TASOMACHI: Behind The Twilight Discovers 14 April, 2021 Release Date on Steam
TOKYO – 5 April, 2021 – TASOMACHI: Behind The Twilight, the gorgeous 3D exploration platformer set in a mysterious Far-Eastern fantasy world from developer and triple-A Japanese game industry veteran nocras and publisher PLAYISM, steps foot onto new lands Wednesday, 14 April, 2021, on Steam and GOG for Windows PC.
Explore the beautiful landscape and undertake the various trials of an imagined world inspired by the art, culture, and geography of East Asia and late-90’s collect-a-thon platformers. Artist-turned-game developer nocras’s impressive resume includes credits on multiple AAA titles, including 3D design on Final Fantasy XIII-2 in addition to Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and 2D art for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as well as Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
As crash-landed explorer Yukumo, double jump, dash, and airdrop through dungeons, temples, and various scenic locations, complete with a “Photo Mode” to commemorate the many beautiful sights. Take on these challenges at a relaxed pace with no life gauges or hit counters to worry about while jamming out to a soundtrack by Ujico*, a Japanese musician with more than 1 million YouTube subscribers and 600,000 monthly Spotify listeners.
Between levels, visit the city that serves as home to the Nezu Tribe, a cat-like species providing Yukumo with requests to complete various tasks in exchange for valuable collectibles and resources. Find new areas by repairing Yukumo’s airship, discover ancient temples, and traverse cherry blossom-covered gardens and snow-covered mountain ranges. Earn new outfits and items to decorate Yukumo’s house among the Nezu Tribe.
“I enjoy making 2D and 3D art for myself and others, but I felt a need to express myself and the beauty of the world, which I could only do properly through a video game of my own,” said nocras, the sole developer of TASOMACHI. “It also feels like the world unfairly abandoned the collect-a-thon platformer, and I want to bring that genre back with beautiful visuals that create the same sense of melancholy and joy that I originally felt in my youth.”
TASOMACHI: Behind The Twilight releases on Wednesday, 14 April, 2021, via Steam and GOG for Windows PC, with Japanese, English, and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) language text.
nocras is an artist and independent game developer known for his environmental art, with the goal of translating the world he creates in his art into three-dimensional, interactive experiences. He’s contributed to multiple Japanese AAA titles, such as 3D design at Square Enix on Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and freelance 2D art on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Xenoblade Chronicles 2.TASOMACHI: Behind The Twilight is his debut independent game.
Known for bringing popular indie games from Japan, including Touhou Luna Nights, Fight Crab, La-Mulana 2, Bright Memory, and DEEEER Simulator, PLAYISM was created with the global indie community in mind. The company focuses on helping developers every step of the way, from localization to distribution of their games.
There is no doubt about it. Television consumption has changed dramatically from where it was twenty years ago. It is super hard to keep an audience’s attention these days with platforms such as Youtube on the rise, as kids and adults alike can simply find their entertainment from a short video, rather than dedicate actual time to invest into a sitcom or episodic adventure. That said, current streaming services are offering more accessible ways to enjoy your favorites from the past, which are indeed getting a boost from nostalgic parents who are passing these shows on through their own kids, in an attempt to keep a few televised legacies alive.
Sure, there are plenty of current shows that are popular and scratch the itch of watching a piece of entertainment unfold, but there is nothing wrong with remembering the past fondly. That is what this Pop Capsule is all about. Today, we are going to celebrate one specific television block that in my opinion will go down in history as representing the most memorable night in television history. Grab some popcorn, hop onto that orange couch, and let’s get ready to SNICK!
For those new to this, a television block is a group of programming that remains mostly the same week to week, but receives date specific theming, crossovers, and consistency so viewers can stay with the same network for a set period of time. Some fine examples include TGIF, which mainly featured the likes of Family Matters, Step by Step, Boy Meets World, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and one other random rotating program that was mainly thrown in as a test for the network. Another strong block in history was Disney’s One Saturday Morning, which had a longer run-time, featuring Disney’s Doug, Pepper-Ann, Recess, and so much more that it would take a lot longer than a simple retrospective to detail it all.
Notice a theme? Since the 70’s and even earlier, networks would mainly target families and children, as these markets proved productive in bring in a recurring viewership from week to week. As long as the programming remained intact, viewers would return week after week to get their fix of their favorite television programming.
In the mid-90s, television was developing an edge as viewers were changing. The whole family market still existed, but network heads realized that children were now receiving their own independence with entertainment consumption, largely due to the lower price of a TV, and the ease of adding a cable or satellite connection in every room of a household. Since launching Nicktoons and other kid-centric programming, Nickelodeon was on the rise as the most popular television networks across TV. With a bit of brain-storming and a few select shows to pilot, the channel introduced SNICK to its Saturday night line-up.
Shows such as Clarissa Explains it All, Roundhouse, and Ren & Stimpy proved to bring in viewers, and with the advertising campaigns in place, the block was a success. To be honest, those programs are not what I am hungry to reflect on. I like Clarissa fine, as it was a decent live-action comedy that captured its time well, and while I don’t recall much of Roundhouse or care for Ren & Stimpy, those programs do have followings that are still fond of that original line-up. Yeah, that isn’t my SNICK, and for most audiences from the time, it isn’t theirs either – as to be quite honest, most do not think of Clarissa or Ren & Stimpy and instantly associate those shows with SNICK. They simply place them with the Nickelodeon brand as a whole. No, the prime line-up where SNICK would gain its identity would be what would come in October of 1994. This is when Nickelodeon doubled down on marketing, upped budgets, and made an attempt to create properties for children that mimicked other blocks from that same time with actual kids in mind.
When you talk about SNICK, you really have to discuss the programs within that made kids like myself tune in week to week. Keep in mind, this is my telling through my own experiences with this block, so even one or two years of age difference will certainly have different results in nostalgia from this piece. Let’s start from that ‘94 block and move forward a bit, shall we?
Oh yeah, Spoilers Ahead!
The Secret World of Alex Mack was one of the most enjoyable shows on television when it debuted. The premise centered around a pre-teen girl who was doused with a mysterious chemical in a freak accident while on her way from school, and basically revolved around her trying not to be captured by the chemical plant who created the substance, where she would surely be subjected to tests or even worse. Yeah, not exactly relatable by any means in terms of a plot device on paper, but it still felt real enough due to the characters within the program. Alex led the series as our protagonist, and ended up having superpowers after her accident that made her extraordinary. She could zap streams of electric out of her fingers, squint and gain telekinetic abilities to lift objects and people alike, and turn into a puddle of water (or silver goo?) to go underneath doors or through pipes. If you have ever heard of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon dubbed “The Impossibles”, it was kind of like that but with all the powers condensed into one being.
