The making of Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon EVERY BUDDY!
Go behind the scenes of the colorful FINAL FANTASY-themed dungeon
crawler
The next video in our ongoing series of developer
featurettes is here, This one focuses on the making of the adorable Chocobo’s
Mystery Dungeon EVERY BUDDY! – out now for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.
Inside Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon EVERY BUDDY! takes a look at the secrets and anecdotes from the game’s development process. It also features exclusive interviews with Shinji Hashimoto (Executive Producer) and Toshiyuki Itahana (Character Design).
Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon EVERY BUDDY! is a reworking
of 2007’s FINAL FANTASY Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon, that adds new mechanics and
features that change the game dramatically.
The Square Enix Blog team’s been playing it almost
non-stop since launch – to call it addicting would be an understatement!
Plus it also features a killer soundtrack, with
remixed tracks from FINAL FANTASY VII, FINAL FANTASY VIII, FINAL FANTASY IX and
more!
Mayhem
is Coming September 13, 2019 with
Worldwide Launch of Borderlands® 3
New
story! New Vault Hunters! New bad guys! New planets! MORE GUNZZZ!
Pre-order
the next game in the award-winning series from Gearbox Software and 2K today.
Worldwide Gameplay Reveal Event livestream coming May 1.
Sydney, Australia April 3, 2019– Gearbox Software and 2K today
announced that Borderlands®
3, the next installment in the critically acclaimed shooter-looter
series, will launch worldwide on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC on the
Epic Games store September 13, 2019.
Borderlands 3 is a hilarious, story-driven, non-stop galactic thrill-ride, filled with colorful characters, epic enemies and boss fights, and literally billions of guns. In an all-new gameplay trailer released today, Gearbox and 2K show off the game’s unique brand of explosive, irreverent mayhem.
“For the past several years, the team
at Gearbox Software has been devoting every ounce of our passion, creativity
and love into making Borderlands 3 the biggest, baddest and most
ambitious Borderlands adventure we’ve ever made,” said Gearbox
Software President and CEO Randy Pitchford. “Borderlands 3 is
being crafted not only as a love letter to fans of the series, but also as an
ideal entry point for new players to jump-in alone or cooperatively, on or
off-line, in the latest and greatest installment of the definitive
best-in-class benchmark shooter-looter.”
The franchise, which combines the
exhilarating action of a first-person shooter with the rich progression and
loot systems of a role-playing game, has sold-in more than 41 million units
worldwide to date. The most popular title in the series – Borderlands 2
– still draws in more than one million unique monthly users more than six years
after the game’s initial release in 2012. (For more information, please see the
Borderlands franchise fact sheet.
“Borderlands is
one of the most recognized and celebrated franchises in gaming,” said 2K
President David Ismailer. “We’re proud of the work and dedication of our
partners at Gearbox, who are making a game that will not only reignite the
millions of existing Borderlands fans but welcome a new
generation of players into this beloved universe.”
A Mayhem-Fueled Thrill Ride:
Blast through new worlds and enemies
as one of four brand new Vault Hunters – the ultimate treasure-seeking badasses
of the Borderlands, each with deep skill trees, abilities, and customization.
Play solo or join with friends to
take on insane enemies, collect bazillions of guns and loads of loot,
and save your home from the most ruthless cult leaders in the galaxy – the
Calypso Twins.
For more details on the story, characters, gear, and everything else you’ll find in Borderlands 3, tune in on May 1 for the extended Gameplay Reveal Event livestream.
PC
Gaming on Steroids in Collaboration with AMD and the Epic Games store:
Developed from the ground up with
AMD, Borderlands 3 will take full advantage of the most powerful PC
hardware available, and is optimized for top performance and incredible gaming
experiences on AMD Radeon™ graphics cards and Ryzen™ CPUs.
At launch on September 13, Borderlands
3 will be available for PC exclusively through the Epic Games store. Borderlands
3will be available on additional PC digital storefronts in
April 2020.
