After getting a chance to watch an NIS America staff member play through the upcoming JRPG Reynatis, I was struck by the various forces at play in the game. In many ways, it seems like a player might need to balance certain elements, such as which mode to use in battle and their stress levels. While there’s still more to see and confirm, it seems like the sort of game where a player may need to pay attention.

During my hands-off preview session, I was able to watch an NIS America employee sample two sections. The first featured Magic Enforcement Administration (MEA) agent Sari Nishijima work alongside her team members Kiichiro Ukai and Masayoshi Dogo on a search for Wizarts, markings in the city enabling certain magical abilities and skills, around Shibuya. In the other portion, there was a briefer look at wizards Marin Kirizumi and Nika Meguro as the two happen upon each other in Shibuya and attempt to live freely as wizards. From there, brief glimpses of exploration and battle helped set the stage for the title.

One of the ways the balancing act in Reynatis came up in gameplay during the preview session involved actions wizards take. We quickly learned that Stress is a key factor. It’s caused by interactions with people in the city and around you, and reduced if you grab a drink. Petting cats around town was also mentioned as a way to calm someone down. 

It’s a critical element, since someone being stressed means they won’t be able to hide that they are a wizard. This will make them visible in the city, resulting in undue attention from people and the MEA and the inability to take on certain quests. Those additional enemy encounters can be dangerous, as if you’re stressed going into a fight, you will only be able to take advantage of Liberation Mode. This lets you use your magical abilities to slow down time, quickly attack, and deal major supernatural damage. However, you won’t be able to dodge like you do in Suppression Mode and enemies move faster. If your Stress is low, then you can switch between the two modes in a fight to more tactfully take advantage of each one to build up magical power and evade attacks before striking back hard.

There’s also the idea of some humans towing the fine line between safety and danger. This is due to the use of an illegal drug on the streets called Rubrum that allows someone without magical talent to see and use wizarts. During the Sari portion of the story on display in the hands-off preview, part of the mission involved her team of three investigating Wizarts and happening upon a human who had been regularly taking this drug. As a result, he’d hit his limit and, during the encounter, transformed into a monster because of that use.  

Part of that balance seems to be between real-world and fantasy elements too, from what I saw. The MEA building in one part of the preview seemed ordinary enough as Sari explored it, but there were also these magical Wizart and wizard elements. Their uniforms also stood out in a way normal governmental employees’ would. This doesn’t even get into the eventual NEO The World Ends with Youelements that NIS promised. But once someone heads out into the city, Shibuya looks as it would in the real world. While I watched the NIS America employee play and visit a store, familiar products showed up. There was C.C. Lemon, my favorite lemon-flavored soda and Yakuza series staple. BOSS coffee showed up as well. 

All of this makes me curious how difficult it will be to maintain these types of balances when I’m playing Reynatis firsthand. It seems like there’s a lot to manage here. Especially considering the penalties wizards can face if they get careless. 

Reynatis will come to the PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC in North America and Europe on September 27, 2024, and then in Australia on October 4, 2024. 

The post Preview: Reynatis Might Just Be a Balancing Act appeared first on Siliconera.

The Famicom Detective Club duology of remakes on Nintendo Switch instantly gripped me, as a fan of visual novels and mystery titles. When Nintendo revealed a third, original title in the series for the Switch, I couldn’t be more elated. It turns out Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is narrowly my favorite in the series and possibly the darkest game Nintendo has ever made.

Emio - The Smiling Man involves an immediately compelling mystery about a student who is found dead with a paper bag over his head. On the front, a smiley face is drawn on it. This initial mystery only gets deeper, as it connects to an urban legend and previous murder case. Emio, the titular creepy paper bag-wearing killer, is horrifying in all the right ways from the start.

The infrequent horror scenes focusing on Emio put this title more in line tonally with The Girl Who Stands Behind. However, Emio - The Smiling Man stands on its own as one of the most unique games in Nintendo’s history. Its general gameplay will be familiar to existing fans of Famicom Detective Club or point-and-click adventures. Fortunately for newcomers, I did find the puzzle mechanics more straightforward, yet engaging, than ones in the past two titles.

Every scene in Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club boils down to a few key interactions. You think, talk, engage, and examine your way to the next part of the story. Most of the game involves using these key features to learn new details about the case as you question various witnesses and notable figures. Those characters look better than ever, expanding upon the beautifully detailed designs from the remakes with even sharper visuals and some of the most active animations I’ve seen from a visual novel or adventure game.

While the investigations may sound boring or a bit too simple from a glance, they work like a puzzle. In one instance, you may need to ask about the same topic a few times before you unlock a new question. You might have to examine the environment to learn about a new subject to talk about. Eventually, these portions lead to crucial review sequences near the end of each chapter. They act like tests of your knowledge about certain events.

The gameplay might be linear, but Emio - The Smiling Man makes up for that with a new addition. Ayumi, the main character’s sidekick and friend from past games, takes the role of the secondary playable protagonist for a portion of the experience. This perspective shift changes up the usual formula from the past two games in a significant way. You still play as the main character who you can name, but Ayumi has a slightly different investigative style. After all, she is able to question and interact with characters the protagonist is unable to meet. In addition, she has a much more gentle and calm approach. This idea leads to some of the game’s more heartwarming and ground-breaking scenes.

Those few lighter moments are a welcome respite, given the heavy content in Emio - The Smiling Man. On its own, it already sounds like a pretty disturbing murder mystery. This is especially apparent when you take into account the original three murders of girls 18 years prior to the start of the game. However, it doesn’t stop there.

Without giving too much away, some of the story elements and scenes the plot delved into shocked me. Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is far and away the darkest game I’ve ever played from Nintendo. It deals with some plot points that even the past two games didn’t come close to addressing. There are some story beats, particularly towards the end, that I found difficult to experience.

I appreciate the developer going as far as it did with the Emio - The Smiling Man plot. It can be quite twisted at times, but it is all the more compelling because of this realism. That said, there are some occasional problems with pacing. For one, it overall feels just a tad bit shorter than I would have liked. In addition, it wraps up in a fascinatingly unique way that I can’t get into here, but I imagine will be received in a mixed manner. The chapters also feel quite short, especially early on. This leads to a couple of twists, key characters, and plot devices feeling like they needed a bit more time to cook.

Even with the pacing problems, Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is the best entry in the series yet. The puzzle-like investigative gameplay is straightforward, doing just enough to challenge the player without overwhelming or being too obscure. It all complements well with the excellent but a bit unique storytelling. This tale is not for every Switch player, being a bit too dark at times, but it is highly rewarding for those it appeals to.

Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club releases for the Nintendo Switch on August 29, 2024.

The post Review: Emio – The Smiling Man Is Nintendo’s Darkest Story appeared first on Siliconera.

