The Japanese RPG epic Rise of the Ronin would highly benefit from having a co-op mode. You could help your fellow samurai?? complete quests and take o??n all manner of enemies in the open world.

Will there be a Rise of the Ronin co-op mode?

Team Ninja and PlayStation confirmed back in February that Rise of the Ronin co-op will be in place. You ca??n invite three other players to join you.

"Rise of the Ronin allows up to three players to experience the game’s story missions together in online co-op," says the official PlayStation page. Thankfully, it won't be limited to co-op-specific missions like Ghost of Tsushima and Granblue Fantasy Relink. You can play the full game with your buddies. It will be interesting to see your fellow ??samurai in-game ??as you create your own characters before taking on this journey.

Is Rise of the Ronin on PS4?

If you have friends who haven't upgraded to the PS5 yet, they unfortunately can't play Rise of the Ronin co-op with you on a PS4. They'll need to get PlayStation's latest system. Thankfully, a slimmer version just released because the orig??inal PS5 is massive (believe me, I had to ??travel with it across the world to live in England).

If you're sad you can't play Rise of the Ronin with them, you can check out the co-op mode Ghost of Tsushima: Legends.

Is Rise of the Ronin on PlayStation Plus Extra?

Like many PlayStation exclusives at launch, Rise of the Ronin is only available for purchase at the time of writing. It won't be on the PlayStation Plus Extra library. However, you will need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play Rise of the Ronin online with friends.

The post Is Rise of the Ronin co-op? appeared first on Destructoid.

The next Team Ninja game has locked in a fairly competitive release date. Its next action game Rise of the Ronin arrives on March 22, 2024.

The new game certainly looks up Team Ninja's alley, with plenty of fast combat, slicing, and dicing. It's been known for a while, but now, we finally know when the game arrives.

At tonight's The Ga?me Awards 2023, we got a new trailer looking at the title. Set during a time where the country is divided, it follows one ronin who could have a hand in shaping Japan's future.

Coming off the fairly well-received Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Rise of the Ronin does look like Team Ninja trying to keep the string of excellent action games going. But it's headed into a crowded 2024, with one particular competitor that it now shares a release date with: Dragon's Dogma 2.

Whether you going for one, the other, or both, it does look like we won't be hurting for action RPGs in the new year. Rise of the Ronin arrives for PlayStation 5 on March 22, 2024.

The post Team Ninja’s Rise of the Ronin arrives next March appeared first on Destructoid.

You may think you're done with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, but Team Ninja isn't done with you just yet. Koei Tecmo revealed a date for the third piece of DLC, titled Upheaval in Jingxiang, which touches down on December 12, 2023.

If you're looking for new challenges, there should be plenty to go around in Jingxiang. Chief among the additions is a new story chapter that finds Liu Bei's forces fighting back against the chaos the Elixir has caused. As it continues to wreak havoc throughout the land following the death of Yu Ji, you'll be tasked with traveling to the Jing Province ??to put an end to its grim effects. 

Get a taste of the story in the DLC 3 trailer:

Upheaval in Jingxiang also adds new enemies and demons, a new Divine Beast, and new generals that include Guan Ping and Lady M, among others. That's on top of the new equipment and a new system �that's all the official site says on the latter �and higher difficulty levels for those who didn't find Wo Long tough enough already. Finall??y, there's a new weapon category in the Whip, which looks painful as all hell.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is currently available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. If you have Xbox Game Pass you can also check it out there. This has me hungry to get back to Wo Long, which I unfortunately fell off after ??clearing a dozen or so bosses. It turns out ??there are multiple dozens more beyond that, so I've got my work cut out for me. 

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They did it their way

Stranger of Paradise was a very different lens into the world of Final Fantasy than we're accustomed to. Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo partnered with Square Enix to reimagine the story of the first Final Fantasy, creating a lovably irreverent protagonist with Jack ?Garland in the proc??ess.

It was, by all accounts, a solid vision of an action-driven, alternative take on Final Fantasy's origins. The team continued to build on it over time, with more downloadable content and jobs, adding some classic pieces of Final Fantasy mythos in the process.

With the recent release of the Steam version, we got a chance to catch up with director Daisuke Inoue and ask some burning lingering questions about Stranger of Paradise, now a little over a year since its launch. We've previously talked with ??h??im about updates and feedback, so with this interview, I went a little more broad picture. We talk about adapting Final Fantasy into the acti?on realm, the fashion, and of course, the use of Frank Sinatra's "My Way." How could we not??

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0WvpMw0Sko

What was your design goal with Jack? Did you want players to connect with him right away, or later as more is revealed about both him and the story at large?

I didn't necessarily want people to connect with Jack right away. Rather, for this production, instead of emotionally connecting with the character, I wanted people to ultimately understand why Jack was saying the things he was saying and why Garland ended up the way he did, while tracing things back to the world of the original FINAL FANTASY.

Frank Sinatra’s “My Way�plays early on in Stranger of Paradise, and appeared in the promotional material. What was the reason you chose this song, especially when it’s pretty tonally different from the music we hear Jack listening to in-game?

It might? be a bit of a stretch to say that we “chose�the ?song “My Way,�as this song is where the title began.

It all started when Nomura-san showed me a video with the Japanese translation of “My Way’s�lyrics. The song is about a man who has achieved what he believes in, despite his sorrows and regrets, and although I’m sure the Japanese translation contains many liberal interpreta??tions of the original English words, [it] conveyed this concept in a very cool and compelling way.

Garland standing in the Chaos Shrine expecting to "end this,�looking back on his life in a way that connects back to the lyrics of the song�When ??Nomura-san showed me the video, he suggested that this is the sort of image that he wanted to create.

I think it’s fair to say that the concept of Jack Garland was inspired from there, and it set th?e direction for the ga??me's scenario.

Since the implied translation of the lyrics for ??"My Way" marked the inc?eption of this game, no song other than "My Way" was ever considered. That is my answer.

What process went into translating popular Final Fantasy jobs into action-RPG move sets, and did you have any difficulties with some of the less combat-focused options like White Mage? Do you have a favorite job in the game?

As a team, we did run into some issues when trying to incorporate a few non-combat jobs into an action RPG, but without e?xaggeration, by simply considering, “What would Jack do?�we were able to solve these problems.

For example, even if you are a white?? mage, a job type with restorative abilities, if you are Jack, you could fight by incorporating offensive white magic while casting support magic on yourself in order to attack... Somethin??g like that.

I think the bigger issue we ran into was differentiating the jobs and making each one feel unique. We felt a strong ?synergy with Team NINJA, who ha??ve a lot of experience in creating action heavy titles, so their expertise led to the creation of diverse and fun jobs.

My personal favorite job is the swordsman, as its spirit of simplicity and fortitude fits the image of Garland in the original FINAL FANTASY. When I had a hard time deciding o??n which job to play, I defaulted to the swordsman ??because of this.

Despite the world being very fantasy driven and jobs focusing on Final Fantasy combat, the fashion of Stranger of Paradise is varied and even modern at times. What was your intent with the costume designs and equipment, and was there an intentional contrast or aesthetic you wanted to create with the party’s outfits?

Originally, the world of FINAL FANTASY was made to appear high fantasy, but is actually a low fantasy, or more of a sci-fi, world, with a mix of high-tech machines, robots, buildings, and the ancient futuristic people (Lufenians) who created them. At least, that is my interpretation. This interpretation may differ from one person to another, but as STRANGER OF PARADISE further br??ings out this worldview, it’s not surprising that modern interpretations of costumes and designs may be present. Rather, the design work for this project is based on the understanding that the world is a diverse blend of these elements.

As for the party characters�outfits, our intention was to reflect them being brought from a modern world somewhere, so their default clothes reflect this relative simplicity or basicness. We also wanted that to inspire players to c??hange up their jobs and equipment qui?ckly and often while playing, so as to fully portray the diverse job system in this title.

When considering the direction for DLC, what was your goal with post-launch additions? Is there anything in the Final Fantasy universe you would like to still tackle?

