For as much as I enjoyed The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak, I really did miss some of the minigames from the Trails of Cold Steel series like Snowboarding, Fishing, and ev??en the card game?? Vantage Masters.

If you're a minigame aficionado like myself, it looks like The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II will have a lot for you to enjoy. ?Last week developer Nihon Falcom and Publisher NIS America showed me a glimpse of the fun to be had when the sequel releases next month.

Like any good JRPG, the story is a big part of the appeal, so not much was shared in that regard other than the sequel takes place three months after the events from the original Trailts Through Daybreak, and a Crimson-colored Grendel, the special armored form of the main character Van, has bee??n terrorizing the capital city of Edith. I was also ass??ured that the full roster of characters from the original would be returning in the sequel as well as some new faces.

Next, my day was made, with the reveal that minigames would be returning in Trails Through Daybreak II, including fishing in its most refined form yet. Look, Fishing wasn't the best in its various forms throughout Cold Steel, ??but it was still a welcome minigame to dive into, and I'm happy to? see it return.

Various other minigames will make an appearance throughout the RPG including Hacking, where you guide an avatar through a maze with a time limit while avoiding various obstacles, a 1-on-1 simple shooting and defending basketball minigame, and Seven Hearts, a new Card Game making its debut in Trails Through Daybreak II.

While not necessarily a minigame, the Nihon also showcased a new optional area in Trails Through Daybreak II called the Marchen Garten. In a nutshell, the Marchen Garten is a virtual world that exists outside of the main game world and allows players to obtain equipment, level up, and earn other bonuses that can be used in the main game. Players can build their own dream party from over 15 characters before ascending a randomized multi-floor dungeon. The Marchen Garten is also tied to Trails Through Daybreak II's post-game content with post-game-specific floors, story content, and ?two characters that are not playable in the mai??n game.

As I said, the story is the driving factor for me when it comes to any Trails game, but it sounds like Nihon is addi?ng a lot of varied gameplay to the RPG.

For players interested in trying out Trails Through Daybreak II, two demos are scheduled to be released exclusively on PS5 and PS4 on January 24, 2025. The first is a Story Demo, taking place at the st?art of the game and running through the beginning of Chapter 1. Save data from this demo will carry over to the main game. The second is a Gameplay Demo that allows players to fight through two floors of the Marchen Garten with pre-selected parties.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is set to rele??ase on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2025, on PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The post The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II brings back fun minigames and has a demo coming next? week appeared first on Destructoid.

Ys X is the next big game in a prolific RPG series with an English dub supported. We have a bunch of talented Ys X voice actors, including Sword Art Online's Bryce Papenbrook and Persona 5's Cherami Leigh.

All English Ys X voice actors

Thankfully, the English Ys X voice actor lineup is well-established in the industry. They include the following, according to Behind The Voice Actors:

• Adol Christin - Bryce Papenbrook
• Karja Balta - Cherami Leigh
• Glen Berge - Alejandro Saab
• Dogi - Patrick Seitz
• Rosalind Lazveli - Anairis Quinones
• Cruz Carpent - Micah Solusod
• Rafe Evelies - Ricco Fajardo
• Mirabel Asrad - Madeline Dorooh
• Old Man - Brent Mukai
• Logr - Kieran Regan
• Odr - Jason Marnocha
• Grimson Balta - SungWon Cho

Once the full game lau?nches, we'll?? know the full list and update this article.

What are some of these actors known for?

Bryce Papenbrook, who voices Adol in Ys X, has also been Asbel in Tales of Graces f, Sword Art Online's Kirito, and Zidane in the Dissidia: Final Fantasy series. You may also recognize him as Meliodas from The Seven Deadly Sins anime series.

The other main protagonist in Ys X, Karja, is performed by Cherami Leigh. She's played major RPG roles in the past, such as Nier's A2, Makoto in Persona 5, and V in Cyberpunk 2077. Anime fans might know her voice from BNA: Brand New Animal as Michiru Kagemori and Lucy from Fairy Tail.

Alejandro Saab is Glen in this game. He's played many roles over the years, including Akihiko from Persona 3 Reload and Jing Yuan in Honkai: Star Rail. He's even played a wrestler called Hector Flores in WWE 2K23.

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The next action-RPG from developer FuRyu is Reynatis, which is currently set to launch around the world on September 27, 2024. Those looking forward to it will have plenty to dig into beyond the full game itself, because nine free updates are planned for post-launch release.

NIS America shared some vague details along with the announcement. According to the press release, Reynatis players can look forward to a "secret episode," as well as ??new story episodes for lead characters Marin Kirizumi and Sari Nishijima. Aside from that, all we know is we can? expect "more action, magical clashes, and additional story insights." 

A ??handful of new screenshots debuted with the news, a?nd NIS America promises more information on free updates in the future.

Set against the backdrop of a magic-infused depiction of Tokyo, Reynatis follows a wizard named Marin as he runs into Sari ?in Shibuya. Sari is an officer of the M.E.A., an organization tasked with regulating magic and reining in wizards. Magic killed Sari's sister, thrusting her into the magic enforcement role. Meanwhile, Marin seeks liberation and additional power. Sounds like a recipe for clashing personalities and motives, if you ask me. 

These story beats work their way into the game's exploration and combat system. In? Suppression Mode, Marin can hide his identity and explore freely. Switching to Liberation Mode on the fly lets Marin unleash his powerful magic for some cinematic action. Doing so, however, also attracts the attention of the M.E.A. 

We'll have to wait until closer to launch to find out how that story dynamic expands with the nine updates planned so far. When Reynatis ??arrives, it'll be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, ?Nintendo Switch, and PC. 

The post FuRyu action-RPG Reynatis?? has nine free updates planne??d post-launch appeared first on Destructoid.

NIS America and Nippon Ichi Software recently announced Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero, and now the strategy-RPG has its first trailer. Look for this entry to hit PlayStation 4, ??PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam around the world in 2025, and check out a snaps??hot of the adventure to come below.

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero follows a gifted young girl named Marona, who has the ability to speak to Phantoms. While sailing across the oceanic worl?d of Ivoire, a fleet of ghost ships attack and force Marona and her friend Apricot to leap into action. Together, they work to assemble the crew of legend that once famously defeated these nefarious spirits. 

Using Marona's unique skills, you'll be able to recruit Phantoms and combine them with objects, Gadgets, and even Marona herself. Phantom Brave's combat takes place on a gridless battlefield upon which you can put your recruited Phantoms to work. There's also a character creation feature, random dungeon exploration for additional leveling, and other concepts straight out of NIS's Disgaea series. 

Phantoms of future past

If you're keen on exploring previous adventures, NIS America has a limited time discount in place to celebrate the announcement of The Lost Hero. Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle is included in Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 1 along with Soul Nomad & the World Eaters, and the bundle is currently $9.99 on the Nintendo eShop through July 7.  There's also an 80 percent discount on Phantom Brave PC on Steam until July 11. 

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NIS America has revealed that the HD Remaster of the 2015 3DS RPG The Legend of Legacy will release on March 22, 2024. The previously handheld-only turn-based RPG will come to Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC early next year. The March 22 release date is for both NA and EU regions, while the JP release is scheduled for February 1. NIS America also released a gameplay trailer showing off the remastered visuals of The Legend of Legacy.

Developed by Cattle Call, the RPG takes place on the island of Avalon, a lost continent discovered just a decade before the game takes place. The Legend of Legacy features seven playable characters who visit the island of Avalon in search of answers fr??om this mysteriously unique island. Plays will explore various areas ??of Avalon while delving into dungeons in search of loot.

The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered features improved graphics as well as a new guidebook function that makes it easier for newcomers to the RPG to get started. According to the Steam page, more intuitive gameplay options and ease of access ha??ve also been added in the remaster.

I never had the opportunity to play The Legend of Legacy, but it did always pique my interest. To me, it seemed like a mix of traditional standard JRPG like Bravely Default mashed together with more of a focus on exploration like Etrian Odyssey. I don't know why but it always feels rewarding to map things out, which is apparently a big feature of The Legend of Legacy as you explore the island of Avalon.

The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered releases on March 22, 2024 ?on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Pl??ayStation 5.

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Last month, Falcom's The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III and IV were announced ??for PlayStation 5. Now the pair ??of RPGs are locked in for February 16, 2024.

NIS America confirmed a lau??nch ?date for the pair alongside a new gameplay trailer. After showing off some of the characters, the video quickly dives into the updated Erebonia experience. Rean Schwarzer and the Class VII: Special Operations squad then show off their skills with some flashy moves and Link Attacks. See how it all looks on PS5 below.

Keeping the trail hot

Both entries in the series �originally released in Japan in 2017 and 2018, respectively �will be available separately digitally. The real meat here is the two-in-one collection that includes a ton of role-playing bang for your buck. Those who want to burn approximately 99 of those bucks will be able to do so with the limited edition physical release. NIS America previously revealed the package, which includes the game, a soundtra??ck, art books, and more. 

After the original Japanese release, Trails of Cold Steel III launched globally in 2019, followed by IV in 2020. They're also available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The PS5 release includes English and Japanese audio, as well as English and French text for III (just English for IV). Seeing everything these games have to offer could take 100 hours for each, so you might ??want to clear your calendar for the?? latter half of February. 

The post The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III and IV launch on PS5 in Fe??bruary appeared first on Destructoid.

Earlier today, I reported that The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki was finally getting an English localization. Titled Trails through Daybreak, I picked out a talking point from the NISA announcement stream that Trails through Daybreak would be the start of a new story arc, and therefore serve as a dece??nt entry point for new fans. Little did?? I know that I stepped on a landmine with this comment.

Falcom’s The Legend of Heroes series has become an absolute monster of a work. Technically speaking, The Legend of Heroes dates back to the 80s with Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes. We got this one in English on the Turbografx CD, which is something I’ve been dying to talk about. But to get back on track, what modern gamers usually refer to as �em>The Legend of Heroes�is actually a bit more specific. They are more specifically referring to the �em>Kiseki�subseries within the greater Legend of Heroes brand, which has localized into what we now know as the �em>Trails�series. Previous Legend of Heroes games are disconnected from the Trails story.

This, of course, is not to be confused with Namco’s Tales ?series, which�okay, I’m starting to see how weird this all sounds for people not into RPGs.

Setting a new Trail

Starting with The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo began what he would literally call his �a href="//www.gamespot.?com/articles/falcom-president-talks-the-future-of-legend-of-her/1100-6468720/">life’s work.�The Trails series spans a huge world, telling interconnected stories that weave together one of the biggest tales in RPG history. The series started on the PC, which is currently the easiest platform to play the Trails series from start to finish. However, the games have appeared on platforms ranging from the PSP all the way to the PlayStat?ion 5.

While Falcom has clearly spun an impressive world, trying to actually experience this massive tale feels overwhelming. It’s hard enough to find time for one 50+ hour RPG, so how is any adult going to carve out the time for ten of them just to catch up? This is why I originally latched onto that comment about how Trails through Daybreak might serve as a good startin?g point. As a reminder, I too am functionally new to this series.

I’ve since spent the rest of the day talking with fans of the Trails series. While Trails through Daybreak may be playable on its own terms, you’d maybe miss out on why fans actually love these games to begin with. Let’s untangle all these threads and give those curious about the Trails games something ??of a primer to help them get started.

In what order should you play The Legend of Heroes: Trails series?

Again, only focusing on the games within the immediate Trails story, a current, perfect playthrough of the saga so fa?r looks like this.

• 1: Trails in the Sky
• 2: Trails in the Sky: Second Chapter
• 3: Trails in the Sky the 3^rd
• 4: Trails from Zero
• 5: Trails to Azure
• 6: Trails of Cold Steel 1
• 7: Trails of Cold Steel 2
• 8: Trails of Cold Steel 3
• 9: Trails of Cold Steel 4
• 10: Trails into Reverie
• 11: Trails through Daybreak

For reference, this is the order these games originally came out in Japan. The English release order got a bit jumbled, as for a while we skipped over Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure. But rest assured, the ab??ove order will present you each story the way Falcom intended.