I’ve always loved the Gundam Breaker series. Even if I haven’t watched all the series included and don’t know every Gunpla I’m harvesting for parts, I adore everything it stands for. Beating up hordes of robots with pretty fun combos both at close range and a distance? Collecting tons of parts from different models to make my perfect custom creation? Then making my Gunpla pretty? It’s priceless. So I definitely think Gundam Breaker 4 is fun, even though it’s a huge grind of a game that sometimes feels better suited and balanced for co-op.

Gundam Breaker 4 begins with players being introduced to… GB4. We’re in the midst of a game-within-a-game situation. Your character is one of the people selected to take part in the GUNPLA Battle Blaze: Beyond Borders (GB4) beta. As such, you’re given access to a lobby where you can accept story, supplemental, and event missions, go to Your Room to customize your unit with pieces from other mechs, and create dioramas. One of the first things that happen in the story is you meet two other newbie players named Tao and Lin, and the three of you form a Clan with the goal of becoming the strongest players in the game. (You know, before things happen.) Given the setting, online is available, but it can be played completely alone.

That said, the whole concept of Gundam Breaker 4 feels like it is pushing you toward online play. After all, the story this time involves an online beta for a game. The grind to collect new parts and become strong enough to advance through missions is also a whole thing. So it is a situation where you might feel tempted to pay for online services, if you’re on a PS4, PS5, or Switch, just to take advantage of running through things with friends to make it feel like less if a time-consuming slog. 

Not that it isn’t playable alone! I spent the entire duration of my playtime offline and alone for Gundam Breaker 4, and I had a lot of fun. The combat system is rather tight, with buttons assigned to the left and right arms for both close range and long range options. I loved dual-wielding and triggering major combos. Switching between locked-on enemies involves a simple and natural movement. So with the right build, you could really cut through a horde of enemy Gunpla around you.

I felt the other gameplay elements were executed well too! Boosting is also quite effortless, so I never had any problems getting around the maps or eliminating the distance between foes. Ranged weapons can also pack quite a punch. If you’ve collected some really good parts, you can take advantage of them, not to mention the special skills. Cooldowns for those are reasonable as well. I also very much appreciated the Awakening system, which can help mitigate some of the issues with certain opponents being a tad tanky.

The thing I did notice is that some missions can be a bit of a slog when you go through them alone. They wouldn’t be too difficult for a solo challenge, mind you. Rather, it felt like certain boss-type enemies are damage sponges. In some cases, I think even if I was in a party with other actual players, it would still feel like they take too much damage to take down. The life bars could involve multiple ones to cut through. Since the earlier two waves for stages tend to also involve "cut down all the other enemy gunpla," it's rough on the hands.

Bandai Namco is a bit of a teaser when it comes to Gundam Breaker 4, however. Right in the midst of the introduction, a character named Tao with an SD Gunpla avatar comes up and reveals that hey! Those types of models are here to harvest parts from too! However, they aren’t as plentiful as the standard Gunpla. So even though there are over 250 base kits and a wide variety of options, I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see as many of the “new” kinds in this release. 

The thing is… it feels like the grind can be worth it! I really loved getting to build my custom Gunpla. The range of parts and kits motivated me to keep going through levels, especially so I could get the SD Gundam parts of my dreams to create an abomination that included mismatched pieces. In Assembly, you can set your head, body, right and left arms, legs, backpack, right and left close-range weapons, right and left long-range weapons, shield, and decorative builder parts. When in the Paint area, you can adjust the head, body, arms, legs, backpack, weapon, and shield colors. Decal and weathering options are available there. You can also go to Blueprint to save favorite sets.

The different customization options remain a highlight. I feel like the weathering elements also help parts from different kits, which may normally not look like they fit well together, do so when combined with all the other customization items. I absolutely spent as much time in My Room adjusting how my avatar looked as I did repeating missions. (Even with some bosses taking forever to beat alone.) Cobbling together custom builds with all of these iconic parts remains an absolute delight. So I need to replay a mission like three or four times to get the exact parts I need to kitbash my dream avatar. I’m okay with that! Especially since, once you clear a mission, it will note which opponents are around so you can be certain you'll find the pieces you need or want.

Going into Gundam Breaker 4, you need to accept that it’s the type of game that will involve grinding missions for experience and parts. I felt like the ensuing Gunpla I’d create and opportunities to collect even more customization elements was worth it! Especially since the combat system is tight and it all looks really good. If you’re not up for replaying a lot of assignments and dealing with occasional hurdles in fights that might feel better balanced for multiplayer, it might be wise to look at an older entry. But it can be a really good time, especially if you love the Gundam and this spin-off series or have a crew you’ll be playing it with.

Gundam Breaker 4 will come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC on August 29, 2024. 

The post Review: Gundam Breaker 4 Feels Like a Fun Grind for Friends  appeared first on Siliconera.

Visions of Mana may be flying under a few radars. After all, when talking about classic JRPG series, the Mana series might not immediately jump to the top of your list. In fact, some players might not even realize it is its own series. And who could blame them? For a long time, we simply didn’t get many Mana releases.

The last non-remake, mainline Mana game was Dawn of Mana, and it released during the PS2 era. That's practically a lifetime ago in gaming years. The situation only started improving recently, with the release of remakes like Trials of Mana reintroducing the series to a new generation of players.

Fortunately, these issues seem to be resolved with Visions of Mana, the newest entry in the series. As a standalone experience, it’s perfect for newcomers who haven’t followed the series due to its sporadic release history. It feels like the right time for Visions of Mana to act as a new beginning, while also paying homage to its classic roots.

For me, Visions of Mana doesn’t exactly feel new, but it does feel like a classic done exceptionally well. This series originally began as a Final Fantasy spin-off before becoming its own thing. A lot of that classic Final Fantasy vibe is present here, to its benefit. Square Enix does a fantastic job of capturing that nostalgic feeling of a classic JRPG with this Mana entry, while also incorporating the bells and whistles of modern games.

The story revolves around a world supported by the "Mana Tree," with villages tied to specific elements. Every four years, an "Alm" is chosen to represent their village’s element. These Alms make a pilgrimage to the Mana Tree, accompanied by a protector called a Soul Guard. The main protagonists are Val and Hinna, who respectively are the Soul Guard and chosen Alm of the fire village. As these characters meet new ones across the story, you start to see the humor and charm in the game. These characters aren't the deepest or most complex, but they're fun and play well together. I enjoyed listened to the party banter while traveling. There was a simplicity to the relationships that felt very cozy.

While the story is pretty standard fantasy fare, what immediately stands out is the game’s world. It’s capital-B beautiful, with art design and colors that create a visually stunning landscape. The character designs are solid, but the world itself is what truly shines. The first time you step outside the main village and see a massive fiery mountain in the distance. It reminded me of moments like seeing Death Mountain in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the first time.

The whole thing felt very magical and fantastic to me. It’s a perfect fantasy setting, brimming with magic, creatures, and lore, all packaged in a colorful, cartoony style that works exceptionally well. The game isn't open world, but it does feature large areas full of things to look for, items to find and baddies to fight.