When we were considering the direction of the expansions, we started with the idea of depicting the later lives of the characters. We were torn between having this take place either following the events of the original FINAL FANTASY or directly after the events of STRANGER OF PARADISE. However, I remember thinking that we should first properly depict their endings for th??e sake of the players who love this title and its characters, and that we should prepare an element of play appropriate to these.

The world of FINAL FANTASY has expanded greatly, so there are certainly things we can do and things we woul??d like to do. At any rate, I hope that we can continue to challen??ge ourselves to do things that cannot be done with the numbered titles.

Are there any other franchises you’d like to see adapted, in a way similar to Stranger of Paradise?

Origin stories for The Legend of Zelda’s Ganon and Bowser from the Super Mario series immediately come to mind�But those are completely different IPs from a different company, aren’t they? (laughs) I always wanted to know why Bowser is so fixated on Princess Peach�but I guess I should at least answer this question with something from SQUARE ENIX, so in that case, I’d have to say DRAGON QUEST!

While it may not quite resonate with people overseas, if we dare to make the somewhat gentle/laidback world of DRAGON QUEST one that is more aggressive/thrilling, this may be a good op??portunity to have a wider audience overseas get to know the franchise.

The post We talk with Stranger of Paradise’s director about fashion, Final Fantasy, and My Way appeared first on Destructoid.

Take no Shitieshou

Koei Tecmo has proudly announced that its period piece action-adventure Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has surpassed one million shipments and sales since its init?ial release. The Team Ninja-developed adventure hit PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms on March 3.

According to the publisher Wo Long, which sees a mysterious protagonist battling demons against a stylized take on the Han Dynasty, has been played by 3.8 million players so far, taking into account its availabili??t?y on the Xbox Game Pass service. For all you maths majors out there, this means that somewhere in the region of 2.8 million players checked the title out via the subscription-based service.

//twitter.com/WoLongOfficial??/stat??us/1651784272792133632?s=20

Koei Tecmo released a delightful image to celebrate the milestone, which sees a trio of impossibly adorable Panda Shitieshou demons lolling about. In the game itself, these ar??e benign, friendly demons that offer the player random gear in return for unwanted items. Accompanying the image, the publisher notes that Team Ninja is currently at work developing updates for the title, as well as no less than three DLC expansions. A date for these add-ons is yet to be revealed.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is available now on PlayS??tation, PC, and Xbox Game Pass.

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There is not a mystery game after all

Following a recent interview with Team Ninja lead Fumihiko Yasuda, reports swirled that the studio had another game in the works, set to arrive before 2024's Rise of the Ronin. But Koei Tec?mo confirms those rumors aren't accurate to Team Ninja's plans.

Speaking to Famitsu, Yasuda discussed Team Ninja's upcoming docket of games. The previously announced Rise of the Ronin is set for ?2024. Yasuda also expresses a desire to release something new in 2025. The confusion arises around a certain phrasing, though.

"'Rise of the Ronin' has been under development ??????????????????????????for about 7 years and is scheduled to be released in 2024," Yasuda said. "This work will be released? in 2023, and I feel like I want to release a new title in 2025."

Famitsu's interview was published online on March 11, after the release of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty earlier this year. This, alongside mention that the game in question was in development, led to speculation and reports that Team Ninja has a??nother game planned for 2023.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlmdeQFyqC0

Koei Tecmo clarifies

As noted in Famitsu's article, though, this interview was conducted on February 14, 2023, prior to the launch of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. And the interview itself is about Wo Long, too.

We reached out to Team Ninja parent company Koei Tecmo to clarify, and a spokesperson confirmed that "this work" refers to Wo Long. The spokesperson also confirms their 2023 game is Wo Long, and Team Ninja does not have another full? game planned for 2023.

Which, considering Wo Long still has a season pass' worth of content on the way alongside Rise of the Ronin and thoughts of a 2025 game, is pr?obably a good thing. Team Ninja has had a steady cade??nce over the last few years.

Meanwhile, Wo Long does sound like it's a pretty rad. That's out now, with added content on the?? way for th?e rest of this year.

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Version 1.03 available now on PC and PlayStation

Team Ninja has released an update for its recently released adventure Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty �Available now on PlayStation and PC, Version 1.03 takes a ??first pass at several issu?es bugging players on both platforms.

First and foremost, the new update tackles camera control problems that have been a frustration for many PC players, especially those playing on mouse & keyboard. An additional fix improves support for various graphics cards, and eliminates ??an issue that was rendering some resolutions unselectable. On both platforms, minor tweaks allow guest players to skip cutscenes, so you won't be waiting around for your running buddy along with general stability and framerate improvements.

Check out the full patch notes in the tweet below. An Xbox edition of the update will launch "soon". Team Ninja notes that it will continue to investigate player feedback on the title, with further updates planned for the coming months. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is available now? on Pla?yStation, PC, and Xbox platforms

//twitter.com/WoLon?gOff??icial/status/1633452586597752832?s=20

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One last fight before the main event

The final demo for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is finally available. Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja??'s action RPG has its? final demo out now, ahead of its launch next week.

The Wo Long demo is live now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms. Save progress will carry over into the full game, and for those too busy to hop in this weekend, the demo won't go away when the game launches. The final Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty demo is slated to stay live through March 26.

Included in the final demo?? are Chapter 1: Village of Calamity and Chapter 2: Two Chivalrous Heroes. Starting here won't just net you an easy on-ramp to the full game, but ?also a reward in the "Crouching Dragon Helmet" item.

Alongside the demo release, you can also get a glimpse of Team Ninja's new action-RPG here in the brand-new launch trailer here:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi7vQOpfquo

A fight for the kingdom

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty heads to the Three Kingdoms era, so fans of Dynasty Warriors or other virtual adaptations will feel right at h??ome. This is, however, Team Ninja tackling the action.

Considering the trajectory Team Ninja has struck with Nioh, it seems we can expect more fantasy and some punishing swordplay?.

Luckily for fans of Team Ninja's work, Wo Long looks to have held up in all of our early looks at the game. As Chris noted in a recent preview, it's ticking all the right boxes, even if it's not for the faint of h??ea?rt.

With today's demo, you'll get at least a chance to see whether you're up for it ahead of the full game. And hey, if you end up liking it, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty arrives on PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC next? week on March 3.

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One more chance to try Wo Long out

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty arrives pretty soon, but if you're still unsure or just want to play more of it, there will be one more chance before release. A final Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty demo is going live on February 24, 2023.

Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja's new action-RPG will have this demo for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty u?p from Feb. 24 through March 26, 2023. The new and final demo will be available on all systems it's releasing ?on too, which are Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PS5, and PC.

The final demo will feature Chapter 1: Village of Calamity and Chapter 2: Two Chivalrous Heroes. This star??t from the earlier chapters of the game ?is also good for prospective buyers, as save data can transfer over to the main game. Doing this will also net you the "Crouching Dragon Helmet" item.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlmdeQFyqC0

Online multiplayer will also be available in the final Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty demo. And a special launch window "Baihu Armor" has been revealed for anyone who gets the game by?? March 16, alongside the digital pre-order "Zhuque Armor" bonus.

Dynasty warriors

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has been quietly creeping up lists for games to keep an eye on this year. The latest action-RPG from Team Ninja does seem to carry on ideas from Nioh, while set in the Three Kingdoms era of China.

While FromSoftware is well known for its ability to craft a punishing fantasy action-RPG, Team NInja has been honing its own skills within the genre. And from the impression we had with a recent hands-on, it seems like Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is coming together to be a surprise hit for those who haven't bee??n keeping an eye on it.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is out on March 3 for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.

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Ninja Rap

[Update: In a new statement to VGC, Team Ninja's Tom Lee has suggested that fans shouldn't hold their breath on these previously hinted reboots for both Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive.

"Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden are both long-standing pillar franchises for Team Ninja. These celebrated titles are synonymous with our studio history and reputation," said Lee in VGC's statement. "It goes without saying that when speaking about the development of our past and future projects, both of these important titles cannot be left without mention. However, there are no details or information to share on?? eit??her of these franchises at this present time."

