Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 8

428: Shibuya Scramble Executive Producer Announces New Live Action Adventure Game

You might remember us briefly discussing 428: Shibuya Scramble back when it was first translated, and ever since then, I’ve had it on my list of games to play.

428: Shibuya Scramble is an adventure game that uses live action footage and follows multiple characters with intersecting stories.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about it, but I just haven’t gotten around to playing it yet.

Well, the game’s executive producer, Jiro Ishii, has announced a crowdfunding campaign for a new live action adventure game. According to the translation from Gematsu, 428: Shibuya Scramble was developed with the goal of surpassing the older live action adventure game Machi, but live action game has surpassed 428: Shibuya Scramble in turn yet.

It sounds like that will be the goal with this new project, which will also be set in Shibuya and feature multiple protagonists.

The crowdfunding campaign will be through Ubgoe, a Japanese crowdfunding site. Here’s hoping it sees a lot of success and eventually gets a translation!

In the meantime, I should finally play 428: Shibuya Scramble…

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Breath of Fire IV Now Available on GOG

Not too long ago, we were talking about Silent Hill 4 on PC having its missing content restored thanks to the GOG Preservation Program, and now that same program has brought us more exciting news.

GOG has something they call the Dreamlist, where fans can vote for games they’d like to see added.

With over 23,000 votes, Breath of Fire IV was able to get enough attention to be released through GOG.

The Breath of Fire series has been slightly dead for a long time now. Technically the last new game in the series was Breath of Fire 6 in 2016, but that was a mobile game that never got localized and was shut down a year later, after such a terrible reception that its average review score was 1.5 stars. The last proper new entry before that came out in 2002.

So any Breath of Fire news is a positive sign, and I’ve been hopeful ever since Capcom featured Breath of Fire in a poll a couple years back.

Up until today, Breath of Fire IV was most readily accessible through the PSN copy playable on PS3 or Vita, which means the new availability of the PC version is great news. Here’s hoping it sells well and shows Capcom that Breath of Fire is definitely one of those series they should revive!

Are you planning to play Breath of Fire IV?

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New Trailer for No Sleep for Kaname Date Shows Returning Characters and More

There’s a new trailer out for No Sleep for Kaname Date, providing a general introduction to the game.

One thing that stands out to me is that partway through, the trailer describes the game as “Somnium x Escape Room.”

The addition of the escape room features is definitely something they’ve been highlighting, and this trailer makes that more evident than ever. From everything we’ve seen it seems like you’ll play as Date during investigations, Aiba in the Somniums, and now also Iris for the escape room parts.

We get to see a quick glimpse of new scenes not seen in the previous trailers, as well as several more returning characters, like Ota and Boss.

It also starts with a look at a UFO, but I’m not convinced the whole “Iris was abducted by a UFO” premise won’t turn out to be a trick in some way. An actual alien abduction feels a bit too out of line with the rest of the series.

(I can only imagine how random the part at 1:12 must seem to anyone who isn’t already familiar with Date.)

You know, the more I think about this game being set in between the two main games, the more intrigued I am. I enjoyed Nirvana Initiative, but it never fit together with the first game as neatly as I would have liked. My ideal hope is that No Sleep for Kaname Date makes use of its place in the timeline to smooth things out between the two games a little better.

In the meantime, we’re one day away from the release of The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, and it’s gotten excellent reviews. I can’t wait to start it. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 also comes out tomorrow and got fantastic reviews, so my backlog is crying. I’m sure I’ll be all caught up in time for No Sleep for Kaname Date.

…Right?

Anyway, what are you thoughts on the latest trailer for No Sleep for Kaname Date?

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Star Wars Turn-Based Tactics Game Announced

After being announced earlier this month, Star Wars Zero Company was officially announced over the weekend.

Zero Company is a turn-based tactics game being developed by Bit Reactor and Respawn Entertainment.

It’s set during the Clone Wars and features a series of tactical missions. The main character will have a customizable combat class and recruit a wide variety of squadmates with different strengths and abilities.

Now, I always have trouble remembering where the line is between turn-based tactics games and strategy RPGs, because I’m pretty sure there is a difference and they’re two separate genres despite the overlap. So I think this means the tactical elements will be at the forefront, with RPG aspects being more minor. I’ve seen a lot of XCOM comparisons.

