Aquaplus has announced that they are now working on a brand new Utawarerumono game and while details are being kept incredibly scarce we do know a few details thanks to the official teaser website. Featuring a main character named Akuta who has no memories of his past but still has a strong sense of duty and Minagi, a girl called “princess” that cares for her younger sister and wants to battle against her family’s fate alongside Akuta.
No official name, platforms, genre (likely RPG), or release window were given for this new Utawarerumono game but the full reveal is set for July 2nd where it will be interesting to see if this game will tie into previous entries in any way.
Back in 2011 a massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan and caused massive damage and loss of life so it only made sense that a game such as Disaster Report 4 would have been in poor taste so the game, which was in development back then, was cancelled. Well over the recent years Disaster Report 4 Plus: Summer Memories was officially released in Japan and now NIS America has announced that the game will be heading to the West for the PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch in early 2020.
On a calm summer day turns into catastrophe when a massive earthquake strikes your city, throwing buildings and lives into chaos. In order to survive, you must navigate familiar locations under unfamiliar circumstances. The fellow survivors you meet and crucial decisions you make will affect the course of your experience and ultimately determine how your journey through this crisis will end.
Headup Games and Cracked Heads Games announced today their first person horror game Silver Chains will launch on PC on the 6th of August. It will be available via Steam, GOG, and other major digital distributors. A console release for Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One is scheduled for Q4 2019, with an exact date being revealed closer to launch.
Silver Chains is set in abandoned manor in rural England. After being knocked out in accident, our hero Peter wakes up to find himself in the manor with something lurking in the shadows. Peter has the vague feeling he’s been in the manor before, but he can’t seem to remember. Players will need to explore the manor and solve its many puzzles to unlock its secrets, all while a terrifying monster hunts Peter down mercilessly.
Cracked Head Games also released a brand new trailer for Silver Chains along with the launch date announcement. The short trailer is pretty standard for the horror genre, with plenty of tense music, creepy environments, and a jump scare.
With Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle set to be released in a couple of weeks Koei Tecmo has released some new screenshots, gameplay footage, and additional information about some of the new weapons that players will be able to use to battle against the Titans. Alongside the traditional Slashing Gear, Scouts can now equip the even more deadly Shooting Gear. Replacing blades for guns allows for long-range attacks along with a variety of different ammo types that offer different types of damage, including: Regular Shot, Scatter Shot, Explosive Shot, Attrition Shot, Numbing Shot and Incendiary Shot Ammo. Re-loading ammo is as easy as replacing gas and blades – though in Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle if players release the reload button as the dial hits the ‘yellow’ area, they will achieve a perfect reload and the resource in use will not deplete for a short time.
The impressive Showdown Equipment is also on-hand to provide Scouts a massive increase of power in battle. Two options are available to them; the revolutionary Thunder Spear quickly deals explosive damage to wipe out Titans, and the Gatling Guns unload high levels of magazines which rip through any Titan part in sight. Once this equipment is obtained in battle, and the Showdown Equipment gauge filled, they are able to unleash high damage attacks for a limited period.
Idea Factory International has announced that they are aiming to have Dragon Star Varnir released on PC sometime in September where it will be available through Steam. This PC release will feature all of the content and gameplay from the original Japanese release, opposed to the PlayStation 4 version that had two slightly altered CGs, and will feature the same localized subtitles and voice work.
In Dragon Star Varnir players take on the role of Zephy, a knight sworn to hunt witches, who ends up being turned into a witch when two find him on the brink of death. With witches cursed to consume dragon meat that will either see them die once the dragon in their body bursts out or go insane from starvation, the group must find a way to break the curse.
Over the years PQube has really stepped up their localization efforts to bring niche and even bigger Japanese games to English speaking audiences first in Europe and now around the world. Few publishers that localize games such as these tend to dip their toes into actually developing a game but that just so happens to be the case with Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa. Partnering with Art Co. PQube has brought out a mystery visual novel that is far more than it initially appears to be and perhaps a sign that more risks like this should be taken.
