Some new screenshots and a trailer focusing on multiplayer have been released by NIS America for Natural Doctrine. The interesting concept with the game’s multiplayer is that not only can players partake in various co-op and versus modes, but almost every fighter you encounter in the single player side of the game can be brought over to the multiplayer side.
You can check out the new screenshots and the trailer below and be sure to keep an eye out for Natural Doctrine when it is released for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita on September 23rd in North America and September 26th in Europe.
MangaGamer had a very busy day at Otakon on Friday when they announced that not only will they be working on adapting Chou Dengeki Stryker for release on Steam by removing H-scenes, but also that they have picked up three new PC game licenses, at least one of which has quite a bit of notoriety to it.
euphoria
First we have euphoria from Clock-Up!, perhaps the most asked for game and most notorius. Euphoria is a psychological thriller that involves the player waking up in a white room with nothing but his clothes and a collar around his neck. The only way to escape each room is by moving through an opened door where the man, plus six girls that are also trapped, must play a sick game to advance. When one girl refuses to obey, the group awakens to watch her be murdered only to learn that forfeiture or failure means death, meaning players will be forced to violate each girl to survive this twisted death game. MangaGamer will be giving the series an HD remaster which improves the resolution of the title and will also be giving it a completely uncensored release.
The House in Fata Morgana
The next pick-up is The House in Fata Morgana which was developed by Novectacle. This title is a full-length visual novel that focuses on tragedy, human deeds, and insanity. The title features a heavy gothic atmosphere with over sixty five different musical tracks. This title will be an All-Ages release so the company is also aiming to release it on Steam.
eden*
The third and final title MangaGamer announced the license for is eden*, a title that is going to be given some special treatment. By partnering with Minori, MangaGamer is planning on releasing “eden*” as well as “eden* plus mosaic” with the first one being an all-ages release and the second being an Adults Only title with all of the sex scenes included and some extra blood. eden* is set just before the apocalypse where most of humanity has evacuated into space. The expert sniper Ryou is one of the last soldiers left on Earth and must guard the most important person left on the planet, she is an engineer that helped create the spaceships that saved humanity and also a genetically modified human with great intelligence called Sion.
In an added twist, all sales for eden* will be going to the localization of another title called Supipara – Alice the Magcal Conductor. If eden* manages to make $100K in sales, the company will be able to give Supipara an English release. Supipara has highly detailed visuals but also fell short of being given its full several chapter release in Japan due to insufficeient sales. As such if eden* and Supipara manage to do well in the West, MangaGamer and Minori will be able to help fund the continuation of Supipara and if this happens, they will be released in English before Japan gets to play the title, which would make it the first Japanese developed visual novel to be released in English before being released in Japanese.
A large batch of new Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate screenshots have been released by Koei Tecmo and these screenshots focus on the new game modes that have been added to this enhanced release. The Gauntlet mode allows players to create a party of up to five warriors to take on missions on a dynamic battlefield where they can either fight alone or play co-op by downloading a fellow player’s party.
There is also a new Duel Mode which allows players to take their favorite warriors into three on three battles where they can fight against others online or against the computer. A trailer, featuring the first footage from the Xbox One version of the game, focuses on this Duel Mode and can be found below.
SMASH! 2014 at Rosehill Gardens, Sydney, has entered its second day with a range of announcements by Madman including One Piece Film: Z, Giovanni’s Island and, finally, Grave of the Fireflies on Blu-ray for the first time. Check out the details for each title below and let us know if you’ll be picking any of these up!
ONE PIECE FILM: Z finds Luffy and his crew of Straw Hat Pirates in the New World – facing off against the powerful, former Marine Admiral “Z.” As per the previous ONE PIECE FILM: STRONG WORLD, series creator Eiichiro Oda worked closely with the director on the Z to ensure its authenticity. ONE PIECE FILM: Z will be released on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital in November 2014.
In the aftermath of the most devastating conflict mankind had ever experienced, the tiny island of Shikotan became part of the Sakhalin Oblast… and on this unhealed border in a remote corner of the world, friendship among children from two different countries timidly blossomed, striving to overcome language barriers and the waves of history. Release plans for GIOVANNI’S ISLAND will be confirmed at a later date.
In the aftermath of a World War II bombing, two orphaned children struggle to survive in the Japanese countryside. To Seita and his four-year-old sister, the helplessness and indifference of their countrymen is even more painful than the enemy raids. Through desperation, hunger and grief, these children’s lives are as heartbreakingly fragile as their spirit and love is inspiring. GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray from November 2014.
Although the announcements don’t contain any new TV anime shows currently airing in Japan, these are still welcome additions especially since there will be more Ghibli goodness on Blu-ray very soon.
Deconstructeam and Devolver Digital have decided to be merciful for their thriller, Gods Will Be Watching, by providing players with a free “Mercy Update” on Steam, Humble and GOG.
