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NIS America and Nihon Falcom officially confirmed that Kai no Kiseki is headed westward as The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon in Fall 2025. We’ll see it on the Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC. The official website is already open as well. This means it will appear in the same year as the second entry in the series, Trails Through Daybreak 2.  

This is the third part in the Calvard arc, which means that Van Arkride and Agnes Claudel will remain two of the principle characters. However, now that it involves Zemuria as a whole and space travel, we’re seeing characters from Liberl and Erebonia arcs stepping up and playing equally important roles. Likewise, the Grim Garten section will offer even more crossover opportunities as we pull together parties for exploring a special dungeon. 

Here’s the first The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon trailer showing what the English version of Kai no Kiseki will look like.

A limited edition physical copy is also confirmed. This will include the deluxe edition of the game and physical items. In addition to the expected art book, Steelbook case and soundtrack typical of such releases, there will also be an acrylic clock based on the Grim Timekeeper.

The other two games in the Calvard arc of The Legend of Heroes series are already available in English. The first entry, Trails Through Daybreak, introduced Van and Agnes in July 2024. The follow-up Trails Through Daybreak 2 continued their story in February 2025. While the focus is on the new region and characters, people from past games started to show up and will return in this new installment.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon will come to the Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC in Fall 2025, and Kai no Kiseki is already available in Japan on the PS4 and PS5.

The post Kai no Kiseki Is Trails Beyond the Horizon appeared first on Siliconera.

The PS5 has been out for a while now, but that doesn’t mean that developers have stopped making games for the PS4. It’s still going strong, and we’ve had a look into the console’s library to find our favorite 3D turn-based JRPGs. If you’re looking for a game to play on your PlayStation 4 then we have 10 must-play JRPGs listed below.

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age 551z6n

Dragon Quest is one of the most iconic series of all time, and when it comes to turn-based JRPGs it’s one of the first series that will likely come to mind. However, the most famous games in the series are the original pixel art games. While 3D designs were introduced in Dragon Quest IX, it only reached its full modern form in one of the series’ greatest entries, Dragon Quest XI.

If you love the combat in other Dragon Quest games, then you’re getting more of that here, alongside the other Dragon Quest hallmarks. You’ll explore a wide-open world full of secrets, speak with NPCs, and feel the world change seemingly separate from your actions. It wraps everything fans have loved about the series for decades in a gripping and fresh new story.

Persona 3 Reload 4xf3j

Persona is one of the most popular series of turn-based JRPGs, and Persona 3 is a personal favorite – despite the original not allowing you to control your teammates. Persona 5 Royal is perhaps the more obvious choice for this slot – and it is incredible – I was surprised to find that the excellent remake Persona 3 Reload was simultaneously released on PS4 as well as PS5.

Aside from shiny new graphics, and a UI so beautiful it will make you weep, Persona 3 Reload adds new battle elements including the much needed alterations to the game’s difficulty. There are more Personas, items, and fusions than ever before, and you don’t have to worry about upsetting people and reversing their social links. Persona 3 is a must play, and if you’re used to the comforts of Persona 5 then Reload is the version you’ll want.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth 4z6b1m

Another extremely recent release that is also available on PS4, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is one of the best games in the Yakuza series. While games in the series are usually action RPGs, this changed with the also brilliant Yakuza: Like A Dragon, where our new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga perceives every street brawl as a turn-based battle. Despite being ed by the original protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, both of our guys take turns when they fight.

In Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Ichiban travels to Hawaii to find his biological mother after being told where she lives. He finds that she has gone missing, and after a chance encounter, he teams up with Kiryu to solve the mystery. It’s not only a heart-warming story, but it has all of the goofy side quests, must-play mini games, and karaoke that the series is known for.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 5u3a37

When it comes to turn-based JRPGs, Valkyria Chronicles 4 is instantly intriguing with its dreamy yet comic book-style aesthetic. Unlike other JRPGs, which are set in high school, and / or epic open world exploration, Valkyria Chronicles is based on war. The series as a whole is about your army’s strategic plays, and the bonds between your units.

Valkyria Chronicles' strength as a series has long been its robust post game. There is almost more to do after you roll credits than before, and Valkyria Chronicles 4 really pushes the boat out on this. Alongside more battles, there are six more recruitable characters, and even characters you can bring back from the dead. If you’re looking to try out the series, the fourth entry puts its best foot forward.

Metaphor: ReFantazio 1f5p5b

One of the best games of 2024, Metaphor: ReFantazio, released on PS4 as well as PS5 making it the perfect game for this list. The team that created Metaphor contains many of the developers from the modern Persona series, and it shows through the structure of the gameplay. Metaphor is more high-fantasy than high school, but you will still split your days between crawling dungeons and bonding with your party .

When the king is assassinated it is decided that the next king will be decided democratically. In an effort to prevent the king’s assassin Louis from taking the throne, you decide to run for the position. You and the few followers that you recruit travel the world, helping citizens in different towns around the country. Metaphor keeps the spirit of Persona, but includes a lot of learnings from the series’ weaknesses.

Disgaea 5 3o6m57

Disgaea 5 is one of the darker entries in what has historically been a goofy JRPG series. You still have the Prinnys – human souls trapped in a penguinesque bodies that are obsessed with the word dude – but there is the overarching sense of foreboding. You get the feeling that the game is taking itself a bit more seriously even if you don’t.

Disgaea 5 is a mix of visual novel, and 3D isometric strategic battles that can be quite challenging if you don’t get to grips with how the combat system works. All of the Disgaea games tie together, but you can enjoy each as their own standalone game, up to and including the most recent Disgaea 7, on PS4. A fantastic series to lose your life to.

Final Fantasy IX 492m12

Almost every Final Fantasy game is available on PS4, though most are excluded from this list as the early games are in 2D, and the later games are action RPGs. In our list of the best 3D turn-based JRPGs on Switch we included Final Fantasy VII, and Final Fantasy VIII – both of which are excellent games – but we thought that Final Fantasy IX also deserved the love, particularly given the long-standing rumors that a remake is on the way.

Final Fantasy IX takes everything learned from the previous games of the series, and works as a nostalgic trip down memory lane for long-time fans of the series. The developers took players’ favorite parts of the other games in the series, and mixed them with a new and heartfelt story making it one of the best Final Fantasy games.

Digimon Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory 9122s

You’ve likely heard something along the lines of Digimon being a more mature version of Pokémon, and while it definitely has darker themes, the combat systems are not at all similar. They are both creature collectors, but how those creatures grow stronger, and your team works together is completely different. Digimon not only grow stronger, but they grow weaker and stronger again to reach their final forms, and you battle with three at a time.

