Premiered during The Game Awards 2020, Elite Dangerous: Odyssey’s latest trailer offers a first taste of the rich gameplay this latest expansion will bring in early 2021
Cambridge, UK – 11 December 2020. Frontier Developments plc (AIM: FDEV) offered today a first glimpse of the future Elite Dangerous experience, with the gameplay reveal of the highly anticipated Odyssey expansion, launching in early 2021.
Coming to PC, the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, and the Xbox One all-in-one games and entertainment system, pre-order is available now for Windows PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store and FrontierStore.net. Prospective Commanders can now pre-order the Elite Dangerous: Odyssey expansion with an SRP of £29.99/$39.99/€34.99. Also available today is the Deluxe Alpha expansion pack, with an SRP of £39.99/$54.99/€46.99, including the Odyssey expansion, Alpha/Beta access and the official soundtrack. Both pre-order packs grant access to the exclusive Pioneer suit skin as a pre-order bonus.
Elite Dangerous: Odyssey will allow Commanders to explore distant worlds on foot for the very first time, taking on new missions and engaging in intense tactical combat, seamlessly merging with Elite Dangerous’ iconic cockpit experience players have come to know and love. Players will be able to customize their characters for ground operations with different specialized suits and gear options and meet with other Commanders in social hubs across the galaxy. These hubs will provide ideal locations to plan their next move, form alliances and acquire and upgrade new equipment.
Action takes on a new dimension in Elite Dangerous: Odyssey through multiple spheres of combat. Starships, ground vehicles and commanders collide during devastating air-to-ground firefights. Players will be able to choose from an array of weapons and gear to suit their own play style and try to gain a tactical advantage, but it will be up to them to choose between all-out guns-blazing action or taking a stealthier approach.
Take control of your own starship in a cutthroat galaxy. Some may know you as an ally; others will call you a pirate, a bounty hunter, a smuggler, an explorer, an assassin, a hero… Fly with friends, fight for a cause or go it alone. Your actions change the galaxy around you in an ever-unfolding story. Explore a detailed 1:1 model of our real galaxy, and be the first to discover one of 400 billion star systems. Start with a small starship and a handful of credits, and do whatever it takes to earn the skill, knowledge, wealth and power to stand among the ranks of the Elite.
About Frontier
Frontier is a leading independent developer and publisher of videogames founded in 1994 by David Braben, co-author of the iconic Elite game. Based in Cambridge, Frontier uses its proprietary COBRA game development technology to create innovative genre-leading games, primarily for personal computers and videogame consoles. As well as self-publishing internally developed games, Frontier also publishes games developed by carefully selected partner studios under its Frontier Foundry games label.
The demo of Little Nightmares II will be playable on PC starting today, on Steam, and GOG.com, ahead of the game release on February 11, 2021. In this demo, players will be set in Mono’s shoes, waking up in a frightening unknown world and exploring to discover the dark secrets of the Hunter’s cabin. The demo will be available on consoles at a later date.
Also starting today, the Standard Edition of the game are available for digital pre-order on the Playstation Network, Microsoft Store, Steam and GOG.com. A Digital Deluxe Edition is available on the PlayStation Network, Steam, and GOG.com. This Deluxe Edition will give players access to the Nomes’ Attic, a DLC for Little Nightmares II, a full digital sountrack, composed by Tobias Lilja, a digital artbook, Mono and Six avatars, and Wallpapers for PC or a Dynamic Theme for PS4. All pre-orders will receive the Mokujin Hat for Mono as a bonus.
Physical pre-orders for the Day One Edition and TV Edition (in Europe) are still available here. The TV Edition will add, in addition to the Nomes’ Attic DLC and Mokujin mask, the complete soundtrack of the game as well as an exclusive diorama of Mono & Six, an artbook, a steelbook case and stickers for the game.
Little Nightmares II will be available starting February 11, 2021 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC Digital, and later in 2021 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X with a free upgrade for owners of the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One version.