Deconstructeam designer, Jordi de Paco stated “The Mercy update is the result of discussions between our team and fans and critics – it refines and expands the game and made possible by the additional setting even more players a positive experience with Gods Will Be Watching to have.”
The update features new challenge settings, enabling additional influence on the difficulty of the point and click adventure (particularly the likelihood components) across the three new levels.
Puzzle Mode: face the challenges of the Original Mode, but without random factors in play.
Puzzle Mode Light: easier version, without the element of chance.
Narrative Mode: story mode for players who want to experience the history of this extraordinary title without major hurdles.
Don’t be afraid to take on Gods Will Be Watching, check out the review here.
The follow up to the indie adventure game Luciuswas announced today. Lucius II: The Prophecy will pick up after Lucius is taken to the psychiatric ward of St. Benedict’s Hospital, after Lucius judges those in his home as sinners and destroys them. Now Lucius will fulfill the second half of the prophecy that will see him taking over the world.
Lucius II is a sandbox adventure game starring the child of the devil himself. Players will have to use their imaginations to wreak havoc with clever traps, as the sequel brings more freedom and changes based on player feedback. Lucius II will be released in early 2015.
Australian anime distributor Hanabee has announced five new releases during the SMASH! 2014 convention earlier today. Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, RWBY Volume 2, Hatorimonogatari, Red Vs. Blue Season 12 and Fate/kaleid Liner Prisma Illya Season 1 will all be released on DVD and Blu-ray later this year.
Hanabee has provided some detailed release info for each title:
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet will be available on DVD and Blu-ray from the 5th of November 2014 in both dual English and Japanese Audio with English Subtitles.
RWBY Volume 2 will be available on DVD and Blu-ray from the 5th of November 2014. The series is currently simulcasting on Hanabee’s VOD site for free.
Hatorimonogatari will be available as a combo pack, including both DVD and Blu-ray from the 5th of November 2014 in Japanese Audio with English Subtitles.
Fate/kaleid Season 1 will be available on DVD and Blu-ray from the 3rd of December 2014 in both dual English and Japanese Audio with English Subtitles. Fate/kaleid Season 2 is now streaming on the Hanabee VOD Site.
Additionally, we were given a few updates to previously announced titles. Gatchaman Crowds has been delayed until November 5 back from its original release of August 6 while Campione! on DVD had missing subtitles on the final minute of episode 4. All stock has been fixed, however, and anyone with issues is encouraged to contact Hanabee.
Ubisoft Montreal and VICE have released the third and final developmental diary in a series that has delved into the inspiration for Far Cry 4‘s fictional locale of Kyrat. In the first video, members of the development team, along with VICE, arrived in Nepal and were introduced to the culture. Then they trekked further into the heart of the Himalayas.
Now, they meet Maoist fighters who give some perspective on the history of the area. Particularly, the dangerous time that was the Nepalese Civil War is shown to have birthed a village filled with strong-willed people who successfully fought to attain their freedom. Then, the team visited Pashupatinath temple, where the bodies of the deceased are cremated. Check out the video embedded below. Far Cry 4 releases on November 18 in the U.S. and Europe, and November 20 in Australia for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PC.
With Gamescom 2014 just around the corner, Techland and Warner Bros have released a new trailer for Dying Light, their upcoming open world horror title that sets players loose in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by zombies.
The game was delayed from its 2014 release back in May, but those looking forward to exploring the latest creation from the Dead Island developers are in luck- the trailer shows off not just any old gameplay of the title, but gameplay that will be included in a brand new demo at Gamescom. Both press and public will be able to get their hands on the game at the Cologne event, which kicks off “for everyone”‘ on August 14th.
With the event so close at hand announcements and trailers from developers are beginning to flow thick and fast, including Ubisoft’s announcement of its Gamescom lineup yesterday.
Trails in the Sky is an extremely traditional JRPG, packed with mechanics and characters that fulfil pretty much every trope and stereotype you would expect. The leads are two teenagers who are in love with each other but about the only ones who don’t know it, the battles are turn based, the game is incredibly long, and the dialogue can take over for what feels like hours at a time.
It does nothing new or innovative, but stick with it and somewhere around the second chapter of this five chapter tale you’ll find yourself hooked on the slow burning story and solid RPG gameplay.
Legend of Heroes is a three part series, so not only is this particular entry fifty hours long, but there are two more games to plow through once you’re done. It originally came out on the PSP in 2004, becoming a hit in Japan but not seeing a release outside it until 2011. It has finally been localised and ported to the PC, with parts two and three still to come; XSEED have already hinted that part two should be released soon.
Story
Estelle and Joshua are two trainee Bracers, brought up as siblings after Estelle’s Bracer father brings home the wounded Joshua after rescuing him from mysterious circumstances. Bracers are the worlds friendly neighbourhood mercenaries, a guild of skilled fighters come investigators who offer their services to the public for a fee.
