The studio behind Octopath Traveler and Octopath Traveler 2, Acquire, has been acquired by none other than Kadokawa Corporation. In effect, this means that Octopath Traveler and Dark Souls are now ?under the same umbrella, as Kadokawa also owns From Software, for one.

As Kadokawa's latest earnings results document states, the acquisition was completed to "strengthen the ability to create IP in games as part of [Kadokawa Corporation's] game business strategy." As a result of the acquisition, Kadokawa Corporation expects "to generate synergies with [its] existing game-related subsidiaries, strengthen [its] planning and developme?nt capabilities Groupwide, and enhance [its] lineup of console games.?"

Kadokawa Corporation now owns Acquire, From Software, Spike Chunsoft, and Kadokawa itself

Acquire now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Kadokawa Corporation's other game production studios: From Software, Spike Chunsoft, and Kadokawa proper. This acquisition did not come out of the blue, mind: even though Acquire has generally been associated with Square Enix as of late, thanks mainly to its work on the Octopath Traveler games, the studio has also done some contract development along the way. Notably, Acquire produced the Way of the Samurai titles owned by Spike Chunsoft, and Tenchu by From Softw?are. This makes Kadokawa Corporation's decision to fully? incorporate Acquire into its ranks perfectly sensible from a production standpoint.

In fact, Kadokawa Corporation will seek further collaboration between its major production studios moving forward. In the sourced document, it is outright stated that the goal is to "promote collaboration with FromSoftware and Spike Chunsoft, with whom ACQUIRE had a cooperative relationship." For fans of Acquire's previous work, it is also important to note that Kadokawa Corporation will "seek lineup expansion" from the studio, "including [the] redevelopment of past works." Presumably, this means that properties such as Tenchu and Way of the Samurai are back on the docket, inste??ad of having Acquire focus mainly on new IPs.

As Kadokawa Corporation's earnings results explain, Acquire has some rather successful IPs all of its own, with Akiba's Trip being a particularly notable highlight. The company is, therefore, considered to be a valuable addition to Kadokawa Corporation's roster, and the expectati?ons do seem to be high.

The post Octopath Traveler developer Acquire acquired by ?Kadokawa Corporation appeared first on Destructoid.

Check out Kadokawa's latest

Some fine news for anyone looking forward to Kadokawa Games' upcoming release Relayer �the publisher announced that a demo ??for its intergalactic mech-battler ??will be launching on PlayStation Store February 25, giving PS4 and PS5 owners a sneak peek at the epic sci-fi release.

As we have previously reported, Relayer will see players piloting platoons of hi-tech mech units �known as "Stella Gear" �in intense, turn-based, strategic warfare. When not out on the battlefield, the player will get to know the pilots under their command, who are, unsurprisingly, a posse of sexy, young anime thangs. Relayer looks ??to combine smart, tactical combat with dramatic space opera storytelling for an expressive RPG experience.

The demo will offer up the first two chapters of Relayer's story campaign, giving players a glimpse of nine stages of the in-game battle simulator. The player XP level wis capped at 30, and all progress made during the demo can be carried over into the full game when it launches later next month. So, if you had Relayer on your wishli??????????????????????????st anyway, th??is demo will provide a great opportunity for you to get stuck into the action.

Relayer launches March 24 on PlayStation platforms.

The post Relayer demo coming to PlayStation Store this? week appeared first on Destructoid.

'New Age Space Opera' preparing to raise the curtain

Kadokawa Games has announced that its cool-looking strategy battler Relayer will be unleashing its bra?nd of intergalactic mayhem sooner than one might have expected. The "New Age Space Opera" will receive a worldwide launch on PlayStation platforms March 24, 2022. The studio released a brand new trailer to celebrate the announcement.

//youtu.be/MkyXQcTgYBA

As previously reported, Relayer is a dramatic anime epic set against the backdrop of a world that has advanced in science, but not in morals. Taking place in Stardate 2049, mankind has come into contact with a strange alien presence known as "Relayer," brought about by the appearance of a mysterious and supernatural star child, "Terra." While all this would seem to be a fascinating progression of mank??ind as a species, humans have done fucked it all up again, with world governments, military factions, and powerful global corporations violently vying for a piece of the evolutionary pie.