The balance of the show came with Alex’s sister Annie, a promising young science student whom she confided in after the accident, acting as a mentor to Alex while she dealt with her new abilities. Annie was always curious about the limits of her sister’s powers, having her undergo health and body tests consistently, while still keeping her in check from displaying these abilities in public. Also in the loop with the accident was Mack’s best friend Ray, who was far less cautious and more spontaneous than Annie. Ray was all about Alex having fun and using her powers for personal gain. Alex’s parents were rather clueless. She had a loving and modern mother, and her father actually worked at the same plant where GC-161 was made, acting as an unknowing resource for a lot of Annie’s research. Alex had other friends as well who remained unaware of her secret for the entire show’s run. As antagonists, we had Vince, Dave, and the devious Danielle Atron. Vince was a maniacal and loyal security guard who was hell-bent on capturing the child who got soaked with the substance, while Dave was the not-so-bright driver who caused the accident with the chemical to occur. Danielle however was the head of the plant, and would stop at nothing to find the kid that got away from the scene, as performing tests on the subject would prove it was a chemical safe for human consumption, making her billions.
I think I got all of that, or at least the basics from memory as I re-watch this show quite often. It wasn’t just “oh, look at this girl with powers” that made the show work or even entertaining. It was that despite unrelatable circumstances, this show felt real to kids. Alex continued going to school, day after day – where she was met with the temptations of high school crushes, catty enemies, and passing grades. Annie dealt with her sister, but she also had to put her own goals to the side while trying to ensure the safety of Alex, and Ray dealt with a bit of jealousy as his best friend utilized what seemed like “cool” powers, despite always being hunted. I’m not going to say that this was some Emmy-Award winning script, as yes, it got a bit silly at times, but the cast was endearing and mostly, real enough to feel like people you could understand.
Alex Mack worked because it was able to fit its plot device in what would simply be a teenage sitcom, offering slices of excitement and suspense while the cast dealt with ordinary dilemmas. Ray has a big basketball game, should Alex help him cheat? Alex needs to pass a test; does she use her powers to get the scores? Plots like that kept the show interesting enough to last three seasons. Eventually, Ray got a new friend that added a bit of a foil for Alex named Louis, and Annie would go off to college. After the latter, Alex’s mom found out about her secret and took up the role as “mentor” to Alex, all before the satisfying finale. Basically, Alex was captured and everyone would find out about her abilities, all before being saved by a former antagonist who met his own moral dilemma that built up throughout the series. The Secret World of Alex Mack was fantastic for its time as it just simply fit in its era, and even though some have tried similar plots, have never met that same kind of success due partially to the timeslot it was featured in. Will this show be remembered by television historians? No, not at all. I think it will be remembered by those who watched it unfold however, as I find this to be such a special program that is packed with a lot of heart and decent writing.
Moving on…
Fresh out the Box. Stop, look and Watch! Ready yet? Get Set! It’s ALL THAT!
That intro should be memorable enough to viewers where they can instantly put their favorite sketch into their brains as soon as its uttered. All That was a teen-sketch comedy, with skits played out by teens, aimed at viewers around the same age. While the show has seen several reboots and relaunches over the years, it was the original SNICK run where it got its legs, and catapulted a few cast members to stardom, at least temporarily. I remember when I first tuned into All That during SNICK with my parents, and they were not too fond of it. That was because despite being “PG-ish”, it had a bit of an edge for kids, as most skits were focused on kids and teens simply doing what was fun, rather than what was “educational”.
Before we talk about those skits, it is important to state the cast that made this program work. First, there are the “anchors” of the series, that were featured more prominently due to their knack for comedy. Familiar names like Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Lori Beth Denberg, and Josh Server proved to be the most memorable of the original cast, creating famous sketches such as Good Burger, Vital Information, Earboy, and of course Miss Fingerly’s classroom. Joining those names and just as memorable were the likes of Katrina Mitchell, Angelique Bates, and Alisa Reyes, contributing other great characters and sketches with their youthful charisma and offerings week to week. Adults Kevin Kopelow and Dan Schnieder (head writers for the show) also added to the on-screen program, rounding out a terrific cast that made the program work so well.
The sketches were very ahead of their time, featuring slightly random comedy sequences from the cast, where they of course played kids, but also managed to tackle pop culture through adult impersonations to boot. Kenan brought out his Cosby impression quite often, which revolved almost completely around Jell-O pudding. Kel worked his magic playing “Okrah”, a gentle yet humorous parody of Oprah. It was like someone finally understood what kids wanted to watch, and at that time it was a show that basically made light of everything your parents found entertaining. The cast were just so perfect for the concept, as they – unlike other cringeworthy comedies generally put out for the same market, were actually funny. This wasn’t your parent’s Saturday Night Live, it was the show that took the piss out of ideals of perfection, politics, and general expectations of the adult life.
All That, without being offensive or silly was able to say “don’t clean your room” and “brush your teeth with chocolate” in the timespan of ten minutes, while still managing to appeal to an audience that was in an age of discovering the truths of the world. These kids also did a lot to act, as they would be caked in make-up and messes for what would be just a few minutes of entertainment, and managed to be more memorable than half of the “corporate” lesson-learning sitcoms that children were forced to sit through during home and school life. Of course, Good Burger (which would later get its own full-length theatrical feature) was great, but other skits were just as good and remain funny after all of these years. Who here remembers the loud librarian, who would bring out jackhammers while demanding the silence from children? How about the lemonade scammer, who would frequently scam money from unsuspecting adults? Again, this was a nice spitball aimed at what it means to “grow up”, giving audiences a reminder that it was still cool to be a kid.
As time passed, cast member changes began to occur. First, Angelique bowed out after two seasons, being replaced with a very young, and very funny Amanda Bynes, who would eventually be a mainstay for the network until the turn of the decade. Katrina Johnson and Alisa Reyes (two of my personal favorites) would leave the next season, where Nick would bring in Danny Tamberelli (Little Pete from The Adventures of Pete and Pete), Christy Knowings, and Leon Frierson. With the debut of season 4, we got those cast changes, a new title sequence introducing the big move from Universal Studios to Hollywood, and even more endearing sketches that continued to keep the show relevant. All That was on top of the world, but the original cast were also ready to expand outward. Lori Beth Denberg would leave the next season to begin a role on The Steve Harvey Show, and by the next season, Kenan and Kel would also part ways due to focus on their own careers and television show, which was also featured on Nick.
I don’t know, maybe I was just getting older, but I feel when Lori Beth left, the show just started to lose the spark. Find an episode of season five or more so season six. Sure, Christy, Josh, Danny, Mark (who was introduced prior), and Amanda were still present, but it just didn’t have that same effect. It was as if All That got a bit too wrapped up in creating the next breakout star and sketch, and forgot about that formula that made it work, which was having a consistent cast that effortlessly flowed between all of the segments within. The comedy got more physical in a juvenile manner and less meaningful to kids as a result. To sum it up, you don’t ever announce that you are for kids to appeal to them, you just let that feeling come organically – and I think the writers kind of fell short in the latter years of the show. Eventually, the series would end and get a new cast to start a new generation of fans. By this time, original viewers had moved on to MTV and other networks as they grew up, and that second cast is still enjoyed by their audience, despite the fact that I personally was rather absent for it.