“The PC gaming community has been an
important part of the success of the Borderlands series, and we
are excited to be partnering with Epic who recognize its worldwide popularity
and share in our commitment to bring Borderlands 3 to this
rapidly expanding audience,” said Ismailer. “Our mission, in addition to
delivering the most engaging and captivating entertainment experiences, is to
embrace new distribution platforms that will contribute to our effort to grow
the audience for Borderlands 3.”
You Want Loot? You Got It
With multiple editions chalk full of
digital bonus content and physical goodies, you can pick the loot-splosion
that’s right for you – and pre-orders are live now*!
*Please note there may be regional
differences in content and availability – check local retailers for information
Borderlands
3 Standard Edition
The Borderlands
3 Standard Edition includes the base game.
The Borderlands
3 Super Deluxe Edition includes all the bonus digital content and pre-order
bonus of the Deluxe Edition PLUS the Borderlands 3 Season Pass,
which includes:
Four (4)
campaign DLC packs featuring new stories, missions and challenges;
Butt Stallion
weapon skin, weapon trinket, and grenade mod.
Celebrate
the return of the original shooter-looter with the Diamond Loot Chest
Collector’s Edition, a swag-splosion of collectibles digistructed
straight from the worlds of Borderlands 3.
This
edition includes the full game, season pass, and all bonus digital content and
pre-order bonus of the Super Deluxe Edition, plus:
Diamond Loot
Chest Replica: Featuring a functional
retractable lid, this chest is perfect for storing your real-world loot;
Borderlands 3 character figurines (x10): Make room on
your shelf for the whole crew, including the four new Vault Hunters, the
fanatical Calypso Twins, and some of your favorite characters from the
Borderlands universe! (Approximately 3” tall.);
Sanctuary 3
snap model: Construct your very own
Sanctuary 3 model ship and display it proudly on its included stand;
Vault Key
keychains (x4): Because you never know when you
might stumble across an unopened Vault;
Cloth galaxy
map: Discover new worlds beyond Pandora with Typhon DeLeon’s map of the
Borderlands;
Character art
lithographs (x5): Unique character prints starring
the new Vault Hunters and fanatical Calypso Twins;
Borderlands 3 Steelbook case: A gorgeous metal case for any
collector’s shelf.
The Year of Borderlands has
Officially Begun:
To celebrate the announcement of Borderlands
3, the Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition launches
today on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC. Borderlands: Game of
the Year Editionis the brand new definitive version of the original
game, boasting ultra HD remastered graphics, significant quality-of-life
content updates, and all add-on content included.
Additionally, Gearbox and 2K also
released an Ultra HD Texture Pack that increases the visual fidelity of Borderlands:The Handsome Collection on consoles, and provides a visual
upgrade for Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and all
the game add-ons for both titles on PC.
To keep up with all thingsBorderlands,
please visit www.borderlands.com, become a fan on Facebook, subscribe on YouTube, follow Borderlands on Twitter and Instagram, and join the conversation using the hashtag
#Borderlands.
2K is a publishing
label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).
All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the
property of their respective holders.
About Borderlands
From the minds at
Gearbox Software, Borderlands is the critically acclaimed shooter-looter
franchise that started it all, combining intense first-person shooter gameplay
with extensive role-playing progression in an exhilarating and irreverent
four-player cooperative experience. Each iteration of the series features
new player characters (known as Vault Hunters) with customizable skills, as
well as diverse, imaginative environments filled with unique missions and
enemies. Borderlands also boasts literally bazillions of guns, grenades, and
loot thanks to its sophisticated weapon generation system—aside from unique
Legendary items, no two weapons are exactly alike!
About Take-Two
Interactive Software
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two
Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and marketer of
interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. The Company develops
and publishes products principally through its wholly-owned labels Rockstar
Games and 2K, as well as its Private Division label and Social Point, a leading
developer of mobile games. Our products are designed for console systems and
personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered
through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming
services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the
symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our
website at http://www.take2games.com.
