Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 79

The Last Story Deserves More Recognition

Operation Rainfall was a 2011 fan campaign organized to push for North American releases of three Wii JRPGs, Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower.

The campaign was a success. I bought all three Operation Rainfall games at launch, but until this year, I had only ever played Xenoblade Chronicles. Similarly, Xenoblade is the only one that really took off, while the other two seem largely forgotten.

But now I’ve finally played The Last Story, and it deserves a lot more attention and recognition than it gets.

The Last Story is an action RPG from Mistwalker (Hironobu Sakaguchi’s company) about a mercenary named Zael who gains a mysterious power and ends up drawn into conflicts surrounding the Empire’s ongoing war with an enemy race.

The combat is a little unusual for an action RPG, as basic attacks are only a small part of what you’ll be using. You also have a crossbow for ranged attacks, Zael’s power that lets you draw enemy attention to him, and a command system that lets you issue orders to your party members.

Combat ends up feeling fairly strategic, with a lot of time spent issuing commands and deciding how to use spells together with Zael’s “Gale” ability, which lets him diffuse a party member’s spell circle. For example, a fire-based spell circle will deal fire damage to enemies, but diffusing it breaks the enemy’s guard.

There are also a lot of quirky little things in the game, like how you can shoot banana peels at NPCs to make them slip, or aim at sparkling spots on the ground or in the air to collect a stat boost, or watch for random traveling merchants selling items at low prices if you reach them fast enough. It’s definitely not a by-the-books game; while some of its decisions feel odd, they also give it a lot of heart.

Now, I’d somehow gotten the impression before I played that The Last Story wasn’t particularly story-heavy, which is one of the reasons I never got around to it. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The Last Story is very story-driven, and sometimes I’d miss party banter because I accidentally walked into the next cutscene before the dialogue had finished. The pacing can be odd, with large linear sections broken up by sections where you’re back in town with new side quests to accept and optional chapters to complete, but it doesn’t feel bad. I went into it knowing nothing about it except “band of mercenaries,” and I enjoyed the twists and turns as the story went on.

It’s not a perfect story by any means. Some of the dialogue felt a bit forced, some parts were too predictable, and a few points could have definitely used improvements to be stronger.

Click for major The Last Story spoilersIn particular, I felt the game did itself a disservice in the way it handled Dagran. I grew suspicious of him early on because of how hard he was pushing to work with the Count, and the confrontation where he admits to framing Jirall pretty much confirmed it for me. If they had left that ambiguous, if they left me only suspecting that he framed Jirall for a while longer, I think it would have worked better.

But worse than that, the game really sidelines him after a certain point. He starts out being a major part of the team, but after a while he disappears from story events entirely. The others started feeling more like my true party, so the emotional impact of learning the truth felt weaker. If they kept him more involved for longer and really built up that bond, it would have made his betrayal so much more impactful (and less obvious).

A few more “casual” scenes to show the bond between party members also would have helped a lot. Yet even if The Last Story wasn’t perfect, it definitely was enjoyable. There were so many fun parts and beautiful moments that made me wish Mistwalker was still actively making games.

I understand why The Last Story ended up overshadowed by Xenoblade. It hasn’t become a new must-play favorite for me the way Xenoblade did… but it’s a game that deserves a second chance. I would love to see The Last Story remastered or ported so that more people have a chance to play this overlooked JRPG, and if they ever make The Last Story 2, I’d absolutely give it 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 The Last Story Deserves More Recognition appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

New TWEWY Countdown Suggests Possible Sequel (Please)

Square Enix has opened up a new website for The World Ends With You displaying a countdown to a date when more information will be revealed.

With the anime on the horizon, you might assume the new countdown is related to that, but there are a few reasons why that seems unlikely.

First, the anime has its own website.

Second, the official Twitter account for the anime did not share the link to the countdown page.

Third and most significantly, the official Twitter account for Square Enix’s 1st Development Division did, in addition to changing their Twitter avatar and header to match.

TIMELIMIT WITHIN 7DAYShttps://t.co/Y0U4JoEShO

— SQEX 第１開発事業本部PR (@1stPD_PR) November 17, 2020

All of these things make it feel incredibly likely that the news coming at the end of this countdown is not related to the anime at all, but to a game.

Of course, hoping for a TWEWY sequel has ended in disappointment many times in the past, such as during the infamous 2012 countdown that ended up being for the mobile port of The World Ends With You, which in turn teased a sequel that came to nothing before being referenced again in the Final Remix’s new content. So I’m bracing myself for this to be for a mobile port of The World Ends With You: Final Remix.

