News by Lindsay M. and Matt C.
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)!
Classic RPG gameplay merges with modern aesthetics in Furyu’s next title
By Lindsay M., News Editor
I am so excited about this. I adored The Legend of Legacy, and now Atlas has released a story trailer for Furyu’s next title, The Alliance Alive. Trust me, this is a game any RPG fan won’t want to miss.
The game is set over a thousand years ago when Daemons invaded the world of Humans. The Daemons took control of the Human world and the Great Barrier was created to separate the species. After hundreds of years, though, it’s time for a change. A resistance. The world, comprised of four realms, is promised to be sprawling. The battles are, in true JRPG form, turn-based.
The team behind The Alliance Alive is filled with JRPG greats: Written by Yoshitaka Murayama, directed by Masataka Matsuura, designed by Kyoji Koizumi, and scored by Masashi Hamauzu. The Alliance Alive will be released for Nintendo 3DS early next year. I promise more information as it becomes available!
Final roll call! These are the characters in Danganronpa V3
By Lindsay M., News Editor
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony’s release date is just around the corner, so the timing is perfect for the final roll call of this year’s class. Meet Ultimate Pianist Kaede Akamatsu, Ultimate… something… Rantaro Amami, Ultimate Inventor Miu Iruma, Ultimate Supreme Leader Kokichi Oma, and Monokumba Kubs Monotaro and Monokid:
If you’ve missed past roll calls, the first can be found here, the second here, and the third here.
We won’t have to wait long for Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony to be in our hands. The game is being released worldwide on PC September 26, for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita on September 26 in North America, or for PS4 and PS Vita in Europe on September 29.
Hyakki Castle wants to put a fresh twist in the first-person dungeon crawler
By Matt C., Contributor
Japanese developer Asakusa Studios is looking to put a fresh spin on the first-person dungeon crawler genre with its new game, Hyakki Castle, due out on PC later this year. The game will see players investigating a haunted castle with a party of four heroes, but the twist is that this party can be split into two groups, allowing players to use combat strategies and solve puzzles in ways that dungeon crawlers don’t typically allow. You could divide your party for a pincer attack, for example, or send one character alone to lure a foe while the other three lie in wait.
Hyakki Castle is also somewhat unique in its use of Japanese imagery and setting. The game takes place in the Edo period, in a castle haunted by yōkai, oni, and other monsters from Japanese literature and folklore. Classes and races available to the heroes include the likes of Samurai, Ninja, Monk, Oni, Tengu, and Nekomata, and seppuku (ritual suicide) will seemingly also play a big role. Ukiyo-e is a major influence in the game’s art style, with traditional Japanese music for the soundtrack.
“We wanted to bring a fresh new approach and subject matter to this generation of dungeon RPG gamers,” said Masaru Saito, a representative for the game’s publisher, Happinet. “Hyakki Castle borrows from a rich period of time in Japan’s ancient history and aims to deliver a memorable experience through our strong Japanese warrior classes along with unusual monsters and supernatural creatures that are unique to Japanese folklore.”
Two familiar faces added to BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
By Lindsay M., News Editor
BlazBlue is a fighting game favourite here at DDnet, and the roster for the upcoming Cross Tag Battle just gives us reason to get more excited. Last week, it was announced that Yosuke Hanamura from Persona 4 Ultimate Arena and Linne from Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late.
Other characters that have been confirmed to appear in the Arc System Works’ title include BlazBlue’s Jin Jisaragi and Ragna the Bloodedge, Persona 4 Ultimate Arena’s Yu Narukami, RWBY’s Ruby Rose, and Under Night In-Birth’s Hyde.
Expect to see BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle sometime next year. The platforms have yet to be announced, but I’d definitely expect to see PlayStation 4 on that list at the very least.
