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January 23, 2017

I AM SETSUNA to arrive On Nintendo Switch from 3rd March

LONDON (23^rd January 2017) – Square Enix Ltd., today announced that fans of classic JRPG gameplay can now experience the unforgettable story of I AM SETSUNA® on the Nintendo Switch^TMon 3rd March 2017.

I AM SETSUNA will be available as a digital launch title for the platform, allowing fans both new and old to experience the game’s emotional and heart rendering story like never before with the addition of new features including ‘The Temporal Battle Arena’. In The Temporal Battle Arena, which will be available as free DLC exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, players can upload and download data to enjoy thrilling battles against other players’ parties.

The game follows the story of Setsuna, a young woman of incredible power and inner strength, on her journey of sacrifice to save the people of her land. With simple turn based controls and unique gameplay mechanisms; I AM SETSUNA merges the beloved nostalgic elements from the golden era of JRPGs with today’s technology. The debut title from the all-new SQUARE ENIX studio, Tokyo RPG Factory, delivers an emotional story of bravery and sacrifice, along with beautiful art design and masterful character development.

I AM SETSUNA is available digitally on PlayStation®4 and Steam now, and will be available for the Nintendo Switch on 3^rd March 2017. For more information on I AM SETSUNA, visit: www.iamsetsuna.com

Related Links:
STEAM Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/441830
PlayStation Network: http://bit.ly/29VjbJU
Official Website: www.iamsetsuna.com
Tokyo RPG Factory Homepage: http://www.tokyorpgfactory.com

About Tokyo RPG Factory
Established in August 2014, Tokyo RPG Factory is a new studio within Square Enix specializing in Japanese RPGs. The studio revisits the ethos and practices used to develop for the 16-bit era and aims to re-introduce the classic JRPG style to current hardware, mixing the spirit of the past with technologies of today. Taking inspiration from the golden era of JRPGs and their storytelling, innovation and depth – the first title from the studio, I AM SETSUNA, is available now in Europe and North America.

About Square Enix Ltd.
Square Enix Ltd. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX®, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix group of companies. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as IO Interactive™, Crystal Dynamics®, and Eidos Montréal. The Square Enix group of companies boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 115 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 68 million units worldwide; TOMB RAIDER®, which has sold over 46 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.

More information on Square Enix Ltd. can be found at http://eu.square-enix.com/en

I AM SETSUNA, the I AM SETSUNA logo, CRYSTAL DYNAMICS, DRAGON QUEST, EIDOS, EIDOS MONTREAL, FINAL FANTASY, IO INTERACTIVE, SPACE INVADERS, SQUARE ENIX, the SQUARE ENIX logo, TAITO, TOKYO RPG FACTORY, the TOKYO RPG FACTORY logo, and TOMB RAIDER are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Square Enix group of companies. Steam is a registered trademark of Valve Corporation. Nintendo Switch and Joy-Con are trademarks of Nintendo All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

Mutiny!! Revealed as Lupiesoft’s Next Eroge

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January 23, 2017

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Lupiesoft has revealed that they have a brand new eroge on the way and this one happens to take place in a realm filled with airships and monster girls. Titled Mutiny!!, the indie visual novel will feature numerous sex scenes and focus on various fetishes during the aforementioned erotic scenes that take place in the sky.

The developer has revealed details about the game’s storyline, which is set to be released on PC sometime in spring 2017, as well as a brief introduction to many of the characters that will be in the game, at least a few of which are likely futanari characters, and you can check both of those out on the official website as well as the character details below:

Captain Grace Barnet
The newly-minted captain of the Mutiny!! She is coquettish, sultry, smart. Because of her faint expressions, It’s hard to say whether you’re being teased or not when she speaks to you. As a harlot she was tricked by the previous captain into taking ownership of a boat and all the debt on it.

