TURTLE BEACH TEAMS UP WITH INTER MILAN
STAR AND AVID GAMER ROMELU LUKAKU
Sydney,
Australia – 5th September 2019 – Leading gaming
audio and accessory brand Turtle
Beach (Nasdaq: HEAR) today announced a new partnership with
Inter Milan and Belgian international striker Romelu Lukaku. Turtle Beach and
Lukaku are teaming-up to showcase the power and benefits of using high-quality
equipment when gaming at home and on the road.
“Romelu is a true international superstar
with a lifelong passion for video games, and he joins our impressive and
influential roster of pro athletes who’ve teamed-up with Turtle Beach for all
their gaming needs,” said Juergen Stark, CEO, Turtle Beach. “We’re delivering products that align
with his thirst for competition and his will to win, both on and off the pitch.
We’re also thrilled to work with Roc Nation Sports Europe as they continue to
expand, and hope Lukaku is the first of more footballers to join our roster.”
At
the 2018 World Cup, Lukaku led Belgium to a third-place finish and was the
second-highest goal scorer of the tournament, winning the Bronze Boot. Having
played key roles for several world-class international football clubs,
including Chelsea FC and Manchester United FC, scoring more than 145 career
goals, Lukaku recently made the move to Italian giants, Inter Milan, in a $90
million-dollar deal on transfer deadline day. Known for his longstanding love
of video games, Lukaku will be using Turtle Beach’s range of industry-acclaimed
products in all his gaming activities and content.
“I’m very excited to team up with
Turtle Beach,” said Romelu Lukaku. “One of my biggest passions off the pitch is gaming, and
Turtle Beach’s products are second to none. Whether it’s gaming or football,
I love to win. Turtle Beach always elevates my game.”
Turtle Beach
(www.turtlebeach.com)
is a leading gaming audio and accessory brand, offering a wide selection of
cutting-edge, award-winning gaming headsets. Whether you’re a professional
esports athlete, hardcore gamer, casual player, or just starting out, Turtle
Beach has the gaming headset to help you truly master your skills. Innovative
and advanced technology, amazing high-quality gaming audio, crystal-clear
communication, lightweight and comfortable designs, and ease-of-use are just a
few features that make Turtle Beach a fan-favourite brand for gamers the world
over. Designed for Xbox, PlayStation®, and Nintendo consoles as well
as for PC, Mac®, and mobile/tablet devices, owning a Turtle Beach
gaming headset gives you the competitive advantage. Hear Everything. Defeat Everyone.®
The Company’s shares are traded on the Nasdaq Exchange under the symbol: HEAR.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking information
and statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Except for
historical information contained in this release, statements in this release
may constitute forward-looking statements regarding assumptions, projections,
expectations, targets, intentions or beliefs about future events. Statements
containing the words “may”, “could”, “would”, “should”, “believe”, “expect”,
“anticipate”, “plan”, “estimate”, “target”, “project”, “intend” and similar
expressions constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements
involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual
results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking
statement. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current belief,
as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to,
management.
Pixel Game Maker MVLeaps Out of Steam
Early Access with Version 1.0 Sept. 19
Engine’s Games Playable on Nintendo Switch in
2020
Tokyo, Japan – Sept. 3,
2019 –Pixel Game Maker MV, the action-game sister software to RPG Maker, which sold more than 2,000,000 copies worldwide, crafts new
adventures with the 1.0 release on Thursday, Sept. 19.
Aspiring and veteran game developers can take their games created in the intuitive yet fully-featured 2D game engine from Playism and KADOKAWA Corporation on the go in 2020, as the games made in Pixel Game Maker MV can be playable on Nintendo Switch and available in the Nintendo eShop.
Pixel Game Maker MV brings accessibility to game development as it
empowers all developers to create original platformers, metroidvanias, and
action games without any programming experience. Innovation knows no limits, as
the engine easily allows users to implement their own original material such as
character animations, background maps, and sound effects.
The robust but easy-to-learn software’s leap from Steam Early Access will include a new trial version. Developers can dive into the trial, using the platform’s tools to create without fear of losing their hard work as they transition from the free trial to the full package.