Helping you navigate the world are also mounts that you can call to your party. The first you get fairly early and are adorable bat-like dog creatures known as Pikuls. You eventually get other mounts that can help you navigate other types of terrain too, which are also helpful and look fascinating.

One of the most refreshing aspects of Visions of Mana is the presence of actual towns and villages. I feel like towns in JRPGs have never felt the same since the shift to full 3D. Here, each village feels distinct and lived-in, adding to the game’s classic feel.

As mentioned before, almost everything in this world is tied to elements. The assistance of elemental vessels can help you to explore the world such as using wind to get to a higher area or using water to create floating bubbles you can jump inside. These elements also play a significant role in combat. While many games feature your basic elements, and some even have a few extras, Visions of Mana really throws them all at you with eight total elemental vessels.

These vessels not only determine enemy weaknesses and resistances, but also form the basis of the game’s class system. Each character can equip an elemental vessel to shift into a class representing that element. It's different for each character, meaning each character has eight classes, plus their base, non-elemental class. For example, Val is a guard class with no element, yet if he equips the wind vessel he becomes a Rune Knight.

These classes are upgraded and skills are unlocked using the games Elemental Plot. It's sort of like a skill tree where characters can use elemental points to purchase upgrades. Some of these abilities even transfer between classes. It's a surprisingly simple system, yet leaves room for some strategy as you get into tougher enemies. The combat itself is fully real-time and while I believe it's executed well, it doesn't exactly break the mold. What I mean is, it's far more interesting customizing your characters than it is actually using them in battle.

The combat felt very fluid in Performance Mode. I ran into a few frame hiccups in Graphics Mode, but I also didn't really see a huge increase to detail in that mode either. One thing I thought was an issue, then realized was actually maybe an artistic choice is that at times the backgrounds seemed to move at different frame rates then the characters. It seemed intentionally done, but I found it to be a bit distracting especially in action sequences.

Many times, Visions of Mana just felt older than it is. Not visually, visually it's stunning, but between certain aspects of the gameplay and some of the tropes on display it just felt like a JRPG from another era. This isn't inherently a bad thing. I think there's something to say about a game making me feel nostalgic and like I played it when I was younger even though it just released. A lot of people have wanted an experience like that, but it's important to know what you're getting.

In the end, Visions of Mana doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it knows damn well what makes a wheel work. It plays like a game we all remember from childhood, but with all the modern frills. The game delivers a beautifully crafted, nostalgic JRPG experience that’s worth checking out.

Visions of Mana will come to the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on August 29, 2024. A demo is available.

The post Review: Visions of Mana Feels Like a Classic JRPG appeared first on Siliconera.

We’re pleased to announce that Siliconera will be offer its own free email newsletter. Every week, you can get one installment of Siliconera Speaks Up in your inbox to catch up with all the gaming news, reviews, and features you might have missed during the week. 

What can you expect? Good question! Primarily, this will be a way to help you catch up with something important you might have missed. We’ll curate a list of our most popular articles of the week, so you won’t miss out on major announcements and news stories. Did a big game drop? Links to our reviews will be there in case you want more insight into the title before making the plunge. 

Each week, there will also be an exclusive feature found only in our newsletter for subscribers. So if you sign up for the Siliconera Speaks Up newsletter, you’ll get an extra article to read in your email that won’t appear anywhere else. 

Finally, at the end of every newsletter we’ll name a few games (or game updates) coming up in the next few days. That way, you’ll never miss out on a possible title.

Here’s how you sign up:

Our first issue is coming soon, and we’re looking forward to providing easier access to news and articles soon!

The post Sign Up for the Free Siliconera Speaks Up Newsletter appeared first on Siliconera.

Founded in 2016, Cover Corporation, owners of hololive Production, took the world by storm during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, introducing the world at large to what would become an international sensation: Vtubers. Since skyrocketing in popularity, hololive introduced talents such as Gawr Gura, Mori Calliope, and Usada Pekora. Siliconera had the opportunity to speak with Motoaki “Yagoo” Tanigo, the CEO of Cover, to discuss what it takes to become a prospective Vtuber candidate for hololive and what collaborations he’d like to see come to fruition.

“We focus on how to support our talents, and this is one of the most important policies within our company. We don’t increase the amount of talents we have in a short amount of time so that we can support our talents to the best of our ability,” Tanigo stated. “We care about our talents a lot and want to provide a lot of resources for them. If we have more talents to debut, that would be fantastic, but we wouldn’t be able to support them equally.” He further went on to elaborate and stated that creating 3D models for the company's talents for concerts and other performances is a lot more extensive than some might realize, with talents needing to fly out to Japan during the creation of these models. Tanigo also stressed that while Hololive would love to expand their roster of VTuber talents, the company would not be able to support the line-up it already has if it expanded too quickly.

While hololive is no doubt an international success, Tanigo shared that the North American group is not as profitable as its Japanese counterpart. He said he hoped that upon opening the North American office for hololive (Cover), that the agency will begin to see a return on their investment in their North American talents. However, that hasn’t stopped Hololive from debuting European talents as well, with the VTuber agency branching into an audience it has no doubt already tapped into — just in a handful of different languages.

I asked Tanigo what it would take for an up-and-coming VTuber or content creator to join hololive. He stated that while applications are always open, a prospective candidate needs to be incredibly driven. This is one of several deciding factors, along with their calibur of singing and ability to speak several different languages. He did mention that not being able to sing wouldn’t mean that a prospective talent would be out of the running, but that anyone who wants to join Hololive would need to understand the amount of time and dedication that would be required. “I want people that dream big,” he said.

“One of our talents, Mori Calliope, wanted to sing an anime opening. So we supported her in that and helped make her dream happen. And we want to be able to support our talents in that avenue as well. We want them to dream big and we want to help them achieve those dreams.” Given how large hololive is, it doesn’t come as any surprise that this would be one of the requirements to join the agency. With several of hololive’s largest Vtuber talents appearing at a Los Angeles Dodgers game in July 2024, it seems like Hololive wants to continue to explore new avenues and new promotions with big names.

However, Tanigo has ambitions and dreams of his own when it comes to potential collaborations. “I would love to do something with Riot Games.” Tanigo admitted to being a big fan of League of Legends, and even dreamed of hololive doing some kind of collaboration with Riot Games’ K-Pop group K/DA. He hoped that with the opening of the North American office, that these partnerships and collaborations will eventually come to fruition.

And while fans already released several games under the hololive Indie label, such as Idol Showdown and Holo X Break, Tanigo stated he would like to create something with AAA Western developers if given the opportunity. He did not share what kind of game he would like to make, only that he would like to collaborate with large studios in North America.

As it stands, hololive remains a giant in the Vtuber industry. Cover garnered international success, tapping into various audiences through its numerous collaborations, to truly make Vtubing something mainstream. After the appearance of Gawr Gura, Hoshimachi Suisei, and Usada Pekora at the Dodgers game, it can be hard to deny just how effective and successful Cover was at making both itself and its talents into a recognizable brand. And with hololive now properly branching into the European market with hololive EN Justice and being as selective as it is with talents and debuts, it seems like there’s no sign of it slowing down. Whether or not we’ll see major collaborations in games has yet to be seen.

