First up, we’re talking about a long-awaited revival of Ogre Battle-style SRPGs with Vanillaware’s Unicorn Overlord (the most bizarre name for a game since Triangle Strategy). Featuring a mix of real-time strategy, turn-based party combat, and overworld exploration, Unicorn Overlord really hit the sweet spot for Josh. Is it a game for everyone, though?

And the overwhelming amount of fan content inspired by 2015’s Undertale finally reaches its logical culmination with an incredible fan game that actually has the blessing of creator Toby Fox: Undertale Yellow. A prequel that follows the story of a previous soul who fell into the underground, Yellow delivers an experience that doesn’t just live up to its inspiration but surpasses it in some ways. Aleks’ feature, Undertale Yellow Feels Like a Legit Prequel, not only brings attention to this incredible labor of love, but also helped to open his eyes to the potential of fan games!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Joshua Lindquist, and Aleks Franiczek; Edited by Jono Logan

Listen and subscribe where you please, and leave a rating if you can! Email us your feedback: podcast@rpgfan.com

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Check out the never-before-seen party members in the new trailer below:

After being the most successful game on Kickstarter in 2020, fans are finally getting their hands on the game next month! Unfortunately, this comes after the sudden passing of the director and Suikoden series legend, Yoshitaka Murayama.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Chronicles launches worldwide on April 23rd for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, Epic Game Store and GOG. Switch users in the Americas and EMEA will have to wait until May 21st for their physical copies, but the game will still be available digitally on April 23rd. Stay tuned to RPGFan as we grow closer to the game’s release date!

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Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery – March 19th (Windows)

Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery is a strategy RPG remake of Codename: Bakery Girl promising updated and enhanced graphics, mechanics, and narrative. Set 30 years after the events of Girls’ Frontline, Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery sees AU Special Agent Mendo forced to team up with the enigmatic “Bakery Girl” Jefuty to survive a mission gone awry. Can the two make it through hellish battlefields containing gruesome secrets?

I admit that I don’t know much about the games that preceded it, but Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery has an interesting-albeit-dark premise and eye-catching visuals. Combat seems very much in the vein of classic SRPG titles with a variety of challenges for players to strategically overcome in its impressive-sounding 60-plus-stage campaign. Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery might very well be a game SRPG enthusiasts both returning and new to the series could sink their teeth into when it releases on Windows this week!

by Audra Bowling

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Dragon’s Dogma 2 – March 22nd (PS5, XSX, Windows)

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a game that some of us never saw coming.

Despite the original Dragon’s Dogma appearing in our feature on the 25 best PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 RPGs two years ago (and four months after Dragon’s Dogma 2 was announced), a ho-hum story and mixed critical reception led to raised eyebrows when Capcom revealed that the aforementioned sequel was in development.

Fast forward to the present day and Scott Clay’s recent hands-on preview has those same eyebrows cocked as if we can, indeed, smell what The Rock is cooking. In Scott’s words, Dragon’s Dogma 2 has the “foundation to be one of the best open-world RPGs released thus far.” His justification?

I got so sidetracked just exploring [the open-world] that I was way past my target location before I knew it. I had already fought a griffon, a giant beast I pushed into a river, and a dragon that appeared out of nowhere and almost leveled me. I haven’t felt that much wanderlust since Breath of the Wild. And that’s how Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s exploration is best described: Breath of the Wild without the ability to climb vertically wherever you wish.

The last time Scott was this excited was several weeks ago when he was previewing Unicorn Overlord—which is amazing by the way—so count me among the early fans of Dragon’s Dogma 2 and one who is eagerly anticipating its reception later this week.

by Kyle Cantelon

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The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered – March 22nd (PS5, PS4, Switch, Windows)

The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered is a remaster of a 2015 Nintendo 3DS game. It’s a traditional turn-based 3D JRPG that takes strong influence from the SaGa series in its systems and game design, even having former SaGa series composer Masashi Hamauzu compose its OST.

Former RPGFan reviewer and now big-time localizer Derek Heemsbergen found things to enjoy in his review of the original game, although he ultimately found it “opaque” and “frustratingly esoteric”, likely suitable for only a particular audience with a high tolerance for challenge and a lack of handholding.

The HD Remastered version promises improved graphics, battle system advancements, and a revamped sound design, but very little has been revealed about any significant, and sorely necessary, quality-of-life improvements. Will this repackaging be enough to find a wider and more receptive audience, or will it be another resounding “meh”? For the sake of crunchy, challenging RPGs of the future, I hope it’s the former, but my gut says it will be the latter.

by Claton Stevenson

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Rise of the Ronin – March 22nd (PS5)

Rise of the Ronin, the newest game from Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja, releases on March 22nd. This PlayStation 5 exclusive is an open-world action RPG set in 19th-century Japan. The game looks to feature a balanced mix of an interesting story shaped by player decisions, open-world exploration, and challenging combat. The game also features an upgrade system for skills and gear (including a transmog system) and the option to recruit companions during the journey.

Personally, I get strong Assassin’s Creed vibes from the gameplay. Mix in tough combat and stealth elements akin to Team Ninja’s own Nioh, and you have what appear to be the makings of a fun and engaging experience. I would not be surprised if by year’s end, we are talking about Rise of the Ronin as one of 2024’s surprise sleeper hits.

by Jimmy Turner

Also Coming This Week

Similar to their Across The Worlds ~ Chrono Cross Piano Collection, the Xenosaga piano album will be recorded on a Steinway D Grand Piano and be available in digital, CD and vinyl LP record format. While the album covers select songs from the game’s original soundtrack, more will be added as stretch goals are met. The base track list is as follows:

1. Prologue
2. Shion -Kako no Koku-
3. Fuan
4. Life or Death
5. Gnosis
6. Kanashimi
7. Kokoro o Tozashita Shōjo
8. Kookai Foundation
9. Nephilim
10. Nukumori
11. World to be Born
12. Albedo
13. Kyomu no Hamabe
14. Last Battle
15. Pain
16. Kokoro

Stretch goals will unlock a bonus track described as a “massive piano medley arrangement,” “Battle Suite (piano solo).” A further stretch goal will add “Jazz’in Kosmos,” a brand-new jazz mini-album to be performed by the Endgegner Jazz Band that will cover these songs:

1. Opening
2. Nichijō
3. Battle Suite
4. U.M.N. Mode
5. Nukumori
6. Relief
7. Last Battle
8. Omoide ~ Kokoro

If you are a super fan, one of the Kickstarter rewards includes a music box that plays one of Xenosaga Episode I‘s ending themes, “Kokoro,” for the price of €450 (roughly $490 USD). Other backer rewards include a piano score book of the album, two illustrations by Kiyoshi Arai, the Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht original soundtrack (Mitsuda’s own 2004 release with re-recorded audio), and more. Check out the rewards on the Kickstarter page for all of your choices, though we also have images of these items and more right here:

Across the Kosmos ~ Xenosaga Piano Collection is expected to ship sometime during Q4 2024, though the Kickstarter notes that the music box and vinyl records might take longer due to production processes. Beyond those mentioned above, further stretch goals include Dolby Atmos quality recording and a concert in France with a recording sent to backers.

Xenosaga Episode I launched in Japan on February 28th, 2002, and in North America on February 25th, 2003. As a fan, I am super excited to see the series get more recognition these days. With the success of this album, fingers crossed Bandai Namco will re-assess their market analysis for a Xenosaga remaster. Stay tuned to RPGFan as we learn more!

Another Crusade begins rather abruptly, with protagonist Rai Reysend sitting by himself on a hilltop at night. Suddenly, a shower of brightly colored meteors rain down from the sky, with a bright red one landing at his feet. All across the world, large domes of brightly colored light have imprisoned the various towns and villages, and monsters are attacking in droves. Rai sets out to discover what’s causing the calamity and protect his home from the monster attacks. It’s a very cliche setup, and although the game does delve into the mystery behind this occurrence in the journey’s later hours, most of the game feels like a contrived hunt for magical McGuffins without much motivation. 

As he frees the various towns and villages across the land from their magical imprisonment, Rai meets up with various companions who join the party. They mostly fit into the typical RPG stereotypes, like Niro the mage and Varenna the alchemist, though the final two party members (a Castlevania-inspired demon hunter named Vincent and the Dragon King Zhion) are more interesting both in concept and due to their relationship to Rai and his organization, the Light Order. Unlike Super Mario RPG, the companions lack personality. Rai is a silent protagonist and has limited interaction with the other party members, and conversations between the cast are sparse, giving them little time to develop as characters.

To the game’s detriment, the most talkative party member is Niro, who is frequently employed in ham-handed attempts at comic relief. He has a habit of engaging in fourth-wall-breaking humor that falls flat. Most of the jokes poke fun at standard RPG cliches, but it’s hard to find the humor in them when the game does very little to immerse you in its world or endear you to the characters beforehand. I’m fine with humor in games, but because the premise is so bog-standard and the game’s tone barely takes itself seriously, most of the time I was left wondering why I should care about what was happening in the narrative.

Thankfully, Another Crusade does have quite a few positives in its favor. The low-poly, wooden puppet aesthetic of the characters and enemies is distinct and charming, and the animations feel appropriately jerky and stilted, as if being manipulated on invisible strings. These labored animations also make it easier to understand the timing for the action commands in combat, which are executed nearly flawlessly. The action commands adhere closely to the template set by Super Mario RPG, with a button press at the right time during the attack dealing increased damage and a perfectly timed block avoiding damage from enemies. Damage from enemies is high if you fail to block, and special skills require precise inputs and timing to pull off successfully. Each character has a wide variety of support and offensive skills, all with unique action commands that may require rotating the stick, mashing a button quickly, or inputting a series of button prompts within a short window. Overall it’s a satisfying evolution of the combat system introduced in Super Mario RPG, just tuned to be significantly more challenging to heighten the sense of risk and reward in battles. 

One significant alteration Another Crusade makes to the formula is the SP system. Each character has a certain number of SP gems, and activating skills will drain these gems, while physical attacks against enemies will slowly refill them. The additional layer of resource management is a good idea on paper, but magic users have such weak physical attacks that it’s more advantageous to spend a turn fully restoring their SP with an item rather than attacking repeatedly. Since using an item carries no chance of failure, this method bypasses the risk/reward of the action commands and causes the SP system to feel slightly sloppy.

On the other hand, Another Crusade carries over the isometric platforming from Super Mario RPG to a frustrating effect. Jumping feels stiff, and the dungeons include long platforming gauntlets where you need to jump across many excruciatingly small platforms in quick succession with no checkpoints far too often. It made sense to have platforming sections in Super Mario RPG since that game was an RPG adaptation of a platformer series, but they make little sense in the world of Another Crusade and only serve to aggravate the player and pad the game’s length. The dungeon design can be a tad too labyrinthine at times, but I appreciated some of the dungeon puzzle designs that broke up the monotony of repeated enemy encounters quite nicely. 

The character progression mechanics are satisfying, as you can assign bonus points to a range of stats upon level-up, tailoring the characters to specific roles. Another Crusade rewards thorough exploration by chests filled with powerful loot, as well as hidden crystals that permanently increase characters’ stats. One nice touch is that weapons appear on the character model, and each weapon has unique animations and timings for its action commands, ensuring that executing basic attacks stays varied throughout the game and new weapons feel valuable every time you find one. 

I came away from Another Crusade with the impression that the developers fundamentally misunderstood what makes Super Mario RPG such an enjoyable game. The action commands and platforming sections arose out of a desire to convey the feeling of playing Mario within the genre conventions of an RPG, and the story and characters are a clever subversion of the familiar Mushroom Kingdom. Creating a battle system that required precise timing was so revolutionary because it felt like playing a Mario game, and fighting alongside Bowser in your party was so mind-blowing because it was something Nintendo would never have done on their own.

When divorced from that context, the mechanics of Super Mario RPG just aren’t engaging enough on their own to carry an entire game. If Another Crusade had the creative worldbuilding and lovable characters of a game like Bug Fables, it could get away with copying familiar gameplay mechanics. Unfortunately, Another Crusade‘s world is bland and the characters don’t have enough time to shine amidst all the hackneyed attempts at humor that undercut any opportunity for narrative intrigue or personal pathos. There is a solid foundation here to build a truly great RPG, but Another Crusade fails to realize that potential.

Individually, each track is a better listen with the treatment by ROZEN. “Life at Garreg Mach Monastery” is one of the finest examples, bringing the monastery grounds to life as never before. The original is a very easy listen, and you need to get used to it because it’s all you hear when wandering the grounds between missions. ROZEN’s version adds vigor with playful instrumentation and excellent dynamics, giving the piece more momentum. It starts soft after the telltale bells, signifying a new day dawning. The flute and other woodwinds then become the star of the show, joining in as the monastery is abuzz with activity while you explore each nook and cranny. He also weaves in the main theme’s motif rather elegantly around the two-minute mark in a rousing crescendo as the song shifts into wrapping up the day. It feels like a delicate shift into sundown, and around two and a half minutes in, he also tosses in the other significant Three Houses motif heard in other tracks, like “Unfulfilled” or “The Edge of Dawn,” connecting this piece with the rest of the story the soundtrack tells. Altogether, this vision of a day in Garreg Mach Monastery is a richer, fuller experience to absorb.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses has some stirring battle themes, but once you’ve heard “Fódlan Winds” ten times, well, you’ll hear it ten times more. More poignant battles are backed by “Tearing Through Heaven,” “Chasing Daybreak,” and “Between Heaven and Earth,” which ROZEN has brought, well, more to with his treatment. Whether adding stirring vocals to accentuate the tension or bringing an edge with more electronic sounds, drums, and bass, they offer a rousing listening experience where the original renditions would falter without the accompanying gameplay.

Speaking of lovely vocals, “The Edge of Dawn” is a beautiful way to close out the album. REVEN’s vocals are powerful on this track, arranged with all the suitable drama of a pop ballad. The piano interludes lend an introspective tone to the piece, and the rise and fall of the Sofia Session Orchestra’s string section strikes the cockles of the heart. The whole piece embodies the album’s title, Crest of Flames, stirring a fire in the listener before closing with another moment of quiet reflection that is simultaneously comforting and haunting in its instrumentation.

ROZEN and REVEN know how to take an existing work and elevate it. As enjoyable as the soundtrack for Fire Emblem: Three Houses is, it can’t help but sound hollow after listening to this album. For a game of its magnitude, the soundtrack had a lot of potential and fell a bit short of making an impact. Luckily, you can hear what could have been with this loving tribute to a great game. Crest of Flames stays true enough to its source material to be recognizable, but paints a richer tapestry of the drama the unfolds at the Officer’s Academy with arrangements and performances that add some necessary and welcome dynamic shifts for listeners to truly enjoy.

Ichiban Kasuga returns in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku 8 in Japanese), teaming up with former Like a Dragon protagonist Kazuma Kiryu in a wild turn-based open-world RPG set in both Japan and Hawaii. Four RPGFan staff, all of whom highly anticipated Infinite Wealth prior to its release in January, are ready to bring all of their thoughts and feelings into the Sujimon Arena, from the worst marriage proposal of all time to our heroes trading final battles. No need to hold back – step forward if you want to listen!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Jonathan Logan, Tin Manuel; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

Listen and subscribe where you please, and leave a rating if you can! Email us your feedback: retro@rpgfan.com

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The announcements didn’t end there though; we also learned about a play-mode addition players may have wanted but not expected: three-player local co-op.