Creditor Jackie
She’s a tough woman, with far too much paperwork, and a whole lot of unspent wanderlust. Every story about how she lost her limbs seems more fantastical than the last! She probably made up a few of them for the fun of it. She’ll be happy just as soon as someone pays off the “Mutiny!!” bloody debt.

Foo
Endlessly cheerful, bouncy, and helpful. She does not like mean people, and has a complex about bullies. Foo is truly woman’s best friend. She sees the best in people even if she’s being taken advantage of. Care of Foo involves donuts and giving her liberal amounts of attention.

Nemui
She insists she is not a part of the crew and most of the crew are happy to treat her that way too. She is a passenger who started off as a stowaway before reaching an unknown agreement with the previous captain for passage. Despite her rather lethargic nature, Nemui is a formidable fighter.

Lirdynrae
Spiders are meant to be monsters, creating webs to trap their prey before sinking in their fangs! Lirdynrae would seem to be the exception to this rule. Demure and softly spoken, but protective to a fault when it comes to her fairy friend. She likes to be useful with her silk, and hates the idea that she might scare people.

Lara
The crew’s best pair of eyes, along with being a punky fairy with a fast mouth and a lewd mind. Stars only know how long she’s been friends with Lirdynrae, but she’s certainly confident. Okay, maybe she’s a little bit… self-conscious in regards to her tiny (albeit adorable) frame.

Grozdana Kakra
I-it’s not like she enjoys being here! She’s too proud for her own good, and recently became the deposed princess of a sphinx-girl nation. Despite having been born with a golden spoon in her mouth, she can see and feel more than she lets on… but it’s not as though she still doesn’t act like a brat…

Alcina
The muscle of the ship, Alcina can often be found curled up in a corner with a book in hand and with no motivation to do anything except reading and working out. Otherwise, she’s a warm and friendly crew member… unless you ruin her precious book collection, in which case she’ll ruin you.

Bree
No one is quite as timid a would-be treasure hunter and former pirate as Bree. She’s as likely to faint as she is to complete the task set before her. But give Bree a chance and she’ll lift your spirits and calm your heart. And maybe give you a few panic attacks in the process.

Elizabeth Margaret
The moth-er of the ship. Cook, maid, and probably other miscellaneous things, she seems to take it upon herself to keep the ship liveable. While generally a kind and patient person, she sometimes seems to get a bit irritated with the more lackadaisical members of the crew.

xXx: Return of Xander Cage Review

Mateja Simovic

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January 23, 2017

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xXx: Return of Xander Cage

Studios: One Race Films, Revolution Studios, Roth Kirschenbaum Films
Publisher: Paramount Pictures
Platforms: Cinema
Release Date: 19th of January, 2017 – Tickets Available Here

Overview

It has been almost 15 years since the first xXx film and 12 since its sequel, xXx: State of the Union. In 2017 we finally have a third instalment in this franchise, xXx: Return of Xander Cage bring back from the dead the original film’s protagonist, the eponymous Xander Cage. My first impressions of the film (and its release in January) gave me the impression that it would be an ultimately forgettable action flick in a franchise which isn’t exactly known for its staying power. Did this film meet or exceed my expectations? Read on, dear reader, read on…

Story

The film picks up with a reintroduction of the head of the NSA-led XXX program, Augustus Gibbons (Samuel Jackson), who is almost immediately killed by a falling satellite. His death prompts his successor, Jane Marke (Toni Collette) to investigate the a mysterious device known as a Pandora’s Box which can use satellites as weapons to crash down upon a target. As she presents her evidence to high level intelligence officials, the meeting is disrupted by unknown agents led by Xiang (Donnie Yen), Serena (Deepika Padukone), Talon (Tony Jaa) and Hawk (Michael Bisping). This prompts the CIA to locate and re-activate Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) who begins to track down these enigmatic individuals by assembling his own team of eccentric and talented individuals.

