Being a fan of the Neptunia franchise, I was pretty excited to finally get around to Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution. I had some health problems earlier in the year, so I missed out on the previous releases, so I was more than happy to take a look at this on Xbox Series S. Let’s see if I created fantastic video games with the girls, or if the entire game is just one big bomb.

The story here follows Big Neptune as she has once again wandered into a new dimension. This time games rule everything and the makers keep the world in balance. She soon finds herself as the CEO of a defunct game studio run by some failed Goddesses. Can she help restore this studio to its former glory and help these Goddesses on their road to redemption?

Overall, I really had a blast with the story this time around. The new characters Jagaa, Pippih and Reedio were all great additions to the fantastic Neptunia cast. In case you can’t tell from their names, these girls are based on failed consoles in Japan. Jagaa is the Jaguar, Reedio is the 3DO, and Pippih is the Apple Pippin. They bring this front and center throughout the story as Jagaa says “Do The Math” constantly, which was an old ad for Jaguar even here in the states. The girls interact with each other very well and Big Nep adds a great dynamic to this foursome. Which is good since we see a lot more from them than our beloved Consoles Goddesses and their Sisters. Though that is kind of a shame since I think those girls playing off each other is always the best.

Graphically, Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution looks pretty good. All of the character models are nicely done and stages have plenty of details, as well. Though, you will notice a lot of these have been reused from the Sisters VS. Sisters game that released a while back. Personally, I don’t have an issue with this, but some folks that don’t like reused assets may take issue with it. The game ran great on the Series S with no frame drops on my 4K TV.

Now, let’s dig into the gameplay. The first thing you will want to do as the new president of this company is make some games. This is where disc development comes into play. You will choose some developers based on their skills in the genre you’re trying to make and create game discs. The more skilled these creators are and the more upgrades you’ve unlocked, the better the game is you create. These will be packed with skills that can be used in combat if equipped on the girls just like in previous games, so it pays to make a few good ones as soon as you can.

Next, you will want to explore dungeons in each area to establish trade routes to increase your shares. This is pretty simple, just explore each one to the fullest, and I would suggest clearing out all the treasures while you’re in there as well. Once fully explored, you unlock time trials for Big Nep on her bike or races against one of the enemies in the stage. Winning these will grant you some rewards that help you develop better discs.

Combat is a lot like what was found in Neptunia: Sisters VS. Sisters. Players can equip moves to either the X or A buttons and thrash your enemies to pieces. There are a bunch of different moves to choose from and you will unlock these as you level up. You can tag in other party members after so many moves to continue the combo by pressing one of the four directions on the D-Pad. Doing this will get you a lot of bonus damage and help you defeat even the toughest foes, but if you ever need more, each girl has a big EXE Drive they can use when the Link Gauge is full and can also transform into their Goddess mode for even more damage during attacks.

Overall, I had a great time with Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution. The story was great, I love the new characters, and even if the combat hasn’t changed from the last game, it’s still a lot of fun. I spent about 30 hours with this one and completed the main story. You could invest a lot more time in this if you wanted to do both of the towers and all of the fights in the battle arena, so I feel like it is well worth the $49.99 price tag. I do think it’s a bummer the swimsuits are once again locked to the Special Edition release at $69.99, they should allow you to purchase these separately and I hope they do at some point. Still, Neptunia fans will find a lot to love here, and this is also a good jumping in point for new fans on the Xbox as well.

Review Score
Overall

Game was provided by the publisher for review.

The post REVIEW: Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution appeared first on oprainfall.

I’ve been a fan of the Final Fantasy series since way back when it started on the NES. I’ve seen the series grow in many ways, and go in some directions that I didn’t really care for over all these years. That being said, I wanted to see how the latest entry, Final Fantasy XVI, stacked up when the PC version was released. I was also curious to see how my mid ranged gaming rig would hold up to this beast of a game. Let’s dig in and see what I found.

The story takes place in the land of Valisthea. These lands are divided into six nations that hold their power due to the use of magical crystals. Things begin to heat up when a strange blight begins draining the very Aether from the land. A young man named Clive Rosfield, who is the guardian to his younger brother Joshua, finds himself wrapped up in this conflict very early. With their kingdom destroyed and Clive made a slave, we will witness where life takes him and the greater destiny ahead of him.

While the story here was much darker than previous games in the franchise, I actually really enjoyed it by the end. Seeing Clive grow throughout his adventure and overcome the struggles of not only accepting his past, but learning from it was actually quite refreshing. This game may have the best version of Cid ever and his dialogue gives a lot of flavor to a story that is dead serious most of the time. I do feel that the latter part of the adventure seemed to drag on a bit longer than it should’ve, but in the end this is an adventure worth taking.

Final Fantasy XVI is a very linear experience. You will move from one story mission to the next, progressing through this fantastic tale through many cutscenes. That’s not to say there isn’t anything else to do here. There are plenty of side quests with interesting stories of their own you can partake in. You can get some nice rewards from some of these as well. This makes them great for not only the world building, but for the nice spoils as well.

