What goes around comes around as you create your own bullet hell of vile squid spawn
Oslo, Norway – October 15th, 2020 – Apt Games is proud to announce that its unholy score-attack synth nightmare TERROR SQUID is out now on the Nintendo Switch eShop and Steam for $9.99 / €9.99 / £8.99. There is no hope. There is only TERROR SQUID.
TERROR SQUID is an easy to understand but difficult to master arcade game in which every enemy projectile is emitted by you, the TERROR SQUID. Set around a doomed planet, you’re a cosmic chaos entity spinning around the world emitting all manner of hazardous projectiles. What goes around comes around, as your inky bullet reign of terror circles around the globe creating an apocalypse of your own design. TERROR SQUID obliterates genre conventions of tightly choreographed patterns, and instead puts you in the role of your own worst enemy. Think fast and strategically as you weave through a bullet hell of your own making!
Your objective is to survive for as long as possible without getting hit by your own projectiles. Survive for long enough and you can release a primordial blast of dark energy, detonating your projectiles in glorious chain reactions. Inspired by the spherical maps of Super Stardust and the short, intense action of Devil Daggers, TERROR SQUID is an endlessly addictive test of strategy and reflexes. Only the best players will manage to survive for even a minute in this unholy vector graphics apocalypse. Destroy worlds, ascend the leaderboards, and become one with the void in TERROR SQUID.
“TERROR SQUID has had quite the journey going from a game jam prototype to an actual arcade cabinet in Oslo (at Tilt), to a fully fledged commercial game on a Nintendo console and Steam,” said Creative Director Syver Lauritzsen. “We think its accessible nature, deep strategy, and sadistic challenge make it a cruelly addictive ‘one more good game’ flow state experience in whichever form you choose to play it. ”
About Apt Games Apt Games is a software division of the acclaimed design and creative tech agency TRY Apt, making its gaming debut with the release of its score-attack arcade affair TERROR SQUID, coming to Nintendo Switch and Steam in 2020.
Tokyo Japan, October 15th, 2020 – Global publisher Lightning Games today is proud to announce that 2D robot-combat platformer HARDCORE MECHA has launched on Nintendo Switch via the eShop for £17.99 / $24.99 / €19.99; available fully localised into French and Russian. In addition to the Switch launch a new ‘GurrenLagann’ DLC will be arriving very soon.
HARDCORE MECHA is a robot-combat platformer where players select their mecha as they embark on a thrilling action-packed adventure filled with shooting, flying and exquisite animations – imagine a mix of Metal Slug and Super Robot Wars! The game features three major game modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, and, later this month after getting an update, fan favourite Survival mode will be available.
Campaign Mode puts you in control of Mercenary Tarethur O’Connell, an ACE pilot of Hardcore Defense Corp, who’s drawn into a rebellious sheme while on a mission. While facing endless battles and overwhelming conflicts, Tarethur starts to question what he is really fighting for. Players will be engrossed in a story of conspiracy and insurgency consisting of 8 chapters with 18 stages ranging from deep underwater, in outer space or confined in urban environments, all gorgeously realized with seamless animated cutscenes. At various points, Human pilots can exit their mechas, giving a greater ability to explore the environment and engage in further platform-based combat.
Later this month, after a major update, Survival Mode will come to the Nintendo Switch version. Survival mode pits players against over 50 types of enemy mechas of all shapes and sizes in a variety of locations such as mineshaft, underwater, urban, and space. It’s a perfect place to improve your skills as you upgrade your equipment between levels and missions to ensure you survive the barrage of enemies.
In Multiplayer mode, players select from a impressive roster of customizable mechas and engage in frenetic freestyle combo moves while competing in high-speed hardcore PVP battles. HARDCORE MECHA supports online multiplayer and local split-screen for up to four players. Local Wireless mode is available on the Nintendo Switch allowing players to challenge each other face to face.