From the musical guests to the clever humor, the original run of All That can never be replicated, despite the many times the network has tried. It wasn’t just a sketch comedy show, it was a time, an era, and a product of its own generation that probably will only make sense to those who were there. The newest iteration of All That is funny and I love the involvement of the original cast, but there was just something special about getting a block of time dedicated to you, with a musical guest that rounded out the program and left you excited for what the next week had in store. When All That ended, we all kind of grew up, and that sucks – but at least it can be known as such an influential program for years to come as Nick tries to re-find its current identity.
So, for the third show in the block, we always got a rotating spectrum of programs that were not necessarily built on the Nick platform, but still fit within the SNICK universe. For these I won’t go as far into detail, but they are definitely worth mention. Space Cases is probably the most prominent, which featured Walter Jones (who played Zack in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), as well as a good grouping of young actors in what was basically a kid’s version of Star Trek. Due to this program not being available for years, my memory isn’t as strong as it used to be for this show, but I do remember loving this program as even though most of the cast were teenagers, it still managed to bring the viewer into its universe through strong storytelling. Space Cases tackled death, mature issues, and felt as if it were written for a more intellectual viewer.
If you were a kid in the mid-nineties, it was kind of a taboo to be into Star Trek and Star Wars, as it was the era of grunge and rebellion. While Alex Mack and All That fit into that bubble, Space Cases was a bit of an odd duck as it kind of brought you into to this unknown world and felt like a guilty pleasure during the block. I remember when I first watched the show, not being impressed as it came off as a bit cheesy. As I watched and actually gave it a chance however, I found myself actually being hooked in and even considering it as a highlight of Saturday night. I think Space Cases would be something today that would be extremely popular, as the last two decades have revived science fiction back into the mainstream and the strong storytelling and themes within Space Cases may make it one of the most overlooked programs to ever exist on television.
The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo and The Journey of Allen Strange I can kind of talk about together, as they were not SNICK exclusive for their network tenure, and seemed to be shoved into the SNICK slot as an introduction, rather than a feature, as eventually both would move to other nights on Nick. Shelby Woo featured a female student who solved small crimes with her friends, and was your live-action Scooby Doo set in a teen comedy world, without the talking dog. Pat Morita was also Shelby’s beloved grandfather who ran an inn, and brought a bit of star power to the program. Basically, Shelby was an intern for a police station and took cases that were either not important to the force, or seemed to be impossible to crack. The Journey of Allen Strange was about an alien boy ends up living with a family, and must hide his identity by going to high school and trying to act human despite having quirky alien instincts. This one was fine as well, but felt a bit like Alf meets Alex Mack and even though it was on SNICK longer than Shelby Woo, was a little less memorable overall.
Kenan and Kel needs no introduction to most. This show was basically centered around two best friends and featured Kenan coming up with a plot to either make money or benefit, dragging along his dimwitted friend by the name of Kel, who would always foil the said plot unintentionally before each episode concluded. It was a goofy, buddy-comedy for kids, and managed to take a lot of tropes from sitcoms such as Laverne and Shirley and Saved by the Bell, and spin them to make them a bit more accessible for the current market. I loved Kenan and Kel and in many ways, it may be one of the most popular creations to come from the SNICK line-up, but I don’t know if everyone remembers it from the SNICK line-up. Kenan and Kel isn’t just a SNICK thing, they were two actors in a show that was so popular, they ended up becoming the face of the network. That’s a pretty big deal, and Kenan went on to be the longest running cast member on Saturday Night Live, so if you’re a kid from this era, I am sure you can at least see that piece of your childhood weekly on network television and be proud that you were a part of watching that star grow.
This is where the SNICK block gets a bit dark.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? was like Space Cases – still a Canadian produced show on a lower budget, but undoubtedly one of the most beloved products from SNICK overall. This program featured kids meeting every week around a campfire in the woods, where one would tell a scary story for their friends. The stories would of course play out with separate actors, filmed in different locations, and each have a theme based on different scenarios from week to week. Compared to Goosebumps, which was a bit sillier, Are You Afraid of the Dark was darker and had far more intense episodes. Want to see a sea monster’s flesh rot off with acid? Kidnapping? Kids losing their faces? Yep, all that was present. It was like a take on Tales From the Crypt, minus the gore, sex, and language, but still felt “cool enough” to older viewers, or younger ones looking for a weekend thrill.
I think the formula that made viewers come back wasn’t just the stories, but the teens who told them. Viewers, even at a young age, get used to and familiar with who they watch on TV. That is why that cast changes are a big deal even more so for these programs aimed at kids, as they pay attention. After all these years, characters like Gary, Tucker, Frank, Betty Ann, and Kiki I can all remember from the top of my head, and I also remember who told what story on a good day. While watching, I would always be more inclined to be excited for a story coming from a cast member I liked because despite being in just a few minutes of every episode, the show did well enough to define these characters so we could see the direction each story would take. As an example, Frank was the tough guy, so his stories would be a bit scarier. Tucker was the youngest, so his would be a bit of a surprise when they suddenly grew darker. Sure, the acting in these tales was not always the best and some things are laughable as an adult, but there are still some old episodes that you go back and watch and think “how did they get away showing this to kids?”. Ending SNICK with this show was a genius move that absolutely cemented its success, and when it left, the block was never the same.
SNICK was about the content it had within it, but it also made the whole night feel like an experience. From the commercials and advertising that ran through-out, everything felt cohesive. Nick would also feature many special hosts, usually from All That or another program from the network, and that also gave viewers a way to connect to every show. We got to see crossovers from All That to Alex Mack, and Nick would also highlight the importance of the block by occasionally adding a special episode of Rugrats or another program that would be a feature of the month of sorts.
If you remember, the huge episode of Rugrats that announced the plot for The Rugrats Movie premiered on SNICK.
Sure, there were many shows after these and SNICK would live on for years after each ended, but tying them all together is what made the block so relevant. The Amanda Show was huge for Nick and found its place in the line-up for a couple years, but truly I don’t think SNICK felt the same as by that time, All That and every other show had concluded, and we had Nick Cannon hosting what was essential “SNICK HOUSE”, a name now branded to kind of catapult him as the face of the network for kids. Again, that is fine for those who enjoyed it, but it was never the same.
SNICK meant Saturdays were here and gave you something to look forward to. After it concluded each week, it was time to reset, and look forward to the next. It was a television block unlike any other, as it was made for kids, by kids, and seemed to capture that with programming and promotions that understood the audience they were playing for. Nickelodeon has been in this identity struggle for years as it still attempts to create its next big hit, but seem to have forgotten who they are appealing to. Kids don’t want to be kids; they want to be like everyone else. SNICK was all about making them feel like they had a rightful spot on the couch in front of the television, with programming that was able to make you forget the kid part and simply take time to escape all of those simple problems that plagued an adolescent mind.