Dubbed “Single Player+”, this mode allows for three players to journey together in Sea of Stars. Staying true to the game’s turn-based roots, each player will engage in traversal and combat with a new “co-op timed hits” mechanic as they embark with friends on Sea of Stars’ grand adventure. The new mode is currently in development and more details are set to be released soon. 

A short video (below) shows how individual characters control when traversing the world of Sea of Stars in Single Player+. Players can break off from the usual course to explore and collect resources efficiently.

Having just finished—and thoroughly enjoyed—Sea of Stars last week, I’m intrigued to see how this mode will feel compared to the main game. I plan to try it out with my sons when possible, likely after a bit of basic RPG training with something like Super Mario RPG.

Expectant fans are still awaiting a May 2024 physical release, as well as the promised DLC “Throes of The Watchmaker”, which Sabotage Studio confirmed in November 2023 has “officially graduated from pre-production.”

Sources: Gematsu, Sabotage Studio

Introduction to Frosthaven

Frosthaven takes place in a barren—mostly cold—landscape untamed by man. Or woman. Or rock person. Or sentient cluster of shared-mind insects in the shape of a sapien. Gloomhaven’s not the safest place in the world, either, but it’s a sanctuary compared to the village of Frosthaven. Here, your heroes— adventurers, explorers, mercenaries, whatever your character card calls you—assist the settlers with building and improving upon Frosthaven while going out on the road in search of treasure or to satisfy your character’s personal quest. While initially linear, Frosthaven soon moves in several directions as players decide who to support, how to support them, or to go off and do something else entirely. The story unfolds as players see fit, when they see fit.

Generally, players engage in a rhythmic formula of gameplay, procedurally-speaking. Players start in an outpost phase at Frosthaven where they use Frosthaven’s buildings, purchase or craft items, level up their characters if able, and engage in general maintenance what-not. Then they go out to complete whatever scenario they’ve agreed to tackle, read a script, and set up the board with monsters for the coming conflict. After the battle’s won (or lost), players return to Frosthaven for another outpost phase and repeat forever until the game’s somehow run out of content hundreds of hours later.

The core of the game lies in the scenarios. Each scenario usually lasts players a couple hours, at least, which may vary depending on the number of players. One to four players can conquer the tundra, but I reckon three players is the sweet spot. Most of the gameplay involves cooperative deliberation, making tough tactical decisions, making sure you’re following the scenario’s rules properly, and shuffling cards. Lots and lots of card shuffling here, folks. Players get a lay of the land right away for each scenario but only get to see the first room, with the rest of the map lying in secret behind closed doors. In a hex-grid, player standees fight enemy standees. Pew pew, crush, oof, ow, and all that.

Frosthaven‘s cards are its lifeblood. Each card’s anatomy, or its layout, breathes life and unique tactical decisions during each round of combat and exploration. Players play two cards on their turn of a limited deck that only improves with eventual level-ups between a few scenarios. Of the two cards, players decide on a top half and a bottom half, and never two of the same. Top halves are typically attacks, while the bottom half is typically movement abilities, though every single card for every class is different, either slightly or magnificently. For instance, a top half might be a three-damage attack that infuses an element for later bonuses, while the bottom half may offer a move four and grant one shield from all attacks this round. Other cards might not grant attacks or movement at all but rather a permanent buff for that scenario. Cards may also trash—not to be recovered after shuffling the discard—yet offer a powerful ability, attack, or movement (think five damage, stun, and heal two self all in one go).

Since characters pass out over time, resource management in terms of cardplay is critical and how the vast majority of scenarios play out in Frosthaven. Players trash a card every time they rest after depleting their ten- to twelve-card deck, which means each series of plays between card shuffles gets shorter and shorter until players either run out of cards or lose all of their health. No dilly-dally allowed here. Kill the baddies efficiently, get from point A to point B, and grab that precious—sometimes optional—loot.

Enemies get a turn, as well, and the initiative number on player and enemy cards determines the order of play. When players simultaneously reveal their two cards, each enemy type flips a card from that unique enemy type’s deck. For instance, all frost imps may do a move, ranged three attack, and curse, while all polar bears may hibernate, shielding and healing themselves. Next turn, those same imps may heal allies in range three while the polar bear stands in place to do a more powerful attack that bleeds players.

Unlike Gloomhaven, almost all Frosthaven scenarios (and there are over a hundred of them) offer a unique premise and objective. The simplest scenarios require players to kill all enemies and reach the end of a tunnel, while more complicated scenarios may require players to pick up blast charges, attach them to pillars, and fight a mini-boss at the end of a cave. In addition to unique objectives, players may have to ride boats to navigate water, run from a rolling boulder, or engage in a purely fictitious, just-for-fun drunken tale that breaks from the game’s formula entirely. This is probably the single greatest upgrade from Gloomhaven, which, while a ten-out-of-ten experience, tended to feel samey with cookie-cutter scenario design.

Another significant addition for Frosthaven is the return trips to Frosthaven upon each scenario completion or defeat. Players engage in a procedural series of duties in Frosthaven, including reading a random encounter card that leads to a binary decision for the betterment of Frosthaven, spending money for crafting materials, crafting equipment, brewing potions, buying equipment, upgrading buildings, and leveling up or retiring characters. The sense of progression this offers makes Frosthaven feel like an outpost players are nurturing and helping to build, but it also feels like a bit of a time-sink and bookkeeping when sometimes players may rather be thumping sea creatures on the head.

Frosthaven is an investment and may be for the time-rich only. Don’t expect to just pick up and play this game. This is a commitment. To make the most of your time, you either need to spend an entire day playing with a friend or two to complete three or four scenarios or leave it set up in a spare room. Taking the entire game out of its gargantuan box to put it away again after one scenario feels like a poor use of time, but to each their own. That said, while Frosthaven will demand your time, you are certainly getting what you pay for, as this game currently retails for about $200 USD. There’s a lot of game here, so don’t worry about getting your money’s worth, but let’s get to that: impressions.

Frosthaven Impressions

I’ve given a general and basic overview of what this game entails, but is it any good? As you might have picked up on, this is one of my favorite games of all time, whether video game or board game. The exquisite design of each scenario—and they’re not all balanced—makes most scenarios feel like a gripping race for time. Expect to hear someone halfway through a scenario say, “Guys, I’m running out of cards.” “What do you mean you’re running out of cards? We still haven’t gotten to the last room.” “I mean I’m running out of cards. We gotta wrap this up. We probably can’t kill everything in this room since we have to move on.” “Okay, but they’re just going to chase us and beat on us all the way to the end.” “I’ll put down some traps to force them into a slow path forward and heal you guys from the rear. Let’s just get to the next room and see what’s up.”

Because of the variable nature of each scenario and crisp design, every scenario feels like a unique challenge despite using the exact same engine. At its core, Frosthaven is about moving on a hex-based grid and killing different kinds of enemies, but the layout, hazards, unique rules and setbacks, and painstakingly designed characters and enemies make every situation feel novel and fraught with peril. When players overcome a difficult round or situation, the momentous feeling of success will bring a smile and sense of satisfaction rarely found in any tactical game.

This isn’t just an elegantly designed combat game, either. Gloomhaven faltered on its storytelling and clarity in quest progression, but that has been overhauled and laid out clearly in Frosthaven. Each path players can take in whatever series of quests they want is made clear with a punch-out board and stickers that get affixed to the map. Yes, this is a “legacy” game or a game that’s meant to be drawn on, torn up, and stickered. For those accustomed to most other board games, this can feel sinful, but it has its own sense of delight.

Players shouldn’t fuss too much over the rules. At the outset, Frosthaven is rules-heavy, specifically with regard to enemy movement and targeting. Don’t forget that this is your game and your experience, and it’s nearly impossible to get all of the rules right all of the time. With so much to keep track of in the right order, oversights are going to happen. Play on! Was it gripping? Did you have fun? Did you make memories? All’s well, I say.

Like its forebearer, Frosthaven is a game that’s undeniably well-designed and thoughtful. While it may not be every person’s cuppa, our readers at RPGFan who err towards the complex and strategy RPG titles will undoubtedly fall in love with what Isaac Childers and his team have concocted. My only question is: where does he go from here when it seems like he’s completely milked this design for all its worth in Gloomhaven and Frosthaven?

Many reading this know by now, but if you have somehow missed it: Akira Toriyama, beloved artist and creator of the Dragon Ball series, passed away last week at the age of 68. Per the official Dragon Ball Twitter/X account:

We realize that writing about Akira Toriyama’s passing a week after the news might be seen as untimely. The truth is, it took many fans the bulk of the weekend to process the shock and sadness. Behind closed doors at RPGFan was an outpouring of sharing our favourite works, projects, and our introductions to his art style.

Not surprisingly, how and when we discovered Toriyama’s work varies about as widely as the colour of the aforementioned legendary energy attack.

For big time manga fans, he’s a giant of the industry, full stop. The Dragon Ball series has sold more than 260 million copies worldwide and, in 2022, reached new heights as it was developed into a large-scale movie with a complete English voice cast. In the US, Dragon Ball is so big (and the news of Toriyama’s death so hard) that, one Japanese website noted the topic “temporarily surpassed President Biden’s State of the Union address” in trend rankings on Twitter/X.

Those of us that didn’t discover him via manga did so via his influence in the video game industry, where he also possesses titan status. Chrono Trigger and various Dragon Quest games dot internet lists of “greatest JRPGs” or “classic RPGs for modern kids“. On the other hand, it was us classic kids who saw Toriyama’s work as beautifully modern during the Famicom, Super Nintendo, and PlayStation days.

In some ways I am envious of those that have yet to even discover Akira Toriyama. Imagine the wonder of your own kids, or a version of your teenage self out there, stumbling upon a Super Saiyan Goku for the first time. Siblings, cousins, neighbours, and friends of all kinds will be running around the park or playground with sticks for swords, slaying countless slimes and running into the nearest church to confess and save their adventure progress. All because someone introduced them to Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. Don’t even get me started on the impact games like Sand Land or Dragon Quest XII: Flames of Fate could have.

For more art samples and tributes to Akira Toriyama, feel free to check out this post that RPGFan staff passed around.

Dealing with loss is never easy, but having a loving community who shares your passions make it a little bit easier. We encourage you to reach out with your favourite memories and “introductions” to Toriyama’s work whenever the time is right for you.

Rest in peace, Akira Toriyama. You really were the true Super Saiyan.

Source: Toei Animation, TBS News Dig, One More Game

The first round of new content is available now. Check the trailer below for more details:

Per ATLUS:

Content in the Expansion Pass will be released throughout 2024, with the first batch of content launching next week:

Persona 5 Royal EX BGM Set and Persona 4 Golden EX BGM Set – March 12, 2024
Velvet Costume & BGM Set – May 2024
Episode Aigis -The Answer- – September 2024

Persona 3 Reload‘s Expansion Pass will run you $34.99 USD. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can access the new content through January 31st, 2025.

If you’re unfamiliar with the base game, our own Aleks Franiczek absolutely loved it. From his review:

Persona 3 Reload offers such a revitalized package for the game that it’s now the defining entry of the series, full stop.

The refined presentation, quality of life upgrades, and mechanical and narrative additions blend perfectly with its thoughtful foundation to offer the most focused and well-paced Persona experience to date.

Developer ATLUS has established a reputation for firing off a steady stream of content from the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series.

Persona 5‘s immense success in 2017 has led to multiple expansions of its universe with Royal (2020), Strikers (2021), and Tactica (2023). Meanwhile, SMT fans recently got their first look at Shin Megami Tensei V‘s “Royal” treatment with the announcement of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance.

Never heard of the Shin Megami Tensei series? We’ve got your primer right here. Still relatively new to the Persona series? We’ve got all your reviews and tidbits on site. Just follow the links above.

Persona 3 Reload is available now for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

For all things RPG, keep it tuned to the main page here at RPGFan.

The 4 Heroes of Light begins like many other RPGs: Brandt, one of our heroes, awakens on his fourteenth birthday and must present himself to the king for his introduction into manhood. He soon discovers that the king’s daughter, Aire, has been kidnapped by an evil witch. He joins fellow heroes Jusqua and Yunita to defeat the witch and save the princess, the fourth hero of light. After that brief story beat, everyone in Horne gets petrified, and our four heroes must set off to find a cure for the curse and unravel the mystery behind it.

While The 4 Heroes of Light is considered a spinoff, it shares so much of its DNA with its inspiration that it feels like a natural continuation of Final Fantasy V. That’s not a complaint: I recently played FFV and enjoyed its characters and job system, which is a boon for me because 4 Heroes of Light uses a similar system but with crowns. These crowns are usually awarded by a crystal (another callback to its progenitor) after you complete a story beat, but you can find some by completing mini-games or challenges.

The 4 Heroes of Light‘s crown and battle mechanics are flexible and allow for a ton of customization and optimization. Much like equipment, each crown also changes the in-game appearance of the character who wears it, which is a nice touch. I like the ranger’s fluffy trapper crown and the black mage’s oversized top hat. Dapper and effective? Yes, please!

Unlike FFV, 4 Heroes of Light‘s crown system relies on gems, not experience. Defeated enemies drop various gems, which you use to upgrade your crowns. Each job has a starting passive ability, like the white mage’s, which reduces the AP cost of white magic. Any character can wear any crown at any time, and upgrading one unlocks battle abilities. These abilities, of which you can equip up to six, include offensive and defensive magic, support moves, and others. Abilities are locked to each crown for each character, although there is a crown that lets you mix and match learned abilities like FFV‘s freelancer. Magic books, which confer spells and can be equipped on anyone regardless of their job, make up most of the game’s magic system.

While the crown system differs from FFV’s, it’s still accessible and familiar. The same cannot be said of 4 Heroes of Light‘s battle system, which uses ability points. Each character can have a maximum of five points, and every command uses a specific number of points. Characters gain one AP every turn and can use the boost command, which also acts as a defense command, to regain extra AP. I’m told the battle system in Bravely Default expands upon 4 Heroes of Light‘s AP system. If that’s true, then sign me up because it works brilliantly.

The boost and AP mechanics create a risk/reward system for every fight. You can burn off all your AP using your most effective moves, but that means entering the next battle with fewer AP. And since developer Matrix Software designed 4 Heroes of Light as an homage to old-school Final Fantasy, it’s hard. Frankly, it’s brutal. It can be system-throwingly frustrating. Enemies, especially bosses, will quickly batter you to death. They often attack multiple times per turn, use devastating multi-target abilities (with various status ailments), and even defend against certain elements. And they have ridiculous amounts of HP.

Surprisingly, the solution is not grinding. Bosses appear to level with you, and grinding offers diminishing returns, especially in the late game. The solution to a troublesome section or boss fight is using crowns and abilities effectively. I often thought of boss fights as puzzles, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been this challenged by an RPG. And despite how frustrating it can be, 4 Heroes of Light is worth playing for this battle system alone. It is turn-based perfection, and I want more of it.

