ALBION ONLINE ADDS NEW TWIST TO EQUIPMENT CUSTOMIZATION Create A Unique Character Quickly With Crafting
Berlin, November 6, 2013— Sandbox Interactive has shed some light on the unique equipment and crafting customization system in their upcoming cross-platform Sandbox MMO, Albion Online. With a player-driven economy and territorial-based PVP, crafting and equipment are a centerpiece of the Albion Online experience. Players can find out more and sign up for the upcoming closed beta test at www.albiononline.com
In Albion Online, players craft items and onto these items spells, which are then available to them once an item is equipped. Because any item can be combined with any spell, and vice versa, there are nearly endless possibilities for combination! Needless to say, this system offers a huge depth in terms of combination and how each individual player opts to set up their individual characters.
“Let’s say you want to craft a tier-two broadsword: currently, there are 30 different meaningful spell setups for this sword with room for expansion,” says David Salz, Technical Director for Albion Online. “What was important for us in designing this is that a weapon, although it has a lot of possibilities, still has a certain characteristic. So our broadsword is a bit more of a defense-oriented weapon.”
This Rock-Paper-Scissor style equipment division is seen throughout the game. In comparison, a one-handed battle axe is focused more on close combat, direct damage spells; to complete the triangle we have a Paladin Hammer onto which players can craft a variety of healing spells and buffs. This system makes it easier to read players during fights just by looking at a character: when someone with an axe is charging, you can anticipate some heavy damage, while if an opponent is wielding a one-handed hammer they’re more likely to be a healer.
These comparisons also extend to gear load-out, so that cloth armor leans more towards mana regeneration, stealth, energy shields, or cleanse, while plate armor is more about armor, instant self-heals, and survival mechanics. Whether players will play up the natural enhancements of a piece of equipment or choose a spell or attribute that will give them a more balanced approach will be up to individual choice – and there’s no single “cookie cutter build” that will be the one correct answer.
Albion Online is the first true cross-platform MMO, running on different devices including Windows, iOS and Android at the same time and in the same world!
About Sandbox Interactive We are Sandbox Interactive, an independent company founded in January 2012 and based in Berlin, Germany. We believe that the creation of your own world and interaction with other players are paramount to entertainment — and both creating and interacting are best experienced in sandbox games. That’s why we are extremely passionate about sandbox MMORPGs. Currently, we are a team of 12 full time employees and 9 freelancers, all working hard on our project Albion Online. Most of us are coders and artists. We believe that delivering a great product is most important. That’s why we focus on our game rather than on marketing or a huge B2B network. And even more importantly, everyone on our team is still a gamer and loves games. We hope to be able to convey this love in our game.
Based on Llyod Jones award-winning novel, ‘Mister Pip’, Andrew Adamson (The Chronicles of Narnia) brings to screen an inspirational true story of Mr. Pip and the imaginings of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. The emotional drama delves deep into the South Pacific Islands of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea; where one man, Mr. Watts, takes the initiative to teach children the importance of embracing their imagination to escape the horrors of war. Although Mr. Pip tells an exceptional story, the question now is whether the film stays true to the viewer’s great expectations.
Story
To grasp the context of Mr. Pip, the audience is briefly introduced (via on-screen text) to the origin of the civil war during the 1990’s blockade, enforced by Papua New Guinea on Bougainville, over copper mining and land rights. However, the story begins in a completely different world, a snowy London that belongs to Dicken’s hometown. Here we become acquainted with the beautiful, young teenager, Matilda, (Xzannjah) who wanders into a Museum dedicated to the author himself, and comes across the profound quote, “It is a most miserable thing to feel ashamed of home.” Written in Chapter 14 of Great Expectations, this quote creates a pathway for the audience to follow, as they travel back in time to where this influential fictional work changed Matilda’s life forever.
The man that sets the story into motion is Thomas Watts (Hugh Laurie), also known as Mr. Popeye, Mr. Pip and Mr. Dickens within the film. As an actor, comedian, writer, musician and director, it is fitting that Hugh Laurie takes on more than one role. At first glance, Mr. Watts comes across as an unusual and funny character; considering the red nose he wears when escorting his wife, Grace, through the island village. However, it is Mr. Watts who seeks to be the first person to make a difference for Bougainville; as the only teacher (and dare I say only ‘white person’), willing to dedicate his time and effort into sharing Dickens invention, Mr. Pip, from the novel Great Expectations with his class of students.