The biggest change here is in the combat; everything here is fully action based. Clive is the only party member you fully control, though you can issue commands to your dog, Torgal, who helps you in battle no matter how crazy the foe is you’re facing. You will want to try and stagger your foes with slash attacks and access elemental abilities from Eikons you have collected. These skills are invaluable in combat since they will help you take on even the toughest foes. Skilled players can get advantages in combat from perfect dodges and parries, making things a lot easier. For those of us not very skilled at action combat, Square has included a story based mode which automates much of the combat. This mode is basically press Square and win, but if you want to mix things up you can leave the action combat on and use some of the assist items that will help you dodge, parry or even automatically use items in combat. I thought this was a great way to do this since it gives players the ability to set combat up anyway they like.

In the sound department Final Fantasy XVI is just simply fantastic. The entire soundtrack is amazing, from the high powered battle themes to the more somber themes as you explore towns or just chill at the Hideaway. You can unlock these tracks to listen to anytime at the Hideaway using in game currency, completing quests and some even are even found in treasure chests. I played the game with the English cast and I thought they did an amazing job bringing these characters to life. This game would’ve fallen apart without them given just how much of the story is told through the cutscenes, so if the actors did a bad job, you would’ve never got immersed into the story.

Now let’s talk about how this PC port performs. I have a Ryzen 5 5600x and plain ole RTX 3060, so I wasn’t sure how this was going to work when I installed the game, but I have to say overall things went quite well. I did have to run the game with FSR and at 1080p, but I was able to keep high settings and the game mostly ran around 60fps. There are some busy areas that would tank the framerate, but even then it never got below 30fps. I thought the Eikon battles might be an issue for this card, but honestly they ran really well, which surprised me a bit, but I was pretty pleased with the results overall. The last patch they put out makes it so the shadows take more of a hit when you go down to medium settings, so if you’re looking to squeeze out a few more FPS with a minimal hit to your overall look that would be the way to go.

Overall I had a pretty good time with Final Fantasy XVI on PC. I really loved the story and watching Clive’s grand adventure made me really think about things several times. The music is top tier and the very customizable combat is just a lot of fun. I haven’t had this much fun with a combat system since Nier: Automata. I put about 47 hours into the game and complete both of the DLC quests as well. I feel like fans of Final Fantasy will enjoy this one at its $69.99 price tag for the complete edition with all of the DLC. It’s another grand adventure for the franchise, and I have to wonder what the next entry here is going to look like. Will we go back to a more futuristic look or keep our medieval roots? Only time will tell.

Review Score
Overall

Game was provided by the publisher for review. You can read oprainfall’s PS5 review of the game here.

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When I first saw Thunder Ray I thought it looked like a decent Punch Out! style boxing game. I was always a huge fan of games like this, so my interest was piqued enough that I wanted to try this out for myself. I mean, we have a man here that has bested all the best fighters on Earth, so now the universe wants to challenge him! Let’s see if I found another great arcade style boxing game, or did I just got punched in the face?

Graphically, Thunder Ray looks great. The fighters featured in the game are all huge in scope and size. You will encounter huge robots, mutants, a witch and even a tiny alien that looks harmless at first glance. These characters are greatly detailed and each has a variety of special moves that are very well animated. The game runs at a solid framerate on the Switch, and this is a good thing seeing as you are expected to dodge attacks with quickness and precision.

The game features at total of 11 fights. Eight of these are in the main game and the additional three are in the Origins DLC included in this package. Each fight has different gimmicks for you to overcome. Some fighters will cast spells or have magical barriers, while others may give you status effects like confusion that reverses your controls, or poison which – as you would figure – constantly drains your health. This makes it very important to either block, duck, or dodge whatever these foes throw at you and counter attack. Once you knock your opponent down three times you win and Ray will end them in an over-the-top and gory fashion. But if you get knocked down, you lose and will have to try the bout again. The real problem is the controls here feel very heavy at times, and I had a very hard time dodging some of these. The last bosses in each mode gave me a ton of trouble even on the easiest setting.

With so few fights found here I feel the value in this one is being able to master these controls and get through the game on higher difficulties with better ranks – which I guess is the goal of most games made in this style. I still think the price tag on this is bit high at 1999¥ for this Asian release of the game. There is some meat on the bones here, but once you get used to the controls you can breeze through the first eight fights in right around 30 minutes. Now how many hours you’d have to put into this to get that good really depends on the player, and I’m too old and don’t have that kind of patience anymore.

Overall I think Thunder Ray is a decent game for players who enjoy this genre of game. The difficulty here was a bit too much for me personally, but I know a lot of players really enjoy a challenge in a game like this. Still, I think the price tag is a bit much for what you get here, so I would wait for a sale before stepping in the ring.

Review Score
Overall

Game was provided by the publisher for review.

The post REVIEW: Thunder Ray appeared first on oprainfall.

Physical Editions from the Marvelous USA Store and select retailers will include a physical copy of Farmagia, a soundtrack CD featuring 23 tracks, and an art book with more than 90 pages of illustrations. This is all housed within an outer box covered with an original illustration from acclaimed artist Hiro Mashima, creator of Fairy Tail and Edens Zero.

