The PlayStation Plus monthly games lineup for April is here to test your teamwork while fighting outlaws, explore the ocean below, and deck building skills for a diverse line-up of titles to add to your library! From Tuesday, 5 April recent titles Hood: Outlaws & Legends, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated,and Slay the Spire will arrive on PlayStation Plus.
Let’s take a closer look at the games…
Hood: Outlaws & Legends | PS4 & PS5
Hood: In this intense online multiplayer2 title, rival gangs compete in daring heists to hit the wealthy where it hurts. One of the different game modes is State Heist: a full co-op PvE mode where teams control spawn points to recuperate as much gold as possible. In Gold Rush PvPvE mode however, two teams of four players battle it out in an attempt to execute the perfect heist, stealing and extracting treasure while fighting each other and the AI Guards. Equipped with unique skills and mystical abilities, each character moves in stealth to steal treasures unseen. It’s up to you to recruit your band of outlaws, master formidable fortresses and outplay your rivals. Watch the trailer here.
Hood: Outlaws & Legends will be available to PlayStation Plus members until Monday, 2 May.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated | PS4
The classic platformer returns, faithfully remade in spongetastic splendor! Play as SpongeBob, Patrick and Sandy and use their unique sets of skills to thwart Plankton’s evil plan to rule Bikini Bottom with his army of wacky robots. Meet countless characters from the beloved series and enjoy horde mode for up to two players, online and offline. Watch the trailer here.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated will be available to PlayStation Plus members until Monday, 2 May.
Slay the Spire | PS4
Embark on a journey up the ever-changing Spire, in this fantasy deckbuilder adventure that fuses together card games and roguelikes. Craft a unique deck from hundreds of cards to efficiently dispatch foes and reach the top. Discover powerful relics to enhance your deck’s powers to help you overcome different enemies and bosses. Watch the trailer here.
Slay the Spire will be available to PlayStation Plus members until Monday, 2 May.
Don’t forget, players still have time to download the March PlayStation Plus games, with Add: Survival Evolved, Team Sonic Racing, and Ghostrunner all available until Thursday, 31 May.
To learn more about the PlayStation Plus lineup for April, head to the PlayStation Blog.
RPG Worlds Collide in Crossover Content Between Tales of Arise and SCARLET NEXUS, Starting Today
An exciting crossover between Tales of Arise and SCARLET NEXUS is available today, with a free update bringing new content to both games.
In Tales of Arise, players can unleash the power of the mind with the new SCARLET NEXUS-themed content available in-game, including Myoho Murasama Replica, a new weapon for Alphen, two additional attachments, the Handmade Hair Clip Replica and Baki, as well as a new battle background music (BGM) called Opposed Viewpoint. In SCARLET NEXUS, players can challenge the fate that binds them with the new Tales of Arise-themed content available in-game, including the Blazing Sword for Yuito alongside the Broken Iron Mask and Owlet Doll attachments, and new Tales of Arise battle background music (BGM).
Watch the new trailer:
Released last year, Tales of Arise begins with two people, born on different worlds, each looking to change their fate and create a new future. Set on the planet Dahna, reverence has always been given to Rena, the planet in the sky, as a land of the righteous and divine. Stories handed down for generations became truth and masked reality for the people of Dahna. For 300 years, Rena has ruled over Dahna, pillaging the planet of its resources, and stripping people of their dignity and freedom.
Also released in 2021, SCARLET NEXUS challenges players to take on the role of Yuito Sumeragi or Kasane Randall as they team up with a colorful cast of characters to strike down the deranged mutants known as the Others with powerful psycho-kinetic abilities in the futuristic city of New Himuka.
Tales of Arise and SCARLET NEXUS are available on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC via STEAM®.
Shoot Down Enemies, Pull Insane Stunts, Look Cool Doing it in a Transforming Spy Car
WELLINGTON, NZ – 31 March 2022 –Agent Intercept,the over-the-top arcade action game with a transforming spy vehicle from developer PikPok, is now available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.