For simplicity’s sake, I have not counted spinoffs in this list, even though I thought The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails was great. But obviously, playing all these games is easier said than done. By adding up hour counts on HowLongToBeat.com, preparing for Trails through Daybreak by playing all the preceding games would take about 485.5 hours. And that’s only counting main story playthroughs, as completionist runs would basically double that. This puts catching up with the Trails series roughly on par with watching the entirety of One Piece, if not a bit longer.

So, naturally, this is when most people would start looking at cu?tting corners. What games aren’t so essential, or what stories can you enjoy in isolation?

The best starting points in the Trails series

Since I don’t know the Trails ??series firsthand, I sought out comments from other fans about what start?ing points, if any, would work best. This led me to our own Cody Perez, who has played through all the mainline games. His comment follows:

I would say Trails in the Sky, Trails from Zero, and Trails of Cold Steel are the best starting points. Sky for seeing the start of the Zemurian saga, Zero for its introduction which feels built for newcomers, and Cold Steel for its more broad appeal to fans of other games like Persona.

- Destructoid's Cody Perez

Following that advice, the biggest cut corner here would be to start with Trails of Cold Steel. This would bring your hour count down to a more conservative 276 hours, which uh�okay, that’s still a lot of hours. Given the circumstances, the idea of just entering right into Trails through Daybreak starts sounding eve??n more enticing. But here's why fans might?? advise you against that.

The problem with starting with Trails through Daybreak

After talking with other fans about using Trails through Daybreak as a starting point, we concluded that starting here would be kind of like watching a Marvel movie halfway thr?ough the saga. Would you ge?t the broad strokes of the story and enjoy it in isolation? Absolutely.

However, the appeal here is the slow burn of world building that has accumulated over almost twenty years. Stories will often have references and callbacks that reward longtime fans, which uniquely separates Trails for most other RPG series. Sure, any Avengers movie works on its own, but they wouldn’t feel nearly as special without the stories preceding them. That’s the gist of the Trails series.

So, was it wrong to suggest that you could start with Trails through Daybreak? Not necessarily. ?But getting that full experience absolutely does require familiarity with everything that built up to this arc, which many fans are passionate about.

Judge your time and make your call

In short, to immerse yourself in the community surrounding these games and get the full experience, start with Trails in the Sky. However, I’m of the mind that there’s no right or wrong way to play games like this, as long as you’re well informed. During my research, I found posts from people who started with Trails of Cold Steel 3 - a game most would say is not a good place to start �who said they enjoyed their time. Fun and value is all subjective, so no one can make that call b?ut you.

However, I do very well understand why fans advocate for starting the series from the beginning. You can only experience something for the first time once, after all. So insisting that someone get that optimal experience right off the bat makes sense. It does make me sad that, realistically, I’ll probably only find time to play Trails through Daybreak without the preceding titles at best. But not everyone is in my boat, and there’s no harm in taking these longer stories slow. People are playing Final Fantasy XIV from start to Endwalker all the time, and that isn’t too terribly dissi?milar i?n terms of time commitment.

It’s not the end of the world if you can’t start from the beginning, but that is the best case scenario if you can. Otherwise, just play the games that catch your eye and hope for the best. All I know is, the moment someone invents a time vacuum that strictly exists to play all the games in your backlog, I’m gonna go nuts with this series. Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes for the Turbografx CD is calling my name.

The post How do you start The ??Legend of Heroes: Trails series? appeared first on Destructoid.

During today’s Falcom X NISA stream, The Legend of Heroes fans were treated to a long-awaited localization announcement. The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki received its official English title of Trails through Daybreak, and it’ll hit our shores next summer.

Fortunately, the title and date isn’t all we received today. NISA also released a new debut trailer that shows off some of the English voicework alongside the gameplay. Check it ??out below.

A new starting point for Trails

Falcom’s Legend of Heroes series has had quite a tumultuous history here in the West. The series is so big and so text heavy that localizations generally come with a bit of a delay. That’s honestly its own story that could fill several posts on its own, but in summary, fans have been waiting for this one since it originally rel?eased in Japan back in 2021.

Fortunately, during the Twitch presentation, NISA’s team clarified that Trails through Daybreak would also serve as a good point for new fans to jump into the series, taking place after Trails into Reverie. For someone like me who loves Falcom games but lacks the sheer hours it’d take to clear all the preceding games, that’s good news! I really enjoyed the recent English release of the spinoff title The Legend of Nayuta, so it’d be great to jum??p into the series proper as well.

For interested parties, preorders for the game have already gone live. A $99.99 Special Edition will net you some neat bonuses, including a mini artboo??k, a soundtrack CD, and a Steelbook case. You can also opt to pay extra for plushies of characters Van and Agnes.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak will launch on Nintendo Switch, PlayStatio?n 4, PlayStation 5, and ??PC during Summer 2024.

The post NIS announces The Legend of Heroes: Trails throug??h ??Daybreak for Summer 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

If major RPG franchises like Final Fantasy introduced me to RPGs, it’s the B-tier titles that made me love the genre. Throughout the SNES, PSX, and PS2 eras of gaming, those lower budget, heartfelt RPGs were my bread and butter. Games like Illusion of Gaia (and later Terranigma), Lunar: The Silver Star Story, and Wild Arms meant so much to me, and I’m always in search of titles that capture that same creative energy. The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails may not come from that same time period, but it is absolutely cut from that s??ame cloth.

Granted, it’s no surprise that I would like this one (sorry, spoilers). The Legend of Nayuta was originally released by Nihon Falcom for the PSP in 2012, AKA the creators of the Ys series. If you read my bio at the bottom of this article, you could guess my feelings on the developer. And really, The Legend of Nayuta is potentially the most Falcom-y Falcom game ever made. It sports the Trails/Kiseki moniker in the title, seems to use the Ys Seven engine, yet plays like a mix of Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection and Ys: The Oath in Felghana. Few games are so tailored to my tastes and sensibilities as this, and I imagine other Falcom?? fans don’t need my take to know they should pick this on??e up.

Don’t worry, for the rest of you not as keen on relatively niche RPG franchises, I still have my critic hat on. And while I did thoroughly enjoy The Legend of Nayuta, it maybe doesn’t ha??ve the same consistent highs as Falcom’s best work. Mostly due to the hardware it was originally made for.

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails (PC [Reviewed], Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4)
Developer: Nihon Falcom
Publisher: NIS America, Inc.
Released: September 19, 2023 (NA), September 21, 2023 (EU)
MSRP: $39.99

Trails of no relation

As a quick clarifying note, The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is a completely standalone title. The Kiseki/Trails series is a mammoth, but you don’t need experience with any of those games to enjoy this one. While there are some references for fans here, the consensus is that Nayuta takes place in its own world. Granted, even if t?his one was tied to a greater universe, I think you’d understand it just fine.

The titular Nayuta is a boy who lives on an island, and his story is a greatest hits of RPG tropes from roughly 1997 to 2005. He discovers a magical other world called Terra that his parents died while investigating in the past. His best friend is also maybe his rival. There’s a mysterious girl who has lost her memory, who potentially creates a love triangle with Nayuta’s childhood friend. It’s real, real basic, but it’s by-the-book to th?e point of ?feeling nostalgic. Some of the later plot points do get contrived, but otherwise I think there’s a lot of charm here.

Part of the appeal is less the story itself and more the smaller details. Falcom games like Ys: The Oath in Felghana have this warm sense of community to them, and The Legend of Nayuta is no exception. Everyone on Nayuta’s island has a name and a distinct personality, and the way everyone cares for each other is exceedingly wholesome. Moments like talking to everyone after saving a particular character and seeing them get tearful over everything turning out okay is just heartwarming, no matter how simple it is. And for me, while the plot isn’t always a bed of flowers, that sense of comfort is what really elevates The Legend of Nayuta as a whole.

Half Action, half RPG, half Platformer

Where The Legend of Nayuta starts getting interesting is within its actual structure. As a game originally created for the PSP, it absolutely feels like a handheld game. It forgoes open areas in favor of bite-sized levels that each feature a handful of challenges to fulfill. Find all the secrets, open the chest(s), and fulfill a specific task like “defeat 30 enemies.�This? starts to make this RPG feel a bit like a platformer, which is fitting.

Levels in The Legend of Nayuta generally resemble an Ys dungeon at first glance. You’ll hack and s?lash your way through monsters, using magic and swordplay between swiftly dodging attacks. However, there’s also a strong focus on straight-up platforming. Jumping from platform to platform, and eventually using unique gimmicks to cross large gaps, takes a strong focus here. In fact, you’ll often see treasure chests that you can only obtain with powers you’ll unlock later, which imbues a bit of Metroidvania here as well.

The game usually controls well, thou?gh it does maybe bite off more than it can chew in some regards??. More on this later.

Don’t worry though, the RPG side of things is here too. It veers on the simple side, with basic stats an?d equipment that primarily serve to make you look different and do bigger damage numbers. But fighting baddies and leveling up is as much of this experience as any game, with a few other RPG-y systems thrown in too. Healing items come through cooking, which uses items you find during your adventure to make. Also, you’ll find a wide v??ariety of spells to level up and equip as you see fit. These systems work well, especially since the number crunching is less important than your reflexes.

Becoming Adol Christin

The combat system in The Legend of Nayuta evolves in a fascinating way. Compared to Ys games, Nayuta controls much more slowly than Adol Christin at the start. It veers towards Zwei’s more casual focus, with just the right amount of requisite dodging to keep things ??interesting. However, as Nayuta progresses through the story and completes those optional challenges, his combat capabilities increase. Before you know it, you have unique aerial attacks, a dedicated parry button, charge attacks that use a specific meter, combo chain bonuses, and more.

I eventually hit a point where I was playing Nayuta similarly to how I’d play Adol in something like Ys: Lacrimosa of Dana. Enemies get faster and stronger to match Nayuta, which really gave me that Ys-style rush in the later levels. That said, the game never really veers into especially hard territory. I played on th??e harder difficulty, and while I d??id die a few times, it was mostly because I forgot to use my own healing items. This is a very approachable game, but I was never bored.

The boss design can be a bit hit-or-miss, but when it hits, it really hits. There is one encounter in this game that is so explosive that I’m surprised they fit it into what was originally a PSP game. Sure, it comes at a moment where you’d expect something like that, but I still got that “hell yeah!�feeling as I was fighting. Falcom action games run this fine line of feeling both modern and retro at the same time, and The Legend of Nayuta follows in that proud tradition. Fans of Ys Origins, The Oath in Felghana, or The Ark of Napishtim will be thrilled.

More Falcom jams

Speaking of Falcom staples, I’d be remiss if I didn’t gush about the soundtrack here. The funny thing is, I don’t even think this one hits quite as hard as Ys does on average. However, even the Olympic Bronze Medalist is still an impressive athlete, and The Legend of Nayuta slaps in the audio department.

Accompanying the escalation of game mechanics, the soundtrack similarly evolves as you play. At the start, the music takes a slower, friendlier vibe to lull you into a sense of security. Honestly, some tracks feel like they’re deliberately knocking off something like Super Mario Galaxy. They’re quality songs, but definitely a change of pace from Falcom’s usual work. But as you progress, the music sta????rts to match the intensity of the combat and veers towards the type of stuff that you’d hear in something like Ys or Mega Man X. It’s earworm after earworm with this game, especially if youâ€?™re into the stronger, catchier ho?oks synonymous with retro titles.

Even without that gameplay cohesion, I could write an entire review talking about how good the soundtrack is here. The miniboss theme is better than it has any right to be, especially since I only managed to hear its rocking second half in the later stages of the game. Even the slower tracks, like your peaceful town theme, are just pleasant to listen to. Even if you have no plans to play The Legend of Nayuta, you have to listen to this soundtrack. It’s quality video game music to a tee,?? and I expect to listen to this while I work for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunate portable origins

Sadly, The Legend of Nayuta does have one noticeable Achilles' Heel: it was originally a PSP game. Falcom had a rather robust run of titles on the PSP, and The Legend of Nayuta was their final game on the handheld. I get the sense that they treated this game as something of a culminating work, so they crammed it with as many ideas as possible. Unfortunately, this approach hasn’t let The Legend of Nayuta age quite as well.