Following the Nintendo Switch launch, a new DLC ‘GurrenLagann’ will become available for Multiplayer and Survival modes. This DLC comes from the famous animation ‘Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann’ and will include a new Mecha ‘GurrenLagann’, the symbol of the Great Red Lotus Group, and a new young pilot called ‘Simon Digging
“The team here at RocketPunch could not be more delighted to see HARDCORE MECHA release on Nintendo Switch today. It has been a real passion project for everyone involved,” said Louiky Mu, Producer at RocketPunch. “We spent extra development time ensuring the Nintendo Switch version delivers the most exciting experience possible, in addition to the ability to play at home or on the go. It’s the ultimate 2D mech fighting experience and the Switch is the perfect platform to appreciate it.”
HARDCORE MECHA was first announced back in 2016 and was successfully funded via Kickstarter which saw more than 4,000 backers pledge to the project. Since then, the game has won critical praise for its super slick and fast paced 2D gameplay taking home over 10 indie awards including at the Tokyo Game show, and Developer Award at the PlayStation™Awards 2019. After it’s release, HARDCORE MECHA topped the PlayStation Japan sales chart for weeks, and remained in the top 3 for over a month.
About Lightning Games Lightning Games is a video game publisher dedicated to delivering quality PC/Console games to players around the world. Lightning Games recently released titles loved by players, including Overdungeon and The Enchanted Cave 2.
About RocketPunch Games RocketPunch Games is an indie game developer based in Beijing, who pursuits to deliver fun and high-quality video games to players worldwide, onto various gaming platforms. HARDCORE MECHA is the first production of RocketPunch Games, the game was on top of PlayStation Japan sales chart for weeks, and remained in the top 3 for over a month after its release, with the overwhelmingly positive feedback from players and media, the efforts behind HARDCORE MECHA have been recognised.
SOEDESCO releases survival guide with 10 tips on how to survive the critically acclaimed horror game
Rotterdam, The Netherlands – September 15, 2020 – Survival horror game Monstrum is a week away from launching with a physical edition on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One. Players can get their physical copy on Friday, October 23. The monstrosities that are hunting the player down in Monstrum are making it a terrifying challenge to escape the abandoned ship. Permadeath and no save points ensure that once they get killed, players will have to start all over again. So what does it take to stay alive? A blog post released today, providing 10 tips on how to survive Monstrum.
Information Title: Monstrum Platforms: Nintendo Switch™, PS4™, Xbox One Genre: Survival Horror Developer: Junkfish Physical release date: 23 October 2020 Digital release date: 22 May 2020 Hashtag: #MonstrumGame
About Monstrum Stranded on an abandoned cargo ship, you find yourself hunted by one of Monstrum’s terrifying predators; each with their own strategy, abilities, and weaknesses. You’ll have to use your wits to outsmart your pursuer within the ship’s procedurally generated environment as you search for an escape. Death is permanent; get killed and you’ll be starting all over again. Can you survive Monstrum?
Features: ● Survive a changing environment and monster with each new game ● Use whatever you can find to outwit the monsters and escape the ship ● Hide, distract, and run, but be careful not to fall into the numerous traps ● Death is permanent. Try to stay alive or you’ll have to start all over again
About SOEDESCO SOEDESCO® is a worldwide publisher of both digital and physical games on multiple platforms. The company was founded in 2002, with its headquarters in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Their portfolio includes titles such as Monstrum, Owlboy, Among the Sleep, Remothered: Tormented Fathers and Teslagrad. SOEDESCO also publishes their own IPs including Truck Driver®, Adam’s Venture®, and Real Farm.
More information about SOEDESCO® and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.soedesco.com or by following @SOEDESCO on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Junkfish Junkfish Limited is a games development studio based in Dundee, Scotland which focuses on PC development. Founded by a group of graduates from the University of Abertay Dundee, the studio released “Monstrum”, a procedurally generated horror game. In addition to their experience in PC games development, Junkfish also has experience in developing for Mobile, VR and AR platforms. For more information please visit www.teamjunkfish.com or follow Team Junkfish on social media @TeamJunkfish.