Let me get this out of the way by stating that the story is pretty much completely nonsensical and at times downright stupid. It pays lip service to wider ideas about civil liberties, nationalism, and the growing surveillance state, but it doesn’t really approach it in any nuanced or interesting perspective. The story largely focuses on Cage attempting to obtain the plot McGuffin from the villain who, for a number of reasons, changes a number of times. The constantly changing antagonists do give the film a somewhat inconsistent pace but at least it’s able to continue picking up and maintaining the tension for narrative arcs.

Although this story is completely ridiculous, the film at least bears some semblance of self-awareness and revels in its outlandishness. There is pretty much nothing subtle in this movie, whatsoever. The protagonist engages in a deadly game of grenade hot potato with not just one grenade but two. They also don’t just seduce one femme fatale but a whole harem in one scene. And lets not forget the action movie one-liners which come at you hard and fast fairly consistently throughout the film. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously and it shows with its lighter tone and jovial approach to the story which, were it made a couple of years earlier, would no doubt have been made to fit a grimmer tone. My companion for the screening did not believe that it went far enough at all but for me, the film hit the right notes to scratch my action movie schlock itch.

Vin Diesel’s performance was… Vin Diesel’s and I believe it’s safe to say that he has a very narrow range as an over-the-top action movie hero but comfortably sticks to it without trying to convolute his character with any extra depth. The performances from the supporting cast are noticeably better with everyone pretty much taking on one-dimensional persona and taking the one personality gimmick they’re given and milking it for all its worth.

Diesel’s influence as a producer is pretty obvious here as you can pretty much match up each character with a D&D/pen and paper RPG archetype. This film pretty much looks and feels like someone’s write up of a Shadowrun game. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing except that it means that no one character gets too much screen time devoted to their persona, while I would have liked to learn more about them. Kudos should be given to Ruby Rose, Rory McCann, Kris Wu, and Padukone for bringing their own charm to the characters. I liked them enough that I wished I saw more of them and they improved my enjoyment of the film.

Visuals & Audio

Besides one example which stood out to me in the very first extended action sequence, the visual direction in this film is extremely competent. There’s a good sense of pace, space, and impact with each hit actually feeling like a blow. Scenes with Donnie Yen feature some really awesome Wing Chun fighting and it’s really quite awesome to see. There are also a number of scenes with interesting gimmicks for the heroes to traverse as well as create interesting visuals such as a fighting inside a plane with Zero-G or dirt biking across water.

One thing which I found to be a big egregious throughout the film was the way the director indulged the male gaze. Pretty much every female character throughout the film, except for the obviously queer woman played by Rose, is ogled by the camera. We are treated repeatedly to close-ups of various parts of the female anatomy which, as in keeping with the rest of the film, were not in any way subtle. I understand that this is part of the film’s aesthetic and tone of aiming for indulging masculine teenage power fantasies, but by golly, it was certainly egregious in this film and so I recommend you keep this in mind when you’re deciding whether to view it or not.

The soundtrack isn’t anything particularly inspired by my books. There’s a combination of thrash metal and hard-pumping electronica which plays during the action and chase sequences to keep things lively. Most of it simply fades into the background though with nothing in particular standing out in either a good or bad way.

Overall

I, overall, very much enjoyed this film in a very visceral and basic way. The story was hogwash with little to speak to its virtues except for some drastically undervalued side characters who honestly deserved more screen time than the protagonist. The action is very competently directed but with a largely uninspired score which largely works to keep pace with the action. The film does indulge a bit too much into adolescent male pandering with how it visually portrays women but it should earn kudos for at least giving the “bombshell babes” an interesting role to play besides being simply eye candy. It’s got its shortcomings, but if you’re lucky enough to be able to look past them, then you’ll probably get a kick out of watching this rather good action film.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Da Capo III R X-Rated and All Ages Version Released in English

Travis Bruno

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January 23, 2017

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Da Capo III R X-Rated and All Ages Version Released in English

Over the years MangaGamer has been releasing Circus’ Da Capo series to English speaking audiences and now the final entry has been made available. The company has recently released Da Capo III R on PC where both an X-Rated and All-Ages version of the game are available depending on what you are looking for.