The big, ever-present issue here is the camera. Presumably to fit the original smaller screen, The Legend of Nayuta tends to zoom in pretty close on its protagonist. This works great in combat, not so much for all that platforming. At forks in the road, it was often hard to tell which way continued the critical pa??th or led to secrets since I couldn’t see that far ahead of me. Other times, I’d scour levels for a secret I missed, only to find it was somewhere just out of my viewing area. This isn’t a huge issue, but it does begin to grate after a while.

Additionally, while I do appre?ciate how ambitious Nayuta’s kit becomes, some of the ideas here start to feel janky. One sticking point was the ability that let Nayuta hookshot to rotating gears in the sky. This just never felt that good to me, and sometimes led to tumbles down cliffs because I accidentally used a hookshot when I didn’t mean to. Additionally, since many of these abilities are tied to a meter, I ran into moments where I’d need to wait around and let it refill just to advance certain parts.

Forward and back, and then forward and back

I also do feel the need to mention that The Legend of Nayuta is, by design, pretty repetitive. One of its major gimmicks is that you’ll unlock various seasons across its other world as you progress. Changing?? the season transforms levels, which gives you incentive to replay them with a slew of new enemies and challenges to overcome. These do switch things up considerably, but they still involve repeating stages to clear the game. It’s a clever way of doing it, but it’s worth noting all the same.

Additionally, the game will deliberately funnel you back into stages you’ve already cleared as well. Some sidequests, for instance, will have you track down certain objects in a cleared stage. You might find these items on your first run, but only with the prop??er quest can you pick them up. In other cases, you’ll come across a challenge on a stage that requires its own dedicated run to clear. For instance, challenges like “clear with only defeating three enemies�are functionally impossible on your first attempt, simply because you’ll need to defeat things to access other secrets.

This type of repetition may not be a big deal to fans of say, Ys Origin, which required playing the game three times to earn its true ending. However, The Legend of Nayuta doesn’t space out these returns to older levels or give you new characters to play like Ys Origin did.

I actually don’t say this so much as a negative as much as a general heads up. This type of design clearly fit the game’s handheld origins, so I recommend playing The Legend of Nayuta that way. With quick pick-up-and-play sect??ions, you’ll hardly notice this as a fault. If you marathon the game for hours, it becomes more noticeable. I felt this was a perfect fit for my Steam Deck, where it looked and ran great. So if you’re in the market for a good portable game, definitely give this one a look.

That beautiful B-tier

Again, I need to clarify that I really liked The Legend of Nayuta. Even with the minor frustrations here and there, I generally enjoyed this one from start to finish. After all, it’s hard to feel vexed by repeating levels when the action-platforming-RPG core of the game is this rock solid. The Legend of Nayuta leans into those retro sensibilities that often t??ests your gaming prowess, with enough RPG elements to create a more casual experience if that?’s what you want.

For most, I imagine The Legend of Nayuta might look like one of those “I’ll get it on sale�types of games. Especially since it’s technically a decade-old game with a fresh coat of paint. However, the quality of the experience on offer here is completely worth that full price. Beating The Legend of Nayuta took me about 20 hours, and beating The Legend of Nayuta took me about 25. I won’t elaborate on what that means. Additionally, there’s some robust New Game Plus content here, making this the perfect game to return to over a month or so. Honestly, even if you don’t play it like that, I think The Legend of Nayuta is solid. I thi??nk it jus??t hits hardest if you treat it that way.

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is pure gaming comfort food. Its mix of action, platforming, and RPG is too pleasant to resist, especially accompanied by its fantastic soundtrack. It certainly shows its age, and especially its portable origins. But that aside, Nayuta’s tale captures an authentic spirit of classic RPGs that I found as charming as I did entertaining. I’m sure fans of Falcom’s w?ork have this one pre-ordered already, but even if you aren’t in that fandom, give this one a look.

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

The post Review: The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails appeared first on Destructoid.

An interview with Shunsuke Minowa

Two-thousand and three was an absolute banger of a year for the video game industry. In that 12-month span, players got their hands on some absolute classics of the medium. Games like Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, Tony Hawk’s Underground, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Beyond Good & Evil, Warcraft III, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, to name a few. Several franchises that are still going strong today got their start that year. Franchises like Disgaea. Arguably the first title people think of when they think of Nippon Ichi Software, Inc., Disgaea: Hour of Darkness landed on the PlayStation 2 in Japan in January 2003 and in North America that August. It had the unfortunate timing of launching the same day as Soulcalibur 2 and less than two weeks before Final Fantasy Tactics Advance in North America.

Both titles would ultimately suck all the air out of the room, but Hour of Darkness managed to strike a chord with players. IGN named it the “Best Game No One Played�/a> during its yearly awards. And while it wasn’t the first title Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. released in the West, it was the first to establish the developer as a niche favorite outside of Japan. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness helped the company get its foot in the door. At the end of 2003, it established NIS America. It would no longer rely on established publishers to localize its games. NIS America would quickly become one of the most frequent publishers of AA and single-A games from small Japanese developers. Some titles were more successful than others, but the company’s crown jewel would always be the Disgaea series. With each ??release garnering solid reviews?, it seemed like there was no stopping Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. or its prized IP.

But the company’s luck to a turn for the worse in 2019. That year, it released Disgaea RPG for mobile devices. The launch was anything but successful. On its first day, the game went into emergency maintenance mode. The maintenance nightmare ended up lasting months before the game was officially relaunched that November. A worldwide version wouldn’t hit app stores until 2021. The global version shut down for good earlier this month.

In 2021, Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. and NIS America released Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny. Like with Disgaea RPG, its debut didn’t live up to expectations. Reviews were muddled, an anomaly for a mainline entry in the franchise. The reception of that game was something Shunsuke Minowa, director of Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless, didn't shy away from i??n an interview wit?h Destructoid.

�em>Disgaea 6 had two distinctions in that it was the first 3D game [of the series] and had fewer systems than previous entries to allow it to be a good starting point for new players,�he said. “The end result received mixed reception upon release. Due to this, we wanted to quickly get Disgaea 7 into players�hands and create a game that we knew they would love.�/p>

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCWjdX2GRwM

Minowa has the difficult task of righting the ship of the Disgaea series. A long-time Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. employee, Vows of the Virtueless marks his first time directing a Disgaea game after previously working as a programmer on Disgaea 5. Less than six months after the release of Disgaea 6 in Japan, development on its sequel started. It was a fast turnaround for the developer. While previous Disgaea games were released steadily every two to three years, there was a nearly six-year gap between the fifth and sixth entries in the series. At the start of development, Minowa and his team focused on player feedback from D6.

“With Disgaea 6, we tried various things to simplify existing systems in order to let new players acclimate themselves more easily,�he said. “One of those was the auto-battle feature. In a sense, we did accomplish this goal with this feature, however this feature removed one of the main joys of the series, which is actually playing through the stages. Through this, we lost a key aspect of Disgaea.�/p>

He continued, “We had already started development from around June of 2021 and took into account all player feedback from Disgaea 6, including topics like the amount of generic character classes, the reimplementing weapon skills, and whether to remove auto-battle or find a way to improve it. What we learned from Disgaea 6’s feedback is that we should never remove elements from the series that make Disgaea what it is. We used these things as a base and aimed to create a “back to basics�title that was appropriate for the series�20th anniversary.�/p>

[caption id="attachment_381725" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via NIS America[/caption]

This “back to basics�approach is at the heart of the story of Disgaea 7. Players can expect a largely scaled-back adventure when compared to the previous two titles. Disgaea 5 and 6 featured various Netherworlds in their narratives, but the decision was made at the beginning of development to just focus on one for Vows of the Virtueless, the Netherworld of Hinomoto.

As Minowa explained, “When we started to come up with what that setting would be, we looked over all of the different generic class characters and noticed that one referenced the word 'Bushido.' We thought about what that meant and how it could be the base for an interesting setting. After that we realized that this setting would work well with our goal of going back to basics, so we thought of a storyline of ‘reclaiming Bushido�and that turned into the setting of a ‘historical Japanese-inspired Netherworld without Bushido.’�/p>

Though the focus on a single Nethe?rworld might feel like pared-down ambition, Shunsuke and his team are breaking new ground with the series and its protagonists Fuji and Pirilika. A lot of the pre-release advertising for the game has focused on the character Fuji, so much so that you might think he's the main character. But that's not the case.

“In the beginning stages of Disgaea 7, and for the first time in series�history, the female lead Pirilika drives the plot and Fuji is there as a support character. However, Fuji also has his own motivations and as the plot progresses, each of their stories begin to interweave. This is one of the special points of Disgaea 7’s story.�/p>

[caption id="attachment_381722" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via NIS America[/caption]

Minowa said the two characters were not looked at as “protagonist�and “heroine,�but rather as equal partners who are there to support each other through what should be a comedic and occasionally bonkers adventure. Of course, the two heroes of the tale will not be alone. There are at least seven featured characters in Vows of the Virtueless and 45 generic character classes, which is a massive step up from its predecessor. Four of these character classes are new, including Maiko, who is effective against male enemies, Bandit, who can help? locate treasure and rare it?ems, Zombie Maiden, who gets more powerful as allies die, and Big Eye, a demon held in high regard by other demons.

“Of the new characters, I particularly like the Big Eye as it is a character type that has not been in previous Disgaeas. It is also a large monster type but maintains a good visual balance, so I’m very satisfied overall with how it turned out.�/p>

Minowa said he also has an affinity for Maiko and hopes players will build her up for end-game runs. If you’re the type of player who keeps on grinding long after the final villain is no more, the new Item Reincarnation feature is bound to eat up a lot of your time. Minowa describes this as one of the core systems for Disgaea 7 and is essen??tially a powered-up version of the s??eries-staple Item World.

“In the Disgaea series, if you equip hand weapons, the character’s ability to counterattack is increased, if you equip shoes, their movement range is increased, so each item has its own characteristics. With Item Reincarnation, once you are finished powering up the item in the Item World, you can use Item Reincarnation to further augment its strengths and randomly have rare abilities carried over. In this way, items can be made even more powerful.�/p>

[caption id="attachment_381726" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via NIS America[/caption]

Item Reincarnation isn’t the only way to gain an advantage on the battlefield. A new addition to Disgaea 7 is Jumbification, which basically turns a character or enemy into a kaiju. Characters undergoing Jumbification can attack anywhere on the field of battle, and each character has a unique ability for this mode that affects the entire field. As a l??ifelong kaiju fan, this is obviously the feature I’m most excited about.

Whether or not Disgaea 7 is able to correct the course for the series remains to be seen. The game was released in Japan this past January, less than two years after Disgaea 6 dropped in the country, selling 50,000 copies within a few days and scoring 8’s across the board from the reviewers at Famitsu. I’ve read a few Reddit posts from English-speaking players who’ve got their hands on the game, praising the changes the developers made. If this does restore the Disgaea name, it’ll be quite an accomplishment for Minowa and his team given how quickly they put this ??thing together.

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless releases ??on October 3 in North America and October 6 in Europe on Nintendo Swit?ch, PC, PS4, and PS5.

The post The Disgaea se??ries is?? going back to basics with Vows of the Virtueless appeared first on Destructoid.

If you play just one wizard school game this year...

Since I first played Muramasa: The Demon Blade on the Nintendo Wii, I've made it a personal mission of mine to play every Vanillaware title I can on as many platforms as I can. That's how I ended up owning three copies of Dragon's Crown, and two copies each of Muramasa, 13 Sentinels, and Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir. I just can't get enough of their games. With consistently outstanding visuals and excellent gameplay, I have yet to be disappointed by a Vanillaware title. In fact, after playing through GrimGrimoire OnceMore, I'm not sure this developer is capable of making a game I won't li?ke.

[caption id="attachment_371767" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

GrimGrimoire OnceMore (PS4, PS5, Switch [reviewed])
Developer: Vanillaware
Publisher: NIS America
Released: April 4, 2023
MSRP: $49.99

Set in a world that is definitely not Harry Potter but also not not Harry Potter, GrimGrimoire OnceMore follows the exploits of Lillet Blan, a new student at Silver Star Tower. It’s the former home of the Archmage, who many years ago was defeated by…sigh…Gammel Dore, who turned the tower into a magic academy. Lillet is there to learn from the great magicians housed inside, but her arrival coincides with a secret plot that seeks to wreak havoc on the school and its teachers. On her fif??th day of lessons, tragedy strikes, and Lillet is thrown into a time loop that has her reliving her first five days at the school, giving her a chance to get to t??he bottom of this murderous mystery.

