Previously announced for release this summer on the PlayStation 4 SNK has elaborated on their plans for Samurai Shodown. Not only will the game be arriving on the PlayStation 4 but it will also be coming to the Xbox One in June and those who want to play on Switch will be getting it sometime in Q4 2019 with PC players getting the game at an undetermined date. The title will feature sixteen different fighters with thirteen of them being returning characters and three brand new fighters being added to the roster though some additional characters will be released as DLC after the game is released.
Samurai Shodown now will be designed with Unreal Engine 4 and is being described as a reboot to the series. It will feature a number of key fighting mechanics such as the Rage Gauge, Rage Explosion, and Sword Clash as well as some new techniques including a powerful “Super Special Move” that will be unique to each character.
This one deserves a reward for most misleading game title ever. I’ll have you know that I died more than twice. Take that number two and, two more zeroes to it and my total death count was just a bit over it. All joking aside, one of the most anticipated games of the year is finally here. Wasn’t a hard task since we’re only in March but oh well. What we all want to know is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice just a feudal Japan reskin of Dark Souls series or is there a lot more to it.? The answer awaaaaaits….(omnious horror music)…..down below.
Story
You are Sekiro, faithful bodyguard of a Divine Heir Kuro in a conflict-torn Sengoku era Japan. Kuro possesses a gift of immortality, which is why many of the clans are after him, notably the Isshin Ashina clan. After the (failed) battle with Isshin’s grandson Genichiro, you are short of one arm and one divine person that you were supposed to protect. Fitted with a new prosthetic arm and a katana, we are on our way to save Kuro, kill some demons and severely decimate samurai population of Japan while at it.
Gameplay
While the game lacks in areas of character customization, it sure makes up for it with an extensive combat system. Sorry, no “fashion souls” this time. However, the unique & challenging approach to battles is what separates this game from the rest. Remember how in Dark Souls games you could roll out of the way of enemies, parry and block? Well, Sekiro is all that cranked up to eleven. The most obvious way to defeat enemies is to be patient and wait for an opening in their attacks but what if they’re blocking a bit much than you want them to? Have no worries, because constant attacking while they block fills up their posture bar and once it is broken….it is time for a shinobi deathblow aka one hit kill. Persistence pays off. Of course, the same can happen to you so don’t go holding that block button too much. You can also break their posture by jumping over their sweep attacks (and then on them) or apply the Mikiri counter to their attacks. A special icon will flash when the enemy is doing their charge attack and then you can either move out of the way or intercept their attack with precise timing of a Mikiri counter. This deals enormous damage to their posture and it is the ultimate test of your skill. Thankfully, controls in Sekiro are incredibly responsive so during my deaths I only had myself to blame and never the game (I did blame enemies often, though). While it is never specifically stated at any point of the game, exploration is the key. Killing mini-bosses and searching through every nook and cranny will reward you with precious gourd seeds and prayer beads. The first is for increasing the use of your healing gourd (Sekiro’s version of estus flask) while gathering four prayer beads will give you the option to permanently increase vitality. After every major boss fight, you also get a battle memory fragment which is used to permanently increase your attack power by one. That prosthetic hand I mentioned above can mean a whole lot in certain boss fights. Somewhat early in the game, you come across a boss called Chained Ogre. Despite its size, he is pretty fast with his kicks and grabs. Not to mention the immense damage it does to you if you’re caught in his hands. I died around 30 times before deciding to revisit him after I obtained the Flame Vent attachment for my prosthetic arm. And what do you know, ogres are not fond of fire. Bathing him in fire allowed me to stun him just enough for a couple of free hits. Rinse and repeat and the boss was down. While all bosses can be defeated with skillful use of parrying/blocking and countering, some fights are easier with a right prosthetic tool equipped.
Visuals
Exploring all these interconnected areas in Sekuro is anything but an exhausting task. Mostly thanks to impressive visuals and area design. Later on, you gain access to certain abilities (like diving underwater) that allows entry to more hidden areas and items. One tool that will be your right hand (and an actual right hand, albeit a prosthetic one) is a grappling hook which makes traversing the rooftops and zipping from one tree branch to next incredibly fun. Locations are pretty diverse and you never get the feeling of copy-paste laziness despite so many locations.
Audio
The sound in Sekiro is your faithful ally if you’re going for a stealth approach. Yo have to pay close attention to footsteps of enemies while you’re hidden somewhere in not so tall grass on hanging by the edge of the cliff. You can also eavesdrop on specific enemies if you’re at the right distance. Listening to them can reveal some hints on new areas or prosthetic upgrades. But most importantly, the main purpose of the audio in Sekiro is to get your adrenaline pumping during boss fights. Certain tracks are so good that I wish I could revisit those moments later, but if that also means going through some bosses again (I’m looking at you, Lady Butterfly), then I’m good as it is. Maybe for a second playthrough with all my skills and items kept.