Story
Without much backstory players find themselves transferring into a new school called the Fujisawa Academy in the middle of the year. The player, whose gender and name is chosen at the start of the game, doesn’t really have an explanation as to why they transferred during such an odd time of the year but perhaps “Mon-chan” a demonic female fox that you have formed a pact with hints that it was likely due to you sticking your nose into dangerous situations and attracting the wrong kind of attention.
Being a new student, the player would rather keep their head low for a bit but that quickly flies out the window as the extremely energetic Nanami Kagura is assigned as being your guide around school. As a member of the school’s Occult Research Club (ORC) Nanami is obsessed with the seven mysteries that have grown popular among the students in the massive campus. Dragged along to help investigate these mysteries while under the guise of the tour players quickly learn that while the mysteries may be rather simple, things at Fujisawa are never as simple as they seem. In fact this describes Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa as a whole as a visual novel since the first time through the chapters things feel incredibly rushed and very little feels resolved until the big twist is revealed.
One can certainly applaud how much of a facade Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa manages to hold up until this point in the game and while we won’t say exactly what happened, players will certainly be in for more of a story than they ever could have expected and that the fantasy elements of the game take a major upswing past this point. What may seem like a generic mystery that ends up feeling like players only scratch the surface of issues eventually turns into a one that is almost a bit too complicated for its own good as more mysteries are unveiled in subsequent run throughs.
Players will find that the game’s mysteries will be peeled away layer by layer, a running theme in the game, as they make their way through subsequent runs of the game as it is completely impossible to actually obtain the true ending in one playthrough. In fact, thanks to the aforementioned twist players will be finding themselves exploring the story multiple times over trying to find the best choices to unveil the truth behind the mysteries that may appear simple at first only for the numerous twists to throw players for a loop the more they learn.
Unfortunately despite successfully being able to tell a dark mystery with numerous twists that will keep players enthralled, Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa does feel like it does a rather poor job actually sticking the landing. Both the normal good ending and especially the true ending will leave players staring at the true credits wondering when the next scene might pop up as the story is ripe to continue in the future. Of course this type of cliffhanger does leave players open to see a sequel or expansion of sorts but be prepared for a mostly dissatisfying ending until then.
Gameplay
Unlike many other visual novels Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa features quite a few different mechanics that may not feel nearly as important as they are. While playing through the game there are moments that the player has free access to explore various parts of the school and despite initially appearing to be a consequence free system, there are certain events that only end up being triggered when some locations are visited before others. Along those same lines, the “Quacker” style app that the students use to talk online also can play a significant role in unlocking new scenes as well so players will want to keep an eye on that.
Of course the biggest aspect of actually playing in this visual novel outside of making choices happens to be the match-3 puzzle mini-game. Through the player’s pact with the fox demon it is possible for them to make it so they cannot tell them a lie, this is done by enveloping them in a mind-space and playing a mini-game that strips away their lies. Of course to help bring a bit of fan-service to the game, these lies are represented as being layers of clothing so both your female and male targets end up being stripped down to their underwear as a result.
The game is played by selecting the different colored orbs and using a move to slide it to the top of the board in an effort to match three or more of the same color with each target having a specific colored orb that fills up their “Happy” gauge more than others. The goal is to fill this happy gauge fully without running out of moves and facing a game over though every time a layer of clothing is stripped away, which is every fourth of the gauge, ten extra moves are added to the player’s pool. To make things a bit easier players can also use challenge items that have a percentage change to succeed in giving players an extra move or two but risk failing and having to worry about their current board being wiped or the target being shielded from “happy” damage for a bit.
Initially players will find that this mini-game is a bit simple and won’t find much challenge but as the game progresses they will find the game growing much more difficult. While it is possible to increase the damage of some orbs by finding specific “words” in the world there are some stages that are incredibly difficult to finish at times. It is also worth noting that while players have the option to fast-forward past previously read dialogue on a repeat playthrough, it is impossible to skip through a mini-game. This makes the multiple playthroughs a bit more of a drag than they should be since, while the mini-game is fun for a while, it doesn’t really hold up too long when forced multiple times to see the same truth revealed.