Likewise, the game’s presentation is a sumptuous feast for the eyes and ears. Its cel-shaded, storybook-style presentation is immediately captivating. While it might sometimes look a tad blurry, this style gives the world a distinctly impressionistic feel. There are all kinds of subtle details to enjoy: wind blowing through wheat fields, moonlight drifting through windows, and the gentle flow of shimmering water, for instance.

Unlike many retro or retro-inspired games, every town has its own distinct style, history, culture, and people, and exploring every nook and cranny is a joy. Horne looks like a quaint farming hamlet, while Liberte’s marble-sculpted buildings accentuate its position as the artistic center of the world. It’s fun (and wise) to talk to everyone multiple times and at certain times of the day. You’ll learn valuable tidbits—for instance, gems are also your primary source of gil, which I didn’t realize for far too long. It… pays… to pay attention, especially in retro-inspired games that refuse to hold your hand.

There’s a surprising amount of detail everywhere, and I often stopped playing to take it all in. The creatures are also well designed, straddling that classic Final Fantasy line between “haha” and disturbing. The Cu Sith monster is a flying dog that pees on you to lower your level. Meanwhile, Beelzebub is a revolting, slack-jawed, crown-wearing octopus that’ll squash you with its tentacled body.

I’d be remiss not to praise Naoshi Mizuta’s soundtrack as well. I honestly struggle to choose my favorite melody: the triumphant trumpet-leading opener, the peaceful waltz of Horne, the energetic battle theme, the determined final dungeon theme with its ominous rhythm—it’s all so good. If you’re a fan of Final Fantasy music, you owe it to yourself to check out this soundtrack.

I’ve spent most of my time thus far praising 4 Heroes of Light, and with good reason; however, several head-scratching design choices prevent it from reaching the upper echelon of excellent Final Fantasy games. For starters, you spend the first half of the game switching between party members as they all go their separate ways in service to their own ends. That’d be fine if there were a compelling narrative reason beyond “our heroic youths are rebellious and want to do their own thing.” Constantly splitting up the party, especially at the beginning, makes an already challenging game even more difficult. I can’t tell you how often I died when I only had one character. You can’t acquire a ribbon until much later in the game, and status effects like confusion or sleep will devastate one or two members. I died way more in the early hours than I did in the end.

Once you reach the game’s halfway point, you’ll have all four heroes for the rest of the game. That’s great, except a story event forces you to retread all the locations and dungeons you just played. The dungeons don’t change, but the bosses are new and pack a punch. The dungeons’ designs are… fine. I appreciate that they aren’t giant labyrinths, but nothing is noteworthy about them, either. On the plus side, that makes your return trip through them easier. There are several new dungeons to explore in the late game, but the game wraps up quickly after the backtracking phase.

You also won’t be playing for the narrative, as it’s reminiscent of Final Fantasy III — a classic good versus evil story with few surprises. The bland characterization doesn’t help matters. Each character falls into one archetype (Brandt is selfless but naïve, Aire is selfish, etc.). They learn to be better people through their separate journeys and understand the power of friendship by fighting together. It’s enough to drive you from one destination to the next and nothing more.

There are few side quests or reasons to explore outside the main quest line, which is disappointing. Four towers become accessible in the late game, each with a crown at its peak. These 100-floor towers are an absolute slog. On each randomly generated floor, you fight monsters, open the occasional chest, and search for the stairs. Bosses appear at set intervals, and if you thought the regular bosses were challenging—ha! I made it to floor 60 in the first tower before I gave up. It was a grindy, unfun way to spend my time, and the rewards didn’t seem worth it. I would have loved to play with more crowns, but by the time the towers are accessible, the game is almost over, so what’s the point? I wish these dungeons weren’t randomized and served a narrative purpose.

The game’s final dungeon also pulls a Mega Man and forces you to fight stronger versions of the bosses you just spent all that time backtracking to fight. To say this disappointed me is an understatement. I honestly almost gave up when I realized that I had to fight them all again. It’s frustratingly tedious, and something else happens that makes it even worse, but I’ll save that awful surprise for the uninitiated.

Item management is also a chore. Each character can only hold 15 non-stackable items, including their equipment. Each town has a storage shop for your extra stuff, but you can only access it while in town. The limited inventory means you’ll spend a lot of time shuffling items around to make room for new ones. It’s a serious pain for magic users because magic books are also items. It also makes those sections in the early game worse when you only have a single character.

Oddly enough, 4 Heroes of Light also includes a multiplayer mode. I tried it with my husband for a few hours. When you join a party, one of your characters replaces one of theirs. Your status, job, and equipment carry over. I think you can technically play the entire game together. It’s fun in short bursts, but I question its long-term potential. On the plus side, you earn points for playing together, which you can redeem for potentially overpowered equipment. I snagged a +30 bow that helped me out of multiple snafus.

The host leads the party, but any player who joins (up to four!) explores separately. You can’t leave an area, but you can send your other players to map out a dungeon floor ahead of time. During battles, players control their own characters, which requires coordinating with your team. Unfortunately, since a joining player replaces a character, you can’t play multiplayer when you have a one-character party. Those periods don’t last long, but having a partner join certainly would have alleviated some of the frustration. It’s no Dragon Quest IX, but it’s a fun way to mix up the gameplay, and you get some nice items out of it, too, even if the system is undercooked.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is a natural evolution of classic Final Fantasy. Its sublime battle system, gorgeous art style, and riveting soundtrack will quickly hook any retro RPG fan. And while it can feel unfair sometimes, I couldn’t put it down. And yet, it feels like it could have been so much more. A lackluster story, recycled content, and an oddly small world hamper what could have been a standout RPG experience on a system that’s already full of them. I want a bigger world, a better story, and more opportunities to play with this battle system. Is that what Bravely Default is? I may find out and redeem my credibility someday. Check back in a few years!

On its 20th anniversary, Monster Hunter fans are delighted with new announcements from the second day of Capcom Highlights. The company revealed that Monster Hunter Stories (2024), a remaster of the Nintendo 3DS original, will release on June 14th for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam.

Additionally, 2021’s Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is also slated to launch for PS4 on the same day. Check out the trailers and details below for both turn-based RPGs headed to more platforms.

Monster Hunter Stories (2024) 

The remaster of Monster Hunter Stories will bring full English and Japanese voiceovers, new subtitle languages, a museum mode boasting 200 pieces of concept art and background music, and more. Meanwhile, the visuals will receive HD modeling and texture upgrades. Our 2017 3DS review highlights its fun gameplay as it deviates from the franchise’s standard hunting formula.

Key Features

• Refined Graphics: Originally released on the Nintendo 3DS, players can now experience riding Monsties in stunning detail on larger screens, enhanced with improved modeling, textures, and lighting in high definition.
• Now Fully Voiced: Immerse yourself in the adventure with full Japanese and English voiceovers.
• Additional Language Support: Monster Hunter Stories will have additional language support, newly featuring Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Korean, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, and Arabic.
• Museum mode: Delve deeper into the world of Monster Hunter Stories through the newly added Museum mode, featuring the game’s background music and developer sketches.
• Included Title Updates (TU): Previously only available in Japan, players can now enjoy title updates, unlocking content from TU 1.20 and TU 1.30.

Screenshots

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin debuted for the Switch and PC in 2021. The plot takes place in the same setting and after the events of MH Stories. It’s meant to be a stand-alone title, so players may easily jump to this if they prefer. Our Switch review highly recommends it to RPG players who are also into monster-collecting.

Overview

Set in the expansive and dynamic world of Monster Hunter, players follow the footsteps of their grandfather Red, a legendary Rider, and ride Monsties with Ena, a Wyverian girl who has been entrusted with an egg with the potential to hatch into a Rathalos. This legendary monster holds immense power capable of wreaking havoc if its destructive abilities are unleashed. It’s up to players to test the bonds of friendship with Monsties and discover the hidden truths behind ancient legends.

Screenshots

Pre-order Details

Pre-ordering will grant bonuses for each title: Navirou’s King and Queen outfit for Monster Hunter Stories and Ena’s Kamura Maiden outfit for Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. You can purchase the two games separately or buy them as a bundle. For prices and inclusions, visit the official website.

Stay tuned here at RPGFan for everything Monster Hunter!

In addition, Exophase, a website that tracks achievements and trophies, has now uploaded the PS4 trophy list for Grandia; it appears that there are 37 to gather. 

If you’re like me and skipped the Switch release in 2019, I’m pretty glad it’s coming sooner than expected, as I was eagerly waiting to replay these gems on PlayStation. 

Grandia HD Collection Overview

The highly-anticipated Grandia HD Collection for The highly-anticipated Grandia HD Collection for PlayStation 4 and 5 are here! Get your hands on two games that changed the landscape of RPGs forever, in beautiful HD graphics.

GRANDIA: Dive into the captivating journey of Justin and his allies as they race against the sinister Garlyle Forces. Unravel the mysteries of a forgotten civilization and immerse yourself in an RPG hailed as a timeless classic, inspiring generations of games to come.

GRANDIA II: Step into the shoes of Ryudo, a jaded Geohound with a heart, as he embarks on a magical quest alongside a group of unlikely allies. Their journey is riddled with twists and turns as they seek a divine weapon to save the world. Delve deep into this tale where the line between good and evil blurs, and everything is open to question…

Key Features

• Two Nostalgic Stories: Fans can follow both iconic journeys in the world of GRANDIA with various upgrades once more. Discover what lies beyond the End of the World with the young adventurer Justin in GRANDIA and, eons later, protect the world from eternal darkness with mercenary Ryudo in GRANDIA II. 
• Modernized Visuals: This version of GRANDIA and GRANDIA II includes enhanced UI, sprites, and texture art that brings the iconic look of the retro classics to contemporary standards, including widescreen support and visually enhanced original cinematics. 
• Classic Old-School Combat: The GRANDIA series features classic RPG combat, with physical attacks and elemental spells in a battle system that combines real-time and turn-based mechanics. The addition of Hard Mode gives players a memorable challenge as they explore the world of GRANDIA II. 
• Language Support: The GRANDIA HD Collection includes Japanese and English audio options, as well as language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified and traditional). 

Grandia HD Screenshots

Grandia II HD Screenshots

Grandia HD Collection makes its way to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One on March 26th. Our review of the Switch version is a good way to weigh its pros and cons and determine whether this port is a good opportunity to relive these classics. Stay tuned here at RPGFan for more announcements from your favorite RPGs making returns!

Check out the gameplay reveal trailer from the Xbox Partner Preview stream below:

The trailer not only showcases the cartoony art style Dungeon Fighter Online is known for but also shows the intense battles Khazan must go through to seek revenge for those who framed him for treason. Khazan uses his devastating burst attacks to fight across areas such as the Embars region and against the boss “Viper.”

Read more about The First Berserker: Khazan via the game’s Steam page:

Khazan and Ozma, the heroes who saved the Pell Los Empire from Hismar the Berserk Dragon and the Dragon Legion. However, General Khazan, falsely accused of treason, becomes a wretched outcast as he is condemned to exile beyond the empire through brutal torture.

YOU MUST PREVAIL
Survive the relentless pursuit of imperial forces, navigate conspiracies aimed at killing Khazan, and overcome the harsh environments you encounter.

YOU MUST REMEMBER
You were once a hero in the history of Arad, a once-in-a-lifetime figure. Recall the forgotten skills of battle learned through brutal torture and slay the enemies who defame and stand against you.

YOU MUST RECLAIM
Find all potential enemies, reclaim everything that was taken from you, seek revenge, and regain the honor and glory that rightfully belong to you.

Story
The First Berserker: Khazan is a game that adapts the universe of DNF (one of Nexon’s globally known intellectual properties), dealing with the story of Ozma and Khazan. The player will become the hero “Khazan,” the ancestor of all Slayers and the one who defeated Hismar the Berserk Dragon, proceeding to uncover the truth of his downfall within the empire.

Action
The First Berserker: Khazan is a hardcore action role-playing game. Experience DNF’s frantic hack and slash style mixed with hardcore action as Khazan’s devastating battles await you.

Growth
The First Berserker: Khazan is an RPG with various equipment and perks to customize your own way of growth. Play as the protagonist “Khazan,” upgrading not only character abilities but also combining different types of weapon and armor abilities to match your playstyle.

The First Berserker: Khazan Screenshots

The First Berserker: Khazan will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. With over 850 million users worldwide, Dungeon Fighter Online has the potential for more games set in its world. You can check out our original review for Dungeon Fighter Online to see how we felt about the hit game. Stay tuned to RPGFan as we learn more about Khazan!

Source: Gematsu

Prepare for adventure in the Xbox Series release date trailer below:

Xbox players with Game Pass Ultimate membership will have access to the Final Fantasy XIV Starter Edition. However, it will only be claimable between March 21st and April 19th. If you are an existing player from a different platform using the free trial, you will not be able to take part in the Xbox Series open beta. Square Enix recommends waiting for the full game release on March 21st before linking your Square Enix account to your Xbox account.

Final Fantasy XIV is available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and macOS. It’s no surprise that we are big fans of the MMORPG here at RPGFan, especially with the latest expansion, Dawntrail, being one of our most anticipated games of 2024. Stay tuned to RPGFan for everything Final Fantasy XIV!

Source: Gematsu

Featuring: Mike Salbato, Michael Sollosi, Patrick Gann, Wes Iliff; Edited by Paul Dennis

Tracklist

0:06:23 – Reminiscence (Miki Higashino) – Suikoden II
0:08:11 – Dream of the Shore Bordering Another World (Yasunori Mitsuda) – Chrono Cross
0:31:30 – City of Bells (Ken Nakagawa) – Atelier Iris ~Eternal Mana~
0:33:32 – Caravan Crossroad (Kumi Tanioka) – Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
0:57:24 – Autumn’s Rise (Deniz Akbulut) – CrossCode
1:00:14 – Garland Office (Yoshitaka Hirota) – Shadow Hearts: From the New World
1:16:50 – Unary Game (Shinji Hosoe) – 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
1:19:04 – Pledge of Demon (Hidenori Shoji) – Yakuza 0
1:51:57 – Sollosi’s Bonus Track!