For a game like this, the story will be the thing to draw me in, and I’m not entirely hooked yet. And I haven’t exactly been keeping up with Star Wars games (I started Fallen Order a few years ago and never got back to it), either.

But Zero Company looks interesting enough that I’ll keep an eye on it.

It won’t be out until 2026, so that’s quite a ways off anyway.

Are you interested in Star Wars Zero Company?

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Kindaichi Mystery Series: The Honjin Murders Delayed to April 24

Back near the start of March, we discussed an upcoming visual novel called Kindaichi Mystery Series: The Honjin Murders, based on a 1946 mystery novel.

At the time, its PC release was set for March 20, with the Switch version to follow.

Since then, it was delayed, and I missed the news entirely (probably because I still can’t believe we’re already in April, and here we are over halfway through the month already). Now the new release date has been announced as April 24.

Not only that, but they mentioned that they spoke to the developers of No Case Should Remain Unsolved, a mystery game with a similar gameplay mechanic, and got their approval for taking inspiration from it.

There are a lot of games coming out soon that I want to play, not to mention the backlog I’m slowly drowning under, but this is definitely one I want to keep an eye on… especially if we’re going to discuss mystery games this May!

Are you planning to pick up Kindaichi Mystery Series: The Honjin Murders?

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Kamitsubaki Academy Newspaper Club Looks Like an Interesting Investigation Game

Kamitsubaki Academy Newspaper Club is a recently-announced adventure game that looks like it could be pretty interesting.

You wake up in Kamitsubaki City with amnesia and start working alongside the Kamitsubaki Academy Newspaper Club to investigate secrets and mysteries in the city.

According to the Steam page, gameplay will be divided into two sections: story sections where you spend time with the other club members and investigation sections where you investigate the city.

Investigations appear to rely on stats: Movement, Wisdom, Insight, Mystery, and Luck.

They haven’t shown too much about the game yet, but it’s enough to make me interested.

Now, it’s set in the same universe as other Kamitsubaki City games. Looking on Steam, I see a post-apocalyptic rhythm game called Kamitsubaki City Ensemble and a visual novel called Kamitsubaki City Regenerate, and it seems like they’re all part of a larger multimedia project.

All in all, it seems intriguing, so I might look into the other games more. In the meantime, Kamitsubaki Academy Newspaper Club looks like it has potential.

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New Death Mark DLC is Available Now for the Switch

There’s new DLC available for Spirit Hunter: Death Mark!

And no, I didn’t forget the number. This isn’t DLC for last year’s Death Mark II, but for the original Death Mark that we discussed back in 2020.

Death Mark first came out in 2017, but it got a new DLC episode in Japan last summer exclusively for the Switch version. No one was sure if it would get translated or not, but now it’s finally available.

According to the announcement from Aksys, Death Mark Chapter 7: Kaerazu’s Amusement Park follows Moe Watanabe when she finds that Yashiki and Mashita have gone missing and starts a new investigation.

It costs $9.99 and can be accessed from the title screen.

Now, this puts me in a bit of an odd situation. Of course I want to play the new Death Mark DLC… but even though I played NG and Death Mark II on the Switch, I played the PC version of the original Death Mark. Do I wait in the hopes that the DLC comes to PC, even though there’s been no sign of it yet? Or do I pick up a Switch copy of Death Mark for the DLC? I enjoyed Death Mark enough that I wouldn’t mind having a physical copy, and being able to play it from the title menu means I’d be all set from the start.

Either way, it looks like I’ll need to wait a bit before playing the new Death Mark DLC. Are you planning to pick it up?

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New Trailer (and Steam Page) for No Sleep for Kaname Date

No Sleep for Kaname Date: From AI: The Somnium Files was my favorite surprise announcement from March’s Nintendo Direct, so let’s talk about the latest details!

Spike Chunsoft released a new trailer for No Sleep for Kaname Date, along with an official game description that confirms the new escape room segments the first trailer implied.

In addition to the “Investigation” and “Somnium” gameplay sections from the previous games, there will now also be “Escape” sections where the player must solve puzzles to escape locked rooms.

