News by Britta S. and Lindsay M.
Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s regular catch-up news feature. With each issue we will bring you the best news that you may have missed. Grab the biggest mug you’ve got, fill it with your favourite brew, and catch up with us (and our favourite news anchor, Dee Dee)!
Cat lovers rejoice: Nekopara Vol 3 has a new trailer!
Have you been following the exploits of super-cute cat girls Chocola and Vanilla in the Nekopara series of visual novels? If so, you’ll be delighted to hear that Volume 3 is coming to North America and Japan on April 28 for PC. Pre-orders for the game will start on 27 January. Nekoworks has launched a new trailer at the recent Comiket in Japan and you can view it below.
Nekoworks has teamed up with Sekai Project to conduct a crowdfunding campaign for an anime OVA featuring the Nekopara world. The campaign easily passed its goal of $100k and sits at $440k with 37 days to go.
The Flame in the Flood launching on PS4 this month
The Flame in the Flood: Complete Edition will come to PlayStation 4 on January 17. Publisher Curve Digital has packed this PlayStation 4 version of the roguelike survival adventure game with exclusive content over its previously released Xbox One and PC versions. There will be a new Directors’ Commentary, a PlayStation 4 dynamic theme and two PlayStation Network avatars; and most significantly, “gameplay enhancements”. Forrest Dowling, The Molasses Flood co-founder and level designer, commented on the changes: “The PS4 version will be at full parity to the current balance and tuning and whatnot with the releases on PC and Xbox One.” Good to hear.
He also gave an insight into the sources of inspiration for the game in his interview with DualShockers: “So in the case of The Flame in the Flood we were looking at a lot of photography and survival books, reading about the various river journeys and whatnot and had a playlist on Spotify of southern, country folk-themed music.”
Crowdfunded Bloodstained gets a new development video
The latest Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night development update has been posted on the project’s Kickstarter page. According to project lead Koji Igarashi, the village appears before the castle where the game is set. Players will have to pass through it on their way to the castle entrance. In a statement, Igorashi wrote “building your visuals from a piece of historical data makes the world more realistic. (The internet is so useful!) The village is also under the demons’ attack, so of course there will be enemies here. We are also planning to put a shop here to support the player, and you’ll find Johannes, who we introduced previously, here too. ”
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is an exploration-focused, side-scrolling platformer featuring RPG and crafting elements. Koji Igarashi, the namesake of “vania”-style games, is leading the project, with Michiru Yamane composing the music and Inti Creates leading the development. The Kickstarter project famously raised over five million dollars. The game is due out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U, PC, and PS Vita in the first half of 2018.
Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward patch includes loads of new content
A new Final Fantasy XIV patch is on the way and it promises to deliver a significant amount of more content to the already-loaded game. Patch 3.5, titled The Far Edge of Fate, also has a number of in-game improvements — but first, the content! Baelsar’s Wall, that massive structure that separates the Garlean Empire-controlled territories and Eorzea, will now be scalable by the Warrior of Light. There are new grounds to explore in Sohm Al. Perhaps most importantly, the patch includes the next chapter in the Shadows of Mhach storyline: expect a new alliance raid, a fight against Zurvan (the only remaining member of the Warring Triad), and exploratory missions.
For in-game improvements, the update promises a better Party Finder (Square Enix states, “players from other worlds on the same data center can view, recruit and join parties”). Frontline and Duel PvP will receive minor updates and there is a new map for The Feast. The developers have also listened to player comments and have incorporated the ability to use Duty Finder even when they have their chocobo alongside them. FFXIV’s The Far Edge of Fate update releases January 17.