Album Links

[999]: Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors Soundtrack

• Our Review
• VGMdb
• YouTube Playlist (Unofficial)

Atelier Iris Eternal Mana Original Soundtrack

• Our Review
• VGMdb
• iTunes Store / Apple Music: Disc 1, Disc 2
• YouTube Playlist (Unofficial)

Chrono Cross Original Soundtrack

• Our Review
• VGMdb
• iTunes Store / Apple Music
• Spotify
• YouTube (Official Playlist)

CrossCode Original Soundtrack

• VGMdb
• Bandcamp
• iTunes Store / Apple Music
• Spotify

Genso Suikoden II Original Game Soundtrack Complete Box

• Our Review
• VGMdb

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Original Soundtrack

• Our Review
• VGMdb
• iTunes Store / Apple Music (Remastered Edition only)
• YouTube Playlist (Unofficial)

Shadow Hearts: From the New World Original Soundtracks

• Our Review
• VGMdb
• CDJapan

Yakuza 0 Original Soundtrack (Side A)

• VGMdb
• iTunes Store / Apple Music
• Spotify

Listen and subscribe where you please, and leave a rating if you can! Email us your feedback: music@rpgfan.com

More: Overcast | Pocket Casts | Castro | Podbean | Podcast Addict | Player FM | View all Rhythm Encounter posts

Bandle Tale‘s pixel art visuals look stunning in still screens and in motion. The delightful Yordles and their vibrant world feature lush, vivid colors and tons of smooth animations. There aren’t many locations, but each one is unique-looking and packed full of details. Bandle Tale‘s setting encourages you to stop, smell the roses, and allow each location’s vibe to envelop you. The graphics are easily Bandle Tale‘s crowning feature.

The whimsical yet complex music is good but doesn’t quite match Bandle Tale’s visual splendor. While the compositions are reasonably engaging to listen to without getting too repetitive, there aren’t enough of them. I would have liked a distinct title screen theme and greater number of unique location themes, to give a couple of examples. More compositions would have added variety to the soundtrack.

Bandle Tale puts you in the role of a curious Yordle (whose appearance you customize) that just finished a century-long knitting apprenticeship in Yarnville, one of Bandle City’s outer islands. You want to celebrate by attending a massive party happening in Bandle City’s hub, but your stodgy mentor Gramps forbids it. Not to worry, because your clever friend Clover sneaks the two of you out of Yarnville and into the party. Once at the party, you help the host, Ozzy, with some last-minute preparations for the party’s grand finale. Unfortunately, it goes awry and a massive explosion destabilizes and obliterates the transport portals, leaving many Yordles high and dry. To make things worse, the unstable portal claims Ozzy and Clover. The quest to restore the portals and save your friends through the power of knitting is afoot.

Despite the dire situation, Bandle Tale lacks any sense of urgency to drive it. The world is in chaos and your friends are missing, yet the overall vibe is laid-back. Perhaps too laid-back. That mismatch between a desperate save-the-world plot and the overly relaxed slice-of-life storytelling jarred me. There were some cute, if shallow, plotlines, but those felt more like disjointed vignettes than a fully cohesive story. Brief storytelling snippets only occur between lengthy periods of play, so those expecting a compelling narrative could be disappointed. 

Bandle Tale features no combat, as the game’s premise is that a fractured world is stitched together by a newly anointed knitter. The focus is on crafting, so the gameplay revolves around gathering raw materials, refining them, and transforming them into objects and resources to cultivate land, rebuild communities, and reconnect the world through various crafting quests. It’s helpful to adopt a point-and-click mindset rather than an RPG one for Bandle Tale.

Yordles’ emotional bonds with others fuel the magic used to connect the islands of Bandle City, so a large part of physically connecting the world is bringing communities together via pop-up food stands, parties, and other events. Yordles love to party, so Bandle Tale’s goal is to throw the most epic party in all of Yordle history to generate enough positive emotional energy to fully restore the broken portal system.  

Bandle Tale plays best in small doses rather than marathon sessions since its gameplay gets repetitive, and progression often drags over its lengthy 40+ hour course. When elements fell into place and I got into a good rhythm, Bandle Tale was decently fun. Unfortunately, those moments were few and far between. Doing various tasks or unlocking the prerequisite skills to do so often took longer than necessary. I sometimes invested points into skills I thought were cool but were not needed to progress, so I frequently got stuck. I knew what I needed to do to get unstuck, but unlocking the “right” skills and earning skill points to allocate were tedious grinds. It didn’t help that additional gameplay systems stacked on top of each other throughout the game, making otherwise straightforward crafting tasks needlessly convoluted. That said, diligent players willing to invest time into learning the systems well enough to exploit them can find workarounds.

I played using a gamepad, and the control scheme worked fine for me. I needed to learn the interface and get used to the controls, but once I got my sea legs, I fell into a decent groove. Ironically, I found the mouse and keyboard controls more awkward than gamepad controls when, upon first glance, Bandle Tale seems like it would function better with a mouse and keyboard scheme. Unfortunately, there is no way to change the button mapping.

The menu interface could use some refinement as well. For example, equipment, items, and raw materials all exist in the same inventory. Separate categories would have kept the inventory more organized. A quick way to switch between the various multi-tools you can equip for material gathering would have been nice too. While I’m at it, multi-tools that don’t break would have been great because breaking a multi-tool while gathering materials and then having to make a new one is not fun.    

Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story has lovely visuals and some solid ideas, but felt like an overlong rough draft in need of editing before going to print. I needed to call upon all my patience and perseverance to get through Bandle Tale. There were even times when I had to step away from the game for a night or two and return to it with a fresh mind. Spurts of fun were flanked by lengthy stretches that dragged, making playtime feel artificially padded. If Bandle Tale were shorter and more tightly focused, it would have been a more pleasurable experience with fewer lulls and more cohesive storytelling. Bandle Tale may not be perfect, but Bandle City and the Yordles are a wellspring of good multimedia material, so I hope to see more Yordle-centered League of Legends material in the future.

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Death Trick: Double Blind – March 12th (Switch, Windows, macOS)

Need a mystery game heavy on the intrigue? Death Trick: Double Blind may hit just the spot. It’s a point-and-click adventure game where you play as two individuals—a magician and a detective—trying to figure out who killed a traveling circus’ top performer (who also happens to be a magician). The art style is reminiscent of classic circus fliers, and I especially dig the central conceit that you have limited time to search for clues daily, and you have the freedom to question whomever you want or investigate wherever you want. That mechanic alone gives Death Trick stakes that a more linear adventure game might lack.

To get it out of the way… yes, it’s giving Case 2-3 vibes, but superficially. I have a feeling Death Trick will be far superior to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All‘s infamous middle chapter, which also happens to be set in a circus.

PC players (it’s available via Steam) can get it on March 12th, two days earlier than Nintendo Switch players.

by Gio Castillo

Also Coming This Week

Vanillaware announcing any new game is exciting. The first moments of the Unicorn Overlord reveal trailer made me wonder what type of game they were announcing. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim was a success; it would make sense to make another story-driven game with branching paths. Vanillaware is also well-known for action RPGs, and it’s been a while since they developed a new one—surely it was time.

The moment passed, and all my expectations lay in ruin as the trailer revealed a strategy game in which you command squadrons of characters on a real-time battlefield, engaging in turn-based battles with enemy squadrons. I could not believe what I was seeing. Vanillaware defied all logic and did something no one had ever done—they built the spiritual successor to one of my favorite games of all time, Ogre Battle.

I discovered Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber as an RPG fan playing exclusively on a console famous for not having RPGs. I spent hundreds of hours experimenting with different armies and exploring how the story changes according to my actions; I always have an Ogre Battle 64 file ready to play. After all, there has never been another game like it—until now.

Unicorn Overlord begins with the Kingdom of Cornia under attack. Queen Ilenia entrusts the safety of her son, Alain, to her trusted knight, Josef, as she makes a doomed last stand against her former general turned traitor. Josef secretly raises Alain to be a knight, and ten years later Alain leads the Liberation Army into Cornia to reclaim his homeland and all other nations from the clutches of the evil emperor subjugating the entire world of Fevrith. You play as Prince Alain and lead the Liberation Army as you reclaim lost territories one region at a time.

This story probably sounds familiar. Lost royalty, evil empires, and rebel armies are standard in fantasy worlds and tactical RPGs such as Fire Emblem. Thankfully, the story leaves the homage behind after the initial setup and begins charting its own path, but it is slow to start. Some of the early story beats had me rolling my eyes at how dull (or even lazy) the story direction seemed. As I continued liberating additional regions, the story slowly unfolded to reveal more going on than I initially thought, assuaging many of my concerns.

Even so, I enjoyed the smaller local stories more than the main plot. The numerous optional side missions explore local events like famine and plagues, and you learn how the peoples in each region of Fevrith cope with imperial rule. Many side stories introduce the friends and family members of characters fighting in your army, and helping them further adds to the feeling of reclaiming lost territory. The narrative decisions within these guests do not feel as complex as some other tactics games, but they encourage repeat playthroughs to see the different outcomes.

As expected from any Vanillaware game, the story and battles are presented in their signature hand-drawn character art, displayed against beautifully painted backgrounds. Dialogue scenes display simple animations as characters speak and react to the moment, but I noticed the camera would often cut away before big moments requiring unique animations. Presumably, that is because their animating talent was instead put to good use perfecting the battle animations.

The battle scenes are some of the most gorgeously animated I have ever seen. The opening moments demonstrate what to expect from the late game. Watching a full squadron take down enemy counterparts while lightning flashes around you is incredible to watch, and it was exciting to see my fully developed characters in similar scenarios later in the game. The visual designs for characters and classes are distinct and memorable. I was almost more excited to see what a new class looked like than to see what abilities the class would bring to the battlefield.

The game’s opening moments become more memorable through excellent music. The song played at the beginning of the game might also be the best track, which unfortunately sets an expectation that most of the soundtrack cannot match. There are some other standout tracks throughout the game, but the music is mostly inoffensive and serves to make the best tracks stand out more.

Story scenes outside of battle are fully voiced with solid performances across the board. Poor voice direction can weaken stories of war and liberation more easily than other narratives with less weight, and I was pleased that the cast was up to the challenge. Dialogue during battles and on the overworld is not voice-acted. This is a smart decision for most battle situations, but omitting voice acting for the overworld character-to-character “rapport” conversations (this game’s version of Fire Emblem support conversations) makes them feel less important even though they contain much of the individual character development.

Unicorn Overlord excels the most in stage and systems design. Vanillaware has given strategy fans of all skill levels an incredible tool kit that encourages diving deep to find your perfect style, with an abundance of unique opportunities to try out your new strategies in different scenarios. If you are not interested in deep experimentation and just want to see the game, the system designs respect your time by allowing you to ignore the details and automatically optimize your army or adjust the difficulty settings at any time if you choose.

I am certain the team took extra care designing these systems because Unicorn Overlord reintroduces a style of tactics gameplay that is likely brand new to most players. Fans of the Fire Emblem series and other recent tactics games like Triangle Strategy and Tactics Ogre: Reborn will find a lot of shared DNA here, but the character customization options and moment-to-moment gameplay of Unicorn Overlord are very different from familiar grid-based tactics games.

The removal of the grid is the first big difference; characters move freely in any direction. Characters also move in real time instead of instantly moving between positions on the battlefield in a turn-based fashion. Adding real-time strategy elements to mission design makes battles feel very different from grid-based games, but Unicorn Overlord is not a traditional real-time strategy game.

What most sets Unicorn Overlord apart from Fire Emblem and its contemporaries is that you command squadrons of characters, not individual characters, and those squadrons battle enemy squadrons in a traditional turn-based manner—not in real time. This blend of real-time with pause and turn-based strategy is a unique approach that simulates large-scale battles in a way other tactics games cannot. Because you can pause the action, commanding units is never stressful or hectic the way a traditional real-time strategy game can be when battles become difficult.

Most of Unicorn Overlord‘s playtime involves completing quests, which are large battles against enemy squadrons. Exploring a traditional RPG overworld allows you to discover quests. This is a surprising innovation because every strategy RPG I have ever played has some variation of a large map where you select the next mission, consider optional missions, or revisit old areas to complete side quests and buy items. Unicorn Overlord throws out that system entirely and replaces it with a seamless world you can traverse with few limitations. Main quests block some exploration, but you can discover and then run past many side quests to return to them later or complete them in any order.

That said, the overworld is more than a glorified battle-selector. It is full of towns for purchasing items, forts for upgrading your army or hiring new recruits, and hidden secrets and resources to gather. Exploring the areas around each mission is helpful because battles take place on the overworld map exactly where you discover them. Fighting in close quarters around a single town requires a different strategy than a large battlefield where your troops may be marching a long distance. Even quests that did not introduce new mechanics surprised me with combinations of familiar tactics.

The terrain is usually viewable before you begin, but the battles vary further with siege weapons, weather effects, and other stage-specific elements that you won’t be able to prepare for ahead of time. The enemy might have set the area on fire or installed siege weapons in a field of thorns, or the area could be prone to sandstorms or full of geysers. I was regularly surprised by what each stage had to offer, and I enjoyed adjusting my unit formations and general strategies accordingly.

I was initially not thrilled by the inclusion of time limits during each quest. Its inclusion makes sense after learning how all the gameplay systems work together, but I was still concerned until I completed several quests. I was worried that the only viable strategy would be to rush toward the boss as quickly as possible to beat the timer, but thankfully, that was not the case. Unicorn Overlord is real-time with a pause button, so the timer stops while you make a plan, issue commands, or watch a battle. Even so, the existence of a timer at all can cause stress for some players, and I wish they had included an option to remove it on the easiest difficulty.

When your squadron and an enemy squadron meet on the battlefield, a battle begins. Before the fight, you can change your formation, adjust your equipment and skills, and use items. Taking your time to plan ahead is expected because once the battle begins, your input in the outcome is already decided. Battle animations play automatically following the instructions you provided beforehand. Characters take turns using their abilities and a winner is determined based on the remaining HP of each squadron; the loser is knocked back and temporarily stunned on the battlefield.

I find great satisfaction in making a plan, winding it up, and then watching it go. Many of my favorite RPGs use these types of systems that are smart enough to work independently with minimal input. However, this can be a dealbreaker for some players who prefer a more hands-on, in-the-moment approach. Despite this, the game is not an “auto-battler.” You are always in control of what happens. You have simply made those decisions at a different point in the process than you would in a game like Fire Emblem. Vanillaware’s combination of class design, formations, equipment, and skill priorities creates a system with nearly infinite possibilities.

Unicorn Overlord has more than 70 different classes that all feel unique and useful. Even classes I was not especially fond of ended up in my squadrons for unexpected situations where they were the best solution to the problem. The freedom to change your strategies at any moment encourages experimentation and enables unexpected strategies. Changing equipment to activate different skills or changing your formation to adjust attack patterns can turn the tide of a difficult battle.

I cannot overstate how much I enjoy Unicorn Overlord, but it is not a game that everyone will enjoy. Even with accessible difficulty options, there are still several systems to manage. If you enjoy Fire Emblem, make sure you give Unicorn Overlord a chance—try the demo. Personally, I believe this is one of the best strategy games released in a generation. You can play Fire Emblem, Triangle Strategy, and Tactics Ogre, and each one will give you a great strategic experience, but no modern games play like Unicorn Overlord. The experience is unique for everyone who plays it, every time they play it. The replay value of Unicorn Overlord cannot be overstated; there are multiple difficulties, multiple story paths, and more items, characters, and classes than you could ever properly appreciate in a single playthrough. In short, Vanillaware has created the spiritual successor to Ogre Battle and surpassed its inspiration in almost every way.