For more information about Little Nightmares II or other BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe products, visit our website or follow us on Facebook or Twitter, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Videogame trailblazer returns to the Industry bringing decades of experience to officially licensed sports mobile game publisher
San Francisco – December 10, 2020 – Nifty Games Inc., a developer and publisher focused on quick-session, head-to-head sports games for mobile, announces the appointment of industry legend Peter Moore to the Nifty Games Board of Directors, effective immediately.
This news follows the soft launch of NFL Clash, a mobile-first American football title, in August 2020. Nifty Games has previously announced partnership with both the NBA and NFL as well as their corresponding Player Associations, NBPA and NFLPA.
Mr. Moore has an outstanding record in the videogame industry, having held positions as President of Sega of America, where he was responsible for the launch of the Dreamcast, and Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business division, where he oversaw console launch for Xbox 360. From 2007 to 2011 he headed up Electronic Arts’ EA Sports game division, before being appointed COO of Electronic Arts in 2012. In 2017, he became CEO of Liverpool Football Club. During his tenure with the club, Liverpool won the UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and the Premier League. Mr. Moore was also named Premier League CEO of the Year in 2019.
Jon Middleton, Nifty Games CEO, commented: “We’re thrilled to welcome Peter Moore to the Board of Directors. Peter’s career track record is second to none – his experience heading up Xbox, EA Sports, and his recent success with his hometown Liverpool F.C. are incredible learnings to help direct the company as we grow, and deliver a full slate of Nifty Games sports titles developed specifically for the billions of mobile gamers around the world.”
Commenting on his appointment, Peter Moore stated: “I’m excited to join the Nifty Games Board of Directors and look forward to working with founders Jon Middleton, Pete Wanat and the whole team at Nifty as we create a whole new genre in sports games. We have a massive opportunity in front of us.”
About Nifty Games Nifty Games, is a venture funded games developer & publisher focused on quick session, head-to-head sports games for mobile devices. Nifty Games is a proud partner of the NBA, NFL, NBPA & NFLPA. The company is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Learn more at www.niftygamesinc.com
Four Fresh Scenarios Help History Gamers Re-live Epic Moments from The Three Kingdoms!
Burlingame, Calif. –December 10, 2020 – KOEI TECMO America and famed developer Kou Shibusawa are excited to reveal all new gameplay details – including four new Scenarios and an Event Editor – to Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV: Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack. The expansion pack will release digitally on February 11, 2021 for the PlayStation®4 Computer Entertainment System and Windows PC via Steam®, while also making its series debut as the first ruler-based Romance of The Three Kingdoms game on Nintendo Switch™.
Some of The Three Kingdoms most epic moments are being added to the historic simulation franchise thanks to four new Scenarios, enabling gamers to play as unique warlords who were active during several stages of the time period, and depending on the forces chosen, players will be presented with completely different paths in their attempts to unify China. The four new Scenarios include “The Intentions of Two Yuans” (October 191), a story that depicts how the ambition of warlords clash after the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition collapses; “The Battle of Chibi” (October 208), the biggest turning point for Romance of the Three Kingdoms; the “Anti-Guan Yu Coalition” (July 219), where Wei and Wu join forces to prevent Guan Yu from advancing north; and “The Conquest of Liaodong” (January 238), portraying the subjugation of Gongsun Yuan, the King of Yan, by Sima Yi. And while the game portrays classic events like Sun Jian’s sudden death and Zhou Yu’s scheme to sow dissension, players will also be able to create their own striking moments with the new Event Editor. Here, players can combine backgrounds, speakers, BGM, messages, and officer images into a historic recreation all their own.