Steer Your Path Through Dangerous Waters in Battle for the Bosporus
New Country Pack for Hearts of Iron IV Available Today
STOCKHOLM – 15 October 2020 – The fascist powers are to the west. The Russian bear to the north. And the coasts of Egypt and the Levant belong to France and Britain. The independent nations of the eastern Mediterranean live in a dangerous neighborhood . What can Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey do to secure their own safety while the world around them is at war? Seize the reins of power in Hearts of Iron IV: Battle for the Bosporus, available now.
Battle for the Bosporus is a new country pack for Paradox Development Studio’s best-selling strategy wargame about World War II. Armchair generals will find new national focus trees for three nations that border the strategic waterways of the Black and Aegean Seas. Pursue alternate histories alongside major powers in a strong faction, or control your own destiny, free from meddling imperial giants.
Features of Battle for the Bosporus include:
National Focus Tree for Bulgaria: Balance the factions in a divided land or reclaim territory lost in 1919. Follow the historical alliance with Germany or resist the German pressures on Tsar Boris, standing up for a free Bulgaria.
National Focus Tree for Greece: Riven by political division, Greek neutrality is maintained by the controversial Metaxas. Build a strong relationship with the Allies under the guidance of King George II, follow arch-conservatives into fascism or restore the glories of Greek Empire in the east.
National Focus Tree for Turkey: Robbed of its empire in the last war, what future is there for Turkey in a new one? Continue or halt the reforms of Kemalism, stand as the protector of the Balkans in a new regional faction, restore the Sultan to the throne or found a new Islamic state.
New Music Tracks
New 3D Unit Models for Balkan and Turkish Armies
Unique voice overs for Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey
Hearts of Iron IV: Battle for the Bosporus is available now for a suggested retail price of $9.99/£7.19/€9.99
Paradox Interactive is a leading global publisher of strategy games for PC and console. The company has developed and published a world-renowned catalog stretching back to 1999, with players hailing from all around the world.
The publisher’s steadily-growing portfolio includes firmly established franchises such as the critically acclaimed Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron, and Stellaris series created by Paradox Development Studio, the Age of Wonders series created by Triumph Studios, as well as award-winning titles such as Cities: Skylines, Pillars of Eternity, and more from a network of partner studios. Paradox is the owner of the World of Darkness IPs and is publishing Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. Today, over four million people play a Paradox game each month, and the number of registered Paradox users is over twelve million.
Paradox’s head offices are located in Stockholm, Sweden. Our development studios are located in Stockholm, Malmö and Umeå, Sweden, in Delft, The Netherlands, in Seattle, Washington, and in Berkeley, California. We share a passion for gaming and gamers, and our goal is to provide deep and challenging games with hours of gameplay and endless variety to our ever-growing community.
Navigate through war-torn environments as you tailor your party
PQube (London, UK) – October 15th, 2020 –PQube and developer CooCooSqueaky are excited to celebrate the launch of Tears of Avia! Available on Steam & Xbox from today, Tears of Avia is a turn-based strategy JRPG with a seemingly endlessly deep system of skill trees, playable characters, weapons and items.
With 5 unique main characters to choose from, each representing a traditional RPG class from mage to warrior to ranger and more, and with 100s of potential skill combinations and unique side quests each, this turn-based adventure allows both new comers and established fans of the genre to create an entirely unique gameplay experience tailored specifically to their personal tastes.
An enticing adventure awaits in the vast and beautiful world of Estera.
Tears of Avia allows you to combine hundreds of unique skills with its five unique classes to create powerful combos. Choose from classic offensive and defensive abilities, melee and ranged attacks, damaging and supportive spells and much more on your journey through Estera!