The post Hololive CEO Would Like to Collaborate With AAA Game Developers appeared first on Siliconera.

Oh World of Warcraft, how I've come to love you. It's been some time since I've grown to appreciate and enjoy an MMORPG this much. I mean, I write about it every few months if I'm given the opportunity, just because I enjoy talking about it. And with Blizzard Entertainment sharing some of the Talent Trees that would be available with the release of World of Warcraft The War Within, I took it upon myself to go through one of the MMORPG's least liked expansions, Shadowlands, for the sake of a cosmetic.

See, I wanted a specific cosmetic for World of Warcraft: The War Within, and it was only obtainable after getting to a certain point in Shadowlands. I like to get immersed in a game, and I've done a bit of role-playing in FFXIV and now WoW, so if I can get something that really adds to my character I'll grind for it. I've started running Nighthold Mythic for a specific set of Death Knight gear, and learning that Void Elves, Blood Elves, and Night Elves get a Darkfallen cosmetic option through Shadowlands I had to do it. I seem to like all of the baddies in the Warcraft universe, Arthas being my favorite and Sylvanas Windrunner being a close second, so I was absolutely going to double down and get this eye and skin customization for my Dark Ranger — one of the new Hero Talent trees in The War Within.

Coming from Final Fantasy XIV to World of Warcraft, Shadowlands feels like more of the same. You need to save everyone from a world-ending threat, one that threatens to tear you and your companions apart, with the stakes escalating over and over again until you can't imagine them rising any higher. It's standard storytelling within the medium, but the key difference between the two being execution. I think in some ways Final Fantasy XIV does it better, even if I'm not keen on a lot of the narrative decisions. Shadowlands on the other hand just felt like I was being a tourist. A tourist going through the various levels of World of Warcraft "Super Hell," but a tourist all the same. I couldn't tell you what I did, because the events of Shadowlands has been mostly expunged from my memory, with the exception of the cutscene with Uther. Because every time Arthas shows up something in my brain lights up and I get absolutely feral like most Warcraft fans do.

Between unlocking each of the four worlds I would race back to the player hub in Shadowlands, because each World of Warcraft expansion has one to fit the zone, to see if the required quest for the Darkfallen cosmetic unlock would finally show up. I just wanted Shadowlands to be over. In part because I wasn't enjoying the Anima gathering part of the faction stuff (I allied with the group that felt inspired by Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula), and I just wanted to play a Hunter really, really badly. Once I ground through enough of the faction content I saw the quest marker appear and I picked it up, eager to unlock the glowing red eyes and milky skin of the Darkfallen. Because apparently I really love playing Elves in World of Warcraft, specifically Undead Elves. (I have two Death Knights, and three Hunters. All five are some flavor of Elf.)

It felt so satisfying to finally have this option available. Unfortunately, I did the quest on my Death Knight so I'm never getting the Dark Hunter gear set. But hey! At least I have another customization option for the Void Elf, Night Elf, and Blood Elf. Because I'm probably going to make another one to give Warlock a spin, or something. Or maybe I'll just make another Death Knight. I don't know. But I will say this. Getting through the quest to unlock the Darkfallen, at least on Alliance side, was interesting. I learned more about the Forsaken post-Sylvanas, and about the Undead that still inhabited the kingdom of Lordaeron. It was just a nice bit of lore tucked away in an optional quest that gave me something cool. And that's what I love about World of Warcraft. All of these neat little additions and bits of worldbuilding and other unlockables you can get just from some random side-quest.

Was it worth it grinding through Shadowlands for? For me, absolutely. Was the World of Warcraft Shadowlands expansion as bad as everyone said it was? I don't know. My opinion on these things never really align with the norm. I just know that it was mostly forgettable, and in the past I've said that's the worst thing a game could be. So maybe. But hey, at least I get to play a Darkfallen Dark Ranger!

World of Warcraft is available for PC, with The War Within expansion readily available.

The post I Played Through World of Warcraft Shadowlands for a Cosmetic to Use in The War Within appeared first on Siliconera.

Every time a new Pokemon game comes out, the fandom seems to split into two: those who enjoy it and those who claim that GameFreak has reached another layer of rock bottom. When Pokemon Scarlet first came out, my opinion was close to the second camp due to the numerous bugs and the lack of interesting new Pokemon in the early game. But then, I finally decided to get the DLCs and actually clear Scarlet, and you know what I realized? I was wrong. Pokemon didn’t get bad or go downhill or anything like that at all. It still gives the exact same feeling as it did when I first booted up the game as a kid.

Pokemon is one of those franchises that suffers from having a huge fanbase. With most popular series, people know what they want and what they’re getting into. It’s not like Person A can play, say, Final Fantasy XVI in a way so different from the way Person B does that they come out of it with an entirely separate experience. But Pokemon is like The Sims. There are so many people with so many different expectations or wants that it’s virtually impossible for GameFreak to please everyone. Players who only care about the story, characters, or Mon collection aspects probably don’t care as much about the meta or the difficulty. Hence, their opinions on various aspects of the game will greatly differ from those who play Pokemon mostly for the PvP elements. It’s a precarious balancing act with no right answer outside of simply making separate games for separate demographics.

I’m a player who cares about clearing the story, taking pictures with my favorite NPCs, putting together cute outfits, and completing the PokeDex. My friends are the kinds who make OCs. It’s pretty similar to how I play, except there’s an additional layer of imagination involved. Our conversations are different than the ones I have with my friend who plays more competitively. Reading and listening to people compare the stats or movesets of Pokemon A and B in order to decide who they want on their team is like watching my favorite show in an unfamiliar language. And I doubt they can relate to my having Froslass on a team for no reason other than “It’s Ice/Ghost and pretty.”

Everyone’s way of playing Pokemon is valid. It’s not like we live in the Pokemon world where Paul’s method of picking and choosing Pokemon based on their stats is regarded as villain behavior. Since I’m not a competitive player, I don’t quite understand the beef that people had with mechanics like Dynamaxing or Terastalizing. I don't engage with them beyond story battles, so they’re about the same as Mega Evolution, which the PvP people apparently loved. Not to sound like the most stereotypical female gamer ever, but the only things that can truly bother me about Pokemon now are a lack of interesting characters and avatar customization. Surprise! I care more about hanging out and looking cute than I do about battle mechanics. For those thinking, “God, I bet her favorite Eevee evolution is Sylveon (derogatory),” yeah, you’re right...it is...

But does that make me less valid a player? It really shouldn’t. That would be like saying kids who only care about collecting a team of legendaries are playing the game wrong. Heck, you can argue that they’re the actual target audience for GameFreak. That’s something we should all keep in mind. These games are E for Everyone and yes, that includes the little kid who doesn’t bother looking at whether a move is a Physical or Special one when letting their Pokemon learn it.