Jump behind the wheel of the Sceptre, a sleek spy car with an arsenal of high-tech weapons and the ability to instantly transform into different vehicles. Blaze across land, sea, and sky on dangerous missions to stop the nefarious organization CLAW and save the world from total destruction! Dodge enemy fire, mines, and lasers while performing over-the-top stunts and racking up points with classic arcade-inspired controls. It’ll take all the Sceptre’s firepower and cutting-edge technology to uncover CLAW’s secret plots and stop them once and for all.
Progress through three escalating chapters in Campaign Mode, where CLAW’s nefarious plans threaten the very foundations of the world itself. Complete thrilling, action-packed sequences punctuated by setpiece boss battles and uncover a story full of espionage, mysterious characters, and enough high-tech weaponry to challenge even the most seasoned spy.
Dive deeper into the life of a secret agent by completing side missions, unlocking secret experiments, and enjoying endless replayability with three Score Attack modes. Take aim in Target Practice, push the Sceptre to its limits in Time Trial, and claim the top spot on the Highscore Chase global leaderboard! With a high-energy original soundtrack and art inspired by beloved spy fiction, Agent Intercept’s emphasis on action creates an experience unlike any other.
“Agent Intercept is an action-packed thrill ride that offers something completely new to the arcade action-driving genre. It has been a real passion project for the studio,” said Mario Wynands, CEO, PikPok “Giving a diverse range of teams from art, narrative, and audio the opportunity to present a unique twist on the classic spy theme. We’re thrilled to share that experience with players on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation consoles, and Xbox systems today!”
Agent Intercept has been optimized to provide the ultimate action experience, with 5.1 surround sound, haptic feedback, and 4k resolution (excluding Nintendo Switch) and is now available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One for US$19.99. English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional & Simplified), Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese-language support are available at launch.
PikPok is a Wellington, New Zealand-based video game developer and publisher of great games across mobile, tablet, and desktop. With a portfolio of original, licensed, and third-party developed properties, PikPok delivers games that appeal to all players with pick-up-and-play gameplay, high-quality art, and immersive audio design which provide rich game experiences. PikPok has released successful original games including Rival Stars® Horse Racing, Agent Intercept™, Into the Dead® 2, Flick Kick® Football Legends, and Shatter™.
Pre-existing Owners Are Able to Upgrade to Hideo Kojima’s Definitive Edition For Only $39.99
CALABASAS, Calif. – March 30, 2022 – KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS and videogame publisher 505 Games proudly announce the release of the award-winningDEATHSTRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT for PC, Hideo Kojima’s definitive vision of his critically-acclaimed and genre-defying epic. Available today via Steam and the Epic Games Store for PC, DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT expands upon the award-winning adventure with an array of new features, including extended storyline, new stealth missions, combat abilities, inventory, buildable structures, cosmetic options, and more.
Most notably, DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT now includes the ‘Ruined Factory’ location, a treacherous underground compound packed with fresh dangers, plus Sam now has a wealth of new delivery assists, from cargo catapults and ramps to a stabiliser function. Melee combat has been amped up with enhanced moves such as the drop kick, whilst the new Maser Gun pacifies enemies with electricity. Finding the perfect weapon loadout is now achievable thanks to the new firing range location, whilst vehicles can be raced on the new racetrack minigame. Protagonist Sam Bridges can even ride Buddy Bots to traverse the wastelands with greater ease.
Coming soon, DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT will also support Intel’s new Xe Super Sampling (XeSS) graphics technology for an unparalleled experience on PC. XeSS uses machine learning for elevated game performance and enables players to explore the unique environment of DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT in staggering graphical detail.
Existing owners of DEATH STRANDING can upgrade to the DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT for the price of $9.99 by installing the current game and purchasing through the in-game storefront. They will also be able to seamlessly transfer across any previous game saves. Those discovering the DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT for the first time can buy Kojima’s ultimate version for $39.99.
