Ever since Until Dawn was re-revealed earlier this year, every showing for the title continues to impress me and now Sony has released a play-through video showing off the demo that was available during the PlayStation Experience. While before we only caught a small glimpse of the gameplay, this time the nearly eight minute video follows a girl named Sam who is relaxing in the bath only to find an intruder in the house.
Once she goes to investigate, she finds that her friends are nowhere to be seen and she is in immediate danger. It is worth noting that Sony describes this play-through as ” only one of the many different paths possible. Each split-second decision you make as you play could put you on a new path. Any single decision may not be fatal, but your actions could have deadly consequences for your character later in the story.”
Today FUNimationreleaseda bunch of information concerning their upcoming release of Unbreakable Machine Doll on March 3rd. They have not only revealed the English dub cast alongside a preview trailer, but they have also released details concerning the contents of the Limited and Standard Editions of the release.
The Standard Edition contains all 12 Episodes plus over 50 minutes of extras, including:
6 never-before-seen OVAS
Episode 1 & 2 Commentary
Promotional Videos & Commercials
Textless Songs
Trailers
While the Limited Edition will contain all of the above plus:
An exclusively titillating art booklet
A collectible rigid art box
As for the casting, the English dub will feature the following voice actors and crew:
CHARACTER
ACTOR
RAISHIN
Clifford Chapin
YAYA
Bryn Apprill
CHARLOTTE
Kristin Sutton
FREY
Lindsay Seidel
LOKI
Chris Burnett
SIGMUND
David Wald
KIMBERLEY
Kristin McCollum
MAGNUS
Ricco Fajardo
SHOKO
Clarine Harp
IRORI
Alexis Tipton
KOMURASAKI
Lara Woodhull
LISETTE
Jad Saxton
FELIX
Ian Sinclair
BRONSON
Brandon Potter
HENRIETTE
Monica Rial
HEADMASTER RUTHERFORD
Charlie Campbell
CRUEL
Christopher Bevins
CEDRIC
Carli Mosier
SHIN
Vic Mignogna
CHERUBIM
Andrew T. Chandler
Crew
ADR Director – Christopher Bevins
ADR Engineer – Kenneth Thompson
Writer – Bonny Clinkenbeard
Translators – Sarah Alys Lindholm, Nora Stevens Heath
Today Fault Milestone One, the first “Milestone” (each episode is a different milestone) in what will be an ongoing series, has been released on PC through Steam where it will be discounted by 25% until December 22nd. The kinetic visual novel is developed by Alice in Dissonance and published by Sekai Project, who helped bring the title to English audiences.
The “fault” series will follow Selphine, a happy-go-lucky Princess, and her bodyguard, the sharp-witted but slightly misanthropic Ritona. When their kingdom is assaulted by an unknown force the two are teleported to a mysterious forest where there are no signs of life. Far from their homeland and in a strange forest, players will follow these two as they try to return to their homeland of Rughzenhaide.
A demo for the visual novel can be downloaded from Steam where players will be able to play through the first four chapters of the Milestone and the full game itself can be currently purchased here for $11.24.
It wouldn’t be a true approach to an upcoming Atelier release if it didn’t come with a ton of new screenshots and that is exactly what Koei Tecmo America released today for Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk. The screenshots are all from the English version of the title which is set to be released on the PS Vita on January 13th for $39.99
You can check out the new screenshots below and in them you will find a number of the new features that have been added into Atelier Ayesha Plus, such as some new boss monsters, a handful of which come from Atelier Escha & Logy, the new Album Missions that allow players to complete various tasks to unlock bonuses in the game such as new costumes and extra tidbits. Also shown off are a ton of the new outfits and accessories that players will be able to wear in the game.
Today Aksys Games announced that they are planning on releasing Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters, a title that is part visual novel and part RPG, in North America on March 10th for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters is a title where players work part time at “Gate Keepers” a magazine company that is a front for a ghost hunting group.
Players will be able to choose how the story progresses by using their character’s five senses to figure out how to progress. There are thirteen main tails to be told in Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters as well as a number of side missions and battles that will involve players fighting against ghosts to level up their characters.
You can check out some newly released screenshots for both versions of the game below.