Check out #TearsOfAvia and @TearsOfAvia on Twitter and the official homepage: www.tearsofavia.com
For more information and the latest news about PQube, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Twitch and Instagram or check out our homepage: https://pqube.co.uk/games/
About CooCooSqueaky CooCooSqueaky is an independent developer with one goal: to make great games that you love to play for hours on end. Founded in Bournemouth, UK, CooCooSqueaky work with talented people from all around the world. Although not a big team, the people who work with the studio are passionate about what they do and love making games.
About PQube PQube is a leading international creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment. The company’s teams worldwide are committed to publishing games they love by working closely with development partners and reaching consumers globally on all major gaming platforms. PQube manages a rich portfolio of brands including Cat Quest, New Super Lucky’s Tale, BlazBlue, Gal*Gun, White Day, Kill La Kill, Nexomon: Extinction, Guilty Gear, Kitaria Fables, and many more. Visit: pqube.co.uk to find out more
Make all your royal dreams come true this holiday season
Torrance, Calif. — October 15, 2020 — Aksys Games announced today that the royal lifestyle simulator Pretty Princess Party will waltz onto the Nintendo Switch this December 3rd. Players are whisked away to a magical land and take possession of a long-abandoned castle where they learn the ins and outs of princessing while restoring the palace to its former glory.
Your new regal life begins with creating a princess character from endless choices of dresses, shoes, accessories, and hairstyles. Then embark on your training through fun mini-games, including cake decorating, horse racing, and dancing. Restore the castle to its former glory and win the prize! Successfully completing the games will unlock new outfit choices and allow you to access hundreds of unique items to decorate your castle’s 20 rooms – over 1,300 items total! Once the rooms are decorated, you can take commemorative photos to show off your royal style! Even after completing the entire magical story, new challenges are unlocked for even more room updates and photographs.
Features of Pretty Princess Party include:
Create your own princess character with over 50 choices in gowns, shoes, tiaras, and hair ornaments, plus 25 hairstyles and many eye color and makeup options.
Play fun mini-games with 1 to 4 players to polish your posh: Dancing, horseracing, cake decorating, archery and more. Challenge friends with pass-and-play multiplayer.
Decorate 20 rooms in your castle however you wish with over 1,300 lovely items: furniture, paintings, wallpaper, and much more.
Capture and update photos within your newly-decorated rooms.
Pretty Princess Party has been rated “E for Everyone” by the ESRB. For more information or to pre-order, visit www.aksysgames.com/princess/.
About Aksys Games
Founded in 2006 in Torrance, California, Aksys Games Localization, Inc. is a visionary video game publisher committed to publishing unique and high-quality interactive content for all current-generation platforms. Its lineup of games includes the critically acclaimed Zero Escape series, Little Dragons Café, the award-winning Spirit Hunter: Death Mark and Spirit Hunter: NG adventures and Code: Realize titles, as well as the wildly successful BlazBlue, Under Night In-Birth, and Guilty Gear franchises. More information about Aksys Games and its unique products can be found on the company’s website, www.aksysgames.com.
Scavenge for food and hide from prey as a small sugar glider
Montréal, Quebec – October 14th, 2020 – Breaking Walls has revealed the first nocturnal gameplay for its upcoming sugar glider-based nature adventure AWAY: The Survival Series, heading to PC and PS4 in Early 2021. Step into your own nature documentary as you glide through the forest, evade dangerous predators, and embark on a journey to save your family.
AWAY: The Survival Series is an exploration adventure set in a distant future where nature has reclaimed the planet. Playing as a tiny sugar glider, immerse yourself in the wild as you soar across misty chasms, leap from tree to tree, and climb to the top of the forest canopy. Throughout your journey, you will have to hunt small prey, fight larger enemies, hide from apex predators, solve navigational puzzles, and make your way through the dense wilderness to save your sugar glider’s family.
Along the way players will uncover the mysterious remnants of a fallen human civilization. While most of the game is played from the perspective of the sugar glider, there are also brief sequences where players can control other animals and insects, such as beetles, lizards, foxes, crabs, and more. The world of AWAY is vast and wild, and there’s something new to discover around every corner.
