Aksys Games announced that Little Dragons Café, the latest game by renowned game designer Yasuhiro Wada, will be coming to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in late summer 2018.
Wada is most well-known for creating the popular Bokujō Monogatari series (published under the names Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons outside of Japan) as well as Birthdays the Beginning.
“Wada and I have been friends for a decade, and we’ve discussed teaming up on a new IP for about half that time,” says Akibo Shieh, founder and CEO of Aksys Games, “It wasn’t until Little Dragons Café that our schedules finally lined up so we were able to work together on a project, and the game has been in development for two years now.”
The story opens with a twin brother and sister learning to cook and manage a small café under their mother’s tutelage. All was peaceful and routine until one morning when the twins discover that their mother has fallen into a deep sleep and won’t wake up. Suddenly, a strange old man appears to inform them that they must raise a dragon in order to save her. Working together with three quirky café employees, the two siblings must figure out how to a wrangle a dragon and manage the family business while finding a way to save their mother.
This is going to be a quicky review, which is appropriate because the subject of this review is a quicky game. While Chase: Cold Case Investigations ~Distant Memories~ is listed as a puzzle adventure game, is really isn’t either. Chase is a very linear visual novel game with very limited interaction coming from the player. It’s mostly a visual novel with the illusion of choices.
The game takes place at the Cold Case Unit of the 3rd Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Two detectives work in the cold case unit that never steps outside. One is an eccentric, Shounosuke Nanase, and a self-proclaimed elite, Koto Amekura. Wasting away their hours with nothing to do was a regular occurrence, when suddenly they received a phone call.
I like puzzle games, and there is something inherently satisfying when a puzzle game is also an action-platformer. Playing through many of the 3D Zelda games is a testament to just how popular this type of puzzle game can be. Ninja Usagimaru – The Mysterious Karakuri Castle is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer which combines the need to solve a physical puzzle in the level with also reaching the goal. While the game has all the markings of a fun game, the controls and responsiveness of the game are a little but clunky and it makes the experience of playing as a ninja a little bit unsatisfying.
At this point of all of my reviews I always point out that the negative things I pointed out in the opening paragraph aren’t enough of a damper to kill the entire game for me and this is again the case. While the controls can be a bit of a pain, and at times not very intuitive, the game still has some solid challenge. Once you can master the controls, and breathe when your character walks off a ledge instead of jumping, there is fun to be had.
Chase: Cold Case Investigations ~Distant Memories~ from Aksys Games and Arc System Works is due to hit the Nintendo 3DS eShop in North America and Europe this week. The game is set to be released on Thursday.
Chase: Cold Case Investigations ~Distant Memories~ is an adventure mystery game from the mind of Taisuke Kanasaki, director of the famed Hotel Dusk: Room 215. You’ll join the exploits of two gritty detectives whose sense of justice and raw instinct drive them to seek the truth. Put your sleuthing skills to the challenge by re-investigating old crime scenes and solving cold cases by searching for clues and interrogating perps!
Aksys Games has announced that they are bringing the Arc System Works and F K Digital title Ninja Usagimaru: The Mysterious Karakuri Castle to the Nintendo 3DS eShop in both North America and Europe.
Ninja Usagimaru: The Mysterious Karakuri Castle is an action puzzle game that challenges players to put their sharpened ninja skills to the test! Taking place in a time long forgotten by men, players assume the role of Usagimaru, a legendary hero who embarks on a massive quest to save his village from the clutches of vile monsters.
In the game players will travel through 60+ mindboggling levels to rescue captured villagers and restore order to the land. Freeing villagers will bestow items to boost Usagimaru’s abilities. You will have to navigate tough traps, manipulate the environment and overcome brain twisting puzzles.
Once you’ve bested the main game, you can unlock even more levels.
Ninja Usagimaru: The Mysterious Karakuri Castle hasn’t been given a rating by the ESRB yet. Ninja Usagimaru: The Mysterious Karakuri Castle is set to be released in both regions on September 29th.
Aksys Games and Arc System Works announced on Friday that BlazBlue: Central Fiction will be released this Winter in North America physically and digitally on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3.
BlazBlue: Central Fiction is the newest installment in the BlazBlue franchise in the 2D fighting series. The game will feature a brand new story, new characters, levels, modes, and system mechanics, and there will be over 33 fighters to choose from.
I don’t know where to begin with Langrisser Re:Incarnation -TENSEI-, which for the rest of this review I will simply refer to as Langrisser. The game is a strategic RPG for the Nintendo 3DS and is very similar to the Fire Emblem series of games. Though while latest Fire Emblem game has a lot of style and polish, Langrisser feels somewhat dull.
That’s not to say that the game isn’t enjoyable. It does have an engaging story and has great character design, but some of the battles feel very drawn out and some of the in game elements are clumsy and awkward.