Potential partnerships
with KADOKAWA will set Pixel Game Maker MV creators up for success on
Nintendo Switch. Aspirant and seasoned developers interested in sharing their
games on Nintendo Switch can submit applications for KADOKAWA to publish their
games on the Nintendo eShop.
In celebration of Pixel
Game Maker’s journey, KADOKAWA will hold a Pixel Game Maker MV Game
Development Challenge, seeking out the best works of the platform’s creators to
launch on Nintendo Switch. The contest will run from Oct. 3, 2019, to March 31,
2020. More details will be available here beginning Oct. 3.
Pixel Game Maker MV is available now via Steam Early Access (Windows only) for $84.99 USD/€71.99 and
supports Japanese, English and Simplified Chinese.
Known for bringing
popular indie games from Japan including Touhou Luna Nights, La-Mulana 2
and One Way Heroics, 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.
The core Pixel Game
Maker MV team at Kadokawa Corporation consists of veterans who have been
making consumer games for more than 20 years, many of whom have worked on the
popular RPG Maker series with more than 2,000,000 units sold. Based out
of Tokyo, the company’s mission is to create brand new stories.
SYDNEY 4th September 2019 – One of gaming’s most cherished RPGs returns today on modern platforms with the digital release of FINAL FANTASY® VIII Remastered on Nintendo Switch™ system, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One family of devices and PC (STEAM®).
Marking the 20th
anniversary of the game’s original release, FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered
features newly rendered visuals that breathe life into the game’s characters
like never before. Players step into the shoes of SeeD recruit Squall Leonhart
and resistance fighter Rinoa Heartilly as they work together to save the world
from the military nation of Galbadia.
The remastered version includes the
following boosts to enhance the experience:
Battle Assist: The ability to always have maxed out HP and ATB, and trigger Limit Breaks at any time.
No Encounters: An enemy encounter option that allows players to enjoy the storyline uninterrupted. While enemy encounters are turned off, players can still enjoy the story’s event battles.
3x Speed Boost: Play through the game with three times the speed.
The STEAM® version will also receive additional functions, including All Items (possess all items except for a few certain items), All Abilities, GF Max Level, Max Gil, Max Magic, All Limit Breaks, and All Cards (possess max number of Triple Triad Cards except for Rare Cards).
FINAL FANTASY VIII
Remastered is
digitally available now for the Nintendo Switch™ system, PlayStation®4 system,
Xbox One family of devices and PC (STEAM®) For more information, visit
http://www.ffviiiremastered.com
Armello Dragon Clan DLC Revealed, Out Now on
Steam
First New Clan Introduced Since Early Access
MELBOURNE, VIC. – 3
Sept. 2019 – Armello, the award-winning digital board game from League of Geeks, welcomes a new story, characters, quests,
items, and more with the Dragon Clan Update, announced and available today viaSteam for
Windows, PC, Mac, and Linux.
The Dragon Clan has risen again. Driven by a divine mandate, this ancient band of warriors will stop at nothing to claim what their god has promised to them. Lead by four new heroes, the update introduces new powers and playstyles that reinvigorate the playing experience.
The faction’s pilgrimage
is guided by Volodar, “The Wormchanter,” a prophetic Komodo dragon capable of
enthralling Banes. He is joined by Agniya, “The Revenant,” a
venerable turtle who can self-heal after defeating opponents in battle, and
Oxana, “The Sentinel,” an anti-mage iguana with the ability to destroy
adversaries’ spell cards. The group is rounded out by Nazar, “Worm’s Will,” an
illusionist gecko who can project apparitions of himself across the
battlefield.
Alongside these four
revolutionary new heroes, the Dragon Clan Update also includes six signets
(Sulfur, Basalt, Axinite, Cinnabar, Tremolite, Serpentine), the Ruin amulet,
The Dragon Clan Novella, and a brand-new quest system.
“Players have been
asking for reptilian heroes since Armello’s launch, so we put in the
time to do them justice,” said Darcy Smith, League of Geeks’ community manager
and project lead on Armello. “The Dragon Clan expands upon Armello’s
lore in a big way and is bound to excite experienced and new players alike.”