Visuals & Audio
The character models in the game are quite gorgeous though players may be a bit disappointed that, since the game is set entirely in the school, that there really isn’t much variety in the actual clothing. The character artwork is fairly unique enough though between the core cast to tell each other apart and the fan service elements are handled even handedly across both female and male characters being stripped down with a number of variants of underwear for all of the characters. It is a bit disappointing to say that while the artwork is great, the actual number of CGs in the game is shockingly small and the background environments themselves are also incredibly generic outside of one or two locations.
The same can be said about the soundtrack for the game as most of the music rarely stands out, though the voice acting is handled incredibly well. That being said, considering the amount of moans that come from the mini-game this may not be one to play too loudly if you’re out and about with the Switch.
Overall
Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa makes for an enthralling visual novel that may seem simple at the start but once the layers are peeled away (just like the clothing of the characters) the more mysterious and twisted the truth behind the school and the mysteries themselves end up being. By throwing players for a loop and offering a solid storyline that unfortunately doesn’t quite stick the landing, PQube’s first try of publishing a game is a worthy effort for those looking for something unexpected.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Over the years visual novels have grown fairly popular in the West to the point that they have even begun releasing on consoles. Some of these tend to be series that have already seen success on other platforms but now there are some that release flat out on consoles in the West such as Our World is Ended. Releasing on the Switch, whose handy portable mode and removable Joy-con make for easy play in almost any position which is already a bonus for visual novels, is Our World is Ended worth picking up?
Story
To those around the city it may appear to be some strange performance but Our World is Ended begins with Reiji Gozen wearing a completely enclosed AR headset in the middle of a busy street. Alongside the airheaded Yuno he is set to test out a new product being developed by his boss Owari. Working as the newest part-timer for the game development team known as Judgement 7 this awkward task fell to Reiji and after a few embarrassing phrases and poses, things seem to be going well s Owari projects bikini photos onto billboards and even changes Yuno’s clothing to a school swimsuit.
During one of these tests the system seems to shut itself down entirely only to reboot and show that the entire area has fallen to ruin and his friends are now hanging lifeless from a nearby building. With only a cryptic warning from a mysterious girl Reiji returns to the normal world where no one seems to have noticed any changes outside of the system crash. Originally attributed to heatstroke, Judgement 7 continues their day by starting a flame war with others online who found their most recent game lackluster. In an effort to capture their original success Owari suggests that the next game they develop make full use of augmented reality but it doesn’t take long before the rest of the development team begin to find themselves experiencing a phenomenon that only grows stranger as time progresses and with a possible destruction in their future, it is up to Reiji and the rest to solve this mystery.
The best part of a visual novel is when it manages to convey both an intriguing storyline as well as offer readers a great cast of characters that they can learn more about and enjoy over the course of the game. In more than a few ways Our World is Ended manages to pull that off but it also falters in both of these areas. Perhaps the biggest issue happens to be that this game suffers from a serious lack of focus when it comes to actually delivering the main plot, which on its own is a fairly solid sci-fi thriller with a unique cast of characters. While it makes sense that players should spend time meeting with and learning about the various members of Judgement 7, the majority of the group and the initial problem are introduced fairly quickly at the beginning of the game and then the actual development of the core plot falls to the wayside to then focus more on the cast of characters. This normally wouldn’t be too much of an issue but because the game spends so much time trying to focus on everything but the core plot there ends up being various rushed developments and twists to the story that easily could have been expanded upon a bit more rather than leave players with a messy feeling experience.
On the other side of things Our World is Ended offers such an eccentric cast of characters for its main cast that it is hard not to be at least a little charmed by the group, even if it is to see just how insane some of them can be at times. Reiji serves as the player’s view point and being the newest member of Judgement 7 he is also on the bottom rung of the group’s ladder though even if he were a bit more respected it is unlikely the cast would act much differently around him. Generally when a cast of characters are introduced they tend to fall into certain molds and eventually break out of them over the course of the game as the story develops and we learn more about them and while it is true that title Our World is Ended does that fairly well for most of its cast, it also features some of the most extreme examples of these character stylings you can find. Whether it is the air-headed girl, the one concerned about her flat-chest who is always called “saddening” by everyone, a massive pervert that freely says whatever he feels, a grandiose otaku that mixes English wording into his dialogue to sound cool, or a cold artistic type, or a genius youngster this title has it all and takes them to such a high level at times players will end up feeling rather shocked at times.