A common complaint people have about Pokemon these days is that they’re too easy. Mechanics like camping and Amie make raising Friendship a breeze. Even if it’s up to chance, Friendship in NPC battles can feel overpowered. NPC trainers challenge you with only one or two weaklings in their team. The universal Experience Share severely reduces the time and effort it takes to level up a weaker Pokemon. Honestly, I feel like the old method of starting with a weak Pokemon you want to train and then swapping them out with something stronger was annoying as heck. It wasn’t fun and it didn’t make the game harder. Tedium doesn't equate difficulty, and difficulty doesn't equate fun. I’m on Team Universal Experience Share. But yes, it sucks we can't turn it off.

What got me thinking about how Pokemon’s quality is just as good, if not better, than the previous games is the feeling of excitement. Isn't that what the games are all about? Exploring Paldea reminded me of when I first set off from Twinleaf Town, and the newer Pokemon games giving gym leaders and rivals more depth beyond one or two traits makes the game actually feel like an RPG.

I know people hated Sword and Shield, but I personally really enjoyed it for the character writing and camping. Bede, Marnie, and Hop all had such satisfying character arcs throughout the story, and the gym leaders felt more fleshed out than ones in the past games. I’m glad that GameFreak continued this with the rivals in Scarlet/Violet, as they were really the best parts of the game. Yes, I’m aware that characters like Lillie and N existed, but I felt like their games only had one or two really interesting characters compared to the Switch generations.

Okay, Scarlet has a lot of issues. There’s a reason I dropped the game for as long as I did. The open world is really buggy. There are also way too many old Pokemon. This is its own problem with very little resolution outside of something similar to Black/White where older Pokemon are only available after the story. Some people really like using or catching Pokemon that debuted in past entries. Others prefer new ones. The camping mechanic was terrible compared to Sword/Shield’s. My biggest beef is with the marketing. While it’s not impossible to complete any plotline or challenge any gym leader/Team Star boss/Titan in the order you want, the lack of level scaling can make it either much too hard or much too easy for your team.

I appreciate GameFreak’s half-successful attempt at doing something new and ambitious. It didn’t always work and games are too expensive now for the “Well, you tried!” participation trophy. But if a major complaint from fans is that the games are stagnant and never change up the formula, then being mad that GameFreak did change up the formula feels silly. Also, this is yet another problem with the huge fanbase. Not everyone dislikes the fact they follow a formula! I didn't care, but I still liked the way Scarlet went about fusing multiple storylines together. If the new direction of Pokemon was to focus on the story and characters at the expense of PvP, I’m perfectly fine with that. Granted, from what I hear, the current meta is genuinely enjoyable so now I’m not quite sure why people talked about Scarlet and Violet like it’s irredeemable trash.

Honestly, every time “New Pokemon games SUCK!” discourse comes across on my timeline and I read through it, I never see an actual concrete complaint. It kind of feels like people like Pokemon the franchise, but they haven’t quite accepted that the Pokemon games were never so difficult that they’d present a challenge to someone with a general understanding of game mechanics. GameFreak always designed them with children in mind. With GameFreak remaining mum on what’s in store in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, as well as the future of the mainline games, it’s hard to tell what we’ll see next year. Here’s hoping the fan reception will be better than past games.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are readily available on the Nintenedo Switch.

The post Pokemon Is Honestly Still a Good Series; People Are Just Old appeared first on Siliconera.

When you meet certain people, even virtual ones, you may also find yourself hoping for the best for them. Maybe it is because of who they are. Perhaps it comes down to what they’re facing. Tales of Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch is one of those games, in part because the personalities of lead characters Hikaru Nishime and Lilun and situations leave you hoping they’ll achieve their goals and thrive.

Hikaru is an orphan. His aunt and her family took him in following his parents’ death. However, when he should be starting high school, he’s instead being shipped off to a small island with less than 1,000 residents to live with a grandfather he barely knows. Worse, once he gets there he finds that said grandpa is gone. He took off to another continent, and Hikaru’s aunt didn’t even register him for classes at the new high school. After being forced to sleep in a sugarcane field his first night, he meets a mysterious young woman who’s also come to Toyotoki Island, is also all alone, and was mistreated in the past as well. The two end up working together to get by, and in so doing find new places for themselves and ways to achieve their goals. This also leads to them meeting other residents of the island and getting close to them as they too grow as individuals. 

So the first thing you should know going into Tales From Toyotoki is that this is a kinetic novel, and not the sort of visual novel where you’ll make decisions. Yes, there will be a point when Akari Akatsumi will make it seem like you have a choice as to which route you pursue or what you do. You don’t. So those looking for the ability to influence the outcome or a little more interaction won’t find that here.

However, that doesn’t mean you should abandon or overlook Tales from Toyotoki. This is a situation in which that focus works to the benefit of the story. The official descriptions for it reference it being a coming of age tale and story of self-discovery, and the linear nature means Fragaria really gets to focus completely on that element of it. There are no distractions. We’re 100% seeing how our leads and other individuals grow as people. 

I especially appreciated how while everyone gets some time in the spotlight and development, it’s really Hikaru and Lilun getting the most attention. The mystery behind Lilun’s background is handled well, and I appreciated how it didn’t push too hard for immediate answers and reveals. Likewise, I liked how things are never just clean cut or immediately solved for Hikaru. Even when he does make some strides forward, he’s never getting an easy answer or immediate salvation. 

The way the two play off of each other is also a critical part of the story. Hikaru and Lilun each have their own areas of expertise. Alone, they wouldn’t get far. But we constantly see how together, the two are able to help each other out, progress, and get closer to accomplishing things they need to do to grow as individuals or meet their desires.

Tales from Toyotoki’s artistic direction and voice acting also help “sell” its premise. We’re experiencing life on a small island, thanks to seeing things from Hikaru’s perspective. The art direction and character design is, likewise, quite quaint. It feels rustic and homey. The voice acting is good as well, with a cast that feels well suited for the situation. Especially when it comes to Lilun and Akari. I did notice a few awkwardly phrased lines. (For example, one of the earliest ones is “The person I was supposed to live with was nowhere to be seen.”) But those instances are infrequent and don’t detract from the overall experience.

Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch feels designed to keep you captivated by the events of Hikaru and Lilun’s lives as they deal with the odds that are stacked against them. Every win for them is one for the reader as well. It takes its time to show how these young people develop and find their footing, and it’s great when we get to see them succeed.

Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch is available on the Nintendo Switch, PS5 and PC. 

The post Review: Tales From Toyotoki Leaves You Rooting for the Kids appeared first on Siliconera.

Even though Oshi no Ko is about the twins Aqua and Ruby, a lot of the early volumes of the manga focus on him instead of her. It’s understandable, since he’s penned as the primary protagonist for a while early on. However, with volume 7 of Oshi no Ko we get to see this shift as certain developments give some of Aqua’s story a sense of resolution and Ruby an opportunity to step into the spotlight again.

Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for volume 7 of the Oshi no Ko manga below. 

Volume 7 of Oshi no Ko begins with the Tokyo Blade stage play we’ve seen coming together over the course of multiple chapters finally running. This is a huge pay-off in many ways. For one, we’re finally seeing the culmination of the rivalry between Akane and Kana. It’s also giving a troubled production a chance to come together, and seeing things actually turn out better than expected is a relief. 

But more importantly, this is a big deal for Aqua and his character arc in Oshi no Ko. We’d already seen leading up to this point that a part of him just won’t let this quest to avenge Ai die. It’s negatively affecting his daily life, with an inner voice that seems like it could also be his past identity chastising him for even considering moving on. So at the climax of this novel, we’re seeing him do what he fears most. He actually acts again. He uses emotional acting after such a long time of running, and in so doing he makes a major breakthrough about himself. 

The way this is handled in the Oshi no Ko manga is stunning, with Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari shifting between the personal revelation and Aqua’s performance. We can see how his tapping into those memories influences his behavior on-stage. Likewise, the insights he’s gaining as he does so offers this reveal into what he’s dealing with and allows him to perhaps address the issue in a way that could make his life different going forward. 

This, followed by a meaningful conversation with Toshiro Kindaichi and Taiki Himekawa, really makes Oshi no Ko volume 7 feel like it’s constantly giving the reader valuable insights into the characters. We’re finally learning more about Aqua. We’re seeing him grow. We watch as he learns more about his past. 

At the same time, Akasaka and Yokoyari do a great job of pivoting to the next part of the Oshi no Ko plot at the end of volume 7. Following the performance of Tokyo Blade, we see that Ruby was in the audience the whole time. She noticed how far everyone, Aqua and Kana included, have come as she watched the show. With that seed planted, the end of the volume takes the opportunity to shift the focus back to her and new B-Komachi. Seeing the group start to make some decisions, as well as a choice to return to her former roots, paves the way for growth on her part as well. 

Oshi no Ko volume 7 really feels like one of the more important volumes of the manga, in part because of the development it offers for Aqua. We see him embrace his pain and deal with the trauma he’s experienced for years. We watch the stage play finally come together. We see people like Kana and Akane stand out. Most importantly, we also witness a fantastic transition that shifts the story back to Ruby. It’s all handled incredibly well.

Oshi no Ko volume 7 will be available on August 27, 2024, and Yen Press will release volume 8 of the manga on November 19, 2024. The anime is streaming on HIDIVE. 

The post We Get to See Aqua Grow in Oshi no Ko Manga Volume 7  appeared first on Siliconera.

I ate at McDonald’s for lunch or dinner every day since August 20, 2024. Why? That’s the day the Yu-Gi-Oh Sanrio Happy Meal, which involves nine plush of characters in special “outfits,” kicked off in the US. I’m on a quest to get Silfer the Sky Dragon Kuromi and Exodia Pompompurin. But in the meantime, I have picked up a few of the other characters, and what is here makes me want more than just a one-off crossover with all the quality a fast food joint can afford.

So to refresh, in case you missed it, in the UK a Mc Donald’s Happy Meal promotion featuring ten Sanrio characters dressed as Yu-Gi-Oh characters launched in May 2024. Depending on when you would go, you’d get one of the mascots with your meal. This promotion didn’t cost any more than usual, like the recent collector’s cup affair. Now in August 2024, that same crossover event ended up repeated in the US. 

Well, almost identical. Our run doesn’t include the full “set.” Badtz-Maru as Red-Eyes Black Dragon ended up being left out. I don’t know why. Yes, I’m sad about it too.

Anyways. My quest resulted in the acquisition of four of the Yu-Gi-Oh Sanrio Happy Meal plush toys so far. They’re pretty great in some ways! I ended up with Dark Magician Hello Kitty (#1), Blue-Eyes White Dragon Cinnamoroll (#2), Kuriboh Keroppi (#4), and Obelisk the Tormentor Tuxedosam. These stuffed animals aren’t as traditionally soft as others or fluffy. Rather, McDonald’s went with printed fabric that focuses on accurately displaying the characters in their costumes. The attention to detail means that both the front and back of each mascot has a printed design. So say if you flip over Tuxedosam, you’ll see his lil’ penguin tail and the Obelisk the Tormentor wings. It’s cute! They also seem surprisingly durable. At least, the quality appears better than some Happy Meal toys.

But also, honestly, it’s a tad disappointing too. The string loop attached at the top of each plush is incredibly small! It made me feel like the best option for displaying it, once you get one, is to perhaps get a cork board with push pins and hang them or arrange some series of hooks somewhere. Using some sort of elastic would have offered more versatility with display options. Or, even better, a plastic hook. Perhaps it wouldn’t be secure enough to use it as a big keychain, but it’d provide more options. 

I think McDonald’s should have leaned into the Yu-Gi-Oh Sanrio Happy Meal crossover a bit further too. Right now, it is 100% to the benefit of Sanrio fans who want a cute mascot to display or use as a decoration. However… why aren’t there actual cards? We’ve seen Pokemon Trading Card game Happy Meal promotions before. What I’m saying is, I wanted a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card that would be completely identical to the ones found in the actual Yu-Gi-Oh card game, just with the art of the dragon replaced with the picture of Cinnamoroll dressed as that monster. 

Also, while I am very happy about these plush and plan to further ruin my health by continuing to eat Happy Meals until I get Slifer the Sky Dragon Kuromi, Exodia the Forbidden One Pompompurin, and The Winged Dragon of Ra Chococat, the items we got make me want even more merchandise based on this crossover. I’d love a cute bag or storage box with the characters on them. A more durable acrylic or rubber keychain would be fun. Maybe a small, plastic figure that’s one or two inches tall. 

Essentially, I’m saying the Yu-Gi-Oh Sanrio crossover concept is too good to just be limited to these McDonald's Happy Meal plush toys. I do love them, mind you. But it is because I love them that I think Konami and Sanrio should do even more with the idea. Also... I'm starting to get really tired of McDonald's nuggets...

The Yu-Gi-Oh Sanrio Happy Meal plush toys are now at McDonald’s stores in the United States while supplies last. 

The post I Want More From the Yu-Gi-Oh Sanrio McDonald’s Happy Meal Crossover  appeared first on Siliconera.

Reality TV is a guilty pleasure of mine, with it and sitcoms being the two genres I watched as a kid to pick up English soon after I immigrated to Canada. While The Crush House does not exactly satisfy the reality TV itch, it provides a pretty interesting commentary on the nature of these shows. The gameplay loop becomes more fun the more used to it you get, but as a game, it never quite became strong on its own, thus relying heavily on its subversion of the genre it's parodying.

