doesn’t even try to pretend it’s anything other than a harem fantasy. Two of the routes specifically involve the goddess in question dealing with her jealousy of the other two, although the remaining route focuses more on the goddess wanting to do nice things for the community.

The story is lighthearted and has some interesting moments, although the romance feels a bit odd since all three are already in love with the protagonist to some degree.

(One of them is also a yandere, and her route basically runs with that as a character quirk you must accept.)

Healing Harem’s story setup makes me wonder if it would have worked better as a fully kinetic novel with all three stories occurring at the same time, since the route structure doesn’t make as much sense when they’re a harem anyway. Anyway, it’s a more interesting story than Divinity Stage, but not as entertaining as Useless Goddess.

So if you’re there for the fanservice or the jealous harem fantasy, or really like the LoveKami universe, LoveKami -Healing Harem- makes for a decent addition to the series. Are there any diehard LoveKami fans out there? And don’t forget, the previous two LoveKami games are among the prizes you can win just by leaving a comment in this year’s !

(Meanwhile, on the other end of the visual novel spectrum, an official tweet suggests we might actually get the Chaos;Head Noah/Chaos;Child bundle in English!)

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Valentine Video Games Festival: That Which Binds Us

We’ve got just over a week left in the Valentine’s Video Games Festival, so don’t forget to check out the and join in!

Our romance game for today is an otome visual novel called That Which Binds Us, which caught my attention because of its unusual premise.

The main character is Evalise, a young woman whose boyfriend keeps getting arrested. When she goes to get him a bail bond, she meets Idris, who offers to make her boyfriend completely forget her instead.

I thought this was a pretty intriguing premise, having a protagonist already in a relationship who then causes the other person to forget her. It made me think of those what-if-we-never-met scenarios that sometimes show up in sitcoms.

So I had a few ideas about where the story might go, none of which were accurate. The core of the story is about the growing relationship between Evalise and Idris after she accepts his offer. Once you reach the end, you unlock the option to refuse Idris’s offer on a second playthrough, but he does it anyway and the story plays out differently from there based on your choices.

That surprised me a bit, that there are multiple branching paths and different endings, but not different romance routes.

It’s a bit strange, because in some ways, the second playthrough branches are significantly different, but at the same time I felt a little disappointed that it was still dealing with the same basic ideas. That might be on me for hoping for different routes. I also hoped the magical side of things would take more of the focus than it did.

Nevertheless, the romance between Evalise and Idris works well enough, and there are some interesting twists in the story along the way.

So if you’re looking for a nice romance story with a light magical twist at its premise, you might consider That Which Binds Us.

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