This does create something of a cyclone of character moments as players see these huge personalities clash together continuously throughout the game. In fact, the only way that this visual novel often can get away with spending so much time away from the core story is thanks to how quirky these characters actually are. It really helps draw the player into learning more about them and seeing their developments over the course of the game. That being said, if you aren’t a fan of fan-service jokes and crude humor in general than this may not be the game for you as most of the humor comes in that form. Thankfully those who enjoy it will find that there are plenty of perverted jokes and more to be found filled throughout the game’s lengthy story. This leads us to a visual novel that has issues holding a proper tone at times since it rarely feels like even the most serious situations are actually that dire since the humor can often be inserted in some rather poorly chosen places.
It is interesting to note that while the “common route” for Our World is Ended is extremely long, the game will deviate at points depending on what character you’ve happened to favor the most over the course of the game, bringing players towards several different endings that are later viewable on the game’s main menu with replays offering players the chance to aim for different endings.
Gameplay
For the most part Our World is Ended plays similar to many other visual novels as players will spend most of their time listening/reading the story as it progresses. It is interesting to note that the game is very generous with its save system as players can easily tap one shoulder button to create a quick save and then load that save at the tap of the other shoulder button. While players can make standard save files, this method works best when players are presented with a choice and they want to make sure they make the one best fitting the ending they are aiming for.
There are two types of choices in the game, a standard one where a few options are presented and there is an unlimited amount of time to select between them and a “Selection of Soul” system that is far more limited. This system features a number of dialogue choices that will quickly scroll across the screen similar to a Japanese video site and players will need to select from one of these options though being silent is also an option. Interestingly enough, players can even keep an eye on what character path they may be leaning towards as the game shows which three characters currently like Reiji the most. Since players will want to replay to see various endings, this system is quite useful and a great way to avoid wasting time should you mess up a choice.
Visuals & Audio
One of the first things players will notice when playing Our World is Ended is just how gorgeous the game can be at times. The art style features vibrant colors that bring the world to life and the highly detailed character portraits are a real treat even with their limited animations. In fact, even the static backgrounds are varied and detailed enough that they fit the game world perfectly and help provide a lot of life to the game, especially during a number of the crossover scenes. This art style especially shines whenever a CG is presented to the players though it is worth noting that while there is plenty of fan service, there is no actual nudity in this game though it does push the limits a bit.
The voice acting also happens to be quite phenomenal at times as players will really feel like the voice actors did their best to bring these absurdly eccentric characters to life. The game only features a Japanese voice track and while the localization does a fine enough job with most elements in the game, there are a few wording errors and misspelled words throughout the game that, while not a big issue, are noticeable.
Overall
Players will find that while the Our World is Ended’sstory may have issues focusing, the eccentric cast of characters do a solid enough job holding things together. That being said, even for someone like myself who enjoys some raunchy humor this game does tend to take things a bit far and struggles to hold its tone at times so even dire situations often feel like they aren’t handled with enough weight as needed. As such the story found in this visual novel may not end up being as serious as one may expect given its name and initial presentation of doomsday but with gorgeous character designs and CG artwork accompanying a well voiced cast of characters, those looking for a visual novel that is a bit different from others will find that this one may just fit the bill.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Upcoming Retro Love Letter To Metal Slug &
Contra Blazing Chrome Launching July 11 on PC, Xbox One, Nintendo
Switch & PlayStation 4
New trailer reveals unlockable characters for the most
skilled players
PARIS — June 24, 2019 — Publisher
The Arcade Crew (Dark Devotion) and developer JoyMasher announced today
that the enemy infested run-and-gun platformer Blazing Chrome will
launch on PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 on July 11, 2019.