Honestly, this is exactly what would happen ??????????????????????????should such events take place in our own world.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8ceronOi2k

And thus, what could be a brand new voyage into new frontiers of science, space, and life itself has instead become a capitalist war. As part of a team of superhuman star children, the player will step into mighty mecha machines known as "Stellar Gear," fighting the good fight for the very future of Earth. A turn-based strategy title, Relayer will utilize a wide variety of classes, attacks, and strategic maneuvers as players engage in bombastic warfare �??peppered with dazzling effects and featuring over 100 in-action cutscenes �w?hile a cataclysmic tale of political and spiritual conflict unfolds.

Although a totally unproven entity, I think from these early impressions Relayer is looking pretty rad. The characters are cool, the mechs are slick, and the turn-based, strategic gameplay sounds very inviting. The gameplay video above doesn't set me alight, to be honest, but I'm pretty optimistic about Relayer for now, and mech-he??ads should definitely keep one eye on this curio??us title ahead of its spring release.

Relayer launches on PlayStation platforms March 24. The PS4 edition can be upgraded to PS5 free-of-charge. A Digital Premium Edition includes a season pass, a selection of bonus content, and ??unlocks Early Access to the title from March 21.

The post Epi??c mech battler Relayer launches?? March 24 worldwide appeared first on Destructoid.

Launching worldwide on PS4 and PS5 in 2021

Last week, we reported on new title Relayer, a self-proclaimed "new age space opera" currently in development for PlayStation platforms. Developer Kadokawa Games has since released the first full Relayer trailer, giving us a teasing glimpse at ??the sci-fi title's universe and its catacl?ysmic mecha warfare.

Set in Stardate 2049, Relayer will tell an apocalyptic tale of a world plunge??d into conflict by the arrival of the titular alien being, an invading supernatur??al phenomenon, and the mysterious "star child", Terra. This collision of universe-changing events has been met with brutal mech-based conflict, as various governments and factions attempting to reconcile this strange new reality and its impact on not only Earth, but the entire galaxy.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPeOO78S9gM

Relayer is a turn-based strategy title with heavy RPG/social elements. Players will take charge of a battalion of "Stella Gear" mech suits, and fight it out in planet-quaking battles. Duri?ng the downtime, players will get to know the roster of pilots within their unit who are, unsurprisingly, a gang of hip 'n' sexy dudes and dudettes. Get to know your crew, manage the perfect platoon, use each Stella Gear's abilities in sweet synergy, and bring an end �or at least a compromise �to the global conflict before it destroys all.

Published by Clouded Leopard Entertainment, Relayer will receive a western localization within the same release window as its Japanese counterpart. So, if the above description?? gets you in gear for some mighty mecha action, at least you won't have to wait too long before Kadokawa's new title wings its way over the seas and onto these shores.

Relayer is currently in development for PS4 and PS5 and will launch sometime in ?2021.

Relayer trailer "Starchild Version" [Gematsu]

The post Relayer trailer shows off first footage of Kadokawa’s mecha mayhem appeared first on Destructoid.

Welcome... to Robot Wars

_{[Header image via Famitsu]}

Japanese developer Kadokawa Games, (of Metal Max and God Wars fame), has announced a brand new strategy RPG. A self-proclaimed "New age space opera", Relayer is currently in development at the studio for release on PlaySta??tion platforms at some point in the future.

A feature in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu offered up the sci-fi title's preliminary deets. Set in Stardate 2049, humanity has come into contact with a new alien life-form known as "Relayer". At the same time, a supernatural phenomenon is reported across the planet, seemingl??y brought about by the arrival of a "Star Child" known as "Terra". Understandably perturbed by the increasingly unnerving events, world governments and military factions become entangled in the situation's escalating drama.

Rooting its characters, narrative, and arc within Greek mythology, Relayer will see players pilot platoons of mechs — known as "Stella Gear" — in a variety of small-and-large-scale battles. Relayer is a turn-based strategy title,? and will feature numerous classes, maneuvers, weapons, and ally patterns, tasking the player with creating efficient attack patterns to win the day and become one step closer to God... quite literally. Oh, and of course, all of the Stella Gear pilots are sexy and stylish anime characters, each of which has their own sub-stories to be explored as the main campaign progresses.

It's very early days, with nary a screenshot or trailer in sight. We also don't know whether Relayer will do the numbers necessary to see a western localization. But for strategy/anime fans — perhaps those who dig the great gameplay and melodramatic nature of Valkyria Chronicles — Relayer might ??prove to be one title worth keeping an eye on.