To keep her teachers and fellow students from meeting an early grave, Lillet will often have to defeat them on the battlefield. In each of GrimGrimoire OnceMore’s chapters, you’ll attempt to lead Lillet to victory in 2D real-time strategy battles. If you’re coming to this straight from 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, know that the RTS battles here trend closer to what you’d find in traditional entries in the genre. In battle, Lillet doesn’t do any of the fighting herself. Instead, she uses the various grimoires she’s earned to produce runes from which she'll summon familiars that do her fighting and resource harvesting. Familiars is the general term for any creature you can summon? in battle, including fire-breathing dragons, various types of magical turrets, cats armed with sleep spells, and the most disturbing chimera I think I’ve ever seen.

Grimoires, runes, and familiars fall into four magical categories (Glamour, Necromancy, Sorcery, Alchemy) that are bound to a rock-p??aper-scissors power dynamic. It didn’t take me too long to get a good understanding of what beats what, but remembering the names of the different familiars you can summon and their special abilities was something of a struggle. In the early chapters, when the types of familiars were limited, I could power my way through every challenge. At around Lillet’s third trip through the loop, that was no longer working for me, and I had slow down and really think about I would go about defeating my enemies.

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

It has been far too long since I’ve played a proper RTS. It’s probably something I shouldn't admit, but the last time I earnestly pursued the genre was more than 20 years ago when I got hooked on Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds on my eMac. My obsession with that game was triggered by my nostalgic memories of playing Command & Conquer: Red Alert with my friends in middle school. This genre used to devour a lot of my after-school time, so I was somewhat surprised at how rusty I was going into GrimGrimoire OnceMore.

The most obvious sign of this is how often I used the new fast-forward feature to speed through each battle. As the combat sequences can go on for quite some time, it’s a g??odsend of a feature. But it made me pretty careless in those opening hours, and I had to control my use of it if I wanted to see this game through to the end.

Another feature new in this remaster is the skill tree. Each of the different grimoires Lillet learns has its own tree. As you proceed through the story and complete optional side-missions, you earn coins you can spend on these trees to improve your units or give yourself an advantage in battle. In a very player-friendly decision, OnceMore allows you to respec these skill trees at any time, so if you walk into a challenge that is heavy on enemy Alchemy familiars, you can redistribute your coins to the Sorc??ery skill trees to get the upper hand. Some skills on the trees are locked to the game’s easy and har??d modes, the latter of which NIS claims has been tweaked to provide a greater challenge than in the original release.

[caption id="attachment_371769" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

A less useful new feature, for most of the narrative at least, is Grand Magic. This is—depending on your difficulty—a one-time-use-per-battle piece of magic that can deal a fantastic amount of damage to your enemies or heal your injured familiars. There are four different Grand Magic abilities, but it was rare for me to use anything other than Mana Burst (a mas??sive flaming attack) on the few occasions I pulled the trigger on this ability. Once I started taking the game seriously and got back into the ebb and flow of the RTS genre, I had l?ittle use for this get-out-of-jail-free card.

Arguably, the feature most returning players will be interested in here is the HD visuals. GrimGrimoire OnceMore is a stunning game with gorgeous character art, beautiful hand-drawn story segments, and wonderfully creative creature design. Like almost every other Vanillaware title, it's a fabulous piece of art. If there is one area where the visuals do disappoint, it’s in the backgrounds of the battle sequences. Every battle takes place in the hallways of Silver Star Tower, and it just gets kind of dull after a while seeing the same setting again and again. Each battle map is constructed differently, but they pretty much blend i??nto one another, even when you can see noticeable variations in the scenery.

[caption id="attachment_371768" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

That is likely my only complaint about this game. Because it’s breathtaking otherwise—particularly on my Switch OLED screen—it controls greatly, and the narrative is well-written, avoiding the expository pitfalls of the time-loop genre. Sure, most of the characters here are off-brand Hogwarts faculty members, but Vanillaware injected enough of its style into these caricatures to make them more than some dollar-store Wizarding World weirdos. The voice cast does a respectable job bringing these characters to life, though some sound far more gifted with the spoken word than others. That, or I just have a thing ??for actors who chew up the scenery.

The original GrimGrimoire was envisioned as the first in a franchise before poor sales put the kibosh on that idea. I don't know if Vanillaware and NIS America will be more successful this time around with GrimGrimoire OnceMore, but I hope they are because this game is a top to bottom delight and I would love to see ??what lies beyond the halls of Silver Star Tower.

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

The post Review: GrimGrimoire OnceMore appeared first on Destructoid.

Ring my (Cross)Bell

Last year, NIS America made a Legend of Heroes fan out of me with the release of Trails from Zero, the first part of the Crossbell Arc of the greater Trails storyline. I found it to be a fascinating RPG with an outstanding narrative and gameplay structure that positioned the title as some sort of "playable police procedural". While overly talkative (and a bit ugly on the PS4), Trails from Zero ended up as???? one of my favorite games from last year.

Chances are I’ll be saying the same thing about Trails to Azure when we finally get through 2023.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Falcom
Publisher: NIS America
Released: March 14, 2023
MSRP: $39.99 (Digital) / $49.99 (Physical)

Returning to the city-state of Crossbell in this direct sequel to The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure continues with the exploits of Lloyd Bannings, Elie MacDowell, and the rest of the Special Support Section (SSS) as they work against the odds in a city that is brimming with corruption. If you missed out on Trails from Zero, know that Azure generally expects players to come into it with first-hand knowledge of the events of the previous title. While there is a glossary that'll give you the gist, to really understand what's happening here, you should set aside 45 hours to play through the Zero before giving this a go.

Trails to Azure begins just a month after the events of the previous game, with the SSS attempting to maintain the fragile peace the denizens of Crossbell are enjoying. While corruption still looms large in the government, you get the sense ?that it's somewhat more manageable this time around. That is, until the West Zumeria Trade Conference abruptly changes the direction of this city-state's future, and not necessarily for the better.

As it was with Trails from Zero, the story of Azure will play out across several chapters that all feel like their own little episodes, with stories and characters that tie into the greater narrative. It's just as effective here, and solving the small cases that are assigned to the SSS each day only strengthens the procedural feel of this story structure as well as the already strong world-building. I adore RPGs that are massive, world-spanning adventures, but there is something so refreshing about playing a game where it's all localized to one incredible location. Especially when the story is this good.

Because of that, don't be surprised if you get a sense of deja vu in Trails to Azure. You'll be exploring many of the same locations and having way-too-long conversations with most of th??e same people throughout Crossbell. Y?ou'll also be engaging in combat pretty much exactly as you did before, with your team doing battle in a turn-based, grid-based format. Characters can attack with standard melee attacks, arts, crafts, and powerful S-Craft and Combo Crafts that unlock as you progress through the game. Crafts are dictated by the quartz you have assigned to each character, and new this time around is a Master Quartz that can level up with your characters (albeit very slowly).

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcH5RXuZeh4

Also new is the Burst Guage, which fills up during certain battles and rewards your team with various buffs should you choose to use it. Its availability is limited to specific encounters and the final chapter, but when it's around, I would consider it to be a lifesaver. Because some of these battles are pretty damn difficult if, like me, you grow absentminded in properly equipping your team and upgrading your quartz. Looking back to the tough time I had with the last few battles in Trails from Zero, I kind of wish Burst could have been retroac??tively added to the SSS's first outing in Crossbell.

Speaking of the SSS, you'll have access to six party members for the majority of your excursion this time around. A new element in Azure are back attacks, which force your rear-guard characters into battle if an enemy attacks you from behind. It's a neat idea meant to keep players on their toes, but it only really came into play in the game's final chapter. For the rest of my journey, I was easily able to sneak up on foes on the field map, getting the advantage over them in battle. Of course, you do have the option to skip most of the map entirely with the new orbal car that'll whis?k your team between locations, but it's probably best to head out on foot at least once for each path to open all the chests that are scattered across the land.

Beyond that, there really isn't much to say here that I couldn't have already said about Trails from Zero. Because at its core, Trails to Azure is just a simple continuation of that excellent RPG. And that's all it needs to be. I know many in the games journalism sphere tout the importance of innovation and divergence when it comes to sequels and franchises, but developers don't always need to try and reinvent the wheel with each game they release. Sometimes, more of the same is exactly what is needed. And The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is more of the same in the best possible way.

Before Trails from Zero, I didn't know anything about the Legend of Heroes series outside of the fact that people really like to complain about how text-heavy its titles are. And while the Crossbell arc could certainly use an editor in my mind, I would be fooling myself if I didn't admit that, when taken together as one complete experience, Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure are easily one of the best turn-based RPGs I've ever played. Here's to hoping someday I'll be able to find the time to see th?e rest of what this series has to offer.

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

The post Review: The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure appeared first on Destructoid.

Tile-based deductions

It's been quite a time for both strategy games and narrative-driven adventures over the last few years. So when the demo for NIS America's Process of Elimination popped up the other day, its premise grabbed my attention. On th??e surface, it's a blend of the two, combining p??uzzling strategy with a traditional visual novel format.

After playing the roughly two-to-three hour demo, my curiosity is even more piqued. What Process of Elimination actually plays l?ike is a little difficult to dissect at first, but that loosely knotted-together genre blend is what makes it?? compelling too.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK2ofu45Hyg

The set-up of Process is that you play Wata Hojo, an asp??iring sleuth where detectives are in high demand. Crime is on the rise, spurred on by the actions of the Quartering Duke, an enigmatic serial killer who captures people and quarters them on illicit broadcasts. Some of the early dialogue around the Duke made me wince a bit, as the villain makes a joke about "getting canceled" on social media at one point.

[caption id="attachment_368738" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

It picks up a bit soon after that though, as Wata is kidnapped and brought to an island. There, he joins with members of the Detective Alliance, a who's who of the investigate world, as a sudden surprise ind??uctee to the Alliance. Suspicion abounds, murder ensues, and the game is afoo??t.

My Detective Academia

As you'll quickly note, every detective in the DA uses a pseudonym, usually embodying either their particular skill-set or defining personality trait. Some, like the Bookworm Detective or Armor Detective, are fairly straightforward. Others are a little more broad or esoteric. The Workaholic Detective was particularly endearing to me, as he gives off big "Larry from Pokemon Scarlet / Violet" energy.

For each of these detectives, their traits might define them, but their dialogue is still pretty good for the most part. Where the earlier Duke talk was grating, I enjoyed the overly? online Downtown Detective, and other caricatures like the chivalric Armor Detective and Wednesday Addams-esque Bookworm Detective add some character to the unraveling mysteries.

[caption id="attachment_368740" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Which si good, because there is a lot of dialogue. I didn't mind it so much once the action picked up, but you should certainly keep in mind that Process of Elimination is very much in the same field as Danganronpa or Zero Escape. There will be a fair bit o??f reading in-between the ga??meplay bits.

Turn-based deductions

Once the investigation begins, though, it feels like being transported into an entirely different game. After a murder occurs, the detectives set out to investigate on their own. These detectives aren't just elaborate stereotypes, but also deeply fallible; they can't always figure things out themselves, but also don't want to admit they ne?ed help. That's where Wata comes in.

Wi??th the help of the DA chief Ideal Detective, Wata—and by extension, the player—can give out suggestions or orders to the detectives. This turns the murder scene into a tile-based grid, with?? points of interest and possible clues highlighted in different rooms, and a timer ticking down to the trail going cold.

[caption id="attachment_368733" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

?It is, essentially, a strategy game. Each turn, unless you intervene, the detectives will follow their hunches and probably get nothing done. You need to herd the cats and get them to work together, in order to discover the truth behind the case.

Better together

On one turn, you may? move a detective next to another, in order to boost their ability to investigate a singular point of interest. Or you can send them off in different directions, hoping to cover a broader area. While one detective might be great at finding clues, another might be better suited at analyzing and drawing conclusions from them, so you'll need to pair their skills up.