But I really want a The World Ends With You sequel, so here’s hoping this is actually the news we’ve been waiting for! What do you think the countdown is for?

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 New TWEWY Countdown Suggests Possible Sequel (Please) appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Stolen Capcom Data Says Dai Gyakuten Saiban Localization is Confirmed

Earlier this month, Capcom’s servers were hit by a ransomware attack that targeted a significant amount of data and information.

Now some of that stolen information has appeared online… and it includes what appears to be confirmation that we’ll finally get Dai Gyakuten Saiban in the west.

Dai Gyakuten Saiban, also known as The Great Ace Attorney, is a historical spin-off starring Phoenix Wright’s ancestor. It and its sequel were released for the 3DS exclusively in Japan.

Since the information was stolen from Capcom, I’m not going to link to the reports and screenshots that have been going around, but we should still talk about it. Basically, it shows a new Ace Attorney collection for the Switch and PS4 that includes Dai Gyakuten Saiban and Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2, with references to an English localization of the digital version.

(Screenshots suggest they’ve sidestepped any potential legal trouble by using the good old Herlock Sholmes fallback.)

Of course, this is even sketchier than a typical leak, and it’s possible these were old plans Capcom since scrapped. It’s terrible that this happened, and I hope they’ll be able to recover from the attack and find the people responsible.

If it’s true, however, I’ll gladly do my part to help Capcom out by buying a copy of that collection!

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 Stolen Capcom Data Says Dai Gyakuten Saiban Localization is Confirmed appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Kingdom Hearts Ultimania to be Published in English

There have been several “Ultimania” books released for the Kingdom Hearts series over the years, but they’ve never been available in English.

So every time an Ultimania comes out, most of us rely on fan translations to learn about the interviews, explanations, and other story details included in these books.

For the first time, however, a Kingdom Hearts Ultimania is getting an English release.

Dark Horse Books will publish Kingdom Hearts Ultimania: The Story Before Kingdom Hearts III on June 15, 2021 for $44.99, with preorders available now.

Titled Kingdom Hearts Series Memorial Ultimania in Japan, this was first released in 2014 as a recap of the games leading up to Kingdom Hearts III.

So no, we won’t be getting new insight into Kingdom Hearts III and the upcoming new saga from this.

But even though it’s an old one, it’s exciting to finally get an official English Kingdom Hearts Ultimania. Hopefully this will just be the first of many to come.

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 Kingdom Hearts Ultimania to be Published in English appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Reviving My Review of The 25th Ward: The Silver Case

The Silver 2425, a collection that includes Suda51’s The Silver Case and its sequel The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, is coming to the Switch next year.

The news made me realize that while you can still read my review of The Silver Case, my 25th Ward review (which I reviewed on another site as a freelancer) is gone. Even the Wayback Machine can’t find it.

So in honor of these games coming to the Switch, I’d like to revive my 25th Ward: The Silver Case review and talk about a weird sequel to a weird game.

The Silver Case is a strange, confusing visual novel with adventure game elements that had me intrigued in the story even when I didn’t know what was going on. The 25th Ward is much the same, and I’d say it’s even weirder.

Sometimes it’s a dark, grim noir mystery, while other times it veers into dark humor. That aspect came through much stronger than in The Silver Case. There are times when The 25th Ward is hilarious, but never in a way that really distracts from its disturbing tone.

The gameplay can be tedious, and just like in its predecessor, it feels unnecessary at times. The story is the major focus.

Set six years after The Silver Case, it follows three different stories this time. These three stories slowly come together, and there are connections back to the original game, too. It can be pretty difficult to follow, and the whole thing is strange and surreal, but once again I found myself invested in the story – not to mention waiting to see what wild and bizarre thing it might do next.

The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is not a game for everyone, but if you enjoyed The Silver Case, you’ll probably enjoy its sequel too.

While the Switch version of The Silver 2425 hasn’t been confirmed for an English release yet, the English website mentions it and Suda51 said during the announcement that he’d like to release it in English. Have you played The Silver Case or The 25th Ward? Are you interested in The Silver 2425? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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 Reviving My Review of The 25th Ward: The Silver Case appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Mass Effect Remasters, New Mass Effect Confirmed

Since November 7 has become known as “N7 Day,” it’s a chance each year to get Mass Effect news from BioWare.