Today Sentai Filmworks announced that they have acquired the license to DD Fist of the North Star, a super-deformed parody series of the original Fist of the North Star. DD Fist of the North Star first aired back in the spring 2013 series and was animated by Ajiado and takes many of the familiar heroes from the series into a world where the nuclear war never happened.
Sentai Filmworks will be releasing DD Fist of the North Star on digital outlets and is planning on a home video release sometime in the future. The company describes the series as follows:
To be its evangelist, highly trained in the secret martial art of Hokuto Shinken, Kenshiro has achieved such a high level of combat expertise that he can kill a man with his finger. Though these skills may be useful for a wandering man trying to survive the deadly wastelands left behind by nuclear war, they’re all but useless in modern day Japan! With an apocalypse that never happened and a less-than-desirable skill set, would-be hero Kenshiro is stuck looking for a job just like every other unlucky person in Japan. And frankly, part time jobs just aren’t cutting it.
Things start to look up when he stumbles across a vacancy notice at a convenience store, but unfortunately he’ll have to deal with two contentious contenders if he wants the job: his own brothers Toki and Raoh, who share the same dilemma as Kenshiro himself. The battle for the stock shelves begins—fists will fly and no punches will be pulled as martial arts and shelved snacks collide in DD Fist of the North Star!
It looks like my guess a week and a half ago turned out to be correct. CD Projekt RED has announced that Ciri will be the second playable character in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It is worth noting that players will not be able to swap between Ciri and Geralt as they wish, but the story will determine when players will step into her shoes.
Robert Malinowski, CD PRojekt RED’s communications specialist describes Ciri as follows:
“She’s a living weapon… and everyone wants to control her. This, plus she also has her own will and agenda, so it’s not just finding her that counts. I think that is the most important aspect of this character. Geralt knows Ciri since she was a child. She’s Geralt’s apprentice and they have a close emotional bond – he trained her so she could become a witcheress.”
Today Square Enix released a trailer for Final Fantasy XV that most of us have likely seen before, since it was previously shown off during Tokyo Game Show. However what makes this trailer special, is it is the first time that we get to hear the English voice actors that will be voicing some of the characters in the game including the main four: Noctis, Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis.
You can check out the trailer below and catch an earful of what they will sound like. Going from the small bits shown, I’m quite satisfied by the voice actors and how the characters sound.
It looks like Gust, the company known for developing the Atelier and Ar Tonelico series, will be revealing something in this week’s issue of Famitsu. The company’sofficial website has been updated with a teaser featuring Hyperdimension Neptunia’s Gust character with Thursday’s date, the day that new issues of Famitsu are released.
Currently no real hints have been given as to what the announcement may be, though it is interesting to note that, while other Japanese developers have started branching out onto the PlayStation 4, Gust has yet to do so. Considering Famitsu information is usually leaked out a couple of days early, we will likely know within the next twenty-four hours.
Overview
If anyone knows how to craft a portable experience, Level-5 do. The developer has brought us some of the most enjoyable gems during the past twenty years, with the likes of Professor Layton and the often forgotten about but still loved Dark Cloud. Yes, we know that quality will be a given with the likes of Fantasy Life, as it has the brand to back it. The only personal qualm I had going in was a bit of burn-out on the genre. Sure, I loved Animal Crossing through and through, and still play it, Tomadachi, and even that Disney sim game, but the question is, are we becoming over-saturated on the 3DS with these titles? Better yet, can Fantasy Life draw in an audience for another go as we live twelve lives in one setting? Let’s find out.
Story
The narrative in Fantasy Life is really not the draw. I know I am stating this early, but it is kind of important going in to this experience to know that while charming, the main plot is a bit forgettable and almost typical of your standard RPG. You have a butterfly sidekick of sorts and are out to save the world. Sure, there is more to it than that, but the “main plot” isn’t that important. What is important is the world of Reveria. Every little city or town you travel to has a ton of NPCs, and they are definitely wordy. Sometimes, this can be a curse in a game as its easy to want to tap A and just move forward. Fantasy life is a bit different however, as no matter how long you play, its almost a reward to get to go back and socialize as the writing is quick and clever, full of humor and heart.
Every quest comes with more interaction than one can ask for, and while you will be walking back and forth, its usually a treat to speak to each humble resident, no matter what the task at hand is. Sure, you will enjoy the little story intertwined within this otherwise massive (albeit repetitive) world, but its the side quests – or the “little things” so to speak that stack up and make this title truly worth diving into.