During the reading sessions in class, the audience enters Matilda’s mind and we see the story run with her vivid imagination. Matilda meets her own version of Mr. Pip at the churchyard and from there is swept away into the mystifying tale of the orphan in Dickens thirteenth novel. The transition between Matilda’s alternate and real world is seamlessly translated to the audience, as if they themselves are part of the story. Of course, there is no better compliment to pay to the author, than to believe that you truly know their main character in person. Mr. Watts admits to Matilda that he too has met Mr. Pip and reawakens his impression of the character to the class through improvisational narrating.
Despite the teacher’s impact on Matilda, her mother Dolores –an irrational religious woman, disapproves of Mr. Watt’s educational methods and significantly implicates his position (don’t worry, I won’t mention any specifics here) within the community. The film unfolds rapidly when rebels invade Bougainville, in search for the ‘person’, Pip, whose name is engraved on the beach. The armed and dangerous men tear down the houses and destroy the literary fantasies Mr. Watts reinforced upon the children. In the event of tragic loss and suffering, Matilda strives to recover Great Expectations in her own writing and is inspired to continue the story of Mr. Pip from her own imagination.
The most dauntingly beautiful scene within the film occurs at the point of realisation for Matilda, when she stands between the lead rebel and Mr. Pip, and must choose whether to escape her reality for a fictitious dream. Despite everything that has happened, Matilda remembers to follow the guidance of Mr. Watts and create a life she always wanted in Australia with her father.
Visuals & Audio
The magnificent wide-panning shots of New Zealand and Papua New Guinea Islands of Bougainville, establish the perfect location and atmosphere to film the movie. Cinematographer, John Toon uses an Arri Alexa camera to capture each shot with richness and precision; producing a remarkable cinematic experience for the audience. The opening array of visuals surrounding the village from up high in the palm tree tops offered the audience the best view of the island. Whereas, the close up shots were more effective in the classroom and during the invasion to capture the confined space and limitations within developing countries and during times of war.
Tim Finn, composer of the original music and songs within the film creates a wonderful western overlay to accompany the emotional warfare throughout Mr. Pip. Having collaborated with Harry Gregson-Williams for score on the original soundtrack, both composers were able to incorporate elements of Bougainville to craft their own touching music and show the local people in their village embracing their voices in church choruses. In contrast, it was uncomfortable during the scenes of torture, where the audience cannot escape the sound of pigs gnawing on human flesh and the agony that accompanies a brutal death… (shudders in thought of this particular flashback).
Overall
The moving and brilliantly constructed film offers a memorable experience for the audience, whether you have read the highly praised book or not. Andrew Adamson does an excellent job at illustrating Llyod Jones powerful true story of the civil war between Papua New Guinea and Bougainville. With a stunning cast, including Hugh Laurie and first time appearance from Xzannjah, the film creates an authentic and heartbreaking portrayal of the 1990 blockade. It is from these tragic events, that the audience is able to understand the main message of the film; that you will never lose your mind and your imaginations in life and will always be able to create a new story of your own. I would definitely recommend watching the film and taking the time to read Mister Pip, as both stay true to the audiences great expectations.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Steve Jackson’s Sorcery Part 2: Khare – Cityport Of Traps Developer:Inkle Publisher: Inkle Platforms:iPhone(Reviewed), iPod Touch, iPad Release Date: 7th November 2013 Price: $6.49 – Available Here
Overview
Sorcery, both the book and now game by Steve Jackson, is actually quite the popular franchise it seems. Obviously the books were incredibly famous during their run as it seems they were the best a fantasy fan could get at the time, which is a positive thing because these books were said to be incredibly good, good enough for the developers over at Inkle to want to recreate the sensation of a choose your own adventure novel and house it in the palm of your hand as an iOS game. Sorcery Part 1 was the the ground-breaking recreation of the books and now we’ve been given Part 2 of the game which just goes to show that, no matter what year we live in, everybody loves to adventure and everybody loves being the hero.
