Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s weekly catch-up news feature, the catch-up coffee. With each issue I 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)!
Here’s the latest Final Fantasy XVI “trailer”
I’ve been vocal about how much I don’t like where Final Fantasy has gone, gameplay-wise. But I can’t help but be drawn to it. This weekend, Square Enix showed off a new video for the next mainline title in the series, Final Fantasy XVI. The trailer is all about the world of Valisthea and the areas that will be available for exploration. It was shown during the Final Fantasy XVI Panel at PAX East 2023; the video below is the entire panel but queued up to the correct point. (The whole thing is really worth the watch, though.)
Final Fantasy XVI follows Clive Rosfield, a young man who is dedicated to master the blade. He is called the First Shield of Rosaria and is tasked with guardian the Dominant of the Phoenix, AKA his brother Joshua. Things happen, as they do, which sets Clive on a dark and dangerous road to revenge. In this world, there are powerful and deadly creatures called Eikons that reside within Dominants, hence Joshua’s title: he’s about to call upon its power.
Developed and published by Square Enix, Final Fantasy XVI will be released for PlayStation 5 on June 22.
The Caligula Effect: Overdose coming to PS5 in May/June
The Caligula Effect was one of those games that was kind of ignored at first because it was released to PlayStation Vita. The Caligula Effect: Overdose is an enhanced remaster of the game for last-gen consoles , which brought it to many more players. Now it’s time to come to a current-gen console: PlayStation 5. And there are three different release dates for this version of the game. In addition to this announcement, a characters trailer dropped.
The Caligula Effect is written by Tadashi Satomi, the scenario writer from the first two Persona games. It’s described as an aesthetic adventure that blurs the line between the virtual world and reality. Within Mobius, humans can forget all of real life’s problems and live their best digital life instead. But does this really bring true happiness? The Go-Home Club is a group of people who actively fight against Morbius and work to reach the real world. Players will make their escape back to reality, using stigmas to augment their abilities in battle and interacting with over 500 students in the virtual world to strengthen their skill pool.
Developed by historia and published by NIS America, The Caligula Effect: Overdose will be released for PlayStation 5 on May 30 in North America, June 2 in Europe, and June 9 in Oceania (sorry for the wait, Aussies!). It is currently available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
Decarnation launching for PC, Switch this May
Decarnation is a psychological horror adventure game where players explore a haunting world, both in the real and metaphorical sense, and find the keys needed to battle inner (and outer) monsters. The story is described as “intensely emotional” and unfolds in a malignant, elaborate setting. Gameplay features twisted puzzles, threatening creatures, Lovecraftian environments, and metaphorical minigames.
Gloria is a struggling cabaret dancer in 1990 Paris. Everything in unraveling: her relationships, her career, and her self-esteem. A mysterious benefactor offers her an artistic endeavour, but is this her lucky break or something else entirely? Decarnation is a survival story layered with psychological stakes, and explore the contrast between battling limitations in the physical realm and the subconscious landscapes that cannot be escaped.
Developed by Atelier QDB and published by Shiro Unlimited, Decarnation will be released for PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch in May. When in May, though, is anyone’s guess.
Go-Go Town! is a building sim game coming next year
Look, I get it: there are a LOT of town builders out there. But none are this cute! In Go-Go Town!, players become pay or of Go-Go Town with one quick phone call. Too bad it’s a rundown tourist destination that, like its residents, is well past its prime. Players will need to build, manage, automate, and expand the town until it prospers once more.
The elderly residents of Go-Go Town will aid the player with the ins and outs of being mayor, beginning with constructing and repairing buildings. Power tools that can be used include chainsaws, drills, trimmers, leaf blowers, and more. Then players will need to make sure everything is running smoothly by making decisions about what shops to build, who will run them, how they’ll generate income, and how to manage supply chains. Oh, and that’s all while making sure the town’s infrastructure is good, otherwise it can be catastrophic. Then automate the town by hiring miners, fishermen, lumberjacks, and farmers to do the work and get those goods flowing. Soon enough, the town can expand: larger houses, different buildings (like an art gallery!), and more objects will be available. After that, it’s all about prosperity, bringing in the tourists and sometimes converting them to new residents of Go-Go Town.
Developed and published by Prideful Sloth, Go-Go Town! will be released for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, and Xbox One in 2024.