It feels very confusing at first, and to be fair, the systems don't help a ton. A ??lot of UI and numbers gets tossed at you, and menus use similar-sounding terms for different actions, like "Infer" and "Investigate." It takes a moment to click, even with the tutorial walking you through every step.

[caption id="attachment_368735" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Once I got a grasp on Process of Elimination though, I felt like I started to see the potential. This is a strategy and puzzle game, but with no enemy aside from the clock. It's all about resource management and careful movement. Moving between areas can take up precious time, so keeping detectives in hot zones is important. Pairing one sleuth with another got me the Mystery Point unlock I needed, but the ensuing personality clash meant that all my suggestions wer??e now left-on-read by one of them.

Seeking the truth

It's a really interesting system that, strangely enough, reminds me of the Nintendo DS era of development. Sure, it has some big Zero Escape vibes, but it's also got that curious mish-mash of genres that I remember fondly from that time. I could so easily picture a dual-screen version of this game, with an investigator's stats on bottom-screen and the tile-based map up top. That's the kind of feeling I get when playing Process of Elimination, and it's one that makes an impact.

[caption id="attachment_368737" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The story of the demo ultimately gets pretty good, even if the final deduction stage is fairly straightforward. This isn't the type of open-world, find-your-answer mystery game that Paradise Killer or Return of the Obra Dinn was; it's much more in the Danganronpa style where you'll have what you need to advance, and need to solve the puzzles and make deductions to adv??ance.

But for those eager to find a little bit of mystery, possibly with a tinge of bending, warping narrative and clever gameplay twists, this might be it. (It's worth mentioning demo progress carries over to the full game, too.) Process of Elimination has quietly snuck onto my radar, and I'm curious to discover just what the full game holds when it arrives for Switch and PS4 on April 11.

The post Proces?s of Elimination is?? a curious mix of murder mystery and strategy appeared first on Destructoid.

Hit the books ahead of launch

Would-be wizard generals will get a chance to test out GrimGrimoire for themselves today. Vanillaware and NIS America are releasing a demo for GrimGrimoire OnceMore, for PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.

Set in a magical school, GrimGrimoire OnceMore follows the very eventf??ul early days of Lillet Blan. As things get bad, she'll eventually have to put her schooling to use in the form of side-scrolling strategy warfare using familiars and gri??moires.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO4B3IEaCJU

OnceMore is a remaster of Vanillaware's original GrimGrimoire, a 2007 PlayStation 2 strategy game. And it looks like the developer's putting togeth?er a pretty solid list of improvemen?ts to the original experience.

An altered screen ratio and updated resolution help on the graphics side. Grand Magic spells, an added Skill Tree, and the Tactical Notebook all serve to offer more to do on the gameplay side of things, too. And a new Gallery features illustrations from Vanillaware staff, with over 90 images created for GrimGrimoire and OnceMore.

Cast a spell on you

This isn't the first time Vanillaware's brought forward one of its earlier hits to modern systems. The absolutely superb Odin Sphere Leifthrasir put the action-RPG back?? in the conversation. (Side note: I do hope that eventually gets a Switch or Steam port.)

Meanwhile, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim made a fairly big impact for Vanillaware. With that in mind, it's neat to see them going back to the vault and pulling out a piece of the studio's history that feels linked, if only by the strategy genre. Today's GrimGrimoire demo should?? give players an idea of just how it's evolved over the years, and a taste of what's? to come from the remaster.

GrimGrimoire OnceMore hits ??PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Swi??tch on April 4, 2023.

The post GrimGr?imoire OnceMore gets a demo today on PlayStation and Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

Part Deux

Less than a year ago, Trails fans finally got their hands on an officially localized release of The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero. Released for the PSP back in 2010, the game never made its way over the Pacific, robbing players outside Japan and China of the chance to experience the Crossbell Arc of the greater Legend of Heroes storyline. Zero would be the game that introduced me to the Trails series as a w?hole, and I found it to be a highly enjoyable (if super chatty) RPG.

Of course, as good as it was, Zero only covered the first part of the Crossbell Arc. And while it certainly didn’t feel like it was half a game, its ending did leave me clamoring for its 2011 sequel, Trails to Azure, which will release outside of Japan and China for the first time next week. Given how closely Zero ties into Azure, I’m glad NIS America didn’t ma?ke us wait too long to play it.

[caption id="attachment_367253" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Falcom
Publisher: NIS America
Released: March 14, 2023
MSRP: $39.99 (Digital) / $49.99 (Physical)

If you’re unfamiliar with the Trails series, join the club. While Trails from Zero made a great impression last September, I haven’t had nearly enough free time since then to try out the rest of the series �even if I own two Cold Steel games on my PS Vita. But I’ve happily made time for Trails to Azure because I really wanted to see how thi?s whole journey wrap??s up.

Trails from Azure begins just a month after the events of Trails from Zero. Protagonist Lloyd Bannings is still heading up the Special Support Section (SSS) along with Elie MacDowell, though this time, they’re joined by newcomers Noel Seeker and the ridiculously named Wazy Hemisphere. If you played Zero, you will no doubt recognize those last two characters, as they were pretty prominent throughout the game’s narr?ative.

In fact, almost everyone who appeared in Trails from Zero is back for Azure. If, for some reason, you’re choosing to jump into this story mid-stream �and I have to advise against that �there is a handy refresher menu that’ll explain who all the prominent characters are and give the gist of what happened last time. As somebody who last played Zero in October, it was nice to get a refresher on some of the extended cast, but the brief synopses provided in Azure don’t really ?get to the heart of why some of these characters are so memorable. Especially with KeA. You really need to have been there from the beginning to fully appreciate her pl??ace in the story arc.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjPAQQLf8PY

In combat, Azure really hasn’t changed that much since Zero. The turn-based battles still occur on a grid where you can attack enemies with me??lee attacks, Orbal Arts (i.e. magic), Crafts (i.e. skills), and more powerful skills known as S-Crafts. There are two-person Combo Crafts attacks and group rushes, the latter of which happen at random, and you can still get the upper hand on a foe if you hit them from behind on the battlefield. Burst is one new element to the game's combat system. This can provide your team with a few boosts in battle, like increasing your party's attack speed, but so far I haven't found it all that monumental of an addition outside of a few boss battles.

Also new to Azure is Master Quartz. Regular quartz is used to unlock Orbal Arts for your charac??ters to use in battle. Players are encouraged to freely swap those out as they build their party. Master Quartz are meant to be kept around as they level up and gain new abilities. Only one type of Master Quartz can be equipped per character, unlike regular quartz.

I get that I’m not saying all that much about Trails to Azure with this review-in-progress, but that’s only because the game is so similar to its predecessor. Outside of small changes like the introduction of the Master Quartz and some quality of life changes �smell you later, taking the bus �there really isn’t much to say here that I didn’t already say about my last trip to Crossbell.

[caption id="attachment_367252" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

But that’s not a bad thing. I enjoyed the hell out of Trails from Zero, from its characters to its writing to the fact it truly felt like you were playing through a police procedural in the shape of an RPG. All of that is back in Trails to Azure and, 20 hours ??in, I am having an absolute blast with it.

One final note: if you played through Trails from Zero, make sure you still have your save from that game available. Because the bonuses you receive are totally worth it when you transfer the data to Azure.

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

The post Review in Progress: ?The Legend of Heroes: Tr??ails to Azure appeared first on Destructoid.

I've got no strings on me

There are a lot of reasons I play video games. Sometimes it's to escape. Other times, I just want to feel challenged, to feel like I accomplished something for the day. Then there are the games I play out of habit having been introduced to the franchise in my youth. But mostly, I play games to stave off boredom. Because when I'm bored, I eat, and I don't want to boredom eat anymore. So I keep my hands busy with a controller, and my eyes distracted with the colorful images of whatever game I have loaded up on my console. Years ago, I would turn to games like The Sims to keep myself preoccupied, but over the last decade or so, I've found myself t?urning to a completely different genre of game to beat back the boredom: first-person dungeon crawlers.

Starting with Etrian Odyssey II and continuing with games like The Dark Spire, Legends of Grimrock, and Stranger of Sword City, I have gleefully spent dozens of hours slaughtering my way through dungeons on days I would have otherwise been vegging out on the couch, watching "The One with the Embryos" for the umpteenth time. There is just something about the genre that is perfectly suited for my downtime, so it's a good thing NIS America has just dropped a lengthy new dungeon crawler in Labyrinth of Galleria.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll4MSU7osCE

Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society is the successor to 2016’s Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk. Like its predecessor, it’s a first-person dungeon crawler rife with fearsome monsters, valuable loot, and customizable parties. In Galleria, you play as the wandering spirit Lantern de Fantasmagori??e �Fantie for short �who guides a team of puppet soldiers into the depths of a dungeon that resides below the Galleria Manor. Eureka is a young noblewoman who tags along on your journey via remote viewing, reporting the various incidents in the dungeons to a witch named Marta. You’re there to find treasures known as "Curios d’art", but you’ll pick up more than just some fine collectibles on your journey.

If you’re the type of player who enjoys having a great deal of control over their created characters, know that Labyrinth of Galleria has quit?e the detailed puppet customization menu that not only allows you to pick the appearance and class of your fighters but how they’ll grow as they earn XP. Picking their nature and stance makes legitimate differences when crafting your characters, and players are encouraged to create multiple puppet soldiers of the same class. Initially, you’re limited to just six character classes, but as you dive further into the depths of these dungeons, you’ll unlock new forms for your puppets, including an adorable class of cats.

[caption id="attachment_363461" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

But the cat warriors will have to wait until you get beyond the slow and often overwhelming early hours of Galleria. Looking beyond the fact the story sections of the game are quite the Cha?tty Cathys, there is a lot to take in. Your puppet soldiers are complicated creatures with individual body parts that be broken depending on your actions in the dungeons. There is a coven system to consider that dictates the types of special attacks you can use in battle. About six or seven hours into your adventure, you’ll gain access to Witch Pacts that allow you to slot more than one character in a spot on your team, eventually giving you control of up to 40 puppet soldiers at o??nce. All of that is combined with a dungeon-crawling experience that’s not as straightforward as you might think it would be.

I thought Labyrinth of Galleria would ease me into everything with its first dungeon. But that really isn’t the case as one of the first skills you unlock gives you the ability to break through walls, and nearly every wall in the dungeons you'll traverse can crumble. I had forgotten this was a big element in Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk, so it really threw ?me for a loop when it popped up about 90 minutes into my adventure and I had? to go around breaking walls until I found the one hiding a secret staircase.

Initially, I was annoyed with this design, but now that I’m working my way through the third dungeon below Galleria, I’ve actually come to appreciate how much smarter the dungeon layouts are than I initially gave them credit for. And that admission did not come easy, because I got lost quite quickly in that first dungeon. One of the early quests you’ll undertake has you searching for a book. I searched high and low for about an hour, unlocking floors of this dungeon I clearly wasn’t meant to unlock before I realized the book's location was comically close to the dungeon entrance. When I reported this back to the witch, I actually unlocked the next two story segments in the game because I’d already found the items? necessary for those quests in my elongated search for the book.

[caption id="attachment_363462" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

That was annoying, but I realize now I made such a foolish error because I didn’t quite grasp the idea behind the dungeon layouts. I went in thinking it would be something pretty close to most of the other dungeon crawlers I've played before, but this, along with Coven of Dusk, r??eally does put its own stamp on the genre with its emphasis on breaking barriers. If there is one thing I wish were a bit better, it’s the battles. From what I’ve experienced so far, they’re pretty basic, with only one or two attacks required to get the job done. Boss battles are far more engaging and forced me to make significant use of Donums, otherwise known as magic or skills.

Of course, I still have so much more of this game to see. Since snagging my copy, I’ve only been able to make it about it 20 hours into the game due to the rest of my life getting in my way. I’ve unlocked several new character classes, have three Curios d’art pieces, created some pretty powerful Witch Pacts, and have started to unravel more of the mystery surrounding Galleria Manor. Despite taking a bit too long to adjust to the game’s use of breakable walls so early in my adventure, I am thoroughly excited to venture through whatever comes next in my quest. Somehow, I will see this game through to the end, even if that means playing an h?our a night for the next month and a half.