The Crush House seems like a messier version of Terrace House when it comes to the in-game reality TV show. You are the producer of the show, and you start the season by choosing four cast members to live together under the same roof for a week. There's an element of strategy here after you become accustomed to the game. Certain cast members make it easier to make audiences happy. For example, activists love seeing Priscilla, who's prone to bursting into tears. Meanwhile, people with foot fetishes love Charlie, who walks around in sandals all the time.

You then broadcast the lives and dramas of these four people to an audience that’s thirsting for a variety of content. Sometimes, they’ll want you to film fights and arguments. Other times, all they care about is the landscaping of the Barbie-esque Malibu mansion. That's not even getting into the simps, the suburban moms, the plumbers, the conspiracy theorists, and so on and so forth. Your goal is to make sure the show stays on air for an entire season (a week) by meeting your audience’s expectations.

In the beginning, it was a little tough to stop thinking of the game as an actual TV show. I focused a lot on conversations, kisses, and fights. This is the stuff you'd want to see, right? But, of course, real people don’t make up the in-game audience. Half the time I wasn't even capturing the drama between the cast members. I was recording things like the pool, the art, the fish, the fire, and butts. The audience I had to worry about didn't seem to care at all about the actual substance of the show, which was a bizarre mechanic. But once I knew what the game wanted from me, it was a lot easier. Lining up shots to make sure I could get as much as I needed was really fun, but I became so focused on pleasing the audience that the actual show itself became a non-priority.

A lot of my initial complaints faded once I realized what the game was trying to do. One of my main criticisms was that I don’t really care about anyone. No one was really unique and they all felt interchangeable. It says a lot that I can't remember their names half the time considering how quickly I become attached to characters. While they do have unique backstories and personalities on paper, in practice, they're virtually the same outside of some special interactions. Emile the suave Frenchman does the same ridiculous "Hearken!" speech that Alex the himbo does. Veer the band geek strips to his swimsuit before going down the Success Slide, which is something Ayo the drama queen did. Charlie the sweet girl goes nuts over "margarita time" just like the self-assured mean girl Joyumi. No one felt interesting in their own way.

Another complaint I had was that the audience’s needs were illogical. This isn’t to do with them wanting to see certain things, but more that I had some difficulty at first figuring out what demographics meant by their requests. While you can look up your audience to see the types of requests they’ll leave in the comments, I wish the game would provide a small descriptor as to what each group is like. I never really figured out how to deal with cynics or people with shoddy Internet, for example. Cynics seemed to satisfy themselves. Meanwhile, no matter what I did, the people with bad Internet still complained so I just used other audience groups’ hype levels to satisfy them.

As I continued to stream episode after episode to an audience that can’t get enough of the ridiculous antics of The Crush House, I found myself becoming more and more apathetic towards it all. I didn’t care anymore that I’ve seen the same argument about filler words, like, five times, nor did I care about the affairs I stumbled across while trying to record some perky bottoms for the butt-lovers in the audience. Outside of their requests, I stopped caring about the contestants beyond what they could do for me when it comes to raking in audience approval. It made the game’s reveal of the dark secret laying underneath the vaporware veneer of the show’s set so much more intriguing, because I had fallen into the way of thinking that some corrupt TV executive probably has too.

Most of the game’s fun comes from the learning curve. It felt great to master new ways of meeting audience goals or filming the cast, as well as rushing from room to room while letting advertisements rake in cash so that I could get the perfect shot of something. If I wasn’t meeting my quota literally at the last second though, I was hitting it halfway through the day. This wasn't great, since there's no benefit in continuing to film them and as mentioned earlier, they're not exactly interesting to spy on. That meant that I usually messed around on my phone while letting advertisements play in-game for a while every game day. The difficulty balance felt off. However, it could have been my luck when it comes to the combination of audience types.

Because the odd difficulty balance gives a surprising amount of downtime in a game that’s supposed to catch the rush of the cutthroat reality TV business, the game can feel slower than it should. The story seems interesting, as are the little tidbits about who they are as people rather than props. But I personally could not bring myself to care about the characters’ well-being outside of morbid curiosity. This was, again, due to their lack of any individuality and chemistry with each other. Was the apathy towards the cast members something the developers intended? Or was I just a bad person while playing it? I honestly have no clue. I think if I’d watched someone’s video essay on the topic, though, the distance (and not having to read their inane conversations over and over) might have helped me to care a bit more about the cast.

The Crush House is an interesting game that combines FPS elements with exploration, time management, and strategy, all with a narrative that makes you want to marathon the game all the way to the season finale. It’s a game that can only ever be a game, as the impact of the story wouldn’t be the same in another format. While enjoyable, I do suggest having something else to do on hand. Once the audience gets what they want, the drama of reality TV loses its luster, leaving nothing but vapid and repetitive content behind.

The Crush House is readily available on Windows PCs.

The post Review: The Crush House Is the Perfect Microcosm for Reality TV appeared first on Siliconera.

Emio - The Smiling Man is a continuation of the underrated Famicom Detective Club series, and I never expected this release to happen. Ahead of the latest game in this surprisingly well-crafted mystery adventure visual novel series’ release, I had the chance to preview the first couple of chapters. It seems off to a strong start.

This particular preview is based on the same demo build players can enjoy that includes the prologue and first couple of chapters of the full title, plus a save transfer option for the real deal. Immediately, this game kicks off with certainly the most compelling premise thus far. It feels much more similar to The Girl Who Stands Behind, but even eerier. This isn’t a problem for me, since I preferred the prequel of the two original remakes.

The general idea is the returning main characters of the Utsugi Detective Agency start a new investigation after a student is found strangled. To make matters more disturbing, the killer put a paper bag with an unsettling smiley face on his head. This potentially ties back to similar murders 18 years prior.

Everything about this premise centers around the disturbing urban legend of Emio. While we don’t find out too much in the first two chapters, the teases about the character are unnerving in all the right ways. The smiley paper bag-wearing killer is by far the creepiest antagonist in the series yet. I would say so far, based on my initial experience, the character is honestly the most memorable as well.

The few scenes that tease his ominous presence generally evoke some horrific imagery. While I wouldn’t call this straight-up horror just yet, it leans further into the genre than even the two previous titles. This is helped by a plethora of new side characters, all of which I am heavily suspicious about at this point.

From police detectives to teachers, each of the new characters intrigue, even with their short screen times in the prologue and first two chapters. They have great visual designs, which is helped by the upgraded graphics. This title takes the already fantastic art foundation from the previous remakes and upgrades it further.

Characters move and shift around, having natural movements and expression changes. This is the most dynamic visual novel I’ve played outside of the Ace Attorney series so far. I may even recommend this to those who don’t normally like this genre because of how stunning the environments are and how active everything feels, though I'll wait for a final say on that until the game releases.

It also helps that the pacing is extremely brisk in the Emio - The Smiling Man demo that offers a preview of early chapters. The prologue and first two chapters go by far too quickly, just barely teasing this story. I hope the story slows down a bit more!