The actual ‘mons aside, Digimon Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory is far darker than even Drampa burning down the houses of bullies with them inside. It’s deep and emotional and the polar opposite to Pokémon’s surface level stories, and it’s all the stronger for it. It’s very narratively deep and feels almost like a visual novel with how extensive the story-telling is. If you want a deep JRPG adventure, then Hacker’s Memory is definitely worth playing.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III 6x5mz

The Legend of Heroes is a long-running and iconic JRPG series, and Trails of Cold Steel is one of its most iconic subseries. If you’re new to the Trails of Cold Steel, you should probably start at the beginning as the story carries over between entries, but we’ve picked the third game here as it’s probably the strongest. Trails of Cold Steel III’s introduction will catch you up, but you owe it to yourself to play the whole subseries.

The games in the Trails of Cold Steel series tell an epic adventure. In the third game our characters are a little older, and the war is over, but there is still political tensions hiding just beneath the surface. It’s heavy on the story, and how the characters live and interact with each other, but also has a deep combat system. If you’re a fan of turn-based party combat, and how the characters synergize in battle, then this is the choice for you.

Blue Reflection: Second Light 676y45

The least well-known series on the list, Blue Reflection didn’t receive much hype when it launched back in 2017. It was seen as a mediocre JRPG with your standard themes of high school girls and the power of friendship. However, the sequel Blue Reflection: Second Light allows the series to step into its own, with powerful storytelling, and touching characterization.

It’s clear that lessons have been learned from the mediocre reception to the first game. Combat system has changed from the original to make it more complex and engaging. The same goes for the characters, which are not only more fleshed out, but the juxtaposition between the intense battles and the girls’ touching relationships make for a stark contrast. One to try.

Let us know what your favorite JRPGs for the PlayStation 4 are in the comments below!

The post Best 3D Turn-based JRPGs on PS4 appeared first on Siliconera.

Best 3D Turn-based JRPGs on Switch

The Switch is well-known for its excellent selection of JRPGs, and traditionally these feature turn-based combat. However, in recent years, favor has turned to action RPGs and turn-based games have been pushed to the side; even Pokémon’s next game has real-time combat. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t excellent 3D turn-based JRPGs. On the contrary there are many excellent games on the Switch from the genre. Here are our 10 favorite 3D turn-based JRPGs available on Nintendo Switch. 

Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk 1k91f

As we excitedly wait for the next entry in the series, Atelier Yumia, we had to add one of these games to the list. While the more recent entries in the Atelier series are all action combat, the series is best known for its turn-based roots. Most games from the series are available on Switch, but we’ve chosen Atelier Ayesha as the representative for this list, as the beginning of the glorious Dusk Trilogy.

As the name suggests, the series is about people working in ateliers, and there is a strong emphasis on collecting resources out in the world in order to craft items and potions that you can use in battle. This means that the strategic layer to the game is evident both in and out of combat. One of the best things about Atelier Ayesha is that once you’re finished there are plenty of other games in the series to enjoy.

Super Mario RPG 3g286r

Everyone talks about Paper Mario – in particular The Thousand-Year Door – but the game that the series was built from hardly gets mentioned. Super Mario RPG originally launched on the SNES, when very few games were made with 3D graphics. It was a risk in many ways. There was not only the question of whether people would be interested in a turn-based Super Mario game, but the game also went against many long-standing RPG traditions.

Timing is crucial in Super Mario RPG, not only when you attack but when you defend as well. It adds an extra level of strategy to the game, and is something that few RPGs do. Separating it further from other RPGs is just how much damage is dealt and taken. Attacks often deal single-digit numbers, far from other bombastic RPGs that could see people hit for thousands. Super Mario RPG is not only one of the best turn-based JRPGs but the Switch version gives it several modern updates that fans love. The perfect place to start in your Mario RPG journey.

Persona 5 Royal 4er2r

For many people Persona 5 is the pinnacle of the always excellent Persona series, and Persona 5 Royal improves on the already excellent game. Persona 5 returns to the dungeon crawling formula of the original Persona games, with carefully crafted dungeons rather than the seemingly never-ending procedural abysses of the modern Persona series, namely Persona 3 and Persona 4. This is one of the main reasons that Persona 5 has risen above the pack.

Persona 5 tells a beautiful, complex, and exceptionally long story about the power of friendship overcoming the status quo. Royal not only adds a new protagonist, but new social links, and additional scenes giving fans of the game even more to sink their teeth into. It runs flawlessly on the Switch, and its length means that the home to handheld feature of the console makes it the perfect way to play. Become part of the Phantom Thieves, and change society’s hearts.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus 684y6o

All mainline Pokémon games on the Switch are 3D turn-based JRPGs, and most of them are great, but we chose to highlight Pokémon Legends: Arceus as a completely fresh take on Pokémon’s formula. Instead of battling your way through a series of Gym Leaders before reaching the Elite Four and becoming the champion, you will be roaming around semi-open areas, catching Pokémon and studying them for the Pokédex.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus not only changes the focus to catching, but also changes Pokémon’s standard battle system. Battles are still turn-based, but they have an active system with Strong- and Agile-style moves. While the Pokémon and their movesets are the same as other games, what each move does is completely different in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. If you’ve tried out the mainline Pokémon games, and want something a little different, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the way to go.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses zm5h

Fire Emblem is one of Nintendo’s flagship series, and Three Houses is one of the series’ best. It has all of the turn-based strategic battles that the series is known for, as well as the ability to bond with your teammates to level them up, but as the name suggests, Three Houses has three different paths you can follow, adding to its replayability.

Fire Emblem is well known for its brutal permadeath system, where if your characters die in battle, they die in real life too. However, Three Houses included a Casual Mode where nobody can be gone for good. You can still have the traditional experience, but if like many people the permadeath turned you off from the series, this is the perfect entry point.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 6n3o49

The Legend of Heroes series is one of the longest running, beginning in the ‘80s, and many of them are available on the Switch. We have chosen Trails Through Daybreak to represent the series in this list, not just because it is one of the best, but because it is a great place to start as it begins a separate arc. Interestingly, Trails Through Daybreak is the only game on this list, which allows the player to choose between real-time combat similar to Nihon Falcom’s other major JRPG series Ys, or the turn-based combat the series is known for.