In the world of Felicidad farmers known as Farmagia raise and command monsters, who live in harmony under the watchful eye of the Magus Diluculum. This peace brought prosperity to the land until the death of the Magus, which drew opportunists seeking to use monsters to seize power for themselves. The spreading conflict reaches the town of Centvelt, forcing resident Farmagia Ten and his friends to join the battle against the despotic new ruler Glaza. Players will take the role of Ten and his fellow Farmagia friends, cultivating and commanding an army of home-grown monsters as they explore Felicidad’s treacherous lands, searching for valuable resources to improve their farm. As Ten’s skill and farm improve, he’ll have access to more monsters to nurture and new traits to aid him in his fight for freedom!

Key Features

Command a Monster Horde in Battle: Control Ten as he fights his way through the dangerous lands of Felicidad, culminating in huge boss battles. His weapons are the monsters he grows on his farm. Command his creature army and take down his foes!

Monster Farming & Ranching: Increase the size of Ten’s army by harvesting new monsters on his farm, then train them on his ranch to increase their strength and research new abilities for use in battle.

An Iconic Manga Artist’s Touch: Hiro Mashima’s creative genius brings life to Felicidad with unique character and monster designs, endowing Farmagia with his unmistakable style.

Friends with Benefits: Befriend the Elemental Spirits living across the world of Felicidad and increase Ten’s relationship bonds to unlock new ultimate monsters and transformations, adding new strength to his fight against Glaza.

Farmagia is developed by Marvelous Inc. and will be released on Nov. 1, 2024 in North America on Nintendo Switch system, PlayStation®5, and Windows PC via Steam. The physical Day One Edition of Farmagia is available for pre-order on the Marvelous USA store and at participating retailers for an MSRP of $59.99. Farmagia will also be available in both standard and Digital Deluxe editions on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PC for $49.99 and $59.99 respectively. Farmagia will be published in Europe by Marvelous Europe and in Japan and Asia by Marvelous Inc. This title has been rated “T for Teen” by the ESRB.

*The digital art book and soundtrack content will be made available as a separate application on the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5, and will only be available in a bundle with the Digital Deluxe edition. This app has been rated “E10+” on consoles.

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REYNATIS is out now on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5 and PC via Steam.

Here is more about the game from the press release:

REYNATIS is an atmospheric urban fantasy set in a realistic recreation of Shibuya, Tokyo, where the ultimate clash between magic and order is about to unfold. Seeking freedom through strength, the wizard Marin heads to Shibuya, where he meets Sari, an officer of the M.E.A., an organization dedicated to keeping wizards under control.

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The game will release on Jan. 17, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC via Steam.

You can read more about these features and a few others in the DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS press release below:

Travelling across the world map as they embark on their epic journey, players can suppress rebellions or choose to rescue government forces during “Missions”, overcome “Skirmishes”, and visit various locations where they will be able to buy weapons. Throughout their quest, players will also encounter a variety of characters familiar to the DYNASTY WARRIORS franchise, such as Cao Cao and Liu Bei. Depending on the bond forged, these characters can become travelling companions, or an enemy. Battles in DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS will require players to be more strategic than ever before. A variety of “Tactics” can be used to command their allies and coordinate forces. By gathering a large number of soldiers under their command, fans will also be able to form a “Large Force” which they can lead by deploying “Grand Tactics” maneuvers. This will allow players to radically change the course of a battle. However, users will need to keep an eye on their opponents, who will also be able to form a “Large Force” and will try to deploy their own “Grand Tactics” to win. In 1 vs. 1,000 combat, players will have to master and alternate between swift and powerful attacks that can break an opponent’s guard. Repeated attacks will increase the protagonist’s “Bravery”, enabling them to use powerful and unique attacks called “Arts”. These “Arts” will be unique to each weapon, so it will be crucial for players to master the various arsenal at their disposal, allowing the protagonist to gain “Rank” and thus improving their skills. Not only will players have to master the protagonist’s various attacks if they want to emerge victorious on the battlefield, but they will also have to strengthen their defense. By blocking enemy attacks at the right moment, they can unleash a powerful riposte, “Parry”, which creates a breach in the enemy’s defense. Some attacks cannot be blocked, so players will have to dodge them before counterattacking. Finally, players will sometimes encounter powerful officers protected by an energy called “Resolution”. Players will have to work on reducing this “Resolution” to weaken them before they can launch a powerful “Assault” attack which can sometimes be the decisive coup de grâce.

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I had a blast with Persona 3 Reload when it released earlier this year, so I was pretty excited to get my hands on the DLC episode. Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis -The Answer- is a remake of The Answer portion of Persona 3 FES, and although I had fun with that back in the day, I was looking forward to seeing what improvements this remake would bring. Let’s see if this met my high expectations for it.

The story here follows the SEES group as they get caught up in a time loop. The group is soon visited by a mysterious stranger named Metis. She is an android like Aigis and claims to be her sister. She attacks the group saying the quickest way to end this and save her sister is to end their lives. The group fends off her attack and they are soon lead to a desert of doors. This place is called the Abyss of Time, and the group will have to explore each of these doors and unravel the mystery of this place, if they wish to break this time loop and continue their lives.

While I don’t want to delve too deep here since there are a ton of spoilers for the main story, I feel this story is a great supplement to the main one. It delves deeper into the characters’ pasts and how their Personas awakened in the first place. You really feel like you know more about these characters you already loved by the end. The overall story message is a good one as well, but I think that is something players should discover for themselves.