In addition, Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV: Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack features all-new Officer Characteristics to help make each officer play and feel more unique. Abilities highlighted include: “Plunderer”, enabling an officer to obtain gold and supplies when enemy units are defeated; “Adamant”, which will greatly decrease attack damage from buildings; “Guard” ensures that prisoners affiliated with a base where the “Guard” officer is governor will not escape; while “Ministrant” officers are more likely to added to a coordinated attack, regardless of relationships.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV: Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack also features a variety of early purchase bonus items that will be available to freely download within the first two weeks from launch. The bonus scenario ‘The Fall of Shu Han’ will be available for players on all platforms, while the ‘Battle of Yiling’ scenario, originally a bonus for the release of Romance of The Three Kingdoms XIV, will be available exclusively to Switch players. Additionally, the ‘Legends of Galactic Heroes’ collaboration scenario ‘In the Middle of an Endless Dream’ and all characters of ‘Legend of the Galactic Heroes’ collaboration DLC #1 through #5 will be available as a Switch exclusive bonus. Characters excluding Reinhard and Yang will be available for two weeks after launch.
For more information on Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV: Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack, please visit the official site, Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/koeitecmous and Follow us on Twitter @koeitecmoUS.
ABOUT KOEI TECMO AMERICA CORP.
KOEI TECMO AMERICA CORP. is a publisher of interactive entertainment software for current generation consoles, handhelds and digital download content based in Burlingame, California. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD., headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. KOEI is best known for its Dynasty Warriors® and Samurai Warriors® franchises. TECMO is best known for the Dead or Alive®, Ninja Gaiden®, Tecmo Bowl®, and Fatal Frame® series.
Happinet Deploys Large-Scale Battles and New Content ontoPlayStation® After Two Decades
TOKYO– (Dec. 10, 2020) – New monsters and challenges await in Runersia… Japanese videogame company,Happinet, is pleased to announce that SRPG Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia has launched worldwide on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system. The cult hit classic Brigandine released on the original PlayStation® in 1998 and has returned with a revitalized experience that stays true to the tenets that won over fans over 20 years ago. Updated for modern systems, the PS4™ system version launches with the “Titans and the Iron Front” patch which brings new content and updates based on community feedback for the recently released Nintendo Switch™ system version. To celebrate the launch, all digital purchases of Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia for PS4™ system on the PlayStation®Store will include a free dynamic theme. Additionally, a free PS4™ system demo is available today with two modes, Tutorial and Trial, for new players to experience the rush of leading more than 100 Rune Knights and lead monster troops into intense, turn-based battles in the quest to conquer Runersia.
Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is set in a familiar fantasy world brought to life by veteran development talent, including scenario writer, Kenji Terada (FINAL FANTASY I – III), art director and character designer, Raita Kazama (Puzzle & Dragons, Xenoblade Chronicles), and the homecoming of composer Tenpei Sato (Brigandine: Grand Edition, Disgaea 1 – 5).
Featuring a fantasy world conquest within the turn-based strategy genre, Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia will offer hundreds of hours of captivating gameplay in this stunning new campaign for conquest. Players choose one of six nations to assume the role of the ruler aiming to conquer Runersia. As a ruler, players will command more than 100 Rune Knights throughout the six nations leading various monster troops of various dragons, ghouls, and fairies, into fierce battles on hexagonal grid maps in the tactical turn-based battle system.
Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia Features:
High degree of freedom in warfare‒ Players decide which of six nations to play as, which countries to invade, and how to conquer the continent
Hundreds of hours of gameplay‒ A single nation’s plotline provides 30+ hours of playtime with multiple endings, post-ending content and newly added custom difficulty levels
Classic gameplay and design based on the original‒ Combat is a turn-based tactical RPG, with knights on each side leading three monster platoons into battle on a hexagonal grid to jostle for victory
Immersive gameplay and original artwork from talented veterans‒ Lead artist and character designer, Raita Kazama brings his artistry to the 40 base locations, over 100 unique knights, and 50 monster types in Runersia
Challenge mode‒ Battle in a combination of a sandbox and score attack experience where new missions are non-stop, challenging the player’s ability to change strategies on the fly as difficulty becomes harder the longer a player survives
New content and updates‒ “Titans and the Iron Front” update includes new high-level monsters, Titan and Shadow Goblin, custom difficulty levels for enemy AI, playtime and EXP gain options, new user interface, menu adjustments, and added functions making conquest over Runersia more strategic than ever
AboutBrigandine: The Legend of Runersia
In Runersia, a continent created by the Rune God, mana rains down endlessly. Eons ago, five Mana Stones were brought forth by this continent and passes through history alongside human nations, eventually embedding into special Brigandine equipment to create Rune Knights – special individuals who can wield the mana power and stones embedded into their armor to cast skills and magic as well as summon and control ancient monsters. Six Brigandine nations of Runersia, each with conflicting ideals, beliefs, histories, and faiths, are divided by Brigandines of Justice, Glory, Freedom, Sanctity, and Ego, while the sixth nation exists without Brigandine. The goal is to win battles to expand their nation’s influence until the entire continent of Runersia has been taken over by the player.
Brigandine: The Legend of Runersiais developed by Matrix Software and published by Happinet digitally for the Nintendo Switch™ system on theNintendo eShop and PlayStation®4 system on the PlayStation®Store for $49.99/ €49.99. This title is rated “T for Teen” by the ESRB and a PEGI 7 rating in Europe. The Nintendo Switch version released on June 25. Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is also playable on the PlayStation®5.
For more in-depth information about the game’s story, gameplay mechanics, and the top development talent behind making the game, please visit the official Brigandine: The Legend of Runersiawebsite and follow the game’s latest updates on the official EnglishTwitteraccount.
About Happinet
Happinet is a Japanese comprehensive entertainment trading company that boasts either top or near-top market share in each of its four main businesses: toys; visual and music; video games; and amusements. For more information, visithttps://www.happinet.co.jp/english/index.html.
Pre-order available now and includes ENCODYA ‘Save The World Edition’ supporting ‘Plan International’ charity
Wiesbaden, Germany, 10th December, 2020– Publisher Assemble Entertainment and developer Chaosmonger Studio are thrilled to release the first featurette for the dystopian point-and-click adventure ENCODYA. Making its debut on Steam and GOG for Windows PC, Mac and Linux on 26th January, 2021, ENCODYA is available to pre-order now with a limited time discount of 20% at www.encodya.com.
In the first of the exclusive behind-the-scenes featurettes, chief developer Nicola Piovesan talks about the most important feature of ENCODYA – The dystopian metropolis of Neo-Berlin. Piovesan takes you on a journey of this cyberpunk world full of breathtaking environments as well as sharing details of his day-to-day tasks, his career and the inspiration behind ENCODYA, a project close to his heart.
As with the previous releases of Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Dry Twice and Endzone – A World Apart Assemble Entertainment is also proud to announce that ENCODYA will be available as a special ‘Save the World Edition’ and will include an artbook, the game’s soundtrack, making of videos and wallpapers. This special edition will be available for 24,99 USD with a 20% pre order discount for a limited time. For every copy of the ‘Save the World Edition’ sold, 10% of the revenue will be donated to the children’s charity Plan International.
ENCODYA puts you in the role of Tina, an orphan with nothing to call her own. Her guardian, a large and lumbering robot named SAM-53, is her only safety and protection from a grim world full of greed and brutal poverty. Controlled by tyrannical corporations, Tina and SAM must make the best of their circumstances in order to set out on an adventure to turn their cyberpunk dystopia into a lively utopia once more. Without knowing what danger lurks behind the next corner, Tina will rely on her wit and SAM’s metal muscle to leave a life of homelessness and scavenging behind her.