Story
Part 2: Khare – Cityport Of Traps directly continues on from Part 1 yet it seems as though people who haven’t played part 1 will still find it easy to get into the swing of all things, that includes the story. Instead of carrying over my save game and continuing from Part 1 I decided to start fresh to see have adaptable it was. It’s very adaptable. I suggest that you go back and read my review of part 1, which can be seen here, as it will give you a bit more insight into how the story rolls along and the overview of the story in general.
This time around you can choose to be either Male or Female, I chose female to see if there was any changes to the overall story and there isn’t which is good. Right off the bat we’re placed outside of a town, that town is Khare and if you actually read the title you can probably tell that this place isn’t going to be a very nice place to venture through.You still search for the “Crown of Kings” like in the first part of the series yet because it is a “choose your own adventure” game; each story is so fantastically unique. I really want to focus on the fact that an individual’s adventure can be so different to another’s, you can see this through the choices you’re given in every situation.
I don’t think I’m understating it when I say that I probably could have finished this game in half the time had I chosen to ignore a lot of people or slip past certain situations. To make the game longer and a lot more enjoyable I mostly went with choices that took me to see different characters or hidden places and it’s not like you don’t get anything extra out of going through these different selections either, you get the chance to obtain certain helpful items and you also get the chance to meet characters who can lead you through parts of the game smoothly.I really enjoyed the game strictly because of it’s story elements, I thought it was done perfectly and in a way that immerses you into the game like no other title truly can.
I have to admitt; I do NOT like these types of games, not only the genre but just the game in general…I loved this game and it was the way the story was told that forced me to enjoy it as much as I did. Though I have to say there where areas in the game that were quite boring and really tested my patience but I got through them because I knew that, eventually, it would lead me to a place that I could enjoy. I thought that the way you could journey through your own little side stories yet also keep on the path of the main story was extremely well done and it felt like a true adventure through and through.
Gameplay
The gameplay style was exactly the same as part 1 and I can assume it will be exactly the same through parts 3 and 4, they’ve done a good job with it so I don’t know why you’d change it too drastically. I didn’t enjoy the way the game was played too much only because I’m not a fan of the style yet reading through the story, once again, helped me stick with it. The game is entirely read and the gameplay is basically just you making decisions, there are certain times where you’ll fight an enemy and the gameplay changes just slightly with you having to choose an intensity level of your attack but even within battle there’s still a great deal of reading.
The gameplay is very basic yet works in a very smooth way, if you’re not used to it that much it will take a bit of getting used to but after not even an hour of game-time you’ll be perfectly into the way it is played out. The gameplay is great but I can guarantee it isn’t for everyone and I think the lack of variety within it is what will cause many people to stop playing this game, not everybody is a big reader yet some of them may still love the genre and I can see that turning people away from the title. I, at points, even found it hard to continue playing just because it became monotonous.
Audio And Visuals
I’ve decided to place these two aspects together because, without the other, neither of them would work in this game, the biggest positive is that they complement each other. Audio-wise there isn’t a great deal of music, actually I’m fairly certain there are only a couple tracks that play out through intervals in the game, it is more focused on environmental sound effects like the “mooing” of a cow or the hustle and bustle of a crowded fair. Sound effects in this game only aim to bring you closer into the fantasy world of Sorcery, if you’re in the sewers you’ll begin hearing drops of water and possibly the scurrying of a rat, if you’re out in a field you’ll hear the “caw” of crows and the chirping of birds, it’s extremely immersing and, my God, does it do a fantastic job. You almost don’t care about the fact that this game is lacking in actual music tracks, the thoughts of anything “lacking” actually float out of your mind.
The audio is nothing without the visual aspects of the game. Sorcery Part 2 has fantastic visuals that aren’t actually as boring as they first appear. Yes, at first glance the game looks very flat and, frankly…boring, but it truly isn’t! To truly appreciate what this game looks like you have to one; pair it with the audio of the game, they’re the best of friends and it can’t truly be appreciated unless accompanied by sound effects and two; realise that the game was intended for an audience that has read the original books and, if anything, are getting back into the series for nostalgic purposes. The game feels nostalgic and looks like it would do the original books such justice. The layout of environments are very earthy and it seems as though a lot of things look like brass or gold much like what we see in dated movies similar to the setting of the game. The audience, in certain situations throughout the story, are also gifted with being able to see certain scenes like a city street or an underground cavern, these images look like they are almost etched and give off such a scary yet truthful vibe. I honestly cannot fault the way this game looks.