Dragon Age II had a mixed critical reception back in March of 2011, so we’re giving it a fresh perspective in March of 2024. Today’s Retro Encounter panel makes an exodus to Kirkwall to determine how they feel about DA2’s excellent characters and dialogue juxtaposed with DA2’s one-city setting and rigid timeframe? Listen and find out! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Aleks Franiczek, Wes Iliff; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

Listen and subscribe where you please, and leave a rating if you can! Email us your feedback: retro@rpgfan.com

More: Overcast | Pocket Casts | Castro | Podbean | Podcast Addict | Player FM | View all Retro Encounter posts

The game begins with the customized creation of the player avatar, Captain Witherel, before selecting a class from nine available options. Class choices are rooted in genre staples, including the slow-moving Sentinels, who can absorb immense damage, or Rangers, who can operate more effectively at range, lay traps, and pin down opponents. Each class has a varied ability tree to upgrade as they gain experience and level up. In a more unique twist, they also have abilities that interact with the map during exploration.

From here, the story opens with an illustrated montage: The nation of Iziria seeks to violently occupy the kingdom of Elion and is close to victory. The Izirian use of forbidden Death and Necromancy magic seems to give them an edge, and it becomes the Captain’s mission to hold the Elion line and turn back this tide. The story is nothing spectacular, but it does tell a narrative that goes deeper than geopolitical conflict, and the cosmic revelations towards the latter end offer a different spin on the rural, high-fantasy world it begins in.

To complete this mission, the Captain and up to four followers (who can be recruited throughout the story) explore area maps in real-time, journeying to sites of interest and undertaking main and side quests. Some areas of the map are only accessible to specific classes, so this adds a gentle persuasion to expand your team and try alternative party formations. The followers do have some personality, but it is limited.

Zoria is a brightly defined world at the standard zoom level, but it’s not unique compared to other rural, high-fantasy settings. It contains several biomes: grasslands, ancient keeps, crystal caves and suchlike. Even with incidental details and scenery, they are not inspired nor do they display eye-catching style in the same way as The Iron Oath or Ruined King: A League of Legends Story. Characters and creatures are also painted in lush, primary colors, although their design does not push the boundaries of the genre either: wolves, bandits, and golems are the expected sort of enemy fodder.

Combat smoothly switches to turn-based using a gridless map and two-action economy system. Battles are quick and don’t bother with specific victory conditions or annoying escort or timed missions — it’s all purely a fight to the death. At this point, class abilities are used frequently, as well as characters’ underlying statistics, such as strength or magical attack. Abilities are not flashy or cinematic, and graphical effects are pretty low-key. Magic abilities require mana, while others require Focus gained by using basic attacks and fighting continuous battles. The more the party engages in combat, the more fatigued it becomes, which reduces character stats significantly. Resting at camp reduces fatigue, assuming the party has enough supplies. This means regularly rotating your formation is a key strategy in this aspect too, and even more important considering how valuable supplies become in the other core systems of the game.

There is a unique kink to this approach. As combat initiates from a real-time map with enemies freely moving around, it is simple to lure a single mob member to a quiet corner of the map and pulverize them. Rinse. Repeat. I realized that I could lure over individual enemies for most of the combats in the game, aside from a few set-piece battles if I so desired. But this soon becomes a more thoughtful choice between lots of small, fatigue-draining combats or larger combats luring in more foes. In these battles, where I was trying to save on having to rest too often in order to use supplies and consumables elsewhere, the full range of character abilities came into play and the game felt most tactical.

Looting, upgrading, and crafting items is another central system in Zoria. A massive array of options should appeal to those who love working a good stat boost. In some ways, it’s almost too much. The amount of loot lying around the very first map area and available after the very first combat is significant, and it never stops. Everyone drops loot. Everything. Most barrels have something useful lurking within. Crystal formations stand silently, waiting to be harvested. Mushrooms await. Coupling the sheer amount of loot and craftable items with the fact that every weapon or armor piece is uniquely named, statted, and rarity-coded, this approach becomes genuinely dizzying. There’s undeniable fun in knowing that every combat drops something that might be useful, and this design choice only adds to the larger-than-life approach the game takes. But still, if you’re not into the fastidious organization of many item types and the accompanying storage faff, this may not be your bag.

The options don’t end there. In short order, the Captain gains access to a fort that offers free resting, a place to craft items, and different buildings to upgrade. These are standard fantasy tropes: an inn that unlocks cooking recipes or an alchemy lab that unlocks more advanced and powerful consumable mixtures. There’s even a missions board that followers not currently in the party participate in to gain experience and acquire rare resources. Building upgrades require a team of specific classes to research in real time, reinforcing the need to gain and use a range of followers. The whole raft of improvements links cleverly with the survival systems. Upgrades and missions require supplies and money, which puts a further choice on how much you portion these precious basic resources.

This push and pull of timed systems and portioning of supplies and money offers Zoria’s most strategic aspect. I need supplies to complete follower missions and to build my fort, but I also need them to heal and rest when I’m out exploring. Or I need my Focus to be high and want to make use of my timed stat buffs when I’m out in the field, but the longer I spend wandering around, the more I lose these benefits in combat. It can get even more compelling: maybe there’s a nearby Shrine to buff my stamina — do I take the risk of using it now to complete a quest using a semi-battered party, or do I leave it and rest, losing all my stored Focus and buffs? Heck, do I even have the right follower to activate the Shrine? Do I head back to the fort to think again?

This risk/reward dynamic adds originality to the game that isn’t found much elsewhere in the genre, and it’s a design that offers a level of choice in how players address the game and what balance of priorities they want to give to their fort, item crafting, and their combat readiness. It’s perfectly viable to focus on keeping your core party rested and not focus on your fortress or crafting. Equally, you could pour everything into having the widest range of followers leveled up and equipped and avoid having to rest too often by using them more frequently. It also makes onboarding for those newer to the genre very welcoming; you can’t really go too wrong on the easiest difficulty playing the game your way.

Some issues hold Zoria back. Combat selection can be fiddly, both through the hotbar and enemy selection in combat. This is compounded by a smallish default text size with no way to resize it. There are other odd choices too, such as how you can highlight interactive containers and switches but not enemies, some of whom can be difficult to see in the darker maps. Inventory management could also be improved — while there’s a handy tab for each character to show equippable items, the selection does not default to this, and considering how much loot there is, this is a lot of extra clicks.

These quirks also extend to the general presentation: past chapter summaries in the game journal disappeared for me, and unsolvable quests remained in my ‘incomplete’ log. There are occasional typos and awkward sentences in the dialogue, and the fact that this is only partially voiced (sometimes stopping midway through a character’s single spoken response) makes the effort feel abrupt. The narrator voice offers the most consistent approach, but even this has sections that are left silent. Music is also largely bombastic and pretty uninspiring; you can pretty much guess the scoring for the gloomy caves, misty swamplands, and besieged fort. It all served to take me out of the game world after dozens of hours rather than absorb me in it.

There are other odd logic presentations to consider: friendly NPCs exist in the world, but if you initiate combat in their proximity they will remain oblivious. This includes your military. The party can be running from a horde of chasing enemies and still access a merchant along the way for as long as is needed. And these dudes never stop chasing. Any lured enemy stays with you for as long as you want to click. Again, it took me out of the world and offered a reminder that the nicely crafted scenarios and interactivity with the story would only go so far. I get that Zoria is not aiming to be a fully interactive RPG, and that combat takes precedence, but logic like this just seems off.

Overall, Zoria: Age of Shattering is an engaging tactical RPG with a few drawbacks involving its presentation and graphics. It offers a wide range of player choice and class synergies, and the survival mechanics add to this. I had to genuinely think hard about prioritizing party survival, creating new weapons/armor, or upgrading my fort. Tiny Trinket Games is a small indie team working in a complex genre, and I hope to see them accomplish more in the same vein; their passion is palpable. Zoria won’t shatter your expectations, but it will meet them if you relish the clever interplay of turn-based combat, survival, and crafting systems.

Overview of RPG Maker With

Make games for and with everyone! No programming knowledge is required to make your perfect game when using RPG MAKER WITH’s robust yet easy to learn tools and intuitive controls.

Utilize premade sample games and tons of assets, or make your own from scratch. Then post your creations online and play other creators’ games to gain inspiration, feedback, and inspire others!

Screenshots

Stay tuned here at RPGFan for more RPG Maker news!

Today, Amazon released the full trailer of its TV adaptation of the beloved video game series Fallout, also confirming all eight episodes will be released on Prime Video on April 11th, 2024.

Fallout, starring Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, Aaron Moten, and Kyle MacLachlan, will follow idealistic Vault Dweller Lucy as she heads out for the first time into the Wasteland to rescue her father. Here is what Amazon has to say about the series:

Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind — and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird and highly violent universe waiting for them.

The series comes from Kilter Films and executive producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Nolan directed the first three episodes. Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner serve as executive producers, writers, and co-showrunners. Athena Wickham of Kilter Films also executive produces, along with Todd Howard for Bethesda Game Studios and James Altman for Bethesda Softworks.

Rather than a reboot of the property, creator Jonathan Nolan and his team decided to stick with the existing lore of the games, telling a brand-new story in post-apocalyptic 23rd-century Los Angeles. Moreover, they made the striking decision to closely follow the visual design language of the series, giving us video-game-accurate depictions of Vaults, Vault jumpsuits, and power armor. The world design here seems more inspired by the pastel palette seen in Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 than the grittier and darker tones of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, but if you’ve played any of the games, you’ll immediately recognize everything from Radroaches to Pip-Boys.

The creator of the show, Jonathan Nolan, is a fan of the series and has an impressive track record as the co-writer of The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises (directed by his brother, Christopher Nolan), the co-creator of HBO’s high-concept sci-fi show Westworld, and much more. Partnered with long-time series shepard Todd Howard (making his first foray into television), we can only hope that their combined vision translates the subject matter into a binge-worthy series.

As a lover of Fallout, I can’t pretend I’m not a little disappointed that Bethesda’s vision of Fallout 5 is a television series rather than a video game. However, I also can’t help but be excited by the incredible glimpses of characters, monsters, and world-building seen in the trailer. Even better, it looks like Dogmeat is part of the cast!

This new sales data comes on the tail of other exciting Persona series news, with Persona 3 Reload selling one million units in its first week, simultaneously becoming the fastest-selling title in ATLUS history. The Persona 5 series (inclusive of all related games, i.e., Persona 5 Strikers) still takes the lion’s share of these sales, with ATLUS previously announcing ten million total sales as of December 2023.

Persona began as a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei series, starting with the release of Revelations: Persona in 1996. The series has slowly found its own success, shedding the SMT prefix as of the release of Persona 4 in 2008.

With Persona 3 Reload receiving plenty of accolades and continuing to sell, alongside increasing whispers of a sixth mainline entry in the series, we expect the Persona series to continue this strong trend both commercially and in terms of quality.

Source: Gematsu

The three games in this collection are Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice. Right away, the lack of cohesion is apparent: much of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney’s plot centers around Phoenix Wright’s departure from the legal trade, passing the torch onto the titular Apollo Justice. Yet Phoenix makes his questionable playable return in Dual Destinies, quite arguably to the detriment of Apollo and new attorney Athena Cykes, as he limits their—and especially Athena’s—chances to shine. Other plot threads instigated in Apollo Justice, such as the matter of Apollo and Trucy’s mother, are also never resolved in the subsequent games. Such unresolved issues are egregious on their own, but become much more obvious when playing the games in succession.

Individually, the games are narratively sound, although Apollo Justice feels a little held back by its measly four total cases. Spirit of Justice’s high points, including some much-appreciated Trucy focus and the absolute beast that is Dhurke, are among the series’s best. Its low points are also there, including a lack of emotional investment towards the final boss, but they never reach the level of exasperation and irritation as something like Justice for All’s Turnabout Big Top case. Apollo’s infamous ever-growing arsenal of backstories is also definitely more egregious when playing the games back-to-back, but it’s not as if Phoenix himself didn’t get an addendum to his own backstory in the final game of the first trilogy.

Aside from Phoenix getting in the way of Athena’s character moments, one of the biggest drawbacks of Dual Destinies’ storytelling comes from its awkward gameplay choice to limit “examining” only to crime scenes. The typical Ace Attorney gameplay loop of examining crime scenes and taking the discovered evidence back to court remains solidly intact throughout the second trilogy collection. The catch, however, is that Dual Destinies removes the option to examine the environment at any time. A big part of the original Ace Attorney trilogy’s appeal stems from Phoenix and Maya’s banter as they examine both relevant and irrelevant details in the world around them. Dual Destinies’s lack of interaction plays a big role in why the game feels short compared to its sequel and why Athena doesn’t feel as fleshed out as Apollo and Phoenix. The odd exclusion stands out even more when placed clearly between two games that do offer examination outside of crime scenes.

Another gameplay point the second Ace Attorney trilogy is notorious for is introducing new cross-examination “gimmicks” with each title. Separated or in succession, this point is flagrantly obvious in Dual Destinies and especially Spirit of Justice, when the new mechanics start to step on the toes of preceding ones. The result is that the games, already effective enough in their simplicity, start to feel bloated with extraneous elements. On their own, these gimmicks are inoffensive, such as Spirit of Justice’s Divination Séance. The Divination Séance displays the deceased’s final moments through their perspective, allowing players to compare and contrast the memory with their evidence as part of the process of proving their client’s innocence.

The Divination Séance only occurs in the Khura’in trials. Trials set in good ol’ Japanifornia enjoy the return of Athena’s Mood Matrix from Dual Destinies. With the Mood Matrix, players analyze cross-examinations for statements conflicting with the speaker’s emotions. This spin on the usual proceedings undoubtedly has brighter moments, such as when a student comes up with the most side-splittingly absurd lies possible to keep his secrets hidden. Seeing witnesses’ emotions also serves to give them an extra layer of humanity, strengthening the series’s character-focused storytelling. That, however, makes it all the more disappointing that it appears pushed aside in Spirit of Justice. 

In Dual Destinies, where the Mood Matrix is the focus mechanic, the gameplay gimmick pushed aside is Apollo’s perceiving. In Apollo Justice, Apollo can perceive witnesses’ nervous habits during select testimonies to extract the truth they’re hiding. In subsequent games, perceiving takes place outside of the courtroom as part of the investigation sequences. Each of these features adds some fun and variety in cross-examinations or later investigations by allowing players to find testimony contradictions without using evidence. Evidence may be a key gameplay element from the series’s inception, but each of these gameplay gimmicks builds on a different innate feature instead: the series’s stunning visuals and bombastic animations. 

Visually, the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy games are in their peak, high-definition iterations that originally released on mobile devices. While each of the three games has their visual strengths, Apollo Justice is especially stunning. The 2D art gleams with fresh new life thanks to smooth linework and sleek shading. Even on the Nintendo DS, the clever character designs and expressive animations shine with the brilliance the series is well known for, but the HD glow-up enhances it all in a warm and welcome way. You can’t have too much of a good thing in this case.

The visuals of the following games have their own good points, although their less polished facets stand out when coming right off the heels of Apollo Justice. In a general sense, it’s a bit jarring to see the characters go from highly detailed 2D sprites with perfectly defined fingers and knuckles to the smoothed-over 3D models with their blocky hands. When it comes to specifics, characters designed for only two dimensions tend to have a rougher time transitioning into 3D. Front-facing Klavier and deep-in-thought, finger to the forehead Apollo are two of the most blatant examples of 3D “downgrades.”