The benefit of this is how easy the puzzles seem so far. The gameplay from the past games returns, and it consists primarily of talking and investigating. Most of the time, players engage and ask questions after meeting various characters. This is to find out more information to then ask more questions and so on. Every once in a while, there is the requirement to actually examine the environment or dead body.

Thus far in these first couple of chapters, the questioning and progression of the story is pretty straightforward. This makes it a solid starting point for newcomers from what I’ve played so far. And for those of us like me who loved the first two games, Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club seems to be setting up the most compelling and thrilling mystery yet.

Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club arrives on the Nintendo Switch on August 29, 2024. A demo is now available.

The post Preview: Emio – The Smiling Man Sets Up an Unnerving Mystery appeared first on Siliconera.

HoYoVerse announced the Nintendo Switch version of Genshin Impact in January 2020. Yes, that’s over four years ago. That version hasn’t come up again since, even as PS5 and Xbox Series X versions showed up. We’ve all basically accepted that it isn’t happening, at least for this version of the console, so why won’t HoYoVerse just admit it is canceled or delayed?

I feel like HoYoVerse has had multiple opportunities to come out and say, “Hey, the Switch version of Genshin Impact isn’t going as planned.” It could have brought it up when the OLED model launched in October 2021. There could have been a boilerplate statement. The company could have cited a desire to ensure quality and performance. It could have noted that it would be waiting until the next generation Nintendo console to bring Genshin Impact, and perhaps even other games, to the system. I feel it would have been a great opportunity, since we would all know that’s the most powerful standard Switch on the market. 

Though also, going ahead and admitting the Switch port of Genshin Impact is delayed around the PS5 launch would have been smart too. It’s a similar time period. HoYoVerse could also included something about targeting higher system requirements going forward. Especially since we also know the PS4 version won’t look as good after the 5.0 update. Again, admitting it’s about quality and performance would be wise. 

Doing so after that official website issue in March 2024 might have been a good call too! As a reminder, it ended up being temporarily offline earlier this year. HoYoVerse could have admitted it was due to changing it to note Genshin Impact is coming to a future Nintendo platform other than the Switch! Nintendo’s even acknowledged at this point that it’s been working on a new system. Just go ahead and be honest with us, even though it might be a bit weird.

Instead, we’re in the uncomfortable place of celebrating the Xbox Series X version of Genshin Impact when one announced ahead of the game’s September 2020 debut isn’t here. Now that we’re in 2024 and approaching the final years of the Switch, it seems pointless to hide it anymore. Just confirm what everyone suspects. Genshin Impact isn’t coming to the Switch as planned, but maybe we’ll see it on another Nintendo system somewhere down the line. Delays happen all the time, after all. And in the case of an ongoing game that will eventually get various updates, you have to expect system demands will increase over time.

Genshin Impact is available on the PS4, PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the Xbox Series X version arrives on November 10, 2024. 

The post HoYoVerse Should Admit the Genshin Impact Switch Port Isn’t Happening appeared first on Siliconera.

Muv-Luv is one of those games series where there’s one entry that is pretty close to being a masterpiece, but you do need to go through everything leading up to it to truly get the most out of it. Muv-Luv Alternative, which is available now on the Switch via a Remastered version, is that installment. Age tells a great story in it, to be sure, but it really becomes fantastic and ties everything together if you also went through Muv-Luv Extra and Unlimited as well. 

Editor’s Note: There will be some spoilers for Muv-Luv Unlimited in this Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered Switch review. 

Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered picks up where Unlimited left off. Takeru Shirogane finds himself in his room, but he is not back in his original “reality” from Extra. Rather, he still remembers everything that happened in the previous two games, but finds himself back at the beginning of the story as seen in Unlimited. However, since he has all of the experiences and knowledge from that life, he knows the dire fate that awaits him and the earth. Resolved to make a difference and use that knowledge to avoid the previous outcome, he heads directly to the UN 11th Force Yokohama base to reunite with Yuuko Kouzuki. After convincing her of who he is and what he experienced by sharing what he knows about the Alternative IV and V plans to deal with the BETA invasion, he once again is assigned to Unit 207 alongside Meiya Mitsurugi, Chizuru Sakaki, Kei Ayamine, Miki Tamase, and Mikoto Yoroi, working with them, Kasumi Yashiro, and other characters toward a better future.

Right from the outset, you can see how far Age and Muv-Luv has come in Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered’s earliest moments. A big part of this involves Takeru’s character development. To be honest, I wasn’t his biggest fan in Extra! He’s not the worst dating sim protagonist, but he’s definitely an immature kid. In Unlimited, I felt like he really grows on us. He starts as that same person as he was in the initial entry, but we see how his experiences with the BETA, heartbreak, and other stressors force him to grow up into someone more dependable and even admirable. I suppose you could say his appearance here in Alternative is his final form. From the very start, he’s much more committed, mature, and resolved. Like I would trust him as a person. As a testament to Age’s writing and direction, I honestly felt proud of him, what he accomplished, and how he really has these good intentions to help the people he loves and the world. 

That care put into the script and character development also comes through in pretty much every other element of Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered, making the Switch release a pretty good time. (The localization remains pretty great, just like in the first parts.) Little plot points and threads that came up as far back as Extra are touched upon here, and I really appreciated the pay-off. Going through the three one after another on the system also meant I probably picked up more on them through these playthroughs, so I’d definitely recommend anyone else interested take that approach as well. While I feel like it’s most evident with certain characters, such as Meiya, Kasumi, and another person I won’t name, in general there’s a lot going on and people get quite a bit of attention.

Also, the story absolutely goes places. While previous games involved more influencing of the routes to varying degrees, that doesn’t happen in Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered. However, given what’s going on, it makes sense and feels more natural. Yes, you can still make choices and see some minor changes as a result. But in general, you’re working toward one specific ending. As a result, I felt like Age really got to go full-force into making it as impactful as possible. Given how connected folks may be to certain characters as a result of going through these harrowing situations for three games now and possibly romancing them in previous entries, there are absolute gut-wrenching and tearjerker parts. 

As with Muv-Luv Remastered, Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered also looks and runs wonderfully on the Switch. It still remains a dynamic visual novel, with character portraits and sprites appearing at different parts of the screen to show motion, extra positions and posing for greater emotional impact, and care put into CGs and other elements to amp up tension or capture action from different angles. It’s all handled quite well. It’s easy to play. I also felt it was fantastic in Handheld mode.

With Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered, Age tells such a striking and emotional story. The events of it stick with you, especially if you put in the time and went through every part of the adventure. The only downside to it all is that it really does demand that dedication. The pay-off is fantastic if you are willing to go through Extra and Unlimited first. I would still say it is a great story if you don’t, but the character development and hints leading up to what happens here builds in a great way and results in a fascinating sci-fi story.

Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered is available for the Nintendo Switch. It is also available on the Vita and PC worldwide and the PS3, Xbox 360, and mobile devices in Japan. 

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