“Like many of our dedicated fans, we share the enthusiasm for the return of these beloved titles. And we will be sure to pr?ovide a proper update (if and) when that day arrives."]

Original Article

Team Ninja is not done with its flagship franchises Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive �What's more, it appears that the Japanese developer is ac??tually making preparations to reboot both franchises for something of a fresh start for both long-running series.

At the G-Star conference in Busan, South Korea this weekend, Team Ninja President Fumihiko Yasuda held a panel on the future of the studio. As part of Yasuda's presentation, a slide was shown that featured logos and images from action RPG franchise Ninja Gaiden, and 3D scrapper series Dead or Alive, complete with a header of "Reboots of popular series". A translation from Ruliweb sugg?ests that Yasuda said news of these projects would arri??ve "as soon as possible".

The last mainline Ninja Gaiden release was 2012's Ninja Gaiden 3, though numerous spin-offs, side-titles, and compilations have hit the market since then. The series is renowned for its violent ??combat, mythical advent??ure, and exceptionally challenging gameplay. It is also one of gaming's longest-running franchises �the original entries in the series having launched on arcade and NES markets in 1988.

Initially launched as a challenger to the burgeoning 3D fighter market, Dead or Alive is typified by its incredibly fast fighting action, smart counter-attack mechanics, and cheesecake-sexualized roster of buxom babes. While Dead or Alive as a fighter is top-tier entertainment, the series has been heavily chastised in recent years as a mere cash register, with the last release, Dead or Alive 6, being particularly egregious in its "DLC first, game second" mentality. Over $400 worth of in-game costumes were released for the title in its first year, with even alternate hair colors being sold as separate DLC purchases. In addition, the game itself felt as if little advancement had been made over the-then seven-year-old DoA 5.

Dead or Alive 6, inarguably, was a shameful end to a plucky, well-designed, underdog fighting franchise. A reboot is the only way to go for Team Ninja. As for whether any lessons will have been learned from DoA 6's embarrassment. That will be on the part of its publisher. Time will t?ell.

Team Ninja is planning to r?eboot Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaid??en [Free Step Dodge]

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It's live now, following the Gilgamesh DLC

Stranger of Paradise? transmog is now a thing, thanks to a new update for? the game, which also ushers in the second DLC: Gilgamesh.

Titled The Wanderer of The Rift, the DLC launched on October 26, and beyond the actual content it comes with, we got a new title update. One of the big features includes transmog, or as the official Twitter accoun??t calls it, "cosmetic changes."

In short, like many modern games (especially MMOs, but also titles like Assassin's Creed: Odyssey or Monster Hunter Rise), you can customize your look to your liking, without missing out on stat bonuses from individual pieces of armor. The DLC itself adds Gilgamesh, the blue mage job, rift labyrinths (randomly generated dungeons), the dimension bringer ability, Gilgamesh difficulty, summon blessings (which are acquired through the Tonberry blacksmith), monster bells (call monsters int??o battle), and chaotic monsters (supe?r-powerful versions of enemies). So, a lot!

I already dug the game at launch, but Team Ninja and Square Enix have added quite a bit of support over the past few months: addressing fan complaints while adding ??new content in the form of DLC. Overall, a "Complete Edition" should age very well for hardcore action fans, especially given the?? "challenge" aspect of the DLCs.

If you want to read more about how the team incorporated feedback into their post-launch design perspective, we ha??ve a full interview with key members of the team here.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6HEY5ix0rw

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Not too much Wo Longer to wait

Koei Tecmo has finally announced an official release date for Team Ninja's dark fantasy epic Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty �The hugely challenging Three Kingdoms adaptation will launch on PlaySt?ation, PC, and Xbox platforms on March 3,?? 2023.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlmdeQFyqC0

Wo Long, which was recently bestowed upon Soulslike fans via a PlayStation demo, will task players with building a deadly and stoic warrior, who will then stand against a huge batallion of rogues, demons, and monsters. Utilizing an array of deadly hand-to-hand and weapon-based c??ombat skills, our hero will call upon the power of The Divine Beings in order to infuse their attacks with otherworldly, spiritual powers. Craft your champion across five phases, taking down larger and more destructive forces as their epic journey continues.

Now available to pre-order, eager players can bag the Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Deluxe Digital Edition includes a season pass, containing three post-release DLC expansions �bringing with them additional stages, skills, weapons to swing, and demon heads to be swung upon. Picking up the Deluxe Digital Edition ?will also bag you a digital art book and soundtrack, as well as the exclusive "Qinglong Armor". Additionally, all pre-orders of any edition of Wo Long will unlock the exclusive "Baihu Armor".

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty launches M??arch 3 on PlaySta??tion, PC, and Xbox platforms.

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"So that everyone has the same experience"

According to the game's producer, the approach to difficulty in Wo Long: Fallen Kingdom will be similar to how From Software (and Team Ninja itself) has handled many of the??ir games in the past: there's one non-??negotiable setting.

Speaking to MP1st, here's what producer Masaaki Yamagiwa had to say on the matter: "We’re thinking it’s good to have one set diffi?culty so that everyone has the same experience of overcoming a really intense obstacle and they all have that feeling of achievement, like 'I did it.' But the caveat there is giving players all different ways that they can do that." They go on to comment that yo??u could "talk to your friends" about beating a boss, and share that experience.

They also clarify that Wo Long is "not an easy game," but they want to give players "as much freedom and agency to play it as they want." Part of that freedom and agency is the morale system, which Yamagiwa explains: "One thing that comes to mind is the morale system. You have a morale rank and as you keep increasing it you get stronger and you can use that to choose which enemies to fight, or raise it up so you can take on a harder enemy and maybe they’ll be a little bit easier now that you’re stronger." That system was actually present in the demo, and while it's confusing at first, it's another tool in the tool kit i?n terms of squaring up opponents. Think of it like a micro-leveling system, where you (or your enemies) can r??aise your power level.

In any case, the "single difficulty setting" conversation is bound to have a lot of different takes, but at least we know where Wo Long stands either way. Given Team Ninja's recent takes on action adventure romp?s, this isn't a surprise.

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It runs through September 25

Koei Tecmo has surprise-released a limited-time Wo Long demo, amid a current presence on the TGS showfloor.

There's two caveats here. Yes, limited time means limited time, as you'll get a little over a week to play the demo. The open testing period begins now, and will run through September 25: at that point access to the demo will be pulled. Also, as is customary, you can earn a bonus item for the full game after completing the demo. In? this case, it's an item called the "Crou??ching Dragon Helmet."

Here's a rundown of the Wo Long demo from Koei Tecmo: "The demo version of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, an action RPG set in a dark fantasy Three Kingdoms world. As a nameless militia soldier in the chaotic Three Kingdoms world, the player will face demons and officers using swordplay based on Chinese martial arts. By clearing this demo version, players will be able to obtain a Crouching Dragon Helmet that can be used in t??he retail version."

Following the demo, in classic Tea?m Ninja fashion, there's also going to be an online survey to tell the team what you think. They always make changes for future demos and the full version based on these surveys, so make it count. Oh, you also need to be online to play the demo, but you don't n??eed a paid online membership.

Download the Wo Long demo here:

• PlayStation 5
• Xbox Series X/S

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Still due out in 2023

Thanks to a new Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty dev diary TGS trailer, we have a better look at how Team Ninja is approaching this "masocore" (their words) action game.

Fumihiko Yasuda (producer) speaks on how when he was pondering the future of the Nioh series, he "started to consider a worldview separate from Sengoku-era Japan," and drew upon his personal love of the stories of the Three Kingdoms era. A story "based around Chinese martial arts" was a good fit to convey this idea, and was a perfect way to differentiate a new project from Nioh.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will portray the "turbulence" of the era, with a heavy focus on the concept of the "dark world," which will likely aim for a baseline intense experience.?? The "fluidity of speed" is a goal for the combat system, and we get to see a brief look at the upcoming character creation menu. Variation between players in an online setting was used as one reason for avatar customization, as well as a focus on a "historical story," rather than a personal one.