About 2K
Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive
entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and
personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered
through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming
services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including
shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family
entertainment. The 2K label has some of the most talented development studios
in the world today, including Visual Concepts, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, Cat
Daddy Games and newly formed, to-be-named studio in Silicon Valley. 2K’s stable
of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock®,
Borderlands™, Mafia and XCOM® franchises; the beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization
series; Evolve™ and Battleborn®; the popular WWE® 2K franchise
and NBA® 2K, the highest rated* annual sports title of this console
generation.
Gearbox Software is an award-winning, independent
developer of interactive entertainment based in Frisco, Texas. It was founded
in 1999 by game industry veterans, and its first release was Half-Life:
Opposing Force. Since then, the company has become widely known for successful
game franchises including Brothers in Arms, Borderlands, and Battleborn, as
well as acquired properties Duke Nukem and Homeworld. For more information,
visit http://www.gearboxsoftware.com.
The statements contained herein which are not
historical facts are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities
laws and may be identified by words such as “anticipates,”
“believes,” “estimates,” “expects,”
“intends,” “plans,” “potential,”
“predicts,” “projects,” “seeks,” “should,”
“will,” or words of similar meaning and include, but are not limited
to, statements regarding the outlook for the Company’s future business and
financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current
beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information
currently available to them, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks
and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and
results may vary materially from these forward-looking statements based on a
variety of risks and uncertainties including: our dependence on key management
and product development personnel, our dependence on our Grand Theft Auto
products and our ability to develop other hit titles, the timely release and
significant market acceptance of our games, the ability to maintain acceptable
pricing levels on our games, and risks associated with international
operations. Other important factors and information are contained in the
Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the risks
summarized in the section entitled “Risk Factors,” the Company’s most
recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the Company’s other periodic filings
with the SEC, which can be accessed at www.take2games.com.
All forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements and
apply only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation
to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
Multiplayer Survival RPG CryoFall Lands on Steam Early
Access Today
Build, hunt, farm, craft, cooperate, trade,
and survive online on a harsh alien world in Daedalic Entertainment and
AtomicTorch Studio’s new game
HAMBURG, Germany: April 3, 2019 –CryoFall, the multiplayer survival RPG from publisher Daedalic Entertainment and developer AtomicTorch Studio, is now available for Windows PC via Steam Early Access. This unique multiplayer sci-fi experience challenges players to survive on a harsh, alien planet with a variety of official and community servers hosting persistent worlds for up to 200 players each.
CryoFall
delivers a complex survival
experience with unlimited opportunities for players to make their own mark on
their world. Discover new ways of farming, hunting, cooking, crafting, mining,
building and
trading, with multiple specializations available per character. The challenges
of staying alive push players to choose between working collaboratively with
each other to build a functional new society in an effort to learn the secrets
of this hostile alien world, or succumb to the most basic of urges and try to
take what others have worked so hard to build.
But exploration is also critical. Ensuring
the survival of your newfound society rests not only on you and your fellow players,
but on the strange new world around you: a dangerous landscape full of hidden
labs to unearth and exotic alien lifeforms to harvest and fight.
Features:
Complex crafting and
industrial system, including oil refining and lithium extraction.
Various stages of
technological progress (primitive, industrial, modern, post-modern,
sci-fi).
Farming with complex
crop growth simulation, fertilizers, etc., and diverse cooking
options.
Wide
range of player interactions and roles with specialization options
emphasizing meaningful interactions, rather than just combat.
Fully functional economy
simulation with coin minting, trading and automated vending machines
managed by players.
Carefully handcrafted
maps and locations (plus map editor).
Storyline elements
discovered through exploration.
Diverse environments
with several biomes (temperate, desert, tropical, boreal, wasteland,
etc.).