Relayer confirmed for PS5, PS4 [Gematsu / Ryokutya2089]

The post Relayer is an epic mech battler coming ?to PlayStation from Kadokawa Games appeared first on Destructoid.

'Please look forward to it'

The Metal Max fr??anchise has been around since 1991 and just shipped its sixth entry ?last year. Whoa!

That's crazy to think about given that it doesn't get a whole lot of buzz in the west, but it got a localization nonetheless in North America and Europe on top of a Vita re?lease. Although it was originally a Data East joint ??it's now in Kadokawa's hands, and they're planning on continuing the post-apocalyptic adventures

Speaking to 4Gamer, Juntarou Kouno, Operating Officer and Producer for the series, explains that in 2021 Metal Max will celebrate its 3??0th anniversary, and they want to do right by it. Director Hiroshi Miyaoka is "working hard and planning for the future of the series," and Kouno says to "please look forward to it."

I can dig it! It's always sad to see a legacy series die??.

Japanese Creators [4Gamer via Gematsu]

The post Kadokawa Games says the Metal Max series will live on, is currently?? planning its future appeared first on Destructoid.

'It revived the market'

You might know Kadokawa as the 60-plus-year-old Japanese firm who's produced all sorts of various bits of manga, but there's also a publisher arm called Kadokawa Games that has been steadily pumping out titles like Demon Gaze and Natural Doctrine over the years. Given their experience in pretty much ev??ery platform on the planet they know a thing or two about the market, and just recent?ly credited the Switch with helping it out of a slump.

Speaking to DualShockers, company president Yoshimi Yasuda managed to explain the gaming ?landscape from his perspective. After noting that the relationship between the [Xbox platform and developers isn’t in the best conditions," he says that his team is excited about the prospect of?? working more on Steam, but that the Switch is really their passion platform right now.

Yasuda explains, "I’ve been working here for fifteen years??, and I always watched these two companies and held relationships with them. I think the users really care a??bout these platforms, and the quality of their products surely helped the market. I think that the release of the Switch absolutely had a positive influence on the market. It revived the market because now it’s full of good products. At the end of the day, it’s all about good games."

To further back up the role of consoles in an ever-encroaching mobile market, Yasuda drops this nugget of wisdom: "Even with the same amount of active users, mobile games made high revenues mainly selling items via the gacha system. This w??as obviously interesting, but the value of the market will decrease"

It'll be interesting to watch Kadokawa's impact on gaming as a? whole as they continue to? grow.

President Discusses S?trategy JRPGs, the Japanese Gaming Industry, and More [DualShockers via Nintendo Life]

The post Kadokawa Games praises Nintendo Switch for defying console market sl?ump appeared first on Destructoid.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

When last folks heard about God Wars: Future Past, its subtitle was God Wars: Beyond Time. Whatever the real motivation for the change, I think the new, current subtitle is a bit more appr??opriate. 

Playing God Wars feels like stepping into a portal to the past, in more ways than one. In some ways, God Wars is by turns a trip to a by??gone era of game design, a look at a much earlier period of history, and even a reminder of sorts that old things aren't necessarily bad things.

God Wars: Future Past (PS4 [Reviewed], PS Vita)
Publisher: NIS America (NA/EU), Kadokawa Games (JP)
Developer: Kadokawa Games
Release Date: June 20, 2017 (NA), June 17, 2017 (EU), June 22, 2017 (JP)
MSRP: $49.99 (PS4), $39.99 (Vita)

It's been a few years since Kadokawa last tried its hand at tactical games with the innovative but fatally compromised Natural Doctrine, and it seems that the company's attempt to recover from that experience has been to go back to basics in a way. The result is a decidedly more traditional type of tactical RPG, one that could've easily been a contemporary to the likes of Final Fantasy Tactics. 

All the requisit?e elements make an appearance here. Characters align themselves on a grid-based map in an isometric perspective, and measure their attack ranges and effects in arrangements of tiles. They take turns according to a speed rating, and can be rendered vulnerable by attacks outside their facing or from higher ground. 