Team Ninja is busy, as they also have Rise of the Ronin in the works, which also has Yasuda involved as a director (though we'll have to understandably wait until 2024 for that one). As someone who watched Team Ninja walk, then run, then falter?, I?'m just glad they're back in the mix again.

At this point with several recent universally-liked projects under their belt, new announcements are met with glee rather than a groan. There was a rough patch there capped off by Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, but they really counterbalanced that with Hyrule Warriors that same year, into reestablishing dominance with Nioh three years later.

The Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty TGS trailer:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPDI4ehuA38

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Another action RPG (like that's a bad thing)

Depending on how you slice it, the highlight of today's State of Play was either Like a Dragon: Ishin from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio or Rise of the Ronin from Team Ninja. (Why not both?) The developer shared its first look at this PS5 open-world action RPG, which is s??even years in the making. It's another historical-inspired tale with over-the-top flair, as you'll quickly see in the trailer �a mix of "gameplay and in-game cinematics."

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gwsQvDGh4o

"Set in the late 19th century, Japan is facing the darkest of times as it struggles with its oppressive rulers and deadly diseases while western influence permeates as civil war continues to rage between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Anti-Shogunate factions," noted director Fumihiko Yasuda. "Here in this time?? of mayhem, you embody a Ronin characte?r, a warrior bound to no master and free to make choices of its own."

Going a step further, Yasuda calls Rise of the Ronin the "most ambitious and challenging project for Team Ni?nja Studio to date," promising a "multilayered story" and "unrestricted open gameplay." The action-game fundamentals can always get this team's foot in the door for me �so while I'm already "in," so to speak, I am curious to hear concrete info.

For now, t??here's that cool glider and rifle-stabbing animation. I love a good finisher. From everything we can glean, this looks like another skillful action romp?. Keep 'em coming.

[caption id="attachment_344298" align="alignnone" width="1600"] _{Riding on horseback, aka gamer catnip.}[/caption]

Rise of the Ronin will launch in 2024 and it's ??said to be a "PlayStation 5 console exclusive," which opens the door for a (well-advised) PC version.

Considering Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (the Three Kingdoms-inspired Nioh successor) ?is coming up f??irst in 2023, that far-off timing makes sense. We're feasting as action fiends.

The post Team Ninja is on a roll with Rise of the Ronin appeared first on Destructoid.

The below gameplay trailer debuted ahead of TGS

TGS (Tokyo Game Show) is scheduled to take place from September 15 through September 18 of this year, and Koei Tecmo is bringing Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Before the event, we're getting a taste of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty gameplay, which is a nice surprise after the cinematic reveal at the summer Microsoft game showcase. The bosses and environments so far look worthy of the Nioh series, which is a good sign.

In addition to the footage, Koei Tecmo shared a few scarce details, like the existence of the "five phases" battle style mechanic, as well as the use of offensive and defensive maneuvers (which seems to be a huge focus of the system). We also got reconfirmation of a whole bunch of housekeeping stuff. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will launch on PC (Steam), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X in "early 2023." It's also? confirmed as a console and PC Game Pass title.

If you're attending TGS, there's a few bonuses involved for those of you who can check it out physically. If you play the game in any capacity, you'll get a "button badge" for Wo Long. If you finish the demo, you'll get a t-shirt (while supplies last, Koei Tecmo points out). We'll also get footage of a "never before seen stage" at the event from the game's producers (Fumihiko Yasuda and Masaaki Yamagiwa). That'll all be at the Koei Tecmo Games booth (Hall 3, Makuhari Messe). The stream will also be tak??ing place on Friday, September 16, at 7:20PM J??ST.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty gameplay:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P9s_XCD1EE

The post Finally, a look at gameplay for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Team Ninja’s latest action romp appeared first on Destructoid.

One of the top requests from fans was "more challenging content"

Right from the get-go, there was a wide variety of reactions to Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. The copious "chaos!" exclamations in the reveal were definitely a driving factor in that divide, but as I dug into the game at launch, I found a lot to like, including some?? of the bo?lder and somewhat out-there choices with the narrative.

We sat down recently with director Daisuke Inoue and producer Jin Fujiwara to really take in the game's impact thus far, and where it might be going now that the DLC campaign is underway.

[There are story spoilers for the Stranger of Paradise core game present throughout the interview.]

Destructoid: What is the number one piece of feedback you've gotten from fans as something to address in the main game, possibly in a future patch or DLC?

Inoue: We are so grateful to have received tons of feedback from the community. We do want to address the feedback as much as we can as possible. In particular, the top three requests we’ve received from fans were for �em>Final Fantasy elements,�“contents worthy of a challenge,�and “character customization aspects.�Regarding the Final Fantasy elements and challenge-worthy contents, we’ve noticed this feedback via social media from when we were developing the main story. As a result, we decided on introducing the Warrior of Light, Bahamut, and Gilgamesh to incorporate them into th??e additional mission as quickly as possible. When reviewing the players�comments based on the release of the first expansion, I get the i??mpression that everyone seems to have a positive response towards additional content like these, which makes me glad that I worked on this.

Regarding character customization elements, we’ve seen comments to this day that the character builds are too skewed, in that certain jobs are utilized far more heavily than others, so I am discussing with the dev team for us to work on this going forward. Also, Team Ninja informed us that they’ve been checking the responses to the additional mission. They’ve suggested adding more Final Fantasy elements and RPG-type gameplay and expanding on the action-type gameplay. I’d also like to address the fe??edback we’ve received as much as possible, so I hope you look forward to it.

How did you come up with the idea for a season pass delivery system rather than, say, one big expansion?

Inoue: We came up with this system to provide new content in the shortest span possible, see the players�reactions, and continue developing the game with an impact to future content. There is a merit in being able to create in a way in which contents with positive feedback can be further developed, and those with negative ones can be revised. Another reason we selected the season pass delivery system was because of a concern that Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin would leave the players�?minds if there was a long period between the content release schedule.

What type of tone were you going for primarily, with the story? How it teeters between very serious/dramatic and over-the-top, notably seen in most of Jack's dialogue. Do you feel like that careful balance landed with fans?

Inoue: As for the tone we were going for, the beginning of the game is essentially old-school Final Fantasy with some “ah, that’s how it goes, I get it�kind of parts, which we then do a 180 and bring to somewhere clearly different, and in the latter half and onwards, we’ve tried to push the action game type tempo in the gameplay by later deploy??ing all of the foreshadowing that makes ??you ask, “Why? How come?��This may be the reason why the game feels like a mixture of both dramatic and exaggerated exchanges. As a result, I’ve received many negative reactions to the story saying the characters�statements seeming overly dramatic or the plot development feeling much too abrupt.

However, those who played the game into the latter half and picked up the stories through the memoirs told us that they have come to like the man Jack, the character Garland, or that it made them want to play the original Final Fantasy again. ??I feel there were qu?ite a few players who responded positively to the game.

With the Dragon King DLC and beyond, how far are you going to go into the Final Fantasy 1 mythos? Will we see a conclusion/wrap-up of Jack and his gang by the end?

Inoue: To tell you the truth, the entire additional mission has a similar structure to that of the main game's storyline. Therefore, players will likely have an “ah, that part of Final Fantasy 1, huh�feeling of acceptance while playing through the first additional mission. From the second expansion onwards, we imagine a Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin-like story to gradually unfold.

When asked if we will be able to see a conclusion, that’s a hard question to answer, but as the third expansion is entitled “Different Future’� we are ready to tell the story of Jack’s future and believe it will be an SOPFFO-like story.

Given the success of Final Fantasy VII Remake "rewriting" some established storylines, where do you feel that Final Fantasy Origin sticks out in terms of its place in the overall franchise? Do you see yourself doing more "Origin" stories for other past games?

Fujiwara: Within the Final Fantasy series, one of the most characteristic elements of Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is the plotline that delves into the characterization of villains. Although this work is an alternate story based on the world of the first Final Fantasy game, I believe the character development for the iconic Final Fantasy villain Garland, ha??s been made much more in-depth.