In-house developed
Renkei Engine™, allowing hundreds of players on the same server.
Complex character
simulation with several dozens of status effects (e.g., bleeding,
poisoning, radiation, etc.).
Extensive modding
capabilities, including real-time code editing.
To stay up to date with CryoFall’s latest
developments, please visit http://cryofall.com/.
About
Daedalic Entertainment
Daedalic Entertainment publishes and develops
high-quality games for all platforms. The company has a diverse line-up and
offers a variety of high-quality titles, from classic adventures to strategy
games, multiplayer games and RPGs. Since May 2014, Daedalic is part of the
Bastei Lübbe group of companies.
Based in Hamburg, Germany, Daedalic is one of
Europe’s most acclaimed publishers and developers. With a total of 32 awards in
the German Developers Award (including multiple accolades for “Studio of the
Year”) and 11 German Computer Game Awards for genre-defining games such as Deponia, Edna & Harvey, Silence, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun,
Ken Follett’s The Pillars of
the Earth, The
Long Journey Home, and
State
of Mind, Daedalic is record holder for the two most prestigious
games awards in Germany.
With more than 80 employees, Daedalic is
currently developing a new line-up of innovative games across consoles, PC and
mobile platforms.
About
AtomicTorch Studio
Founded in 2013, AtomicTorch Studio is an
independent game development company based in Singapore. Their goal is to
develop innovative, fun and accessible games that fuse gameplay and visuals
from classic old-school titles with modern technologies and novel ideas. CryoFall marks the third
and most ambitious game by the studio.
Award-Winning
Noir Puzzler Bear With Me to Receive New Episode,
Complete Collection on Console and PC
Bear With Me:
The Lost Robots to Arrive Alongside The Complete Collection on July 9th
Walnut Creek,
Calif. – April 2, 2019 – Indie publisher Modus Games and developer Exordium Games are excited to
announce Bear With Me: The Lost Robots, a new prologue to the
successful, award-winning Bear With Me series, is set to arrive on PlayStationÒ4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Steam July 9,
2019. The game will also see a mobile release this year.
View the Bear With Me: The Lost Robots announcement trailer here.
Point-and-click
adventure fans who previously missed Bear With Me’s episodic series will
also have a chance to pick up Bear With Me: The Complete Collection,
bundling episodes 1-4 for newcomers to the franchise, via console, PC and
mobile digital storefronts for $14.99. Bear With Me: The Complete Collection
will also contain, on Steam only, a digital artbook containing development
visuals and concepts, as well as the full original soundtrack for the series.
Bear With Me:
The Lost Robotsjoins
Flint, the brother whose mysterious disappearance is key to Bear With Me’s
central episodes, for a journey where he encounters new and memorable
characters and unveils locales distinct from the rest of the series. The events of Lost
Robots lead into the episodes 1-3 and will shed light on the series as a
whole. The new prequel episode will be available
for $4.99.
Bear With Me’s central installments see leading
detectives Amber and Ted E. Bear exchanging sharp banter while searching for
clues, solving environmental puzzles, and cross-examining potential suspects in
their investigation into Flint’s vanishing. The aspiring duo face more than
just a mystery and witty comebacks, however; rumors swirl about a mysterious
‘man in red’ responsible for an outbreak of recent fires, and Amber will face
surreal, grim dangers during her brave attempt to reunite with Flint.
About Exordium
Games
Exordium Games is a Croatian-based studio which has been championing original
independent games since its 2014 formation. For more information on the team’s
library of titles and releases to come, please visit the studio’s official site
(https://exordiumgames.com/).
About Modus
Games
Modus is a premier global publisher of video games across all major physical
and digital entertainment platforms. The label prides itself on collaborating
with talented developers around the world to bring innovative games to the
masses. For more information, please visit www.modusgames.com.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson shared some difficult news today, announcing major organizational changes at EA that will result in the loss of 350 jobs. Currently, EA employs approximately 9000 people in the company. Wilson did not provide details on which positions will be affected, but revealed organizational changes are coming to marketing, publishing, and operations. Wilson also announced EA will be downsizing their presence in Russia and Japan, including shuttering the EA Japan studio.