The opening of the game spends a long time establishing the characters and the Bracer organisation, setting up Estelle and Joshua for the larger, game spanning task of touring the Kingdom of Liberl to train and graduate as full Bracers. It’s more of an excuse to being doing missions than a plot, and the real meat of the story only begins to emerge half a dozen hours in, and even then it’s only sticking its head out.
This is a long, slow burn of a story, and I’ll confess that my only feeling towards the characters for the first chunk of play was a mild irritation. Estelle is a mouthy Mary Sue, and Joshua is the level headed, good at everything mysterious handsome one. Other characters do get a look in along the way, and the chat between them is well written. New faces come and go, and it’s telling that I was constantly hoping that they didn’t leave.
Somewhere around the middle of the second chapter I realised that things had changed; I didn’t want to stop. The oft teased plot had started to throw out intriguing little hints and develop into something big, and the characters had got over their bout of stereotype. It took twenty hours to get to me, but when it did the hooks were sunk deep.
Gameplay
So why stick around for so long for the plot to get interesting? Well, there’s a really solid turn based combat system here, and if you yearn for the days when Final Fantasy VII took over your life then Trails in the Sky will be right up your street. The battle system revolves around Orbments, mechanical devices into which elemental quartz can be fitted. The quartzes grant particular magic spells or stat boosts, and combining them appropriately can unleash higher level spells.
Each character has an Orbment with a set amount of quartz slots. To start with only a few slots are open, limiting the spells and abilities a character can use until they are opened by spending Sepith. Sepith – if I remember correctly – is the smaller form of quartz and is dropped by monsters upon death. It can be spent opening slots on Orbments, or fused together to create new quartz.
In addition to spells, characters also have their own weapons and special abilities, known as crafts. Crafts are limited in their use by the CP gauge, which is filled by dealing or taking damage. Fill the gauge to 100 points and the character’s final attack can be unleashed. Movement and positioning are also crucial parts of battle strategy; characters can be moved around the field to best make use of long or short range attacks. Battle order is also important, with turn bonuses such as increased strength or critical hits flagged beside the current run order. Changing that order by boosting a character’s speed or taking time to charge up a spell can completely change the flow of a battle- stealing an enemy’s critical hit for example, can save your party from defeat.
Whilst it has the usual dose of terminology to come to terms with, the system is only as complex as you want it to be. Newcomers to the genre can happily bash away, whilst those seeking more strategy can tinker with starting positions and keep a closer eye on the battle order.
The difficulty isn’t that high for the majority of the game, and it is entirely possible to get through a lot of the fights just by hammering the attack option- especially if you plan on resource gathering. That said some of the boss fights are a lot tougher and demanding, and finally getting the right strategy and run of bonuses is incredibly satisfying. If you do get stuck on a fight there is a difficulty option that reduces the challenge of any fight you lose, allowing players of all experience to battle through the game.
Whilst the battle system is solid Trails in the Sky isn’t a game for grinding or just battling for pleasure. The enemy varieties in any one area are pretty limited, and the EXP system is weighted in such a way that characters get less and less EXP from the same battles as they level up- you’ll quickly only get a point or two each time you take down the monsters floating around an area.
In addition to the main plot, there are also plenty of side missions for Estelle and Joshua to take on for the Bracer guild. These net a decent amount of money and are also neatly woven in with the main plot. Characters or events in a side quest can often add a bit of depth to occurrences in the main story, and they give players a chance to spend more battle time with some of the temporary characters.
The set up is very traditional, and whilst it offers no new ideas everything is executed extremely well. The nostalgia value is high too, as a lot of the features found here have slunk out of modern RPGs, particularly Western ones.
Audio & Visuals
Trails in the Sky feels a little older than it should thanks to its portable origins, but elements of the presentation still hold up well. It feels like one of the 1990s Final Fantasy games, with no voice acting but the occasional battle cry, and a gorgeous soundtrack that lifts the entire experience.
There’s nothing in the environments that will wow but the monster designs and characters are sufficiently barmy and detailed to hold up and the character’s animated portraits do a good job of filling in for voice acting.
The interface is efficient and easy to use, with the only hiccup being the camera’s insistence on switching angles. It can make navigating a tad frustrating- leaving doors and quest items hidden behind buildings.
Overall
Trails in the Sky snuck up on me, albeit very slowly. It’s a traditional JRPG that does nothing new, but executes the tropes and mechanics of the genre to a very high standard. The game has been translated cleanly and works like a charm.
The story and characters benefit from the slow burn in the end, and the lovely soundtrack and solid battle system make for an engrossing experience. With two more parts to go it is certainly a great investment for gamers looking to dive into another universe for many, many hours. Bring on part two.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