This year, the hopes came true, as they confirmed the long-rumored next-gen remasters of the Mass Effect Trilogy, in a collection called Mass Effect Legendary Edition due out in Spring 2021, and also teased the next Mass Effect game.

Well… “teased” might be a little strong, since all they really did was confirm they have a new Mass Effect currently in development from a “veteran team.” However, they also shared an image (pictured above) together with the news.

The image shows a ship on an unknown planet with four silhouetted figures standing next to it.

If you check the URL of the image in the announcement, its title appears to be “mud skipper,” suggesting that’s the name of this new ship (or type of ship). The silhouettes seem to include a salarian, a drell, and possibly an angara.

Based on the possible presence of an angara, the new game is most likely Andromeda 2. This has caused some division among fans, since some hoped the next game would be completely removed from Andromeda. Personally, I don’t mind. I had mixed feelings about Andromeda, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with its setting. If Andromeda 2 has more interesting worlds, better dialogue choices, and (please) a better villain, it could be a great game.

Dragon Age 4 will probably be out first, and that will probably help shape how confident I am in the next Mass Effect game, as well.

Meanwhile, I doubt I’ll get the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, but it reminded me that I never actually played the Citadel DLC despite all the praise it gets. Maybe I ought to finally do that.

Are you planning to buy the Mass Effect trilogy remaster? What are your hopes for the new Mass Effect game? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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 Mass Effect Remasters, New Mass Effect Confirmed appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Tales 25th Anniversary Live Stream and Falcom Day 2020 Announced

As we get closer to the end of the year, we have two upcoming JRPG events to look forward to!

First, Bandai Namco announced a live stream to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Tales series.

The date hasn’t been announced, but December 15 is the anniversary itself.

According to the translation from Gematsu, it will feature development stories, discussions around player questions, and the latest information about “mobile games, events, anniversary goods, and more.”

I hope we get at least some news about Tales of Arise. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen anything. Bandai Namco has also been filing trademarks for “Tales of Luminaria,” so it’s likely we’ll find out exactly what that is. (New mobile game? Smaller-scale mainline game?)

Moving on, Kadokawa Game Linkage and Falcom have announced “Falcom Day 2020 Winter” for December 20, as reported here.

Falcom Day will feature the company’s 2021 plans, segments with voice actors and Falcom’s president, and a performance from the Falcom jdk Band.

It’s unlikely we’ll get any Crossbell or Hajimari localization news, since it’s a Japanese event, but maybe they’ll officially reveal the next Trails arc and the mysterious new combat system. Who knows, maybe they’ll announce a new Ys game or even something unexpected like a Gurumin sequel (I can dream).

Both of these events could potentially have exciting announcements, so I’m looking forward to them. What do you think will be announced?

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 Tales 25th Anniversary Live Stream and Falcom Day 2020 Announced appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Even More Silent Hill Reboot Rumors

At the start of this year, rumors of a Silent Hill reboot were rampant until Konami denied them.

Silent Hill did see a little bit of renewed life last month with the surprise release of Silent Hill 4: The Room on GOG.

(Although unfortunately it appears to still be missing the hauntings that were cut from the original PC version.)

Now the reboot rumors are in full force once again thanks to a few new sources once again claiming it’s real. First we have Robert Serrano, a business analyst who tweeted that a new Silent Hill for the PS5 will be revealed at the Game Awards.

Rely On Horror reported the claim and mentioned that it “lines up with some information [they] received a little while back.”

Although things quieted down a little bit after Konami’s denial of the rumors in March, it didn’t stop entirely, especially after Konami casually created a Silent Hill Twitter account in July for seemingly no reason except to promote the Dead By Daylight crossover. Now more sources are chiming in to say that there is Silent Hill news on the way.

It’s starting to feel more and more like a new Silent Hill game really will be announced, and I’m not sure how that makes me feel.

First, I’m still not clear on what a Silent Hill reboot would even be. A game without ties to the originals’ stories? They’ve already done that. A game that reinvents the Silent Hill lore? They’ve sort of done that with the later games, too. A reimagining of the first game? Yes, they’ve done that, too!

With a series already as fractured as Silent Hill, what does a reboot even look like?

Then of course there’s my skepticism that a new Silent Hill game will actually be good. The series wasn’t exactly in peak condition when we last saw it, and Konami hasn’t earned much good will since then.

Some of the rumors claim Konami is working directly with Sony on this project, however, which would open the door for all sorts of things – a collaboration with SIE Japan Studio to have a new Silent Hill developed by Project Siren/Team Gravity, the division created by former members of Team Silent? That would probably be the ideal announcement.