505 Games, a subsidiary of the Italian entertainment company Digital Bros., is a global video game publisher focused on offering a broad selection of titles for players of all ages and skill levels. The company publishes and distributes premium and free-to-play games on leading console, PC (Steam and GoG) and handheld platforms as well as for mobile devices and social networks. Publishing highlights in premium games include Remedy Entertainment’s critically-acclaimed Control, Typhoon Studios’ comedic action-exploration game Journey to the Savage Planet, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Indivisible, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons, Last Day of June, PAYDAY 2, Terraria, Portal Knights, ABZÛ and Virginia. Free-to-play publishing highlights include Battle Islands, Gems of War and Hawken. Distribution highlights include No Man’s Sky, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Warhammer: Vermintide 2, Dead by Daylight and Inside/Limbo. Upcoming titles include Hideo Kojima’s DEATH STRANDING for PC. 505 Games has offices in California, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, China and Japan. The company works with a network of distribution and sub-licensing partners in all other markets. For more information on 505 Games and its products please visit 505games.com.
Build your hero and defeat the Corruption on your own or in four-player co-op when it arrives later this year in Early Access
STOCKHOLM – March 30, 2022 – Developer Stitch Heads and publisher Raw Fury have teamed up to announce Superfuse, a new superhero-themed action RPG and the pairing’s most ambitious title yet! Hack and slash hordes of enemies in this comic book-inspired experience with a robust skill-tree system that lets you customize your powers and build your own superhero. Superfuse is available to wishlist on Steam and will launch into Steam Early Access later this year, with a full release expected in 2023.
Centuries ago, humanity escaped the dying Earth with technology funded by the corporate elite. As humans spread across the solar system, the wealthy lived in luxury, extending their lives and augmenting themselves with superpowers, becoming gods while the rest of humanity barely clung to life. Dissent grew but a new threat emerged in the form of shambling monsters called the Corruption. And so the corporate gods created the Enforcers to patrol the solar system and deal with the danger posed by the Corruption.
Superfuse features dynamic skill trees that let you choose a class and augment abilities to customize your Enforcer, with tons of loot to make exploring procedurally generated levels worth your while. Travel the solar system to futuristic cities, corrupted lands, and treacherous dungeons packed with lore, secrets and treasures. Play solo or in online drop-in/drop-out co-op for up to four players against hordes of abominations and powerful bosses, with a fully voiced campaign brought to life by talented voice actors like Eli Harris.
Stitch Heads is a game development studio founded in 2015 and based in Breda, the Netherlands. We are a team of around 30 developers with a mission to deliver well-designed, polished and highly enjoyable entertainment experiences with deep worlds and beautiful art. We’re currently working on making Superfuse – our most ambitious project yet – a reality.
About Raw Fury
Raw Fury is a self-proclaimed (un)publisher of games – what we mean by this is that we care about experience and emotions above all. Founded in 2015 by Jonas Antonsson, Gordon Van Dyke, and David Martinez, Raw Fury focuses on helping developers make magic.
Krakow, Poland – March 30th, 2022 –Marcin Kawa has assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer at video game publishing house All in! Games (AiG). Marcin Kawa has 20 years of experience in the video game industry including stints at Gameloft and Feardemic. Since 2020 he was responsible for the production department at All in! Games and later promoted to Chief Operations Officer. He oversaw the restructuring of the company’s production and publishing processes.
“What I’ve learned throughout 20 years in the industry is that it’s all about the people. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead such a fantastic team full of talented individuals that we have at All in! Games,” said Marcin Kawa, the new CEO of All in! Games. “I’m confident we have all the means to bring amazing gaming experiences to players worldwide, continuing the streak we’ve been on with Ghostrunner and Chernobylite,”
In 2021 alone, AiG sold over 1 million copies of their games and according to Metacritic’s annual game publisher rankings it was listed as the second best Polish publisher. In 2022, the company plans to implement new projects with larger budgets as well as focus on publishing internally developed games. The company is also expanding its internal UX team in line with its initiative to enhance its operational performance.