Go watch some old commercials, or find a few of these shows on streaming services. You will quickly understand the impact of the one Saturday night of television that finally listened, and gave a generation a voice.
Putting together clues and solving a mystery is always a good feeling and doing that in a visual novel has become something of a rarity outside of a few certain series. Kadokawa Games looked to remedy that situation a bit with their Kadokawa Mystery Games series that started in 2016 with Root Letter and now Root Film, the second game in the series, has been released in the West. Serving as a completely separate entity, outside of being located in the same prefecture, is this mystery visual novel worth diving into?
Story
Players will find themselves taking on the role of two seperate protagonists, Rintaro Yagumo who goes by a pen name of Max Yagumo after winning a film competition years prior, and an up and coming actress simply known by her stage name, Riho. Max has been struggling to find his next big break when he is given the chance to take part in the revived Shimane Mystery Drama Project that was cancelled over a decade ago where three directors compete to prove who can create the best mystery film within this region of Japan.
Unfortunately for Max and the rest of the Yagumo film crew, the project itself is thought to be cursed due to mysterious deaths that occurred during the project’s previous filming attempt. This revival attempt only seems to prove the curse is real as things quickly take a turn for the worse as the crew encounters more murders while attempting to create a film of their very own. As for Riho, this young actress comes across similar incidents of murder in her line of work and through a power that both protagonists possess, synesthesia, the two believe that they are the only ones capable of finding the truth behind these murders.
While Root Film may feature two protagonists, in reality the game mostly focuses entirely on Yagumo’s story as he is given five particularly lengthy chapters while Riho is only given two total. A lot of attention has also been given to making sure that, while every chapter focuses on solving a different case, that nearly every aspect of these cases ties together in some way or another in the end. While we cannot go into detail to avoid spoilers, we can mention that sometimes even the smallest details can play the biggest role and can carry all the way through multiple chapters only to play a key role in the end.
Thanks to this quality of writing the team is capable of developing some amazing twists and tricks to shock players as they progress through the story and make for an incredibly interesting set of mysteries to solve. That being said, there are more than a few moments that the pacing does feel a little off as players will likely figure out certain twists long before they are actually able to complete the chapter. It also doesn’t help that progress often involves examining a number of locations that, while interesting in their own right, have no actual relevance to the story though this does feel a bit intentional.
Due to the game being set in the real Shimane prefecture players will be able to travel to actual locations in the area and more often than not the game is more than willing to give players history lessons about why these specific locations have special significance, are great places for tourism, feature great food, and more. This does help give the world a more realistic feel to it as, well… it is a real location but it can feel like a bit too much fluff at times.
With great mysteries to solve and some solid worldbuilding Root Film already offers a great storyline but it also helps that the game features a sizable cast of widely varied characters. The core cast of characters features some great personalities and bounce off one another well while the numerous side-characters that players will meet and interact with also are well-written, most of the time for good reason as they rarely appear as one chapter characters and often play a later role, making sure to keep players engaged with almost every aspect of the story by trying to tie everything together as much as possible.
Gameplay
As a visual novel players will be expected to do plenty of reading in Root Film though there is a bit of an investigative element as well. Players can travel to various locations that are available to them on the map and, if possible, interact with any characters or items at these locations. It is worth noting that although there are no alternative endings or special routes for players to unlock, there’s extra world building and little quizzes hidden across the locations if players travel to them when they don’t have to.
As for the clues players will uncover, as mentioned before both Yagumo and Riho possess “synesthesia” which allows them to immediately lock-on important clues and make a mental note of them that they will not be able to forget. These clues can be obtained from talking with characters, interacting with objects, and more though players are prevented from advancing the story until they trigger the proper sequence of events so it is impossible to actually fail to find everything necessary to advance. That being said, thanks to the game not properly advancing at all unless players find a specific interaction point it can lead to some trial and error, especially since a few locations require multiple searches after a failed attempt or two.
These clues are then used in a relatively oddly designed “fighting” mini-game where Yagumo or Riho will interrogate a suspect and select the right clues to prove that they are lying. The mini-game is very simple in nature giving players plenty of wriggle-room for failure with incorrect guesses only damaging their health a bit while a correct guess immediately heals them and pushes to unlocking the truth. This makes for an interesting mini-game that doesn’t really do too much other than to give players the feeling like they are actually solving the case finally even if they have already figured things out themselves.
Visuals & Audio
Root Film really shines when it comes to how it likes to present itself. This comes from the unique combination of taking gorgeous character designs with vibrant colors and placing them against highly detailed background pieces of background art that vary wildly depending on the location. Whether this is due to the game’s setting in the Shimane prefecture or due to the developers putting a lot of work into the background art, it helps bring the game’s artwork to life which is great given that the actual character portraits are not animated in any form which is a bit disappointing. It is also worth noting that while localizing a visual novel is always going to be a significant undertaking players will need to be ready for more than a few errors and typos that still persist.
It is also nice to note that, while Root Film only features the original Japanese voice cast, every line of dialogue in the game is voiced by some well-known Japanese voice actors and actresses which is a great touch for this mystery visual novel. As for the background music, the game features a number of standard pieces of music though the only real stand out tracks appear during the more dramatic moments of the story.
Overall
Keeping a player interested in solving multiple mysteries can be a difficult challenge but Root Film manages to do so easily by making sure that players never feel like any interactions with main or even side-characters feel like a waste of time and actually trying to tie things together as much as possible throughout the many cases that players have to solve. Sure, there is a bit of an excessive amount of tourism fluff mixed in with the mysteries and some of the mysteries themselves are too predictable for their own good but Root Film still manages to hold strong and deliver a great performance.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
22 Million Registered Players Milestone Announced Alongside New Details on PlayStation®5 Version, Patch Content, and Digital Fan Festival 2021
SQUARE ENIX® today revealed fresh details for FINAL FANTASY® XIV: Shadowbringers™ Patch 5.5 alongside a new trailer during the latest Letter from the Producer LIVE broadcast. Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida also shared a new milestone in the growth of the FINAL FANTASY XIV Online community, which has now reached 22 million registered players.
Titled “Death Unto Dawn,” Patch 5.5 will be split in two parts and sets the stage for the upcoming fourth expansion, Endwalker™. Part one is scheduled for release on 13th April and brings with it the highly-anticipated third chapter of YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse—the NieR-inspired alliance raid featuring the work of guest creators Yosuke Saito and YOKO TARO. The patch also brings an abundance of new story and battle content, system updates, and more.
The Patch 5.5 trailer is available here:
During the Letter from the Producer LIVE presentation, Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida revealed new information about the PlayStation®5 console version of FINAL FANTASY® XIV Online, which will launch into open beta alongside Patch 5.5. In addition to previously announced upgrades, such as framerate improvements, faster load times, and 4K resolution support, this new release will also include DualSense haptic feedback, new trophies, and 3D audio support.