Graphically, this is a huge upgrade from The Answer on PlayStation 2. Everything here looks on par with what was found in the base game. Metis looks amazing now and you can even unlock some new looks for her via quests from Elizabeth. I really love the redone Persona 3 FES opening for the DLC episode here. That was just a nice throwback to the saga now being complete in the remake. The game ran smoothly on both of my PCs and I didn’t have any issues with this port.

I have to say, I really enjoyed the new music tracks they made for the DLC. My favorite is the new back attack theme “Don’t.” It really drives home that the group is tired of fighting and ready to move on. The English cast once again does a great job bringing these characters to life, and Metis’ new voice actress is a welcome change from the one found in Persona 3 FES. She just gave her a lot more personality, even if a lot of this is her fawning over Aigis.

Combat here is just the same as the base game. Everything is turn based, hitting a weakness will down an enemy and give you an extra turn. You can shift to other party members when hitting a weakness as well, which gives you plenty of flexibility in downing an entire field of foes. The Theurgy Skills skills return and can really turn the tide of battle if you find yourself in a tough spot. One thing I did notice, is the bosses are much harder when facing them on the Normal difficulty. They really thought out ways to really push you to your limit, such as giving a boss a slash weakness but letting them have the evade slash skill. Things like this, and the fact that they just seemed to hit harder, pushed me to my limits a few times during my exploration.

Exploring the doors is much the same as Tartarus. Floors are randomly generated, shadows roam freely and if you can attack them from behind you gain the advantage. After so many floors you will encounter a boss. There are usually two boss fights for each door, and the story will progress once you hit the bottom. The Monad Doors make a return here as well, but they are a bit different than in the main game. Here they will appear three at a time, the difficulty increasing from left to right. The higher the difficulty you choose, the better the rewards will be from winning. These battles are not easy though, these are some of the toughest fights Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis -The Answer- has to offer, so proceed with caution.

Overall, it took me right around 25 hours to complete Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis -The Answer-, and I had a good time with it. I love Persona 3 Reload, so getting more of what I love is always a good thing. However, I think Atlus should’ve sold this DLC separate from the pack of stuff they have it included in, since $35 is a bit steep for this content if you have no interest in the other costumes or music tracks. That being said, this is a quality release with great graphics and a good amount of story content. Players that are big fans of the base game will want to jump in ASAP, you’re going to have a great time. Everyone else might want to hold out for a sale, but I still think this one is well worth your time and coin.

Review Score
Overall

DLC was purchased by the author for review.

The post REVIEW: Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis -The Answer- appeared first on oprainfall.

Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos is coming to the West January 2025. The game will arrive both physically and digitally for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. A Deluxe Edition for PS4, PS5, and Switch upon launch.

This Deluxe Edition will include:

• Digital game
• Digital Art Book (35 pages)
• Soundtrack (10 tracks)
• Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos Costume Set (Swimsuit, Apocalyptic, Race Queen)
  • Costume Sets (1x costume per set for Uzume Neptune, Noire, Blanc, Vert)
    – Swimsuit Costume
    – Apocalyptic Costume
    – Race Queen Costume

However unlike the last few releases the costumes will be able to be purchased as separate DLC this time around.

Key Features Dogoo Day Care — Choose from 6 playable characters, scour the land on your trusty bike, and collect as many variants of Dogoos as possible to win! As players progress through 15 Dogoo-filled stages, Uzume must find a way to snap her friends out of their weird fascination with Dogoos!The Dogoo Bounty Hunter — Collecting Dogoos can be a cinch, but stealing Dogoos is a whole ‘notha ball game! Certain characters shine more in close combat, while others excel in long-range attacks. Find the strengths (and weaknesses, of course!) to become a true Dogoo bounty hunter! These Dogoos Do Bike Back — As squishy and adorable as these Dogoos are, some can be quite the menace. Each Dogoo has specific types of behaviors, as well as positive/negative effects when collecting them. By learning the positive and negative effects of the Dogoos, you can use them to your advantage and even throw the nasty ones to your opponent! Stunt Your Bike — Want to show off your ride in the next bike meet? Impress (or scare?) Dogoos by altering the bike’s body, muffler, tires, and other accessories! These customizations can give the Goddesses increased defense, max speed, acceleration, and even maneuverability. These upgrades can ultimately give you the winning edge!

The post Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos is Coming West in January appeared first on oprainfall.

I decided to take a look at JAST’s latest release, Dreamlike Love with Seira. I really loved the art style and I was really in the mood for a quality Nukige visual novel, and this looked liked it would fit the bill. Let’s see if this one was up to my high expectations.

The story follows a man named Haruto Watari. He is a salary man and works very hard every day with little to no recognition of his work. He keeps having dreams of a room full of doors, but they are all sealed up, until one day when one of the doors opens up. Upon entering this door he finds a mansion and inside, a beautiful maid named Seira. She calls him “Master” and says he is owner of this place. She is there to serve him and give him the support he so desperately needs. After months of meeting her every night in his dreams, he begins to feel much better about life, but will his dream continue or come to an end? Only time will tell!