This latest reveal shows off a first look at nighttime gameplay, just in time for Halloween. Not only does the wilderness look spookier by moonlight, but new nocturnal predators will take to the prowl in these post twilight hours. Evade spooky spiders and rats as you sneak about the dark forest.
“We wanted AWAY: The Survival Series to feel like a nature documentary in action, so having a day/night cycle that affects the ecosystem was crucial in capturing this organic feeling,” said Breaking Walls Co-Founder and Creative Director Laurent Bernier. “We look forward to showing you more of AWAY: The Survival Series when it launches in early 2021.”
Breaking Walls is composed of an all-star team of industry veterans who have worked on acclaimed series such as Assassin’s Creed, Prince of Persia and Far Cry. Additionally, Breaking Walls has partnered with Life and Planet Earth II composer Mike Raznick to create an enchanting orchestral score for AWAY: The Survival Series. The result is a natural world brought to life with stunning detail.
For a longer look at nighttime gameplay, the Breaking Walls team has shared some extended gameplay footage on AWAY‘s Steam Broadcast that will be looping for the next couple of days. You can watch it at https://store.steampowered.com/app/750200/AWAY_The_Survival_Series.
About Breaking Walls Breaking Walls is an independent game studio founded by industry veterans in Montréal, Quebec, an international hub for innovation and expertise in game development. With decades of experience working on AAA titles such as Assassin’s Creed, Prince of Persia, and Far Cry, the Breaking Walls team has spent the past 4 years developing their first indie title, AWAY: The Survival Series.
Pioneer in Online Social Community-Building and Free-to-Play Sandbox Gaming Celebrates Two Decades of Creation and Innovation with over 316M Registered Avatars and 500M Rooms
Helsinki, Finland — October 15, 2020 — Social entertainment company Sulake is celebrating a huge milestone this year – Habbo is 20 years old! The game first appeared in late summer 2000, and now hundreds of millions of players later, finds itself in the year 2020 still with a solid fan base that has grown up with the IP.
One of the original free-to-play virtual communities, Habbo’s focus on providing a safe and fun online space for self-expression held wide appeal for tweens and teens in the 2000’s and 2010’s. However, now the demographic tracks a bit older (young adults over 19 years make up 71% of the current player base) as the player base has grown up with Habbo and many have returned to the game during various COVID-19 lockdowns.
Throughout the course of its long and illustrious history, Habbo has celebrated widespread international success with 9 language versions and over 316M registered avatars in over 115 countries, creating over 500M rooms. Multiple awards have been showered on the service, including Fast 500 EMEA (2005), Best Community Site, Site of the Year (MetrixLab, multiple awards from 2006-2015), Global Safest Social Network (the European Commission, 2011) and the Nokia Foundation Award (2008), but the Habbo innovation doesn’t stop there. It was also one of the first online virtual communities to secure numerous advertising partnerships with over 300 brands from a wide variety of sectors and major celebrity features. These include musical artists Pink, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga and Ozzy Osbourne and blockbuster films such as the Harry Potter series, the Twilight series, Fantastic Four and many more.
“Habbo was a true pioneer in terms of from such a humble beginning in 2000 to what we’ve seen in its growth and change over the past two decades,” said Sulake CEO Valtteri Karu. “We’ve been excited to see so many players sticking with us and returning to the game during lockdown and participating in our 20th birthday events. We’re planning for this year to be followed by an even bigger year in 2021 – the next 12 months are full of exciting new developments for Habbo. That’s all I can say right now, so stay tuned!”
About Habbo & Sulake
Sulake is a social entertainment company focused on providing a safe and fun online service for self-expression through its games, Habbo and Hotel Hideaway. Sulake was founded in 2000 by a small team of passionate people and now after 20 years, Habbo is still one of the largest virtual communities in the world, reaching players all over the world each month. With paying customers in over 115 countries and over 850,000 active users a month, Habbo continues to be a hugely popular and globally recognised brand.
