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)!
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! -Pirates of the Disturbance- launches in November
Wow, that title is a mouthful! My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! -Pirates of the Disturbance- is an otome visual novel by Idea Factory. This original story can be enjoyed by fans of My Next Life as a Villainess as well as newcomers to the universe. The game follows Catarina Claes, a young woman born into nobility. She remembers her past life as a high school student. She was reincarnated as a Villainess in an otome game, Fortune Lover, and exile or death seemed to be her only options. However, she avoids these drastic endings, and makes it through to spring break.
Catarina and her adopted brother board a state-of-the-art luxury liner on its maiden voyage. She quickly realizes her friends are also on the boat that promises a luxury journey at sea. Things change really quickly when pirates take over and hold all of the boat’s passengers hostage. This seems really familiar to Catarina, who remembers that it’s the storyline to a Fortune Lover fanbook. Is she living in a resurrection of a doomed ending? Or will she be able to return to land safely?
Developed by Idea Factory and published by Idea Factory International, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! -Pirates of the Disturbance- will be released physically and digitally for Nintendo Switch on November 28.
Fantasy adventure game Altheia: The Wrath of Aferi announced
Inspired by the works of companies like Studio Ghibli and Studio Chizu, Altheia: The Wrath of Aferi is a fantasy adventure where Lily and Sadi must work together to survive the journey ahead of them. Lili has lost her mother to an ancient evil, and she doesn’t want anything to do with her legacy of being a Guardian. She rescues a Monk-in-training named Sadi, who urges her to revive the partnership of Guardians and Monks to help him save the world from the corrupting Void.
Atarassia is a dangerous place, filled with monsters and obstacles spawned by the Void. Lili and Sadi will have to combine their wits, wills, strength of arms, and magic to defeat the Void’s corruption and confront the god that took their families away. There are dungeons filled with mechanical puzzles, monsters to battle, and friendly spirits to rescue as Lili and Sadi discover what it means to be true partners.
Developed by MarsLit Games and published by Neon Doctrine, Altheia: The Wrath of Aferi will be released for PC via Steam/Microsoft, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, and Xbox One. No release date was announced.
The third game in the My Lovely series has been announced
Following in the footsteps of My Lovely Daughter and My Lovely Wife is simulation game My Lovely Empress. It’s a unique mix of resource management, East and Southeast Asia mythology, and an Empire sim. Take on the role of Emperor Hong, the esteemed Emperor of the Crimson Empire who has the empire at his command and the world at his feet. He has experienced profound loss with the passing of his mother followed by the loss of his beloved Empress.
Emperor Hong is compelled to summon and seek the help of the Yaoguai, forbidden and powerful creatures with a taste for human souls, to aid in resolving imperial challenges, enforcement, and supporting the welfare of his citizens. Of course, Hong isn’t the only ruler in the world, and he’ll have to balance the needs of his people with the business he conducts with other rulers. Once his land is at its peak prosperity, he has an option: live with what has been created, or command the Yaoguai to devour the entire empire and its people in an attempt to resurrect the Empress.
Developed by GameChanger Studio and published by Neon Doctrine, My Lovely Empress will be released for PC via Steam/Microsoft, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, and Xbox One in 2024.
There’s a new (and long) trailer available for Super Mario Bros. Wonder
As if the recent Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct wasn’t enough, Nintendo has released a new trailer for its upcoming platformer. And the trailer is massive, at over six minutes long. See the Flower Kingdom, meet Mario’s friends, and learn what Bowser is up to this time. The Flower Kingdom is made up of seven areas: Pipe-Rock Plateau, Fluff-Puff Peaks, and Petal Isles are three of the seven. The game features a rich variety of courses, and players can walk through open areas on the map.
Play as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yellow Toad, blue Toad, Toadette, Yoshi, Red Yoshi, Yellow Yoshi, Light-Blue Yoshi, or Nabbit. They all play the same, but the Yoshis and Nabbit don’t take damage. The Yoshis can also flutter jump, and eat objects before spitting them back at enemies. New power-ups include Elephant, Bubble, Drill, and Fire. Touch a Wonder Flower to trigger a Wonder Effect. Collect a Wonder Seed for the course to return to normal. There are in-game badges that change the way you play when equipped: Parachute Cap, Grapping Vine, Safety Bounce, Coin Magnet, Invisibility, Jet Run, Dolphin Kick, Sensor, and more.
Developed and published by Nintendo, Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be released for Nintendo Switch on October 20.