“Having surpassed the critical three-year mark as a start-up, we are in a position to make bigger plans and take on larger projects. We have already started outsourcing our own internal UX and QA services to other companies, our internal development teams are working on new IPs, and already next week we are announcing new exciting projects in our portfolio.” He adds.
Next month the company will launch Chernobylite on PlayStation 5 and XBox X|S consoles, complementing the game’s previous releases and critical success on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
About Marcin Kawa Marcin Kawa began working in the computer games industry as a game reviewer in Secret Service and Neo magazines. For the next 20 years, he had a variety of roles in testing, game design, consulting and marketing of games and gaming-related services in Poland, Great Britain, Sweden and Spain. The most notable IPs he has worked on over the years include GOG.com, Asphalt, Real Football and Uno. While leading the production team at All in! Games he was responsible for the success of Ghostrunner (IP was sold to 505 Games, the game won a number of awards) and the restructuring of departments. In 2021, he became the COO of All in! Games and spearheaded the development plan for internal project teams while also coordinating operational processes.
About All in! Games All in! Games is a publicly traded video game publishing and production house based in Krakow, Poland. Founded in 2018, the team creates and supports local and international games for PC and consoles. All in! Games’ portfolio features titles such as Chernobylite (The Farm 51), Paradise Lost (PolyAmorous), Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms (Gamera Interactive), Tools Up! (The Knights of Unity), and many more. For more information, visit: https://www.allingames.com/
Check out latest gameplay for Coromon, as we begin our journey and start our first day at work at Lux Solis as a Battle Researcher. We gear up with our new gauntlet and choose our starter Coromon, Nibblegar (water coromon) and set out to become the best Battle Researcher in all of Velua!
Coromon is a modern take on the classic monster-taming genre. Tame Coromon and explore a vast world filled with thrilling turn-based battles, brain-twisting puzzles, and a mysterious threat to the world awaiting defeat. Nobody said being a Battle Researcher was easy!
Coromon Developer: TRAGsoft Publisher: Freedom Games Website: https://www.coromon.com/ Platform: Windows Release Date: March 31, 2022
Recommended – “With unique monsters, an original story and setting, and a lot of tribute in between, Coromon offers a new spin on a familiar franchise.”
The German Online Games Publisher and Developer of Popular Titles Such As Swords of Legend Online, and OGame, Tasks Stein with Spearheading its New Games Initiative
Karlsruhe, Germany (March 30, 2022) — Today, Gameforge, online games publisher and developer of popular titles such as AION, NosTale, Metin2, Swords of Legends Online, and OGame, announced the appointment of Peter Stein as its new Director of Business Development. He will be reporting directly to the company’s Chief Product Officer, Tomislav Perkovic, and leading the company’s new games initiative, which is set to explore progressive takes on genre, gameplay, and mechanics, as well as exciting partnerships, diverse target audiences, and innovative technologies.
A senior professional with over ten years of experience in tech and games, Stein’s notable tenures include co-founding the award-winning tech start-up Bcon as COO, and driving the licensing business at Craze Toys, working on global IPs at one of the fastest growing toy companies in Germany. Stein began his career at Gameforge as a Sourcing Manager in 2012, responsible for finding and contracting new games development partners around the world.
“This is an exciting opportunity, as Gameforge is taking the leap to commit serious effort into exploring new games genres. I feel honored to be given the chance to help direct and guide this effort with the support of Thomas Schöltzel and Benjamin Janson from the BizDev team,” said Peter Stein. “The company’s growth mindset, their value-driven company culture, and the great leadership team make me confident that together we’ll continue to deliver great new games over the course of the next few years.”