The Dragon Clan Update
is available now on Steam for $9.99 USD / £6.99 / €9.99 / $9.99 AUD. All this
exciting content and more will be available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4,
and Xbox One alongside the Armello 2.0 Update when it is unleashed on
consoles in 2020.
Armello is a digital board game that combines the
tactical depth of card games with the strategic elements of tabletop titles.
Players take turns exploring the vibrant and exciting land of Armello while
attempting to depose the kingdom’s mad king and claim the throne for
themselves. The game is available now on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4,
Xbox One, iOS, and Android.
League of Geeks is a
Melbourne-based Australian indie developer made of industry veterans. While Armello
is the studio’s first game, the team members collective resumes include AAA
franchises including Pokémon, Grand Theft Auto, Fallout, Bioshock,
and Dragon Age.
League of Geek’s goal is
to create innovative games in original worlds full of engaging stories.
To learn more about
League of Geeks, please visit their official website.
GHENT, 2019 – Larian Studios are excited to announce that the Metacritic Must-Play RPG Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition is finally coming to the Nintendo Switch system.
Originally released to critical acclaim on PC, Divinity: Original Sin 2 received a 93 Metacritic rating, and is currently one of only a few games to receive a 10/10 from Gamespot. It was recently awarded number one in the PC Gamer Top 100, updated for 2019.
From right now, you can start your BAFTA award-winning adventure on the Nintendo Switch and enjoy near-limitless RPG freedom, wherever you are.
For players who wish to continue their stories, Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition includes cross-saves between Nintendo Switch and Steam on PC, which means players are able to upload and download their save files and continue on the go.
Join the battle for Divinity in a world that reacts to who you are, and what you do. Adventure as a flesh-eating Elf, or an imperial Lizard. Play as a mighty Dwarf, or lead your party as an Undead, risen from the grave!
Choose your race and origin. Choose from 6 unique origin characters with their own backgrounds and quests, or create your own hero as a Human, Lizard, Elf, Dwarf, or Undead. All choices have consequences.
Unlimited freedom to explore and experiment. Go anywhere, talk to anyone, and interact with everything! Kill any NPC without sacrificing your progress, and speak to every animal. Even ghosts might be hiding a secret or two…
The next generation of turn-based combat. Blast your opponents with elemental combinations. Use height to your advantage. Master over 200 skills in 12 skill schools. But beware – the game’s AI 2.0 is our most devious invention to date.
Up to four-player online cooperative gameplay for the entire game, spanning over 100 hours of award-winning narrative.
The Switch version is launching alongside the second Gift Bag: free DLC that includes content for new and existing players, on all existing platforms. This content is periodically patched into the game at no extra cost, with more to come over the year.
Gift Big 1 released earlier in the year and included new character customization options. Gift Bag 2, called Song of Nature, includes:
Crafter’s Kit
Plenty of new recipes and unique items to craft!
Endless Runner
Find a new icon in your Hotbar which you can use to toggle sprint on and off. Sprint increases your movement speed of your party and the movement speed of your followers.
Animal Empathy
Allows all player characters to talk to animals without having to spend a talent point. Also Changes Pet Pal talent to grant maximum positive attitude in all conversations with animals.
Fort Joy Magic Mirror
Manifests a Magic Mirror in the Arena of Fort Joy, along with a new Character Creation level. This allows you to respec before moving on to the next act of the game.
8 Action Points
Increases the base maximum Action Points of hero characters to 8.
Herb Gardens
Plant your own herb garden! Take any herb and combine it with a bucket to create a seedling.Then just place your seedling in the ground and watch it grow.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition releases today at $49.99/49.99€ or your regional equivalent on Nintendo Switch. It is also released on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Every purchase of Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition on each of the aforementioned platforms automatically grants you access to the Gift Bag DLCs released prior, and to be periodically released over the coming months.
About Larian Studios Games Ltd.
Larian Studios is a game developer studio located in Gent, Belgium. Proud to be independent for 19 years, we create games for multiple genres and platforms. Thanks to our players, we get to spend our days making the games we love to play.
