Free
Prologue Chapter Launches Today for Hit JRPG, Edge of Eternity
Chapter
0: The Seeds of Destruction brings a new beginning to the world of Heryon
Montpellier, France (January 30, 2020) – Developer Midgard
Studio and publisher Dear Villagers today launched another free major update to
their ambitious Early Access JRPG Edge of Eternity, which is currently available on Steam Early Access. The
new update, titled Chapter 0: The Seeds of Destruction, is a prologue
for the game, and will serve as a brand new story-rich introduction to the
world of Edge of Eternity. Chapter 0 adds around 2 hours of new content
to the beginning of the game, including new cutscenes, music and a brand new
tutorial, as well as introducing random battle encounters and difficulty levels
to the game for the first time.
In Chapter 0: The Seeds of Destruction players will explore the
dark, complicated past of Edge of Eternity’s main characters, Daryon and
Selene, find out more behind the nature of the all-consuming Corrosion and
learn about the menace that threatens the world of Heryon. It will serve as the
perfect introduction to Edge of Eternity for new players, as well as
adding new depth to the story for all existing players.
Free major updates will continue to expand the game world (which
already offers more than 25 hours of gripping gameplay), improve existing
content, and adding major new story chapters throughout the Early Access period,
ahead of the full launch on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation®4.
Edge of Eternity was made possible by over 4,000 fans
who made the game a reality via a successful
Kickstarter campaign. The crowdfunding was so successful that Midgard Studio
were able to work with the legendary JRPG composer of Chrono Trigger Yasunori
Mitsuda. You can hear the result of that partnership on the latest trailer on
the Steam Store Page.
About Edge of Eternity:
Ambitious new JRPG adventure
being developed by 9-person indie studio, taking influences from both Japanese
& Western RPGs
On Steam Early Access
now, with the game world expanding and major new story chapters added
throughout the Early Access period
Full launch will be
coming to PlayStation 4 & Xbox One, as well as PC
Successfully Kickstarted by fans in 2015, reaching
almost 4x the campaign goal
A stunning soundtrack
including contributions from Chrono Trigger & Xenoblade Chronicles composer
Yasunori Mitsuda
CLOSED BETA TESTING SIGN-UPS NOW OPEN FOR NEW BATTLE ROYALE-MOBA-RPG HUNTER’S
ARENA: LEGENDS
As
revealed during WWE Royal Rumble,30,000
players from around the world will be among the first to experience the stylish, beautifully-rendered worlds of
Hunter’s Arena: Legends during CBT from Feb. 20 – 23
SEOUL –
Jan. 30, 2020 – Steam players in select regions around the world today can get
ready to rumble in Hunter’s Arena: Legends, the
highly-anticipated battle royale, MOBA and Action RPG hybrid from breakout
development studio Mantisco. Players can register through the Mantisco portal for
a chance to participate in the official Closed Beta Test. Specific dates and
times for each region include:
America: Thursday,
Feb. 20 to Sunday, Feb. 23 from 6 p.m. to 12 p.m. (GMT
-7)
Europe: Thursday,
Feb. 20 to Sunday, Feb. 23 from 6 p.m. to 12 p.m. (GMT
+1)
Asia: Thursday,
Feb. 20 to Sunday, Feb. 23 from 6 p.m. to 12 p.m. (GMT
+9)
Among
the players who sign up for the official Hunter’s Arena: Legends Closed
Beta Test, 10,000 lucky players will be selected from each America, Europe and
Asia to participate.
Players
can also tune in during the Closed Beta Test period to check out more than 150
popular streamers and content creators playing Hunter’s Arena: Legends.
Community members can also watch the latest never-before-seen Hunter’s
Arena: Legends trailer that debuted during WWE Royal Rumble on Sunday,
Jan. 26 here.
In Hunter’s
Arena: Legends,magical yet
dark landscapes beckon combatants into an enchanted realm where 60 players
enter and only one leaves. From snowy mountains to dense forest to dangerous
lava fields, detailed and semi-realistic terrain impacts how players do battle.