In all of his roles, Stein has been at the forefront of exploring and executing business development strategies, resulting in hands-on experience with companies, business models, and tools in gaming and tech, and partnerships with major brands and boutique studios. His breadth of experience made him the ideal candidate to lead Gameforge’s new games initiative.
“Our Business Development team plays a major role in building the future of Gameforge,” said Tomislav Perkovic, Chief Product Officer at Gameforge. “Their main task is to bring us new games and other business opportunities. We started our journey into single-player games with Trigon: Space Story, and will continue with other titles to follow soon. Of course, we are looking to broaden our portfolio not only in the amount of games, but also in different business models and platforms.”
To stay up to date on all Gameforge news, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin, and visit gameforge.com.
About Gameforge
Founded in 2003, Gameforge is a leading Western publisher and operator of widely acclaimed Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) and Browser-based game titles. Gameforge builds highly active and enduring global communities by supporting players through the greatest quality LiveOps, provision of localized content, engaging community management, and frequent delivery of meaningful updates.
Gameforge’s diverse portfolio of highly successful gaming brands provides different worlds with engaging experiences for players from all walks of life: core MMORPG titles Swords of Legends Online, AION, Runes of Magic, and Metin2, beloved anime MMOs Elsword and NosTale, strategy-focused browser games like OGame and Ikariam, along with indie titles such as Trigon: Space Story.
A decade ago, nearly to the day, was the first time we played the English version of Phantom Breaker on the Xbox 360 only for that version of the game to never see the light of day as the publisher 7Sixty quietly vanished. Now all this time later not only has this fighting game been given a few revisions in Japan resulting in Phantom Breaker: Omnia but another publisher wishes to give this anime fighter another chance in the West. This time around Rocket Panda Games has managed to release Phantom Breaker: Omnia to English audiences with every improvement made to the game intact, including a full English voice track but is this a fighter worth picking up?
Story
Unlike many fighting games, Phantom Breaker: Omnia includes a lengthy amount of story content as nearly every character on the roster is given some sort of storyline. Of the twenty-two characters included in the game it is worth noting that only fifteen of them feature actual storylines as the two guest characters Rimi from Chaos;Head and Kurisu from Steins;Gate, two brand new characters, and certain other fighters are not given their own routes.
Nearly every character’s story involves a mysterious robed man named Phantom giving special weaponry to gifted fighters called Duelists who will do battle with one another with a chance at granting any wish they have being the prize. Depending on the character the story may see fighters side with Phantom, battle against his plan, or not care either way and it is nice to note that there are even some variations in these scenes as well with players often needing to do something a bit different from the norm to see these.
Nearly every storyline gives the selected character a chance to show off a bit of their personality, some being rather surprising compared to what they may initially look like so it is great to see such surprises come alongside the story as a whole. That being said, most storylines will progress at a fairly similar rate so don’t expect too much actual gameplay variety here outside of trying out nearly every character’s moveset. It is also worth noting that of the fifteen storylines, four of them are set after the events of the primary story arc so players will need to take care to save the Phantom Breaker: Extra arcs for last.
Gameplay
Now that Phantom Breaker: Omnia has arrived in the West it comes with a variety of gameplay modes, including a plethora of single player options. This includes the aforementioned packed story mode, an arcade style mode that pits players against nearly the entire roster in a row, a time trial that varies depending on selected character, survival fights, training, and of course a standard versus mode for local fights against a friend or computer.
Now training and even standard combat in Phantom Breaker: Omnia may be a bit unusual once players begin as there is unfortunately no way to pull up a command list within a fight. There are lists of moves for characters outside of fights, but this will be a bit rough at the start until players learn the ins and outs of their favorite characters. That being said, this won’t be too difficult as the game features a fairly simple input method for nearly every element of the game’s combat system. Most special moves can be executed with a simple directional push and pressing the “special” attack button while other maneuvers, such as Phantom Breakers, Overdrive, and Emergency Mode can also be activated in simple fashion.