Overall
The game is simply fantastic. Yes it is lacking on a few, minor things that, for me, stuck out but I have to review the game so I looked at every tiny detail. No this really won’t appeal to a lot of people, it just wont, it’s will appeal to a very particular audience and I have to say that those people will absolutely love it. It truly is like the rawest form of fantasy storytelling and I can’t imagine fans of the genre to find a better outlet in which to live their fantasy dreams. It looks the way it should, it plays the way it should and it seems to unravel and reveal itself the way it should. Playing this game was a great experience and this series is slowly opening up my eyes to the world of fantasy and to the world of adventure. Be the hero you want to be, Steve Jackson’s Sorcery let’s you do it!
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
This type of news no longer comes as much of a surprise anymore because it seems as though we’re given more and more information on this highly anticipated game almost weekly, that’s not to say that there is no anticipation that comes with it though, Anime fans from around the world are so excited for this release and the speculation for who will be entering the fray is at an all-time high, well now you can speculate at a lower frequency because three new characters have just been announced for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita brawler: Tsunayoshi Sawada and Reborn of the series Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Tatsumi Oga and Beelzebub from the series Beelzebub and Kagura and Sadaharu from Gintama have all been added as battlers and they are looking fantastic in HD!
– The Full Page From Weekly Shonen Jump –
Tsunayoshi Sawada and Tatsumi Oga will both serve as Playable Characters alongside their baby counterparts. Tsuna and Reborn will come together to attack using the X Burn, a devestating attack which, if you’ve seen the Anime or read the Manga you’d know, is a giant blast of pure energy and Tsuna’s signature move that he has developed over the “Reborn!” series.Oga, on the other hand, uses a grumpy and electrified Beelzebub and lobs him at his enemies. Kagura will partner up with Sadaharu and will be used only as a Support Character, she will ride out onto the screen on Sadaharu and bowl down any enemies that get in her way. J-Stars Victory Vs is set for a release in Japan on the 19th of March 2014 which still is a fair while away but stay tuned for more news to be released in the coming months.
STAR-STUDDED SET LIST REVEALED FOR REALTA ENTERTAINMENT’S BANDFUSE: ROCK LEGENDS
The 55-Song Set List Showcases Hits From Pearl Jam, Maroon 5 and Halestorm, to Rush, Heart, Social Distortion, Billy Idol and Many More
Campbell, CA — November 6, 2013 — Realta Entertainment Group announced today the complete, legend-loaded set list for its highly anticipated BandFuse: Rock Legends, the music video game where legendary rockers transform players into real-world guitarists, bassists and vocalists.
“Each and every song was handpicked for this game,” says Jeff Marshall, Director of Artist/Label Relations and Content Licensing at Realta Entertainment. “BandFuse provides players with the ultimate rock experience; not only can players learn to play the songs they know and love, but the game also challenges experts and n00bs alike to become better musicians.”
Filled with 55 songs from classic and current rock hits, BandFuse: Rock Legends offers a rich tapestry of impeccably selected songs for fans to play.
Songs From In-Game Legends
Slash “Black From Cali”
Bootsy Collins “Rock Bandit”
Five Finger Death Punch “The Bleeding”
Lynch Mob “Wicked Sensation”
Mike Ness/Social Distortion “Bad Luck”
Zakk Wylde/Black Label Society “Overlord”
BandFuse: Rock Legends Set List:
2000s
Stellar Revival “The Crazy Ones”
Halestorm “Love Bites (So Do I)”
Red Fang “Wires”
Shinedown “Devour”
Bullet For My Valentine “Tears Don’t Fall”
My Chemical Romance “Welcome to the Black Parade”
Wolfmother “Woman”
All American Rejects “Move Along”
Children of Bodom “Are You Dead Yet?”