In the game you play as Ares Lovina, whose village Borcelaine is attacked by the Imperial Army of Light. In an attempt to protect his village he recedes to a church and draws a sword. Only the sword happens to be the Holy sword Langrisser, which only a true hero can wield the sword. Why has Emperor Autokrato IV ordered the army of light to attack the village? What happened to Ares’ sister Licorice? Ares goes on a quest to find these things out.
Aksys Games, tri-Ace and Spike Chunsoft announced today that Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky will release on October 18th physically and digitally in North America for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
tri-Ace, architects of the JRPG series Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile celebrate 20 years of RPG mastery with Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky.
The game is an expansive RPG adventure that plunges the player into a mysterious realm. You’ll brandish godlike powers in intense combo based battles with unspeakable horrors and vicious bosses! Traverse sprawling 2D dungeons as you scour the realm for loot, monsters and answers to the mysterious Underworld.
Aksys Games, extreme and Masaya Games’ new game Langrisser Re:Incarnation -TENSEI- is officially available on the Nintendo 3DS.
Langrisser Re:Incarnation -TENSEI- is a strategic RPG experience coming for the Nintendo 3DS. After a 15 year absence, the legendary RPG series makes its triumphant return. In the game you wield the mighty sword Langrisser as you journey through a massive world at war. Define the path before you by lending your talents to one of three factions and secure your place as your faction’s greatest hero by executing strategic supremacy over your enemies.
The very first game in the series (Warsong) was released in 1991 for the Sega Genesis. The rest of the titles in the series were released in Japan only, with the second game seeing a release for both the Sega MegaDrive and Super Famicom with subsequent titles released primarily for the Sega Saturn. The final game in the series, Langrisser V: The End of Legend, was released for the Saturn in 1998.
I really didn’t know what to expect when I downloaded Chronicles of Teddy: Harmony of Exodus on my Wii U. I had a basic understanding of the story from some pregame coverage, but didn’t know much aside from the nice pixel look of the game. What I got was a beautiful and challenging game.
This game is deeply engaging.
Right off the bat I as blown away by the visuals in the game. This game has stunning and beautiful pixel art, with the whole thing looking and feeling like a modern game with pre-rendered or CG backgrounds, only they’re not. The game is 100% pixel art and it looks gorgeous. The level of detail in everything, from the character sprites, backgrounds, items, and foreground is all done with an eye for the finest detail.
Another element of the game that I loved, before even getting into the gameplay itself is the audio. Usually these elements I leave to the end of the review, but they are so much a part of the game that they can’t be left as an aside.
Not only the music of the game, but the sound effects add so much to the atmosphere of the game. From the creaking of wood, to the soft and gentle sound of the wind though the trees, the sound design of this game is epic. I would easily compare the sound design and music of this game to that of Donkey Kong Country, a game which to this day I enjoy listening to.
Aksys Games and LookAtMyGame have a new game headed to the Wii U eShop and on PSN for PlayStation 4 in Chronicles of Teddy: Harmony of Exidus. The action adventure RPG fuse together elements with lavish visuals to create a nostalgic world unlike anything you’ve seen before.
You’ll navigate your way through hordes of nefarious monsters and massive boss battles in retro pixelated 2D glory! Solve puzzles, converse with locals and gain skills to restore hope to the once peaceful Exidus. Hidden items, secret areas and bonus quests round out the 30+ hours of gameplay.
The game will be available for digital download on March 29th for PlayStation 4 in North America and Europe. The game will be released for the Nintendo Wii U on March 31st in North America followed by a European release on April 7th.
Aksys Games and Acquire’s Aegis of Earth: Protonovus Assault, a frenetic and explosive new spin on action strategy gaming is now available.
In the game prepare to dig in, plan out and build up your defenses as hordes of hulking monstrosities bombard your heavily fortified city in an attempt to wipe you off the Earth for good! Command the last bastion of humanity as you fight for the survival of the species utilizing fantastic tech, cunning tactics and massive weapons in an all-out action strategy extravaganza!
Engage in dynamic city defense via revolutionary gameplay mechanics in which you rotate your entire city to aim weapons and take out monsters! Leave no
quadrant untouched as you spin 360 degrees in search of would-be destroyers! Command and level up a huge variety of units and gargantuan weapons as you
hone your tactical skills. Immersive gameplay puts you in the center of intense combat. Seize the initiative from your enemies and decimate their ranks as a
robust cast of characters lend their support to the cause!
Aksys Games released a teaser trailer for Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma, the upcoming third game in the Zero Escape seires. Developed by Spike Chunsoft, Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma will be available for retail and digital on both the Playstation Vita and Nintendo 3DS in North America and digitally in Europe on June 28th, 2016
The first game in the series Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors was released for the Nintendo DS back in 2010, with the sequel to that game Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward hitting the Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita in October 2012.