Special dungeon areas allow players the choice to work together to fight boss
monsters for powerful rewards. Additional Hunter’s Arena: Legends features
include:
Unique Character Classes
– Classic MOBA-inspired character classes offer players unique ways to
compete for glory. Every player class offers different strengths and
weaknesses, along with countless skill and equipment upgrades;
Solo and Team Play – Players
must balance aggressive and strategic game styles by going head-to-head or
by teaming up to take down daunting computer-generated bosses;
Lightning-Quick Combat
– A unique fighting system allows for strategic combos including parrying,
a counter system and more for smooth online tournaments;
Gorgeous Arenas – Hunter’s
Arena: Legends utilizes Unreal Engine technology to create
detailed character models and an immersive world.
More information
about Hunter’s Arena: Legends for members of the press:
Mantisco is an
independent game studio based in Seoul, Korea. The team is composed of industry
veterans that worked on such games as Street Fighter 3, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Lineage 2,
Counter-Strike Online, Blade & Soul and more.
XP
ESPORTS LAUNCHES RAINBOW SIX SIEGE ANZ WOMEN’S LEAGUE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
UBISOFT
Registrations are open for the $3,000 tournament
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – January 30, 2020 – Today,
Ubisoft announced it will be partnering with XP Esports to launch the first ANZ
Rainbow Six Siege Women’s League. Open to all women across Australia and New
Zealand who have a passion for video game culture and esports, the season will
kick off on the 4th of March 2020, and will provide an exciting and
sustainable tournament for aspiring players to prove their skills.
Brodie Fisher, Director of XP Esports, said, “As
Director of Events for XP Esports, I am extremely pleased to announce the
creation of an exciting, women’s esports competition for both online and
offline professional events. We want to grow and develop the competitive
women’s scene, as well as nurture new talent of all ages in professional and
fun environments..”
Tegan Whitehead, Women’s League Director, said “I am
very excited to be working with XP Esports and Ubisoft on this league. We hope
to see content creators, gamers of all levels and spectators fully support this
event to ensure we are creating a fantastic future and opportunities for women
in gaming.”
The tournament will begin Sunday 1st March
and players can register on the XP Esports website here. Entry is free and the $3,000 AUD prize
pool is as follows:
Alongside a
thriving professional esports scene and a community of over 50 million
registered players, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege puts players in the middle
of a fast-paced, ever-evolving multiplayer experience grounded in the selection
of unique Operators. Using the right mix of tactics and destruction, Rainbow Six
teams engage their enemies in sieges, where both sides have exclusive skills
and gadgets at their disposal. Defenders prepare by transforming the
environments around them into modern strongholds, while attackers use recon
drones to gain intel for carefully planning their assault. With access to
dozens of Operators inspired by real world counter-intelligence agents from
around the globe, players can choose exactly how they want to approach each
challenge they encounter. Through the constant addition of new Operators and
maps that add to the depth of both strategy and combat, the unpredictability of
each round of Rainbow Six Siege sets a new bar for intensity and competition in
gaming.
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a
leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and
services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s
Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch
Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business
offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences
across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and
PCs. For the 2018-19 fiscal year Ubisoft generated Net Bookings of €2,029
million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoft.com.
Dungeon Defenders: Awakened Advances Toward
Early Access on Feb. 21
Nintendo Switch to launch with PC 1.0,
PlayStation 4, Xbox One to follow later this year
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – 30 Jan. 2020 –Dungeon Defenders: Awakened, the epic return of Chromatic Games’ multimillion-selling co-op tower defense action RPG series, fortifies Windows PC with its Steam Early Access debut on 21 Feb. 2020 ahead of a 1.0 release alongside the Nintendo Switch version in Q2 2020. During the Early Access period, the team will incorporate community feedback to ensure the best possible experience across all platforms.