Apologies to anybody who was hoping for a full review rather than this impressions piece. Had time been on my side in February—and my other job not so demanding—I’d happily assign it a score below. But I don’t feel right doing that with just a 1/3 of the game under my belt. If you’d like a more conclusive examination of Labyrinth of Galleria, Daniel Bueno wrote an excellent review of the game over on our sister site? Siliconera.

Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society is now available for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC.

The post Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society is a wonderful w???????????????????????????ay to while away the hours appeared first on Destructoid.

Even more hell to pay this fall

The animated, lively strategy RPG series Disgaea's latest entry is coming to the west this fall. NIS America announced today that Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless is coming to PC, Switch, PlayS??tatio?n 5, and PS4 in the west this fall.

In this latest entry, the realm of Hinomoto has fallen under the control of a tyrannical force. Fuji, an "empathy-averse warrior gone astray," and his compatriots will have to?? band together an??d take it all back turn-by-turn, square-by-square.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLlk74apf2Q

A bunch of new features are in store for the latest Disgaea, including a special feature called "Jum??bificiation." This apparently makes characters really, reall??y big. I certainly hope that won't affect my nightmares at all.

Additionally, Item Reincarnatio?n looks to add even more reason to grind and upgrade. The A.I. auto-battle function is also seeing an update, which should be great for all those times you don't want to issue commands yourself.

A demonic strategy

The Disgaea series has always offered a signature blend of stylized, cartoon-y devils and immense replayability. Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless certainly looks to have more of both. The improved auto-battle options especially seem like a boon, given how much of my experience with Disgaea was grinding to make the numbers go up.

This newest Disgaea is already out in Japan, having released on January 26. But it looks like those in the west hopefully won't have to wait longer until this fall, and there are special editions on the NIS store for those who really want t??o celebrate a new entry. It will also have both English and Japanese audio available, for those who like the option.

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless a??rrives on PC, PS4, PS5, and Switch in the west this fall.

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Beats 'n' Blasts

NIS America has finally confirmed that sonic shmup Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX is being localized for the west �?the beat-heavy blaster will launch on PC and console platforms this summer, following on from its Japanese release in February.

As we have previously reported, Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX is a revamped edition of MOSS' legendary 2005 arcade shmup, which boasts new modes, including the dual-ship Double Play option, a selection of game modifiers, online leaderboards, and additional features to present the best version of this beloved shooter classic. The crux of the release, however, lies ??in its fully remixed and re-recorded soundtrack, which sports a plethora of celebrated names from Japan's electronica scene.

//?ww?w.youtube.com/watch?v=bIaYNsy57CA&ab_channel=NISAmerica

Among the musicians featured in the new release are GoSatoBan, Heavy Metal Raiden, Fantom Iris, O.T.K., Soshi Hosoi, Daisuke Matsumoto, Cosio, Keishi Yonao, Ryu� Raito, and Yu Shimoda �who have recorded a total of 20 new stage and boss battle themes. Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX also features a customizable? U.I. and soundtrack, allowing players to choose from a selection of wallpapers, and ?define a personal playlist of their favourite tunes from both the original and re-recorded scores.

Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX launches summer 2023 on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. A Collector's Edition is now available to pre-order from the NIS America Online Store. This physical release, retailing for around $??70, includes a console copy of the game, alongside a phone stand, poste??r, and a two-disc soundtrack CD of the awesome MIKADO MANIAX score.

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Open the grimoire once more in 2023

The latest from Vanillaware has a western release date. GrimGrimoire OnceMore arrives for PlayStation 4, P??S5, and Nintendo Sw??itch on April 4, 2023.

This remaster of Vanillaware's PlayStation 2 game GrimGrimoire updated the resolution and screen ratio, while also adding some new gameplay features. New and improved mechanics have been added to its magical school R??TS battles, too.

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

The setup of GrimGrimoire OnceMore is that you're Lillet Blan, a new student at Silver Star Tower, tr??aining to become a great magician. But as mysteries and secrets are uncovered, Lillet will have to fight using he??r familiars to uncover the truth.

It's a bit of a strange set-up, but looks absolutely gorgeous in motion. I'm personally pretty interested in this just to see the RTS development of Vanillaware's from years past. The studio is well-known for its 2D action games, but 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim also took on a strategy approach and knocked ??it out of the park, becoming one of my favorite games of 2020.

Play it one more time

Seeing more of Vanillaware's back catalog get the remaster treatment is certainly exciting, too. Between 13 Sentinels and the Odin Sphere rema?ke, I've b?een drawn back into the studio's work. So getting to see another piece of its history updated for modern consoles is a delight.

With English and Japanese voice options, new spells to wield, and more to explore, there's a lot to like here. GrimGrimoire is charging into a heavily packed 2023 launch lineup, for sure. But with April looking particularly thin if you're not a Dead Island fan, I think there will be so??me time found to play through this one.

The post Vanillaware’s GrimGrimoire OnceMore arrives next April appeared first on Destructoid.

A horrible night to have a curse

I wasn’t expecting a third Yomawari game. The first two games were two years apart, so I expected that they’d either remain at that pace or the series would simply end. Five years later, we have Yomawari: Lost in the Dark, and there hasn’t been a step missed. You almost wouldn’t believe this is five years removed from Yomawari: Midnight Shadows because the art and graphics are almost identical, and it features the same incremental twe??aks that you’d expect.

And that’s for better or worse.

Yomawari might be my favorite horror game series around, and it’s not because the gameplay is exciting. Holy crap, it definitely isn’t. However, as far as horror games go, Yomawari knows how to do storytelling in a way that takes advantage of the interactive medium and incorporates its aesthetic. Sure, they’re not necessarily fun to play, but it’s a small price to pay for their wonderful narratives.

Nonetheless, if there’s one thing I hoped for in going into Yomawari: Lost in the Dark, it was that it would get its gameplay on a level that matches the ??talent demonstrated everywhere else. Well, small ste??ps, I suppose.

Yomawari: Lost in the Dark (PC [Reviewed], PS4, Switch)
Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
Publisher: NIS America
Released: October 25, 2022
MSRP: $39.99

Since I feel that narrative is the ultimate reason to play Yomawari: Lost in the Dark, I’m going to try really hard to avoid spoilers. As you do in previous titles, you play as a young girl who has something bad happen to her in the opening moments of the game, then attempts to set things right. After the bad things happen, she’s told she is cursed, and the only way to un?do the curse is to gather all her lost memories before 6a.m.

Whew! That was really difficult.

As was central to the previous two titles, this mostly involves wandering around the girl’s hometown in the dead of night armed with nothing more than a flashlight. The town is open and non-linear. You search fo?r items that the girl strains to remember anything about, you’re then given a brief cutscene showing where she may have lost something. This lifts a fog wall somewhere in the world where you can now proceed into. Each area has its own problem and backstory, which you must solve or navigate in order to find the girl’s lost memory.

[embed]//youtu.be/QUv_KN1V88w[/embed]

Always trust the dogs

The approach to storytelling will be familiar to anyone who played through the first two titles. Much of what Yomawari: Lost in the Dark tells yo??u is obfuscated in one way or another. There’s no exposition, so little pieces are fed to you, and they’re often vague or unreliable. By the end of the game, as with the previous titles, you’re ge?nerally given enough pieces to put together a picture, but it’s anything but clear.

To me, the titles tend to be coming-of-age stories told through a horror filter, which is perfect. It may be about responsibilities or the pain of letting go, but the most pessimistic views of the world are used to frame it. Yomawari: Lost in the Dark continues this sort of storytelling and does so with the same ??deftness. It really doesn’t miss a beat.

On the other hand, I found the subject matter focused on in Yomawari: Lost in the Dark to not be as satisfying as the previous two games. To put it strangely: it’s less dark. It’s no less of a horror game, but here, the protagonist is mainly just learning lessons of courage, whereas the previous girls had to make sacrifices. Another way to put it is that Midnight Shadows set the bar too high, and it’s maybe not surprising that Lost in the Dark falls a smidge short.

Your eyes... Give them to me

Then there’s the actual gameplay, which I’m a little mixed on. While the exploration and light puzzle-solving of the Yomawari games are retained here, the action bits have been refocused. It’s largely a game of avoidance, which the previous games also had, but this time, it’s almost entirely that. Each of the game’s memories comes with a little part at the end where you run from something, and you have to follow specific dance moves to get to the end. The dance steps aren’t necessarily going to be well communicated, and if you die, you often get sent to the beginning of whatever scene you were in. In Yomawari: Night Alone, I actually found myself rage-quitting one of these parts, and I never got to that point in Yomawari: Lost in the Dark, ??but if you’re looking for any major refinement, you’re not going to find it.

What you will find is a lot of the same shortcomings. Much of the world is actually empty, leaving only what’s illuminated by your flashlight and the sounds of the night. From an atmospheric perspective, this works fine. However, the monsters are all just annoyances. You have to avoid them, and while this was partially done with the horror-proven hiding method in previous games, in Yomawari: Lost in the Dark, you cover your eyes. This has the advantage of allowing you to remain mo??bile while hi?ding from enemies, it also means that you move about as slowly as a frozen glop of meringue.

You will find something more important than me

Everything that made the first two Yomawari games special are here. The only problem is that nothing was added on top. This isn’t Yomawari: Plus One; it’s Yomawari: Another One. I wouldn’t even say it’s Yomawari: The Best One.

Still, if you enjoyed the first couple of titles, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by Yomawari: Lost in the Dark. It’s a solid continuation of the series, even if it doesn’t hit the heights of Midnight Shadows. The whole trilogy is a unique take on horror, tying in childhood and dumping a whole barrel of relatable sadness. The gre??atest success the series has had is not just presenting the misery to the playe??r but making them be an active part of it. So, I hope you’re ready to be miserable.

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

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Copaganda

In the Crossbell criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important, groups: the police, who everyone hates, and the government, who are more corrupt than a backwoods southern l??awyer. These are their stories.

DUN DUN.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Falcom
Publisher: NIS America
Released: September 27, 2022
MSRP: $39.99 (Digital) / $49.99 (Physical)

Crossbell is in something of a bind. After years of fighting between the Imperial and Republic factions for control of this vital piece of land in Zemuria, the state established itself as independent many years ago and has enjoyed a boom of economic ??prosperity that is transforming the city into a thriving metropolis. Orbal energy is powering the progress as several big organizations and corporations work in tandem to see this state thrive.

But just beneath the glossy exterior, there is a rot that cannot be ignored. The politi??cians of this supposedly independent state are merely puppets for the surrounding territories that once waged war over this land. And the police of Crossbell City have been neutered in their ability to tackle the rampant organized crime that al?l but controls the city. Cleaning up these streets will require a different way of thinking and a different type of police officer. Enter Lloyd Bannings and the Special Support Section.

In The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero, you take control of Lloyd and his crew of sorta-cops as they investigate a series of cases around Crossbell City and the surrounding countryside, doing battle with street gangs, monsters, the mafia, and a host of curious and corrupt characters. Initially, the Special Support Section is nothing more than a PR stunt for t??he department meant to generate some goodwill. For whatever reason, 911 is a joke in this town as the public has grown apathetic to law enforcement. An international mercenary group known as the Bracers is where most people go for their problems. Nobody really expects anything significant out of these SSS, but with low expectations comes the freedom to pursue cases on their own terms.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6JVtleWmdg

The game’s narrative is broken up into chapters, each of which plays out like episodes from an old police serial. You’ll get a case from your superior officer, search for clues, interrogate witnesses, a?nd then try to put all the facts together for the big reveal at the end of each chapter. Sometimes there’s even a twist thrown in for good measure. Breaking up the narrative in this fashion is an exceptionally smart decision as it kept me fully engaged with the story even when I was stuck in one of the many dialogue-heavy cutscenes. And believe me, this game is a dialogue glutton.

Know your strengths and weaknesses

Most of the cases you take up, whether it’s the central investigation for the chapter or one of the many side-cases local citizens ask you to look into, will ask you to fight the many monsters that roam the land and the sewers beneath the city. Trails from Zero utilizes an excellent grid-based, turn-based combat system where character position is of the utmost importance. Each Special Support Section member has their own abilities and weapons in battle that should affect how you utilize them. Lloyd is a close-quarters brawler with a limited range of move?ment. Randy Orlando also needs to be up close to hit his enemies, but he can travel a far greater distance to beat up his foes. Elie MacDowell is armed with a pistol that can take enemies out from afar while the science staff wielding Tio Plato can stand a few paces back from Lloyd or Randy while still hitting her opponents.