Of course, depending on what style the player chooses for their character what moves they have access to will change. When selecting a character players will have access to Quick Style, Hard Style, and Omnia Style with each version having their own strengths and weaknesses. Quick Style offers far better combo capabilities including a few auto-combos as well as an Overdrive mode that speeds up the user while slowing their opponent at the expense of having a lower total health pool while Heavy Style removes double jumps and auto combos but instead offers a new harder hitting attack, more health, and an Overdrive that prevents the user from flinching when they take any damage. Both of these modes also feature the ability to use a powerful Phantom Drive attack, unique to each character, at the expense of 200% of their burst gauge.
The third style, Omnia, is something of a blend of both styles as players can still auto combo and have a solid amount of health, but instead can no longer trigger any Overdrive or the aforementioned Emergency Mode to escape combos. Instead Omnia offers an extremely powerful screen clearing, near unblockable, special attack at the expense of 400%. It will be up to players to figure out which style they like best but for many fighters, quick seems to be the most enjoyable of the three options as it offers the fastest movement capabilities without losing previous mechanics . That being said, every character is also given a brief description of their fighting style on the character select screen, such as being a close-range rushdown fighter or long range trickster so this may help influence some decision making.
Between the offerings of three styles and twenty two characters on the roster, there can be a lot to take in here, especially since there are even mechanics such as slipping past an incoming attack if players or their opponent move towards it at the proper time, but this faster paced fighting game really does feel like one that can be approached by anyone willing to give it a shot. It might not have the best training mode but thanks to its simpler inputs, players will be able to easily learn most of what their favorite fighters are capable of including putting together powerful combo strings of their own and testing their skills against others.
On the multiplayer side of things Phantom Breaker: Omnia offers a fairly basic selection of modes as there is only the choice between ranked and player matches, though it is nice to note that players can opt to standby for matchmaking in ranked matches and fight in single player while they wait. It is worth noting that while the game does not feature rollback netcode the few matches that we were able to get into ran without any issue even when our opponent presented with a poor connection.
Visuals & Audio
There is a certain amount of charm to how far Phantom Breaker: Omnia is willing to take its anime stylings to the point that the localization team even re-recorded an English version of the game’s opening theme for the game’s Western release. All of the fighters’ sprites are nicely detailed and feature a number of palette swaps that are immediately unlocked and nearly every character’s special Phantom Breaker move is a sight to behold. There is a nice level of detail as well that accompanies many of the story mode CGs though a few times a CG did not seem to properly appear during the mode and instead could only be seen in the gallery. That being said, the backgrounds for most fights do appear rather rough around the edges. It is nice to note that an art gallery featuring various pieces of promotional art, sales items, and even brand new artwork is included within the game with art pieces being unlocked by completing various simple challenges.
Alongside the original Japanese voice track Rocket Panda Games has brought in and recorded an entire English voice track for the game, including the aforementioned opening song “Let it all Burn” by AmaLee and even an English ending song. All voice work in the story mode and even combat is translated into English which is something of a rarity for an anime styled fighting game such as this though it is worth noting that the Japanese track does not feature quite as much detail.
Overall
Phantom Breaker: Omnia may not reinvent anime fighting games, especially since it took nearly a decade for its final version to arrive in the West, but it is a more than competent one. Not only is the game fairly casual friendly with its combat inputs, there is also plenty of depth to fights as well. It also happens to offer solid single player modes to make up for its simple multiplayer offerings, but those looking for something far more in-depth or active online may be disappointed.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
PlayStation Australia is excited to announce that its Easter Sale has kicked off today and for a limited time* players can enjoy discounts on a wealth of different PlayStation games and add-ons.
From shooting hoops in NBA 2K22 to taking part in the influential battles of World War II in Call of Duty: Vanguard there’s something for everyone. Players can enjoy discounts on an extensive list of titles including Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition and Red Dead Redemption 2 to name a few.