The Early Access build
will contain nearly everything in the full base game, including 12 levels, four
playable heroes, and virtually endless enemies to defeat. Throughout Early
Access, Chromatic Games will implement emergent community feedback, polish, and
other surprises for dedicated Defenders to enjoy.
As the despicable Old
Ones hatch a time-traveling plot to rewrite history and undo the events of the
original Dungeon Defenders, the young heroes of Etheria must reunite
once again to ward off the forces of evil. Return to this vibrant fantasy
world, take up arms, and battle waves of enemies across a collection of all-new
arenas and reimagined fan favorites.
Join the fray by forming
a team of up to four champions and choose between as many playable characters
(with more to come after launch). Each hero possesses their own distinct combat
style and special abilities. Harness these powers and work together to protect
the legendary Eternia Crystals while building defensive fortifications to repel
even the most imposing of foes.
Construct strongholds to
slow the approaching hordes of orcs, goblins, dark elves, and other
monstrosities while unleashing mighty attacks and devastating spells to turn
the tide of battle. Survive the onslaught to earn new loot, reliable pet
companions, and more customization options to prepare for the fights to come
and epic showdowns with new larger-than-life bosses.
Forge a unique arsenal
and enjoy countless hours of fast-paced medieval fantasy action across online
and local co-op multiplayer matches spanning a legendary campaign with a new
story, the progressively challenging Survival Mode, a tactical Pure Strategy
Mode, the no-respawns Hardcore Mode, and a chaotic Mixed Mode sure to keep even
veteran players on their toes.
“Dungeon Defenders:
Awakened is the culmination of our work on the Dungeon Defenders franchise.
Pushing our 1.0 launch allows us to work with our community during Steam Early
Access, implementing valuable player-driven changes and feedback accrued from
over thousands of Beta surveys,” said Augi Lye, co-founder, Chromatic Games. “Our
amazing community comes first! We feel it’s important that Awakened is
the best game during its full release to do right by our players. We’re excited
to bring seasoned Defenders and newcomers alike into the world of Dungeon
Defenders: Awakened on Steam for our PC Early Access coming 21 Feb., with
the full release for PC and Nintendo Switch in Q2 2020!”
Dungeon Defenders:
Awakened features English,
French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese
language options. After arriving on Steam Early Access, Dungeon Defenders:
Awakened will launch for PC and Nintendo Switch in Q2 2020 with cross-save
functionality followed by PlayStation 4 and Xbox One shortly thereafter.
For more information
about Dungeon Defenders: Awakened, please visit theofficial website, follow the development team onTwitter andFacebook, and join the community onDiscord.
About Chromatic Games
Chromatic Games is a new
independent game studio based in Gainesville, Florida comprised of key original
Dungeon Defenders developers, industry veterans, and fresh talent. Dedicated to
forging player-first experiences in a fun, supportive environment, the team
aims to revisit its roots with a rejuvenated mindset, building this beloved
franchise up to reach new heights.
To learn more about
Chromatic Games, please visit thestudio’s website.
Magic: ManaStrike is an all-new
game that takes the excitement of Magic: The Gathering’s vast lore in a
whole new direction with a fast-paced PVP strategy game. After losing a war with the
Planeswalkers, Magic: The Gathering’s most powerful villain Nicol Bolas
creates a parallel universe to find the Planeswalkers’ weaknesses. Players
enter a contract with Nicol Bolas to provide combat data by controlling
Planeswalkers and units in his universe.
“Netmarble and Wizards of the Coast worked
closely for a long time to ensure Magic: ManaStrike is a new gameplay
style that will be enjoyable for all players, but stays true to Magic: The
Gathering’s roots and is authentic and enjoyable to fans,” said Joe Lee, Executive Producer at Netmarble. “Thanks to
our partnership, we are excited to deliver a Magic: The Gathering
experience that introduces real-time battles for mobile players, yet maintains
core features from the original IP for fans.”