This "so far, so Tactics Ogre" feeling extends to the game's character progression, which is defined by job classes. Each character plays host to three jobs: A main job, a sub-job, and a "unique" job that can't be changed, often speaking to the character itself. Basic jobs like Warrior and Priest quickly diversify and branch out into more specialized classes like Samurai or Monk, and then even further into advanced professions "Confucian" or "Herculean". With jobs determining both stat growth and the breadth of available skills that can unlocked and improved with "Job Points" earned in combat, there's a lot of potential for players to customize their party's makeup and approach, while the unique jobs keep a sense of individuality that sometimes gets lost in ga??mes with these styles of systems.

And yet, little of this is something that hasn't been seen before. That's not necessarily a huge problem, but most of the genuine novelty to be found in God Wars stands apart from its mechanics.

Indeed, you may come for a fun - if slightly generic - tactics game, but the reason to want to stay is provided by the narrative. Rather than the so-common-it's cliche take on medieval swords and sorcery that underpins so many tactical RPGs, God Wars goes all the way to the roots of Japan's mythic past, by incorporating characters and elements from the Kojiki, Japan's oldest remaining historical chronicle, as well as the chronicles of Shaka, Japan's take on the historical Buddha. Almost a thousand years old, the myths and stories described in the Kojiki detail a Japan before people decided to start calling it "Japan", and display a side of Japa??nese history and culture that's rarely covered in the media that gets out to the rest of the world.

That said, the adaptation is fairly loose, recasting the world of Japan's past into the fantastical, deity-infested realm of Mizuho (taken from a very old name for Japan). Divided between the kingdoms of Fuji, Izumo, and Hyuga. Wracked by natural disasters and conflict, the priestess of Fuji, Lady Tsukuyomi, once sacrificed her daughter Sakuya to the volcano, bringing about a period of calm. Thirteen years later, upheaval once again comes to the land as Tsukuyomi's other daughter, Kaguya, breaks out of her prison to see the world and find some answers. She's aided by friends like the stone axe-wielding Kintarou, and a host of other characters whose names you might have once heard adorning a Shin Megami Tensei demon, or labeling a Naruto ni?nja magic spell. Here, they're characters to be leveled up, equipped, and moved around on the board to fight man, beas??t, and god alike.

All of this adds a good dash of unique flavor to the proceedings, and it's helped along by colorful cutscene art that transition??s smoothly to fully animated video. The actual gameplay graphics, though, are less to write home about, having been clearly design??ed to look best on a portable platform. 

Ultimately, while it's a little bit disappointing to see Kadokawa go with such a "safe" design for its return to the tactical RPG battlefield, there's enough in God Wars: Future Past's narrative and atmosphere to recommend it to someone on the lookout for a new Tactics-style title.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the ga?me provided by the pub??lisher.]}

The post Review: God Wars: Future Past appeared first on Destructoid.

This summer in Japan

Kadokawa games is publishing Takeyasu Sawaki's next title on PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. Sawaki is best known for El Shaddai which was not too el shabby. Unlike El Shaddai, The Lost Child is a turn-based RPG, but is based on the world of El Shaddai??, connected to its story, and even features a character from that game, Lucifel. Already 90% complete, it hit?s Japan this summer.

The story follows a magazine writer named Hayato Ibuki who is covering the story of a person who committed suicide by jumping in front of a train at Shinjuku Station. During the search, he is nearly pushed onto the tracks by a mysterious black shadow, but is saved by a mysterious and beautiful woman named Barcia. She gives him a Demon Gun Gangour, which gives him (and thus the player) the ability to capture and train angels and demons. Assited by a woman nam??ed Rua, you'll investigate various mysteries while searching for Barcia.

El Shaddai is drowning somewhere on my insurmountable backlog, probably smushed between Enslaved and God Hand, especially for it's vibrant water-color art direction. There's not much to go on in this teaser, other than th??e first shot of the featured man being is crotch. Based on short time between now and release and the simple still images in the trailer, it doesn't seem to have a very high budget. We'll have to wait and see I suppose.

The post El Shaddai spiritual su??ccessor, The Lost Child, announ?ced appeared first on Destructoid.

It'll be published by NIS America

Well, it appears as if RPG Maker Fes -- a version of the popular RPG Maker game creation software for the Nintendo 3DS -- is heading to Western territories courtesy of NIS America, if a recent listing o?n the Australian Classification?? Board's website is to be believed.