At the current stage, we are putting all our efforts into developing additional content for Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin, so we have not yet reached a stage where we can contemplate the possibility of a sequel. However, during breaks, we chat about wanting to delve deeper into the villains from other Final Fantasy titles (especially from earlier ones).

What went into the decision to add the Evoker, Pilgrim, and Summoner jobs for the first DLC? Are they significant in some way, or did someone really want them in?

Inoue: We decided to include Bahamut in the first additional mission, so we wanted to make a job associated with Bahamut. Therefore, we decided to prepare a Summoner first as a job that can fight along with Bahamut. We decided to prepare the Evoker as a lower-level job to Summoner. Summon??er and Evoker jobs were the first ideas that came to mind, and staves came to mind as the most appropriate weapon for these jobs.

Thereafter, Pilgrim was born as a basic job that uses staves. We also aimed to create an experience that would accentuate the fun of this additional mission. As a result, when you control Bahamut as a Summoner, you are able to perform actions with a different sense of speed as if you are playing a different game, and as an Evoker, we are able to provide a different way of fighting which lets one consider, “How can I best use the supportive spirits in battle?�Another reason we chose these jobs is partly because we wanted to incorporate even more Final Fantasy elements.

As mentioned above, there were many positive responses to the first additional mission, and in response to those comments, Team Ninja proposed to add jobs as an unplanned Final Fantasy element. If fans would like to see more Final Fantasy elements, we would ??appreciate it if you could voice your comments on social media.

The post Interview: Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Ori?gin team talks top fan requests, narrative choices, and the future appeared first on Destructoid.

A Wo Long demo? Sign me up!

Given the lower impact of this "summer of gaming" push, I wouldn't blame you for forgetting Wo Long, Team Ninja's "dark fantasy version of the Later Han Dynasty�in action game form. But once the Wo Long demo comes out, provided that it's a blast, you'll probably be hearing?? about it then!

Yep, over on the game's official Twitter account, the studio is starting their marketing campaign early, noting that the game will have sorcery elements, as well as online multiplayer, a morale system, a character creator, and ??more. The last bullet point is th?e most important: a "gameplay trial in the near future."

Starting with the pre-launch period for Nioh years back, it's been customary for Team Ninja to test out their action game via highly prolific game trials: which also serve as a beta of sorts. It allows the s??tudio to reevaluate their internal meta, adjust things like mechanics, ani??mations, and difficulty curves; and even spotlights quality of life features.

So far it's worked out pretty great for them, as both Nioh entries have been bolstered by great beta-to-launch upgrades, and meaty post-launch patches. Given that Wo Long is out in "early 2023" (as of the time of publication), this will be plenty of time to assess and readjust i?f it is indeed coming "in the near future."

//twitter.co??m/WoLongOfficial/status/155275191885??3799936

The post Wo Long, Team Ninja’s Nioh follow-up, is getting a demo “in the near future” appeared first on Destructoid.

New gameplay details from Team Ninja

Even with minimal details, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty �a new Team Ninja romp coming in hot off the Nioh series �was probably my favorite game announcement at the jam-packed Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase. It's an action-infused dark-fantasy take on the Three Kingdo??ms with demons to take out and a masocore challenge to overcome.

There are still a lot of gameplay specifics to fill in, but coming off of the weekend's big Xbox showing, we now know that the game is making the full rounds on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in early 2023. Team Ninja also shared more information about Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty in an interview with IGN �and it sounds really promising.

"Making it a challenging game was something we had decided from the beginning," according to Wo Long producer Fumihiko Yasuda, who's returning from Nioh 1 and 2.

"With all the legendary heroes of the Three Kingdoms period, it can come across as somewhat campy, but in reality, it was a time of war and devastation," he said. "It was a dark period in which people were constantly fighting, which is a great match for a Soulslike game. Being set in China, Wo Long is more massive in scale compared to our previous games set in Japan, wh??ich allowed us to show a more severe and dark world. The same can be said for the difficulty. There’s no doubt this will be an extremely challenging and demanding game, but we’ve come up with new w?ays to approach that difficulty."

"The action is speedier than Nioh"

“We wanted flowing combat in which you seamlessly switch between offense and defense," Yasuda continued. "The action is speedier than Nioh, and you can do things such as jump into an enemy and then launch over them." Level layouts are still linear in Wo Long like Nioh be?fore it, but "there's a lot more room for verticality and explorat??ion in general."

Wo Long development producer Masaaki Yamagiwa (of Bloodborne fame) spoke more about the "elegance of Chinese martial arts," noting that "utilizing this action to overcome challenging battles should create an experience like no other." The developers "came up with a system that revolves around the warrior’s morale" in which "both the player and enemies have a morale status, which will lead to new strategies within the Soulslike genre."?? Slightly more specifically, Yamagiwa says that players "gain something by defeating a strong enemy, but the same can be said for when an enemy kills the player. The balance between strength changes whenever someone dies."

You can create your own character

The Team Ninja duo also confirmed that players will customize their protagonist in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (similar to Nioh 2) and co-op will return, which is a must-have.

So, what about gear in Wo Long? Looting eventually became monotonous for many Nioh players, but it also facilitated hundred-hours-strong?? playthroughs for a lot ??of folks thanks to an essentially never-ending stat grind and many character-build possibilities.

“Fans of the Three Kingdoms period are going to want certain weapons for different warlords, and that’s definitely something we want to deliver on," Yasuda told IGN. "But when compared to Nioh, you won’t have to constantly upgrade your weapon or armor, and it’s not like each enemy will drop an item. It’s not the main focus of Wo Long’s game design, as we wanted the player to be able to focus on the action more easily. That being said, we do still have a large variety of weapons to ??choose from."

So far, so good, I'd say. Wo Long is already at the top of my 2023 list. As disappointing as it was to hear that Team Ninja would be stepping back from the Nioh series (at least for now), this game is exactly the sort of next-best thing I was hoping we'd see. Nioh 2 was full of refinements, and I'm excited to see Wo Long carry the torch in a new way.

The post Wo Long: Fallen Dyn?asty sounds like a no-brainer for Nioh fans appeared first on Destructoid.

"A dark fantasy version of the Later Han Dynasty"

Today during the Microsoft 2022 showcase, we got to see a reveal for Team Ninja's latest action romp: Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.

It's described as a "dramatic, action-packed story of a nameless militia soldier fighting for survival in a dark fantasy version of the Later Han Dynasty where demons plague the Three Kingdoms." Quite a mouthful! Even if this ends up being "Three Kingdoms Nioh," I'm so here for it.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer says it was "exciting to work with Team Ninja" for this collaboration. It's been exciting to see Team Ninja rise to the occasion in recent years, myself!  Following quite a few fumbles, most notably Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, one of their lowest points, they knocked it out of the park with Nioh just three years later. After that they continued to assist in various Warriors games, and gave us Nioh 2, as well as Ultimate Alliance 3. The Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection reminded us of their storied history, and Stranger of Paradise, while pola?rizing, was interesting from ??an action perspective.

Now we have Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty nex?t year. It's out in early 2023 on PC, Xbox consoles, and cloud devices.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7FqH_jrYFg

The post Whoa, Team Ninja’s Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty looks rad appeared first on Destructoid.

Dimitri and the Lions are back

The next Nintendo musou crossover is just around the corner, as Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes closes in. Today, Nintendo spotlights one of the factions the protagonist can side with in Three Hopes under the Holy Kingdom of Faer??ghus, a.k.a. the Bl??ue Lions.

The Kingdom of Faerghus is one of three nations in Fódlan, the setting of both Fire Emblem: Three Houses and its upcoming Warriors spinoff Three Hopes. It represents one of three routes in the original game, and it looks like Three Hopes is taking a similar approach, having the protagonist Shez side with one of the three natio??ns once again.