About ENCODYA: Neo Berlin 2062. Tina – a nine-year-old orphan – lives with SAM-53 – her big clumsy robot guardian –in a rooftop makeshift shelter in Neo-Berlin, a dark megalopolis controlled by corporations. Tina is an urban jungle kid, who has learned to live alone, scavenging from city dumpsters and eking out a living from scraps. Her funny robot is always with her, programmed to protect her no matter what.
One day, the little girl discovers that her father left her an important mission: to finish his plan to save the world from grayness! Tina and SAM embark on an incredible adventure across different realities full of bizarre robotic creatures and grotesque human beings. Through puzzles and exciting dialogues, they’ll find out the true meaning of being alive.
The sweetness and creativity of Studio Ghibli, the setting and atmosphere of Blade Runner and the humor and game style of Monkey Island: these are the ingredients that inspired ENCODYA, a point-and-click adventure game set in a dystopian future. ENCODYA is based on the award-winning short film “Robot Will Protect You“.
Features:
Explore the dark cyberpunk world of ENCODYA in 2.5D with 2 playable characters.
Over 34+ non-player characters bring the world and story of ENCODYA to life.
More than 100 locations to discover and explore.
Over 4000+ lines of dialogue tell an immersive story.
Randomization of some puzzles for a unique experience.
Cinematic Cut Scenes.
Amazing art and sound design.
The original soundtrack creates a thrilling atmosphere.
Professional dubbing actors lend their voices to the characters.
About Assemble Entertainment
Based in Wiesbaden, Germany, Assemble Entertainment is an independent games developer and publisher, best known for Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don’t Dry, the latest installment in the humorously naughty point-and-click adventure saga, and the multi-award-winning Endzone – A World Apart, that challenges players to survive and thrive following an environmental apocalypse. Assemble Entertainment also organizes GermanDevDays, an annual conference that attracts more than 1,100 attendees from across the German-speaking video game development industry.
About Chaosmonger Studio
Based in Tallinn, Estonia, Chaosmonger Studio has over 20 years of experience in producing various forms of entertainment ranging from documentaries, sci-fi films, animations, music videos, and video games. Founded in 2000 by Nicola Piovesan, Chaosmonger Studio has since created numerous award-winning pieces of content and has participated in world-renowned film and content festivals, which have earned the studio nearly 100 awards. Learn more here: http://www.chaosmonger.com.
The ultimate console coaster park experience got even bigger
Cambridge, UK – 10 December 2020. Frontier Developments plc (AIM: FDEV) today announced the Spooky &Adventure Bundle is coming to console, bringing an abundance of spooktacular chills and adventurous thrills to Planet Coaster: Console Edition.
Launching to critical acclaim, Planet Coaster: Console Edition has charmed players and critics alike with its captivating creativity options, whimsical soundtrack and immersive ways to play, all brought together with a hearty dose of coaster park magic. Adding to the already available Deluxe Rides Collection, the Spooky& Adventure Bundle offers players even more ways to entertain and excite their guests, from enigmatic entertainers to spine-tingling new attractions, along with a whole host of new scenery and building pieces.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ks_7Su68_CU?feature=youtu https://www.youtube.com/embed/iE83hwDljAQ?feature=youtu Featuring two new dark rides, spine-chilling scenery and building pieces, and eerie entertainer, King Ghoster, the Spooky Pack provides players with everything they need to build a frighteningly good coaster park. Guests will get the fright of their lives with The Hoax, a free-spinning haunted house ride that can fit in even the smallest spaces with its tight track that twists and turns, while The Huntsman will have guests in a spin with its unique way of tilting and turning as it rotates on an axis. This motion platform ride allows players to coordinate stomach-knotting moments as they place guests face-to-face with unearthly horrors. Whether expanding their existing park or building an entirely new one, players can thrill guests with surprises lurking around every dark corner. From misty graveyards where spirits linger, to haunted houses filled with scuttling rats and rattling skeletons, park-goers will need nerves of steel to brave their new surroundings.
Those looking to inject a little more adventure into their parks can heed the call of the wild and hit the jungle trail with the Adventure Pack. Boasting a thrilling new coaster, two new water-based attractions, jungle-inspired scenery and building pieces, and queen of the jungle herself, entertainer Renee Feu, thrill seekers are well equipped to transform their parks into glorious lands of mystery.
Make a splash with Island Adventure, a high-capacity boat ride designed for large bodies of water, or take guests on a charming trip along bespoke waterways scattered with paddling hippos, clawing scorpions, and numerous decorative jewels, with Land Ahoy. The pack’s dizzying mine cart coaster, Gold Fever, will delight intrepid explorers as they tilt and sway through curious caves and into the heart of a temple filled with surprises galore to discover.
Both packs contain an abundance of fresh scenery. With piece-by-piece construction, players can position, rotate, and intersect any object in the game, designing the coaster park of their dreams. They can also choose from a wide variety of blueprints, adding pre-made scenery, decorations, and animatronics to their parks. From risky rope brides to all manner of jungle fauna, many of the pieces here are versatile enough to fit in any park, ready to be shaped, positioned, and customised.
Players can also take full advantage of the brand new Frontier Workshop. This is an entirely new sharing platform built from the ground up on console. It enables players to inspire and be inspired as they share their creations with the world. And with cross-generation support, anything uploaded on a current-gen console can also be downloaded on its next-gen equivalent, resulting in an endless stream of magical content to discover.
The Spooky & Adventure Bundle is out now for Planet Coaster: Console Edition on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®5 for a suggested retail price of £11.99/$14.99/€12.99. The packs are also available for purchase individually for a suggested retail price of £7.99/$9.99/€9.99.
About Planet Coaster Create. Manage. Share. Inspire and be inspired as you create, manage, and share the world’s greatest coaster parks with friends and content creators around the world. Surprise, delight, and thrill your guests by building a coaster park empire, and let your imagination run wild with the future of coaster park simulation games.
About Frontier Workshop The Frontier Workshop is an online hub where you can share your creations with the world. Dream big as you upload any blueprint you want for players across the world to experience, then browse endlessly inspiring community efforts to download into your game. From fetching shopfronts to sprawling coaster parks, you’ll find it all in the Frontier Workshop.
About FrontierFrontier is a leading independent developer and publisher of videogames founded in 1994 by David Braben, co-author of the iconic Elite game. Based in Cambridge, Frontier uses its proprietary COBRA game development technology to create innovative genre-leading games, primarily for personal computers and videogame consoles. As well as self-publishing internally developed games, Frontier also publishes games developed by carefully selected partner studios under its Frontier Foundry games label.
RECREATE THE F2™ 2020 SEASON NOW IN F1® 2020 Free Update Available on All Platforms
Sydney, Australia – Thursday 10th December 2020– After the 2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship™ went down to the thrilling final race weekend in Bahrain, Codemasters allows players to re-write history with a free F2™ 2020 season update as part of F1® 2020, the official videogame of the 2020 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™. Players can now compete with the full 2020 line-up featuring all 11 teams, cars, and drivers including the new FIA Formula 2™ Champion, Mick Schumacher.
The F2™ game option replicates its real-world counterpart with 12 weekends each made up of two races. The first, known as the Feature Race, follows a standard format with drivers lining up based on their qualifying times, and points awarded to the top 10 placings. The second, Sprint Race, sees the Feature Race top eight positions reversed in a shorter race, with fewer points awarded to the top eight drivers. For both, there are two additional points available for the fastest lap.
“Having witnessed an incredible end of season battle between Mick Schumacher and Callum Ilott, we’re delighted to give players the free F2™ 2020 Season update,” said Lee Mather, F1® Franchise Game Director at Codemasters. “F2™ has proved very popular with our players since its debut in F1® 2019, and we know they will enjoy re-writing recent history with the free 2020 update.”