The series is known for its excellent characters and strategic combat, and Trails Through Daybreak exemplifies both of these. If you haven’t played the series before, you won’t understand every reference, but the developers have tried to make it one of the most accessible in the series in of the story and combat. It won’t take 30 years of video game knowledge to understand how good the intricate and complex writing is.

Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII Remastered 73386u

If you’re reading this list, you probably don’t need to be told how good Final Fantasy VII or even Final Fantasy VIII are. We’ll be holding our breaths a long time if we’re hoping for the excellent Final Fantasy VII Remake to come to Switch, but this console is one of the best places you can experience the original FF7. It can be purchased in a double pack with FF8, which is the game long-time fans of the series often point to as the best.

Both games have very different turn-based systems, which can create devastating synergies in different ways. FF7’s combat system is easier to use and more difficult to master. Creating devastating combinations requires good knowledge of Materia, Enemy Skills, and equipment that can link them in a way that stack. Conversely, FF8 is based on the Junction system, one that is difficult to grasp, but once you do, building up major damage is much simpler. Both can be purchased together at such a low cost, that it’s worth trying them out.

Monark 2x5x3m

Monark received middling reviews when it was released, and that’s because people found the battles too difficult. However, the battles are actually one of Monark’s greatest strengths, and where it fails is in explaining its systems properly. Once you understand how it works, and how your characters best synergize, it is one of the most satisfying turn-based strategy systems out there. The protagonist of Monark can Resonate with the other party sharing buffs across all characters, leading to extremely devastating damage.

Similar to the Persona series, Monark focuses on the character’s personal stories. Each character is based on one of the seven deadly sins, and each has a dark past. Despite this, they all band together to take on the forces that are keeping the students trapped in school and sucking the life out of them. Created by former Shin Megami Tensei developers, this one is perfect for those who enjoy diving deeply into combat systems.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch 6m6kd

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is what happens when legendary anime maker Studio Ghibli teams up with the studio that created the epic turn-based JRPG Jeanne D’arc. Both Wrath of the White Witch and Revenant Kingdom are available on Switch, but we picked the first in the series as the best place to start. Ni No Kuni has an interesting battle system unlike the others on this list, it’s not just because it mixes turn-based and action combat.

Ni No Kuni’s combat features beastly familiars, and magical characters; think about it like if Pokémon let the trainers in the scrap. If you like the taming and training aspect of beastly battlers then this is another one you should try. Above all Ni No Kuni overwhelms players with its charm, and is a must play turn-based title.

The Caligula Effect: Overdose 6o6q1k

Written by Tadashi Satomi, best known for working on the original Persona series, The Caligula Effect: Overdose follows a group of people who have realized that they are living in the Matrix. Despite knowing that the world they inhabit is fake, there is no way to escape. First, they must take down the Ostinato Musicians, a group of people who want to keep the idyllic world alive.

Overdose adds a lot to the story beyond the original The Caligula Effect, including new party and chapters that you can play from the point of view of the Musicians. You grow closer to your teammates, and learn more about their lives both inside and outside of the world you can currently see. The Caligula Effect: Overdose has an active turn-based system where timing and sequencing play a major role in your success or failure. It can be difficult, but once you master it, it’s very satisfying.

Let us know what your favorite turn-based JRPGs on the Nintendo Switch are in the comments below!

The post Best 3D Turn-based JRPGs on Switch appeared first on Siliconera.

With the release of The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2, it is now time to reflect on this incredibly underappreciated JRPG series. It is up there as my favorite video game franchise of all time, and for a good reason. There is no world or lore quite as extensive and well done as this one. But what is the best The Legend of Heroes and Trails game of all time?

Siliconera Speaks Up: Best Trails Game 5w5w6

This may be controversial, but my favorite and personal pick for the overall best The Legend of Heroes game is Trails of Cold Steel III. To me, this is where the series found the perfect balance of story, characters, lore, world, gameplay, and exploration. It is so rich with a massive adventure full of some of the most meaningful side quests. You get to know every member of the small town of Thors Branch Academy, plus the main cast is arguably better than the previous two titles. Then there is the story, which is the strongest for me due to character arcs for Ash, Juna, and others. This is hands down one of my favorite games of all time.

That said, the original Trails in the Sky, Trails from Zero, and the first Trails of Cold Steel are close runner-ups for me in that particular order. Trails in the Sky was my first in the series and it still remains one of the greatest fantasy RPGs ever made. I can’t wait for the remake, which will hopefully recapture the feel of exploring Liberl. Then there is the first Crossbell title, which introduced us to what I consider to be the best city ever made in a video game. Of course, I adore Cold Steel as well for introducing the Persona-like high school concept, which paved the way for my favorite title in the series. -- Cody

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 is now available for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC.

The post What’s the Best The Legend of Heroes Trails Game? appeared first on Siliconera.

Nihon Falcom's The Legend of Heroes: Trails series became quite the juggernaut, with its interconnected baker's dozen of narrative-rich JRPGs presenting a near-thousand hour epic for players to chew on. Arguments are had about where a newcomer should or shouldn't start, and which titles if any are inessential. It often feels unwieldy, but the characters and well-realized settings keep fans coming back for more. The latest game to get a localized release courtesy of NIS America is The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II. We're taking a look at the Nintendo Switch version, and it's rough in more ways than one.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II is available on the PS4, PS5, PC via Steam, and the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo's aging console is obviously the low hardware on the pole here, as it often is. Nihon Falcom games on the hybrid console have been all over the map, and this is regrettably not one of the better ones. To be frank, if you have the option to play the game on any other platform, you should do that. If your only option is the Nintendo Switch, you're going to have to put up with some considerable technical shortcomings this time around.

A lot of sacrifices have been made for this version of Trails through Daybreak II, and visually it ranges from hideous to adequate. A generally low resolution with jaggies galore, textures inconsistently swapping between low and high detail, and a ton of shimmering all add up to make this game look a lot worse than it should. The framerate in this Nintendo Switch port is a little bit worse than the first game in places, but broadly speaking performs similarly. That's not really a good thing, but compared to the drop in image quality, it's easier to overlook. The game isn't unplayable by any means, but it's curious how it manages to make the same locations look so much worse than they did in the Switch version of the original Trails through Daybreak. This is a way to experience the game, but it's not the one I would personally recommend.

With that topic dealt with, let's move on to the game itself. Unfortunately, it has a lot of problems of its own. The story picks up a few months after the events of the original Trails through Daybreak. It's once again set in Calvard, with the bulk of the game taking place in the bustling city of Edith. There's a lot less traveling involved in this adventure, with the game instead choosing to expand on and more fully explore the main city. It's something of a theme here, as you'll see. There are new locations to visit within the city, so you can expect to cover some fresh ground in the course of the game despite the more focused approach.