The news follows a difficult third quarter for EA, with big titles like Battlefield V and FIFA 19 failing to meet sales goals. While Apex Legends became a surprise hit since the release of the third quarter report, EA’s outlook for the fourth quarter were pessimistic at the time of the report’s publishing.
IGNITE THE REVOLUTION IN ASSASSIN’S CREED® III REMASTERED, AVAILABLE NOW
Relive the Beauty
and the Brutality of 18th– Century America
Sydney, Australia — April 1, 2019 —, Ubisoft has announced that Assassin’s Creed® III Remastered, including Assassin’s Creed® Liberation Remastered, is now available on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X, and Windows PC. Additionally, all solo DLCs from the original game will be included: Benedict Arnold Missions, Hidden Secrets and Tyranny of King Washington.
Developed by Ubisoft Barcelona, Assassin’s Creed® III Remastered features single-player content in 4K
and HDR on PlayStation®4 Pro, Xbox One X and Windows PC. The vision was to bring this
classic game to match the quality of the current Assassin’s Creed games by
taking advantage of newer technology. With increased model improvements and
Physically-Based Rendering (PBR), Assassin’s Creed III Remastered displays more
visually accurate images using real world light and material properties that
make the world feel more alive.
Experience the Assassin’s Creed universe on the eve of the American
Revolution and play as Connor, the warrior son of a Native American mother and
British father. As the bloody revolution draws near, your clan is threatened by
a powerful group seeking to crush the American Revolution and control the
thirteen colonies. After the devastation of your village, you pledge your life
to preserve freedom. Unleash your deadly skills in a decades-long quest that
will take you from the chaotic city streets to blood-soaked battlefields in the
hostile American wilderness and beyond. Explore colonial Boston, New York, the
frontier and various epic naval missions, meeting legendary American heroes as
you conspire to annihilate all those who threaten Liberty.
Assassin’s Creed III Remastered
includes Assassin’s Creed Liberation Remastered, which tells the unforgettable
journey that takes Aveline from the crowded streets of New Orleans to
voodoo-haunted swamps and ancient Mayan ruins. Assassin’s Creed III Remastered
will be available on the Nintendo Switch™ system starting May 21.
For
more information on Assassin’s Creed, please visit: assassinscreed.com.
For
the latest on Assassin’s Creed III Remastered and other Ubisoft games, visit news.ubisoft.com.
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 2017–18 fiscal year
Ubisoft generated sales of €1,732 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoft.com.
Metro Exodus publisher Deep Silver has disabled a good number of Steam keys that were stolen from a factory and sold by an unofficial key reseller.
The release of Metro Exodus on PC had a turbulent history. Initially, the game could be preordered on Steam and physical copies were also being sold with a Steam code inside. All of that came to a stop when Deep Silver announced that the game would only release on Epic Game Store. No more Steam preorders and no more Steam keys to get from authorized key resellers. If you managed to preorder a game or buy it from an official key reseller before the announcement, you were safe and your order would still be honored. And if you bought the game from any other place that Steam, Humble Store or Razer Store, you might have a bad surprise waiting for you upon starting a Steam client and not seeing Metro Exodus in your library.
Deep Silver notified everyone in a Steam post on Thursday:
These keys have been obtained illegally from the factory where physical key printing had taken place prior to the announcement of exclusivity with Epic Games, due to the criminal nature of these keys, all unlicensed keys have been deactivated and activation/download of Metro Exodus without the executable file is no longer possible,” it said.
“In addition, the software will be removed from the Steam library of any players using an unauthorized code. The keys being sold on this platform are stolen goods and are therefore illegal.