Fast-paced and easy to learn, fans can
experience dynamic real-time battles with anyone from around the world in
three-minute matches. During battle, players will be able to summon units, cast
spells, and command powerful Planeswalkers with simple tap and drag gameplay
and iconic Magic: The Gathering cards re-envisioned through high-quality
3D. By collecting new cards from Magic’s five unique Mana colors – White,
Blue, Black, Red and Green, players will learn to understand each
color’s traits, and create unique strategies that lead the way to victory.
“With Magic: ManaStrike, we were
impressed with Netmarble’s ability to encapsulate Magic: The Gathering‘s
25-year history into a mobile game that stays true to what Magic fans want in
other mediums,” said Eugene Evans, VP of Business Development and
Strategy at Wizards of the Coast. “Seeing our
cards and Planeswalkers stepping into the 3D battlefield, along with our card
effects translated from strategic turn-based gameplay into real-time combat, is
a delight to see and we can’t wait to see how Magic: ManaStrike develops
over time.”
At launch, players that pre-registered to
download Magic: ManaStrike can look forward to receiving rewards like Gold
(in-game currency), Gems (premium currency), one Player Icon, and
ten emoji themed after Magic: The Gathering’s Planeswalkers.
Other events and rewards awaiting players include:
Seven Days
Check-In Event: Gold, Gems, and Card Packs will be given to players
for seven days
New
Planeswalkers
Ob
Nixilis: Players can achieve this Planeswalker through Magic Pass upgrade
Calix:
Available for purchase regardless of Magic Pass
An all-new Gideon
skin
Theros-Themed
Map: In celebration of Magic: The Gathering’s
new Theros Beyond Death expansion, an all-new Theros-themed map is
available for players over Rank 5 to experience.
Magic: ManaStrike is available to download on the App Store and Google Play and is globally launched, and supports 13 languages including English,
Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish,
Japanese, Indonesian, Thai, Russian and Portuguese.
For more information, please visit Magic:
ManaStrike’s official website
and forum. Also, please follow Magic: ManaStrike on Facebook and Twitter.
# # #
About Netmarble
Corporation
Netmarble Corporation strives
to entertain audiences of all ages around the world by providing great mobile
gaming experiences. Established in Korea in 2000, Netmarble is one of the
fastest-growing mobile game companies and consistently ranks as a top mobile
developer and publisher worldwide. With more than 6,000 employees, Netmarble has
been producing and servicing some of the most successful mobile games including
Lineage 2: Revolution, Blade & Soul Revolution, MARVEL Future Fight, BTS
WORLD, Everybody’s Marble, and Seven Knights. As a parent company to Kabam, a
top mobile game developer in massively multiplayer free-to-play games, the
largest shareholder to Jam City, a leading casual social game developer and a
major shareholder of BigHit Entertainment, a music production, artist
management and publishing company, Netmarble has a strategic partnership with
CJ ENM Corporation, Asia’s largest entertainment company, Tencent Holdings,
Asia’s largest internet company, and NCsoft, a prominent MMORPG company. More
information can be found at http://company.netmarble.com
About Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering’s compelling characters, fantastic worlds, and deep strategic gameplay
have entertained and delighted fans for more than 25 years. Fans can experience
Magic through the tabletop trading card game, the new digital game Magic:
The Gathering Arena, a New York Times bestselling novel, critically
acclaimed comic book series, and professional esports league. With over 40
million fans to date, Magic is a worldwide phenomenon published in eleven
languages in over 70 countries.
About Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., is an award-winning
developer and publisher of tabletop and digital games that ignite a sense of
adventure in passionate players around the globe. Best known for publishing
groundbreaking fantasy franchises, MAGIC: THE GATHERING® and
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®, Wizards is dedicated to bringing together
world-class talent to create unforgettable play experiences at its headquarters
in Washington and studios in Austin and Montreal. Learn more at www.wizards.com.