Fallout Boy “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down”
Modest Mouse “Float On”
The Strokes “Reptilia”
The Distillers “Drain the Blood”
Maroon 5 “Harder to Breathe”
Blink 182 “All The Small Things”
Coldplay “Yellow”
Incubus “Drive”
Nine Days “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)”
1990s
Kenny Wayne Shepherd “Blue on Black”
Blur “Song 2”
Duncan Sheik “Barely Breathing”
Sublime “What I Got”
Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know”
Bad Religion “Infected”
Pantera “I’m Broken”
Blind Melon “No Rain”
Dream Theater “Pull Me Under”
Pearl Jam “Alive”
Faith No More “Epic”
Jane’s Addiction “Been Caught Stealing”
Megadeth “Hangar 18”
Testament “Souls of Black”
1980s
The Pixies “Here Comes Your Man”
Living Colour “Cult of Personality”
Grateful Dead “Hell in a Bucket”
Ratt “Round and Round”
Billy Idol “Rebel Yell”
Modern English “I Melt With You”
The Clash “Should I Stay or Should I Go”
Brian Setzer “Rock This Town”
Rick Springfield “Jessie’s Girl”
Rush “Limelight”
Judas Priest “Breaking the Law”
’70s & ’60s
Foreigner “Hot Blooded”
Blue Öyster Cult “Godzilla”
Cheap Trick “I Want You to Want Me”
Heart “Barracuda”
Kansas “Carry on Wayward Son”
Santana “Black Magic Woman”
Coming to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system, BandFuse: Rock Legends will be available in all major North American retailers November 19, 2013.
Seamlessly connecting real guitars, basses and microphones to game consoles, BandFuse: Rock Legends empowers players to jam to a fully unlocked library of 55 hit songs from rock to metal and punk to funk. The game’s exclusive four-player co-op mode enables players to play music together by connecting two guitars, one bass, and a microphone simultaneously, providing each player with detailed feedback from the BandFuse: Rock Legends analytics engine.
BandFuse: Rock Legends is rated T for Teen by the ESRB and will be published by Mastiff in North America on November 19, 2013 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 systems. In Japan, Hamster will publish the game on December 19, 2013. A European publisher will be announced soon. To learn more about BandFuse: Rock Legends, please visit www.bandfuse.com, ‘Like’ it on Facebook, and follow the game on Twitter for all the latest news and updates.
Skylanders: Swap Force has been out for a little under a month now, and in the lead up to Christmas, people everywhere are eagerly anticipating the next wave of figurines for Activision‘s popular video game/toy crossover adventure. Well wait no longer, as we have a fresh slew of screenshots, and box arts for the figures that will be coming in the next few months.
First up, take a look at the boxes that will be housing the next line of figurines:
Scorp
Star Strike
Big Bang Trigger Happy
Knockout Terrafin
Anchor Away Gill Grunt
Rip Tide
Heavy Duty Sprocket
Twin Blade Chop Chop
And here are the Swap Force characters you can get:
Fire Kraken
Grilla Drilla
Boom Jet
Night Shift
Now, here are the triple packs that will be available:
Heavy Duty Sprocket, Twin Blade Chop Chop, Scorp
Big Bang Trigger Happy, Star Strike, Anchor Away Gill Grunt
Now if that wasn’t enough, we have a heap of screenshots to share with you. Check them out below and let us know what you think in the comments section, and always remember to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Skylanders news as it becomes available.
Do you fancy yourself a bit of a movie buff? Do you know everything there is to know about Kick-Ass 2 and Psycho? Can you recite classic and obscure movie titles off the top of your head like a champ? Well Undercoders has you covered! Now you can prove it with the great new mobile game: Movies Quiz. Featuring more than 650 different movies across 10 different difficulty levels (ranging from cinema classics through to obscure films that only the hardcore will truly know), Movies Quiz will have you scratching your head no matter how much you love the silver screen.
Movies Quiz is available now through through iTunes or Google Play, totally free. Check out our screenshot gallery below, as well as the trailer at the end of the article.If you are getting the game, let us know in the comments below which questions stumped you, or how many you got right without needing assistance. Always remember to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the movie news as it becomes available.