In today's trailer, we get to see the Blue Lions of Faerghus in action. It basically serves as a roster confirmation for many of these fighters, but i?t's interesting to see how warriors like Ingrid and Ash fight. Also, we'd seen glimpses of Dedue be??fore, but now we know. It is Deduesday.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpCxRE7xCAg

As for the rest of the bunch, hopefully we'll get some confirmation soon. We've seen Claude and Hilda from the Golden Deer, and Edelgard and Hubert from the Black Eagles. With all the Blue Lions in the Three Hopes lineup, odds seem good we'll at least see every stu??dent take the field.

War of the Three Houses

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is both the second Warriors crossover with Fire Emblem and, seemingly, an alternative timeline story for Three Houses. Basically, it seems like Three Hopes will be to Three Houses what Age of Calamity was to Breath of the Wild.

Hopefully the time between has given Omega Force and Team Ninja some time to work on the formula. While Fire Emblem Warriors had some cool ideas, it also fell a bit flat compared to Hyrule Warriors.

With the underpinning story and world of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, maybe the massive army-slaying action genre will click with this franchise. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes launches for Nintendo Switch on June 24, 2022.

The post Fire ??Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes spotlights the Blue Lions in new trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

Chaos?! Chaos

When I first heard about Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, I was that person in the back of the room who was floored. While people were rioting about the strange cast and making memes out of how many times the main character said the word "chaos" (it was around 5,000), I was thinking about all of the joy I got out of Team Ninja's recent Nioh-fueled resurgence. Team Ninja ruled the action roost al?ong with Capcom at one point, and it's great to see them back in the conversation.

I'd count Stranger of Paradise as helping push that aforementioned resu?rgence, but I have no doubt that some may disagree. Let's talk about it.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (PC, PS4, PS5 [reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
Developer: Koei Tecmo Games, Team Ninja
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: March 18, 2022
MSRP: $59.99

It's easiest to start with the whirlwind of story and concepts this game puts forth all at once. So Stranger of Paradise is kind of a re-telling of the original Final Fantasy, but with an action-first focus. The job system is intact, and it's linked to frame-perfect dodging, blocking, and lots of other staple action mechanics. The "re-telling" is a roller coaster. It plays fast and loose with ?some source material, oscillating between elevating it and truncating it. It's hard to really elaborate without talking spoilers, but like any game Nomura touches, there are conversations to be had at some point.

The gist is that protagonist Jack Garland and his band of heroes (at first, the stoic Jed and the quippy Ash) are tasked by the king to purge crystals of darkness and are potentially looking to take out "Chaos" �an evil which may or may not exist. Jack is obsessed with defeating chaos, and like many huffy anime heroes before him (notably Guts from Berserk), he gives ?everyone guff about it, even his closest friends.

You start off a little ways into Jack, Jed, and Ash's foray into this fantasy land, which helps and hurts the framework of what comes afterward. In one way it adds a little air of mystery to it. In another, I kind of wish it had a full King Arthur and the Knights of Justice setup (what a callback!) where we follow them from the very start, or close to it. It takes some time to acclimate to their predicament, but a lot of you will get there, and the lack of upfront info does matter in the end. In spite of the marketing, Jack isn't ne??arly as insufferable as he seems. The cast making light of him being a dick adds a lot of levity, and yes, there's lots of talk about Chaos at first.

It's often silly, and the characters perhaps best encapsulate that silliness. The core voice cast performs serviceably to great, even when they're delivering some of the more over-the-top lines (which are mostly from Jack). There are a lot of character-based moments, and some light ones, all of which come together to shed some light on this particular universe. Nearly the entire game is fully voice acted, and little things like a king's assistant jotting down the first line of a recount of your journey, or the party banter, can bring a smile to my face. The same goes for cutscenes, which are acted out with the full current equipment for each party member.

The influence of Tetsuya Nomura (who created the "stranger" idea and designed the characters and produced for the game) can be felt throughout. It’s so Nomura, some of you might not stand it. I'm going to put this out there: I love him, zippers and all. I feel like he often does things a lot of developers wouldn't dare to, for better or worse. And Stranger of Paradise is definitely strange, but in a way that I resonated with. As you can tell from the fields of gold in all the trailers, you're going to get a lot of mysterious conversations in an "Elysium-adjacent area" straight out of games like Kingdom Hearts.

Like Nioh, it's also level-based, with the ability to engage in "sidequests" (which you can view by pressing R1/RB while highlighting missions) that let you go back and accomplish some remixed task via a different route (with mostly the same layout). Everything can be navigated through a text-based world map, where you can change the difficulty at will, chat with some NPCs, upgrade weapons, and either take on sidequests or go on to the next story mission. The stages themselves aren't too sprawling and mostly err on the side of linear; akin to the original Phantasy Star Online at first, then some Devil May Cry design (with light puzzles) by the midpoint. Although some layouts can feel a little too small for my taste, I didn't come across one stage I outright didn't like, which is impressive.

Unlike other recent games in the action-adventure genre, Final Fantasy Origin has three difficulty settings: story, action, and hard. They can be changed at any time on the world map, and altered in-game so long as you do it at a save/rest cube [bonfire], and you're okay with not reverting back to a higher difficulty until the end of the stage if you tweak it down. In other words, it's pretty relaxed �the story difficulty is accessible, the middle tier isn't insurmountable, and action veterans may even want to j??ack it up to hard early on. Multiplayer exists, but thankfully it's inconsequential and is simply a way to add people to the campaign mode: it's not balanced around it in any way.

There's a good amount of enemy variety to open up combat, consisting of a lot of reworked designs from older games that mostly feel fresh. Bosses are extremely fun to fight, especially on action or hard difficulty. They're extravagant, multi-phase, cinematic slugfests that are just plain fun to play. Loot I have a kind of take-it-or-leave-it stance on, similar to Nioh. There's a clear sense of progression with rarity levels (white, green, blue, purple, and so on), but by and large, the "auto-equip" button is the path of least resistance to stay out of menus and in the action. When you hit the loot cap ?and need to move stuff to storage or transmute it, it does get annoying �but I only had to mass purge my inventory twice throughout the entire runtime.

The clear throughput of Stranger of Paradise, for me, is the strength and variety of the combat system. So in addition to blocking, dodging, and using job-specific abilities (more on that later), you also have the soul shield system. Think of it like a fighting game-esque "perfect block," queuing up a magic shield that's governed by a meter that also doubles as a stun mechan?ic for Jack. If you pull it off successf??ully, you can sap MP (and grow your MP bar), which lets you in turn trigger more abilities. If you use it perfectly on an enemy ability, you can suck it up like a Blue Mage and throw it back at them. Then there's the finishing ability (soul burst) that lets you grab staggered foes and clinch them into oblivion, which rewards MP in turn.

During all this, your allies will generally do things, but the extent? of their interaction in combat is to tell them when to go crazy. Once I started gaining the power to customize their jobs (through set ones handed out through story progression), they started to feel like they mattered more. I love how optional a lot of these facets of combat are. Even on normal, you can get by most fights with keen dodging skills and a good command of your currently selected jobs. But if you use everything together, you're going to have a much better time. All of the core mechanics funnel into each other with a risk-reward system at the forefront, as whiffing or overplaying your soul shield hand can be dangerous.

It didn't take me long to fall in love with this system. It's fast and so open that you can kind of bend it to your will, and some loadouts can even use combos or pick and choose what they want to focus on. I have to stress this: the sheer amount of jobs available in Stranger of Paradise is a big reason why it all works. Early on you'll get a feel for the swordsma?n, pugilist, and mage jobs, all of which offer distinct playstyles �slow and ste??ady power, swiftness, and ranged �on top of their other ability-based nuances.

Then you start to unlock more. And more. And more. The axe-wielding Marauder job can charge up every attack and soak while charging with super armor (which prevents flinching). The Warrior's big power is a battle shout that slowly recovers HP, and they can utilize a variety of weapons, which have a stark contrast to an axe-focused playsty??le. On top of all this, you can swap between two jobs while in combat, chain cancel job abilities, and create combos where each job plays off one another: this should have been the key focus of all of the game's marketing.