We have a passion for role playing games. Our Divinity series includes 6 games spanning over 13 years in multiple genres. Our first crowdfunded success, Divinity: Original Sin, won over 150 awards and nominations, and the recently-released sequel Divinity: Original Sin 2 launched with a 93 Metacritic rating, as well as over 50 awards and counting!
Indie developers Tactical Adventures launched the Kickstarter campaign for their upcoming tactical CRPG Solasta: Crown of the Magister. The game seeks to replicate the tabletop RPG experience through responsive narrative, deep character creation, beautiful 3D game boards, and heavy emphasis on dice rolling.
Tactical Adventures has already secured enough funding to complete their basic vision for the game. They are seeking an additional €180,000 in funding to expand the scope of the game. The money will go to adding more quests, increasing the number of classes from the original four, and introducing new races.
The plan is to release the game on Windows only for now. Tactical Adventures may consider ports to other OSes and consoles in the future, but they have chosen to focus on what they can reasonably deliver now.
For those on the fence about backing the Kickstarter campaign, Tactical Adventures released a playable demo of Solasta on Steam. The demo is made from a pre-alpha build and sends players on an hour long adventure with four pre-made characters.
EXCLUSIVE
REWARDS DROP INTO PUBG MOBILE LITE 14.0 UPDATE CELEBRATING THE GAME’S
HIT SUCCESS
All-new
in-game events and rewards in WinnerPass arrive for streamlined version of
blockbuster mobile game
LOS ANGELES –
Sept. 3, 2019 – Last week, PUBG MOBILE LITE, the
faster and lighter variant of PUBG MOBILE, received a massive
content update. Mobile players in select regions around the globe dropped in to
experience the classic tactical
tournament game optimized for a wide number of devices. This week, players are
getting their LITE-specific in-game rewards.
PUBG MOBILE LITE
WinnerPass offers a system like PUBG MOBILE’s Royale
Pass, allowing players to participate in and complete in-game challenges for a
myriad of rare and collectable rewards. To celebrate PUBG MOBILE LITE’s
hit success and massive 14.0 content update, there is an all-newin-game
event. From now until Sunday, Sept. 15, players who log into PUBG MOBILE
LITE for a total of 10 days will receive a WinnerPass Season Upgrade
card to unlock Elite WinnerPass Season 4 for free.
The in-game
event comes just a short time after PUBG MOBILE LITE earned the
most popular mobile game on numerous global charts in its available regions
including Turkey, India, Russia and certain regions of the Middle East. PUBG
MOBILE LITE has already claimed the number one spot among
free-to-download games in multiple regions and received a “New Game”
recommendation and promotion on Google Play. PUBG MOBILE LITE also
released in Russia and certain regions of CIS and the Africa on Thursday, Aug.
29.
Full details of
the 14.0 PUBG MOBILE LITE content update include:
New WP
theme and rewards
New outfits
added
Updated system settings
Added
customization guide
Added
emotes
Improved UI & update pack size
Improved
graphics
Battle parameters improved
Increased
accuracy of RPG-7
Added
bombing zones
PUBG MOBILE LITE is
now available to download and play on the Google Play Store in several regions
of South Asia, Africa and East Europe.
PUBG MOBILE LITE boasts a smaller download size and supports more
mobile devices with less than 2GB RAM.
Key features for
PUBG MOBILE LITE:
Elevated
Gameplay – PUBG MOBILE LITEdelivers
the classic tactical tournament experience on more mobile devices with
smooth and stable gameplay
Detail
Optimization – Characters, map details and more are improved
for even better visuals
Building Areas/Supplies
optimization:
Building density and loot frequency has been increased to expedite the
looting process and enhance battle progression;
RPG and New Gear – Players can now experience a
new gear in select game modes
Combat
Improvements – PUBG MOBILE LITE enhanced
aim-assist performance in more devices while preserving the classic
experience, and the ability to heal while moving.