Now that was one hell of a curve ball. Going into this weeks episode of Ace of Diamond, we knew a few things for certain. 1. The first-years would get a chance to play. 2. Eijun and Furuya would be in direct competition for the ace position and 3. We would witness an unforgettable clash. While we got all of those things, none of it was in the way we could have ever expected.
Things kick off with Eijun once again being forgotten, not even being asked to participate in the first-years game with the upperclassmen by Coach Kataoka. However that all changes after a fateful encounter with the Coach in the bath house. In a moment that is part funny and part gar, Eijun responds to the Coach’s inquiries as to why he refuses to attend the teams games in a very interesting way. Eijun claims that the reason he doesn’t attend their games is because he cannot stand to see anyone else on the mound. Seeing another person in ace position stands directly in front of his promise to his friends back home. He cannot sincerely cheer on another ace, because in his heart the only true ace is himself.
The Coach respects his honesty and grants him a go in the game, however it isn’t exactly what Eijun was expecting. Kataoka sends him to the outfield where he flounders terribly. Eijun is faced with a pretty harsh reality here – he can pitch like a beast, but he is awful off the mound. He struggles to adapt to other positions, but there is just no clicking for him, his place seems to be very much on the mound.
Interestingly enough the clash we witness isn’t exactly between Eijun and Furuya as one would have expected. Instead it is a clash between each and every Seidou player all vying for that spot on the first-string. In the most shocking moment of the episode, Furuya makes first-string after one single pitch. It was a pitch so powerful that Coach Kataoka himself states that none of the first-years could possibly catch it. In this we see a side of Furuya we haven’t seen before. A mean streak in him, a cocky side that takes immense pride in his flaming fastball.
While Furuya is reaching great heights, it is a decidedly frustrating week for Eijun. He continues to mess things up, his immaturity serving as a source of a great deal of his problems. You get the feeling that the thing that is holding back Eijun is his own immaturity, but it is that enthusiasm that may very well be a strength to him, if he can channel it correctly. Right now Eijun is all energy and no focus. What he needs is focus. Until he can get that, he will only continue to struggle in his journey to become ace.
As it stands right now, Eijun is lightyears behind Furuya. To make matters worse, Tanba has been brought back into the fold of the first-string, an interesting decision by Kataoka considering he just added Furuya in as well. Perhaps Kataoka plans to pit Furuya and Tanba against one another? Regardless of that, Eijun undoubtedly has his work cut out for him and with the score heavily in the upperclassmen’s favour, it is gonna be a tough fight to turn things around. Will Eijun get to show Kataoka that he can be ace or will this game prove to be another pitfall in Eijun’s path to becoming ace? Well it looks like next week’s episode will give some insight. For now, we can only share in Eijun’s frustration that he has yet to get his feet on the mound. It’s time for the pay-off.
One of the things that stands as the mark of a great anime, is the kind of anime that feels like it is over too soon. Ace of Diamond proved this week it is one of those anime series. What a way to leave a guy hanging! This is sports anime at its very best.
Overview Many fans of Nippon Ichi Software probably have some fond memories of Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger Vs Darkdeath Evilman which was released back in 2010. While many gamers enjoyed the roguelike, no sequel for the game was ever created. However fans of the roguelike subgenre have a spiritual successor to the aforementioned game in the form of The Guided Fate Paradox. This is the first time that NIS has brought a roguelike, a genre which is often seen as a niche of a niche, to the PlayStation 3 and now that it has been released in English, was their effort successful?
Story Everyone has their fair share of bad luck but nearly everyone has managed to win a small prize or get picked in a raffle at least once. Renya Kagurazaka however has never won a single thing in his entire life, not even a consolation prize. As such, when he obtains a raffle ticket from the super market he simply wants to give it to his younger sister since she may at least have a chance at winning something unlike him.
However when a pretty but persistent girl pushes him into trying his luck at least one more time with a raffle, he wins their grand prize… a giant spiked club to the skull and no her name isn’t Dokura-chan. Well where your standard story would end, this one is just beginning because Renya finds himself transported to a heavenly place called Celestia where he is introduced to a number of angels and is declared God.