Gameplay
I kind twisted the truth when I threw out comparisons to Animal Crossing with Fantasy Life, as aside from the basic control scheme, the two titles are completely different. While it could be considered to be somewhat of a simulation experience, this title is at its core an RPG, and even has an MMO vibe running with it. The main reason I used Animal Crossing is that it is that kind of a game where you live a different life – and get sucked into one experience for hours at a time. Starting out, the player goes through what is honestly a decent amount of customization as they design their character, where they then will select a class. No matter what choice you make, nothing is permanent in terms of job, as the twelve given within Fantasy Life give it a distinct feel, unlike most titles on the market.
Sure, we have seen titles that have had swappable classes before, but Fantasy Life does one better and provides classes that compliment each other. Want to be a fisherman? Well, you can, but you can also level up a chef alongside of that, so you can cook your catch and create a tasty meal. Players can also become a Paladin, Hunter, Wizard, Wood Cutter, or one of a good number of other lives, and each comes with an almost urgent need to level up the next so you can get the most out of the world around you. Since your traits are able to be carried over, no talent obtained really goes to waste, making the time you play with each valuable in its own way. Switching is easy, but you must be in a city and not in the middle of a story segment or quest, which makes sense.
By doing tasks, whether unique to your own class or not – the player will earn stars that ultimately level you up. Its a long road to the next rank as you progress, but there is a lot to do along the journey there. Players can go on quests and battle monsters, or simply craft and collect – depending on their current preference. I personally started out as a chef first, which has the player take part in little rhythm and timing influenced mini-games. Sure, these little romps are not that entertaining, but considering the amount of times you will be doing them – it certainly could be worse. The combat, no matter what class is also a bit basic and never really feels too exciting either, which kind of comes off as a disappointment as again- this is a game that has a lot of repetition. Don’t get me wrong, nothing is broken with the gameplay within fantasy life, as whatever class you are, you will be able to complete your tasks. However, you will just be doing the sames things over and over so much that the grind starts to feel tiresome hours in.
To elevate that feeling of monotony, Fantasy Life celebrates the player for everything they participate in. There are a ton of items to collect, and many are only obtainable by passing certain feats within the game. The grind is worth it for the most part as no matter the chore, there is usually a great feeling of accomplishment that Level-5 have packed into the charming center of Fantasy Life, and while it may be easy to lose interest and start a new life, there is no punishment for that – which gives the player the power to ultimately control their enjoyment of the overall experience. Multiplayer also adds a good deal as well, as players can go into battles (or other tasks) with a friend, and even choose AI partners if need be, who actually seem to be quite competent for the most part.
Visuals and Audio
Visually, Fantasy Life is lovely as it shines with its bright colors and adorable little character designs. I have used the word “charming” a lot in this review, but the art style shares the same word as its hard not to put on an instant smile just by watching the chipper animations and life in general that Reveria has to offer. There is also a lot of detail within the environment as well, which is a big positive as in my opinion, a lot of titles such as Rune Factory and even Animal Crossing never try to jump above their simplistic aesthetic, while Fantasy Life seems to be just as detailed graphically as it is with its dialogue.
I’ll admit that while I liked the soundtrack, it never really provided a lot of earworms or songs that I would hum along with. Its forgivable for the most part as the music is pleasant, just not that memorable. For some reason, I enjoyed the little sound effects much more and began to appreciate the pitter-patter of footsteps and the sound of a fishing line hitting water. Those little things do a lot to give off an atmosphere that is easy to get lost in, and for a time consuming game like Fantasy Life, that is a great thing to provide the player.
Overall
Fantasy Life is not like Pokemon, nor Animal Crossing or Rune Factory. Its closest in kin comes in the form of an MMO, and while it lacks a lot of the depth, it does more than its part to create an addicting and delightful experience for those who want to sink a hefty amount of time into a more unique title on the 3DS. Who needs a AAA story when you have adventures to go on and all of the tools you could possibly ask for at the palms of your hands? Level-5 have made a bit of a treasure with here and while it may be repetitive, it knows how to hook you and reel you in with a constant stream of rewards. No matter what your tastes may be, Fantasy Life is sure to click for just about anybody willing to donate a heaping tablespoon of time and patience.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