One of my favorite choices to make is whether or not to greedily go for another job unlock or focus on the one I have. Usually, I try a mix a bit of both, with an offclass that features an upgraded path eventually, with my "main" job as what I know the most. Stranger of Paradise hands them out like candy, and even though you need to work to unlock the higher ones (by completing at least one path down a tree for three other jobs), the ear??ly ?and mid unlocks will provide more than enough potential for experimentation.

As an example, toward the end, I gravitated to a Paladin and White Mage combo, focused on healing and buffing. The latter would apply party-wide buffs like haste (faster attacks), shell/barrier (less damage from magic and physical attacks respectively), and regen (recover health over time), while the former would use its core ability to leech health by attacking if I got in a pinch. It cut down on my need for potions and made my build more sustainable. It was a thrill to discover this all on my own, and I?'m sure people will find crazier combos. (Dark Knight and Paladin have potential, too.)

I can see reviews and takes flying all over the place for Stranger of Paradise, easily. It's not for everyone, despite how much the Final Fantasy name might bring people in. It's a Team Ninja action game first, and an oddball isekai story second. It's also one of the weirdest games I've reviewed in a while because it speaks to me in a lot of ways, ??but it wears its flaws on its sleeve. Go in cautiously if you want a new action game to sink your teeth into.

The post Review: Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Ori?gin appeared first on Destructoid.

Chaos?

In case you missed the first two, a third and final Stranger of Paradise demo is now live on PS4, PS5, X?box One, and Xbox Series X/S.

While the first two demos were feedback-related, this one seems to just be a showcase for the final product, which is out on March 18. Square Enix notes that the Pravoka Seagrot and the Western Keep regions are unlocked, as are "multiple new jobs that weren't ava?ilable in the previous two demos." Like the second test, multiplayer is enabled, and will allow up to three people to play in one session.

To go along with that last Stranger of Paradise demo, Square Enix also put out a brief 30-second trailer for the game, which shows off the most important part: the combat. Oh, and the music! For as many "Chaos" memes as there were when the game was unv??eiled, things are looking up. Team Ninja has been on a roll in the past five years or so, and this matchup seems to have drawn out the strengths of Square Enix too.

One last thing too! Save data from this Stranger of Paradise demo will carry over to the full game, and will "allow players to ?seamlessly continue their full jo?urney at launch."

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkzEbew-Piw

The post The third? and final Stranger of Paradise demo is now live appeared first on Destructoid.

Here's the hardware you'll need to experience the Final Fantasy origin story

The latest Final Fantasy spinoff goes live next week. Ahead of that, Square Enix has released the PC requirements for Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.

On the minimum s??ide, an AMD Ryzen 5 1400 or Intel Core i7-6700 with 8 GB of RAM will be needed to run it. Players will also need at least a Radeon RX 470 or GTX 1060 6GB f??or graphics card power.

Recommended setting??s, to get 1080p and 60 frames per second, will need to get a little more powerful than that. For CPU, an AMD Ryzen 5 1600 or Intel Core i7-8700 sets the Recommended floor, alongside 16 GB of RAM. And for graphics cards, it's either the RX 5700 XT or GTX 1660 Super.

Either way, Stranger of Paradise will also need 80 GB of drive space. Best to c?lear that out now, ahead of time.

//twitter.com/fforigin/status/1501256684722962432

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is an Epic Games Store exclusive at launch, as it looks like no Steam launch is planned for the time being. The Final Fantasy VII Remake also had its first entry arrive on just Epic in December, so this does seem like a trend. The Pixel Remaster series has been rolling out on Steam though, so if you're not an Epic fan, there's still ?some hope for alternative options somewhere ?down the road.

This latest spinoff, Stranger of Paradise, is a bit of an odd one. It comes by way of Team Ninja, makers of the Nioh series. And ra??ther than standard RPG, this one is taking on a bit more of an action approach, as well a?s a very... different tone than you'd usually expect.

Different is good, in my opinion, so Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is absolutely on my radar. The new spinoff will launch for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on March 18?.

The post Stranger of Paradise PC specs are out, ??ahead of launch ?next week appeared first on Destructoid.

Chaos!

Stranger of Paradise is looking crazier by the minute, and in my book, that's a thing of beauty. While the bizarre nature of this Final Fantasy re-telling isn't going to appeal to everyone, it caught my eye immediately following its debut and hasn't let up: not a week goes by where I haven't pondered the possibilities of this Team Ninja and Square Enix joint venture. We got a chance to sit down with Jin Fujiwara (producer), Daisuke Inoue (director), and Fumihiko Yasuda (producer, head of Team Ninja at Koei Tecmo) to see how the team is handling the final stretch, and the reactions to the two major demos so far. Read on for our Stranger of Paradise interview.

Destructoid: A lot of people felt like the second demo did a better job of showcasing the raw potential of the game. What went into deciding what content to show in each demo build?

Inoue: We simply selected areas within the realm of what we could share during those timeframes. With the second demo, when trying to decide which area would be best to showcase in addition t??o the Chaos Shrine, we decided the Refrin Wetlands would be a good counterpart. The two areas contrast each other in that the former is mainly indoors with a humanoid boss, and the latter is an outdoor dungeon with a non-humanoid boss.

I really felt like the mechanical potential of Stranger of Paradise really came together during the second demo as well. What types of job combinations are you finding popular with players, or the team internally?

Yasuda: The popular job combinations vary within the Team Ninja development team. While team members with a knack for action prefer melee or close-range jobs, those who aren’t particularly good with action gravitate towards jobs that can cast magic. Personally, I like the combination of Samurai and Monk or Ninja. It would be great if player??s can try a variety of combinations in both single and online multiplayer modes to discover their favorite job combinations.

As you know, fans guessed the identity of Jack early on. How has that revelation impacted both development and the various reveals for the game?

Fujiwara: The initial plan was to make it look like Jack was a warrior of light, then reveal his identity as a surprise, so we did indeed have to make some changes. However, because his identity was revealed, we were then able to streamline the r?eveals toward a pursuit of the truth and story behind why he became a villain. Ultimately, I’m glad it turned out this way as we were able to better highlight the strengths of this title.

Can you speak a bit more about working with the PS5 and Xbox Series X? What enhancements will be present in the final build, if there are any new ones since the demo periods?

Inoue: Basically we enhanced the areas based on the feedback from the second demo, such as ease of matchmaki??ng in multiplayer mode, improvement of friendly AI, and frame rate stabilization. We implemented a wide range of enhancements ranging from UI to battle balance improvements.

Beyond the first Final Fantasy game, are there other direct inspirations for Stranger of Paradise? Or perhaps some indirect ones in the action genre at large? At this point Koei Tecmo and Square Enix have lengthy histories with action RPGs.

Yasuda: Games made by Team Ninja, such as Nioh and Ninja Gaiden, were a huge influence, and the titles that these games were in turn influenced by, such as Dark Souls, Onimusha, and Devil May Cry, provided indirect inspiration as well. With that said, the biggest influence comes of course from the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy Origin drew inspiration from the entire series, not just the first Final Fantasy. We put a lot of thought and effort into how things like the particulars of the popular boss battles, or the job system from Final Fantasy V,? could b??e interpreted and defined within an action game framework.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqLa5qOVsQg

How is the teammate AI and teammate system progressing? It already underwent a few changes based on feedback and I know people are interested in seeing how it turns out.

Yasuda: We received a lot of feedback on this point from both demos, so it was high on our priority list. Our main dilemma?? was that if the AI takes too many hits from the enemy, it would look silly and wouldn’t appeal to players. But, if a teammate AI is invincible or too strong, it would take away from the player’s action game experience. It was a challenging aspect to balance, so we continued to make adjustments. Ultimately, we decided to bring the AI teammate’s behavior closer to the player’s actions by implementing a system called “Resonance.�In addition, we’ve gone as far as making adjustments so that the AI take actions that utilize the characteristics or job traits of the character they’re accompanying.

The more stages/environments I play, the more classic Final Fantasy nostalgia and surprises I encounter. Do you have any "break the internet" homages in store for the full game?