Positioning is key here for several reasons. For starters, if Lloyd or Tio is too far away from a foe and you select their standard attack, they'll only move to the closest spot available, leaving them open for damage. Several of the monsters you face have self-destruct deaths that can dramatically injure any character around them. When you use a standard attack on an enemy, there is the possibility they'll be knocked back a few spaces. While this means the enemy will have to travel a greater distance to strike back against your team, doing so could push them out of the attack zon??e of your team's arts and crafts.

Arts are this game’s magic system, and the type of arts that are available for each character is determined by which quartz pieces you decide to assign them?. As you battle enemies and search throug??h chests—which always have a funny little note written inside—you’ll earn seven different flavors of septium. You can sell this for money to buy new weapons and armor, or you can have it refined into quartz that can be slotted in each character’s weapon. The quartz will give your party members access to elemental arts, and the more of a certain elemental type of quartz you have assigned to a character, the stronger their available arts will be. Unlike your standard attacks, arts generally don't require your team to move for them to be of use, which is perfect when fighting the more explodey monsters in the world.

Crafts, another type of attack at your disposal, are character specific and are unlocked as you level up your team. Characters earn craft points in battle that can be spent on smaller-scale craft attacks and assists or saved up for large-scale, tide-turning S-Break Crafts. As you advance through the story, you’ll unlock Combo Crafts that require two party members to have at least 100 craft points saved up. This isn't that hard to do as Trails from Zero is pretty generous with those craft points.

High-Speed Mode is a must

What it’s not generous with are experience points. Throughout the?? game, I found the level of XP earned pretty inconsistent. I’d fight a mid-boss that’d give me barely anything, only to fight some grunts a few minutes later that shower my team with experience. It makes grinding a bit difficult, but with the high-speed mode and some ques?tionably frequent Team Rush attacks, you can clear areas in a flash and buoy your party for that final extensive chapter.

And Trails from Zero really is worth seeing through to the end. Outside of the few typos and instances of untranslated dialogue, this is an exceptionally well-written and well-localized game with themes that are quite prevalent today. One of the threads running throughout the story is the concept of justice versus the application of justice, which might just be the most pressing topic of 2022. I found myself nodding along in agreement multiple times as characters ??conversed about broken systems and flailing of faith. Sure, I've probably outgrown some of the characterizations here, like Randy Orlando’s horndog persona, but beyond that, I didn’t expect the story of a long-lost PSP title to resonate so much with?? the world of today.

Speaking of the PSP, this game wears its origins on its sleeve. Not only do its menus feel like they were designed for a piece of hardware with fewer buttons on the controls, but graphically, Trails of Zero doesn’t really look like it's seen that many improvements with the jump to the PS4. It’s a bit embarrassing too because there are several moments where characters will stop to take in the m??ajesty of the world around them. But with so many low-resolution textures, it just doesn’t impress. It’s hard to be captivated by a field full of flowers if you can’t even tell those are flowers in the field. Not helping matters is a color palette that lac?ks the vibrancy this world deserves.

Switch|PC > PS4

Now, I only had access to the PS4 version (mistakenly thinking it would be the visually superior option of the three platforms available), but apparently, if you want the best-looking version of this game, go for Switch or PC. The folks over at The Mako Reactor p??ut tog??ether a great article explaining the differences between versions. It's hard not to think PS4 players are getting the shaft here when looking at everything listed.

I’ve never played a Legend of Heroes title before despite buying a few of them years ago on the PlayStation Vita, but I’m really happy I finally made the jump into the series with this game. Trails from Zero is an exciting and welcoming RPG with a cast of characters I fell head over heels for. If you’re a longtime Trails fan, this and its 2023 sequel Trails to Azure will help fill the gap between Trails in the Sky and Trails of Cold Steel. For anybody curious about this niche series, I don’t think you can find a better entry point than right here with Trails from Zero.

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

The post Review: The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero appeared first on Destructoid.

Warm up those winter fingers

NIS America has announced a release date for the western localization of flashy shmup revisit Raiden IV x MIKADO Remix �The highly adrenalized blaster will launch in North Amer?ica on January 31, 2023, with Europe to follow a couple of days later on February 3.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaqpdPb7B3o

As previously reported, Raiden IV x MIKADO Remix is a remaster of the classic 2007 arcade blaster Raiden IV. The new edition has been?? bolstered with a huge variety of new features including two-player couch co-op, a selection of filters and orientation options, and a full suite of modes i?ncluding Arcade, Practice, Boss Rush, and Overkill modes. The centerpiece of the remaster is a fully remixed and re-recorded score, composed and performed by artists from the Game Center Mikado collective.

Already available on Nintendo Switch, the new port will arrive on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms, and is the first in what is expected to be a full range of "x MIKADO" titles, that will revitalize arcade classics with opulent, beautifully composed scores from some of Japan's most talented gaming composers. Given the long-held love affair between shmups and frenetic, pulse-pounding beats, starting out with the legendary Raiden IV was certainly something of a no-brainer.

Raiden IV x MIKADO Remix launches in the west on PC and c??onsoles January 31.

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Dive into Vanillaware history next spring

Another piece of Vanillaware's back catalog is heading to modern consoles. Today, NIS America announced that GrimGrimoire OnceMore is coming to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5 in spring 202??3.

Announced during today's NIS America showcase, the stream closed out with news of GrimGrimoire getting an official English localization. While it released in Japan earlier this year, NIS America will also bring the updated GrimGrimoire over to North American players.

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

GrimGrimoire OnceMore is an updated version of the original GrimGrimoire, a 2007 PlayStation 2 game developed by Vanillaware and Nippon Ichi Software. Much like Vanillaware's other PS2 classic Odin Sphere got an update with Leifthrasir, OnceMore is a refreshed version of GrimGrimoire.

The story follows Lillet Blan, a witch attending a magical school who gets swept up in intrigue and mystery. It's split between side-scrolling strategy sections and story sections. So yes, it will feel a little familiar to those who got into 2020's excellent 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.

Magical commander

The new OnceMore edition expands on the 2007 game with an improved user interface, a new skill tree, an art gallery, and other features. GrimGrimoire OnceMore will also have remastered graphics.

NIS America is also publishing both a Deluxe and Limited Edition of the game. The latter is up for pre-order on the NIS America store, with a hardcover a??rt book, two-d??isc soundtrack, cloth poster, and more for $89.99.

I will happily take just about any Vanillaware game ports to the Nintendo Switch that I can get. And with the potential RTS through-line, I'm really intrigued to see some of these early pieces of Vanillaware's development. Seeing how they might have gone on to inform games like 13 Sentinels sounds like a blast.

GrimGrimoire OnceMore will launch on? Ninten??do Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 sometime in spring 2023.

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Naughty but NIS

With Tokyo Game Show 2022 bearing down on u?s, publishers on both sides of the Pacific are preparing to drop a fresh round of updates and reveals fr?om their upcoming catalogs. NIS America is the latest to tease an upcoming showcase, which will take place on the morning of Wednesday, September 7.

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

While the publisher did not drop any hints as to which titles and localization it will bring to the party, we can expect to see no less than four new game announcements. NIS America is obviously notable for its standard practice of localizing Japanese releases and bundling together classic JRPGs for modern platforms. But we'll simply have to ??wait and see what the publisher has up its sleeve for 2023.

The NIS America Showcase will premiere on the official NIS America YouTube channel, on September 7, at 08:00 PT / 11:00 ET / 16:00 BST. The stream will be followed by an afte?rshow, which will feature chats with developers, as well as a competition to win a one-of-a-kind artwork r??eproduction taken from one of the day's revealed titles. We will, as always, bring you all of the exciting details right here on Destructoid.

NIS America's next release is the compendium Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol 3, which compiles the quirky releases La Pucelle: Ragnarok and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure. It launches on Nintendo Switch tomorrow.

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Just a girl, her puppets, and, erm, Spawn

In a little over a month's time, NIS America will release its newest retro compendium. In preparation for Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 3, the publisher released a spotlight video focusing on one of the two games featured in the release, Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure.

Considered a forerunner of the Disgaea dynasty, Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure was originally released for PlayStation in 1998, before eventually making its way west via a Nintendo DS port in 2008. A tactical RPG with a leisurely pace and non-intensive difficulty, Rhapsody won over fans as one of gaming's first t?rue "musicals," telling its delightful and thoroughly wholesome tale through fully voiced song and ??dance sequences.

Rhapsody's silly story focuses on a love triangle between a cheerful puppeteer, Cornet, her Prince Charming, Ferdinand, and the dastardly witch, Marjoly, who arrives to quickly mess the entire scene up for all parties. While Rhapsody as an RPG is fairly middling, the wholesome aesthetics, fun characters, and catchy songs help??ed secure its place in the hearts of Japanese gaming fans worldwide.

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

The new Prinny Presents... edition of Rhapsody w?ill feature sharp, upscaled visuals �thou??gh a classic CRT filter will also be available for those players who hate their eyes. Furthermore, the physical release of Vol. 3 will come packaged with a soundtrack CD and art book, so you can listen to the songs of Rhapsody at your own leisure, learn the lyrics, and sing them out loud on your next commute.

The second included title in Vol. 3 is 2002 strategy adventure La Pucelle: Tactics, under the guise of its PlayStation Portable remake, La Pucelle: Ragnarok. NIS America previously released a new trailer focusing specifically on that title. Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 3 launches in North America on PC and Nintendo Switch August 30.? It will follow in Europe a few days later on September 2.

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Physical edition available from NIS America Store

Earlier this year, during the New Game Plus Expo, NIS America announced that its 2016 release Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana would be winging it?s way to the PS5 platfor??m �and yesterday, the publisher revealed a release date for the new port, with the fantasy JRPG hitting the PlayStation Store this November.

Originally released on PS Vita, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana was the then-latest chapter in the decades-long Ys adventure series. It tells the story of a shipwrecked adventurer who finds themselves embroiled in a fated tale of ancient gods, primordial monsters, and, of course, the extinction of all life ??on the planet as ??we know it. I mean, it's a JRPG, so I'm not quite sure what you were expecting.

You can check out a brief overview of the story and its characters in the new ?traile?r below.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=brhfKfwtNH0

Ys VIII would eventually make its way to other platforms, arriving on PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and eventually Stadia. The PS5 port is expected to be a direct port of the PS4 edition, complete with all post-release updates and DLC. In regards to being an "upgrade" of the previous port, there is frankly little to improve, as the PS4 Pro already runs Lacrimosa of Dana? at 60 FPS. We can probably expect faster load times, and maybe even some Dua??lSense support, but not a whole lot else.

In addition, a special Limited Edition release is now available for pre-order over at the NIS America Online Store. This set contains a physical copy of the game itself in SteelBook casing, along with an art book, a replica journal of lead character Adol Christin, a "Seiren Song" soundtrack CD, two acrylic bookends, and a cloth poster of the Ys VIII artwork. The Limited Edition set retail?s for a very princely $99.99 USD??.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana launches on PS5 on November 15 in North America and November 18 in Europe. It is availa??ble now on PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Stadia. Mobile ports are also in the pipeline.

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The Shmupiest Place on Earth

A few days ago, our own Noelle Warner shared a piece that rejoiced in her newfound obsession with video game genre mash-ups. While experimenting with genre combinations has long been a celebrated tradition of this industry, there is something about the mashups we’ve seen in recent years that sets them apart from those that emerged in the infancy and adolescence of this medium. Neon White is easily the current poster child for the practice, but past titles like Crypt of the NecroDancer, Battle Chef Brigade, and Yoku’s Island Express show what’s p??ossible when you really think outside the?? box.

Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is yet another wild combination of two genres, taking age-old shoot ‘em up gameplay and pairing it with the currently popular escape room narra?tive adventures. It’s a unique mashup for sure, but are these two tastes too different to taste? great together?