Users with a PlayStation 4 license registered to their account can upgrade to the PS5 Upgrade Edition at no extra cost at the start of the open beta period, while new players can experience the game on the PlayStation 5 via the Free Trial version. The full PlayStation 5 version will be available for purchase following the conclusion of the open beta.
Further details on Patch 5.5 content are outlined below:
· New Main Scenario Quests – Prospects of peace may soon fall to ruin, as Fandaniel and the Telophoroi scheme to recreate the Final Days, and ominous towers rise in all corners of the realm. With the servants of chaos amassing at every turn, will the Scions uncover their plot before it is too late?
· New Alliance Raid: The Tower at Paradigm's Breach– The third chapter of the NieR-inspired YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse alliance raid series.
· “Sorrow of Werlyt” Questline Finale – With adamantine armour and a beating, blood red core, the Diamond Weapon is the culmination of countless sacrifices and untold suffering. When the ultimate triumph of the VIIth Legion's monstrous Weapon project descends upon Werlyt, who will be saved, and who shall fall?
· New Trial: The Cloud Deck – Players can face off against the fearsome Diamond Weapon in this latest trial, which will be available in both Normal and Extreme difficulties.
· New Dungeon: Paglth'an – Players can tackle this new story dungeon alongside fellow adventurers or a party of non-player characters via Trust System compatibility.
· “Save the Queen” Questline Update – This latest update includes a new field area, “Zadnor,” an increased resistance rank cap, final enhancement of resistance weapons and more.
· New Unreal Trial – The next powered-up primal, Leviathan, has returned from A Realm Reborn to terrorise level 80 heroes, providing them with a hefty challenge and chances at unique rewards.
· Crafter Updates – High-level crafters can look forward to new content in Patch 5.5 that will earn them special achievements and unique crafting tools.
· Ishgard Restoration Update – As a new age dawns in Ishgard, luminaries from across Eorzea have been invited to the Firmament to take part in a ceremony commemorating this momentous occasion. Players can obtain rewards by participating in gatherer- and crafter-focused events which will occur during these periodic celebrations.
· “Explorer Mode'' Update – The Explorer Mode feature will be expanded to include level 70 dungeons. Explorer Mode allows players to explore dungeons free from danger to capture striking and fun screenshots while enabling the use of mounts and minions. Players will also now be able to use performance actions while in dungeons, such as playing musical instruments.
· Performance Action Updates – A new instrument will be added with Patch 5.55.
· Job Adjustments for PvE and PvP Actions, New Custom Deliveries, New Mounts and more.
Further details about the upcoming Digital Fan Festival on 15th – 16th May were also revealed. On 15th May, fans can expect an exciting keynote filled with new information on Endwalker, a developer panel, and a piano concert. 16th May’s events will also provide enjoyable content for fans, with a Letter from the Producer LIVE and a concert from THE PRIMALS. For more information on the Digital Fan Festival 2021, visit the official website here: https://fanfest.finalfantasyxiv.com/2021/eu/
The recently announced fourth expansion pack of the FINAL FANTASY XIV Online saga, Endwalker, is scheduled to release autumn 2021 for PC, Mac, the PlayStation®5 system, and the PlayStation®4 system. Endwalker is the culmination of the Hydaelyn and Zodiark story, in which Warriors of Light will encounter an even greater calamity than ever before, and will bring an abundance of new content, including multiple new jobs, an increased level cap, vast new areas, adjustments to the battle system, as well as a variety of new battle, crafter, and gatherer content.
FINAL FANTASY XIV: Endwalker’s teaser trailer can be found here:
With over 22 million total registered players and a new expansion on the way, there has never been a better time for newcomers to begin their adventures in the critically acclaimed FINAL FANTASY XIV Online saga. The recently expanded Free Trial now includes all content from A Realm Reborn and the Heavensward™ expansion (and updates through Patch 3.56), as well as an additional playable race (Au Ra), and three additional playable jobs (Dark Knight, Astrologian, and Machinist). Free Trial players can enjoy hundreds of hours of award-winning gameplay and story experiences equivalent to two full FINAL FANTASY titles, without limit on playtime.
Square Enix Ltd. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX®, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix group of companies. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as Crystal Dynamics® and Eidos Montréal. The Square Enix group of companies boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 161 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 82 million units worldwide; TOMB RAIDER®, which has sold over 82 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
From the Developers of Planetary Annihilation and Monday Night Combat Comes a New Western-themed Battle Royale
SEATTLE, WA – April 2, 2021 – Team GRIT, a new game development and publishing studio established by industry veterans, has today announced GRIT, an all-new Wild West Battle Royale where players test their merit against 99 other opponents in the ultimate showdown. Players have a chance to start playtesting in an early beta build starting today where they can immediately jump into the lawless world of GRIT. The first beta test starts Today – Friday, April 2nd, at 8am PT – 4pm PT with the second beta test beginning Saturday, April 3rd, 4pm PT – 6pm PT and finally the third beta test happening Sunday, April 4th, 4pm PT – 6pm PT.
Future beta tests are planned before the game heads into Early Access, but for this beta weekend limited keys are available, so get your GRIT Key now on Steam before it’s too late: https://store.steampowered.com/app/738090/GRIT/
GRIT features:
Wild West Royale – Saddle a trusty horse and venture across the frontier. Battle 99 other cowboys in solo, duo, and squad gunfights.
Perk System– Look for weapons that make all-in poker hands to gain special perks. Gather specific hands to craft different styles of play. There’s advantages and tradeoffs to be made depending on the cards you’re collecting – will you go all-in on gunslinging, focus on patching up your wounds after each skirmish, or find some other winning combination
Ride Through the West – Bond with your horse, riding and controlling your trusty steed with multiple speeds. Feeling lazy? Use the equine beast o’ burden as extra inventory. Horses are a great way to stay mobile, escape the all consuming calamity storm, and fire on-the-go. If you’re feeling daring and have the gumption, steal your foe’s horse and ride like the wind.
Tools o’ the Trade – Over 20 weapons and a whole host of cowboy equipment are there to help you and yours to the top of the gunslinger rankings. Weapons are projectile-based, so you’ll need to be a crack shot, lead targets, and account for gravity.
All Aboard – Steal loot and a seat on the last train outta town. Take charge and use the locomotive to stay inside the battle royale ring.
ABOUT GRIT This town ain’t big enough for the two of us. It surely ain’t big enough for all 100. Ride or die in the ultimate wild west battle royale, where there’s more to winning than aiming true. Saddle up and ride across town, building the best poker hand from found weapons to make a killing. Grab the best shooter to-hand and gun your way to infamy on the new frontier. Explore the towns, oil fields and plains of the untamed west as you try to hitch a ride on the last man alive train. But hold on to your 10 gallon hat – it’ll protect you as you’re shootin’ up a storm! If a gunslinger shoots you down, keep your hat on – a 1v1 wild west showdown could put you back in the game if you got a quick draw.