The story hits the ground running, with a cutscene showing a bunch of people being murdered by a crimson creature that looks a lot like Van Arkride's Grendel form. It's even accompanied by a Holo that seems curiously familiar. Naturally, suspicion falls on Van. Elaine Auclair stops by Van's office to hire him to investigate the situation, something he'd likely be inclined to do anyway in order to clear his name. After following a relatively short trail of clues, they catch up to the killer. From there, things decidedly do not go as expected.

I've hemmed and hawed about what I should or should not spoil about Trails through Daybreak II in service of this review. Ultimately, there's one aspect of the game that kicks off rather early and is so prominent that I can't really talk around it. If you really don't want to know anything about the story beyond the basic premise, consider this your warning to bail out on this review. I won't be going into excruciating detail, but there is one major and frequent plot device that I feel I have to address. Seriously, that's the warning.

Time travel is a very risky element to bring into any story. When used carefully and effectively, it's an interesting way to explore alternate possibilities. Many great games take advantage of time travel to flesh out their stories and characters in ways a more traditional plot would not be able to. Still, one must tread cautiously with time travel. It's very easy to drain all of the drama and stakes from a story if any bad outcome can simply be rewound. It can come off like a cheat on the writer's part, and it makes it hard to get invested in anything once it has been introduced.

Trails through Daybreak II leans hard on time travel, and it uses it in the worst possible way. Whenever the heroes meet a bad ending, time gets rewound to an earlier point in the story. Some of these bad endings can be avoided, but most can't be. In the first couple of acts, this is used sparingly enough that things still hold together well enough. In the game's third act, it's like the writers fell asleep on the time travel button. It's absurd, and it makes it feel like nothing you're doing actually matters. The game runs about as long as the usual Trails story, but a great deal of what you see and do ends up never canonically happening at all. It's a bummer.

On top of that, Trails through Daybreak II also suffers from being a seemingly inconsequential entry as a whole. Basically none of the questions raised in the first game get addressed here in any form. I hesitate to call it a filler story, but it certainly doesn't advance any of the main story threads set up in the last installment. I'm not opposed to that idea in principle, but I can't help but think this wasn't the right time or place in the series for this kind of thing. Of course, we can't predict the future. It's possible later entries in the series will pick up on things that happen in Daybreak II, but at least here and now this is probably the easiest entry to skip.

Still, the narrative is not without its merits. Ignoring the nonsense hamburger salad that is the main plot, there is a lot of solid character work in Trails through Daybreak II. Many characters get a chance to have interesting interactions with each other via Connection Events, and the game makes it a point to fill in a lot of back story this way. Trails games typically have great casts of characters, and that ends up being the saving grace of this game's narrative. If you had a nice time with the first game, you'll likely appreciate the breathing room that the characters get in this follow-up. It doesn't hurt that the voice cast does a great job with the material they've been given. The localization is up to the usual standards for this series, as well.

Mechanically speaking, there isn't a whole lot new on offer in Trails through Daybreak II. You've got the usual assortment of side quests to complete, a few mini-game activities like fishing or playing a card game, and some hidden treasures to keep your eyes open for. There aren't many stand-outs among the side quests this time around, but they remain a nice change of pace from the main story. At the very least, they serve to remind you that Van does indeed have a life outside of all the noise we seem to catch him in the middle of. Like before, the way you choose to handle these side quests will determine how your character grows along three parameters, even if that ultimately doesn't add up to a lot in of gameplay or narrative.

There are a few additions to the battle system, but it too largely carries over from the first Daybreak. Once again you can engage weaker enemies with your choice of action-based or turn-based combat. There are some new actions you can take when opting for the former, with the most notable being Cross Charges. If you do a Perfect Dodge with the right timing, you'll be able to swap in another party member to deliver a charged strike. The swapped-in member will be buffed and you'll have a much easier time stunning the enemy to boot. I continue to appreciate the addition of this real-time system, as it makes it a lot less irritating to deal with weaker enemy encounters.

In turn-based fights you're offered the same array of options seen in the previous games, with a new wrinkle or two to play around with. EX Chains are the big one, giving you yet another way to deal heavy damage if you can set things up right. Stunning enemies is one of the necessary conditions, so it's more important than ever to aim for that. You can play the game on a variety of difficulty settings, and if you're playing on Normal or higher you'll want to make full use of this new addition. Some of the bosses can be absolutely brutal if you fail to use your whole combat tool box. Of course, you can always bump the difficulty up or down as you like during the game. That's another tool in the box, I suppose.

The last main gameplay element to talk about is the Marchen Garten. You can assemble a party from any of the characters from the main story no matter where they might be, and even make use of a few others who you wouldn't otherwise get to use in Trails through Daybreak II. You'll then explore procedurally-generated virtual spaces, completing missions and battling bosses as you go. You'll be well-rewarded for doing so, but it's an enjoyable enough activity in and of itself. The big prize here comes in the form of shard tokens, a resource that will always be welcome. You can pop into the Marchen Garten anytime you want once it's unlocked.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a good time playing The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II, despite its many shortcomings both technical and otherwise. It's far from being my favorite game in the series, and I think in a lot of ways it's a very disappointing follow-up to the first Trails through Daybreak game. What works here works well however, and for fans of the series that might be good enough. I will caution potential buyers to treat this Nintendo Switch port as a last resort option, but it is at least an option. Here's hoping that Nihon Falcom can turn this around as we head into the second half of the Calvard arc.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II will release on the PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on February 14th, 2025.

The post Review: The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II Struggles to Move Forward appeared first on Siliconera.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 is about to debut, and the opening movie is now available to watch ahead of its release. Things begin with peeks at the Shard armament forms of major characters, before focusing on other folks and situations that matter in this installment.

Things kick off with a view of Van Arkride in his Grendal Shard armament, as well as Grendel Zolga one opposing him. After that, there are glimpses of the AIs Mare and Carmine Altera, which are tied to them. 

After that, we see major characters around Edith City. First, Van Arkride, Agnes Claudel, Elaine Auclair, and Rene Kincaid show up. Nadia Rayne and Swin Abel appear at the same time after Rene. After that duo, Feri Al-Fayed, Aaron Wei, Risette Twinnings, Mirabel Aalton, Nina Fenly, and Judith Lanster appear. Quatre Salision, Renne Bright, and Shizuna Rem Misurugi follow. That’s also when more ominous looking individuals like Ixs the Glinting Bullet and Jorda the Shadow Eater are revealed alongside the Gardenmaster, and Ellroy Harwood the Thousand Oathbreaker. After that, we get to see battle CGs and moments from the story.