While NIS America has made no announcement relating to this software's availability in Western regions, Gematsu notes that it is very likely that i?t will be of??ficially revealed during a press event that the publisher is hosting on February 17.

As the name would suggest, RPG Maker Fes allows players to build and customise their own role-playing games, which can then be shared using Nintendo's online services. These games can then be downloaded and played using an RPG Maker Fes Player?? application, which was freely distributed on the Nintendo eShop alongside the Japanese release of the full version of the RPG creation tool.

Should RPG Maker Fes come to the West, it is currently unknown as to whether or not the Player application will be freely distributed here, too. Nonetheless, this online functionality would at least give RPG Maker Fes a leg up on Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, which doesn't allow? players to share the levels that they have created online.

For as much as I'd love to try this program out for myself, something tells me that I wouldn't be very good at RPG creation. I'd most likely spend a few hours tinkering on a project while on a train or laying in bed, only to wind up with something so terrible that I'd deem it unacceptable for distribution. I'd then wind up deleting the project out of shame, before repeating this cycle with countless other RPGs before I eventually give up and go back to playing Fire Emblem Fates.

RPG Maker Fes [Australian Classification Board via Gematsu]

The post It looks like RPG Maker Fes for the? 3DS will be heading to West?ern territories appeared first on Destructoid.

P.S. Are you a ghost?

At first, Root Letter (stylized as “√Letter”) appears to try to hook players with the thought of solving a crime. A murder mystery is afoot, and it’s up to me, the player, to solve it. But actually playing the game makes me feel less like Sherlock Holmes cracking open a tough whodunit, and more like an eccentric, slightly obnoxious Lonely Planet writer backpacking his way across ??a lesser-known section of ??Japan.

I can’t say definitively whether the rather laid-back mood of this visual novel was all due to Kadokawa Games’ intentions, but oddly enough, it still?? works out.

Root Letter (PS4 [Reviewed], PS Vita)
Developer: Kadokawa Games
Publisher: PQube
Released: November 8, 2016 (NA)
MSRP: $59.99 (PS4), $39.99 (Vita)

Indeed, what could have been a tense thriller is rendered in a haze of breezy nostalgia by Root Letter’s able presentation. Leveraging involvement of key members from Konami’s Love Plus team (i.e. the team that’s come closer than anyone else in gaming to creating an actual, true-to-the-words “dating sim”), everything in Root Letter is rendered?? in bright, shiny colors and intricate detail. What might otherwise be a grimly intriguing hook feels more like a pleasant lark.

If anything, this slightly absurd atmosphere helps the narrative along, which begins as your charact?er, a thirty-something salaryman with a default name of “Takayuki,” prepares to move house in anticipation of a promotion. You come across a series of letters from one Aya Fumino, an old pen-pal flame from fifteen years ago. The letters lead to a bout of romantic reminiscence, until the discovery of a final, curiously unread missive, containing ?a shocking confession: Aya cuts off your corresponden??ce, cl?aiming to have killed someone.

It’s heavy stuff, and enough for the young guy to put his whole life on hold and jet off to Aya’s hometown of Matsue, a lak?eside city in Japan’s western Shimane prefecture. All this to find someone he’s never met personally and ask her about a m??urder she may or may not have committed back when Y2K was still a thing. His only clues are the letters she wrote, and the friends she described within them, who all, luckily enough, still live in town and are open to being interrogated regarding her whereabouts by a complete stranger.

Indeed, Takayuki's main task for much of the game is tracking down each of these old friends and grilling them on just who Aya Fumino is, and later, why she and her actions were such a big deal back in high school. The game is divided into chapters, and most of the meaningful choice in the narrative takes place between chapters, as Aya's letters are recounted and players try to decide how they (or rather, Takayuki), responded to her postscript questions. Their choices can affect events in subsequent chapters, an??d ultimately, influence which of a handful of endings pl??ayers will see.

It's a novel hook, and frankly, one that deserves better than it gets in Root Letter, whose narrative suffers for its unevenness and a localization that borders on wretched. The story shifts in tone wildly, its otherwise grounded cold case-style mystery contrasting against characterization that at times approaches the cartoonish exaggeration of the Ace Attorney series. That kind of cartoonishness isn't the problem, though. It's the inconsistency. Whereas Ace Attorney is reliably bonkers from end to end, Root Letter tries to mix in the anime wackos with characters that are more realistic in carriage and personality. It's a tough balance to strik??e, and unfortunately, the writing isn't up to the t??ask, ending up making the "colorful" characters seem insane and the realistic ones seem boring.