With his personal rookie angel assistant named Lilliel, godhood may be a mighty gift to bestow upon a teenager, but it does come with a price. After being given the powers of God, Renya must answer the prayers and wishes of the universe. The universe, being the large place that it is, consists of far more than humans however as Renya soon finds himself answering prayers of more than just humans, but even zombies and many more outlandish creatures, some directly out of fairytales. He handles these wishes through a machine called the Fate Revolution Circuit which allows him to guide the fates of those praying for happiness.
If Renya is to slack off in his duties or fail to grant the wish of the devoted prayer, he will be consumed by a creature known as Misery that doesn’t hesitate to remind the player how willing it would be to snack on your flesh if you happen to fall out of line. Even with all of the worries Renya now has on his plate, there are dark forces moving in the Underworld to throw more trouble Renya’s way.
The Guided Fate Paradox’s storyline is already rather outlandish sounding and it is for the best that it is because otherwise the story would probably be a massive chore. The reason for this is that, as the player makes their way through the levels of a dungeon, a little bit of the character’s story is revealed and sometimes these segments can drag heavily. Thankfully if the player isn’t invested in any given segment, there is a choice to simply skip the entire dialogue scene and get back to advancing through the dungeon and completing the wish.
Outside of the one-off dragging moments of the game, the game’s story actually turns out to be rather interesting. Thanks to the random nature of the game the characters tend to be quite over the top and while some of them are simply presented and then thrown away, the core cast is rather enjoyable and everything manages to tie together to create an interesting, occasionally bumpy, storyline.
Gameplay If you didn’t guess from the intro up there, Guided Fate Paradox is a roguelike but before you run away, it turns out to one of the easier ones thanks to a number of adjustments to make it a bit less troublesome for newcomers to invest in. For those who don’t know, Guided Fate Paradox is a turn-based dungeon crawling style game where Renya and Lilliel (who can be swapped out a bit later in the game with other angels with new skills) venture through randomly generated floors, taking on enemies in their way and advancing deeper into the dungeon to complete a wish in the Fate Revolution Circuit.
As mentioned, combat is a turn-based affair but it is far more complex than that. You see, items can be equipped to the head, legs, right arm, left arm, and an etc. section of both Renya and his accompanying angel. Each of these weapons come with stat boosting bonuses and a special skill. Now attacking normally is pretty much useless in this game since any basic attack is pretty much a punch, even if the player is using guns as weaponry. Instead all important attacks come from skills obtained from equipped weaponry and sometimes equipping the same weapon on both arms can unlock an even more powerful skill to unleash on enemies.
All skills require the player to use SP which can be regenerated over time, but it is essential to time your attacks as the only time that enemies move or take action is after the player does. This means that attacking at the wrong moment or moving in the wrong direction can lead to the player becoming overwhelmed and potentially killed. It doesn’t help matters that moving Renya through the dungeons is a difficult task thanks to how the d-pad and grid system are set up, often resulting in a few accidental movements until the player gets the hang of things.
Every time the player defeats an enemy, their equipped items grow in power until they “Burst” which results in the item becoming weaker but also resulting in an item which will increase the players stats which will be discussed later. Bursted weapons can be refined at the blacksmith to restore them to their original form, with higher stats than before often allowing players to find useful weaponry and upgrade it numerous times. Players also fill a gauge by defeating enemies that allows Renya to enter a God-like state where he can shrug off nearly any attack and unleash massive damage for a short period of time, sort of like a trump card for the many difficult situations the player can find themselves in.
Herein lies the difficult section of roguelikes, if the player dies in a dungeon they lose all of their items, including whatever they had equipped which means that some incredibly powerful equipment can be lost in the blink of an eye. This is more problematic than one may think since every time the player takes an action in the game there is a hunger gauge which will deplete and if the player gets too hungry, their health will begin to drop.
This often meaning that players will need to balance carrying food, healing items, newfound equipment, and much more if they mean to survive longer dungeons. To make matters worse, every time the player enters a dungeon they are reset to level 1. However there is a silver lining here and it is one that makes Guided Fate Paradox a bit easier thanks to grinding, made a bit easier through the use of Exit doors allowing the player to escape a dungeon if the going gets rough.