Sulake’s mission is to enable its users to meet new people, make friends and give them a place to create and share their user-generated content in fun virtual surroundings. Dutch media and technology company Azerion has been a majority stakeholder since 2018, with long term shareholder Elisa Oyj still retaining a minority stake in the business. Sulake is also a leader in ensuring online safety for children. www.sulake.com
Popular free-to-play video game and rock legends collaborate on exclusive music video, brand-new game mode
Wargaming today announced that the iconic band, Korn, and free-to-play video game titan, World of Tanks Blitz, launched a special Halloween collaboration, revealing the music video for ‘Finally Free’, a track featured on Korn’s latest studio album, The Nothing. The exclusive video sets the stage for World of Tanks Blitz’s brand-new Halloween mode: Burning Games.
Fans of the band and World of Tanks Blitz players won’t want to miss out on Convergence, a five-stage event which brings Korn to the widely popular game that boasts more than 137 million downloads globally. From October 16th through October 24th all players can complete in-game challenges to uncover pieces of band artwork and extra special items.
This event also features the brand-new Burning Games mode, where players will fight for dominance on the battlefield in order to secure in-game rewards. In a Halloween-themed twist, from the time the battle clock starts, every vehicle on the battlefield will start draining health like a vampire, and players will need to deal damage to their foes in order to get their health back. The Burning Games mode is available to all vehicles Tier V and above and runs from October 16th till October 24th.
“Wargaming is no stranger to musical collaborations, having teamed up with Iron Maiden, Swedish metallers Sabaton, and punk rock outfit, The Offspring, for previous projects,” said Andrey Ryabovol, Product Director of World of Tanks Blitz. “Korn is the perfect partner for our Halloween event, and we can’t wait for rock fans and World of Tanks Blitz players to experience this exciting collaboration.”
“I really like World of Tanks Blitz. It’s true to the era, there are a lot of great tanks in there, and you don’t just jump in and start shooting,” said Jonathan Davis, lead vocals, Korn. “I think there is a connection between rock and video games because video games are intense and rock ’n’ roll music is intense. It seems like they have always gone hand in hand.”
The music video for ‘Finally Free’ tells the story of Captain, a die-hard Korn fan (and a known character in the World of Tanks Blitz universe) who’s doing all he can to get to Korn’s live performance at the ‘Burning Games’. The problem is a crew of wasteland raiders who do all they can to keep him from his goal. Will he make it to the front row of the Korn show in time?
Check out the ‘Finally Free’ music video to find out.
The Halloween extravaganza will also include The Way of the Raider, a 60-stage event. Tankers will be able to get Credits, Free XP, days of Premium Account, several camos, a сustom player profile, and two new post-apocalyptic vehicles: The Tier V Spike and the Tier VII Annihilator. Both tanks are featured in the new video from Korn. All tankers who complete all 60 stages will be able to get their hands on the unique animated “Radioactive Glow” camo. The Way of the Raider runs from October 16th through October 31st, and is available to all vehicles Tier V and above.
And finally, from October 24th through October 31st, Mad Games makes a welcome return. A true fan-favorite, the game mode gives tankers unique abilities ordinary tanks could only wish for.
Learn more about Korn’s latest release, The Nothing, here.
World of Tanks Blitz is a cross-platform, free-to-play, team-based MMO action game dedicated to fierce tank combat. Available on iOS, macOS, Android, Windows 10, Steam, and Nintendo Switch, the game lets players control over 370 legendary armoured vehicles and boasts more than 137 million downloads worldwide.
World of Tanks Blitz is a fun, lighthearted approach to the genre that bends the rules of reality, putting an engaging twist on tank combat. Deep mechanics and realistic physical models across both authentic and alternative historical settings combine to create fluid gameplay and tactical diversity.