About PUBG
MOBILE LITE
PUBG MOBILE LITE
is developed by Tencent Games and PUBG Corp. following
the success of PUBG MOBILE and is based on PLAYERUNKNOWN’S
BATTLEGROUNDS, the original PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4
gaming phenomenon that took the world of interactive entertainment by storm in
2017. Up to 60 players parachute
onto a remote island to do battle in a winner-takes-all showdown. Players must
locate and scavenge their own weapons, vehicles and supplies, and defeat every
player in a visually and tactically rich battleground that forces players into
a shrinking play zone.
For more
information, please visit the official PUBG MOBILE LITE accounts
on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube,
and the official PUBG MOBILEaccounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
New Tactical CRPG Delivers True Tabletop Role Playing Experience. Play the Game and Become Part of the Solasta Community on Kickstarter Now.
You Make the Choices. The Dice Decide Your Destiny
PARIS, FRANCE – September 3, 2019 – French indie developer, Tactical Adventures, announced today its new project, tactical role-playing game Solasta: Crown of the Magister, has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, coupled with a free playable demo. As part of the Kickstarter launch, Tactical Adventures has released a completely free, one hour pre-alpha demo of Solasta: Crown of the Magister available now on Steam.
Watch the Solasta: Crown of the Magister Kickstarter launch trailer
The Solasta: Crown of the Magister Kickstarter campaign begins today and will end in one month, on October 4. Specifically created for Kickstarter the Solasta: Crown of the Magister demo sets players up with a party of four preset characters who will embark on an hour-long adventure into the mystical realms of Solasta giving players a sneak peek at a story that spans across multiple worlds.
“I have played Tabletop games for more than 30 years and Solasta: Crown of the Magister is something that I have always wanted to create. I believe that there are many people like me who feel that the experience hasn’t been captured quite right in the video game space, and we are striving to do just that,” says Mathieu Girard, founder of Tactical Adventures and Creative Director of the game. “With the playable demo, I want to show players that, with their help, it is possible to deliver a genuine dice and decision based tactical RPG and hope they share in our excitement.”
The dynamic and mysterious world of Solasta features new elements of verticality, allowing players to use their surroundings as an element of strategy. Players can position ranged characters on high vantage points or send their thief down into shafts and caverns to scope out what’s ahead. In Solasta, light is a tool to explore the depths and hollows of dungeons or can be used as a weapon against the creatures of the dark, but if not careful, it can also give away the party’s position. Solasta is a unique team-based adventure where each character plays a critical role in the campaign and can be a hero. Players must take advantage of each character’s strengths and weaknesses if they are to succeed.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister Features:
Verticality:
Solasta is a three-dimensional world, rather
than a series of flat maps. Locations can be explored by climbing walls,
flying, teleporting, crawling through tunnels, finding secret passages, or
falling through unstable ground, allowing the player to use the environment
to take on encounters in multiple different ways.
Team
Based Adventure: Players will have many options to choose
races, classes, backgrounds, and can even roll for stats as they create
their party. All members are essential – together you will adventure
through Solasta as a group, where you must work
together in pursuit of your quest.
Tactical
CRPG: Each encounter can be handled in multiple
ways. Will you use the high ground to strike your enemies from above as a
Darkweaver Rogue, or shove your enemies into deep chasms as a Mountaineer
Fighter? Your choices alone will determine the destiny of your party.
Light:
Light will not only help to see your surroundings as you explore deep
underground or in a dungeon. It can also be used as a weapon against dragons
and creatures you encounter along your journey. Careful, though – light
can also give away your position.
Created
by Tabletop Players: Tactical Adventures is a
team of highly experienced Tabletop players and veteran game developers
who are passionate about the genre, striving to create the best Tactical
RPG videogame
Kickstarter:
Tactical Adventures is giving players the opportunity to be
heard by joining the community and backing Solasta on
Kickstarter. The campaign features an amazing tiered reward system and a
free hour pre-alpha demo available to everyone.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister is now available to back on Kickstarter.
ABOUT TACTICAL ADVENTURES: Tactical Adventures is a videogame development studio, created in 2018 by Mathieu Girard, who previously co-founded Amplitude Studios (acquired by Sega in 2016). Located in the heart of Paris, Tactical Adventures is a self-published studio, aiming to create immersive & tactical videogames within the RPG genre. One of the key strengths of the studio’s philosophy revolves around the recruitment of experienced team members, organized into agile teams, whose development process & decisions will be made in collaboration with their community.