Every time the player levels up in a dungeon, they immediately gain stat bonuses throughout that dungeon and once the dungeon is fully completed, those levels become permanent stat increases so that the next time the player enters a dungeon their level 1 base stats will be increased, allowing the player to grind stat bonuses if they are facing a particularly difficult dungeon.
Also, thanks to bursting weapons the player unlocks stat boosts that can be applied to Renya’s Divinigram which allows the player to place stat boosting tiles and Holy Artifacts onto tiles to give Renya additional skills. The Guided Fate Paradox provides an extremely deep customization aspect that will take some forethought before entering dungeons or else you will fall victim to the dangers even an easier roguelike game such as this has to offer.
Visuals The Guided Fate Paradox manages to make itself look impressive despite having a few factors playing against it. There are some rather low-res and out-dated looking environments and enemy designs that the player will run across in their time with the game but despite that the vast majority of the title is put together so impressively well that those issues can be quickly forgotten. Every dungeon has a nice little theme going for it and although there are only a few enemy types for each area, they fit the theme nicely.
As for the characters themselves they are nicely detailed and many of their designs are rather impressive looking. As they talk amongst each other gorgeous looking portraits will appear while on the field they will still look great as HD-sprites. It is also worth noting that every item equipped to a character, no matter how random it is, appears on the character which can make for some rather ludicrous looking, but highly effective, designs.
Audio There is a point where one has to judge whether or not the person providing the voice work for a character is either poorly performing their role or the script that they are working with is simply not up to par and unfortunately for a lot of Guided Fate Paradox, it seems to be both. The English voice work and localization efforts for the game are rather bad sounding more often than not. There are a few nicely handled characters but in this case, the badly handled characters far outweigh the good. Of course, it is entirely possible to switch to the Japanese voice track which, unfortunately, is recommended for this title.
As far as background music goes, The Guided Fate Paradox is quite pleasing thanks to a number of great sounding songs making up the game’s soundtrack. The music is somewhat your standard fair for a game like this, but it manages to fit amazingly well for many of the dungeons that the player ends up exploring, especially when tense situations arise.
Overall The Guided Fate Paradox introduces the player to a nice storyline which has issues keeping itself interesting at times and suffers from poor voicework and writing but manages to tie it together with a slightly easier but still punishingly difficult roguelike experience. Thanks to a number of great gameplay features and a likable core cast of characters that are presented incredibly well, The Guided Fate Paradox offers a challenge to everyone in a brightly colored package that will leave you frustrated as many times as you cheer getting past a difficult dungeon.
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FINAL FANTASY XIV: LIBRA EORZEA – AVAILABLE NOW FOR ANDROID DEVICES
The Official Companion App for FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn
LONDON (6 November, 2013) – Square Enix Ltd., publishers of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in Europe and PAL territories, announced today that FINAL FANTASY® XIV – LIBRA EORZEA™, the official smart phone companion app for FINAL FANTASY® XIV: A Realm Reborn™, is now available at Google Play as a free download.
The application features a comprehensive game database that can be accessed offline, as well as a character profile viewer for reviewing gear and attributes on the go. The application requires a supported device running Android 2.3 or later. For more details, please visit: http://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/pr/special/libraeorzea/.
Game Database
FINAL FANTASY XIV: LIBRA EORZEA contains an encyclopaedic catalogue of in-game information, including items, quests, non-playable characters (NPCs), achievements, and more. With a host of updates in the works, the database will serve as an ever-useful resource for the adventurers of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn.
Character Profiles
Players with an active FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn account can log in with their Square Enix account credentials to review their character information such as attributes and gear. They can also browse the profiles of other characters in their Free Company, Linkshell, or use the search function to view details on other players and Free Companies. Moreover, players can even learn where fellow adventurers acquired their gear.
Since the release of FINAL FANTASY in 1987, this unique RPG series continues to showcase the spectacular visuals, highly imaginative worlds and rich stories leading the industry and earning the highest accolades from users around the world. Titles of the series have so far achieved a cumulative shipment of over 100 million units worldwide.
About Square Enix Ltd.
Square Enix Ltd., a part of the Square Enix Europe business unit, 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. 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 boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 100 million units worldwide, DRAGON QUEST® which has sold over 62 million units worldwide and TOMB RAIDER® which has sold over 35 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