The artwork in this short visual novel is just outstanding. Seira’s outfit looks amazing with plenty of fine details, but the random shots in her different color undergarments are even more detailed and extremely hot! The H-scenes are top quality as well – this is some of the best art I’ve seen in these in quite a while. The backgrounds are nicely done as well. While they are nothing special they have lots of fine details and add to the overall immersion in the story.

The music here is nothing to write home about, but it fits the atmosphere of the story: very somber dreamlike tracks during the dreams and more upbeat themes during his grueling hours at work during the day. Seira is fully voiced and the actress, Hana Kagehotaru, does an amazing job at bringing her to life. She has one of the sweetest voices I’ve heard in a visual novel. She gets really into the H-scenes as well, so you probably wanna dig out some headphones unless you want to share their glory with those around you.

Overall I really enjoyed my time with Dreamlike Love with Seira. The story, even if it is short, is impactful in many ways since it deals with how we run ourselves down in real life and just want some support. Seira is adorable in every way and most readers will instantly fall in love with her. The artwork here is outstanding and is backed up by the amazing voice work. This one is easily worth the $6.99 price tag, and I would recommend it to any Nukige visual novel fan looking for a short and sweet read.

Review Score
Overall

Game was purchased by the reviewer.

The post REVIEW: Dreamlike Love with Seira appeared first on oprainfall.

Find out more in the press release below:

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land takes players on a journey exploring the theme of memory. Playing as Yumia Liessfeldt, a young alchemist who lost her mother in an accident when she was young, players set out to uncover the forbidden art of alchemy while also learning the true intentions of Yumia’s mother who hid her identity as an alchemist. Along the way, Yumia joins the Aladiss Research Team where she meets Vikto von Duerer and his younger sister, Isla von Duerer. There, they are also joined by an assorted cast of characters including a mysterious woman, a timid demi-human, and a former adventurer with spectacular experiences.

Together, Yumia and her companions will travel across the vast continent that was once the Aladissian Empire, where all civilization has perished. Players will have a wide range of actions and items at their disposal throughout the adventure, allowing them to explore a vast open world made up of different biomes as they make their way through these unknown lands gathering materials that can be used to synthesize and craft new items for use in their quest – both during exploration and combat. Not only will fans be able to craft items without having to return to their base thanks to the “Simple Synthesis” feature, but for the first time in the series, fans will be also able to build, furnish, and decorate their own base with the all-new “Building” feature!

To help make Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land come alive, KOEI TECMO and developer Gust have teamed up with the brilliant artist Benitama to create the main visual and all of the character designs. Specializing in creating illustrations and character designs for various fantasy game titles, Benitama incorporates references to paintings and reliefs in his work while striving to balance both persuasive depth and cuteness. His design, characterized by a monochrome based style, give a cool impression while bringing out the charm of the Atelier series.

 

The post Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land Trailer Released appeared first on oprainfall.

When I was given an opportunity to check out Square Enix’s latest release, Visions of Mana, I jumped on it. It had been a while since I played a game in this series, so I was pretty excited to get started. I’ve spent about 30 hours with the game and played to end of the main story, so it’s time to share my thoughts. Let’s see if this one met my high expectations.

Our story begins as the Soul Guard Val begins his journey to escort his childhood friend Hinna to The Mana Tree. She has been named the Alm of Fire and will have to give her soul to the world in order to keep the elements in balance. The pair will encounter other Alms along the way who will join their group on their pilgrimage to the Mana Tree. This will not be without incident however, as the Faerie has not named all of the Alms when the party arrives. This will lead them on adventures they could’ve never imagined, on a journey that will take them to very unexpected places.

I can’t really dig deep into this story without getting into spoiler territory, so you’ll just have to take my word that this is an adventure worth doing. I loved seeing all of the different places in this world and how each of the characters grew, the further along in the story I got. Careena was by far my favorite character here, and I dare say a cuter one winged angel. I think this was helped along by her English VA having that cute Southern accent, but she is really fun and I think most players will have a smile watching her antics.

Graphically, Visions of Mana is amazing. Each area is greatly detailed with lots of landmass to explore. As you trek across snowy fields, deserts and lush forests you will see lots of interesting things if you go off the beaten path. These include things like items that will help on your travels and maybe some ruins to explore. You will have to do most of these late game since the enemy levels are really high, but it was fun to go back and see what goodies were there. The character models are all nicely detailed as well, and I love that each different class gave them all distinct looks. The game ran at a constant 60FPS on my laptop and 120FPS on the desktop. I did encounter a few dips here and there, but it was nothing that would break immersion. I think the cutscenes being locked at 30FPS is a bit jarring and something I hope Square addresses down the line. Outside of that, this is a great PC port from them.

The soundtrack in Visions of Mana is just simply amazing. Each area’s theme inspires exploration with their upbeat vibes and you will find yourself humming along as you wander through each one. The battle themes are great as well: fast paced to get your heart pumping for the epic battle that is about to take place. I really felt this with the boss themes, and some of those battles were indeed fantastic. The English voice cast does a great job bringing these characters to life. I’m usually more of a Japanese audio with subs guy, but I found this cast to be really great so I stuck with them this time.