Da Capo III R X-Rated through MangaGamer’s online store is currently on a discounted sale of $38.20 but will return to its normal price of $44.95 one week after release and as for the all-ages version, it can be purchased on Steam for $33.99 at the moment before returning to $39.99 on January 27th.

Da Capo III R offers over 80 hours of different scenes with the wide array of characters, ranging from happy moments spending time together to sentimental moments longing for each other and even darker, more ominous moments as you work together to overcome a hurdle and better each other

Yandere Simulator Dev Still Unable to Learn Why His Game is Banned from Twitch

Jamie Laike Tsui

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January 23, 2017

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Yandere Simulator Dev Still Unable to Learn Why His Game is Banned from Twitch

Yandere Simulator has grown steadily from a quirky video game pitch on 4chan to a full blown stealth/school simulator in the last three years. Last January, the game landed itself on Twitch’s banned games list. The developer of the game has encountered great difficulty in trying to figure out why his game was banned. As outlined in a video he posted on YouTube over the weekend, the Yandere Dev has attempted to reach out to Twitch via support tickets and emails without response. He has even gone so far as to contact Twitch employees on Twitter who have offered to try to help Yandere Dev out. So far, Yandere Dev has had no luck in figuring out why the game was banned and if there is anything he can do to address Twitch’s concerns. In the video, Yandere Dev points out that there is a precedent for wrongly banned games to have their bans reversed and that there are plenty of games out there with higher levels of violence and nudity that can be streamed on the service. He pointed out big games like South Park: The Stick of Truth and Grand Theft Auto V as games that are allowed to be streamed, but contain just as much objectionable content as Yandere Simulator.

Yandere Dev makes an excellent argument about why people should care that Yandere Simulator was banned and that no one at Twitch is saying why. The fact that some may find Yandere Simulator’s content objectionable or not is not the point. If Twitch can ban Yandere Simulator without giving the developer an explanation when asked, the same can happen to any indie developer without a big publisher behind them. The developer then has no way to know how to address Twitch’s concerns and make adjustments if the developer wishes. As a private company, Twitch is within their rights to ban any game for any reason. As a company that depends on video game developers allowing their games to be streamed on Twitch, developers also have the right to demand to know why their games are banned from streams.

In his quest to find out why Yandere Simulator was banned, Yandere Dev is asking the public to not email Twitch on his behalf. He is hoping to avoid all out hostilities with Twitch. Instead, he is imploring viewers and other video game developers spread the word by sharing his video in hopes that someone at Twitch will finally take on his case.

Dragon Ball Super Teaser Reveals Crazy New Characters

Nathan Farrugia

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January 23, 2017

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The world of Dragon Ball just got a whole lot bigger and a whole lot crazier. The upcoming Universe Survival arc, that has each of the 12 universes pitted against each other with the loser having their universe destroyed, begins on the fifth of February and Toei wants you to know about it. At the end of episode 75, the Japanese animation giant dropped a fifteen second preview of the new opening animation that will begin airing in tandem with the new arc. In that fifteen second clip we got over 15 new character designs some of which are very unique for the Dragon Ball Universe and one that seems very familiar.

The preview starts out with some familiar characters, Cabba and Frost from the Universe 6 vs. Universe 7 arc and then it get’s weird. A female saiyan with clear design inspirations from the Legendary Super Saiyan movie villain Broly shows up and transforms into the unique green haired Legendary Super Saiyan form, looking near identical to Broly as she does it. Not only is this the first female to achieve Super Saiyan in the series main canon, but to have a design inspired by a movie villain is also unprecedented for the series. It will be really interesting if the characters comment on the new female and Broly’s similar appearance as it has always been made clear the movies are in their own side continuity.