GOOD SHEPHERD ENTERTAINMENT AND SHINY SHOE
REVEAL MONSTER
TRAIN,
A NEW TAKE ON ROGUELIKE DECK-BUILDING CARD GAMES
Fight Your Way Into Hell in the PC Closed
Beta, Coming Next Month
AMSTERDAM
& SAN FRANCISCO – Jan. 29, 2020 – Good
Shepherd Entertainment and independent developer Shiny Shoe have announced Monster Train, a new
strategic roguelike deck-building game set on a train to Hell. With multiple
ways to customize your tactics, online multiplayer, and an array of unique
gameplay possibilities, Monster
Train is expected to release in Q2 2020 on Windows PC.
Hell has frozen over, and it’s up to you to
protect the last Pyre from the forces of Heaven and make Hell burn once more. Monster Train adds an
extra strategic element to roguelike deck-builders with three vertical play
fields that must be defended at a time. Build a deck of spells and minions from
over 200 cards, and position your champions on each level to protect the train
and your Pyre from invaders. With five clans to combine and fight for,
challenging enemies to balance your deck against, and multiple routes to take
through Hell, no playthrough is ever the same.
Monster
Train’s unique time-based online
multiplayer mode “Hell Rush”lets
up to 8 players compete against one another in time-based challenges for an
exciting experience under intense pressure. Create your own custom challenges
and share them with the world to see who can top the custom challenge
leaderboards.
Players can sign up for a chance to
experience Hell’s revolution this February with the Monster Train PC closed beta at www.TheMonsterTrain.com.
Good Shepherd Entertainment publishes video
games from independent artists worldwide and operates a proprietary investment
platform for a growing global network of qualified investors seeking
risk-mitigated participation in the $130B video game industry. Originally
established in the Netherlands in 2011, operating under the name Gambitious,
the Company became a full-featured publisher in 2014. Good Shepherd
Entertainment is backed by some of the industry’s most notable names, including
Devolver Digital, Croteam and Perfect World, all successful companies in
independent game development and publishing. www.GoodShepherd.games
About
Shiny Shoe
Shiny Shoe is an independent video game
development studio dedicated to creating fun and polished experiences for
consoles, PC, mobile and online/social streaming environments. Founded in 2011
and based in San Francisco, Shiny Shoe has collaborated with partners including
Double Fine, Stoic, Oculus, and Telltale. In addition to traditional games,
Shiny Shoe is introducing new types of massively multiplayer experiences like
its original titles Death’s
Door and the follow-up, community-driven, Mixer streaming-only
game, Death’s Door:
Aftermath. https://shinyshoe.com
REPLICATE COLIN MCRAE’S CAREER
HIGHLIGHTS IN DiRT RALLY 2.0™
DiRT Rally 2.0, Colin McRae
‘FLAT OUT’ pack Launches March 24, 2020
Larkspur, Calif. (Jan. 29, 2020) – Take a breath, grip the wheel and raise the revs as the DiRT Rally 2.0, Colin McRae FLAT OUT pack launches on March 24, 2020 on PlayStation® 4, Xbox One and PC. Players who have purchased either the DiRT Rally 2.0 Deluxe Edition or any full Season pack will enjoy the Colin McRae content for free from March 24 as a digital download.
The DiRT Rally 2.0, Colin McRae FLAT OUT pack features new Scottish locations, Perth and Kinross, with 12 routes, the SUBARU Impreza S4 Rally and SUBARU Legacy RS, and 40 scenarios spanning McRae’s legendary career. Rally fans will test their driving acumen and take Colin’s seat with a range of challenges including time penalties, damaged equipment, and mechanical failure. The scenarios take place in nine of the cars made famous throughout Colin’s career, including many iconic vehicles from previous Colin McRae Rally and DiRT games.
With four seasons of content since launch, DiRT Rally 2.0 is the ultimate racing experience celebrating the best of rally and rallycross. Players will take on the most authentic point to point rally game combined with the thrilling, fast-paced action of the Official FIA World Rallycross Championship: a traditional track-based race over multiple laps featuring six cars.