The characters designed with the third dimension in mind have a much better time. Where 2D Ace Attorney shines with magical two-dimensional animations, 3D Ace Attorney follows up with an outstanding use of the new space allotted to it. Characters can now move around a 3D space for some of their animations, adding even more life and charm to the games. Spirit of Justice even includes a testimony entirely reliant on animation in a 3D space, further pushing not only what the Ace Attorney visuals look like, but what they’re capable of conveying in terms of gameplay. What’s more, the series’s iconic “breakdown” animations when a culprit is finally cornered can also make use of moving camera angles, adding even more flair and drama to the most thrilling moments. 

Exclusive to the Trilogy collection is the Animation Studio, a way to replay character animations and place their models or sprites into different backgrounds. This fun collection of the games’ art assets complements an additional concept art gallery and music player. The concept art gallery is a beautiful collection of the many pre-production art pieces that went into creating the trilogy’s beloved characters. The music player is another welcome addition, as the series’s fantastic soundtrack remains the steadfast underlying consistency between games. It’s all too easy to accidentally spend just as much time in the music player, which includes a couple of beautiful new arrangements in addition to the standard soundtracks, as you spend in-game. Small details, such as the main characters dressed up for a musical performance, add an extra splash of charm to the presentation that solidifies the game collection as a true celebration of the second Ace Attorney trilogy. And it’s a trilogy worth celebrating, even if it sometimes feels disjointed.

As a compilation of three games, the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy can’t be beat, as it includes plenty of fantastic extra features, including the DLC chapters and costumes for Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice. On their own, each game of the trilogy has its high points, although Spirit of Justice hits them with more consistency than its predecessors. The trilogy itself is full of peaks and valleys, aiming for the moon and sometimes landing in the stars, other times getting completely lost along the way. Their less-than-spectacular spots are more apparent when displayed in rapid succession with each other, but that’s because their successes are just as prominent, drawing attention to each other’s weaknesses. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy’s celebratory nature may draw attention to the second trilogy’s flaws, but it also showcases its assets, from the visual to the auditory and, yes, even the narrative. For all its pros and cons, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is the best way to play these great, albeit sometimes incohesive, games.

While the majority of this album features original compositions from GENTLE LOVE’s Norihiko Hibino, the tribute piece of music for Murayama is an arrangement of “Reminiscence,” a powerful melodic piece from Suikoden II originally composed by Miki Higashino. The typical GENTLE LOVE instrumentation of piano and saxophone allows for a soulful yet somber rendition. Take a listen:

On a personal note, I would add that this album is worth exploring not only in terms of its music, but in the detailed liner notes written by Hibino and Napolitano. The album is free to stream and available to purchase via Scarlet Moon’s Bandcamp page.

In an interview with One More Game during one of Square Enix’s Rebirth launch events, Director Naoki Hamaguchi stated that a performance mode fix is on the way. The company has not yet disclosed full details about what’s included in the upcoming patch. Here’s what the director said.

We’ve received a lot of feedback on whether the graphics in the performance mode will be improved or not. We hear you, and we are currently working on an update patch to improve that aspect. I don’t think the release date would be far away from now.

We have heard from players that in certain situations, the facial lighting makes some character shadows look very scary. So that’s one part of the update that we are working on.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Screenshots

Personally, I’m running the game in Graphics mode. I’m one of those who isn’t sensitive to framerates and will always prioritize graphics over it. You could say that my storage capacity is already suffering from all the screenshots I’ve taken; I did the same when I played Final Fantasy XVI.

One of 2024’s biggest games, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was released on February 29th exclusively for the PlayStation 5. In his review, Zach spoke of grand things about his journey outside Midgar.

For more Final Fantasy updates, you’re already on the right track here at RPGFan!

Source: One More Game

NIS America has announced that The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak will release in western regions on July 5th for Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, and PC. This reveal was delivered via an announcement trailer (below) on the NIS America YouTube channel and the game’s official website.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak Synopsis

Follow the spriggan Van Arkride as he takes on a case that will change the fate of the Calvard Republic…as well as his own. Will forces from the shadowy organization known as Almata bring chaos to the nation, or do Van and his allies have what it takes to stop them?

Originally released in 2021 to Japan and Asia as The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki, Trails through Daybreak will bring the West ever closer to parity with Japan.

2022 and 2023 saw a flurry of Trails titles previously unlocalized: Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure, and Trails into Reverie. Zero and Azure—the Crossbell games—are self-contained whilst also having shared characters and stories with the Cold Steel games. Sound confusing? Well, it is, so check out Scott’s great round-up feature detailing how to get into the Trails series.

Trails through Daybreak will also receive a sequel in Japan this year—The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki — Farewell, O Zemuria—with no current info on when this will release in the West, but the window of translation for Falcom/NIS America titles seems to be shortening each year.

As one of RPGFan’s 30 most anticipated RPGs of 2024, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak will be getting plenty of coverage, so stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to July.

One of the best things about video games in this day and age is the ability for developers to create these vast open-world games that weren’t feasible back in the day. Even just ten years ago, when the original Dragon’s Dogma was released, open-world games were still in their infancy and going through a lot of growing pains. Many people still find open-world games to be boring and find traversal to be a slog. Why make these vast, boring, and empty stretches of land when your destination is the spot where the action happens? It’s a very valid point that developers still struggle to get right. The answer for most games seems to make the ability to traverse these areas quicker, either by increasing movement speed or fast travel. If you ask me, the only games that have perfected the art of travel are still the two recent Legend of Zelda titles. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom made travel between destinations the fun part, versus just focusing on the destinations themselves. So when Dragon’s Dogma‘s director, Hideaki Itsuno, recently said in an IGN interview that Dragon’s Dogma 2 would have limited fast travel because it’s boring and leads to a boring game because the developers didn’t take the time to make travel fun, I knew what I had to experience with my time with Dragon’s Dogma 2. I had to see firsthand if Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s open world could bring out that adventurous and curious side of me.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 – Vocations

To break down my time with the game, we played two distinct parts of the game with two different vocations. Vocations are just Dragon’s Dogma’s version of their class system, which the player may change at their whim to best match either their playstyle or to synergize better with their AI companions, which are once again called pawns. The first vocation I got to try was the new Mystic Spearhand, a melee-oriented class that combines magic with melee attacks to add flavor to the kit. The Mystic Spearhand’s four abilities that we got to use were its gap closer that teleports you to the target and then stab it, a levitate ability that allows you to pick up anything from rocks to the actual enemy itself and fling them somewhere else, a magic barrier that blocks enemy attacks, and my favorite move of the four, a downward thrust attack from the sky that impales enemies onto your weapon. They also had a ranged magic bolt option that could be charged up to do more damage. Mystic Spearhand is an enjoyable class that fits my playstyle to a tee. I will definitely be using this one a lot when the game is released.

For this part of the demo, we were placed in a small town at a border checkpoint and tasked with trying to get through said checkpoint with a fake passport. Instead, with my mind made up to check out the open-world nature of Dragon’s Dogma 2, I decided not to follow the main quest for this section and instead forge my own path. I talked to the townsfolk, picked up some sidequests, and left town to start my adventure. The quests, by the way, were given to me organically via running into the person who needed help, not by finding a person with a quest marker above their head, as those do not exist as far as I can tell in Dragon’s Dogma 2. I left town and was on my way to save a lost boy who was playing in the flowers near the village. Not too far out from the town, passing through a cave, I was ambushed by various enemies and got to experience battle for the first time.

Battles in Dragon’s Dogma 2 are not the fast-paced combo-heavy combat you may find in Final Fantasy XVI, but something between that and a Souls game, without being anywhere near as punishing as a Souls game. Combat feels visceral but not overwhelming. It’s a great middle ground. You have four abilities for your vocation tied to the skills button on L1, a standard attack on Square, and a class-specific normal attack on Triangle. You have plenty of options to heal and protect yourself, along with the three pawns you can bring into battle. They will heal, buff, and attack the enemy without fail. I am not the biggest fan of AI party members, but the pawns do well in combat and fend for themselves rather well. At no point did I feel like I had to babysit them, and I grew attached to them so much so that when I saw one about to get carried off by a giant bird, I did my best to stop fighting and knock the bird out of the sky before my pawn was carried off to their death.

Also, one of the best combat options from the original game is still present: the ability to grab enemies and do various things to them. For larger enemies, you can grab any part of their body and ride them while stabbing them as long as your stamina holds out. You can also push or pull enemies who are losing their balance to tip them over. Your pawns will even help you in this endeavor for the larger enemies. It’s a rather fun combat system that can get pretty funny at times when you’re holding onto a floating enemy griffon for dear life while your pawns are in its talons getting squeezed to death. I often laughed at the crazy things that happened in some of my battles and enjoyed myself a lot.

Continuing my journey, I noticed the devs were not exaggerating about having so much to see and do. This area wasn’t just some big field they let me roam in. Instead, it was a carefully crafted mountainous area with multiple rivers and bridges connecting different regions. You could follow the road or veer down the cliff and see what awaits you. For instance, I found a giant griffon boss battle waiting for me at my supposed destination, which was supposed to have wolves instead. I got so sidetracked just exploring that I was way past my target location before I knew it. I had already fought a griffon, a giant beast I pushed into a river, and a dragon that appeared out of nowhere and almost leveled me. I haven’t felt that much wanderlust since Breath of the Wild. And that’s how Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s exploration is best described: Breath of the Wild without the ability to climb vertically wherever you wish.

An intuitive thing I noticed was that once I was told I couldn’t go any further for demo reasons, I turned back to try to get back on target. It was nighttime, and being at my destination at night allowed me to finish the quest since at night, the flowers glowed brightly. The boy the wolves took away dropped the flowers, leading to the wolf’s den. So, I was awarded for my curiosity to explore because I wouldn’t have figured it out otherwise during the daytime. I absolutely love games that give players the feeling of “Oh, that’s how you do that” instead of just explaining it, and it feels like Dragon’s Dogma 2 will have those moments in spades.

Magick Archer

The next part of the demo had the other vocation we were allowed to check out: the Magick Archer, a returning vocation from the original game. Much like Mystic Spearhand, Magick Archer is a combination class that uses magic, but this time in conjunction with a bow. They don’t do heavy damage, but they offer support abilities and allow you to deal with threats from afar or those in the sky. Their four abilities were homing ice arrows that charged up and hit more times the longer you held the reticle on the target, a controllable fire arrow that, once released, can be manually guided to the target (think Perfect Dark‘s remote-controlled missiles), a ricochet arrow that when charged up unleashes a barrage of bouncing arrows everywhere, and a support arrow that allows you to heal your pawns from afar (or resurrect them if charged up). I won’t lie; I am not a big fan of ranged characters, and Magick Archer was a bit tricky to get used to at the start due to the reticle targeting required from the class, but after a few minutes and a few battles, I found the controls pretty intuitive and fun. Even just playing these two, I can see them being vocations for just about anyone to enjoy in the full game.

Once again, I set off on my own and ignored the main quest in front of me in the much bigger city we were in. High up on a plateau, I worked my way down, ledge after ledge, going in and out of caves and valleys, just finding whatever I could. And that’s when things got real. I decided to attack a giant orc boss, which I quickly learned was a mistake because right around the corner was a more gigantic and more armored orc, and I ended up in a double boss fight against the two towering giants. What made it even crazier was that an ox cart on the nearby road — that you typically use to get back to town quicker — was suddenly part of the fight. They got destroyed fast, and I laughed as I battled with these orcs over an already broken caravan. It was chaotic but fun, which is exactly what you want to see from a game like this.

But all good things end, and after my battle with them, my time was up with the demo. For curious performance-minded players, Dragon’s Dogma 2 ran smoothly on the PlayStation 5, even with two huge bosses on the screen at times, all the while boosting some impressive draw distance for everything in the world. I also greatly enjoyed the banter the pawns offer while exploring, and their level of customization from the first game is still there, along with the customization of the player character as well. There is a lot — and I do mean a lot — to see and do in Dragon’s Dogma 2, and I can’t wait to see more when it comes out later this month on March 22nd for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 – Hands-On Video

Yukar From The Abyss stars Kurumi Oki, a woman moving from Tokyo to her grandmother’s rural Japanese home after losing her job in a toxic work environment. While trying to make the best of things, she falls asleep on the train ride back after catching up with an old friend at a bar, missing her stop. The last train station drops her in unfamiliar territory, and as Kurumi tries to make her way to a shelter, she encounters strange lights. Following the lights, she experiences supernatural occurrences of a godly nature, careening her down the path of four particular deities. How is Kurumi connected to this immortal realm, and can she survive her encounters there?

Based on Ainu mythology, Yukar From The Abyss is a straightforward visual novel experience. Those familiar with the genre and otome titles, in particular, will know what to expect regarding gameplay. You can skip through script text you’ve seen from previous playthroughs, which is a boon since the game lacks a story map. Fortunately, there are only four routes to get through, with three permutations to the endings depending on the player’s choices during the game. Each route is relatively short, at around four hours long, so the lack of a story map isn’t as detrimental as it could be.

Yukar From The Abyss is a concise VN that you can get through quickly, but it’s noteworthy that the quality and pacing of each route don’t feel lacking or rushed. The four main love interests all have fleshed-out stories to experience. The character development is phenomenal, especially if you get the excellent End 1 outcome for all four characters in which Kurumi and her chosen love interest stand on equal footing in a true partnership. These endings show Kurumi taking on more agency and even gaining a large percentage of power herself supernaturally and through choice. As stated earlier, the story is influenced by Ainu mythology, which makes for a unique storytelling experience. I wasn’t as familiar with Ainu mythology as I thought and greatly enjoyed exploring this fascinating and unique culture’s belief systems through this VN. Some of the routes, notably Kyril’s, delve deeper into Japanese history, too, and I appreciate those insights.

I even like the character routes that are antagonistic in the beginning, such as Moshirechik’s, who gradually develops from a haughty and self-centered character who struggles with controlling his emotions to someone with an understandably upsetting backstory who acknowledges his faults and tries to overcome them. This changing of opinions on characters stems from how believably they evolve and progress in surprisingly positive ways should you see their stories through, which isn’t something I can often say for those types of characters in other otome titles. Some side characters, notably the loyal Koshimpuk and the cheerfully helpful Upa, are also significantly fleshed out and likable throughout the differing routes. Kurumi herself is a great main character as well, with a lot of depth depending on the route.

Visually, Yukar From The Abyss brings to mind stark scenery with many of its natural background vistas. The backgrounds are detailed and gorgeous, and the character art is beautiful and expressive for those characters who have it. I love the minute detail and intricate touches on the clothing for the characters based around the Ainu culture, and when the art showcases elements of nature in a character’s designs: for example, Pewrep’s bear ears or when Huaisu reveals some of his more birdlike qualities. It’s so good that I’m somewhat disappointed that certain minor characters get relegated to black silhouettes. The CG illustrations players earn depending on their actions are also gorgeous. Supernatural elements are presented visually in an almost painted fashion that compliments the mythological undertones of the plot, though there is an almost photographic realism to the backgrounds in particular. Special effects for fight scenes, such as an icicle wrapped in wind or bursts of flame against the screen, happen frequently. While they aren’t bad, they sometimes take you out of the story since they look more artificial than the drawn art and photograph-like images used for backgrounds. Overall, though, this is a very nice-looking VN!

