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This article is based on play of an in-development build of FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail, and content in the final version is subject to change.

“What we want to bring to all of you Warriors of Light is the very best summer vacation a hero could possibly have. I realize this is like a sudden change from the feeling of Endwalker. But I mean, you did save not only all of Hydaelyn, but kind of the whole universe, so we thought maybe we’d give you just a little break.

So, the site of this vacation, and a brand-new adventure, will be what you know as the ‘New World’…what we know as ‘Tural’.”

~Naoki Yoshida (FINAL FANTASY XIV FAN FESTIVAL 2023-2024 Keynote Address)

In my hands-on demo of Dawntrail as part the Dawntrail Media Tour, my mind kept going back to those statements made in Las Vegas. I am veteran of Eorzea. I’ve played since alpha of 1.0, and I have completed every storyline and explored every new region as the story drove itself towards its almost inevitable conclusion that (perfectly, in my opinion) bookended the story that started so long ago for me in the Sixth Astral Era.

Personally, I am incredibly ready for something new and different. And yes, that includes even a summer vacation.

My hands-on Dawntrail demo was not the full expansion, unfortunately. I was limited to exploring the city of Tuliyollal, the field areas of Urqopacha and Kozama’uka, and a new dungeon that comes fairly early on called Ihuykatumu. I did that dungeon both as part of a media group as the Pictomancer job, and I attempted it later on both new jobs solo with Duty Support.

I won’t spoil what little of the storyline I saw in Ihuykatumu other than to say that the division of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn into different competing camps to determine the new Tural king that was teased in the Growing Light patches is not a pre-expansion gimmick, but it actually looks to be genuine. I am glad about this, as I hate it when intriguing storylines are set up and then immediately discarded afterwards. And honestly, what can be more interesting than having dear friends turned into competitive foes as a narrative hook?

But let’s talk the landscape and cities of Tural, because what little I got to see of Dawntrail is unlike anything we have seen so far in FINAL FANTASY XIV Online. Dawntrail is FINAL FANTASY XIV’s most beautiful expansion to date, and one that I never stopped discovering new things in during my demo. The place I kept coming back to during my Dawntrail demo, even to just watch the sun rise and eventually set, was Tuliyollal. This city is drenched in vibrant colors and was laid out in such a natural way that I did not feel like I was being bottle-necked into one part or another like I was by the bridges in Stormblood‘s Kugane.

A Day in the city of Tuliyollal. © SQUARE ENIX

Tuliyollal is built on a hill, with the dock and markets at the foot and the Royal Palace at the top, and the entire cityscape exists out in the open air. Tuliyollal did not feel excessively stretched out over a large map for the sake of making it appear ‘big’ or needlessly complex for the sake of looking complex, and there was something quite magical about being able to look down from a higher elevation and see the city (and a few other members of the media!) bustling down below. There is one certain spot, near the top, that I think will be an extremely popular spot to just people-watch from when Dawntrail launches because you can see so much of the city below it against the backdrop of the sky and ocean.

True to Dawntrail’s cultural inclusivity lore in Tural, Tuliyollal has a lot of NPCs of different races chatting with each other, sitting at a table, or even demonstrating combat for an adoring crowd. While we were warned there are quite a few NPCs missing in the city to talk to (and all they could say anyway was ‘Welcome to Tural!’), Tuliyollal feels like a real, lived-in city that was built up around the environment it inhabits instead of a place built to spite the environment like Rhalgar’s Reach does.

The two outside areas I could visit, Kozama’uka and Urqopacha, could not possibly be more different and they both were gorgeous in their own ways. Kozama’uka is a colorful, forested area with giant waterfalls that dwarf everything around you, while Urqopacha is mountainous with volcanoes with glowing lava cracked across the surface. While not everywhere in both areas was accessible to us, I was incredibly impressed with how much there was to discover. These photos below really only give a glimpse of everything there is to find there.

There is so much to see and visit in Kozama’uka and Urqopacha. © SQUARE ENIX

Both of these areas, and the tiny towns that exist inside both of them, are places you’re going to want to explore in depth while flying on a mount, as they are clearly geared towards that. To show just how much there is to find in these areas: it was only towards the end of my hands-on demo that I found a small, out of the way, pathway that had mysterious paintings inside across the walls.

I believe that I was part of the first non-SQUARE ENIX-employed North American group to clear the Ihuykatumu dungeon, and I did so as the new Pictomancer job. While my thoughts on the job can be seen here, I just want to say briefly that Pictomancer is incredibly versatile, and you will be utilizing both Aetherhue Actions and Motif/Muse Magicks quite a bit. As for Viper, you can see my full thoughts here about that job, but it will be the most complicated job in FINAL FANTASY XIV Online when Dawntrail is released. This is because there are multiple combos you need to execute in different ways in order to maximize your damage output. Once you try it out, you’ll get the hang of it. Trust me.

“Dawntrail is FINAL FANTASY XIV’s most beautiful expansion to date, and one that I never stopped discovering new things in during my demo.”