It also confirms that it takes place only one day after the resolution of the first game, which raises certain questions for me (you know what I’m talking about), but since it also says Iris has been abducted by a UFO, I have to question what’s going on in this game in general.

The trailer itself doesn’t show too much besides what was already in the Nintendo Direct trailer.

In addition to the trailer, thhe has been updated to reveal two new characters, one being an ABIS engineer named Hina and the other being the host of the escape game, Akemi.

The is up as well, with some new screenshots.

Preorders are open now, too. I’m a little disappointed that there isn’t a limited edition this time, but you do get a couple holographic stickers plus an exclusive Mizuki sticker if you order from . The store page also confirms that the Switch 2 version is a Game-Key Card rather than a regular game card, so even if I intended to get a Switch 2 at launch, I’d still be going for the Switch version.

Anyway, although I have some criticisms of Nirvana Initiative’s story compared to that of the first game, I’m excited for this new game and I can’t wait to see where it goes. What are your hopes for No Sleep for Kaname Date?

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Hakuoki SSL ~Sweet School Life~ is Coming West This Year

Eastasiasoft held its spring showcase today, and it started out with quite an unexpected announcement for otome fans.

It was a little over a year ago that Eastasiasoft announced Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom, the Switch version of Hakuoki that combines Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms into a single game.

With a new publisher handling it, I’d wondered if that might lead to more Hakuoki localizations later on down the line, since there are fandiscs and spin-offs.

Well, it must have been a hit for Eastasiasoft, because Hakuoki SSL: Sweet School Life will be coming to the west for the first time later this year!

Hakuoki SSL originally came out in 2014 for the Vita and was ported to the Switch in 2023. This is the first time it will be getting an English translation.

It’s an alternate universe spin-off that puts the characters in a modern day school setting instead of the historical era of the main series, so it sounds like it will be a lighthearted, fun twist on the story.

They also announced a Limited Edition that contains the game, a manual, the soundtrack, an art book, acrylic standees, and a few other bonuses, with preorders going live at Play-Asia on April 10.

I haven’t played Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom yet since 1) my backlog is huge, and 2) it’s a long game, but now I’m motivated to play it before this spin-off comes out! It’s planned for Quarter 4 2025, so at least I have some time…

Are you interested in Hakuoki SSL: Sweet School Life?

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Thoughts on the Nintendo Treehouse Live Streams

Nintendo followed up the Switch 2 Direct on Wednesday with two days of live streams from Nintendo Treehouse.

Yesterday’s stream lasted a little over four hours, while today’s stream was around three.

I’ll never forget that amazing E3 when the Treehouse segments after the main show actually included a few new surprise announcements. I loved it. Maybe that wasn’t a successful format, though, because they’ve never done it again.

So these streams didn’t contain any new announcements, just a better look at the games already announced.

Mario Kart World was a big highlight of the live streams, and it does look fun. It just doesn’t look like $80 worth of fun. They also revealed that holding an item behind you is now something that happens automatically, which is an unexpected change. I’m not sure how I feel about it. The game looks beautiful, though.

The other big highlight for me was Donkey Kong Bananza, of course, the Switch 2 game I’m most interested in right now. The collect-a-thon nature appeals to me, and it’s fun to see how you can use environment destruction to get around obstacles. I was concerned it might get repetitive with how much smashing/digging I saw at first, but the later parts of the streams showed more platformer elements.

Metroid Prime 4 looks great, too, but I still want to play the others first.

Meanwhile, I didn’t care too much for watching segments on already-released games that are just getting upgrades on the Switch 2, but I did find it interesting that Bravely Default is getting two mini-games added for the HD Remaster.

Nintendo Treehouse didn’t sell me on immediately getting a Switch 2, but it did help make sure Donkey Kong Bananza and Metroid Prime 4 remain on the list of games I want to keep in mind. Outside of the Treehouse streams, Nintendo also published an interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki about The Duskbloods, which confirms beyond a doubt that it’s a multiplayer-focused game, so I can cross that off my list.

Did you watch the Nintendo Treehouse streams? Have any of the gameplay demonstrations swayed you one way or another?

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