It's hard to tell just which tone the game was going for, especially given the huge amount of local flavor infused in it. Matsue is, as it turns out, a real city in Japan, and much of the background artwork in Root Letter is referenced from actual locations, including existing establishments like well-known bars and restaurants. While this style of "product placement" might come off as crass in other games, the aura of verisimilitude adds to Root Letter's charm. One could even imagine using the game to inform an itinerary for visiti?ng the city one day. Then again, all this grounding in reality makes the bizarre characterizations stand out even more. 

The localization also tends to make thi??ngs worse (and occasionally "better"). The translation is straightforward and largely correct, but numerous typos, awkward and circular phrasing, and other issues make it look like the script was barely given any editing before being implemented in the game. Sometimes this can make for some unintentional hilarity, but it reflects poorly on the game itself.

Less-discerning players with a tolerance for bad localizations, or maybe Matsue residents, will find a pleasant diversion in Root Letter, bu?t for everyo??ne else, it's difficult to recommend, especially at its current price tag.

_{[This?? review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Root Letter appeared first on Destructoid.

Ugly, but cool strategy RPG

The music goes from weird rock to just?? weird to typical RPG orchestral sounding. And still sounds alright. 

Natty Doc (Natural Doctrine), the brutal, sort of ugly turn-based strategy game, also has mutliplayer with card-based units, which is on displa??y in this trailer. Also worth noting that being able to play between PS3, PS4, and Vita is pretty neat and doesn't leave th?e six people who own a Vita out in the cold with no one to play with.

The post Natural Do??ctrine multiplayer set to inconsistent, yet still good music appeared first on Destructoid.

Hidetaka Miyazaki doesn't hate Armored Core

From Software's Hidetaka Miyazaki spoke to Famitsu about wanting to expand their catalog with more Japanese-style games, presumably along the lines of past From games Tenchu and Otogi. 

Miyazaki said their current lineup was a bit limited, though "[t]he steady flow of dark fantasy games and mecha are something we'd like to continue taking good care of." Obviously with Bloodborne, Souls-style games aren't on their way out. Armored Core, too.

"There seems to be some talk about how I dislike the Armored Core series, ??but that is simply not true," he said. "Actuall??y, I’d even like to direct a new title myself."

As for what form these new titles will come in, it remains to be seen. It doesn't seem to be a mandate from Kadokawa, though. Miyazaki says From management has not changed and it will continue to publish and develop the games we're used to. Kadokawa acquired From early this year.

From Software Would Like To Expand Their Lineup With Mo??re Japanese-Style Games [Siliconera]

The post Dark Souls dev From wants to do more Japanese-style game??s appeared first on Destructoid.

Hmm...how about we go with 'homely'

Sure, Natural Doctrine doesn't look great (well, the environments; it does look better in miniature on the Vita). It's a far cry from director Atsushi Ii's gorgeous minimalism in Patapon.

But Kadokawa Games' first internal venture can get a pass for looking a bit dated if the core gameplay can hold up, and it just might. Producer Kensuke Tanaka felt that JRPGs were "lacking in difficulty," that they didn't "make you think," NIS America representatives explained. Natural Doctrine is an answer to that.

However, NIS America was not able to answer why exactly t????he lead in a fantasy RPG of orcs, magic and lizard men is named Jeff. 

Natural Doctrine (PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita)
Developer: Kadokawa Games
Publisher: NIS America
Release Date: September 16, 2014

Natural Doctrine's UI has been an illegible clutter in what we've seen so far (which is sort of extensive, as it's been out i??n Japan for months), so I was glad to finally get some clarification, though nothing will beat p??laying it for a few hours to figure everything out. 

First, it's like a cross between Valkyria Chronicles and a grid-based SRPG. Though large, outlined, adjacent squares? You can move anywhere within one -- moving into a new?? square, crossing a boundary, is what counts as a movement. An??d your free positioning within squares is actually meaningful.