Ihuykatumu is a level 91 dungeon, and my character was level capped down to level 92 from 100 for it. Presumably, this sets Ihuykatumu as a fairly early dungeon in Dawntrail. One of my biggest questions coming into this expansion, especially with all the new Xbox Series S and X players, and the ability to buy scenario skip items in the online shop for a large discount at the moment, was if Dawntrail would be a good jumping on spot for brand new players.

Based solely upon my experience raiding in the dungeon, the answer is ‘no.’ The boss mechanics at each of the three major fights of that dungeon have Areas of Effect that crisscross the battle area in large patterns, and the enemies have special attack moves and patterns that clearly expect the players to know what to do based upon prior dungeon experience in prior expansions. In other words, this is a strong continuation of the gameplay style and degree of difficulty from Endwalker. If you’ve completed maybe only A Realm Reborn’s basic storyline and you want to jump into Dawntrail, then (based solely upon this dungeon) you’re going to have a hard time as the difficulty level is far higher than even the final ARR fights.

Something else that I wondered about would be if there was going to be a return of dungeon gimmicks/mechanics. I was curious about if this was going to make a resurgence due to another SQUARE ENIX-published title, BABYLON’S FALL, actually introducing the concept of dungeon mechanics during the Tale of Two Ziggurats substory that was released in May 2022.

Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P), however, stated that they want to introduce fresh mechanics back into the gameplay during the Dawntrail Day 1 Q&A. Unfortunately, Ihuykatumu did not have that. Ihuykatumu was the fairly standard ‘fight enemies, kill enemies, get to a miniboss, kill that, and repeat two more times’ type gameplay that has been around since the Stormblood expansion.

Personally, I am of a split opinion of this: while the dungeon mechanics do get annoying when you’re running the dungeon for the umpteenth time to try to get the latest Tomes, they do break up the standard dungeon format into something new. I am hopeful that with Yoshi-P’s comments, we can get more dungeon mechanics like firing cannons at Cuca Fera during Heavensward’s The Stone Vigil (Hard) dungeon. Therefore, I am hopeful that Ihuykatumu will not be indicative of the entire expansion.

There is a lot of enemy variety in Dawntrail. The enemies throughout the overworld and inside the Ihuykatumu dungeon are both unique and were not barely reskinned from elsewhere in Eorzea with a higher level and a different name (well, except for possibly the Malboros). Whether I am running away from Mountain Bears or even a reimagined Cactuar (yes, they are there, and I need that plush now on the SQUARE ENIX Store for purchase!), I kept gawking at them before dispatching them. I even ganged up with my fellow media Warriors of Light to take down a Rank A hunt, Queen Bee, that had fun new mechanics that required us to work together as a group to kill.

The new race option coming to Dawntrail is the female Hrothgar. I spent my entire demo playing as one, and I was more than pleased with how the character model looks. I don’t think it is a big secret that there aren’t a ton of male Hrothgar characters out fighting in Eorzea, but I would be absolutely shocked if we don’t get a lot more female Hrothgars long-term in the game. Everything from the character face to the fur looked detailed and amazing, and I was quite pleased with how the female Hrothgar looked in various job gear.

There is one more thing that I want to talk about, and this takes place back in Tuliyollal. Towards the end of my Dawntrail demo, I visited what I assumed will be the in-game market area in the city for tomes trade ins, NPC item sellers, and such. If you’ve played FINAL FANTASY XIV from A Realm Reborn through the Endwalker expansion, then there is one thing that you can count on when you visit any NPC shops: they will all be bare-bones cut and paste graphic images of each other’s stalls, no matter where you go in the world. There will be large, stacked bags, generic armor suits, and a few baubles here and there on display. Even at the most lavish lore-wise shop locations in-world, such as the Steps of Nald in Ul’dah and the East/West Balshahn Bazaar in Radz-at-Han, suffer from this generic sameness.

Yet, Tuliyollal’s shops could not be any more different. When started as a quick run through turned into a long, lengthy walk as I kept stopping to gawk at all of the small details the developers placed in. There are so many shops with jewels, individual books, different fish on display, and none of it – even the bookshelves – look to be a copy and paste job between shops. This part of Tuliyollal feels like an actual marketplace that has real, unique, shops in it that is absolutely stuffed to the proverbial Namazu gills with items.

What I presume to be the NPC shops in Tuliyollal are the most detailed ever in this game.

If you’ve read the past two paragraphs, then you’re probably wondering why in Etheirys I am talking about something like basic NPC shops in such detail. Basic service NPC shop background graphics are the kind of thing that no player ever really has talked about for the past decade-plus of FINAL FANTASY XIV Online. In fact, the development team could have probably just done the same bare bones basic work for it for Dawntrail that was put into every other prior expansion, and no one would have noticed or likely cared.

Yet, the fact that the details of NPC shops is something that’s been changed, that this is something SQUARE ENIX has taken the undoubtedly precious time to improve on, speaks volumes about the care and attention to detail the development team is bringing to Dawntrail. After all, if the development team cares this much about improving such a tiny detail of the game, which also haven’t been talked about at a Fan Festival or in a Producer Live Letter so far, then what other improvements and surprises await all of us Warriors of Light in Tural?

I, for one, cannot wait to find out.

There is a large variety of new enemies in Tural. 