Yukar From The Abyss’ soundscape is also lovely, with a musical score that perfectly fits the atmosphere and story. The instrumentation used for the songs emphasizes traditional sounds and effects, which fits with the story’s mythological themes. The main theme is particularly noteworthy in that regard. The only voice acting is for the four love interests, and their Japanese voice work is top-notch. You can hear the voice work in the game’s Switch trailer. The music in specific routes could sometimes drown out the voice acting depending on what was happening in a scene, but it wasn’t a significant issue. Because the voice acting is so good for the four love interests, I would’ve loved it if other prominent characters had voices, too!

There aren’t a ton of extras found in Yukar From The Abyss. You have the customary CG gallery for any illustrations you uncover during gameplay and a helpful dictionary that updates with new terms and information whenever necessary. The dictionary is especially great for those who want to learn about Ainu myths and culture. There are also character route scenarios where you can view the start of specific character routes and any of the three endings for a character uncovered. Getting an End 1 finale for a character unlocks an “After Story” segment in their scenario, which serves as a nice epilogue. Script-wise, the translation is well done, with only a few grammatical inconsistencies.

Yukar From The Abyss is a short, nicely scripted otome VN experience for either PC or Nintendo Switch. I enjoyed playing the game and especially love the story and character development that occur in pursuit of the “good” endings. Those who don’t mind romance intermixed with godly tales may want to give Yukar From The Abyss more than a glance.

The Thaumaturge is set in early twentieth-century Poland, and follows Wiktor Szulski, a thaumaturge who makes his way back to the Russian-occupied city of Warsaw after learning of a family tragedy. As a thaumaturge, he is able to read emotional imprints on objects and explore the psyches and mental flaws of people he interacts with. He is also able to recognize and bind “salutors,” metaphysical creatures of different types which attach themselves to individuals with such flaws. His own salutor, Upyr, is the prideful spirit of an old soldier he encountered when he was a child and who acts as a muse to him throughout the game. As he explores his family’s past and the factions that make up the city, Wiktor is drawn into myriad plots involving the future of Warsaw. Soon he is entangled in mysteries involving a Warsaw-bound pilgrim, Rasputin, the socialist rebels of the city, and the Russian Tsar.

The Thaumaturge‘s story is uncompromising, doubling down on historical perspectives of personal liberty and self-determination against a background of foreign partition and class tension. It is worth noting that the historic inequalities of the era, and how these are replicated in character representation, are used throughout the narrative. The game does not shy away from this. The supernatural element of the story is quite subtle, woven into this tapestry as an additional veneer to the plots taking place. None of the main characters, including Wiktor, are traditionally heroic or altruistic, but they all commit to their ideals and desires with bluster. It is a brave decision to drop the player into such a paranoid and, at times, hopeless setting, but it does add weight to the decisions that open up. Just be prepared to accept a bleak and brittle narrative where there are very few winners and many losers.

As the story develops, the player is introduced to a narrative design system whereby Wiktor draws conclusions from observations he makes as he interacts with the world. Using his powers, he can draw out memories and histories from objects that offer new story or character insights. Not all details are available at once, and some only become clear once the links to his salutors develop. This then allows for different conversational options and alters how characters perceive and react to Wiktor in dialogue choices. It is not a full investigative minigame, but it does serve as an ambitious, thematic way to pick up breadcrumbs of the story.

The system is not always smooth, and certain dialogue starts or actions feel abrupt or are full of non-sequiturs, depending on the order of clues gathered. And be prepared for a lot of reading — the sheer number of observations quickly fills up through the mid-game. Merely passing through a map zone on the way to a quest marker can result in a half-dozen observation prompts popping up, which kills the pace somewhat. They’re not always connected to the same conclusion either, so it slows the game down further when trying to find the story string it relates to in the journal. As a result, it sometimes feels like conclusions happen arbitrarily rather than through careful observations or clever guesswork.

At points during the story, scripted combat encounters occur, and this is where the majority of the salutors’ abilities come into play. Wiktor does not level up or gain statistical improvements in the traditional manner. Rather, the combat systems revolve around unlocking and slotting different abilities and status effects as he learns more about his salutor bonds and gains experience in the world through exploration and combat. There’s a good mix of offensive and passive abilities, as well as actions that break down the Focus of the enemy. Focus is a sort of mental armor that Wiktor and most enemies possess, and reducing this allows for more devastating attacks to be made. Different enemies also have resistances to different salutors, so part of the combat pattern is regularly cycling through Wiktor’s collection, matching up the right salutor to the enemy it will affect the most.

There are few direct healing powers and no healing items, so a good chunk of combat involves managing damage over time and abilities which allow the thaumaturge to heal himself at the cost of his enemies’ health. All these actions are coded to specific speeds, and the game uses a turn bar to indicate how quickly different actions will be activated. As Wiktor (and his selected salutor) are the only controllable characters, linked combinations and strategies become apparent quickly. All-in-all, combat is effective and quite cinematic, as the camera switches to a more closed-in version of the action, with damage and status icons painted in stylized red and gold which suits the sort of internal and external conflict taking place. Control is well-mapped both for controller and keyboard, and the UI presents the information for health, abilities and effects clearly or with expanded selection prompts.

Battles involving salutors offer a flair all their own. When these conflicts occur, the animated salutor looms large in the background of the combat, presiding over a range of spectral enemies. Their health is tied to these enemies, and most battles consist of multiple waves of replacements that must be defeated.  In an additional twist, they each have their abilities, such as damaging Wiktor directly or boosting their allies when their turn arrives. These battles show off the otherness and painstaking design of the salutors, and they run the gamut from the ghostly to the mythologically-inspired to just plain Lovecraftian. They suit the dark themes and the tone well and plenty have a basis in the esoteric beings of folklore and tradition of the real world. The brutal Bukovac doubles down on savage attacks that generate damage over time, whilst Upyr offers abilities which restore Wiktor’s health when an enemy is damaged, for example.

But these fights are few and far between: overall combat variety is rather limited outside of them. All direct foes are humans, with very similar animations and attack patterns. Combat complexity is generated more through increased hit points, increased Focus, and an increased number of enemies rather than a wider range of enemy types and abilities. Combat therefore becomes more repetitive as the game goes on, despite Wiktor having an increasing number of abilities to try.

Although The Thaumaturge does not begin in Warsaw, the city soon becomes the star of The Thaumaturge. From the worn-down tenements of the back streets of Powiśle to the grand ballrooms and upper-class manors of Praga, there is a lived-in sense of graphical detail across Warsaw and its environs that underscores the commitment to realism. Every district is beautifully rendered, from piles of construction materials near the unfinished tramlines and sewers to washing lines hanging over the muddy streets. The use of a day/night cycle and some pretty shadow casting and texture details add to this ambiance. The feeling of a broken city at the turn of the twentieth century is captured well, in all its dark, brooding glory through the relatively fixed camera view. Maps are not as open as they might first appear, and most accessible areas are a series of smaller connected zones. The game switches smoothly to a third-person view for both dialogue and combat and these are generally well-directed and evocative. Whilst character models are not as sharp as the heavyweights of the genre, lip-syncing and facial expressions are quite effective as are some nice period touches on clothing and accessories.

All dialogue in the game is fully voiced. However, voice inflection and tone feel flat and sombre throughout, and whilst this matches the tone and themes of the game, it makes it difficult to discern character personalities or keep them memorable. A few, such as Wiktor’s boyhood friend Abaurycy and fellow thaumaturge Ariel Rofe do stand out, but this is more because they push the writing outside of paranoid brooding than it is the performance of the voice-over. I would consider it a few steps above its Eurozone cousins (looking at you Elex, Risen), but not in all character cases. The musical score is quite minimal: lots of strained violin, isolated piano and ambient, droning cellos during exploration. Again, this matches the dour tone and theme, but when it does shift in gear, such as in battle, it draws on Slavic themes and local traditions which adds a rare energy and balletic quality to the combat.

In keeping with its sharp focus on narrative and place, The Thaumaturge offers very little in the way of further progression systems. There is no usable inventory and the game does not feature any equipment systems or weapon upgrades. This keeps the combat system lean, but it also exacerbates the invariable combat: Wiktor punches and shoots his way around from the first to the final combat. It’s not a long game either, depending on difficulty selected and if the main story path is prioritized. There are plenty of sidequests to find though, and these are the main ways to generate additional experience as well as explore the different factions and locations. Some sidequests lead to additional salutors to expand Wiktor’s combat arsenal, whilst others have an impact on the overall direction of the story if completed. There are also sketch pictures and period-appropriate musical tracks to find throughout the city, which add a little whimsy and variety to the bleak journey.

The Thaumaturge is an unsettling RPG, offering a branching story set in an early twentieth-century Warsaw from the perspective of a flawed, supernatural warrior. It is a dark and harrowing journey, fully committed to exploring the conflicting desires of the people in the city of Warsaw; there is little whimsy, less humor, and no distraction from this goal. This requires an equal commitment from the gamer to this flavour of the genre — there is no grinding, karaoke mini-games or creature-collecting distractions here: your prince is in another castle. The game narrative and combat systems build on these dark themes, cleverly framing them in how Wiktor uses his abilities as a thaumaturge. Even if the multiple story paths sometimes buckle under their ambitious weight, and combat can become a little too lacking in variety, this is a person, a city and a time worth visiting and learning from for those it ensnares. Just remember to bring pizza, a drink (or two), and turn the lights down low. Very low.

Mystery Dungeon began as a Dragon Quest IV spinoff back in 1993, but since then, there have been dozens of games in the series, including crossover titles with Final Fantasy (Chocobo’s Dungeon 2) and Pokémon (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX), along with a standalone series (Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer). And with the release of the latest entry, Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island, we thought it would be a great time to take a deep dive into the series in preparation for our upcoming “So You Want to Get Into the Mystery Dungeon Series…” feature! Ben Love is here to walk us through these mystery dungeons and tell us everything we need to know to get started on our own JRPG rogue-like adventure! 

Featuring: Jono Logan and Ben Love; Edited by Jono Logan

Listen and subscribe where you please, and leave a rating if you can! Email us your feedback: podcast@rpgfan.com

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When I played Dragon Quest XI in 2018 I was awestruck. Everything from the game’s expressive monster animations to the snappy turn-based combat to the fairy tale story was pure, distilled Dragon Quest, but in a modern presentation so gorgeous I could scarcely believe it. But would my favorite RPG of the 2010s hold up with over five years of distance between that memory and the present day? I was worried I’d spend most of this podcast apologizing for all the hype I built over the years.

I was overthinking it. Dragon Quest XI is still the moving, beautiful, and satisfying RPG I remembered. The updated S version adds a few additional conveniences like fast-forward, more menu shortcuts, and optional visits to the worlds of the previous ten Dragon Quest games. Plus now you can marry Sylvando! My only hope is that I don’t have to wait another five years before we get The Flames of Fate.

Gio Castillo

I had expectations going into Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. How could I not? This game (counting the S version) has three reviews on the site, and its lowest score is a 95. I had those numbers—and the glowing opinions of friends and random forum-goers over the years—swirling in my head when I started DQXI, and I had to remind myself to tune all of that noise out so I could give it a fair shake.

‌Little did I know that the game would do the brainwashing for me. Dragon Quest XI entranced me early on, and it didn’t let go until the “Fin” faded into black at the end. I adored the touching story, the wonderful cast, and the picture-perfect visuals; Yuji Horii and company crafted every last detail to near perfection. Even the music landed for me, though I admit that the composer was washed by that point.

‌Knowing there’s more Dragon Quest XI waiting for me when I eventually play the S version makes me giddy.

Tin Manuel

As someone who hasn’t played Dragon Quest XI during launch and has kept it in the backlog pile for so long, I’m glad I managed to push through it at long last. Almost five years after its release, this game still looks more stunning than most modern games out there.

To me, I think the ties and plot development between the characters are Dragon Quest XI‘s strongest points. The story took me to places that resembled distinct locations in real life, and the entire journey showed and taught me different forms of love. Each character equally got their spotlight and felt like everyone was a main character, which to me turned out to be a good thing.

T‌he combat, as traditional as it gets, is very simple to get into. There are many ways to play it if you’re up for a challenge. There’s also the option of bumping it to a lower difficulty if you don’t want to stress too much about it. If it’s your first time, like me, I would recommend playing the Dragon Quest XI S version for the battle speed features and additional content for the side characters.

Wes Iliff

I’ve said it before, but Dragon Quest XI might be the perfect example of the traditional RPG. The turn-based battles are tight, the story is exciting, the characters are absolutely loveable, and the world goes through meaningful change. What caught me by surprise this time is just how much the plot ends up tying into the first three Dragon Quest games. Without going into spoiler territory, the references to past games in the series are strong and present throughout far more of the game than I had noticed before.

‌But really, you don’t need to know anything about the series to love Dragon Quest XI. It might just be the perfect entry point, marrying modern sensibilities to classic design in a way that few games ever manage to replicate. The visuals remain a treat even years after release thanks to a strong sense of style, and the music is… certainly there! Okay, there had to be at least one weakness, but I’m comfortable giving Dragon Quest XI an unconditional recommendation. The joy I felt playing for the third or fourth time has not diminished from the joy the first time.

No Rest for the Wicked takes a page out of Path of the Exile’s book: you wake up on a dark, grey coastline among boat wreckage, collapsed forts, and ne’er-do-wells. Pretty soon, you realize that not even the crabs can be trifled with because the game demands careful stamina management, timed attacks, and acceptance that death is around every corner. Expect to find oodles of mangled equipment as you compare numbers and try to find the green numbers while keeping your weight below the cutoff so you don’t succumb to a nasty case of fat rolling. On the other hand, a heavy burden offers a shoulder ram ability that some players might find enticing, and the addition is welcome as it adds a little something to this action RPG sub-genre.

Secrets litter the landscape, with some hiding behind destructible walls and obfuscated by the camera. Rotating the camera is a constant temptation but isn’t an option. After a while, I became comfortable with all the systems, including the typical Soulslike fare and inventory. Still, I couldn’t help feeling like this was still just the beginning.

It was, of course, since the No Rest for the Wicked preview build duration was an estimated 90 minutes. I clocked in closer to 120 since I was especially thorough and went off the beaten path. I wish the preview time included an introduction to more systems, like crafting and enhancing equipment, though. On a basic level, No Rest for the Wicked is competent: it controls well, has a unique artistic style, and has tough-as-nails balance that Dark Souls fans are sure to appreciate.

Unfortunately, the build we received was extremely sluggish. While not a visual slouch, I would never call No Rest for the Wicked a game that even approaches AAA status, yet I was teleporting across the screen at times, and the performance really dipped during the preview’s boss battle. I hesitated to include this frustration because it hasn’t even hit Early Access, but in the interest of transparency and sharing my entire experience, I’m mentioning it here—I have no doubt it’ll get hammered out over the course of development, especially given the developer’s sterling track record.