“DiRT Rally 2.0 has been a wild and exciting ride, and the FLAT OUT pack is the perfect way to conclude the journey,” said Ross Gowing, Game Director of DiRT Rally 2.0. “It’s 25 years since Colin became World Champion and the content is our tribute to the greatest rally driver of his generation.”
Players who own the standard edition of DiRT Rally 2.0 can purchase the Colin McRae ‘FLAT OUT’ pack via their platform’s digital store.
ABOUT CODEMASTERS: 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 copyrights or trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are being used under license. Developed and published by Codemasters.
ABOUT DEEP SILVER: Deep Silver develops and distributes interactive games for all platforms. The Deep Silver label means to captivate all gamers who have a passion for thrilling gameplay in exciting game worlds. Deep Silver works with its partners to achieve a maximum of success while maintaining the highest possible quality, always focusing on what the customer desires.
Deep Silver has published more than 200 games since 2003, including its own brands like the open world extravaganza Saints Row, the zombie action franchise Dead Island, and the grim post-apocalyptic future of the Metro series. Upcoming highlights from Deep Silver include Dead Island 2 and Saints Row V. Deep Silver also owns the development studios Deep Silver Dambuster Studios in Nottingham, UK; Deep Silver Fishlabs in Hamburg, Germany, Deep Silver Volition based in Champaign, IL, USA, and Warhorse Studios based in Prague, Czech Republic. For more information please visit www.deepsilver.com
Koch Media is a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products (software, games and films). The company’s own publishing activities, marketing and distribution extend throughout Europe, North America and Australia. The Koch Media group has more than 20 years of experience in the digital media business and has risen to become the number one publishing partner in Europe. It has also formed strategic alliances with numerous games and software publishers: Bethesda, Capcom, Codemasters, Kaspersky Labs, Konami, Koei Tecmo, Milestone, Sega, Square Enix, etc. in various European countries. With Headquarter in Höfen, Austria Koch Media owns branches in Germany, England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Nordic regions, Benelux, Australia, Czech Republic and the United States.
All product titles, publisher names, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are trademarks, registered trademarks and/or copyright material of the respective owners. All rights reserved.
Dead Cells Latest and Possibly Deadliest DLC ‘The Bad
Seed’ Arrives February 11th on All Platforms
Bordeaux, France (January 29, 2020) – Motion
Twin and Evil Empire announced today that the exceptionally deadly and
strikingly gorgeous new Dead Cells DLC, The Bad Seed, arrives to kill you on
February 11th on PC, Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for $4.99. The new DLC
for the heavily lauded Dead Cells game, The Bad Seed, takes players through
all-new biomes, grants them incredible new weapons, sticks them in front of
ultimate baddies and adds an awfully gross blood-sucking beast.
“This is the first paid extension to the game after sixteen major free updates, content additions and overhauls since Dead Cells hit Steam Early Access in 2017, and there are still a butt-load of things we’re planning to add to the game,” said Joan Blachere, creative director at Evil Empire.
Once
the DLC is released into the wild, players will be introduced to new path
choices in the early game, ensuring that all players, no matter their level,
will be able to experience crushing new ways to die. With two new biomes
inhabited by their own distinctive bestiary, The Arboretum, a lush paradise to
deceivingly adorable creatures, and The Swamp, where an overgrown arboreal
settlement inhabited by ambushing blow gunners and spear wielders is your only
escape from the gargantuan purple ticks that reign uncontested on the ground. Bleh.
Triumphing over the numerous perils means you will be
rewarded with a conceptually unique armoury, including the first double slot
weapon as well as a very dedicated and loyal mushroom companion. Of
course, vengeance visited upon the monsters and conquering the challenging new
biomes that once slowed you down is its own reward, but a few new weapons never
hurt anybody.
About Dead Cells
Winner and nominee for dozens of Game of the Year 2018 awards, Dead Cells
is a critically-acclaimed roguelike metroidvania action platformer set within
an unpredictable castle packed with dark secrets, game changing items and
hordes of deadly beasts. Players face tough risk-reward decisions, building
their loadout from an incredibly diverse arsenal of weapons and abilities in
the hopes of dodging the castle’s omnipresent threat of permadeath. A steady
series of post-launch updates addressing fan feedback has evolved Dead Cells,
keeping its action-centric adventure as surprising as it is rewarding.