If that wasn’t crazy enough we then got a clear look at over half of the new Gods of Destruction that represent each universe as well as their angel carers and counterpart Supreme Kai’s. We start off with this fuzzball on the right who has a chubby angel counterpart and rather standard looking Supreme Kai accompanying them.

Then we move on to some more epic designs. This God of Destruction seems to be heavily based on the look of an Egyptian pharoah and could be a male or female, it’s hard to tell from the screenshot. Likewise he is accompanied by a Legolas-looking angel and a more portly Supreme Kai. To the left of them is a God of Destruction that seems to be a fusion of Android 16 and Magetta. Unfortunately his godly counterparts are too distant to be seen clearly.

Now there’s a familiar face. Gowasu from the Future Trunks arc makes a return alongside his own very young angel and pink elephant God of Destruction. To their right is another God of Destruction who looks a little like Beerus but seems more inspired by wildcats such as the Linx or Cheetah. That God’s angel wearing the brown robes seems to be the one that was leaked in V-Jump magazine recently alongside another design for a God of Destruction that resembled an orc. It is confirmed those two designs were done by Akira Toriyama but it is unconfirmed if the rest of these new characters were also handled by the creator.

And then it got really weird. A clown and a girl whose clearly been playing too much Arkham Asylum. Apart from being creepy just because it’s a clown that is one scary design, especially as it’s so realistic in comparison to the specialised look of Goku and company. The Supreme Kai seems like nothing special but that hooded figure is very mysterious as it is the only platform to have a fourth character standing on it.

The preview closes out with shots of Goku fighting a humanoid wolf wearing a scarf and Vegeta fighting some kind of teletubby that definetly looks like it came from the same Universe as the clown God of Destruction.

Please let us know what you think of all this crazy new information in the comments below. As a long time follower and huge fan of Dragon Ball I’ve got to say I am completely stumped by this footage but that is a great thing for a series as old as this. Bring on the next arc in two weeks time!

Madman Announces the Details of Aqours’ ‘Love Live’ Event “Step! Zero to One”

K. Roberts

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January 23, 2017

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Madman Announces the Details of Aqours’ ‘Love Live’ Event “Step! Zero to One”

Madman Entertainment announced the details of the upcoming live event “Aqours’ First Love Live! ~Step! Zero to One~” on Friday night. The event will be held on February 25 and 26 at Yokohama Arena in Japan. Aqours fans in Australia will have the opportunity to watch the concert live via satellite. This event will be held exclusively at Event Cinemas George Street in Sydney.

Ticket sales will occur directly via the website of Event Cinemas. The event will begin at 7:30pm on Saturday, the 25th of February, 2017, and will continue the next day at 6pm. Madman recommends that fans arrive early so they can be seated ahead of the scheduled start time. There will also be a limited selection of concert goods available for sale before the live screening on both days, providing an extra incentive for fans to arrive early.

New Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands Video Shows off Single Player Gameplay

Jamie Laike Tsui

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January 23, 2017

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New Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands Video Shows off Single Player Gameplay

Ubisoft released a new video for their upcoming third person shooter Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands. The lengthy 20 minute walkthrough follows an Ubisoft developer as they play through a mission alone in singleplayer. When playing alone, the three other Ghosts are controlled by AI and can be given commands to coordinate movement or attack all at once as a group.

