Have you ever wondered what a version of 1980s America (Showa 66) would look like if overtaken by Japanese culture and influences? Okay, probably not. But it’s a great setting for a game! In Showa American Story, the Japanese economic bubble in the USA never popped; immigration surged and Japanese citizens could use their wealth to buy most of the…
I just know that people are going to make comparisons between Rise of the Ronin and Ghost of Tsushima, and that’s really quite unfair to Team Ninja’s latest. Already in previews I’ve seen nonsense like “while not a graphical stunner like Ghost of Tsushima”. Where Ghost of Tsushima was trying…
Read MoreAtlus announced an enhanced version of Shin Megami Tensei V one month ago, titled Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. The original game only launched in late 2021, but I do quite like the sound of “enhanced.” This version of the game includes the original story in its entirety, as well…
Read MoreI had no idea that there was a Shin Megami Tensei tabletop RPG, but there is indeed one, and a press release just landed in my inbox today to say that it was being localised into English for the first time. The tabletop game is called Tokyo Conception, and is…
Read MoreKing Arthur: Knight’s Tale is simultaneously a very fun game to play, and also one of the most irritating things I have ever had to review. Game developers really need to learn that source texts – be that history, literature, or legend, should not be seen as content to use…
Read MoreDon’t Nod has, traditionally, done storytelling well, but struggled to pair it up with gameplay that people could love. Life Is Strange was the breakout title for the company, and it worked well enough because it was a point-and-click adventure that wasn’t testing the player’s button-pressing skills, but Vampyr, on…
Read MoreThere seems to be a Tarot trend brewing in video games. The phenomenal Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood by Deconstructeam launched last year, telling the story of an exiled witch making her own divination deck. Cherrymochi is currently developing Exit Veil, which features a unique Tarot deck that allows players to unlock…
Read MoreI’m not going to lie, it isn’t hugely unexpected that my first news article of 2024 is about a game that is over a decade old. We are in the age of the remake/remaster, after all. But dungeon-crawling RPG Legend of Grimrock isn’t getting a remake. It isn’t getting a…
Read MoreHave you ever been to a comedy routine where, for whatever reason, the person at the mic just can’t land a joke? And as the crowd becomes more and more restless they try harder and harder? Sadly, that’s Born of Bread. Related reading: Just released, the Super Mario RPG remake…
Read MoreDeveloper Lightbulb Crew is best known for its stylised tactics game Othercide; Matt reviewed it for DDNet, believing it to be a strong concept but he also thought it was too focused on providing content. I’m interested to see where Lightbulb Crew will go with its next game, Nova Hearts.…
Read MoreIf you’re not familiar with Mother, you may recognize its Western title: EarthBound Beginnings. (Plain old Earthbound is actually Mother 2 – you can read some more why here.) The Mother/EarthBound trilogy of RPGs is iconic, launching between 1989 and 2006. It is safe to say it has inspired many…
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