Here’s the full The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 opening movie:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 will come to the Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC on February 14, 2025 worldwide, and it is already available in Japan. Two demos with different types of experiences are available now.

The post Watch the Trails through Daybreak 2 Opening Movie appeared first on Siliconera.

NIS America announced there are now two demos for The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 on the PlayStation Store for the PS4 and PS5. One is a Story Demo with data that can carry over to the full game, while the other is a Battle Demo that only focuses on exploring a dungeon.

A new trailer highlighted what to expect from the two Trails through Daybreak 2 demos on the PS4 and PS5. The video began by showing off the Story Demo. That kicks off at the 20 second mark, and it looks at what happens in the earliest hours of the game. This means we’ll experience a mix of the campaign and some early fights. It also teased time with minigames like fishing. 

At the one minute mark, the trailer shifted over to focus on the Battle Demo. That takes us into Marchen Garten. We’ll have access to additional characters and more challenging fights there. One option it it involves the Swin and Nadia team going through Coral Archipelago, while the other sends Agnes and Renne into Submerged Terrace.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 will come to the Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC on February 14, 2025, and the Story and Battle Demo experiences are out for the PS4 and PS5 now. The first game is available on the Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC now. 

The post 2 Trails Through Daybreak 2 Demos  Debut appeared first on Siliconera.

Phantom Brave is an NIS America strategy game series that can feel a little out of place when compared to other titles from the company. It doesn’t involve demonic overlords trying to prove themselves or conquer Netherworlds. We aren’t dealing with antiheroes like Soul Nomad’s Gig or Makai Kingdom’s Zetta. Marona’s always been an earnest young woman who wants the best for people, even though she’s initially demonized and misunderstood due her gifts, and both entries are bright and colorful with optimistic outlooks. Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero continues the series’ strong strategy game tradition while also telling a story where the heroine isn’t a pariah, but the new entry is also incredibly predictable.

Following the end of Phantom Brave, Marona is now no longer feared for her Chartreuse Gale ability that allows her to see Phantoms and summon them to assist her or interact with the real world. Thanks to her and Ash saving Ivoire from Sulphur, she’s now universally beloved, respected worldwide, and taking trips to assist people around the world. However, on one of these voyages the duo ends up encountering the Shipwreck Fleet. Its masked leader steals some of Marona’s powers, but she’s able to get away due to Ash stepping in and using his powers to send her to safety.

Marona washes up on an island where Apricot, a Phantom of the daughter of the Argento Pirates captain, resides after her death. She’s been there hoping her father, who left three years ago to face the Shipwreck Fleet, would return. The two of them and one of the remaining living of that crew team up to revive the Argento Pirates, build up enough territory to gain allies to confront the Shipwreck Fleet, find their missing loved ones, and save the day again. 

At this point, I’m pretty sure you have some idea of where the story is going in Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero. Especially if you’ve seen the images of major masked antagonists in the official trailers. Everything is very much telegraphed here. I didn’t encounter any “twists” that surprised me. This isn’t to say the story isn’t pleasant enough! I loved seeing Marona universally loved and appreciated for who she is and everything she does for others after how depressing it was to watch folks bully, harass, and villainize her in the original game. It is just all very cookie cutter in such a way that I didn’t find it all that interesting. 

While the narrative is “okay,” the gameplay in Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is exactly as addictive as you’d expect from one of NIS America’s “numbers go up” strategy games. While there are some named, unique characters like Marona, Apricot, and Rouen, the bulk of your forces will be the Phantoms you have Marona “summon” via the character creator. The bulk of these roll out gradually as new chapters unlock, and I loved how you’re encouraged to make ones you might not have due to needing at least one of a certain class to unlock certain Facilities. Said Facilities allow you to do things like merge weapons to increase their experience, venture into dungeons to bulk up equipment, take on optional requests, go on salvage missions to get more items and equipment while you’re going through the campaign, acquire abilities for characters by equipping weapons, buy items, get buffs from ships and crews, and dole out stored EXP to new or unused units via the Juice Bar. Yes, it’s a lot. (This is a NIS game, after all!) But it’s all added in increments and makes sense.

Actual gameplay in Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is pretty much identical to the original game, so you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into in the new one. You start with Marona on the field. She can Confine her Phantom allies to items or pieces of equipment in the field to summon units to fight alongside her. If said character’s Steal stat is high enough, that may even result in it being taken with you at the end of the stage as a reward. Each Phantom can remain active for a certain number of turns, though Marona does have a default skill that can extend that by one. (Another one of her two skills allows one Phantom ally to immediately act after she uses it and her turn ends.) There is free movement within a certain area defined by the move stat, with no grids, and the jump stat determines how high you can jump up ledges and platforms. 

One of the unique gameplay elements in the series is that Items in the field can also have properties that can act as buffs and debuffs. Lines may connect these to other items or characters, which means allies or enemies could gain additional traits. So it might mean destroying objects or tossing them out of bounds to get rid of healing or even invincible effects could force different strategies. 

There are also some elements that those familiar with strategy games may be encountering for the first time. One is the notion of gadgets. These can appear in stages, or you can use a Facility to make sure one is available for Apricot to summon on one of her turns with Confire. These could involve things like a cannon with an AOE effect that can also decimate certain blocks, a catapult that can help you propel units to certain spots, or a fan that could blow or pull allies, enemies, or objects to set positions. Those are quite handy, and I felt stages when they appeared tended to make good use of them. It’s also a highlight if there happens to be a stage with gadgets in a island with a biome that includes interesting use of space or perhaps slippery terrain effects.

The other new element is the Confriend system. It’s basically a way of making Marona completely over-powered. What happens is as you summon Phantoms on the map, her bond with them will increase. Also, as you fight, a gauge will fill for her. When conditions are right and maxed out, you can choose the Confriend option to Confine a character to Marona. This buffs her stats and adds extra abilities to make it easier to tear through things. I honestly felt it was a bit too overpowered at times, and as such only used it a handful of times on some of the more difficult bosses and situations. It’s an interesting concept and fits the tone of the game!