As players traverse each area, they will be met with lots of monsters that stand in their path. Combat is done in groups of three and is action based. While the world is big, there is no need to worry since there are plenty of waypoints you can fast travel to once you’ve explored, and plenty of map markers to guide you on your quest. The side quests will place markers as well, so you won’t be wandering aimlessly trying to find said monster for X quest since it will always point you in the right direction.

You have two main attacks you can chain together for combos, as well as special abilities at your disposal. These will come in two forms, the first is from the class skills you unlock via the Elemental Plot. This is basically a skill tree for each character that unlocks skills for each class as you spend the elemental points you’ve gained through combat and find mana points on the map. The second is from seeds you can equip. These are obtained from sidequests or treasure chests.

You can switch between any of your party members on the fly during combat, and setup shortcuts for important skills and items. You can also pull up the ring menu during a fight. This will stop all the action on the screen and allow you to decide which item or skill you wish to use at your leisure. I really liked this, since it would give me time to think about what abilites I wanted to use next in the boss battles. Do I buff my party, debuff the boss or just take some time to heal? I had time to think and strategize how I wanted things to work out.

Since classes use different types of weapons, their attacks will vary depending on the type of weapon they have equipped. Careena uses spears when she is Dragon Master or Starlancer, but a fist type weapon when she is a Warrior Monk or Divine Fist class. This gives each character lots of flexibility in combat and you will have to play around with them to see which ones fit your play style best.

Despite my few nitpicks I had a great time with Visions of Mana. The story is fantastic and watching these characters grow as the adventure went on, was pure joy. The world felt full and there were lots of hidden things to find while exploring each map. The combat is fun and having all the different classes for each character gave it lots of variety. While it took me around 30 hours to complete the main quest I left a lot undone with this one. There were plenty of upgrades, monsters and even a post story that I still need to get to. I feel this one is well worth the $59.99 price tag to fans of the series and newcomers alike.

Review Score
Overall

Game was provided by the publisher for review. You can check out the free demo for the game from Steam, Playstation, and Xbox.

The post REVIEW: Visions of Mana appeared first on oprainfall.

Here is more about the story from the press release:

Tanezaki Suteru is exceptionally unattractive; comparing him to an ugly duckling would insult ducks everywhere. Bullied and harassed, he has become an introvert. Yet, Tanezaki possesses a unique ability, “Wordsight”: by looking at someone’s face within 120 centimeters, he can see their thoughts as words around their head. This gift reveals abusive thoughts, dark secrets, and white lies, leading him to often avoid eye contact to escape the harsh thoughts of others.

His life takes a turn when his crush cruelly pranks him by feigning a confession of love, reinforcing his perception as an object of ridicule. This event drives Tanezaki to use his power against the five girls who tormented him. Each route in the story reveals the twisted personalities of these bullies, masked by their outward charm and deceit.

What revenge can one boy wreck with the power to peer into your mind, to see through your lies and drag your ugly truths to light?

You can pre-order the game in JAST Store for a mere $22.49, this includes a 10% discount. You can also wishlist the game on Steam if you would rather go that route.

The post Mojika: Truth Rears It’s Ugly Head Launches on JAST in 2025 appeared first on oprainfall.

Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis -The Answer– will release on September 10, 2024. The Expansion Pass is available for purchase on  Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, Steam, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 and is available at no extra cost for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.

Episode Aigis -The Answer- is the final content release for the game’s Expansion Pass. Added to the main game 16 years ago with the release of Persona 3 FES, Episode Aigis (previously known only as “The Answer” when it was released in North America in 2008) is a major post-ending DLC that expands the story of Persona 3 Reload and serves as a story epilogue. The Expansion Pass also includes the previously released Persona 5 Royal EX BGM Set, Persona 4 Golden EX BGM Set and Velvet Costume & BGM Set.

The post Persona 3 Reload: Bridge of Time Trailer Released appeared first on oprainfall.

“There is an amazing amount of content to explore in Harvest Moon: One World Complete,” shared Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume. “Players can explore six very unique areas and woo one of six different bachelors or bachelorettes with the added DLC, in addition to an array of new tools, animals and more.”

Take a trip around the world in the Complete version of this Harvest Moon title! The complete version is the full game of Harvest Moon: One World with all the DLC included right from the beginning! You’ll ride camels across the deserts of Pastilla, venture deep into the snowy mountains of Salmiakki, and even visit a volcano near the cozy mountain town of Lebkuchen!

Can you imagine a world without cabbage, tomatoes, or even carrots? Believe it or not, that’s the world you’ll find yourself in at the beginning of Harvest Moon: One World Complete, as the Harvest Goddess, the queen of crops herself, has vanished…

However, before the Harvest Goddess disappeared from this world, she imbued the tiny Harvest Wisps with the knowledge of various seeds, thus ensuring the various fruits and vegetables of the world would not be lost. Using the power given to these Harvest Wisps, you’ll unlock various seeds as you progress through the game! But the Harvest Wisps can be tricky to find, as they all appear at different times and places. You’ll need to use your noggin to make sure you seek out as many of them as you can!