Fujiwara: There are tons of surprises we’ve prepared for Final Fantasy fans, like various locations, BGM, and monsters inspired by other series installments, and of course jobs that are unique to the series. So, I personally hope these things will be enough cause for a celebration that “breaks the inte??rnet.�Also, this isn’t an homage per se, but the character Astos should be extremely memorable, so please be on the lookout.

I have to ask: after Chaos is defeated, Jack pulls out his phone to play music. How much "real world" influence do you intend to shine through in the fantasy world?

Inoue: It’s hard to explain, but there are dungeons in this game which are based on ones in other Final Fantasy series titles, so in that sense, there are some locations that feature elements that feel more “real world.�That can be attributed to the fact that there are previous Final Fantasy titles that were ??loosely based on the real world.

The post Designers: Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is a mix of Dark Souls, Devil May Cry, and ?Final Fantasy appeared first on Destructoid.

Probably a little classier than the Kunio-kun version

Koei Tecmo has announced that developer Team Ninja is currently at work on a brand new title, based on the Chinese fable Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The new project, as reported by Famitsu, was revealed yesterday during the Ko Shibusawa 40th Anniversary Program live stream, marking the producer's leg??endary career with Koei Tec?mo.

Little detail was revealed about the new Romance of the Three Kingdoms title, but Team Ninja is no stranger to working alongside Koei Tecmo, having produced great titles in the Nioh and Ninja Gaiden franchises. Koei itself is intrinsically linked to the source material, having already self-developed a series based on the work. Considered one of the most important pieces of Chinese literature of all time, Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a 14th-century epic detailing bitter feudal warfare commencing within the dying days ?of th?e Han dynasty.

Strangely enough, this is not the only video game adaptation currently in development, as Arc System Works and A Plus Games are also hard at work on Kunio-kun no Sangokushi dayo: Zeiin Shuugou! which will transition the classic work to the Kunio-kun/River City universe. I'm assuming that Team Ninja's effort might be a little straighter and a little less tongue-in-cheek. We'll be sure to pass on the pertinent details when Koei Tecmo?? has more information to offer.

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Thumbs up from Japanese development team

Masaaki Yamagiwa, notable for the work on hits such as Bloodborne, Tokyo Jungle, and the Sonic the Hedgehog series, is apparently working alongside Team Ninja, the developer responsible for franchises Nioh, Dead or Alive, and Ninja Gaiden.

The partnership was succinctly revealed via a simple tweet, which featured a casual shot of Yamagiwa chilling with Team Ninja's Fumihiko Yasuda, and Sony Interactive's head of independent gaming Shuhei Yoshida. Yamagiwa departed Sony Interactive Entertainment back in February, one of a number of notable producers and developers who took their leave of the studio during a major restructure. Fellow Bloodborne alumni Teruyuki Toriyama and Silent Hill producer Keiichiro Toyama also left the company last year, with the latter having since founded his own outfit, Bokeh Game Studio, to work on a new horror game.

As to what role Yamagiwa will play a??t Team Ninja remains unclear at this time of writing, with an official statement about the partnership yet to be released. Either way, it is quite the meeting of the minds, and it will be interesting to see what projects co?me from this new union, whenever Team Ninja is finally in a position to reveal them to the public.

//twitter.com/??yosp/status/1446447570583097350?s=20

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The Epic Games Store is also giving out Sheltered

I don't know how else to convince people to give Nioh a shot �I feel like I've said all that I can about this frantic, fun, and at times frustrating magical ninja action-RPG series�but that's kind of irrelevant today. "Nioh: The Complete Edition is free to keep on PC" can do the talking here. The deal runs until September 16, and Sheltered, a survival sim, is free too.

If you've mostly avoided looking into Nioh this whole time and you're only here for a free curiosity-driven pickup, I'll say this: it's got cool Japanese mythology and lore, a good range of potential character builds to devise and power-up, there's an absurd amount of content between the base game and three packed-in expansions, and the combat is fast.

_{I wanted to embed the trailer, but it's got an ugly-looking age restriction, so here's a great pic, via neiroshi.}

_{And here's one for the dog lovers, via Faithy.}

While there are similarities between Nioh and Dark Souls, you can love one without even liking the other �they're distinct. So don't let your past experiences sway you too much, if that's a concern. Also, online co-op is a huge facet of Nioh if you want it to be.

Nioh 2 is more refined, and most folks seem to prefer custom characters, but I have a lot of love for William, the star of the show in Nioh 1. It's worth dipping your ?toes in when we're talking about a low-stakes free game. If you end up liking it, don't feel bad about jumping to the sequel; there's significant overlap, and both titles are big undertakings.

Probably not coincidentally, Team Ninja also shared the latest sales figure for the Nioh series �after two great games, some ports, and remasters, the franchise has now "sold over six million copies worldwide." It's fantastic to hear, albeit bittersweet. Back in January, the studio went on record to say that it's not doing Nioh 3. At least not yet.

I'm ready for a shakeup �a new action-RPG that builds on Nioh's successes but doesn't suffer from diminishing returns. That would be swell. And then they can do Nioh 3.

As for next week's freebies, the Epic Games Store will swap over to Speed Brawl, a 2D brawler built around time trials, and Tharsis, a dice game in the form of a mission to Mars gone horribly awry, from September 16�3. The former has? big hidden-gem energy.

The post It’s time to become obsessed with Nioh: The Complete Edition while it’s free on PC appeared first on Destructoid.

Blame Chaos

Amid all of the silly Chaos memes, I delved pretty deeply into Stranger of Paradise last week and found a lot to like. Sure it's an early build but I really enjoyed the class system and the Team Ninja action vibe, and I hope they shore up some of those shortcomings and really make something special whenever it comes out. This Nomura interview from Famitsu gives me hop?e, though it ??has plenty of Nomura's classic cryptic language that might turn some of you off.

Nomura kicks off the interview by explaining that Final Fantasy 1 is a "motif," instead of "being directly connected or an equivalent." The way he explains the theme behind using the phrase "paradise" and "strangers" is similarly confusing, in a "you probably won't see what he's going for until the end" sort of deal. He also h?as a reason for why the protagonist and his crew look like regular guys: "The initial outfits for Jack and his allies are nothing more than a hint to show that they’re not of that world. They don’t represent anything about their character. Like other games where you can change your equipment, this is simply their plain state. Perhaps."

Haha, classic No??mura! Interestingly, he gives us a clue here: "Jack and his allies have the mission to defeat Chaos, but we needed them to be characters that people would think of as totally separate to the Warriors of Light." He goes on to tease: "The reasoning behind Jack’s appearance is purely related to the story. Likewise, there’s meaning behind all of their names. But that would be a spoiler, so I’ll save that for another time." For reference, the names are Jack, Ash, and Jed. Maybe they're all summons, and Ash is Phoenix? It's just wacky enough to work.

Nomura says there will be "more" party members, and that "during combat, you’ll fight with a party of three members, so you’ll be swapping people around for battle." He also addresses the dark tone head-on, stating: "Unlike other games in the Final Fantasy series, ??it has quite a high rating (17+ in Japan), so it’s a rather severe kind of atmosphere. The game is the story of an angry man, so we’ve represented those dark, blackened emotions as well." "The game is the story?? of an angry man," needs to be on a t-shirt.

Promisingly, Nomura really wants to focus in on the story here despite it being an action game at the core, claiming the narrative has "p?lenty of depth." He also wants the game to be accessible to a degree, with a "less punishing" death system, and a more forgiving dodge, guard, and soul shield window so everyone ca??n reasonably compete, not just frame-perfect action fans. Nomura is open to allowing you to command your allies too, but at the very least "customization of growth and equipment" (which is not in the demo) is planned. Turning Jed into a thief and Ash into a Monk are hinted, and eight weapon types are confirmed (one-handed sword, axe, knuckles, daggers, and katanas are not in the demo).

There's definitely more to Stranger of Paradise than meets the eye, and the gigantic interview is worth reading if you're remotely interested. Whe??ther that mystery box stuff is up your alley or not is completely up to you. But I'm looking forward to playing through and potentially gasping at some crazy story revelation; while some of you watch it on YouTube and laugh in turn.

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