ABOUT TEAM GRIT Team GRIT is a new game development and publishing company established by veteran industry insiders Bob Berry and Jon Mavor, creators of Planetary Annihilation and Monday Night Combat. Based out of Seattle, the development team at Showdown is committed to making fun and engaging titles that bring players together. Their first game, GRIT, is an Old West Battle Royale.
It is kind of crazy to think that the Switch has been out for a few years now, and has only had ports of Monster Hunter released for it to date. With last year’s major sales for the console, Capcom have delivered Monster Hunter Rise to appease fans of the portable, delivering a full experience with new features and baddies alike. Seeing how Monster Hunter World kind of revolutionized the franchise for the west, does Rise follow suit? Let’s find out.
Story
Every time I talk about Monster Hunter, I want to go into detail speaking about the plot, and every single time, most of my thoughts are trimmed down to a mere paragraph. Rise is no different mostly, as outside of introducing a couple of interesting characters, the plot merely exists to glue together this massive universe. Players quickly are greeted by twins by the name of Hinoa and Minoto, who basically exist to lead the player to single and multiplayer quests. Sure, there is a narrative about a massive serpant, dragons, and so on, but nothing is really fleshed out, but for this franchise, that is fine. These walls speak volumes without a lot of writing in-between, as the player’s own choices and playstyle do well enough to interpret whatever journey they want to have.
Gameplay
I’m going to start here by speaking about my own beginnings with Rise, as even though there is a lot of good to speak of, I would rather begin by getting some of the many nuisances out there first. There is a lot to take in when you boot up rise. Players are dropped into their main village and basically must kind of figure out where to go next, which of course is on quests to kill monsters, claim loot, and repeat. That is perfectly fine, but the menu system really is not. While it is understandable after time, the overwhelming layout places tons of menu screens within menu screens, within menu screens. On top of this, there are tutorials that are shot off like a machine gun for almost everything you view within these menus. It is overwhelming and time consuming to get through all of the clutter, as even though the game is straightforward, the menu system is almost built to make it feel larger – and more complicated than it really is.
It took my friend and I almost an hour to simply join a multiplayer hunt, and that was with us almost giving up a few times to go on with our single player game. For a franchise as old as this and a console built for portability and ease of play, it is a bit baffling why more time wasn’t spent streamlining the experience for accessibility. Personally, I think World got this right and did well with giving gameplay a focus. Rise isn’t by any means a difficult game to jump into, it just comes with a lot of cobwebs to wipe away that are surely going to fatigue newcomers along with those who grew more accustomed to the accessible fare of the portable entries on the 3DS.
With that out the way, we have a lot of meat to explore within these bones. Hunts are basically categorized, and players go to one large-scale map to get to work collecting, hunting, or simply exploring these maps. The controls are fairly simple, which each weapon type offering a completely different feel from the next, creating an illusion of variation. I say illusion as you always find the same result for kills, with the same loot no matter what style you play. Again, not a bad thing, but it would be nice to see different drops based on your chosen play-style.
New to the franchise comes one of the best additions to date, the Palamute. This dog of sorts can be customized and rode throughout the hub world as well as in most quests, giving the player a sense of speed without sacrificing control. Palicos also return as a friendly ally, aiding you in battle with healing items or a bit more bit to enemies. There is still a great deal of balance in the mechanics with the tweaked features, and even though the game is made a bit easier with less grinding required, there are hundreds of hours to be spent collecting and hunting in these massive locations.
Survival mode is interesting, as it takes the overarching incoming “Rampage” story theme and has players defend the main town they begin in. It isn’t the most organic of experiences, but it does add a fine layer of strategy in a place where we typically just visited to handle business. Online multiplayer is fine, but could use a bit of work as server speed creates a bit of slowdown, causing a few skips that slightly hinder some of the fast-paced battle sequences.
Visuals
Visually, this may be one of the better-looking games to ever hit the Switch. The array of colors and heavily detailed environments capture an atmosphere like no other. Characters also are heavily animated and full of personality, with bouncy Palicos and random dancing NPCs to be found all over that make you feel truly invited to a stunning world beneath your feet. I do wish the menus were a little less cluttered, but after the curve, navigation becomes a little less cluttered, where players can basically choose to actually go to one place, or just pull up a menu and fast-travel.
Audio
The audio is also something of a marvel for Rise. With a fantastic and memorable soundtrack, I think Monster Hunter has finally found its voice to define it within Rise, as these melodies are sure to keep you swaying and smiling while in gentle moments, or on the edge of your seat during intense battles. The voice acting is also well done, as characters never came off as wooden, despite the lack of overall story in the main game.
Overall
Make no mistake, Monster Hunter Rise is a great time, and has more than enough to please even the most tenured of fans. I do think that the shortcomings of the Switch have led to it being built with an artificial enhancement of depth for this entry, complicating and crowding the platform in order to stand toe to toe with its more massive kin. Either way, Switch owners have what is sure to be a mainstay of their favorite franchise for years to come here, as long as they can wipe away the extra details to view that same gratifying core which has made it such a popular namesake worldwide.
Free Photo Mode and Kill Run Mode arrive this spring alongside premium DLC
CALABASAS, Calif. – April 1, 2021 – 505 Games is offering an advanced look at the development roadmap for its first-person cyberpunk action-slasher game Ghostrunner, teasing to players an action-packed year that will see a variety of free and premium content launch for the award-winning game. The advanced look at development follows 505 Games’ recent acquisition of the Ghostrunner IP from Polish publisher All in Games! and the launch of the game on Amazon’s cloud-based gaming platform Amazon Luna.
Players can look forward to two new game modes coming to Ghostrunner on all platforms in spring, including Kill Run Mode – a challenging mode where players have limited time to complete levels, and the highly-requested Photo Mode. Premium cosmetic DLC will also be available in spring, leading into a steady flow of new content throughout summer and culminating with the roll out of a free next generation update for console players later this year.
The acquisition of the Ghostrunner is the latest in a series of recent investments 505 Games has made as the global publisher continues to build its roster of in-house studios and owned IPs. “Ghostrunner is one of the most impressive indie games we’ve seen, boasting AAA tech and a unique futuristic cyberpunk-inspired world that’s both intriguing and terrifying,” said Rami and Raffi Galante, 505 Games’ co-founders. “Ghostrunner is a welcome addition to the 505 Games library of owned IP.”
Ghostrunner is a hardcore cyberpunk adventure developed by One More Level, 3D Realms, and Slipgate Ironworks, and co-published by 505 Games and All in Games! for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Ghostrunner will launch for PlayStation 5 and Xbox One consoles later this year.
505 Games, a subsidiary of the Italian entertainment company Digital Bros, is a global publisher focused on offering a broad selection of video games for players of all ages and skill levels. The company publishes and distributes premium and free-to-play games on console and PC platforms as well as mobile devices.