• Includes the full game and ALL the DLC!
• Explore 6 unique and colorful areas: the sprawling grasslands of Calisson, the gorgeous beaches of Halo Halo, the searing desert heat of Pastilla, the cozy hills of Lebkuchen, and the snowy mountains of Salmiakki!
• Play as a boy or a girl and woo one of 6 handsome bachelors and 6 beautiful bachelorettes, each with their own unique personality and backstory!
• Raise and keep animals such as cows, sheep, goats, and even reindeer!
• Use your Expando-Farm to easily travel from one area to another!

Harvest Moon: One World Complete retails for $29.99 and is rated E for Everyone. The game is available at www.natsumestore.com and other major retailers.

ABOUT HARVEST MOON:

The first game in the series was released in North America in 1997 and has continued to see a steady rise of popularity and players, making it one of today’s most beloved franchises. Harvest Moon is revered for being a non-violent, family-oriented game for everyone, and there have been more than 30 games released in the series.

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The game will be launching on both the JAST store and Steam. Folks that pre-order the game will save 10% making it a mere $6.29

Here is more about the game from the JAST store page:

Dreamlike Love with Seira is a light visual novel, featuring renowned illustrator rubisama as the director and original artist.
This visual novel presents a single linear story, with text dialogue, manga-style illustrations, 2D character art, and voice acting.
It does not include branching storylines.
Hope you could experience the sweet service and warm dreams with Seira within the brief durations

and here is more about the story:

The protagonist, Haruto Watari, finishes a day of work.
Exhausted, he returns home to find a mess of clutter scattered across the floor, feeling even more fatigued.
However, he has no energy or motivation to tidy up and simply collapses into bed, falling asleep instantly.
He has an unbelievable dream… In the dream, he becomes the owner of a luxurious Western mansion.
Within the mansion of his dreams, there is a beautiful maid named Seira.
Her duty is to serve the master—
Brewing a delicious cup of black tea or providing comfort to heal the tired soul of the master.
A dreamlike and sweet service is about to begin…

The post JAST Announces Dreamlike Love with Seira Release Date appeared first on oprainfall.

Each one of these titles look amazing, and there is something here for just about everyone that enjoys visual novels.

Here is more information about all of these great titles via NekoNyan X posts:

First up, will be the fandisc for Koikari: Love For Hire! Presenting “Koikari: Love for Hire – After Hours”!
This includes both fandiscs for Koikari in one!
Translation is currently in progress! Let’s revisit our favorite nyuhuhu, cheese loving heroine! pic.twitter.com/lrX5R6a6Cx

— NekoNyanSoft (@NekoNyanSoft) August 3, 2024

Next will also be the fandisc for Renai:Royale: Love’s a Battle- “Victory Parade” as with Koikari, this will include both fandiscs for the game combined into one!
Don’t miss out on the additional Harrumphs and yandere little sisters! pic.twitter.com/ncox5O7lEV

— NekoNyanSoft (@NekoNyanSoft) August 3, 2024

Our next announcement will be “Making*Lovers: First Blush” popularly known as “Hajirabu Making*Lovers” from @smee_official !

What’s the point of love if it’s not ordained?
Why meander towards anything other than a happily ever after?
Love is sacred. Love is meant to burn hot,… pic.twitter.com/tZkVuMqWxb

— NekoNyanSoft (@NekoNyanSoft) August 3, 2024

Next up is “Futamata Ren’Ai: Two Times the Trouble” from @ASaProject_2016 !
While he’s now found himself with two girlfriends, this is no joyous occasion.
He has to manage his relationships with them without letting anyone know he’s two-timing, while also dealing with his… pic.twitter.com/iaBTVtiXrs

— NekoNyanSoft (@NekoNyanSoft) August 3, 2024

Our 5th announcement will be Happiness! Sakura Celebration! This was a former Sol Press license that we have picked up.

The story is set during the year of Sakura. During this time, cherry blossoms bloom for a very long time. What’s more surprising about this is that this only… pic.twitter.com/eDtHjk0Jio

— NekoNyanSoft (@NekoNyanSoft) August 3, 2024

Up next is “Kami-Sama no You na Kimi e”, which for the English title will be “Hacking the Moon to Find My Goddess”.

Kaito Shiromae—a young man with a gift for hacking.
Despite being a student, he manages to break through the ultimate security challenge, gaining root access to… pic.twitter.com/n5X96ozqpQ

— NekoNyanSoft (@NekoNyanSoft) August 3, 2024

Our 7th announcement is the one you’ve all been waiting for!
From the Onikiss: Onii-chan Where’s my Kiss” developer Tinkle Position, we present “Onigyu” English title “Hold Me Tight All Night Onii-chan!”

The Onami girls’ endlessly loving brother.
From a young age, he suffered… pic.twitter.com/AW7ntA15kk

— NekoNyanSoft (@NekoNyanSoft) August 3, 2024

We actually have one more announcement for you… It’s a long-awaited title that we’re pleased to finally be bringing to the west! “Hatsuyuki Sakura: White Graduation” by @SAGAPLANETS

Kawano Hatsuyuki is a third-year student at Shirosaki Academy. Given the school is designed to… pic.twitter.com/VhkVtdamM1

— NekoNyanSoft (@NekoNyanSoft) August 3, 2024

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Back in 2017, I reviewed Tokyo Xanadu on the Vita and had a blast with it. I never got around to playing the enhanced Tokyo Xanadu eX+ version that released on consoles sometime later, so when Aksys said they were bringing over the Nintendo Switch port of that version I jumped on a chance to check it out. Let’s see if one of my favorite Vita games plays just as well on the Switch.