Of course, I might also only think that because Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a game where it is so incredibly easy to unintentionally over-level. I had so much fun building up characters to learn new skills. Because I needed to make Phantoms for certain Facilities, I used units I wouldn’t normally. The ability to fulfill requests and Salvage functions meant I’d grind just to potentially get a great piece of equipment, needed request item, or extra cash. Not to mention I’d sometimes replay a new map a few times with my almost-all-thief crew to plunder items and equipment that might come in handy. I spent way, way too much time just building folks up, and I loved every minute.

That said, performance was usually fine. I did notice a few things when playing Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero on the Switch, though. Early battles were fine, and I had no trouble with performance in the hub in early chapters. Once the island or battlefields started to fill up, then it seemed like there'd be a bit of a dip in performance. This might come after some character movement or attack animation in the field, or when loading up Skullrock after coming back to check in after a battle was done.

The funny thing is that while Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is absolutely a joy to play when you’re going through battles or building up characters and equipment via Facilities, I also do think it sometimes doesn’t feel like all of the quality of life features you’d expect are here. By the time I finished the first two chapters, I was looking for a means to turn off the extended attack and action animations in the options. There was none. When it comes to executing attacks, there’s no option to pick an attack, select an enemy, and perhaps have some sort of auto-positioning mechanism help you narrow the gap. Instead, you have to choose the attack, then hold a button while moving the character to try and get the opponent into the correct range. I also did note that there were some maps and moments when it seemed like it chugged along a bit on the Switch when there were too many Phantoms, enemies, items, and effects in play on the field. However, that last one could just be a consequence of playing it on that system in handheld mode. 

I genuinely enjoyed my time with Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero, and I am so glad NIS made a game in which Marona gets to be universally beloved after her initial adventure. The strategic elements are a lot of fun, and I feel like elements such as gadgets and Facilities are quite well utilized. It would have been nice to include some additional quality of life features found in past NIS games and there are no surprises in the story, but it all makes for a good time.

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero will come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5 on January 30, 2025, and it will eventually show up on the PC via Steam in 2025. 

The post Review: Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero Is Predictable, but Fun appeared first on Siliconera.

As the seasons change and it gets even colder in places like North America, Europe, and Japan, this feels like prime time video game time for me. Holidays like Thanksgiving may be about food and family, but it is also about free time to play video games all day long. In addition, there is Black Friday right after. As such, gaming on Thanksgiving and Black Friday holds some of the most precious memories for me.

Here is what our staff has to say about the best Thanksgiving and Black Friday gaming deals and memories we still well.

Siliconera Speaks Up: Best Thanksgiving or Black Friday Gaming Memory 6y26w

When it comes to Thanksgiving, I still avoiding the family gatherings and playing games I just got like The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. That is where my love for RPGs began when exploring Vivec City, as it still remains tied with Crossbell from The Legend of Heroes series for my favorite video game city. As such, I will never forget that particular Thanksgiving many years ago.

I also ironically have fond Black Friday memories, as I typically saved much of the part-time money I made for that particular day. One of my favorite purchases was buying a PSP on sale finally with the money I saved from my teen job. The PSP really started my love for JRPGs as I got to play titles like the PS1 Final Fantasy games, Persona 1-3, and more. I getting Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and Final Fantasy VII to start with my PSP on Black Friday. Many of my best memories in gaming happened surprisingly around Thanksgiving and Black Friday, even though I generally am not a huge fan of Thanksgiving. -- Cody

What are some of the best gaming memories you have on Black Friday and Thanksgiving? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

Thanksgiving 2024 begins on Thursday, November 28, 2024. Black Friday 2024 follows up the day after on Friday, November 29, 2024.

The post What’s Your Best Thanksgiving or Black Friday Gaming Memory? appeared first on Siliconera.

It’s difficult to access an RPG Maker game! It sort of feels like you can’t completely do so until you potentially make a few games that are multiple hours. Your affection (or dislike) for it only grows the more time you spend with it. Like I only knew how much I adored RPG Maker FES after I got halfway through a Neoromance-like original game I’d made. So while I spent about five hours working on a project on my Switch already, I still feel like I’m only scratching the surface with RPG Maker WITH. However, while it does feel like it could lead to interesting creations, I also feel like it isn’t exactly what I wanted from a new entry.

In games like RPG Maker WITH, you’re presented with the map making, asset deg, and editing tools necessary to create RPGs (or other types of games). So it ends up being a whole process, due to creating all maps for the world, towns, dungeons, and villages, developing the people and monsters who inhabit them with provided assets, crafting a story, working on balancing, and generally preparing everything. As with all other entries in the series, you start out with everything you need. There are pre-made sprites for it all. You select what you need and place it where it works best for you. You essentially lay everything out as needed. The interface allows you to quickly go through different areas.

The thing that struck me as I dabbled with it on the Switch is that there are basically two groups RPG Maker WITH is geared toward. One seems like it would be people who are completely new to the RPG Maker experience. This is because of the heavy reliance on included sample data and asset sharing. A big selling point of this installment is being able to work with other people on the same game. However, given the nature of these titles and this being a Switch-exclusive for the moment, I’m not entirely sure how well adopted it will be. So you might not find those other people assisting. 

But also, since RPG Maker WITH doesn’t offer any tutorials or insights, it is far from being an ideal introduction. Even the official website for the game isn’t much help, as the section directing you to guides sends you to an outside website instead of any official videos made by Gotcha Gotcha Games or NIS America. I’m incredibly familiar with the series and spent hours with RPG Maker FES, but found each editor has its nuances and works differently. So it even took me about an hour or two of experimentation to start working things out.

Which makes it feel like RPG Maker WITH is really for the other potential audience. That is, folks already experienced with the tool. While those of us used to things will easily jump into building up characters, deg maps, and organizing enemy encounters, there are parts that still feel like they place us in the weeds. A walkthrough for the Event Editor would have been absolutely appreciated. Even though it is mostly a common sense sort of feature and those familiar with past games will probably pick it up quickly, I found it a little intimidating to be faced with learning the new scripting feature again. 

As such, it feels like RPG Maker WITH isn’t as open and welcoming as it could be on the Switch, even though it is a fine and capable tool. Especially given the idea and concept of this being a more inclusive experience that encourages people to work together and there are so many sharing elements. You’d think the options for newcomers would be at least offer the option of a tutorial to walk you through at the very least the event editor portion. As for more advanced and experienced creators, I’m sure we’ll start to see some fun things show up over the next few months or even years. But then, since it is limited to the console, I do wonder and hope that its the case and people won’t just pick up RPG Maker MV or MZ for the PC instead.

RPG Maker WITH is available on the Nintendo Switch. It will come to the PS4 and PS5 in 2025.