F1® 2020 is the most comprehensive F1® game to date. With two new circuits, the introduction of driver-manager feature, My Team, improved on-track options, split-screen and more, F1® 2020 caters for race fans of all levels and experience. A free trial version of the game was recently released for PlayStation®4 and Xbox One, and can be downloaded here:
Codemasters (AIM:CDM) is an award-winning British video game developer and publisher with over 30 years of heritage. The company specialises in high-quality racing games including DiRT, GRID, and the BAFTA award-winning official F1® series of videogames.
In November 2019 Codemasters acquired Slightly Mad Studios, creators and developers of award-winning IP including the Project CARS franchise.
For more information on Codemasters’ product portfolio, please visit www.codemasters.com. Join in the conversation with @codemasters on Twitter or Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/codemasters.
All other copyrights or trade marks are the property of their respective owners and are being used under license. Developed and published by Codemasters.
XSEED Games, the independent-minded publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., today announced that the Steam PC version of DAEMON X MACHINA, which released on February 13 and has a ‘Very Positive’ user score with over 4,000 user reviews, has been updated with cross-save functionality allowing for seamless save data transfer between the Windows PC and Nintendo Switch™ versions of the game. Players can use the Steam Cloud to share save data between platforms, ensuring that their progress in the battle against the Immortals is never lost no matter where they play.
This latest feature addition follows the November 4 release of the free anniversary update for the stylish mech action game, which has delighted fans since releasing on PC earlier this year. The anniversary update added a trove of new content for players, including cosmetic Arsenal designs, Arsenal decals, preview screen backgrounds, plugsuits, the “Destroy Eclipse RT: Ω Destruction” co-op Order, and more. The new Order pits players against the powerful Immortal Eclipse Ω, and defeating this fearsome enemy can reward players with the Mia Lepida weapon, which is based on the sword wielded by developer Marvelous First Studio’s mascot.
Published by XSEED Games globally on Windows PC, DAEMON X MACHINA launched February 13 on Steam for $59.99, €59.99, and £49.99. The PC version of this title is not rated by the ESRB.
Vanillaware has come to be known for developing gorgeously drawn tightly controlled action games so when it was revealed that 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim would be something entirely different, many wondered just what to expect from the team. To make things worse, the developer went dark for quite some time to work on the game before once again revealing it to the world and surprising many by revealing that it would not only be shifting its entire genre away from the action game that many would have expected but would also feature an intricate storyline unlike any previous game from the developer. Have the ambitious developers of Vanillaware managed to create another great title for their lineup or is 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim a step too far?
Story
Having strange dreams of battling against Kaiju with a giant robot wouldn’t seem too odd to an average 1985 high school boy who loves to watch classic movies but when these dreams seem to constantly persist and even appear to feature some of his classmates in them, Juro Kurabe begins to think that things are getting a little strange. Of course, when he ends up accidentally summoning the same giant mech from his dream in the middle of the city only for his friend to act like he is being dumb for bringing out his “Sentinel” randomly, that is only the tip of the iceberg.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim tells perhaps one of the most complex types of narratives that a video game can have as it does not feature a sole main protagonist and instead constantly features a shifting perspective that moves the story along through different characters’ viewpoints and even their points in time. Things may seem crazy in 1985 only for it to jump back to World War era Japan and even into a futuristic modern world with there being very little time to catch up and get a handle on things. The reason for this is because players are meant to be kept in the dark for the most part as all thirteen of the playable characters have their own unique viewpoints, “thoughtclouds,” and even story progression with some of this story advancement being limited depending on how far the player has managed to get into the storyline of another character.
In an effort to avoid spoiling things as much as possible, especially given some of the significant events that take place over the course of the game, we’ll be trying to stay as vague as possible, players will find each of their characters undergoing their very own narrative arc throughout the course of the game and while some are clearly better than others, there is no weak story among the many threads that are spun here. It also helps that these storylines are all interwoven with one another in various ways that help keep players interested even if they are using a character that isn’t one of their personal favorites.