The story takes place in Tokyo 10 years after a massive earthquake wreaked havoc on the city. Many in the city perished on that day, but the city slowly rebuilt to its former glory. There is a dangerous shadow that hangs over the city known as the Xanadu. Kou Tokisaka and a group of his friends get drawn into investigating the Xanadu, and this will lead them on an adventure that will test the very fabric of their beings.

While I really enjoyed the story of the Vita release, I felt the extra chapters in the Tokyo Xanadu eX+ version really did flesh out these great characters even more. The story itself is pretty basic and most people will see where it’s going right off the bat, but the interesting characters will hook you instantly. You cannot help but keep playing to see how everything is going to turn out for Kou and his friends.

Graphically, the game looks great on the Switch. All the character models are nicely detailed and the enemies all have unique features as well. Some will be palette swaps of course, but the boss monsters are all huge and imposing. Environments look great as well, even if they aren’t quite as detailed as the monster and character models. Tokyo Xanadu eX+ runs at a very consistent frame rate on the Switch dock or in handheld mode, so there is nothing to worry about in the performance department.

The soundtrack was one of my favorite parts of the Vita version and that hasn’t changed a bit with this new release. They added a few new tracks to the mix that were just as good of quality as the previous ones, making a great soundtrack even better. The voice acting is all done in Japanese and the actors do a great job bringing these characters to life.

Since the gameplay here is largely the same as the Vita release, I’m just going to talk about the new aspects. I know this one has been out before as well, but this was my first time playing it, so it was new to me. If you want to know more about the basic gameplay, please check out the Vita review.

First up, let’s talk a bit about the revised localization. Now it’s been a hot minute since I played the Vita version, but I did notice the tone of this release is more inline with what you see from other Falcom games. The terminology matches up with what I’ve seen in the Trails series, so I think this adds consistency to these releases, which is a good thing. I did notice a few errors here and there like the one pictured below. If the text is complaining about emotes, you should probably actually put them in the text on the phone. That said, overall I think the team did a pretty good job here, outside of a few glaring errors.

Overall I enjoyed my time with Tokyo Xanadu eX+. It played just as great as I remember and the new additions really helped me get into these great characters that much more. I love the new music tracks and the voice acting is top notch as well. Players just picking up Tokyo Xanadu eX+ should snag this version ASAP. If you own a previous release of this version, I don’t think the new localization is enough to justify a purchase on its own, but the game does come with all the previous DLC, making it somewhat of a good value at $49.99.

Review Score
Overall

Game was provided by the publisher for review.

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Here is more about DAITEIKOKU from VNDB:

Before the year 0 AD United Space Age, humans dotted parts of the vast universe and established independent nations.
Since sailing to other star regions requires more than several hundred years, it was practically impossible to establish contact with other nations.

In the year 0 AD United Space Age, the Eris Empire advanced their research on “strange spaces within star regions”, and discovered that you can travel to other star regions in an instant using such spaces.
Such spaces named “warp gates” united the various star regions that have been so far isolated from each other.
Thus began the Age of Discovery.

Human beings who aspired to build nations spanning multiple star regions gradually repainted the star regions network map – the world map, through repeated aggression and conquest, submission and annihilation.

It’s 939 AD United Space Age.
The leaders of three great nations are planning to start wars due to various reasons.
The biggest nation in the world, Eris Empire’s council passes the world management plan that says Eris should suppress and dominate the chaotic world.
The oldest nation in the world, the Japanese Empire, tired out from the drawn-out war with the Chinese Empire, is being targeted by great nations.
A grand flame of war that will consume the whole world has been lit.

The post JAST Announces DAITEIKOKU at their AX Panel appeared first on oprainfall.

From the press release:

Key Features Strategy RPG Meets Bullet Hell Mania — Battle in a grid system with a unique blend of real-time strategy elements and bullet hell madness! Hone your strategy skills by moving characters to grid-specific areas, grazing enemy bullets, and unleashing special skills in one simultaneous, action-packed battle!Gotta Stay Prepped — Don’t just run into battle unprepared! Organize your party’s positioning on the grid, assign skills according to your enemies’ weaknesses, and choose wisely which Ace Spell Card you’ll use. Need a Boost? — Players will occasionally see objects and Attributes during battle. Objects can block incoming bullets and provide additional effects once destroyed. Attributes can provide boosts and status effects. Use these boosts to your advantage, and maybe you’ll be able to collect extra loot from your victories! Find Peace in the Hakurei Shrine — Explore the Hakurei Shrine through the lens of Reimu Hakurei! Keep tabs on any active missions, revisit sub-events, strike a pose with Photo Mode, and even talk to some of your favorite Touhou Project characters in Hakurei Shrine as you progress through the story!

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Death end re;Quest: Code Z will launch physically and digitally for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch in 2025.

From the press release:

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