The post RPG Maker WITH Sometimes Feels Like It’s Withholding appeared first on Siliconera.

The Ys series is one where if you're into the games, you're really into it. It forgoes traditional JRPG conventions by having each game serve as an adventure in the life of protagonist Adol Christin, almost like a throwback to classic adventure novels. The newest title Ys X: Nordics aims to bring it into the swashbuckling world of piracy. However, that's not exactly where the games strengths lie.

The story kicks off with Adol meeting Karja, a fierce "pirate princess," on his travels. Inadvertently, a magical tether binds the two. This connection sets the stage for an action-packed journey during which the pair must confront a looming magical threat. Their dynamic avoids the overdone "reluctant partnership" trope. Instead, Karja actually accepts her bond with Adol pretty quickly, which brings a refreshing sense of camaraderie to their interactions.

Ys X: Nordics draws heavily from Norse mythology, with plenty of Viking-inspired culture sprinkled throughout the game. The pirate ambiance obviously adds to the flavor of the setting. The characters Adol and Karja interact with are enjoyable and the adventures they go on fit all the themes. I found the premise of a swashbuckling Adol to be both refreshing and engaging. However, it quickly becomes clear that the game’s sea-based mechanics aren’t up to par with its land-based exploration.

Ys X: Nordics introduces an entire naval mechanic involving ship-based exploration and combat. However, ship combat is where Ys X falls short. This sure as heck isn't the intricate, multi-layered naval battles of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. It's not even the arcade style system from Kingdom Hearts III's Port Royal. Ys X opts instead for something so simple it's hard to call it a minigame, much less a full mechanic.

Sea battles amount to little more than locking on and firing cannons, with the occasional special volley attack peppered in. After a few encounters, the novelty fades, and it starts to feel quite bland. It doesn't help that the ship moves pretty slow. It especially stands out because the Ys series is famously fast, especially in combat.

Also there's not a lot to do in the water other than just make it to your next destination. Honestly, when I first got the ship, the freedom of sailing around seemed pretty exciting. However, the uninteresting waters and slow pace really takes the shine off of it quickly. It’s a shame, as the pirate theme fits Adol and the game so well, but the execution falls short.

On the flip side, exploration and combat on land are where Ys X: Nordics stands tall. Adol and Karja’s adventures take them across various islands filled with dungeons, plains, or towns to discover. The smaller, scattered islands break away from the massive single-location structure of recent Ys games. The openness and occasional variety make this aspect feel especially like they're going on some grand escapade.

Navigating once you're on these islands is quite fun, especially with the help of your mana abilities. These are powers that you use in the field not for attacking, but for exploration. For example, one ability emulates a grappling hook. Combining Adol and Karja's natural speed with the additional locomotion from these abilities makes exploration feel so smooth.

However, the meat and potatoes of a Ys game is always going to be the combat. It's why fans pay the price of ission. One of the most compelling aspects of Ys X is its fast-paced combat, a hallmark of the series. Luckily, Ys X: Nordics knocks this out of the park.

The game introduces a new "Duo Mode" where Adol and Karja team up for powerful attacks, and I found this to be the highlight of the combat system. Switching between the two characters mid-battle felt seamless, and the chaotic energy of teaming up added a lot of excitement to fights. Duo Mode is so effective that I rarely saw the need to switch out of it. Most of the fights /i did I ended up just lamming through fight in Duo Mode.

To be fair though, I was playing on "normal" difficulty the entire game. Higher difficulties might demand a bit more strategy before leaping into the fight. I know some of you die-hards don't get out of bed for anything less than "Nightmare."

As you progress, you'll unlock new abilities via a skill tree system. The tree has nodes, which are enhanced by slotting "mana seeds" into them. These provide both ive buffs and for certain nodes along the tree, new combat techniques. While not the most revolutionary system, it’s intuitive and offers some flexibility in building your characters. The seeds come in different types, each offering different bonuses and stats. Therefore, experimenting with combining the different seeds is crucial.

As you gain more techniques, it only makes battles look even flashier. Some battles can actually look like an anime episode. This is of course helped by the gorgeous art style of the game. I would say it's the prettiest Ys game yet.

Another area where Ys X: Nordics never falters is its music. The series has always been known for its rocking, high-energy soundtrack, and this entry is no different. Whether you’re engaged in a fierce boss battle or exploring a new island, the music elevates every moment. It helps keep you pumped and immersed. Fans of the series will be pleased, the soundtrack lives up to the standards set by its predecessors.

In the end, Ys X: Nordics is a solid addition to the Ys series, but it should have stayed docked. The ship combat, which should have been a thrilling new addition, ultimately feels bland. Despite this, the game more than makes up for it with its land-based exploration and fast-paced, duo-driven combat. Fans of the series will no doubt want to pick it up for the continuation of Adol’s story and the exciting new setting. And if you’re new to the Ys franchise, this isn’t a bad place to start.

Ys X: Nordics will come to the PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC on October 25, 2024.

The post Review: Ys X: Nordics Isn’t Always Smooth Sailing appeared first on Siliconera.

NIS America announced the release date for both Phantom Brave Remastered on the PS5 and the Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero sequel for all platforms. The PS5 version of the original strategy game will arrive first, as it shows up on the system on November 7, 2024. Meanwhile, the sequel will be on the PS4, PS5, and Switch on January 30, 2025, with the PC version following in Spring 2025.

In the case of Phantom Brave Remastered for the PS5, this is the original game. It features Marona and Ash as they deal with her ability to connect with Phantoms and use them to handle various situations. The announcement trailer reintroduces the game and gives people a chance to see the younger version of Marona. 

As for Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero, the sequel TGS 2024 release date announcement also included a limited edition release and new trailer. NIS America is directly selling the $99.99 bundle for the PS4, PS5, and Switch. It includes a copy of the game, a hardcover art book, art cards, a two CD soundtrack, an acrylic diorama, and a coaster. As for the video, it goes over the story, characters, and gameplay again.

The Phantom Brave Remastered PS5 release date is November 7, 2024, while the Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero sequel will come to the PS4, PS5, and Switch on January 30, 2025. There’s no PC release date for the second game beyond Spring 2025 just yet. The original Phantom Brave can also be found on the PS2, PSP, Switch, Wii, and PC. 

The post Phantom Brave Remastered PS5 and Sequel Release Dates Set appeared first on Siliconera.