An ancient corruption is once again spreading across mountain
of Morta. The Bergson family have been protecting the land for centuries. They must
now rally together once again to stop the corruption while navigating the ups and
downs of family life.
Story
The bulk of Children of Morta’sstory is told between dungeon runs, with a few side stories found within the randomly generated dungeons. The story is told completely through the narrator, similar to Supergiant Games’ Bastion. I am particularly impressed with how well Dead Mage manages the pacing of the story throughout. Rogue-lites are traditionally tricky due to the nature of the genre. Early in the game, almost every mission is capped with a cutscene. The story slows down a bit as players progress deeper into the game, but it is still at a rate that keeps the players hooked.
The plot is an enjoyable one, expertly mixing familial
struggles that players can easily identify with and a more epic battle against
the corruption. The twists and turns are excellent, hitting all the right
emotional buttons. While there is a large cast of characters to keep track of, each
character’s individuality is emphasized, making it easy to get to know, separate,
and fall in love with the characters. I quickly found myself emotionally
invested in the trials Bergsons faced.
Gameplay
Children of Morta is a rogue-lite that mixes elements
of action RPGs like Diablo with traditional rogue-lite mechanics. There
are six family members who wade into battle, each with their own unique playstyle
and skill tree. Each run involves players attempting a randomly generated multi-level
dungeon that is capped off with a boss battle. Dying at any time in the dungeon
will send players back to the family mansion with only the experience and Morv
they accrued in the dungeon. Any gems, runes, and items collected disappear. As
a rogue-lite, there is some progress carried over between runs that will make future
attempts easier. Uncle Ben’s workshop and the Book of Rea will offer bonuses to
stats that affect all family members. As individual family members level, they
will also unlock universal bonuses that will affect other members.
The Bergsons offer two ranged and four melee classes. The developers
do an excellent job striking the right balance between classes that are similar
enough that skills from one class will carry over well to another, while still
being different enough that players will actually find a class or two that will
become fast favourites. For example, Linda is an archer who has a low rate of
fire but can shoot and move for short bursts. In comparison, her sister Mary can
hurl fireballs like a machine gun but can only fire while stationary. The game not
so subtly encourages players to try new classes out with Corruption damage that
will slowly lower a character’s max health if they are played too often.
Currently, the rate of corruption is at a good place, hitting the right balance
of encouraging players to try new characters and add extra family wide skills,
while still offering lots of opportunities to play a favoured family member.
The classes are generally well balanced. The first few
levels are the most difficult as many abilities have yet to be unlocked. Most characters
are good to go once they have unlocked their first special attack, but Joey and
to a lesser degree Mark struggle a bit until all their abilities become
available. The skill trees are well done, with most skills offering a noticeable
improvement to the character’s gameplay. Even skills with a less obvious impact
like Kevin’s dodge chance bonus still logically contribute to the character’s
playstyle.
Children of Morta offers a fantastic gameplay loop. Since
there are so many family members to try, the game is on the generous side for
experience gain. There are plenty of side events that even if a player doesn’t
gain enough levels for a new skill point, there is some feeling of progression
from either saving some refugees or earning enough Morv to increase some stat
for the next run.
The controls are excellent. Both controllers and mouse and keyboard
work well. The developers even allow controllers to be rebound, which is an often-overlooked
feature that should be added to more games. The controls are generally very responsive,
though there is a slight dead period during special ability animations where
basic attack inputs are not acknowledged. Since the basic attacks seem to be
channeled when the attack button is held, it can result in no follow up basic
attacks in this case. With a little practice, the issue is easily avoided, but
I would have preferred if the dead zone was eliminated all together, so basic
attacks pick up as soon as the special attack animation ends.
Visuals
Children of Morta offers eye-catching pixel art graphics.
The artists do a great job contrasting the light and colourful world of Morta
with the dark corruption. The sprite animations are excellent, with enemy
attacks being clearly telegraphed with a bit of flair.
Audio
Children of Morta offers a fantastic audio
experience. The sound effects are simple to match the game’s pixel art style
but are still enjoyable. The soundtrack compliments the mood and the pace of
the game well. The narrator’s voice acting is perfect. His skillful performance
goes a long way in creating the bond between the player and the Bergson family considering
the narrator is the only voice actor in the game. The narration easily shares a
category with other legendary performances like Logan Cunningham’s work in Bastion.
Overall
Children
of Morta is
a fantastic game. It has an addictive gameplay loop that keeps players coming
back run after run to see how the Bergson family cope with their ancient duty. The
audio/visual presentation is top notch and pairs nicely with the game’s plot.
While there are some extremely minor issues with the early game balance and the
special attack dead zone, I can see the game being a solid contender as one of
the best indie titles in 2019.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Back in 2011 Atlus took a bit of a risk by creating a unique feeling game in the form of Catherine and although that risk paid off back then, fans have wondered if the game would ever return in some form. Then the company announced that they would be returning once again with a remastered remake of the original game titled Catherine: Full Body. Offering more puzzles to tackle and obstacles to get in your way, a new character with their own endings, and various other improvements, has this eight year old game managed to make a successful return?
Story
Vincent Brooks has been stuck in something of a rut at 32 years old. He may have a longterm girlfriend named Katherine but lately their relationship has stagnated with both of them knowing that the relationship eventually needs to take a step forward, but change is the last thing on Vincent’s mind. Going through the motions at work and preferring to spend his free time drinking with his friends at their favorite bar, the Stray Sheep, Vincent doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry for things to change, at least that is until a young blond girl appears in his life one night following a horrific nightmare.
Quickly enamored by this sexy new girl, Vincent is happy to spend time with her before returning home only to find that not only do these nightmares persist, but that same girl, named Catherine, is also next to him in bed the next morning, seemingly after sleeping together. With Vincent having to now live through a nightmarish waking world where he must try to keep his two girlfriends from finding out that he is cheating on them as well as a nightmarish sleeping world where dying means death in reality, he is in for the worst week and a half in his life.
For the most part the story so far will sound familiar to those who played the original Catherine as there really hasn’t been too much changed in regards to the Catherine and Katherine aspects of the story outside of the addition of a new alternate ending for both characters. The real change comes in the form of Rin, a third romantic interest who is introduced shortly after the beginning of the game. Rin stumbles into Vincent who finds out that the mysterious Rin not only has a stalker but also suffers from severe amnesia with only the knowledge of her name and the feeling of wanting to play the piano left in their mind.
Rin is worked rather well into the first half of Catherine: Full Body‘s storyline as numerous scenes, both using the in-game engine as well as animated ones, have been modified to include Rin or created from scratch to help expand the story a bit more. Vincent and his friends will interact with Rin both at the Stray Sheep where she becomes a part-time pianist and makes frequent appearances in Vincent’s home life as well since Vincent helps Rin rent an apartment next door.
Rin makes for an interesting addition that helps expand the story a bit more and keeps things feeling fresh and unexpected, at least until the second half of the game starts. While playing the game players will need to make various choices and where most of these decision simply swing Vincent’s karma meter one way or another, which leads towards various endings with Catherine and Katherine there are also questions that must be answered in a certain way to properly trigger Rin’s route. If these decisions aren’t properly made then Rin barely appears throughout the rest of the game and is barely mentioned by everyone else in Vincent’s life. In fact even Vincent barely speaks to Rin despite how big of a role they can still play in puzzle stages.
Of course if the player does manage to unlock Rin’s route, then they will still be included frequently enough and, if pursued, with new exclusive endings and even additional story development, but it is disappointing to see that if not chosen the biggest new addition to the story becomes a non-factor at the midpoint of the game. That isn’t to say that the story as a whole is bad as it continues to excel at telling a unique love triangle now turned into a love square with flawed but unique characters that offers plenty of replayability as each of the three romantic interests have various endings that change depending on the player’s moral choices as well as some other factors.
Gameplay
Players will find that Catherine: Full Body has a number of different options available to newcomers and returning fans alike. There is the standard Classic mode that features the game’s signature block puzzles in a similar manner to they originally were while the Remix features special linked blocks that can come in various shapes and sizes. Both of these modes feature the same style of traps and hazards that will need to be avoided as well as items that can be used to help player’s get past a difficult section but in Remix mode players will find that these linked blocks may both be helpful and harmful depending on the techniques used to handle them.
These larger sections all move as one unit and can often clear a major pathway for Vincent to climb but one wrong move and an undo might be necessary to fix that mistake. Similarly speaking, players will continue to find that the game’s mechanic of needing to climb up a tower filled with movable and immovable blocks, some trapped in various ways, highly addictive and also a bit more refined as the ledge clinging mechanic now features highlighted areas that players can climb, a nice quality of life improvement compared to the original release. Along the way they will have a number of undo options that can help players avoid being caught and falling to their death but Vincent only has so many available on any given stage, though picking up pillows does replenish this undo count.
Similarly speaking there are also a number of signature boss battles at the end of every night that see Vincent having to flee from a horrific creature that has its own style of attacks that adds an additional threat to a stage. It is interesting to note that Rin also plays a role in the block climbing puzzles as her piano skills will eventually appear during Nightmares and can temporarily slow the advancement of a boss or falling of blocks if Vincent finds himself in danger, but be quick as this reprieve is only temporary.
Catherine: Full Body also offers a number of different ways to make the game more accessible should players want to simply experience the story. While the challenge is certainly there for players who want to play on normal or on increased difficulty levels there are now easier modes including a “safety” difficulty that allow for the player to simply skip puzzles entirely. Those who want to still play the game but at a more forgiving pace can choose to play on Easy where all hazards still exist but an autoplay feature can be used to skip challenging sections if necessary. This difficulty selection allows for players to feel like challenging themselves if they wish and aim for the highest possible score per Nightmare while also allowing for quicker replays should the player choose.
When not climbing block towers and avoiding horrific monsters at night Vincent will spend his days at the Stray Sheep bar. Here he can interact with other patrons at the bar, talk with his friends, play an in-game version of the block puzzles on an arcade machine, text and take calls from the girls in his life, and of course drink a bit. This system works almost exactly the same as the original game though players may find some new faces in the bar this time around. It is also interesting to note that players can rechallenge various Nightmare sections.
Outside of the core single player experience Atlus has also added a handful of new multiplayer modes to allow players to challenge their skills against friends and others online. The Colosseum works as the game’s local multiplayer to pit their skills against a friend on numerous tower types that can be incredibly difficult to tackle as well as the Online Arena that features multiple players climbing for their lives in what can be a fun and competitive mode that allows for casual matches that can be customized as well as more rigid ranked matches.
Visuals & Audio
For the most part Catherine: Full Body will look quite similar to how fans of the original remember though this is likely due to how well the anime art style ages through the years though they still appear a bit rough here and there. The character models are handled decently enough, especially the horrific monsters that appear at boss stages, while the stages that players climb through all feature a unique feeling background and air to them thanks to their well-thought out designs. As for the animated cut-scenes, the number of new additions is a nice touch that both expands the story a bit and breathes some extra life into previous scenes.
This release of Catherine: Full Body features both the English voice cast who have returned to reprise their roles as well as the Japanese voice track should players choose. The soundtrack features a number of classic pieces of music as well as some remixes from the original and fans of other Atlus properties will notice that the Stray Sheep’s jukebox now contains some Persona and other music as well.
Overall
It can be a bit difficult to nail down just what makes a game a remaster or a remake and Catherine: Full Body falls a bit in-between these lines as it continues to deliver a unique experience with a solid storyline, albeit one that some may have already seen most of. The graphics have been touched up a bit though not to a very noticeable degree but plenty of new content has been added in the form of more unique puzzles and challenges for Vincent and players to tackle. The story additions are also quite fun to enjoy a second time around, especially when it comes to seeing how Rin was implemented into the game, though it is a bit unfortunate how little Rin’s role can be in the latter half of the game depending on the choices made by the player.
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