“If you have been affected we strongly recommend you contact the seller who sold you the unlicensed key and demand a refund.” The only supported key sellers for Metro Exodus were Humble Bundle and the Razer store, Deep Silver said.
“We were not aware that [the stolen keys] had gotten into the wrong hands,” it added. “The binaries were disabled on these keys from the beginning, the community brought it to our attention that the games they had from the reseller were not updating. After an investigation, we have become aware that they were stolen.”
What’s that saying? “If something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t’. Or in this case, if you find a shady store selling games/keys for half of the price compared to everywhere else, you should think twice before buying anything.
Among the well known Japanese developers there are a few lesser known companies that are willing to take risks with unique ideas and few take as many chances as Nippon Ichi Software. While they have their mainstay franchise the developer has been experimenting with a number of fun takes on different genre over the years and now with The Princess Guide offering a unique take on a hack and slasher with a dash of RPG mechanics, is the game worth your time?
Story
After fighting countless battles and coming out as a heroic warrior capable of winning almost any battle, players step into the shoes of a retired soldier who can be named and customized as either a male or female with a handful of different personality traits that slightly alter dialogue from time to time. Through their exploits the warrior has managed to become known far and wide both on the battlefield for their skills but also from their knowledge as numerous books and articles have been written before the plot begins about the player’s capabilities as a soldier. As such when four different princesses put in a request asking to be trained by this soldier, it is up to the player on who they want to train.
The four princesses players have to choose from are not only extremely lively and unique feeling from one another but also have a different feeling to them. From the way they address the player character, such as Hero, Boss, or simply Teach their personalities really shine through thanks to the localization efforts from the team. The four girls happen to be the dragon priestess Alpana who is rather demure and is highly religious, the ever hungry and energetic Liliaretie that manages her own personal king’s guard, a child prodigy named Veronica whose magical powers have catapulted her to the top of her guild and left her with a cocky attitude, and Monomaria who has fallen into mercenary work to survive her family’s fall from grace.
Now it is worth noting that while you may start training only one princess players will still eventually be able to work with them all throughout the game before putting more of their focus into finishing off the game’s storyline with a specific princess. This means that players will still be able to see a bit of what each girl has to offer and their personality before delving deeper into a certain storyline which is a nice touch. That being said, some storylines do play out in a more entertaining fashion than others though this can come down to personal preference depending on who you end up taking a shining to the most, though even the lesser stories still hold up rather well thanks to some strong writing for these girls.
Gameplay
After selecting which one of the four princesses players will want to start with they will find themselves placed in an overworld where they can command either their own hero, the princess, or hired commanders, to move around the map. The world map will feature a number of little nodes as well as enemy units that move around the map but for the most part moving between these nodes is a simple affair with some containing treasure chests and others starting either main missions, side missions, or simply dropping the current unit into a fight for grinding purposes.
Once an enemy is encountered that commander will enter the battle alongside a small collection of soldiers that accompany them in every mission. These fights will take up the majority of your time in the game as players must travel through a dungeon area and defeat foes along the way to reach the end or simply survive against waves of foes by using hack and slash combat techniques. Every princess plays in a different manner with their special abilities while other units mostly fall into standard hack and slash style with certain skills being derived from the current weapon they have equipped.
Fighting against the waves of enemies in The Princess Guide can be both fun and frustrating at the same time depending on the layout of a stage and the enemies you happen to be facing off against. Players have no ability to actually block incoming attacks and depending on how many enemy types spawn at a time and the layout of the map, a quick loss can be ensured no matter how prepared you might be. This is partially due to the fact that healing units in this game is fairly limited when not controlling the princess as you must either take possession of limited mana tower relics scattered throughout the area and receive healing from them or acquire a high enough dominance level for that stage that you can initiate a “triage” strategy. Relics generally can be used as traps that can be triggered to deal damage to enemies while strategies provide various boosts to the commander’s soldiers though you will want to be prepared beforehand as enacting a strategy requires an annoying number of button inputs if done in the middle of a fight. Unfortunately even the fun aspect does begin to fall by the wayside after you’ve spent enough time grinding that the combat begins to feel a bit monotonous but more on that in a bit.