The first map shown involved catching up to protecting a character who will essentially be your first mage, if you succeed. If you don't succeed and h?e dies, you should probably start over. I'm told that's the case with any character, really. "You come in with a team, you better leave with that team." And so part of defending this mage involved getting your troops to his square and actually setting up a defense wall around him because enemies will need line of sight to hit (I saw a lot of shots from a ranged gunman bounce ineptly off of a piece of wall later in the demo -- third person view is helpful to avoid that).

As for the messy top of the UI, that's the turn order, but it's fungible. Doing an action with in the same square (or an adjacent square) as one of your units activates Linking, which changes up the turn order. While the Initiative above may alterna??te you, enemy, you could theoretically link everyone and get all your turns in -- though you've opened up for your enemy to do the same.

Also key are same square Link attacks which get stronger as you move your linked characters away from each other, which is great for extra offense but could compromise any defensive positioning you were working with. Grouping is also useful because everyone in an attacked square will c??ounter. An adjacent, ranged fighter can also counter without being attacked if close enough. 

Things like ?terrain and positioning also matter (for line of sight). You can even friendly fire your own units if you're not careful. Killing an enemy also makes the attacking unit move into the adjacent section (provided it isn't filled with further enemies), which can sometimes screw you over, as I saw in a later level. 

You could spend three turns trying to close a gate, requiring enemies to flank around (and giving you more turns to pick them off slowly) or brute force your way through. Our demoer took Jeff and set him up with some buffs and set him to guard the space right behind the gate. This prevented enemy troops from moving up and allowed him to counterattack while ranged units also attacked. But our demoer fell a few times, once when a successful attack forced Jeff to move up a square, into the open, where he was unceremoniously wrecked?.

After finally making it through, more, stronger enemies showed up. Thankfully, someone asked Kadokawa to throw some checkpoints in so some of the longer stanges wouldn't need to be fully replayed (especially since you're advised to restart upon character death). This is more of an XCOM situation than other SRPGs. The??re's no grinding, just the main missions. And you're given the soldiers you have to use for each mission, though you can respec characters at the onset to some degree. They have specialties, of course, and you'll want to keep your mages for their invaluable healing and strong offensive magic -- if you conserve enough Pluton, the MP source, which doesn't always replenish between stages. 

It all seems as if Natural Doctrine is a bit antagonistic. It is. But at least you can hold down a button to fast forward enemy turns.? 

It won't be cross-buy, but the PS3, PS4, and Vita versions will be cross-save and cross-play -- there's also a multiplayer component where you play with units of all four in-g??ame races (in the story, you only play as humans) that you earn by playi??ng multiplayer and getting trading cards. Each unit card has a cost to play, so you will hopefully not get steam rolled by someone just because they have stronger units than you. 

And I forgot to only refer to the game as Natty Doc. Shoot. 

The post Natural Doctrine is a brutal, sort of ugly turn-??ba??sed strategy game appeared first on Destructoid.

Strategy RPG coming to all the PlayStations

NIS America will release strategy role-playing game Natural Doctrine in ??Europe and North America this September, the company announced this wee??k.

Natural Doctrine is the inaugural project from Kadokawa Corporation's new internal studio. ?The title features cross-play and cross-save functionality across PlayStation 4, PS3, and PS Vita. It will be available in North America on September 16 and in European mark??ets starting September 19.

September figures to be a good month for RPG fans, as NIS America is also publishing Compile Heart's Fairy Fencer F in the West around the autumnal equinox.

The post NIS bringing Natural Doctrine west in September appeared first on Destructoid.

Dark Souls dev to become a subsidiary

From Software, makers of Dark Souls and Armored Core, has just been snapped up by Japanese mega-publisher Kadokawa Corporation. They will be come a subsidiary of Kadokawa after the transfer of 80 percent of the company's shares take??s place on May 21. Current holder Transcomos will gain the equivalent of $17 million for the sale of From Software.

Never head of 'em? I bet you have. Kadokawa Corporation is one of the biggest media companies in the east, with their hands in film, television, animation (all the Media Factory stuff), gaming, books, magazines (Famitsu, Dengeki, ASCII), and so much more. They handled Killer is Dead in Japan, and the game I'm playing right now, Demon Gaze, is also a Kadokawa Games release. 

From Software is in good (and huge) hands.

According to Gematsu, Kadokawa Corp. hopes that?? the acquisition of From Software will help them expand in the games industry. Their studios will share expertise and resources to achieve this goal. 

The post From Software acquired by Kadokawa Corp. appeared first on Destructoid.