Publishing highlights include DEATH STRANDING (PC), Control, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Ghostrunner, Gems of War, Battle Islands, Journey to the Savage Planet, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night,Indivisible, Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons, Terraria and ABZÛ. Distribution highlights include No Man’s Sky, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Warhammer: Vermintide 2, Dead by Daylight and Inside/Limbo.
The 505 Games internal development network includes newly acquired studio Infinity Plus Two located in Australia, DR Studios located in the United Kingdom and Kunos Simulazioni in Italy. 505 Games has offices in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, China and Japan. For more information on 505 Games and its products please visit 505games.com.
LONDON, UK (April 1, 2021) – SQUARE ENIX® is excited to announce that OUTRIDERS™, the high-intensity RPG-Shooter from People Can Fly®, the developers of Gears of War: Judgment and BULLETSTORM®, andSquare Enix External Studios, the minds behind JUST CAUSE®and SLEEPING DOGS®is available now.
OUTRIDERS is a hard-hitting RPG-Shooter set in an original dark sci-fi world. The last of Humanity slowly bleeds out in the trenches of the wild and unforgiving world of Enoch, and you awake as one of the last of the Outriders and an Altered, infused with incredible powers. Go on an epic journey across a hostile planet where everything has hyper-evolved to kill you. Choose from four different classes and use deep and flexible character customisation to build your own play style, collect twisted and beautiful guns and gear, and wield destructive and dominating powers. Stay aggressive, kill to heal and take the fight to your enemies in single player or with up to three players in co-op, as you explore the unknown across an epic story campaign.
“It’s incredibly exciting to finally let players explore what we have been working on for the last five years,” said Bartek Kmita, Creative Director at People Can Fly. “With OUTRIDERS, we’ve made the game we always wanted to play. It’s been an amazing journey to get here, but this is hopefully only the beginning of something great. We can’t wait to see you on Enoch!”
“OurExternal Studios team has been working closely with the talented team at People Can Fly on all facets of game and franchise development for over five years” said Jon Brooke, Co-Head of Studio at Square Enix External Studios. “Our shared vision of an epic dark sci-fi adventure that’s both a deep RPG and an intense top class shooter experience is one that breaks genre conventions and provides an all-in-the-box complete experience from day one. This is a landmark day for both teams and I am immensely proud of the work put in by everyone, but this is just our first foot forward in this universe, we have so many more stories to tell…”
Try the free OUTRIDERS demo on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, as well as Steam and GeForce Now on PC.
OUTRIDERS is available now on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Steam, Epic Games Store and GeForce NOW on PC, and Google Stadia.
Established in 2002, People Can Fly, is one of the best AAA game development studios in Poland and one of the leading UNREAL ENGINE studios in Europe. People Can Fly operates in Warsaw, Rzeszów, Newcastle and New York, with newly opened start-up studios in Łódź (PL) and Montreal (CA).
PCF made its mark on the shooter genre and is known for titles such as Bulletstorm: Full Clip (launched on April 7, 2017) , Gears of War: Judgment (published in 2013), Bulletstorm (an original, Unreal Engine 3-powered onslaught of ‘kill with skill’ gameplay and blockbuster moments, published in 2011.) and Painkiller (launched in 2004).
Besides Outriders People Can Fly is currently working on two other AAA projects: new game for Square Enix and recently announced original, action-adventure title for Take-Two Interactive.
People Can Fly made its debut on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in December 2020.
About Square Enix External Studios
Square Enix External Studios is a London based development and publishing group that works with top development studios across the world, establishing new intellectual properties and developing new franchises within the umbrella of the Square Enix group of companies. Square Enix External Studios have been responsible for multiple games including the Just Cause® and Life is Strange® series, as well as titles such as Batman: Arkham Asylum™ and Sleeping Dogs®.
About Square Enix Ltd.
Square Enix Ltd. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX®, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix group of companies. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as Crystal Dynamics® and Eidos Montréal®. The Square Enix group of companies boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 161 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 82 million units worldwide; TOMB RAIDER®, which has sold over 82 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
Tripwire Interactive Shares First Details on New Downloadable Content Coming for Maneater, the Critically Acclaimed Action-RPG where you Play as a Shark (shARkPG)
ROSWELL, Ga. – April 1, 2021 – Developer and publisher Tripwire Interactive is proud to share first details for Maneater: Truth Quest, the upcoming downloadable content (DLC) for 2020’s eat ‘em up hit,Maneater. Coming this summer for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®5 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S console systems, as well as PC (via Epic Games Store), Maneater: Truth Questcontinues where the story left off following the thrilling conclusion in Maneater, the original award-winning Action-RPG (shARkPG) where you play as a shark.
Starring the titular and evolved bull shark protagonist – and Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live, Rick and Morty, Archer), reprising his role as investigative journalist Trip Westhaven, Maneater: Truth Questwill take players down the rabbit hole of dark secrets and conspiracies surrounding Port Clovis and the Naval Wildlife Organization (NWO). The original stories of animals growing bone like armor, emitting flesh-eating toxins, or using electricity as a weapon were simply just old fisherman’s tales. That is until conspiracy theorists everywhere pointed to the original Maneater as solid proof of a Government coverup. Trip Westhaven, driven the brink of madness, fires up his ViewTube channel “Truth Quest”, to take his followers, the “Questers” into deep waters in an effort to uncover the dark secrets behind this whale of a tale.
“The team has been hard at work on Maneater: Truth Quest and we’re excited to announce the first details on the downloadable content that so many fans have been asking for,” said Sean McBride, Creative Director at Tripwire Interactive. “We’re aiming to give players more of what they loved from the original Maneater, with the ability to grow bigger, explore an entirely new region off the coast of Port Clovis, and evolve further tools of destruction. Inspired by Scaly Pete’s father’s tales of ‘Gub’ment Experiments’, we pick up where we left off and join Trip Westhaven and the shark’s journey down the rabbit hole of conspiracy and military cover ups as you eat, explore and evolve through these uncharted waters.”
With two new episodes and an entirely new region, the Maneater: Truth Quest DLC is packed with new evolutions, challenges, wildlife, and more! Players will once again take control of the apex predator of the sea to Eat, Explore and Evolve their way to the top of the food chain. A small taste of new features and content include:
New Evolution Set
o Maximum level cap increased to 40 o Five new organ evolutions with one additional organ slot unlocked at level 40 o Maximum shark size increased
New Wildlife
o New “Uber” Apex Predator o New evolved hunt creatures
New Military Forces for Bounty Hunter System
o Military land forces will launch attacks from beaches and fortifications o Helicopters will hunt by air o Five new Bounty Bosses o New weapons and vehicles for military Bounty Hunters
New Objective Types
o Failure to Communicate:Tail-whip objects to destroy the target objective o Time Trial: Swim through the rings before time runs out!