Yurukill: The Calumniation Games (Nintendo Switch [reviewed], PC, PS4, PS5)
Developer: IzanagiGames, Inc., G.Rev
Publisher: NIS America
Released: July 5, 2022 (Console), July 8, 2022 (PC)
MSRP: $39.99 (Digital), $49.99 (Physical)

Dark and deadly games of survival have been a particular favorite of mine since I first escaped a flooding cabin room on the Gigantic back in 2010. There is just something about the escape room genre that always hooks me in, something that Yurukill: The Calumniation Games immediately taps into with it?s sinister setup. Five teams of strangers, each made up of at least one Prisoner and one Executioner, have been brought to the hauntingly extravagant theme park Yurukill Land to play a little game. The Prisoners are people who’ve been found guilty of a heinous crime, while the Executioners are those who have some sort of connection to those misdeeds. Ea?ch Prisoner swears they’re innocent, and across the game’s several chapters, you’ll have to find the necessary evidence hidden throughout a series of escape rooms to prove that to their Executioner.

These escape rooms make up the various attractions teams wi?ll encounter during their visit to Yurukill Land. They're designed to dig into the characters' past and do so in a pretty predictable manner. Guiding the teams along the way is Binko, a kitsune-mask-wearing weirdo who seems like she coul??d use an assistant. The goal for each of these teams is to be the last one standing, which will give the Prisoners a chance at freedom while the winning Executioner will get one of their wishes granted. Prisoners stuck on a losing team are sent back to the pokey, provided they actually survive their visit to the island. Not only can a Prisoner die trying to make it through their attraction, but each Executioner has access to a button that can instantly kill their convict companion.

The main protagonists of Yurukill are the Mass Murderers, made of up Prisoner Sengoku Shunju and Executioner Rina Azima. While you will temporarily take control of the four other teams (Crafty Killers, Death Dealing Duo, Sly Stalkers, and Peeping Toms, the intermission jesters of the game),?? there is an overarching storyline about Sengoku’s case that drives the narrative forward. Sengoku swears he’s innocent, but unlike the others making the same claim, he has a note allegedly written by another Prisoner that says they’re the real culprit behind h??is assumed crime.

But figuring out who that is will have to wait until Sengoku can prove to Rina that she shouldn’t kill him, whi??ch is a two-part process. The first part is with the escape rooms they’ll explore. Each room or set of rooms is presented as a simple point-and-click image with just a few objects you’ll be able to interact with. To make it past the central door that blocks you from proceeding through the attractions, you'll have to solv?e a series of puzzles that reward you with pertinent evidence or clues to other puzzles in the attractions.

Alexis Rose would do well in these rooms

Unlike some of its contemporaries, the escape rooms of Yurukill rarely present any sort of challenge. I was able to solve most puzzles in a matter of seconds, and those with ridiculously obtuse solutions could be figured out using one or ??two of the hints the game makes available. Equally as easy are the Maji-kill Time segments. You’ll face these just a few times throughout the game and they’re supposed to be high-pressure interrogations between Prisoner and Executioner where one wrong answer triggers that dreaded Game Over screen. In reality, they’re more a nuisance meant to pad out these escape rooms that are already pretty padded with character dialogue.

While I’d argue there are a few too many unnecessary discussions explaining how you figured out the solution to the puzzle you just solved, the dialogue between team members is easily a highlight of these escape room portions. These characters are well-written outside of Binko and her “bin-this�and “bin-that�?schtick. I just wish the conversations between these characters, and the story as a whole, went a bit deeper into some of the dark themes they only lightly touch on.

The best games of the genre have no problem exploring ominous and somber subjects with almost unbearable attention paid to the most gruesome of details. Such an approach is meant to unsettle the player and further immerse them into the experience. While some of the themes explored throughout Yurukill are disquieting, the writers play it far too safe with the world they’ve created, wrapping up most?? of the storylines with a nice litt??le bow.

The lack of anything sinister to get under your nerves?? undercuts the overall impact of the narrative, but at least players who do invest themselves in the story and character dialogue are rewarded for their efforts. If you can avoid just skimming through the story to get the “good parts,�you’ll be armed with pertinent information that’ll come in handy when you complete the escape rooms of each attraction and reach the Yurukill Judgement portion of the fun.

This is where the shmup gameplay comes into effect. Yurukill Judgement takes that classic bullet-hell excitement and mixes it with evidence presentation. The Judgements are divided up into several portions, including High-Speed Quizzes that test your basic knowledge of your team, Prejudice Synapses where you’ll pr??esent the correct evidence to argue your side of the matter, and Mind Mazes where you’ll sum up everything you’ve likely figured out long before you stepped foot in your jet fighter cockpit.

Shoot 'em up, bang, bang

The quizzes and the mazes make up only a fraction of the Yurukill Judgements. Most of your time here will be spent surviving the bullet-hell gameplay that pits Prisoner against Executioner. Taking control of the Prisoner’s ship, you’ll make your way through three vertically scrolling shoot ‘em up levels, each capped off with a boss battle against your Executioner. Once you do enough damage to the Executioner’s ship, you’ll be able to access the Prejud??ice Synapse and Mind Maze, both of which put a pause on the bullet hell action so you can present your case. If you make a mistake in either of these segments, you’ll lose three lives. But that’s unlikely to happen. Just like with the escape room puzzles and Maji-kill Time, presenting evidence is pretty straightforward.

If there is one thing this game likes to do, it's reiterate every single fact y??ou’ve learned throughout your investigation, all but guaranteeing that information is drilled into your head long before you reach the Yurukill Judgements.

Most of the lives I lost playing through Yurukill were stripped from me during some truly insane bull?et hell segments. Before you start the game, you can choose between three different difficulties to best suit your capabilities. I went normal, which presented enough of a challenge for me in those later stages that had bullets firing from all directions. There is an easy mode if you just want to enjoy the story and a hard mode for more seasoned shmup players.

As for the actual shoot ‘em up gameplay, it’s pretty good if largely repetitive. Because each Yurukill Judgement is broken up in the same way with the same small number of enemies, they do tend to blend together. Thankfully there is some variety in the ships. Each Prisoner has a unique ship that utilizes the auxiliary guns you pick up in distinct ways. ??On the Switch controller, you shoot by holding down the A or B button, and which button you choose dictates the action of these external guns. For instance, with Sengoku’s ship, pressing B will bring all your guns in tight for concentrated shooting. If you press the A button, your auxiliary guns will spread out?, allowing you to cover more area.

While there isn’t much reason to return to the game’s narrative once you’ve completed it, you can access the bullet hell stages you’ve unlocked at any time should you want to engage in a little high-score chasing. There are online leaderboards to rank y??our skills against the rest of the world and when going through Score Attack Mode, you’ll have access to all the Prisoner ships, allowing you to pick the one that works best for you. For me, it was Hanaka’s pretty pink ship and its auxiliary guns that follow wherever?? it goes.

If you’re wondering how smoothly these shoot ‘em up sections run on Switch, expect to hit a few bumps. The frame rate will slow to a crawl when you drop a bomb or take damage, but outside of those moments, it keeps steady whether playing in handheld mode or docked to your television. You might also exper??ience random slowdown during the narrative portions. Loading screens aren’t too bad, but trying to access the text history always makes it feel like the game is about to crash.

Speaking of crashes, I ran into an absolutely nasty visual bug during my very first Mind Maze that caused the screen to rapidly flash bright white lights for about two minutes before crashing the game. Not only was this particularly harsh with the Mind Maze segments already looking like Atari’s Star Wars on acid when everything works correctly, but the game doesn’t autosave in the shmup sections an?d it won’t allow you to manually save either.

Shockingly, this crazy experiment actually works

Trying to sell a game that’s half escape room, half bullet hell might sound like the basis for a joke article rejected by Hard Drive, but that’s exactly what IzanagiGames and G.Rev are attempting to do here. And I really have to applaud the effort for the final product to wind up as interesting as it is. The only problem is Yurukill never quite justifies why it's mashed up shoot ‘em up action with escape room puzzles. Because this isn’t some sort of natural combination of genres, like Puzzle Quest and its mix of match-3 puzzle gameplay and?? role-playing mechanics. Despite the overarching task of proving your innocence that’s spread between the two gameplay halves, the escape room segments and the shmup segments are very much independent of one a?nother and there is nothing that binds them outside of the idea that’s just how things work around here.

And yet, you really can’t separate them because Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is greater than the sum of its parts. The bullet hell sections are fun and challenging if a bit drab in design and variety while the escape room sections have good character inte?ractions but are far too simple and tame for what you might expect in a game about an amusement park where people can be murdered with the push of a button. Tear them apart and you get two substandard games that likely wouldn’t be worth anybody’s time. Keep them together, however, and you’ve got a one-of-a-kind experience that’s worth checking out.

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

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Are You Afraid of the Dark?

The super-cute, super-spoopy Japanese ghost story Yomawari 3 is officially headed to these shores. As announced by publisher NIS America, the freshly re-monikered Yomawari: Lost in the Dark will launch on PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch this fall, hopeful?ly in time for Halloween!

As previously reported, Yomawari: LitD sees a young girl on an intrepid and spine-chilling quest to free her hometown from a mysterious curse. Armed with little more than steel nerves and a flashlight, our teeny hero must brave the avenues, alleyways, woodland, ?and interiors of the haunted town, gathering clues and learning the lore behind the town's fate and her own part to play in its legacy.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5gWOnu7tSA

Lacking in combat skills, our nameless protagonist must use cunning, guile, and the overwhelming power of closing their eyes in order to outwit and outmaneuver her ghostly opposition. Listen to your own heartbeat to detect oncoming presences  On the plus side, the character is fully customizable... So at least you can look f?abulous while fighting off legions of the undead.

With a strong emphasis on tension, dread, and hair-raising chills over violent shocks and lame jump-scares, Lost in the Dark looks to be a delightfully creepy ghost story in the more cl??assical horror sense, and may eventually prove to be the perfect title to play when you're all safely snuggled up in bed on those cold fall nights.

Just don't look under the bed.

Yomawari: Lost in the Dark launches in?? the west on PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch this fall.

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More NIS classics are on their way

[Update: Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3 will launch on August 30 in North America and September 2 in Europe. NIS also shared a "spotlight" trailer for La Pucelle: Ragnarok.]

Another batch of classic NIS games is coming to modern consoles. Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3 packs together Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure and, for the first time in the west, La Pucelle: Ragnarok.

The news was revealed during today's New Game+ Expo as the "one more thing" of the showcase. The two games will come packed together in a single collection on August 30, for both Nintendo Switch and PC. You can check out some gameplay of the Prinny Presents below:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvjA2itWTnM

This is the third Prinny Presents that NIS America has put together from its back catalog of classics. The first contained Phantom Brave and Soul Nomad, while the second is due out this May and has Makai Kingdom: Reclaimed and Rebound and ZHP: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman.

Since these Prinny collections dive into the history of NIS, it's a fitting selection to have both the roots of Disgaea in Rhapsody and the never-made-it-over entry of La Pucelle: Ragnarok. For those who want to maintain a playable archive of NIS games, it seems l??i??ke a pretty solid two-pack.

The games will feature some sharper graphics and image optimization for Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, and Ragnarok will have extra content, a new voice cast, and quick trav?el. Plus, for the collectors, the physical version will have a soundtr??ack and art book at retail.

Even as NIS America keeps rolling out new games like the most recent Disgaea entry, these Prinny Presents are a fun way of commemorating the long history of strategy and RPG from the studio. No firm date has been set yet for the Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3 pack.

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(Very) early prep for NIS America's big day

2023 will see NIS America celebrate its 20th anniversary, and that's 20 years of bizarre teaser websites and video games about murderous kids. As it prepares for a new decade of localization and importation, the studio/publisher has gifted itself a fresh new website, complete with an accompanying logo.

The new branding isn't a whole lot different from NIS America's previous logo, retaining the sweeping sumi-e "ink wash" effect, referencing Japan's tra??ditional art style. The coloured tones have been removed, however, replaced with thicker lettering and the removal of the word "America" entirely. The new website is similarly toned, with a heavy monochromatic emphasis.

The new logo, which comes into effect immediately, will be u??sed to brand all NIS America products going forward. It admittedly seems a bit early in the day to be preparing for the anniversary, (which is some *checks notes* 21 months away), but clearly NIS is eager to get its new look embedded in the industry psyche as it ventures into its next decade of business.

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