Building on the success of its predecessors, series mastermind Kotaro Uchikoshi has pulled out all the stops to deliver the most compelling and mind shredding gaming experience ever seen on a handheld platform. Choice is your only method of salvation and your only means of escape. How much of your humanity will you sacrifice to earn your freedom? As a new age of ruin looms large on the horizon, you must make impossible decisions and weather unimaginable consequences as you straddle the line between absolution and damnation. Plan your escape.
Aksys Games and Arc System Works announced on Friday that Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- will be released on June 7th for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in North America.
Those who preorder the PS4 version of the game via the PlayStation Network will instantly unlock a brawler’s suite of modes! Full versions of Arcade Mode, Training Mode and Versus Mode will be instantly available upon purchase of the full PS4 system on PSN beginning April 5th!
The demo mode includes all previously released Xrd characters plus three new combatants!
Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- is said to run at 60 frames per second and the game features cross platform PS4 / PS3 system compatible battles.
Slice It! is a rather simple puzzle game with a very simple concept. It is also the latest game to make the move from free app in the app store to a paid eShop title for the Nintendo 3DS. And while the game does have it’s fair share of challenge and enjoyment, the $5.99 price tag feels a bit hefty for what is available for free on smartphones.
But price aside, what is this game?
Slice It! is geometric puzzle game where your goal is to slice up shapes into the desired number of pieces in a set number of moves. You use the stylus to draw straight lines through a shape to make smaller shapes. It’s a very easy game to pick up but gets surprisingly difficult to master. The game was developed by Arc System Works and COM2US and published on the 3DS by Aksys Games.
In this game, much like the Brain Training games, you will hold the 3DS sideways. On the left (top) screen you’ll see the shape your working with, the number of “pencils” you have left in the stage, as well as the number of shapes you have and your goal total. The right (bottom) screen is where you’ll find your menu, undo button and the hint button.
For whatever reason there is no option to flip the 3DS and reverse these screen options. Sorry left-handed people.
Once you begin a level you can start slicing. Utilizing the 3DS stylus, game mechanics are as simple as drawing your pencil across the virtual paper on the touch screen. And if you make an error or don’t like the placement of your line you can quickly tap undo to get a do over. Even if that last line you draw ends the stage in a failure, the game is very forgiving and lets you undo that last line.
Now this seems pretty simple right? Wrong.
You can’t just slice up the shape any way you want. The goal, and part of the challenge, is that all of the pieces have to be roughly the same size in volume. For example if you have to slice a shape into two pieces with one line, slicing through the centre will do the trick. However, occasionally if you make that line too far off to the side so that the two pieces are largely disproportionate, you will fail.
However this doesn’t always seem to be the case. Some of the later levels seem to be unforgiving with disproportionate pieces while others you can have one slice at 95% and the other at 5% and the game will fully accept the result.
Every line you draw has to completely pass through the shape. You can’t have one line end at another intersecting line within the shape. If the line doesn’t pass through the whole shape it won’t count. Interestingly enough when you start to draw your line if you want to adjust the start point you can use the circle pad while holding the stylus on the screen. This mimics pretty well the ability on smartphone screens of being able to use two fingers to manipulate your line since the 3DS touchscreen doesn’t support multitouch.
In all there are 240 puzzles to work through. That doesn’t seem like that much but once you get going though that total won’t seem so few. After the first few dozen stages it becomes increasingly difficult. Simple circles or squares are one thing. Once you start throwing more abstract shapes into the mix it can be a real challenge.
The game is broken up into two episodes of 100 levels. Each of those episodes is split into five pages. You’ll need to complete the initial twenty to unlock the subsequent twenty levels, though this can be done in any order you wish. If a stage is a bit tricky it can be skipped and tried again later. As you might expect episode two is also fully locked until you complete the first episode, as are the 40 bonus stages.
The music in the came is pretty upbeat “elevator” music. If you’ve every played the Luigi Poker minigame on Super Mario 64 DS then you’ll know what I’m referring to.
Built into the game are hints, of which you’ll start with five. To earn more you’ll need to clear stages in “Slice it Quick” mode. In this mode you’ll get 30 seconds to complete as many levels as you can. In each of the rapid fire stages you’ll have to draw just one line to finish off the puzzle. Get it right and you’ll move on to the next. Fail the level and you’ll penalized -3 seconds. BUT if you draw the line just right you’ll get a perfect shout out and be rewarded with a bonus +3 seconds. The goal with this stage is to clear twenty stages. Doing so will give you another hint to use in the main game.
There are a few missions or achievements to reach, including clearing all the stages in episode 1 and two, plus collecting stars, medals and clearing 30 stages in quick mode. The game also has a few unlockable skins for the game, including a Nintendo 3DS exclusive Japanese styled theme. The original mobile game had a Christmas theme, so that is likely in here too.
For a casual pick up and play game Slice It! is a fun game. It’s simple yet challenging and just the sort of game that should be enjoyed on your 3DS. The $5.99 price tag is pretty high though, especially since you can get pretty much the same game in the app store for free.