The Maneater: Truth QuestDLC will require the base game, Maneater, to play — and will be available for $14.99 / €14.99 / £12.99 MSRP with an ESRB rating of M for Mature, PEGI 18 rating, and USK 16 rating.
The originalManeater is a single player, open-world action-RPG (ShARkPG) where YOU are the shark. Starting as a small bull shark pup you are tasked with surviving the harsh world while eating your way up the ecosystem. To do this, you will explore a large and varied open world encountering diverse enemies — both human and wildlife. Find the right resources and you can grow and evolve far beyond what nature intended, allowing the player to tailor the shark to their play style. This is fortunate, because to get revenge on the cruel fisherman that dismembered you will take evolving into a massive shark, an apex predator of legends. Eat. Explore. Evolve.
Maneater: Truth Quest is downloadable content for Maneater; may be sold separately. Maneater is required to play associated downloadable content.
About Tripwire Interactive
Formed in 2005 as a humble independent developer founded by gamers who found success in the video game modding community, Tripwire Interactive has developed and self-published multiple critically acclaimed titles in the wildly popular Killing Floor and Rising Storm franchises, which have collectively sold over 20 million units to date. The studio’s latest project, Maneater, breaks new ground in the popular action RPG genre and finds players taking on the role of a deadly shark with the uncanny ability to evolve as it feeds.
Since then, Tripwire Interactive has expanded its business and now turns its experience and resources to include publishing titles spanning multiple platforms and genres from other talented independent studios. The publishing division aims to help like-minded independent studios bring their titles to market, including Chivalry 2 developed by Torn Banner Studios, Espire 1: VR Operative developed by Digital Lode, and Road Redemption developed by EQ Games and Pixel Dash Studios.
All product titles, publisher names, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are trademarks, registered trademarks and/or copyright material of the respective owners. All rights reserved.
Cinematic Titans Godzilla and Kong to Fight for Supremacy in World of Warships
Godzilla vs. Kong Movie-Inspired Naval Camouflages, Commanders, Patches and More Coming to Popular Multiplayer Online Game
On the heels of the debut of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ epic action adventure movie Godzilla vs. Kong, the infamous foes will take their battle to the high seas in World of Warships and World of Warships: Legends as part of an exclusive, time-limited collaboration between Wargaming, Legendary Entertainment and Toho Co, Ltd. These massive, iconic Titans will be featured onboard their individual ships, as well as available as playable commanders. Additionally, movie-themed camouflages, patches, flags and more will be available in game during the promotion, which will start later in May. Godzilla vs. Kong is in theaters internationally and, as of March 31, in U.S. theaters and on HBO Max for 31 days from theatrical release.
Watch the trailer for World of Warships
Watch the trailer for World of Warships: Legends
In this ultimate heavyweight battle, there can be only one winner. Representing Team Godzilla, wearing blue and weighing 41,217 tons is the Japanese battleship Amagi. In the orange corner, representing Team Kong and weighing 37,484 tons is USS North Carolina battleship. Both teams will come with unique movie-inspired permanent camouflages, but also with their own consumable camouflages, patches, flags, and more. On the console side, World of Warship: Legends players who choose Godzilla will have a unique battleship by the name of Heat Ray while the Kong fans will have a great counterpart in Primal, a battleship representing the creature’s might. All that will be offered together with the accompanying commanders, consumable camouflages, patches, flags and more.
“Nearly 60 years ago, King Kong and Godzilla first faced each other on the big screen in Japan, and since then the rivalry of these mythical creatures has captured the imagination of millions around the world,” said Aleksandr Nikolaev, Senior Publishing Producer from Wargaming. “World of Warships is always searching for new and exciting content our players would appreciate and we are delighted to share with them our vision of this legendary titans clash.”
“Wargaming is the perfect partner to allow fans to jump into the action and take part in the long-awaited showdown between these two massive Titans,” said Sam Rappaport, Director of Interactive Media at Legendary Entertainment. “Through this collaboration, fans will be able to experience the immense size and scale of the movie through this epic clash of Team Godzilla and Team Kong battleships.”
About World of Warships
World of Warships is a free, historical, online combat PC game from Wargaming. With its massive fleet of most iconic war vessels, including four different ship classes and strategically designed environment, World of Warships provides the ultimate naval warfare gaming experience, suitable for everyone. Thanks to its largest collection of historically accurate ships available to play, World of Warships prides itself as a digital ship museum and a focal point for naval history enthusiasts.
New thematic content and innovative game modes are being added on a regular basis, providing a diverse and exciting gameplay to its broad player base.
One franchise – multiple platforms
After the successful launch of World of Warships on PC, its unique gameplay and design has been adapted to bring free massive naval battles to other platforms with World of Warships: Legends available on PlayStation and Xbox and World of Warships Blitz on iOS and Android mobile devices.
About World of Warships: Legends
Experience epic naval action in World of Warships: Legends, a massively multiplayer online game where you can master the seas in history’s greatest warships! Recruit legendary commanders from maritime history, upgrade your vessels and stake your claim to naval supremacy with or against players around the world in thrilling and immersive battles.
World of Warships: Legends brings the online naval action loved by millions to home consoles for the very first time, alongside a host of content and features exclusive to the console experience.
Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has grown to become one of the leaders in the gaming industry with 4500+ employees and offices spread all over the world. Over 200 million players enjoy Wargaming’s titles across all major gaming platforms. Their flagship products include the massively popular free-to-play hit World of Tanks and the strategic naval action game World of Warships.
On March 31, 2021 from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes the long-awaited showdown between two icons in the epic adventure Godzilla vs. Kong, starring Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, with Kyle Chandler and Demián Bichir, under the direction of Adam Wingard, from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, story by Terry Rossio and Michael Dougherty & Zach Shields, based on the character “Godzilla” owned and created by TOHO CO., LTD.. Legends collide in Godzilla vs. Kong as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young, orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The epic clash between the two titans—instigated by unseen forces—is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the core of the Earth. Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Present a Legendary Pictures Production, A Film By Adam Wingard, Godzilla vs. Kong.
About Legendary Entertainment
Legendary Entertainment is a leading media company with film (Legendary Pictures), television, (Legendary Television), comics (Legendary Comics) and digital media (Legendary Digital Networks) divisions dedicated to owning, producing and delivering content to worldwide audiences. Legendary has built a library of marquee media properties and has established itself as a trusted brand which consistently delivers high-quality, commercial entertainment including some of the world’s most popular intellectual property. In aggregate, Legendary Pictures-associated productions have realised grosses of more than $17 billion worldwide at the box office. To learn more visit: www.legendary.com
About Toho Co, Ltd.
Toho Company, Limited, is a Japanese entertainment studio focused on the development, production, exhibition, and distribution of powerful content for motion pictures, television and theater. Founded in 1932, it remains a prominent force in bringing brands and original storytelling with versatile talents to audiences worldwide. Its subsidiaries include Toho Cinemas, the highest grossing exhibition company in Japan. To learn more, visit: www.toho.co.jp/en/.