With the princess players will at least have one additional maneuver to fall back on and that is the “Direct Guidance” mechanic. Players can use this mechanic three times every stage to either praise or scold the princess and provide a number of buffs to her. This generally can be used to restore her health or give a boost to various stats and it can really help turn the tides of a losing battle, especially since you can even guide the princess from the clutches of defeat and potentially revive her. This guidance also comes into play with Materia that will be used to actually power up the princess’ various stats. By defeating specific enemies, claiming relics, simply winning battles, or being praised and scolded enough times various Knowledge Materia can be earned and then applied to the girl back at base. These various boosts do help strengthen the character and even unlock additional skill points that can be used to power up the teacher commander as well, though you will need to do some needless digging to actually find out how to properly boost their stats.
Properly boosting both the teacher and the princess’ abilities is essential to properly beating the game as there will need to be some grinding involved to complete some later battles in the game. Unfortunately these difficulty spikes often feel like they arose more of the game’s design choices rather than being unprepared for a fight so it usually ends up falling down to making sure you can and power through these spikes more than anything else.
Visuals & Audio
If there is one thing that The Princess Guide happens to excel at is being very colorful and featuring some nicely drawn character portraits even if they do animate like someone put them on fast forward. Every one of the four princesses’ unique personalities shines through in their design and even the chibi designs of the characters when they enter battle are nicely handled. That being said, players will notice that the text formatting in the dialogue segments can be rather rough at times with only a few words taking up an entire line, not something that is truly a problem but an odd choice.
With the release of this game NIS America has only provided the original Japanese voice track which works well enough as the characters are all handled well enough here with the soundtrack featuring a nice mix of music that fits for both battle and the many dialogue scenes throughout the game with special attention being given to each of the girls’ main themes.
Overall
The Princess Guide is an interesting little game that has quite a lot of charm to it. Almost every one of the four princesses that you can teach in the game are great in their own ways and the odd style of combat makes the game great for short bursts of play if you happen to be taking the Switch on the go. That being said, the amount of grinding you will need to do to overcome certain design choices and some frustrating menu designs drag down the experience.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
For many years fans of the Sakura Wars series were wondering whether or not Sega would ever revisit the series since, other than appearing in crossover games, the franchise has been left dormant for over ten years. Well now we know that not only is the series continuing with Project Sakura Wars but it is also already confirmed for western release. Sega has announced that the “dramatic 3D action adventure” will be released in the winter in Japan and in North America and Europe in spring 2020.
Project Sakura Wars will be set in a romanticized version of 1940s Imperial Tokyo. 10 years ago, a cataclysm resulted in the devastating loss of the Imperial Combat Revue of Tokyo, the capital’s global defense force operating out of the Imperial Theater. The theater has since fallen on hard times and risks closure. As captain of the new Tokyo revue, it’s up to you to mend the hearts of your troops and restore the Imperial Theater back to its former glory.
Sega has announced plans to release the Sega Genesis Mini / Mega Drive Mini worldwide on September 19th where it will be launching with a total of forty games priced at $79.99. The full details about what games will be included when the Sega Genesis Mini will be released have not been released at this time but Sega has stated that the first ten games will be Sonic the Hedgehog, Ecco the Dolphin, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Space Harrier II, Shining Force, Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, ToeJam & Earl, Comix Zone, Altered Beast, and Gunstar Heroes.
It will also come with two replica three-button USB Genesis controllers, One USB to Micro-B power cable, One power adapter (North America only), and One HDMI cable. The mini’s design is based around the Model 1 Genesis that released in October 1988 in Japan and August 1989 in North America.