That being said, it is interesting to note that thanks to the way the game’s story is designed with Remembrance being the core storyline mode, players will often need to make use of the game’s ability to select “episodic” sequences to try and unlock various key words that enter a character’s aforementioned “thought cloud” that can then be used to trigger an event that may have kept another character’s story from advancing. This can be a bit rough at times especially if the player ends up struggling to figure out exactly what they might be missing to unlock the next bit of storyline but does make sense overall given how important some of these sequences can end up being.
By telling an incredibly engaging storyline that, might start slow but quickly hooks your attention once the twists start happening, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim does an amazing job handling its unique cast of characters and interwoven storyline that features so many different elements of sci-fi built upon one another all circulating around a world-changing mystery that is all held together by an amazingly written narrative handled expertly by a great translation team, especially when one considers how massive the amount of text this game features throughout its lengthy campaign.
Gameplay
For the most part, players will be spending the majority of their time in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim in the “Remembrance” gameplay mode that serves as the game’s story and sees players controlling one of the thirteen main characters at a time. These characters move around a 2D side-scrolling plane and can talk with other NPCs, observe the environment, and gather items or subjects for the “thought cloud” which can then be used to talk to another NPC or use said item with something. When the player manages to find the right solution to the current objective, sometimes simply talking to enough characters being the task at hand. Of course the bulk of the time spent in this mode will then be spent listening to the massive dialogue sequences that play out between characters.
The other half of the game is oddly enough the weaker side of things, the giant mechs battling against the Kaiju forces that appear no matter what year or character the player is currently controlling. This mode happens to be Destruction and, unfortunately rather than featuring highly detailed models or designs, is set on an overhead map of the city and plays out similar to a turn-based tower defense game with players using their selected team of available Sentinels to take down any enemies that are trying to attack the designated defense point.
The player’s Sentinels and enemy Kaiju are represented through simple icons on a map and each character and enemy type has their own strengths and weaknesses with some foes being capable of flight, others being stronger in melee, and more while the player needs to customize their team to best take down the various threats that come their way. These battles generally don’t come off as difficult if the player is vaguely familiar with the genre but players can turn the difficulty up if they want more challenging battles.
That being said, completing battles is another requirement to advance through the story, often with major revelations happening before and after key battles, so the ability to take things easy is nice for those who want to enjoy a sci-fi mystery and not be punished for not expecting a tower defense style game but it would have been nice to see some more variety or unique elements implemented here given the mech themes.
Visuals & Audio
If there is one thing that Vanillaware has become known for, it is creating gorgeous hand-drawn looking characters and backgrounds for their games and that remains true for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. All of the characters have unique enough designs, some of which are quite pretty, to stand out from one another to avoid players from mixing them up and the various designs of the environments and world in the 2D planes are quite a sight to behold. It is worth noting that there is even fan-service for everyone here as, for reasons that cannot be stated, whenever a character is piloting their Sentinel they do so completely naked and while there is nothing explicitly shown, this is a nice touch for fans of such things. Unfortunately the same level of detail is not carried over to the battle side of things as, while the mech designs overall are neat, the battles themselves lack any real noticeable flair outside of a few flashier attacks and the lack of proper overworld designs and a bland map, it is a real disappointment.
Players will have the option of playing 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim with either the original Japanese voice track or the English voice cast at will and can swap between them anytime in the options menu. Despite having to release the English dub later, the voice cast has performed admirably with their characters here and fit the theme of the game and the extreme jumps in logic and twists that it takes quite well.
Overall
Vanillaware has always known to provide plenty of substance with their style but now with 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim the company has proven that they can tell an engaging and riveting storyline that will keep players hooked wanting to unravel more of its mysteries even while the perspectives continue to shift and the plot thickens across the numerous playable characters all with their own unique stories to tell.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