Well, the Game Awards are on December 10, so we’ll know in just over a month if the latest rumors are true. Final Fantasy XVI’s announcement really happened… maybe Silent Hill is next.

What do you think? Will the rumored Silent Hill reboot be announced?

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 Even More Silent Hill Reboot Rumors appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Final Fantasy XVI Website, No More Heroes Ports, and More!

November is here! Celebrating All Things Spooky is over and the winners are being contacted, NaNoWriMo has begun and I’m 4600 words into a new novel, and it’s time to catch up on the exciting news we skipped over during October.

One of the most notable ones is the official opening of the Final Fantasy XVI website.

As expected, the website doesn’t provide a huge amount of information, but it does shed more light on the characters and world. The Final Fantasy XVI protagonist has a name now, Clive Rosfield. It also confirmed that he is literally Joshua’s older brother, which fans had been debating about.

(Although we still don’t know for sure if they’re full brothers or half-brothers, since it’s a popular theory that Clive is the duke’s illegitimate son.)

The girl seen briefly in the trailer alongside them has also been officially revealed as Jill Warrick, a ward of the Archduke who was taken from her own country to bring peace between the two nations.

Speaking of which, the website’s world section not only includes the concept art we first looked at almost a year ago now, but it also gives more information about the world of Valisthea, Eikons and the Dominants who can call upon them, and the six realms of Valisthea.

Even from the few details provided about the six different realms, I’m already excited about the potential this world holds for an exciting story.

Moving on from Final Fantasy, remember the possibility of a No More Heroes Switch port? Yep, that happened. No More Heroes and No More Heroes 2 have both been released on the Switch.

If a physical edition isn’t announced soon, I’ll probably pick up the first No More Heroes since I’ve been curious about giving the series a try.

Those are probably the biggest announcements I want to bring up from October, but it’s also worth mentioning that the Crossbell games are getting Switch ports in Asia. Still no English localization, but every time Falcom does anything with Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki, it feels like our chances of seeing an official Crossbell translation get a little better.

That’s all for now. How do you feel about the new Final Fantasy XVI details, the No More Heroes Switch ports, and more Trails games coming to the Switch? Let me know in the comments!

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 XVI Website, No More Heroes Ports, and More! appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Celebrating All Things Spooky: Death Mark

Happy Halloween!

It’s time for a special Halloween Celebrating All Things Spooky review with a look at Spirit Hunter: Death Mark.

(That link goes to the Switch version, but it’s also available for PC, PS4, and Vita.)

Death Mark puts you in the shoes of a man with amnesia who has a strange mark on his arm… a mark that he learns heralds the bearer’s upcoming death due to being cursed by a spirit. He soon joins forces with other Mark Bearers to track down and defeat the spirits that cursed them.

It is a combination of a visual novel and an adventure game, and in some way it reminds me of Ace Attorney – if Ace Attorney had battles against deadly spirits instead of trials.

In each chapter, you investigate a haunted location with a partner. You usually get to choose your partner from 2 or 3 characters, and different characters have different skills or knowledge that can come in handy. You search locations for clues and items that can help you proceed.

Occasionally you’re placed in a deadly situation where you need to use the knowledge you’ve obtained to choose the correct answers and survive.

Then there are the battles against the spirits, in which you and your partner must use items on each turn. Once again, you’ll need to have paid attention to the clues along the way to know which items to use to survive (and which to use for the best outcome, which involves putting the spirit to rest instead of destroying it).

The story is pretty interesting, and each chapter has its own dark story as you learn about the spirit. Aside from those narrative horror aspects, Death Mark also does a great job with little unsettling touches as you explore, such as having a ghost visible while you pan your flashlight over a certain area yet disappear when you look again.

Navigating between areas was a little odd at times, but overall I found Spirit Hunter: Death Mark to be an enjoyable game and a great way to end this year’s spooky season. So if you enjoy this sort of game, be sure to check out Death Mark!

(I’m not entirely done with spooky games yet for the year, though, because I have Bloodborne in progress.)

I’ll be looking forward to playing the second game in the series at some point as well. That’s it for Celebrating All Things Spooky 2020! You have the rest of today to leave comments for the contest and get my horror novellas on sale, and stay tuned for the upcoming announcement of the contest winners.

Happy Halloween!

Like this post? Tell your friends!










Want more horror? The Book at Dernier and It Came Back are on sale now for $0.99 each!




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 Celebrating All Things Spooky: Death Mark appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.