Overall
All in all, Sekiro is a strange release. In this age of microtransactions, loot boxes, shoehorned multiplayer/co-op and multiple season passes – we have this. A strict singleplayer game with all of the content on day one. That alone is praiseworthy. With that said, Sekiro is not without any flaws. While I enjoyed the story and level design to a great extent, the story progression is something that shouldn’t be so vague. Handholding in games is not my thing but some hints should be a bit more elaborate than “go to the back of the castle near that tree by the lake”. If you found Dark Souls series challenging as much as engaging, then Sekiro might be your cup of tea.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
After keeping fans waiting Atlus has revealed that they are indeed working on an RPG called Persona 5: The Royal. Other than a short teaser focusing on a brand new female character stating that she doesn’t like the Phantom Thieves’ methods and believes people should help themselves, very little information about what the game actually is has been revealed.
Whether it is an entirely new game or perhaps a “Golden” version similar to what Persona 4 was given is unknown though Atlus did reveal that more information will be coming on April 24th during a concert. For now you can check out the teaser below.
After going quiet for a bit it seems that fans of the Corpse Party series won’t have to wait much longer for the next odd game to come out for the franchise. Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash will be released on April 10th from XSEED Games for Western audiences across a slew of PC storefronts where it will be priced at $19.99 with a 10% discount for one week after launch.
For those unaware of this game, Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash is an odd version of the game that takes place during Sachiko Shinozaki’s seventh birthday party. Of course since this murdered girl is now a bloodthirsty and vengeful spirit she has been turning seven for many years but this time she has decided to give all of her victims 24 hours of amnesty from their suffering so that they can hold a birthday party filled with games and even romance.
With eight main chapters featuring different activities player choice and action will affect how the game’s 28 different endings will be obtained and considering surviving to the end requires making Sachiko happy, trying to survive to the end with the fewest casualties might just be the best ending possible. Check out a trailer and a number of screenshots for the game below.
Those who may be on the fence about Spike Chunsoft’s upcoming game Zanki Zero: Last Beginning will soon have a chance to try out a bit of the game before it is released. A demo for the game will be released on the PlayStation Store tomorrow on March 26th and those who happen to play the demo will be awarded a bonus in-game item when the full game is released. It is worth noting that the company did not state what this item might be but considering the focus of the game is on survival, it will likely help players establish themselves at the start.
The full game is set to be released on both the PlayStation 4 as well as PC on April 9th where it will be available digitally on both platforms and also at retail for the PlayStation 4 version of the game.
It has been announced that Spike Chunsoft will be bringing FuRyu’s action RPG Crystar over to North America and Europe on August 27th where it will be released for the PlayStation 4 and PC with all versions of the game included a “Summer Collection Costume” set and a special retail day one edition that offers a small art book. The publisher has also stated that the game will feature both Japanese and English voice work when released.
In Crystar a girl named Rei and Mirai, her little sister, are dragged into the afterworld of Purgatory. To save her sister, Rei signs a contract with the Demons of Purgatory to fight the monsters infesting their world. Rei and her fellow Executors must face their pasts and confront their tears to overcome the Torments and monsters ahead of them. Will Rei save her sister’s Soul before it’s too late?
With popular actor Pierre Taki recently being arrested for allegedly using cocaine and Sega then halting all sales of Judgement, where he provides the character model and voice of character Kyohei Hamura, both at retail and digitally the fate of the game in the West had been in limbo, with all images and trailers featuring Kyohei Hamura having been removed from Sega‘s official pages.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the character model and Japanese voice for the character of Kyohei Hamura will be adjusted for the Western release of Judgment, launching on June 25, 2019.
Well fans have no need to worry any longer as Sega has announced over Twitter that while the character will still be adjusted for release in the West, the game will still be released on June 25th for the PlayStation 4 in North America and Europe.
Spike Chunsoft has announced that they will be releasing AI: The Sominum Files in the West on July 25th where it will be available for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC with a standard edition of the game being available for all three platforms and a $89.99 “Special Agent Edition” that will be exclusive to North America offering the game, a six inch tall A-set acrylic stand, a collector’s box, a soundtrack called REVERIES IN THE RaIN, three vinyl stickers of A-set’s logos, and a thirty page art book.
AI: The Sominum Files is set in a near future Tokyo where Kaname Date is tracking down a mysterious serial killer. Date must investigate crime scenes as well as dreams on the hunt for clues. The first trailer for the game has also been released and you can check it out below.
For many years Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines has been retouched on PC by its fanbase and now it looks like a sequel is finally in the works. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has been announced to be in development from Hardsuit Labs with Paradox Interactive handling the publishing with the company aiming to have the game released in Q1 2020 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It has already been announced that a “Season of the Wolf” season pass will be offered for the game where it will be included in a $89.99 “Blood Moon Edition” of the game alongside the standard version.
Players will take control of a freshly made vampire that was created in an act of vampire insurrection, your existence ignites a blood war among the vampire factions who run Seattle. To survive, you’ll choose a clan and enter into uneasy alliances with the competing factions in a world which will react to every choice you make. Unleash your supernatural powers against your prey, but be mindful of your surroundings at all times or run the risk of breaking the Masquerade, the absolute law of secrecy that keeps Vampire society hidden from humanity.
After a rough road Clementine’s journey will possibly be coming to an end next week when the last episode of The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series – The Final Season is set to be released. After years of fighting to survive, Clementine is now leader of a community of lost children, and they’re depending on her to get them home safe. In the aftermath of an explosive mission, fire, chaos, the living and the dead all stand in her way. Can Clementine be the savior they need? Her story comes to a dramatic and heart-wrenching climax in this final episode.