No Rest for the Wicked has promise after boasting a solid foundation in this build. I can’t predict at all what the end product is going to look like; a strong beginning doesn’t necessarily equate to an enticing middle and end due to issues like budgets, publisher demands, and ideas that simply don’t land, but I also don’t want to come off as a curmudgeon. I had fun. Frustration hit at times, but I had fun. I certainly wish I could have enjoyed more of what the game will undoubtedly have to offer, but I guess that’s part of the point—leave folks wanting more.

Even for those who haven’t played Rogue, the influence it’s had on other genres is felt in many widely played “roguelike” hits. The gist of Under the Castle is what you’d expect based on its modern influences: set out on increasingly treacherous dungeon crawls to complete goals, then succeed or die, repeat. Each run resets your character to zero, though you’re allowed to take copies of items and weapons obtained from previous runs with you on each expedition to increase your odds of victory. This element of persistence lends Under the Castle a sense of progress more akin to modern roguelikes than the original Rogue and is where much of the strategic depth lies as you mix and match loadouts.

Under the Castle’s persistent elements are also one of the key points of tension during gameplay. You must complete a run’s objective after picking up any equipment not in your existing stash, else you lose access to that equipment until you come across it again. While equipment discovery is randomized, you’ll likely come across items again within a few runs so it’s rarely a huge loss, especially given there are no other penalties. Plus, crawls are bite-sized, so loss never feels like much of a setback, and in fact becomes a learning experience as you figure out how to approach each enemy type and ways to use their strengths against one another (such as lining up one enemy’s projectile to damage another).

The game splits its content across three types of dungeons. The objective of the easiest dungeon type is to simply kill a set number of enemies, while the second type tasks you with collecting orbs, and the third revolves around collecting keys to save imprisoned townsfolk. The latter two dungeon types require constant inventory management, meaning you’ll need to make tough decisions regarding what spells or potions you leave behind in order to complete your objective. Each dungeon also includes increasingly difficult enemy varieties and level layouts that require smart item usage and a keen eye for hidden walls and gaps you can hover across.

Hovering is the one area where Under the Castle utilizes the Playdate’s flashy crank. It’s a fairly simple implementation: crank clockwise to disappear into your wizardly hat and flip the crank back to its starting position to return to your corporeal form. When in hover mode, you can glide past enemies and cross pits, though the limited mana pool you have to work with means you’ll need to activate it selectively. The game doesn’t always do the best job of reading the crank’s position, which can result in moments where the control scheme becomes flipped, though it’s only a minor annoyance.

The more pertinent control woe reveals itself through the “pressed & held” control option that allows you to keep your protagonist moving by holding down a direction rather than pressing out each step. This can sometimes result in overstepping, leading you into an enemy or over a ledge. Perhaps there is some level of user error here, but a bit of tweaking could’ve helped stymy these deadly missteps. However, the game is otherwise joyful to control, much thanks to its bouncy character animations paired with responsive inputs. The user interface is also legible and easy to navigate, something that developers often struggle with on small screens.

Visually, Under the Castle is one of the most intricately detailed games on the Playdate. The castle and dungeons are littered with little eye-catching details, including a handful of inspired later-game enemy designs. At times the environments are so intricate that they become a bit difficult to parse when the Playdate’s display isn’t well lit, though the developers did a good job making sure the play space is clutter-free. This problem can also be easily remedied through Playdate’s screen mirroring app available free on computers (the details really shine on a bigger screen, too).

What doesn’t hold up quite so well is the storytelling. This is not the type of game that needs a complex narrative but given the level of visual detail afforded its world and the quirky dialogue from the tip-providing old man and final boss, I was left wanting to know more and to feel my progress reflected narratively. For example, in rescuing villagers and collecting orbs from dungeons, you’re helping mount a defense to gain access to the villain’s seized castle. Yet we never see the impact of these feats displayed in the overworld, nor is it often commented upon. In fact, there’s no indicator of your progress toward reaching the boss, and when you do reach that moment, it’s unceremoniously thrust upon you. The game would be a much more engaging experience if flourishes were added to emphasize your progress. But again, this is the least important element in a roguelike game and the occasional flavor dialogue does spice up the proceedings.

Sound design is also a high point for Under the Castle. Sound effects are crunchy, making every hop between tiles and enemy slaying satisfying. Each dungeon has its own theme as well, all of which feel properly heroic in contrast to the downtrodden hub theme. But the real blood-pumping bangers emerge during the boss fight, creating a sense of finality where the storytelling fails to. The icing on the cake is all the earworm jingles that play upon entering dungeons and completing a run. This is one of the best-sounding games on the Playdate and holds up against its best retro-inspired contemporaries.

Under the Castle’s final boss is the game’s high point, requiring the utilization of the full array of weapons, consumables, and mechanics to overcome treacherous puzzles and best him. Sadly, the post-game falters after this victory. Given how quickly you can make it to the big bad, I’d have expected further goals, especially as the game continues to offer harder dungeon difficulties after. Yet the only thrust to keep playing beyond finding any remaining weapons is simply for the fun of it. Doing exactly this backfired on me though as upon reaching high difficulty levels the game started to bug out. This included level elements not loading, enemies spawning on top of the player character upon entering a room (often resulting in death), and outright crashes. These became too frustrating for me to keep playing. It’s possible only the most dedicated players will make it to the point where this becomes an issue, but that makes it all the more disappointing.

The post-game also highlights other issues with Under the Castle, such as how bespoke level layouts cause runs to feel identical, and the weapons received from clearing the boss outperform everything else to near-irrelevance. The game could use challenging shake-ups for players looking to keep their adventure going. However, even if you just play through beating the final boss, I feel Under the Castle is well worth its $10 asking price.

Lastly, it’s worth praising the suite of options, including accessibility features like a screen shake toggle and choices for how the d-pad and crank function. Notably, there’s a permadeath toggle wherein the whole game resets upon a single death but given both the bugs and the importance of learning from defeat, this is only for the most hardcore players. There aren’t multiple save files either so permadeath runs force you to override your progress. I would’ve loved to have seen more support for this feature as it harks back to the game’s inspirations.

If you have a Playdate, Under the Castle is a game you must own. It preserves what made Rogue’s formula tick while including elements of persistence characteristic of today’s roguelikes. The game makes great use of its entire mechanical suite, and it’s stuffed full of audio-visual splendor. It’s unfortunate that the post-game offers little incentive to continue and is stifled by bugs, but most players won’t grind enough to encounter these so it shouldn’t be considered a deal-breaker. I look forward to what the developers have in store next as with some tweaks, this very good game could become timeless.

From the get-go, your ears get a dose of joy and pure energy from this album. SaiyaSounds appropriately kicks off the tracklist with their version of “Termina Field.” It’s an incredible romp easing you into the party, foretelling the wild trip you’re about to embark on. But it’s Vector U‘s “Clock Town, First Day” that hooked me into the concept of this album right from that first tempo and bass drop at 15 seconds in. It’s raw, dirty, and juices up the electronica. It’s the kind of track that you turn up too loud and get complaints about from the neighbors. It has some stellar sampling of the base track that makes you feel right at home, but they overlay some gritty synth instrumentation at points, like whatever that brass sound is. It hits a special place in the eardrums that makes the brain go, “Aw yeah, let’s bop.” The vocal samples injected at points also have an interesting effect of grounding you back into the track before you fly off too high. Around 2 minutes, the piece returns to its beginnings and does a shake-up on that initial bass drop to take the track home, and by now you’re starting to work up a sweat. But oh, my friends, you have 13 more tracks to go! Pace yourselves!

The titular “Milk Bar” is, naturally, appropriately dope. NPC entrances with this almost mystical track that tosses in electric organ for a retro feel, and softens the pacing in places to provide a bit of a breather. Despite that, it keeps the party alive, passing the baton to Ryu Matrix, who ignites it with “Deku Palace.” If your head isn’t spinning by the end of this track, you weren’t listening right. The Deku Scrubs are only selling glowsticks when this blasts through the speakers.

It makes you all the more grateful for gentler moments in tracks like boshii‘s take on “House,” which eases in with some chill vibes. But when that bassline throws down, it suddenly has no chill for a good minute. Don’t worry, though, as they toss in more of those sweet home invasion, pot-smashin’ vibes we all know and love from The Legend of Zelda on the N64 to break up the intensity. Plus, hey, “Astral Observatory” is up next, and that’s bound to be a relaxing number, right? Theology could’ve said “No,” but they embrace a more modest beat and let you vibe out for a track (at least for two minutes). Even at its peak, though, this track doesn’t run you ragged and maybe gets a bit grittier than necessary, but it’s still a chill listen and easy to groove to.

Probably one of the most standout tracks on MILK BAR: An EDM Tribute to Majora’s Mask comes from The Icarus Kid, who just knows how to work the drum and bass. They set a tone with “Great Bay Temple” that is equal parts menacing and undeniably moving. It gets twisted and maintains the mystery of traversing a dungeon while still being so damn fun to dance to, primarily because they are incredibly adept at weaving in ornamentation and exciting sound samples that amplify and texturize the piece like no other. The water droplets really tug at the ear, reminding you that this party is in the dungeon (which has dope acoustics). At around 2:10, there’s this beautiful ornamentation that almost feels like the light at the end of the tunnel before you’re pulled back into the darkness. And oh, how it’s such sweet, sweet darkness cause that means we get to dance. LET’S. GO. It gets wild before returning to the steady bassline that keeps us pressing on through the dance party. Where’s Wart at? Those bubbles better be bumping to the bass.

And so the adventure continues. While not every track is a banger, it’s clear every artist poured passion for the source material and EDM into their respective entries. They go beyond cranking the BPM and tossing in crunchy synths, creating unique takes with deliberate choices with pace, ornamentation, and sampling. The result is 15 tracks laying down some awesome beats that dramatically twist a beloved soundtrack into something so fun to listen to and, more importantly, dance to nonstop. From zero to the near 49-minute mark, I defy anyone not to be moving the entire time they enjoy MILK BAR: An EDM Tribute to Majora’s Mask. Remnants of the dark story are still there, to be sure, as these mixers are experts of the craft and respect the source, but they have found unique ways to shed light and technicolor joy on the kaleidoscopic romp that is this polished album. Just remember: it’s dangerous to dance alone! Take some water!

Developed by Natsume Atari with input from the team at Yukikaze, Penny Blood: Hellbound puts you in the shoes of the villains from the main game, the Hellhounders, as they try to escape a magical prison.

Currently available as a closed beta for Kickstarter supporters who bought the backer kit, the Early Access build adds a variety of new features. New content to Penny Blood: Hellbound includes the following:

• New playable character: Axeman
• A new dungeon with an all new boss and enemies
• Badges to customize your base
• Two new NPCs to assist your dungeon crawling, such as Alma
• Two new facilities to add to your base, such as Kugai’s Accessory Facility
• A new mini-game

Penny Blood: Hellbound is expected to launch out of Steam Early Access sometime during Summer 2024 with 30% more content. Stay tuned to RPGFan as we learn more about the spin-off and the main game!

Afterimage is, unfortunately, a bit of a flat affair in this regard.

Set in the aftermath of “The Razing” which destroyed much of the world of Engardin, you take on the role of the (predictably) amnesiac heroine Renee as she strives to regain her memories and fix the broken state of the world. Although a story is being told and twists unwound, the presentation is undercooked. Attempts to incorporate an environmental, minimalistic narrative while simultaneously telling a moment-to-moment plot result in a story that is more confusing than it is intriguing. The voice acting only furthered my frustrations, as the half-baked delivery for most lines was immensely distracting from the story told on screen. This was especially true for Renee’s companion, Ifrit, who has something to say in almost every dialogue scene in the game (not unlike a certain other flying companion from Genshin Impact).

If you can tolerate the middling story, it’s clear that Engardin is an absolutely gorgeous world to explore from top to bottom. From towering ivory peaks to subterranean hellscapes, Afterimage’s scenery is as detailed as it is varied and makes for an inspiring playthrough based on the eye candy alone. However, the flow of the levels leaves something to be desired mainly due to the absurdly large size of every single one of them.

Indeed, Afterimage’s levels are so large that they feel detrimental to the overall experience. While getting lost in an area for an hour or so before stumbling upon an exit is part of the Metroidvania charm, Afterimage’s map size easily doubles or triples this time into tedium. This only becomes more pronounced once you begin backtracking to get all the previously ability-locked secrets. The scenic route back quickly became an absolute slog, and I was eventually forced to look up guides to see if the secret room I was tracking back to was worth the effort.

This design philosophy of “too much for its own good” extends into the skill tree as well. While the vast, sprawling menu seems impressive at first glance, minute, passive percentage increases make up about 90% of the skill tree, with a handful of weapon skill unlocks comprising the rest. Spending your hard-earned leveling currency to increase one stat by 0.5% per level feels outdated, to say the least. Having weapon skills locked behind this system also feels strange, as it discourages experimentation in the early game when currency is sparse.

Meaningful variety, however, exists with the gear you find scattered throughout the world. Six main weapon classes (of which you can equip two at a time) allow ample room for experimentation later on in Afterimage. The abundance of upgrade materials and the relatively low upgrade cap of three levels also help combat any hoarding sensibilities you might have from other RPGs. The only caveat to this is the low scaling of the weapons themselves. Any interesting effect found on an early-game weapon quickly becomes obsolete within a couple of zones. Coupled with no meaningful way to scale the damage, you often have no choice but to discard in favor of a new weapon that simply overpowers in sheer numbers alone.

Accessories are also often questionably balanced despite the more interesting design approach of having both positive and negative effects. In practice, however, the negative effects often felt overpowering compared to the boons offered, and the presence of generalist accessories with only boons ended up heavily undermining build variety.

Thankfully, the combat itself is usually satisfying enough that these issues don’t become too glaring until the midgame or so. Each hit comes with some very satisfying hit lag, which becomes especially prominent with weapons like the scythe that boast powerful multi-hit moves. Comboing between your two equipped weapons is a seamless affair thanks to the individual attack buttons for each weapon. A healthy roster of enemies to sink your teeth into makes sure the encounters never feel too rote while watching bosses melt after refining your combo game is an highly satisfying payoff for mastering your weapons of choice.

My only real complaint here lies with the ridiculous contact damage and its extremely steep scaling as you level up. Even with all the precautions of upgraded armor, contact damage reduction skill nodes, and heavily upgraded HP, a late-game mishap into a spike pit or an unfortunate bump into an enemy will easily wipe over a third of your health bar. Combined with some extremely tight (borderline pixel-perfect) precision required for some of the parkouring sections later on and so-so rewards, choosing to skip these sections in the late game could be best for non-completionists out there.

Afterimage is a valiant effort in the Metroidvania genre by the developers over at Aurogon Shanghai. Built upon a solid foundation for combat and world design, unfortunately, it is still noticeably rough around the edges. It sorely needed a couple more passes in the editing board for overall level flow and story presentation, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s still an enjoyable experience.