Since forming, KORN has sold 40 million albums worldwide, collected two GRAMMYS, toured the world countless times, and set many records in the process that will likely never be surpassed. Vocalist Jonathan Davis, guitarists James “Munky” Shaffer and Brian “Head” Welch, bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu, and drummer Ray Luzier, have continued to push the limits of the rock, alternative and metal genres, while remaining a pillar of influence for legions of fans and generations of artists around the globe. The level of KORN’s reach transcends accolades and platinum certifications. They are “a genuine movement in a way bands cannot be now,” attests The Ringer. They represent a new archetype and radical innovation, their ability to transcend genre makes barriers seem irrelevant. www.kornofficial.com
Throughout the years the Final Fantasy franchise has grown to such immense levels of popularity that it is not only on its sixteenth numbered entry but has seen numerous spin-offs, popular MMOs, and more released ever since it began back in 1987. Although nearly every game in the series has seen a Western release, albeit with some delays and a few number variations, many novelizations of the series have not been released in the West including the 25th anniversary trio of novels, Final Fantasy I * II * III: Memory of Heroes. Now eight years after the release of the novel in Japan, Yen Press has brought it to the West for Final Fantasy fans to dive into, but have these old-school RPGs translated well into novel form?
Story
In a few ways Final Fantasy I * II * III: Memory of Heroes is a bit different from the average light novel since it has to split the story between the first three games in the series while also trying to make an effort to show that they still tie together slightly due to the fact that any time darkness begins to take over the world, light will rise up to battle against it and this tale persists through all three stories. What is interesting, and also goes to show how the games continued to grow narratively as the series was developed, is the length of each story as the first is only a paltry forty pages, the second reaching sixty, and finally the third making nearly ninety pages in length. As a result, the story quality also varies partially due to this length since these are almost entirely straight adaptations of the video game stories with side-quests, a few towns, and most minor encounters trimmed from the usual runtime but some side-characters given extra attention to try and smooth the story along a bit better.
Final Fantasy I is a bit interesting in this regard as it also happens to be the first time that the heroes of light are actually given canonical names with the warrior being named Setro, the thief being called Zauver, Flora as the White Mage, and finally Teol as the Black Mage. As a result these characters actually develop some personality of their own, even if it is played straight for their job class, as they continue their journey to save the world. That being said, of the three stories this first one also features the most abrupt conclusion that those unfamiliar with the original game may be a bit confused by.
Final Fantasy II and III are better in this regard and give readers some more details about the world and interactions between the characters, mimicking the advancements made in storytelling between the original video game releases. It is worth noting though that since these are stories taken directly from games created in ’87, ’88, and ’90 there are no real threats that truly can be seen as the greatest threat for the heroes of each story. The same plot twists remain as interesting as they were back in the day but readers should go into Final Fantasy I * II * III: Memory of Heroes expecting fairly clear-cut stories of light vs darkness. This simpler approach is nice enough in its own way and holds true to the original games, though those expecting maybe a bit more will be disappointed that there wasn’t an attempt to bring more life to these straightforward stories.
Extra Content
This novel features a few little bonuses alongside the story and, in a rather odd choice, all of it is presented immediately at the start of the book. Here readers will find summaries and artwork taken from remastered cutscenes of each of the main characters in the three Final Fantasy games as well as a rough world map showing off various key locations that players would have traveled to and where the characters are going. These are nice bonuses, especially since it quickly helps readers assign names to the previously nameless Final Fantasy 1 heroes, but it feels like these pages would have been better spaced between each story in an effort to spread things out a bit more.
Overall
Final Fantasy I * II * III: Memory of Heroes tells a trio of tales that may not be the most deep fantasy tales these days, but stay true to form with the original three games that began a franchise that is still running to this day. The heroes of light battling against the forces of darkness remains a great tale and this novel brings three of these types of stories into one book with plenty of variation between each story to make them unique, albeit a bit too simple most of the time, making this something of a solid read for Final Fantasy fans who don’t want to play a remake of these old RPGs or a way for younger fans to get a taste of how these tales used to be.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