If you cannot tell just from reading all of this so far, I was seriously impressed by my hands-on time with Dawntrail. This expansion’s hands-on demo, especially coming off of Endwalker, pulled off the equivalent of a Four Kan or Thirteen Orphans hand in Doman Mahjong for me. Tural feels truly like a fresh break from all of the prior expansions, and this expansion has real promise to be the best expansion yet. This opinion comes from having tried out the two new jobs, seeing the care and attention being given to the graphics and intimate, small details of Tural, and just how simply new everything feels.

Oh, and the music.

You cannot forget the music. Masayoshi Soken has composed music that sounds wildly different than anything that has come before in FINAL FANTASY XIV Online while also feeling appropriate to the atmosphere and the summer vacation goal Naoki Yoshida laid out in Las Vegas. I cannot wait to hear Tuliyollal’s theme at a future Distant Worlds: Music from FINAL FANTASY, A New World: intimate music from FINAL FANTASY, or Eorzean Symphony- FINAL FANTASY XIV Orchestra performance.

All of this is very high praise, considering how much I have loved this critically-acclaimed MMORPG. I spent almost ten hours in just a handful of areas, and yet I feel like I have yet to see everything there is out there. Tural feels like a giant, colorful, beautiful world with so much potential present to be the best expansion yet. And so I am just counting down the days until Dawntrail enters early access on June 28 and is fully released on July 2.

Please check out my thoughts on the new Viper job, on the new Pictomancer job, and about Naoki Yoshida’s Media Q&A from Day 1!

If you want more FINAL FANTASY XIV Online-themed content, then be sure to check out my ongoing cooking series, Cooking Eorzea!

Also, check out what eleven FINAL FANTASY XI Online enemies that I think need to be part of the upcoming Echoes of Vana’diel raid series in Dawntrail.

What do you think of Tuliyollal, Urqopacha, and Kozama’uka?

Did you preorder Dawntrail so you can get in during the June 28 early access period?

Let us know in the comments below!

The post Dawntrail Media Tour: Dawntrail Shows Promise to be the Best Expansion Yet appeared first on oprainfall.

This article is based on play of an in-development build of FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail, and content in the final version is subject to change.

Introduction to Pictomancer

Out of the two new jobs, I would definitely say that Pictomancer is the easier of the two to quickly grasp and use. As I experimented more and more with this job, I found myself assigning the various actions/role categories across two cross-bars in order to utilize the Pictomancer toolkit to its fullest. This job is debuting as part of the upcoming Dawntrail expansion and draws upon the Pictomancer class first brought to life by Relm Arrowny in FINAL FANTASY VI (that’s FINAL FANTASY III for those of you who are playing on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or SNES).

Playing as Pictomancer

Billed as a magical ranged DPS job, there are two major aspects to Pictomancer, Aetherhue Actions and Motif/Muse Magicks, with a smattering of other abilities thrown in. Each of the two main categories are assigned a different player HUD display: Paint/Palette Gauge and Canvases, respectively. I will first be diving into both of these, and then addressing the miscellaneous other abilities below. Please note there are Role Abilities for this job too, but none of those are unique to Pictomancer.

Please note that I was able to demo Pictomancer at the 100-level cap.

Aetherhue Actions

First up are Aetherhue Actions. Despite what you may think or anticipate, Aetherhue Actions are intended to be the bread-and-butter 1-2-3 combo actions for Pictomancer. Your regular cycle starts off with Fire in Red (single target) or Fire II in Red (AoE). Once that is activated, you next use Aero (I/II) in Green and then finally Water (I/II) in Blue to complete the combo. At this point, you accumulate a White Paint and you get 25 aether on the Palette Gauge HUD. White Paint can be consumed to use the spell Holy in White, which is an AoE attack. If you use Subtractive Palette when the Palette Gauge has 50 points in it, then you gain the effect of Monochrome Tones, which converts a single White Paint into a single Black Paint, and you get three stacks of Subtractive Palette to utilize.

Only once Subtractive Palette is active can you use the other 1-2-3 spell combo: Blizzard (I/II) in Cyan to Stone (I/II) in Yellow to Thunder (I/II) in Magenta. These are MUCH more damaging combo attacks than the Fire/Aero/Water combo, but they also grant you a White Paint and Aetherhues. With the converted Black Paint, you can cast Comet in Black, which is a more potent AoE attack than Holy in White. It is important to note that you can only use Comet in Black while under Monochrome Tones, and you can only cast the Blizzard/Stone/Thunder combo while Subtractive Palette is in effect. You can also still fire off Holy in White back to back with Comet in Black or with other Holy in White spells, even under the effect of Subtractive Palette.

This all sounds complicated, but it definitely is not. The majority of your damage is going to come through your Aetherhue Actions, and by doing the Fire/Aero/Water combo until you can swap over into the Blizzard/Stone/Thunder combo while firing off Holy and Comet AoE spells for as many times as you can. It was quite fun to do, and I was surprised at how little that I had to pay attention to the Palette Gauge in order to track my Aetherhues.

Your Aetherhue Actions are directly influenced by your Landscape Motif/Muse Magics, as I will detail below, and are the major reason why you’ll want to be firing off Starry Muse every chance (okay, every 120 seconds) that you get.

Motif/Muse Magicks

The second major half of this job is the Motif/Muse Magicks, and they are what you are thinking about the most when you see this job: A Pictomancer will paint Creature Motifs, Weapon Motifs, and Landscape Motifs on each of three canvases, and then bring them to life with magic.

First up, the Creature Motif. This spell has a 2.92 second cast time, with a 3.90 second recast timer. It also is a constantly changing action that will go from Pom Motif, Wing Motif, Claw Motif, and finally Maw Motif (in that order) when used. Once you use the Pom/Winged/Clawed/Fanged Muse ability (Living Muse Action turns into whatever painting is on the Canvas), it will then add that particular Depiction to the slot above the canvas as well as damage the enemy. Each Muse has a 40 second cooldown as well. When you have both Depiction of Pom and Depiction of Wings active, you create a Moogle Portrait that hangs out at the top of the Creature Canvas and will signal that you can use the Mog of the Ages ability that does significant AoE damage. Additionally, Retribution of the Madeen becomes available at level 100 when you have all four Motifs painted. These two Moogle and Madeen actions honestly really cool, and you will want to fire it off every 40 seconds or so in order to add another Depiction to the Creature canvas so you can build up to bringing out either the Moogle or Madeen to obliterate your foes.

The Weapon Motif is absolutely the most personally useful out of the three. First, you use the Hammer Motif ability, which appears when Weapon Motif is placed on the hotbar, and it paints a hammer on the Weapon Canvas (yes, that is the only weapon available so far). When you have a hammer on the canvas, you can use Striking Muse. This uses up the hammer painting and grants three stacks of Hammer Time. When you have Hammer Time active, you can then use Hammer Stamp to deal critical AoE damage at a large range. Hammer Stamp turns into Hammer Brush, and then into Polishing Hammer to complete the combo. Most crucially, you can still use the Hammer combo even while running away from enemies and it won’t be interrupted…which I found out firsthand during a FATE gone bad.

Finally, there is the Landscape Motif, which paints a starry sky over on the Landscape Canvas through the Starry Sky Motif when that particular action is placed on the hotbar. Every 120 seconds, you can then use the Starry Muse ability. This ability throws down a party AoE buff around the Pictomancer that increases the affected party members’ damage by 5%. It also gives the effect of Inspiration, which reduces the cast/recast timer for Star Prism and Aetherhue spells by 25%, lets you cast back-to-back Rainbow Drip spells, and lets you cast Star Prism. Star Prism restores the health of nearby party members and does AoE damage to enemies. Finally, there is the Hyperphantasia effect. If you perform five Aetherhue Actions or Star Prism spells, you are then granted the Rainbow Bright Enhancement. While that is in effect, Rainbow Drip (discussed in the next subsection) becomes an instant cast spell and has a reduced recast timer. If you can’t tell, Landscape Motif is more of a buff Motif than anything else, but it has a lot of really cool effects to help the party with. The AoE for party members was surprisingly large too, and I kept being surprised at how much I didn’t have to be in the deepest thick of battle to activate it.

If the Aetherhue Actions are the heart of the job’s mechanics, then the Motif/Muse Magicks are the extra necessary bits you will have to master the timing of in order to really execute Pictomancer successfully, since they simply add so much more damage with each Creature or Weapon cycles you do in combat. Also, because each motif can be recast immediately after battle, any Pictomancer worth their Archon Loaf will be reupping the motif paintings after battle and will be casting them whenever they can between Aetherhue Actions.

Miscellaneous Actions

Besides the Aetherhue Actions and Motif/Muse Magicks, there are a handful other Pictomancer actions. For example, there is the Tempera Coat, which acts like the Stoneskin of yester-era by absorbing damage up to 20% of your maximum HP and Tempera Grassa that absorbs 10% damage for yourself and other nearby party members. There is also Smudge, which lets you dash 15 yalms forward and gives you a very brief movement speed increase. Finally, there is Rainbow Drip. That spell does significant straight-line damage to enemies and also grants a White Paint. If you have Rainbow Bright Enhancement active, that means that you can rapidly stack up White Paints to then cast back-to-back Holy in White spells for even more damage.

Tempera Coat and Tempera Grassa are incredibly useful, if you can’t tell, and you will be using Rainbow Drip whenever you can to add that extra bit of damage to the battle — especially if you can cast a Holy in White Spell immediately afterwards with that new White Paint. Smudge is okay, but I found myself wishing that the movement speed boost lasted longer for out of battle purposes.

Pictomancer Actions/Unassignable Actions Charts

Below, I’ve attached collage photos of all of the different Pictomancer actions, roles, and traits that were available during the Dawntrail media tour so you can see it all for yourself.

Pictomancer Role/Traits

Additionally, here are the Pictomancer Role and Traits that were available during the Dawntrail Media Tour for me to try out.

Final Thoughts on Pictomancer

If you’ve made it this far, then you’re probably wondering how Pictomancer fits in with all the other jobs available to play. Pictomancer is primarily a magical ranged DPS job that offers limited party support through the Landscape Canvas and through the Tempera Coat and Tempera Grassa abilities. Pictomancer does not approach the support versatility of Dancer or Bard, but the 5% damage increase through the Landscape Canvas and Starry Muse is quite noticeable if it isn’t kept up whenever possible. Instead, Pictomancer utilizes all eight elements of the wheel (before Red Mage got to, surprisingly) to rotate two different color-themed combos with White/Black AoE attacks while simultaneously painting on the Weapon Canvas and Creature Canvas whenever those times are up. Additionally, there are few things more fun that activating Starry Muse, getting that Rainbow Bright Enhancement, and just spamming as many Rainbow Drip and Holy in White spells as possible during that timer window.

Pictomancer is a lot of fun to play, and it was not as difficult as it made it out to be when it was first demoed. The biggest challenge for this job is going to be remembering to use the appropriate Muse whenever the timer is up, so you can keep building those Creature and Weapon combos every chance you get. Finally, while I do not want to tout my own skills too much…I was able to pull enmity off the tank during the player dungeon we did during the Media Tour. It is an absolute BEAST of a job when it comes to doing damage if you can keep up on everything.

Please check out my thoughts on the new Viper job, see what Naoki Yoshida said during the Day 1 Media Tour Q&A, and what my overall thoughts are for the Dawntrail demo.

If you want more FINAL FANTASY XIV Online-themed content, then be sure to check out my ongoing cooking series, Cooking Eorzea!

Also, check out what eleven FINAL FANTASY XI Online enemies that I think need to be part of the upcoming Echoes of Vana’diel raid series in Dawntrail.

What do you think about Pictomancer? Are you excited to try it when Dawntrail is released for pre-order early access on June 28, 2024, and worldwide on July 2, 2024?

Let us know in the comments below!

The post Dawntrail Media Tour: Pictomancer Is Far More Than Just Painting-By-Numbers appeared first on oprainfall.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a full-scale fantasy RPG from the creative minds of the Persona series. Players will write their destiny and rise above fear as they step into a fantasy world unlike any other.

The post ATLUS Announces Metaphor: ReFantazio Livestream appeared first on oprainfall.

In a desert world where demons and humans suffer from extreme water shortages, Beelzebub, the Fiend Prince, and Rao, a small-town sheriff, form a tag team and set off on an adventure in search of a hidden water source.

If you’d like to know more about SAND LAND, visit the game’s official website.

The post SAND LAND – Sandstorm Trailer appeared first on oprainfall.

From the creators of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Dragon’s Crown, and Odin Sphere, Unicorn Overlord combines the timeless tactical RPG genre with overworld exploration and innovative battle system for a unique epic fantasy experience set in a beautifully lush game world that developer Vanillaware is known for creating.

Follow Alain, Prince of Cornia, as he flees the traitorous General Valmore and his uprising against the royal family. Traverse the vibrant world, cultivate a grand army with over 60 uniquely designed characters, and grow your renown throughout the five nations in this unique epic fantasy experience!

If you’d like to know more about Unicorn Overlord, visit the game’s official website.

The post Unicorn Overlord is Now Available appeared first on oprainfall.

Set on a mountain overrun by eerie monsters called the Seethe, this single-player action game will put your tactical and combat skills to the test.

As the protagonist Soh, it is the player’s duty to rescue villagers and restore peace along with the Maiden of the mountain, Yoshiro, by purging the defilement that infects their land on Mt. Kafuku. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess incorporates a unique real-time day to night cycle. During the day, the player’s strategy skills are put to the test as they deliberately plan to purge the defiled village by rescuing villagers, assigning roles to them, and fixing their defensive contraptions to prepare for an imminent battle. As night falls, it’s time to fight against the horrific Seethe that emerge from the Torii gates and aim to attack Yoshiro. Players must harness their combative skills as they defend the Maiden, adapt to the everchanging battle conditions, fight alongside the villagers, and use the power of Soh’s dance-like sword techniques. Enjoy a fusion of real-time strategy and exhilarating action by repeating this day-to-night cycle in order to purge the defilement and restore the land’s peace with Soh and Yoshiro.

The post Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess – New Gameplay Footage appeared first on oprainfall.

Bandai Namco Entertainment has announced a brand new game in the SWORD ART ONLINE universe, SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream. The game is developed by DIMPS (developer of SAO Fatal Bullet and Freedom Wars) and is an action co-op online game. Players will be able to choose from and play as over 20 characters from the SAO IP in co-op missions and 20-person boss raids. Online mode will also support cross-platform play. In addition to the online portion, Fractured Daydream also has a single-player offline story mode.

You can check out the game’s English-subbed announcement trailer below.

Bandai Namco describes the game as follows:

Worlds Collide. Blades Unite.

For new & seasoned SWORD ART ONLINE and anime fans, SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream delivers the ultimate co-op raid battle experience, featuring all-new gameplay mechanics, and a dream lineup of over 20 all-star characters from across the SWORD ART ONLINE universes. This is the ultimate SWORD ART ONLINE action game for SWORD ART ONLINE fans!

All-Star Roster

SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream boasts over 20 playable characters from across the SWORD ART ONLINE universe, spanning the IP’s anime (S1-S3) and movie series.

Each character belongs to a unique fighting class with its own attributes.

For SWORD ART ONLINE fans, this is a dream come true experience to commemorate the IP’s 10th Anniversary.

20 Player Co-Op Action

Players engage in exhilarating co-op action, including online dungeon raids against large mobs and even bigger bosses. Team up with up to 20 players around the world (cross gen support) to take down menacing monsters alongside your favorite SWORD ART ONLINE heroes and villains.​

Experience a unique combat system that allows players to swap seamlessly between party members. ​

Easy to learn, hard to master.

Original Storyline

SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream features a new original story where all SWORD ART ONLINE worlds collide, with out-of-the-box interactions between the different characters—enemies become allies, the dead becomes the undead, etc.

What would happen if characters from separate SWORD ART ONLINE worlds and timelines collided? If a changed past is the difference between life and death, how far would someone go to ensure they get their second chance? Players get to experience various interactions from across the best of all arcs (S1-S4) within the game.

A closed beta test (CBT) for the game is scheduled to start on March 11th at 12 am PDT. Those selected to participate will be able to play as Kirito, Agil, Argo, Sinon, Oberon, or Leafa. You can sign up for the CBT HERE. The schedule for the CBT is as follows:

March 11th
12:00 AM – 5:59 AM PDT

March 15th
1:00 AM – 8:59 PM PDT

March 16th – March 17th
1:00 AM – 2:59 AM PDT

An SAO game information program is scheduled to premiere on February 22, 2024 at 20:00 JST (3 am PST / 6 am EST) on the SAO βeater’s cafe YouTube channel. They will share more information on Fractured Daydream during the program.

SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream is scheduled to launch in 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. For more information, you can check out its official website (English, Japanese), follow Bandai Namco’s Official X Account, or follow the SAO Game X Account (English, Japanese).

SOURCES: Bandai Namco X Account, SAO Game X Account, Famitsu

The post SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream Coming 2024, CBT Announced appeared first on oprainfall.

Update: ATLUS has announced that the free demo will also be available on PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S this upcoming February 23rd.

Unicorn Overlord: Regain your throne alongside trustworthy allies in this tactical fantasy RPG from Vanillaware. Cultivate an army of over 60 characters – including humans, elves, massive beasts and heavenly angels – and traverse a vibrant world in the iconic Vanillaware style as you perform heroic deeds throughout the five nations.

If you’d like to know more about Unicorn Overlord, visit the game’s official website.

The post Nintendo Direct: Unicorn Overlord appeared first on oprainfall.

If you’d like to know more about Unicorn Overlord, visit the game’s official website.

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From the creators of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Unicorn Overlord shines in combining overworld exploration and an innovative battle system in the iconic Vanillaware style. Traverse the vibrant world, cultivate a grand army with over 60 uniquely designed characters, and grow your renown throughout the five nations in this unique epic fantasy experience!

If you’d like to know more about Unicorn Overlord, visit the game’s official website.

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During The Game Awards, SQUARE ENIX announced their upcoming brand new Mana game, Visions of Mana. The press release states that this game is headed to PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam, sometime in 2024. A more specific release date has not yet been announced at this time. Feel free to check out the brand new announcement trailer down below and read a little bit more about this upcoming game from the latest press release. Pictured above is some teaser artwork which the press release mentions was created by popular series artist HACCAN and gives players a glimpse of the iconic Tree of Mana. Let us know down in the comments what you all think of this brand new game announcement.

Since the series’ debut in 1991 as FINAL FANTASY ADVENTURE, a spin-off of the FINAL FANTASY series, Mana games have immersed players in bright vibrant worlds, breathtaking environments, heartwarming characters and high fantasy storylines across many genres and platforms. Fans of the series can expect new designs of the series’ beloved creatures from Mana series Illustrator Airi Yoshioka and a new captivating musical score composed by Mana series composers Hiroki Kikuta, Tsuyoshi Sekito and Ryo Yamazaki.

“I am delighted to finally be able to reveal Visions of Mana, the first mainline instalment to Mana series in over fifteen years” said Mana Series Producer, Masaru Oyamada. “The development team have been working hard to ensure that Visions of Mana remains faithful to the series that players know and love while also offering fans and newcomers a fresh new experience with an all-new story, characters, and gameplay mechanics. We cannot wait to share more details about the game with you soon.”

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During The Game Awards, ATLUS put out a new trailer for Metaphor: ReFantazio. They also announced that the game will be releasing sometime during Fall 2024. A more specific release date has not yet been announced at this time. Metaphor: ReFantazio will be available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows and Steam. Feel free to check out the brand new trailer down below. Also down below, you’ll find more info about the game from the latest press release, in addition to a few concept art pieces ATLUS has shared.

• Story

  • Our story takes place in The United Kingdom of Euchronia, where the assassination of the king brings chaos and unrest to the land.

Then, one fateful day, a magic known only to the king called the Royal Magic is invoked, and the world becomes embroiled in a royal tournament for the throne.

In the midst of this, the protagonist, together with his partner, the fairy Galica, must find a way to break the curse that has been placed on the prince that the kingdom believes to be dead. To do so, they depart on a journey across the vast land.

They will discover that in order to achieve their goal, they must participate in the tournament for the throne, and this great task shall require them to ally with many friends and followers of the various tribes inhabiting the world.

• Protagonist

  • Together with the fairy, Galica, he embarks on a journey to lift the deadly curse placed on his childhood friend, the prince of Euchronia.

He is a boy of the elda tribe, branded as a “”tainted”” people by the state religion who believe they have inherited dangerous and heretical magic. Being so rare among the populous, they are detested and discriminated against throughout the kingdom.”

• Gallica

  • Not only a traveling companion, Gallica is the guide who helps the protagonist carry out his mission to save the prince. Although she is too small to participate in battles, her knowledge of magic and ability to sense magla is superior to the protagonist due to her fairy nature. She doesn’t mince words, but she is a reassuring ally on his journey.

• Strohl

  • He is a young man of the clemar tribe who meets the protagonist in the recruitment centre for the State Army. A smart young man with a strong sense of justice, he hails from a noble family. And yet, it seems his circumstances are complicated, as it is rare for a noble to enlist in the army alongside commoners.

• Hulkenberg

  • A knight of the roussainte tribe and former member of the royal family’s Kingsguard who served by the prince’s side. Despite her young age, she excelled in the use of various weaponry, and was assigned to the personal guard of the prince. But when the prince was attacked, she failed to protect him and set out to wander, carrying the stigma of this failure in her heart.

• Heismay

  • A former knight of the eugief tribe. He has acute perception compared to most others, due in part to the eugief trait of being sensitive to sound.

With an appearance that differs greatly from other tribes, it’s not uncommon for eugiefs to be discriminated against—and it seems Heismay is no exception, his past his own burden to bear.

• New Concept Art

  • Journey through a vast and magnificent fantasy world. Explore the game alongside an intuitive and beautiful UI that elevates the experience. (Get an exciting sneak peek of the look of Metaphor: ReFantazio with new concept art pieces)

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ATLUS has put out a new Producer Dev Diary video for Persona 5 Tactica. Persona 5 Tactica is scheduled to this upcoming November 17th, 2023 for Ps4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. Feel free to check out the new Dev Diary video down below.

Take a deeper dive into the world of Persona 5 Tactica with Producer Atsushi Nomura in this special Dev Diary video!

If you’d like to know more about Persona 5 Tactica, visit the game’s official website.

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A new character has been announced for TEKKEN 8. The latest press release states that the new character, Victor Chevalier, is a brand new character from France, who’s voiced by French actor Vincent Cassel. Feel free to check out the brand new reveal trailer down below. TEKKEN 8 is scheduled to launch for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC on January 26th, 2024.

In the game, Victor Chevalier is a living legend who founded the UN’s independent forces. Descended from a lineage of distinguished knights, with a dream to rescue those in need, he followed the footsteps of his father and enlisted in the French Navy before joining the UN. As he felt the world was on the brink of being taken over by a corporate giant, he founded and trained the Raven Force, armed forces that have the authority to act at their own discretion to counter the corporation’s private armies. Armed with an haute couture suit and the latest optical weapons, Victor takes up the mantle as leader of the UN forces and readies himself for the fight.

If you’d like to know more about TEKKEN 8, visit the game’s official website.

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During yesterday’s Nintendo Direct, Contra: Operation Galuga was announced for Nintendo Switch. But according to the latest press release, not only is this latest Contra game from Konami and WayForward headed to Nintendo Switch, it’s also scheduled to launch on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam as well. Contra: Operation Galuga will be launching sometime in early 2024. A more specific release date has not yet been announced at this time. However, WayFoward mentions in their press release that while the game is initially launching digitally, sometime in the future, a physical version will also be released for consoles. The physical release is being done through Limited Run Games and will be available in both Standard and Collector’s Editions. Feel free to check out the announcement trailer down below and read a little bit more about the game from the press release.

Contra: Operation Galuga returns to the series’ classic roots as a thorough reimagining of the original NES/arcade Contra game from the 1980s. Iconic weapons and environments meet new stages, new enemies and bosses, new play mechanics, an updated power-up system, and modern graphics and sound.

Fan-favorite elite Contra commandos Bill Rizer and Lance Bean are redeployed into battle against the Red Falcon terrorist group, which has turned the once-peaceful Galuga Island into an all-out warzone where the fate of mankind hangs in the balance.

Up to two players can team up for co-op combat in Story Mode, and up to four players can join forces in Arcade Mode, as they run, jump, and shoot their way through various stages, including the jungle, the waterfall, and a hovercycle ride through an enemy base. Iconic weapons such as the spread shot, laser, and homing missiles return — now with the ability to stack two weapons of the same type for increased firepower — plus surplus weapons can be sacrificed to unleash awesome Overload abilities. The intense action will be enjoyed by Contra veterans and newcomers alike, thanks to three difficulty settings plus a variety of additional challenge options.

Key Features:

• The granddaddy of the run-‘n’-gun genre is back, reimagined and more action-packed than ever!

• A variety of explosive stages!! Infiltrate the jungle, ascend the waterfall, speed through an enemy base on a hovercycle, and more!

• Team up! Up to two-player co-op Story Mode and four-player Arcade Mode.

• Multiple playable characters with distinct abilities!

• Epic, screen-filling boss battles!

• New and fan-favorite weapons, now with stackable upgrades and incredible Overload abilities!

• Multiple difficulty options and a wealth of extra content

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XSEED Games and Marvelous Europe are celebrating STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life having been out now for one month. In celebration, a brand new costume, the Red Happi Coat costume, has been released as free DLC and a new Precious Memories live action trailer has been released as well. You can watch the new trailer down below and feel free to read a little bit more about the game from the latest press release. Also, if you haven’t checked it out yet, you can find our review of the game over here. STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life is currently available for Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam.

STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life brings players to Forgotten Valley, a tranquil community where they put down roots, begin their new carefree life growing crops and raising animals and weave a generation-spanning tale. Players will bring life to the land, find love among the town’s friendly folk, and make lasting memories with a family of their own.

This remake of an unforgettable tale of friendship, family, and farming blooms introduces a plethora of new events, enhanced festivals, a cornucopia of never-before-seen crops, and even more recipes to cook. Returning fans will find plenty of exciting updates to Forgotten Valley, while newcomers to the series will discover the joys of cozy farm life and the extraordinary characters that make the series shine.

If you’d like to know more about STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life, visit the game’s official website.

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Today the rogue-like Ed-0: Zombie Uprising has launched. Set in an alternate Edo period where zombies have begun infesting Japan, you can choose between a ninja, samurai, and a sumo wrestler to take on the undead. There are a number of different difficulty modes, along with an “EDO Shader” to give a new look to the game. You can take a look at the press release below.

OAKLAND, CA – July 13, 2023 – It’s time for OEDO-ZOMBIE! D3Publisher Inc., a leading Japanese games publisher, along with developer LANCARSE Ltd. today launched their zombie-filled survival rogue-like action title, Ed-0: Zombie Uprising for PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Originally in Early Access on Steam starting in April 2022, the full global launch of the game comes with numerous new content additions and updates resulting in over 100 gameplay hours. Ed-0: Zombie Uprising is available for purchase digitally for a MSRP of $29.99 / €28.99.

Designed for brutal strategic battles in a rogue-like format, Ed-0: Zombie Uprising takes place in a fictional Edo-era Japan where hordes of hungry zombies have raided the isolated country. No dungeon run will be the same, so players’ judgment will be of the utmost importance, having to face “once-in-a-lifetime” challenges with a wide variety of random elements amid dangerous foes. Ed-0: Zombie Uprising includes various undead enemies, ranging from “newly interpreted” Japanese zombies to foreign invaders born after the “Zombie Industrial Revolution.” Players will unlock more as they play (and succeed) with an increasing number of possibilities to customize builds to their liking—with the option to bump up the level of difficulty to test one’s capability.

Launch Features

The launch of Ed-0: Zombie Uprising adds a suite of new content including the Ninja as a playable character, five new stages and additional challenge stages and side quests, new bosses and enemy types, Blessings, in-game events, additional character-build options, and more. With the release of version 1.0, D3PUBLISHER has also taken time to address community feedback and implement quality-of-life updates to make for a better overall gameplay experience. The team has improved the overall rogue-like and action elements, strengthened the utility of Charms, Secret Arts, and items, and added new difficulty options (+Hard, Hell, and Edo) to give players even more flexibility in how they play. Lastly, the team has added an “EDO Shader” option that adds a fun twist to the visual style.

For additional information on Ed-0: Zombie Uprising, please visit the official Discord, the community page on Steam, and D3PUBLISHER Inc. to keep up with upcoming content and news. Fans eager to fight back against the zombie horde can also visit the official strategy guide website. This title has been rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB.

About D3PUBLISHER, Inc.

D3PUBLISHER, a member of BANDAI NAMCO group, is a Japanese video game publisher. Established in 1992, the company has published console and mobile/online games from some of the industries most beloved franchises and series, including EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5, Onechanbara, the Simple series, and more. For more information, visit https://www.d3p.co.jp.

Ed-0: Zombie Uprising is now available digitally on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

SOURCE: Press Release

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Yesterday at Anime Expo 2023, ATLUS showed off a brand new Persona 3 Reload trailer. You can check out this latest trailer down below. Also don’t forget, Persona 3 Reload is scheduled to launch sometime in early 2024 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Windows and Steam. The press release also mentions that it will be available at launch on Xbox Game Pass as well. A more specific release date has not yet been announced at this time.

We’ve been waiting for this – new Persona 3 Reload gameplay footage featuring the first look at our English VO cast has been shown at Anime Expo!

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SEGA has released a brand new teaser trailer for the latest upcoming entry in the Like a Dragon series, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The game was previously announced as Like a Dragon 8 at the RGG Summit this past September. It was stated back then that the game would be headed to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Windows and Steam sometime in 2024 and the official website still lists all of those platforms. However, the release date time frame has been updated from a general 2024 release to Early 2024. Since it’s an age-restricted video you’ll have to watch the latest teaser trailer over on YouTube, but feel free to discuss your thoughts down in the comments here.

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