Alongside today’s launch date reveal is a stunning new
gameplay trailer that showcases hidden characters within the Contra-esque
title. Fans who unlock the new characters within the game will be treated to
fast-paced, side-scrolling and vertical gameplay action as ‘Suhaila,’ a razor
girl with a robotic arm or the skilled and deadly ninja ‘Raijin’ you try to
out-fire, out-maneuver and out-wit your various metal-encased AI enemies.
The new characters are armed with entirely new
ninja-based weaponry – players can harness a deadly katana, jump higher and use
dash, creating a completely new combat experience in a Contra-like game.
JoyMasher’s Blazing Chrome harkens back to the golden
days of side-scrolling shooters with modern touches ensuring its gameplay feels
as precise as it does authentic to the era it channels. Players can tear
through six highly-varied stages filled with deadly, bullet-spewing AI as
Mavra, a lone human resistance fighter, or the rebellious robotic insurgent
Doyle.
About the Arcade Crew
The Arcade Crew is based in Paris as a separate division of Dotemu. The
boutique publisher is dedicated to producing and publishing awesome original
games with a retro feel from small creative teams. The Crew is thrilled to
discover and support new talents and create a real community around classic
inspired titles. Get in touch with us at https://www.thearcadecrew.com/ and
follow us on Twitter @ thearcadecrew.
French indie developer, Manufacture 43, has announced that Pawarumi will be launching on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on July 24th.
Pawarumi is a top-down 3D shoot’em up inspired by Aztec and pre-Columbian culture. You play as Axo, pilot of the holy ship Chukaru, in a quest for revenge of the betrayal caused to the people of Earth.
Pawarumi will be releasing on Switch and Xbox One next month and a release is planned for Playstation 4 later this year. The game released for PC last year and is already available on Steam. Pawarumi has won a number of awards, including “Indie Arena Booth Selection” at Gamescom 2016, “Best Soundtrack” at the Shmup’Em-All Awards and was nominated for “Best Indie Game” at the 2017 Ping Awards
Along with the release date announcement, Manufacture 43 has also released a short teaser trailer.
ENTROPIA UNIVERSE RINGS IN SUMMER SOLSTICE
WITH SUMMER MAYHEM 2019
New challenges and
valuable loot arrive in the multi-world online universe
GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN – June
21, 2019 – To
welcome the warmest season of the year, MindArk is once again hosting the
annual Summer Mayhem event for long-running Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) Entropia Universe. Players can take advantage of the longer Summer days
to score some serious loot by stopping the evil Mulmun ritual and gathering
points. Entropia Universe’s Summer Mayhem competition is now underway
and runs until Monday, July 1, 2019.
According to top scientists at
the Colonial Xenobiological Institute (CXI), Mul mutants have experienced an
increase in aggressive behavior during seasonal rituals due to Eomon pheromones
in the atmosphere. Participating players can prove themselves by defeating the
Ascended Mulmun and protect Planet Calypso. Upon entering the ritual area,
participating players will be timed, with the best earning some of Entropia
Universe’s most coveted prizes.
In addition to the Ascended
Mulmun timed assault competition, players can also join in for Mayhem
Annihilation gameplay. After activating the mysterious pile of skulls near the
event entrance, players must kill spawned creatures to accumulate as many
points as possible over a limited time. The players who earn the most points
will earn additional valuable prizes.
Players can enlist in Summer Mayhem fun through the Global Events List from any planet in Entropia Universe, along with Mayhem Assault Training and Practice Annihilation areas. A full list of event rules, details and prizes can be seen here.
ABOUT ENTROPIA UNIVERSE Entropia Universe is a living, breathing virtual multi-world
online game where players can escape and create their own reality, choosing
their own path and transforming themselves into whoever they want to be. First
launched in 2003, Entropia Universe hascontinuously raised the
bar for online virtual societies by introducing players to real-cash currency,
limitless job possibilities, and a full-on item investment platform. Players collect and earn virtual currency (‘Project
Entropia Dollars’ or ‘PED’) within the game and are able to convert this cash
to and from their real-world bank accounts. Since launch, five other
developers through the Entropia Planet Partners program have created additional
planets, each with their own unique attributes and systems.