For the latest on Dead Cells, be sure to follow
@motiontwin on Twitter.
# # #
About Motion Twin
Motion Twin is an independent game development studio
based in France since 2001 and are the creators of the hit roguelike action
game Dead Cells, available for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch
platforms. Motion Twin is a worker cooperative passionate about creating new
game experiences. Learn more athttps://motion-twin.com/en/.
About Evil Empire
Evil Empire is the evil spawn of a bunch of ex-Motion
Twiners. Formed in 2018 in close proximity and partnership with Motion Twin,
Evil Empire is focused on producing new original content, both for Dead Cells
and new IP.
For over thirty years Dragon Ball Z has delighted fans of the series around the world with many of these fans growing up with the series waiting to see just how the story would continue on a weekly basis. Throughout these years many different kinds of video game adaptations were created to the point that nearly every genre has been attempted. Recently, most of these games have appeared to focus less on the original story and instead opt to provide players with what-if events or side stories but Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot looks to be a return to form, telling the story of Goku and friends once again from the start of the Saiyan Saga all the way through Buu.
Story
In many ways, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot provides what is easily one of the best approaches to telling the classic storyline once again in video game format. Players begin with Goku preparing to take Gohan to meet his old friends Krillin, Master Roshi, and Bulma only for Raditz to land on Earth, antagonize Piccolo and kidnap Gohan leading to the pair teaming up in an attempt to defeat this powerful alien threat. Those who have seen the story before are well versed in how events play out and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot does its best to make many of these scenes play out as fans remember, however its choice of content often feels rather odd.
Numerous major events that take place in battles or during certain story segments are completely skipped over or happen off-screen, such as Goku’s training with King Kai, but smaller events, such as King Yemma and Kami arguing are included. These odd discrepancies appear constantly throughout the story in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and while it is true that attempting to tell as much of the original storyline as possible is certainly a great feat, longtime fans will be left scratching their heads about why some scenes are featured and others are skipped entirely.
Outside of the main story, players will find that the world of Dragon Ball Z is expanded upon quite a bit thanks to the many side-quests that players can undertake as well as the familiar faces that appear throughout the world. Numerous callbacks to the original Dragon Ball and characters make appearances in side-quests that, while often short, are nice for longtime fans but often these characters are treated as merely window dressing, or simply power-ups, than anything else. Exploring the vast open world allows inquisitive players to learn some new little facts about Toriyama’s world that were never previously explained, though if players are expecting some major revelations or even some side-content involving the many movies that were released for the series, they will be disappointed here. Instead a bit of brand new content is inserted into the story at a very fitting place alongside some new characters but don’t expect too much extra in that regard.
Gameplay
With Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot being an action RPG, players will find that it plays quite a bit different from what many recent games have offered in nearly every way except for the actual fighting. Almost immediately players are presented with an extremely large world that can be explored by running on the ground, flying through the air, zipping around underwater, and even driving cars. The game is not entirely open world as players will use a world map to transition to different areas but each zone is quite large in size, but it is also unfortunately rather empty as well.
Players can travel to numerous signature looking areas and cities from the core series and encounter a number of familiar faces sitting around in various spots, but for the most part the actual world doesn’t really have a lot to do. Z Orbs, which are different colored orbs that can be used to power-up super attacks, are scattered by the thousands across ever zone and players can acquire various ingredients and upgrade parts that can also be used to strengthen characters through cooking, with meals providing various buffs and permanent stat boosts to characters that eat it, and there are even dinosaurs that can be defeated with ki blasts and giant fish to reel in and beat down. These little side activities are fun for a bit but quickly lose their luster, a few of which simply due to being overly complicated for the actual reward they give, especially when most of these boosts are rarely necessary as the game’s combat system, and most fights, are fairly easy to the point that players will rarely find themselves struggling. In fact, with the Z Orbs and D Medals used to also acquire moves, so briefly explained at the start of what is an over thirty hour game, many of my characters were using basic super attacks and still clearing battles with ease.