The walkthrough starts with the Ghosts fighting their way out of a church after capturing their objective. For the next mission, the developer opts for a stealthier approach by sneaking into a cartel camp to capture an important target. The Ghosts will need to disable a jammer so they can use their drones to mark targets and figure out the best approach to complete their mission. On the way, the Ghosts encounter a cartel manager and are able to extract valuable intel from him, revealing the location of supplies on the map.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands launches for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on March 7, 2017.

https://youtu.be/pZBgepf-X_c

BEGIN THE YEAR BY SAVING THE WORLD IN DRAGON QUEST VIII: JOURNEY OF THE CURSED KING, OUT NOW FOR NINTENDO 3DS FAMILY SYSTEMS

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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January 23, 2017

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BEGIN THE YEAR BY SAVING THE WORLD IN DRAGON QUEST VIII: JOURNEY OF THE CURSED KING, OUT NOW FOR NINTENDO 3DS FAMILY SYSTEMS

Recruit two new playable characters, enjoy new story content and side-quests, and send your favourite mementos of your travels to friends via StreetPass

23^rd January 2017 – Celebrate the beginning of a new year with a great adventure in DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, out now for Nintendo 3DS family systems. In this handheld retelling of the DRAGON QUEST title that introduced the series to Australia and New Zealand, adventurers can see away the summer with a grander and greater tale filled with new story content, side-quests, and the ability to recruit two new characters, all playable wherever heroes venture. Get a taste of the epic adventure that awaits with the DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King launch trailer, now available to watch on YouTube.

When the evil Jester Dhoulmagus comes to Castle Trodain and steals King Trode’s sceptre, he carves a trail of chaos in his wake, beginning by turning his majesty into a troll, Princess Medea into a horse, and the residents of the castle into plants. Only one castle guard escapes the curse, and escorts the King and his daughter on an adventure to retrieve the sceptre, put an end to Dhoulmagus’ diabolical plans, and restore the kingdom of Trodain.

Whether players are revisiting the rich story of DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King or diving into the adventure for the first time, they can enjoy brand new content that provides more back-story about the dastardly Dhoulmagus and The Hero who aims to stop him. All cut-scenes vital to the plot are also accompanied by full voice-acting, including the new story content and a new alternative ending.

As well as new adventure content, two new characters can be recruited in the form of Red, a former rival of The Hero’s sidekick Yangus, and Morrie, the owner of the Monster Arena. By capturing specific monsters throughout their adventure, players can create their own bands of monsters to send into battle inside the Monster Arena. More powerful monsters means stronger teams and more cunning strategies to be devised in the quest to best all seven ranks, including the new X Rank.

There are even more enhancements to the classic adventure for players to enjoy, with the new Quick Save function allowing for the action to be paused and saved any time outside of battle and cut-scenes, while the Speed Up feature allows warriors in a hurry to battle monsters with greater haste.

Adventurers can even share mementos of their journey with friends, and at the press of a button can begin setting up and taking their ideal photos, complete with special poses, stickers, filters, and frames to add a personal touch to their memory. All of these images can be saved to the SD card and shared via StreetPass to other DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King owners, who can give these images an approving thumbs-up. The more thumbs-up a player earns for their images, the higher the chance that they’ll earn new items to aid them in their quest to defeat Dhoulmagus. For more information about these new features, check out the DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King webpage.

Begin the New Year with an adventure to save the world with DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, out now for Nintendo 3DS family systems.

Additional Links:

Nintendo Australia website: http://www.nintendo.com.au
Nintendo Australia Twitter: https://twitter.com/NintendoAUNZ
Nintendo Australia Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NintendoAUNZ
Nintendo AU on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/nintendoau

Touhou Genso Wanderer’s Latest Trailer Introduces Your Partners

Travis Bruno

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January 23, 2017

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Touhou Genso Wanderer’s Latest Trailer Introduces Your Partners

While Reimu might be a skilled combatant, she is far from invincible when it comes to taking on numerous foes. As such Touhou Genso Wanderer offers a decent number of partner characters that can be brought into the roguelike’s dungeons to help her out in combat with their skills and abilities. Players can select between their partners to best fit their style of play and the ones focused on in the video below are Satori Komeiji, Kokoro Hata, Futo Mononobe, Kasen Ibaraki, Rei’sen, and Utsuho Reiuji.

Currently Touhou Genso Wanderer is set to be released by NIS America in North America on March 21st and in Europe on March 24th for the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita.