Press Release:

Become the representative of the famous B-Project in this unforgettable idol Visual Novel. Support a group of 14 idols from their humble beginnings through to stardom. Befriend them, influence their music and help them through their turbulent lives as they follow their dreams. 

The leader of the five piece group of MooNs, Kazuna is smart and competitive, but the need for success often gets in his own way. Despite everyone seeing him as highly successful and reliable, he has a distinct lack of self-worth that drives him to constantly do better.

Kazuna is voiced by Uemura Yuto.

The three-man group of THRIVE is known for its professional and dance-inducing songs. Their leader Kento is quite a ladies man with a happy go lucky attitude. Despite his lackadaisical attitude, he will do everything he can for his fans, even the things that he’s not particularly good at. Some see him as narcissistic and he can be very stubborn at times.

Kento is voiced by Kato Kazuki.

The final group to join B-PROJECT, KiLLER KiNG are a group of four that are juniors compared to the other idol groups.  Akane is the groups leader, and is easy to engage with. He is always willing to help others, but sometimes suffers from low self-esteem. However, his fellow members know how important he is to the group.

Fudo is voiced by Chiba Shoya.

The post B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA – Release Date Announced appeared first on oprainfall.

SINce memories: Off The Starry Sky is coming to Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4.

Here is more about the game from the press release:

The post SINce Memories: Off The Starry Sky Coming West appeared first on oprainfall.

Become the representative of the famous B-Project in this unforgettable idol Visual Novel. Support a group of 14 idols from their humble beginnings through to stardom. Befriend them, influence their music and help them through their turbulent lives as they follow their dreams. 

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Experience a new Konosuba adventure featuring a fully voiced cast of fan-favourite characters from the series. Embark on an exciting visual novel adventure, creating clothes to break the curse whilst building affection with up to seven heroines! Each heroine has her own ending and special CGs – so pick your words wisely and avoid invoking their wrath!

• A new KONOSUBA adventure: Kazuma, Megumin, Aqua and Darkness encounter yet another curse and it’s your job to break it!

• A mysterious black slab: causes a new curse which flips the user’s deepest desires, are you ready for reversed versions of your favourite characters?

• Fully voiced Japanese visual novel: enjoy the voices of the original anime cast to bring this visual novel experience to life.

• It’s time to play dress-up: the curse can only be broken by satisfying the body and soul of the flipped desires! It’s time to dress-up the characters in exciting, unexpected outfits!

• Work against the clock: select and schedule in work for the gang to gather the resources and money needed, to craft the outfits you need before the deadline!

• ‘Special Swimsuit’ DLC announced for launch which features exciting additional scenarios and costumes for each of the three main heroines.

• Can you break the curse? Enjoy another KONOSUBA story, break the curse that your favourite characters have been hit with by sending them to work to gather resources and make outfits which fulfil their new, twisted desires, in this comedy visual novel. 

If you’d like to know more about KONOSUBA – God’s Blessing On This Wonderful World! Love For These Clothes Of Desire!, visit the official website.

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Corpse Party is a series I have never played any games from before and knew little about going into this review. When Corpse Party (2021) was announced, however, I was intrigued enough to try it out and have something horror related to play in October. I probably should’ve been more informed going into this one though, it’s definitely a game you need to have yourself fully mentally prepared for.

Corpse Party begins with a group of classmates hanging out for their final afternoon together before one of them, Mayu Suzumoto, transfers to a new school. Since it’s Mayu’s last day at school, Ayumi Shinozaki suggests they all do the “Sachiko Ever After” charm. Unfortunately, rather than being an innocent charm that binds them all together as friends forever like they thought it would, it instead transfers them to the long ago destroyed school of Heavenly Host Elementary, where horrendous murders took place. And this is where the adventure begins. You’ll find yourself in control of just one of the classmates as they all got separated into different groups. Throughout each chapter you’ll take control of different characters and traverse Heavenly Host with the hope of finding your friends and escaping the cursed school.

The gameplay involves walking around the school, clicking on stuff and finding your way forward. You’ll run into puzzles, ghosts, the occasional item to collect for future use and a lot of death. If you miss even the most minute thing, or make any incorrect choices, you’ll run into one of numerous bad ends and fail to unlock the next chapter. For the most part, the game played smoothly. However, it felt clunky trying to avoid malevolent spirits in certain close quarter areas you get trapped in. I dreaded getting trapped and hunted by the dead. But perhaps that was the point? It is what one would expect going into a horror game such as this. Nonetheless, from what little I read up on Corpse Party during my time with it, it seems that might simply be a flaw of the game’s age and not necessarily intended.

I was constantly on edge while exploring Heavenly Host Elementary, anxiously awaiting my death, because as I quickly realized, it wasn’t easy to get through unscathed. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the game though. Like XSEED advertised on the official website (linked above), the sound is fantastic should you play Corpse Party (2021) with headphones. All the little sounds around you, along with the music, keeps one fully immersed. I actually found myself somewhat tired out after getting completely absorbed into the many hours of horror. I ended up spending over 15 hours on the game in total, but if you’re looking to collect and unlock absolutely everything, or have some trouble getting through without hitting too many bad ends, I can see this one taking you quite a few more hours than that.

While I’m on the topic of unlocking stuff, there are various “Extra Chapters” you’ll unlock through playing the game. From what I gathered through playing and looking into it some more, you unlock these chapters a couple of different ways. Some of them are unlocked by successfully completing the required main chapters (there are five of those) and getting their true ends, some are actually unlocked from specific bad ends, and some of them are continuations you’ll unlock after you finish the prior Extra Chapter it begins at. These Extra Chapters show you a bit of history on the characters and their relationships, in addition to what happened to certain characters during the main game; when the classmate you were in control of wasn’t with them. Plus, this new 2021 version of Corpse Party has a brand new chapter which takes place in the modern day with two new characters. Although, it seems like it’s only the beginning of their story. It covers a little bit of their life and history before Heavenly Host Elementary and then, like our other main characters, they eventually perform the charm ritual and get trapped there.

I wouldn’t exactly say I had a great time with Corpse Party (2021), it was indeed a dark game that I don’t think I was quite prepared for. Still, the game is exactly what it’s supposed to be and, as I said earlier, I was completely sucked into it whenever I played. Corpse Party’s story is messed up at times and, if you plan to get into it, you should be completely prepared for what exactly you’re getting into. If you happen to be a horror fan though who has never played Corpse Party before, then I definitely highly recommend Corpse Party (2021). This is absolutely the game for you and there’s no better time to pick it up than now.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy was provided by the publisher. A copy of your own will cost $19.99.

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Earlier today XSEED Games announced that they’ll be releasing Corpse Party (2021) for PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, GOG and the Humble Store. The game will be out this upcoming October 20th. Various platforms will have a discount during the initial launch week. On Xbox and Switch the game will be 10% off at launch. On PS4 it will be 10% off only for PS Plus members. On PC, XSEED says that the game will also come bundled with the original Corpse Party by GrisGris for a 25% discount on the complete bundle. Or if you already have the original Corpse Party on Steam or GOG, you can get that 25% off on the 2021 version releasing later this month. This new 2021 version of Corpse Party comes with some brand new content which you can read about down below. Also down below is the brand new announcement trailer for the game.

The haunted halls of Heavenly Host Elementary School are waiting for their next victim! Based on the cult classic that started the series in 1996, Corpse Party (2021) has been updated for the next generation of horror fans while retaining its 16-bit charm. In addition to the five main story chapters, each with multiple gruesome endings, the title features 16 “Extra Chapters” expanding the series’ lore, characters, and relationships, including two brand-new episodes introducing new characters with intriguing roles to play. The “Extra Chapters” included in this release are also fully voiced in Japanese for the first time in the West.

Key Features

• Atmospheric Retro-Style Graphics -16-bit-style visuals based on the original indie game’s designs paired with gruesome descriptions and heart-pounding sound design will have players’ imaginations running wild with visions of horror

• Adventure-Style Gameplay Where Every Choice Counts -As a cross between a point-and-click adventure game and a battleless RPG, Corpse Party lets players explore every corner of Heavenly Host Elementary and make choices that significantly change the course of the story and its characters’ fates

• New Extra Chapters Add to the “Fun” -Two original Extra Chapters expand on the relationship between series favorites Ayumi and Yoshiki, as well as introducing Miku Shirayume and Ryoka Iwami, two brand new characters with their own intriguing roles to play in the grisly legend of Heavenly Host Elementary

• Innovative Sound Design -Listen to the fully voiced Japanese audio and enjoy another level of immersion thanks to binaural 3D recording techniques that create a simulated surround sound experience for headphone users for another dimension in horror

If you’d like to know more about Corpse Party (2021), visit the official website.

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Title	Ogre Tale
Developer	MAGES.inc
Publisher	Degica
Release Date	August 20, 2020 (PC) TBA (PS4, XB1, Switch)
Genre	Action, Beat ’em up
Platform	PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Age Rating	N/A
Official Website

From the people that brought us Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds, MAGES.inc have given us a new beat ’em up to take a look at called Ogre Tale. Admittedly, my initial impressions of the game were not very positive, and I heard some patches were coming. So, I held off on reviewing it to give the game a more fair chance when it came time to actually write the review. Thankfully, the patches addressed some bugs and improved compatibility across other operating systems. Initially, this game only supported Windows 10, but has since been updated to work on Windows 7 or 8.

Ogre Tale tells the story of Momotaro, the hero who wiped out a tribe of ogres terrorizing Japan. Centuries later, one of Momotaro’s descendants becomes bored of his normal life and decides to gather up a bunch of Yokai and start causing havoc across the country. Now it’s up to three ogre girls, descendants of the very ogres that Momotaro had defeated in the past, to stop this “Pink Menace.” I have to say, Ogre Tale has kind of an interesting premise with how it’s essentially flipping the script on an old Japanese fairy tale. And really, Ogre Tale is all about being tongue in cheek. The story doesn’t take itself too seriously, and there are plenty of jokes and references to other video games and pop culture to be found. The characters always have some wisecrack to make or break the fourth wall and comment about the game’s localization. If you like video games with really quirky dialogue, you’ll probably get a kick out of the cutscenes.

You can play as three characters, and it’s up to you to fight off hoards of enemies throughout each of the levels. Ogre Tale is a single plane beat ’em up similar to The Ninja Warriors but with mechanics that are closer to Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds. You have one main attack button, an “ultimate attack” button, a block button and a long range attack button. You can, of course, counter attacks, juggle enemies in the air, recover from falling down, and also roll out of the way of an attack. The stages love to overwhelm you with a large number of enemies and the action can get quite frantic at times, especially considering you are restricted to one plane. To alleviate this, enemies can be knocked into each other, making throws a valuable asset in your character’s move-list. There are about 20 main missions for you to complete and, while they aren’t too long, they will have you revisiting areas more than once. In addition to this, are side missions with more varied mission objectives, such as defeating a certain amount of enemies without taking damage, or finding an item in the level. Your move-set starts off rather limited, but after you’ve completed a particular mission, you gain access to a whole new set of moves that can not only be leveled up, but are incredibly powerful and really open up the potential for some nasty combos. While it’s nice that the game gives you so many options, they aren’t available to you until almost 10 missions into the game, meaning those early levels can feel like a real slog at times. Despite it being only a single plane, some levels will have you pressing up to go inside rooms or other sections of the level. Later in the game there is a maze where you must enter each section in the correct order. It’s a bit annoying to get through, but the characters will offer lots of hints to help you along the way.

The game will start off rather challenging since your characters are weak but, thankfully, you will earn experience and money by completing a mission. You will want to complete as many as you can, because certain bosses can be particularly deadly if you aren’t prepared for them. Of course, having the right weapon equipped on your character can also help you significantly, however, that comes with its own share of frustrations. You can obtain new weapons by finding them in the stages or purchasing them in the shop. The only problem is that the weapon’s stats are completely random, and you will have no idea what a weapon’s stats are in the store until after you purchase and view it in your inventory. This is a very annoying system as it turns buying weapons into a game of luck, and you can potentially waste quite a bit of money buying weapons that are useless. On the other hand, you can also find a weapon that is so laughably overpowered in a level and steamroll the game with it. I’m not kidding when I say that some boss fights have gone from being ridiculously difficult to pathetically easy simply because I got lucky and stumbled upon a particularly strong weapon that took them down in no time. Along the way you can also find gems which can be equipped on a weapon to buff your stats or grant your character a new ability, like double jumping or air dashing, among others. The problem is that weapons have a limited number of slots (which is random like the stats), and once you put a gem in, the upgrade is permanently tied to that weapon. If you equip a new weapon, you will lose those extra abilities. I really wish those abilities could be learned by your characters as they level up, like you could in Battle Grounds. I understand they wanted to be a bit different and implement a weapon-looting system, but I really don’t think Ogre Tale benefits from it much, and it makes the game’s difficulty incredibly unbalanced.

Visually, the game looks about on par with its predecessor. It has a very similar anime aesthetic and some nicely animated 2D sprites. The Yokai are big and expressive, and your characters look distinct and stand out nicely among the crowd. The music isn’t anything too memorable but fits the setting and environments well. The bosses look impressive and take up a big chunk of the screen, however, due to the balancing issues I mentioned before, they don’t really feel satisfying to fight. You’re either ridiculously overpowered or frustratingly underpowered. Thankfully, if you lose, you can restart at the boss fight as many times as you want without penalty. Your first playthrough should take you about 2-3 hours but, of course, there are two harder difficulty modes, extra side missions, and other characters for you to play as. The game apparently features an online matchmaking system, however, I have never been able to successfully find a match to test it.

At $19.99, Ogre Tale is a hard one to recommend, especially over Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds, a game that is not only cheaper, but features more gameplay modes, playable characters, better difficulty balance, a more satisfying upgrade system, and tighter boss battles. On its own, it’s not a bad game, but a really underwhelming follow up to what was a really solid beat ’em up.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy provided by the publisher

The post REVIEW: Ogre Tale appeared first on oprainfall.

Title	Steins;Gate Elite
Developer	MAGES inc.
Publisher	Spike Chunsoft
Release Date	February 19th, 2019
Genre	Platformer
Platform	PS4, Switch, PC
Age Rating	M
Official Website

So we’re back with a new Steins;Gate adventure, well kind of. Steins;Gate Elite is the latest version of the popular Visual Novel. What makes this edition special is that it is ENTIRELY animated in the style of the also popular anime adaptation.

Steins;Gate follows the antics of self-proclaimed “Mad Scientist” Okabe Rintaro who goes by the name Houhouhin Kyoma. He begins to learn about the possibility of time travel after going to a seminar at a convention. Initially he isn’t convinced, but eventually begins to realize the possibility of it and even manages to “accidentally” create a time machine. But little as he knows, his actions with it will have serious consequences that affect him and those close to him. Even though Steins;Gate has been around for quite some time and I’m sure many of you have either read the original Visual Novel or watched the solid anime adaptation by this point. But as stated above, I will refrain from spoiling it here because it is a story well worth experiencing on your own, especially since the events will lead into Steins;Gate 0 which in some ways is an even more compelling story. I enjoyed it so much, that I and reviewed it twice.

Steins;Gate Elite is almost the same as the previous version of the game even right down the the in game music. That’s not necessarily a bad thing since the original, had a very varied soundtrack that perfectly conveyed the situations the characters found themselves in. You had your more comical tunes for the lighthearted moments and more intense music for those moments where you know something crazy is about to happen. And believe me there is plenty of “crazy” to be had here. Some fans of the original visual novel may lament the change in art style, but to be honest I found the way it was implemented here to be quite fascinating. It’s different than what you typically see in the genres where characters are usually static with a handful of facial expressions or poses that get shown when appropriate. In Steins;Gate Elite, outside of specific CGs, everything is in motion and surprisingly in sync with the text. The quality of the animation is top notch and really brings the characters to life and, dare I say, makes certain scenes a lot more engaging. The animated adaptation of Steins;Gate, while definitely serviceable by its own merits, does leave out some story branches from the original visual novel. So seeing some of those animated for the first time in the same style of the anime was actually really cool and made this feel like an even more complete experience than watching the anime.

The HUD and menus have been revamped as well and they look fantastic, very stylish and easy to read and use, making this a very smooth experience. Of course features such as skip, auto read, or hiding the text box and options for text speed are still there, so you can tailor the experience to your liking. The main gameplay element of the original Steins;Gate consisted of you bringing up your phone at various moments to answer texts you receive from the other characters. Replying to these emails will trigger other story branches and in some cases determine whether or not you are getting a particular ending. These “Phone Triggers” were streamlined in this release. The game will automatically stop and bring up the phone as soon as you get one, which means you won’t miss a message that was important. Unfortunately this means that you can’t bring up the phone manually or gain new wallpapers, attachments or ringtones. With that said, getting the True Ending is still a rather long process where you have to send very specific messages at various points in the story starting from chapter 4 all the way until the end at chapter 10. Making separate saves in addition to the game’s automatic quick saves is highly recommended.

If you bought Steins;Gate Elite on the PS4 you’ll get a bonus spinoff called Linear Bounded Phenogram that follows several stories featuring the various characters in Steins;Gate. Linear Bounded Phenogram gives you access to various stories set in different “World lines” taking place both during and after the original story. Some of them are downright ridiculous but others are in line with what Steins;Gate established in its setting and cast. If you ever wanted to see Okabe don a giant Alpaca outfit and attempt to fight crime in Akiba, then you’re going to love this! Unlike Elite, the graphics and visuals are done in the same style as the original Visual Novel, so it feels more like an extension of that. Really Linear Bounded Phenogram is for fans of the original Visual Novel who wanted to spend an extra 10 hours or so with these characters. There are 11 scenarios altogether and each character has a moment to shine in it too.

Steins;Gate Elite is for people who have either never experienced Steins;Gate before, people who have never read a Visual Novel, were turned off by their lack of animation or those who want to experience the story in a slightly different way. If you find the anime visuals to be too off-putting, then the original Visual Novel is available on PC, PS3 and the PlayStation Vita. Not only are those available both in physical and digital format, but they are also cheaper than this new $59.99 release. However if you have played the original and are curious about Linear Bounded Phenogram, then you should consider checking this release out as well. No matter which version of Steins;Gate you experience, you’re in for a hell of a ride that can last you a solid 30 hours or more if you try and get every single ending or route.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy provided by the publisher

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Today XSEED Games has announced that Corpse Party: Book of Shadows is now out on PC. This is the first port developed entirely by XSEED in house and it comes with tons of new features. These include upgraded graphics, mouse support, controller support and an new auto-save feature.

The game is out now for Windows PC via Steam, GOG, and Humble Store by Humble Bundle for $14.99/€14.99/£12.99 with a launch week discount of 10%.

The post Corpse Party: Book of Shadows Out on PC in time for Halloween appeared first on oprainfall.

This week’s issue of Weekly Famitsu has revealed the Japanese release date for the latest entry in the Science Adventure series, Robotics;Notes DaSH. The sci-fi visual novel will launch for PS4 and Switch in Japan on 22nd November for 7,800 yen (+ tax) at retail and 7,000 yen via digital download.

The story features the former members of the Robot Club following their graduation from high school. The characters try to follow their dreams starting with Kaito Yashio. Additionally, Daru from Steins;Gate will be making an appearance. The opening theme is performed by Zwei while the ending theme is performed by Kanako Itou. The background music is being handled by Konomi Suzuki.

SOURCE

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Spike Chunsoft have announced at their Anime Expo 2018 Uchikoshi Panel that they will be localising the 2016 remake of the time travel visual novel Yu-No: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of the World for North America and Europe.

It will release in 2019 for PS4 and PC. The Switch and PS Vita versions have not been announced for localisation.

Here is a description of the game via VNDB:

Takuya Arima is a young student whose father, a historian who has conducted various researches, disappeared recently. During a summer vacation Takuya receives a peculiar package from his missing father, along with a letter containing information about the existence of various parallel worlds. At first Takuya doesn’t take it seriously, but soon he realizes that he possesses a device that allows him to travel to alternate dimensions. Is his father alive, after all? If so, where is he?

SOURCE

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The sequel to the popular visual novel is about to arrive on Steam. Coming May 8th, owners of the original STEINs;GATE will be able to purchase STEINS;GATE 0 at a 10% discount. STEINS;GATE itself will also be on Steam for a lower price. STEINS;GATE Elite will be available on Steam in 2018 as well.

To celebrate the anime, the Funimation team is streaming STEINS;GATE 0 for Steam on their official channels on April 30th, 2 PM PDT.

STEINS;GATE 0 itself continues the theme of time travel, but adds AI as the new central hook for the plot. Prevent World War 3 by altering time itself with a group of young students. Interestingly, this plot is a what-if were the players fail the original plot.

PRESS RELEASE

STEINS;GATE 0 COMES TO STEAM MAY 8

WITH A DISCOUNT FOR STEINS;GATE OWNERS!

LONG BEACH, CA, April 26, 2018 — Experience the beta worldline in STEINS;GATE 0, available for Steam® on May 8! If you already own the original STEINS;GATE, you can save 10% on STEINS;GATE 0 with the discounted Steam bundle. But that’s not all, STEINS;GATE will be up on Steam for a lower price! STEINS;GATE ELITE will also be available for Steam in 2018.

Spike Chunsoft has teamed up with Funimation! To celebrate the first episode of the STEINS;GATE 0 anime  SimulDub on FunimationNow, the Funimation team is streaming STEINS;GATE 0 for Steam on their official channels on April 30 at 2PM PDT!

About the STEINS;GATE series

In 2009, 5pb. and Nitroplus created the award-winning science-fiction, interactive visual novel known as STEINS;GATE. Since then, the series has spawned a manga, drama CDs, a movie, a live action stage play, and an anime, including the now-airing STEINS;GATE 0, and is loved by fans worldwide.

About STEINS;GATE 0

A new story in the critically-acclaimed STEINS;GATE series. From the depths of despair—explore a whole new world line. Your favorite characters return alongside a brand new cast!

Key Features

• STEINS;GATE 0 continues the time travelling theme – but adds artificial intelligence as its central hook
• Help a group of young students bend time to their will and prevent the onset of World War 3
• Beautiful artwork and engaging story for an unforgettable experience
• Tells the story of an ‘Alternate Worldline’ – what happens if players failed the original story
• Interact with the story using your smart phone – answering (or not!) your phone, and your responses, will determine the outcome to the story

The post STEINS;GATE 0 Coming to Steam with Discounted Bundle appeared first on oprainfall.

At GDC, Spike Chunsoft have announced that they will be handling the western release of STEINS;GATE Elite, a remake of the original STEINS;GATE visual novel using animated scenes from the anime as opposed to the artwork seen in the original release. Even better this will be released on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Steam. For more information on STEINS;GATE Elite you can read the official announcement for the game below:

Spike Chunsoft, Inc. is excited to debut STEINS;GATE ELITE, its first visual novel adventure from their MAGES. Inc. partnership for the West, which will be available on the PlayStation®4 system, Nintendo Switch, and Steam®! Preorders are now available at your local retailer, and the game will be released physically and digitally in 2018.

An HD remake of STEINS;GATE PHENOGRAM, a collection of 10 additional stories written by renowned writers including the Zero Escape series scenario writer, Mr. Kotaro Uchikoshi, will be available for the PS4 version. For the Nintendo Switch version, STEINS;GATE 8-bit, a special 8-bit graphics and chiptune version of the game developed by series creator Mr. Chiyomaru Shikura, will be available. Details on how to obtain the DLC are coming soon.

Tune in to Spike Chunsoft’s twitch stream tonight, March 23, at 5:00PM PST on twitch.tv/spike_chunsoft for a special feature on STEINS;GATE ELITE and the chance to win prizes!

About STEINS;GATE ELITE

Now, as STEINS;GATE ELITE, the game is fully remastered with animated scenes from the anime, creating a perfectly new, immersive experience. follows a rag-tag band of tech-savvy young students who discover the means of changing the past via e-mail using a modified microwave. Their experiments in pushing the boundaries of time begin to spiral out of control as they become entangled in a conspiracy surrounding SERN, the organization behind the Large Hadron Collider, and John Titor, who claims to be from a dystopian future.

Key Features

•Fully Animated Adventure – Indulge in all the beautiful animation from 24 episodes of the STEINS;GATE anime.
•A New Way to Time Leap – Experience the world of STEINS;GATE with this remastered, ultimate version that features newly animated sequences for certain endings.
•Branching Storylines – Every choice you make has its own consequence, shifting the world line closer or farther from reaching 1% divergence, providing a multitude of animated endings.

SOURCE: Press Release

Additionally, Quentin has also interviewed Yoko Marron the Executive Director of Content at Spike Chunsoft and he had some very interesting things to say about this release in particular with regards to the animated scenes being pulled from the anime. This interview is not yet out but we will give you a quick sneak peek:

Yoko Marron, Executive Director of Content and Product

Operation Rainfall: “Just in general – What is Steins;gate Elite?”

Yoko Marron [Excutive Director of Content and Product]: “Steins;Gate Elite is a remastered version of the original game Steins;Gate, but it is remastered with fully animated scenes that uses animation from the twenty-four episodes [of the] anime series, as well as newly-created scenes -fully animated scenes- that were not in the anime series.”

OR: “So just to clarify – Some of the original character paths that were not in the original anime that were exclusive to the original Steins;Gate game have now been animated fully for this release?”

YM: “Correct.”

The post GDC – STEINS;GATE Elite to Release in the West in 2018 appeared first on oprainfall.

Spike Chunsoft is about to establish a North American Branch for their own games. It will handle global publishing, marketing, and localization strategies. Their line-up will include from the parent company and due a new partnership with Dwango partnership MAGES as well. More will be revealed at Game Developers Conference in March 2018. It will include product demos and an invite-only event for more details of their expansion plans.

PRESS RELEASE

But even as information is more easily shared, the world still holds a wealth of undiscovered entertainment. As Spike Chunsoft, it is our goal to cultivate this potential into something new and memorable that transcends time, genre, and nationality

Until now, our titles were produced in Japan and distributed worldwide by our business partners. But given how the instantaneous speed of information has become the norm, we believe that communicating with our overseas audience directly is a new avenue for us to create joy.

Spike Chunsoft, Inc. connects us with our fans and their passion to producing more of the fun and unique titles the global community has come to expect from us.

We can’t wait to say “Hello, world!”

The post Spike Chunsoft Establishing North American Branch appeared first on oprainfall.

I want to preface this by first saying that dungeon crawling games are new to me. I didn’t really even start to get interested in them until I played Persona on the PSP, so I didn’t know what to think when I first started playing Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy. So what were my final thoughts after beating the product? Well let’s dive right in and find out.

Tokyo has recently been overrun by a powerful enemy known as the Variants that emerged from a labyrinth known as the Abyss. Tokyo’s only hope is a secret government association known as the X Team. Members of the X Team have special powers that are used specifically to deal with the menace. Your task is to enter the labyrinth and put an end to the horrible creatures. The story in this game is beautifully crafted, and it only gets more in depth the deeper you plunge into the Abyss. The characters are wonderfully written, and I never really found myself bored with any of them. The game is split up into various chapters with story bits wonderfully interwoven between the dungeon crawling.

Now we get into the meat of this game, the gameplay. You move through the dungeon one block at a time and fight enemies, simple. The twist comes in how you fight the enemies. Every enemy has its own class, types, or weakness. On the surface this doesn’t sound too bad, until you realize you can’t target specific enemies. That’s right, if you’re in a group fight then you can only attack the group. This quickens the pace, but also adds a slight bit of difficulty as not all enemies are weak to the same thing. It becomes necessary to change around your party so that you have as much type coverage as possible. You can carry six people into the dungeon at any given time, so be sure to use that to your advantage. There’s also an encounter gauge that you get a little bit later on that fills up the more you battle, which adds a risk versus rewards system as well. The game wasn’t too difficult, even on the higher settings, but these added a nice bit of challenge every now and again. The bosses in this game I found quite challenging, and I had loads of fun fighting them. They’re all unique and don’t really feel duplicated. They’re probably the most fun part of this game, apart from the story, that is.

Normally by now I’d have already been over the presentation of the game, but all I have to say is wow. The character and enemy portraits are beautiful, and I found myself rapidly grabbing screenshots just because of how gorgeous they were. The locations were very run of the mill, but I didn’t really mind all too much. The music, as well, was really fantastic, to the point where I actually went out of my way and purchased the soundtrack for an extra $4.99 on Steam. If I had to complain about anything, it’s that there just weren’t enough of anything. There was very little enemy or location variations throughout the game, and that’s a shame because I would have liked to see what else they could have done.

Overall Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy is a really fun game that I’ve enjoyed for the past 30 or so hours that I played it. The game is $19.99 on Steam right now, and that seems like the perfect price to me. If you’re a fan of this genre, or you’re just looking for something to sink your teeth into, then I definitely recommend picking this up. Despite the lack of variation on the Variants (the irony), I still had an absolute blast with this game, and I’m sure you will too.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy provided by the publisher

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5pb have released the Xbox One version of the time travelling visual novel Steins;Gate 0 exclusively on the Japanese Xbox Games Store today. For the first week of release, the game will be available for the very low price of 1,890 yen however once this discount ends the price will be increased to 7,560 yen. This release joins the PS4, PS3, PS Vita and PC versions of the game available in the country. In the West, Steins;Gate 0 is exclusive to the PS4 and PS Vita.

SOURCE

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Corpse Party for the 3DS is the newest edition of Corpse Party. This version of the game is a spruced up port of the PSP and iOS remake. What started out as a little RPG Maker game has now made its way here. Changes from the PSP/iOS version include re-done character graphics, remixed music, some new bad endings and a few extra chapters.

Corpse Party starts out with some high school kids hanging out after class, with one student telling a ghost story. One of the students is going to be transferring to a different school and this is their last day here. Another student has the idea to perform a little ritual that would ensure they would all stay friends forever. After performing said ritual, a massive earthquake happens, the floor of the classroom gives way and everyone falls into a hole. They then find themselves in an old school that is haunted by not very friendly spirits. It’s up to you then to figure out what’s going on and hopefully escape.

Corpse Party is broken down into 5 separate chapters, each one typically focusing on different characters. There’s one correct ending and multiple wrong endings for each chapter. Failing to accomplish a particular goal or dying in various circumstances earns one of the wrong endings.

The story in this game is presented very well. The mystery of the school slowly unfolds as you discover more things about the spirits that haunt it. There’s also a twist or two along the way to spice things up. For most of the game though, it spends more time on character interactions. Each character has a distinct personality, and they all respond to things in realistic ways. They might be fairly typical archetypes that some folks are used to, but they’re written pretty well. I only found one character to be particularly grating, a rather spoiled little girl, so I think maybe that feeling is intended. There’s also extra chapters which are short side stories that flesh out the characters and world even more. They also contain no gameplay whatsoever; it’s all just reading text.

Corpse Party’s gameplay is nothing complex. You simply interact with items in the environment; there’s no combat here. The most you’ll be doing is puzzle solving. This mostly boils down to finding an object to use on a specific thing to progress. There are moments in the game where you’re being chased and the objective there is to simply run away. You do have health, though this isn’t used too much. Most of the time, if you get caught by something, it’s an instant death.

The gameplay is really not the highlight. Most of your time with Corpse Party will be spent exploring and trying to figure out what to do, with the overarching objective being simply to escape from the school. At the very least, this avoids some things that plague a lot of horror games. There’s no  bad or janky combat, and there aren’t any unfair deaths either. I do wish the puzzles in this game were a bit more complex, however. Most of the time, it’s just finding a key to unlock a door. This game definitely puts its emphasis on story, characters and atmosphere.

Corpse Party succeeds very well at creating a haunting, and at some points oppressive, atmosphere. The school looks run-down and decrepit. Torn up walls and floors, smashed windows, and all sorts of things broken and strewn about. Massive holes in the floor really make it feel like this place is just barely holding together. The color palette makes the school look very old and drab. Scattered all around the school are the bodies of other dead students. It’s an always present reminder that you, too, could be next. Really, it’s a perfect setting for prime horror material. A visual aspect the game likes to use is a fuzzy black border around the screen. This is used many times to restrict the players’ vision to a certain degree.

The sound design is excellent as well. The soundtrack does a very good job of setting the mood. Whether you’re just looking around and exploring or in somewhat more tense circumstances, there’s music that perfectly fits it. There are also little sound effects like creaking floor boards or rattling windows that make the world seem just a bit more real.

Last is the flavor text which is the cherry on top here. With the elements I’ve talked about here, the atmosphere would be just “good”, but the flavor text pushes it beyond. If you press A to examine certain things in the game world, you’ll get a little description of what the item is. Sometimes it’s innocuous, sometimes it’s less so. I won’t spoil any of them, but they give you just enough information to paint a vivid picture in your head while also letting your imagination fill in details.

The voice acting also helps sell this game’s suspense, as well as just being good voice acting. The voices are Japanese only, but their emotions are still very recognizable. If a character goes insane, they definitely sound the part. If a character is suffering some horrible death and they’re letting out a guttural, inhuman scream, you get that too. The voice acting adds a layer of realism to the game that makes the events have more impact. The writing can definitely stand on its own, but the voice acting just gives it that little boost. Overall, the atmosphere in this game is disturbing, unsettling, and just excellent. It’s easily one of the big highlights of Corpse Party. Atmosphere is always important in horror games, and this game succeeds.

There are a few minor technical flaws, however. If you want to see the different endings, you need to replay the chapter. While you can fast-forward through text, you can’t skip any scenes outright. This can make getting the different endings rather tedious. If you die, you have to sit through the ending scene as well. There’s no way to skip it or exit to the main menu. All of the game menus for activities such as accessing your inventory are controlled solely with the touch screen, whereas most 3DS games have the option of using normal buttons instead. Corpse Party doesn’t use the Start, Select, L, R, or Y buttons at all, so it’s a bit baffling to me why they didn’t have this simple functionality.

You’ll also find yourself exploring a lot of the same areas over and over again in each chapter. Corpse Party has a built in justification for this, but you’re still gonna go over the same zones quite a lot. From Chapter 3 on, you start exploring other areas. Considering this is a remake of an indie RPG Maker game from 1996, I’m willing to let this sort of thing slide.

Something to keep in mind is that the’ Back to School Edition’ is the only way to get this game physically, and it will cost you $50. You can get it for just $30 on the eShop, though. That puts it $10 above the PSP/iOS versions, which is a bit more fair. The extra $20 for the physical version just gets you a couple figures and a soundtrack.

Still, Corpse Party is a pretty great horror game with an amazing atmosphere and an intriguing story. If you’ve never played this before and are looking for some good spooks on your 3DS, this will satisfy you assuming you’re okay with the price tag. If you’re a veteran wondering if they should double-dip, I’d keep in mind that the overall story is exactly the same. There aren’t a whole lot of new things. However, it’s currently the only way to get a physical English version of the game, so that’s worth something.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy provided by the publisher

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Famitsu has gone live with new details and screenshots for the recently announced Chaos;Child Love Chu Chu!!, the spinoff fandisc for Chaos;Child.

Firstly, they went over the summary of the setting for the game.

October 2015. A bizarre incident called the “Reincarnation of the New Generation of Madness” occurred in Shibuya and shook the world. However, Takuru Miyashiro, the president of the school newspaper club, has no interest in those events. For him, his “real life activities” are more important than the bizarre events shaking the world. Something different will unfold in this “2015” according to the erotic full throttle delusions of Takuru Miyashiro.

Next, the Yes/No system is detailed. These two options are an addition to the standard trigger settings that are available in the base Chaos;Child. This is based on the “Cat Press” magazine that is present in the game.

Finally, 5pb have announced that they will be releasing a discount price version of Chaos;Child, under the “5pb the Best” label in Japan. They will be released for PS4 and PS Vita for 3,800 yen on 2nd March next year.

You can check out the screenshots from the preview below.

Chaos;Child Love Chu Chu will be releasing in Japan on 30th March 2017 in both standard and limited editions for PS4 and PS Vita. No word on a Western release.

SOURCE

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A listing on a Spanish wholesaler suggests that the Mages/5pb science adventure visual novel Chaos;Child could be getting a Western release.

Lamee has listed the game for both PS4 and PS Vita with a release date of January 30th, 2017. Chaos;Child is the fourth mainline game in the Science Adventure series developed by Nitro+. This particular game is the sequel to Chaos;Head, the frist in the series. It is also a murder mystery that like Chaos;Head is known for it’s bizarre murders and guro content.

Steins;Gate is the most well known game in the SciAdv series, and that game has been localised for PC, PS3, PS Vita and iOS. The sequel and latest game, Steins;Gate 0 will be releasing in the West in 2016 by PQube for PS4 and PS Vita.

If this game is indeed coming west, an announcement may be made very soon. Personally I would love to see this title come west.

Chaos;Child released in Japan for PS4 and PS Vita on June 25th, 2015. There are also Xbox One and Windows PC versions of the title available for the Japanese market.

SOURCE

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The acclaimed visual novel, STEINS;GATE, has arrived on Steam for Windows PC. The game is priced at $34.99 but you also get a %15 launch discount if you pick up a copy of the game while that promotion is going.

“Set in the summer of 2010 in the famous town of Akihabara, self-proclaimed mad scientist Rintaro Okabe accidentally discovers that one of his inventions is capable of sending email messages into the past. With this new discovery, Rintaro and his friends are thrown into a world of constantly shifting timelines where one wrong move can alter the future.”

Check out the full press release below for the full details:

I am excited to experience STEINS;GATE again for myself in its original visual novel form,having only had a chance to experience it through the corresponding anime series. The updated artwork is gorgeous!

-Hayley

Watch the Launch Trailer

Acclaimed Visual Novel STEINS;GATE Arrives on Steam — Available now

Tokyo-based company MAGES. is pleased to announce that the highly acclaimed visual novel STEINS;GATE is available on Steam now! STEINS;GATE is priced at $34.99 with 15% launch discount.

Check out the Launch trailer, and then learn more below.

Set in the summer of 2010 in the famous town of Akihabara, self-proclaimed mad scientist Rintaro Okabe accidentally discovers that one of his inventions is capable of sending email messages into the past. With this new discovery, Rintaro and his friends are thrown into a world of constantly shifting timelines where one wrong move can alter the future.

Originally released in 2009, STEINS;GATE is a hypothetical science adventure game featuring nonlinear plot lines and branching scenarios with many different endings to discover. Today it remains one of the most popular Visual Novels around with a #10 popularity ranking and a #2 overall rating on The Visual Novel Database. Praised for its multi-layered characters and intertwining storylines, the game has been adapted into several different forms of media including a manga series, a highly successful anime series, and also a film.

Leap back in time and experience the thrilling original STEINS;GATE!
Pick up your copy on Steam today:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/412830

Find MAGES. on Twitter
https://twitter.com/MagesSteam

 

About Mages.

Company： MAGES.
Office：Mita 43MT Building, Mita 3-13-16, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Board Chairman：Chiyomaru Shikura
CEO: Toyoki Ohta
Established: June 2011
URL http://mages.co.jp
5pb. is a game/music brand of MAGES.

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