Another aspect of boosting Goku and friends’ strength is through the Community Board, of which there are seven, where players can use Soul Emblems obtained from the story and completing side-quests, to unlock various boosts. These range from stat boosts, better selling and buying prices, better drops from enemies, and there are even some rewards for pairing certain characters together on these boards, increasing their overall bonuses. Players can even “gift” items to emblems to raise their various affinities for a certain board, increasing an emblem’s usefulness and while this is a nice little in-depth way to strengthen the team, it is also once again yet another way to strengthen a team that barely needs it.
Flying around the world and seeing the various sights in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is easily one of the best parts of the game as, although a bit rough, flight control is easy to learn and it is only second to the actual combat in the game. While traveling around players will run into random enemies scattered throughout the world where they can train up but the real meat of combat comes from facing off against enemies directly related to the story and the gloriously cinematic boss battles that cap off each saga.
Combat in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a fairly simple to understand and flashy system with all combat taking place in the air (or flying underwater) that allows for quick movement around the battlefield and a number of easy to use combo attacks being the player’s bread and butter with plenty of special attacks being able to be thrown in the mix. Defense plays a major role in this game as well as blocking not only works exceptionally well, it also is used to snap around the battlefield and even attack your opponent from behind at the expense of ki.
Eventual transformations do allow for players to bring some extra strategy to some battles and often players will be able to have some allies fighting with them, allowing them to use supporting and attacking techniques to assist in battle. Unfortunately, the enemy AI is a bit too simplistic at times, with foes often charging attacks that can easily be dodged, leaving them open to a variety of beam attacks. This can leave some fights that were meant to be huge scale affairs ending up as being complete cakewalks despite their cinematic feel.
That being said, those who want to see everything that Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot has to offer will be pleasantly surprised to find out that there is quite a plethora of content available once the main storyline has come to a close, adding plenty of extra playtime to what is already a fairly lengthy game, but be prepared for a few of these post-game events to once again fall back into the same pattern and problems found in the core story.
Visuals & Audio
It is clear that CyberConnect 2 has really come to master designing anime characters for use in video games as they have once again managed to replicate the look and feel of Dragon Ball Z to the tiniest detail here. Everything from the random dinosaurs roaming the land and giant demonic fish in the water to the looks of the various NPCs look exactly like fans of the series have come to expect. Of course the actual character designs are exceptional as well, with even the returning call back characters looking as one would expect and thanks to the various special effects on display during fights the various ki blasts, special attacks, and finishing moves are easily at their best here.
This release of the game features the return of nearly all of the current English voice actors who have returned to reprise their roles in the series with a few newer characters sounding like they fit right in, though if you want to play in Japanese the option is there as well. The soundtrack is fairly standard and features a number of familiar sounding pieces of background music and sound effects though most of the original tracks don’t really stand out too well here.
Overall
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot manages to offer what is perhaps the most definitive story of the original series that we have seen in a video game and features plenty of great combat that shines thanks to some wonderfully gorgeous graphics. Unfortunately the RPG mechanics of the game tend to either feel useless or padded on and despite featuring fully designed open scale areas to explore, the world often feels far too empty for its own good. This leaves Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot with plenty of side-content that can be explored but often feeling useless outside of the core storyline that is told lovingly and will be a delight to fans of the series.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Full-scale modernisation of
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implementation
Experience a pivotal period in the Warcraft saga through an epic
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Warcraft III: Reforged Features
Complete
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Rebuilt World Editor: Reforged features an all-new World Editor designed to empower the game’s longstanding creator community to reach new heights, with hundreds of new triggers, LUA scripting support, new tools for importing models, and more enhancements planned for the future.
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