I was unsure what to make of Reynatis for the first few hours. It throws a lot of interesting mechanics at you but simultaneously adopts a linear pacing and environmental structure that you would expect to see in the PlayStation 2 era. When I reached the halfway point, I became invested in Reynatis and started really enjoying my time with the game. However, it undoubtedly has flaws and some notable graphical issues on the Switch, which will be a dealbreaker for some players.

Kazushige Nojima, who has been involved in Kingdom Hearts and the Final Fantasy franchise, is the scenario writer for Reynatis. And oh boy, it shows as the story here is stellar. While playing, I couldn't help but think that Reynatis must have gotten inspiration from the cancelled Final Fantasy Versus XIII game (which Kazushige Nojima was the scenario writer for) because there are some uncanny parallels here, which we will get into later.  

Reynatis is set in a world where magic is outlawed, and its use is strictly prohibited. Wizards conceal their powers from the public, and a night-time curfew is enforced to maintain law and order in Shibuya. There is also an illegal drug circulating called rubrum, and anyone who consumes it will eventually turn into a hideous monster.

In some weird ways, the plot feels like a bizarre amalgamation of Kingdom Hearts meets Tokyo Ghoul. That statement might be polarizing to some people, but these two themes strangely work together. On the one hand, you have overpowered warriors wielding magical weapons, venturing through portals to alternative dimensions. The other explores dark supernatural themes, as the urban city is troubled by gruesome half-human creatures, with ideals and philosophies constantly being challenged.

For the first half of the game, the story bounces back and forth between two characters, Marin and Sari, who have contrasting ideological beliefs regarding how magic should be treated and conducted. The story-pacing is a bit rigid, mainly because it frequently changes between both protagonists. One time, I played as one of the characters for less than 25 minutes before it jumped back into the other character's perspective. I really wished it stayed with one character longer. But as you might expect, their paths eventually intertwine, and they up as one big team, and that's when the game starts to flourish.

For wizards to conceal their identity, they enter a suppressed form, which, for some reason, means putting some hat or hood over their heads. If you are in this form, citizens of Shibuya will assume you're a member of the general public and will ignore you while you walk around. However, you can also enter a liberated form, which shows your true magical prowess in full swing. If citizens see you, you will start trending on social media, and if you reach the number one spot, the M.E.A. officers will hunt you down unless you go to a safe spot to lower the attention drawn to you. Think of it like the GTA wanted system.

Not only that, but the pressure of trending on social media will put stress on you, giving buffs and debuffs when you're in combat. To begin with, this stress system might seem like a big balancing act, and to an extent, it is, but its purpose is to give players options on how they want to play. You can play it safe by keeping your stress low and having many defence perks, or you can amp up the stress levels to strengthen your attacks but be more vulnerable to offensive blows. 

Reynatis, on surface value, seems to harbor a standard hack-and-slash combat system, like Kingdom Hearts, but it adopts a unique mechanic that spices up the fighting and revolves around constantly changing and adapting your playstyle. You can only unleash attacks when you're liberated, but being in this form will slowly deplete your MP. In contrast, if you're in a suppressed state, MP will slowly replenish, but this is the only time you can dodge attacks, which builds up your MP bar at a substantial rate. Essentially, the liberated state is offensive, whereas the suppressed state is defensive. It's an exciting system to play, but it will take a few hours before you start switching between states seamlessly.

At the end of the skirmish, you are ranked out of five stars, which will determine the number of experience points you will get from that fight, which is based on various factors like how many times you changed characters, the amount MP absorbed and performing certain moves. This encourages you to change the way you're fighting constantly. It's rather fun to try and aim to get higher star ratings, and the combat difficulty never gets too crazy that you feel like these aspects hinder you.

Now, the people who never got over the cancellation of Final Fantasy Versus XIII will notice that the combat system in Reynatis appears to have a lot of similarities. The main striking one is the main character. Marin's final menace attack is an animation of swords floating in the sky before they all fly towards the enemy, similar to Noctis in the Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailer. There was also a big emphasis on dodging incoming attacks back in the trailer, which is present in Reynatis. The atmosphere of the fights feels very alike, and I find it hard to believe that Reynatis didn't get some inspiration from Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

Although this is not the only game which has clearly inspired Reynatis, as when you reach just over halfway through the game, you will come across a cross-over-event with The World Ends with You, where you will bump into Rindo and Shoka in an alternative Shibuya. Without giving too much away, this side mission diversion is super enjoyable, and any fan of the franchise will get giddy from seeing this inclusion. It even has a boss fight featured in NEO: The World Ends with You.  

The environmental structure in Reynatis is worth highlighting. Let's start with the positives. Shibuya is phenomenal and perfectly captures the nightlife of the hustling urban streets of Japan. But the way the streets are designed is small and incredibly cramped. At first, I thought this might have been intentional in capturing Shibuya's real-life mood. However, at specific points in the game, you travel to different dimensions, which act as dungeons, but their paths are even narrower, and to make matters worse, the environmental backdrops are mediocre at best. All these flaws create an experience that mimics what you would find in a PlayStation 2 RPG, which some are bound to adore and others will loathe. For the most part, I liked many of these aspects, but I wish the areas you transported to had more life to them.

The aesthetics are another aspect that might be hit or miss for people. The entire attitude and atmosphere embodies an edgy persona from start to finish. This is to match the gritty and sombre tone of the plot, which it succeeds at. Some of the outfits are highly detailed and really give off futuristic urban street vibes. But the characters would look unpolished in cutscenes and in-game. I also observed what I believe may be a model issue with the character called Moa. Her hair would shake during cutscenes, which would be a bit off-putting.

I've been playing Reynatis on the Switch, so I can't comment on other systems, but there are a few issues. Firstly, the game crashed on me a few times, which was annoying, but luckily, there is an auto-save system, so I never lost too much progress. The main issue was the camera angle, which in some of the cramped environments is just pure bad. If I were playing in handheld mode on the Switch, this would be even worse, and sometimes I wouldn't even be able to see the character performing their move, so I always stayed playing on the dock. To its merit, the loading times were excellent and faster than I expected on the Switch.

Reynatis is the pineapple on pizza of RPG's this year. Some will love that Reynatis tries to implement various concepts while attempting to keep the magic that made some of the classic titles on the PlayStation 2 so renowned. Others will feel this type of RPG is a massive step backwards for the genre. Personally, I liked Reynatis, but the performance issues held back the experience for me.

Reynatis will come to the PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC in North America and Europe on September 27, 2024, and then in Australia on October 4, 2024.

The post Review: Reynatis Unapologetically Feels like a PS2 Game appeared first on Siliconera.

NIS America and Furyu’s next big game is going to be Reynatis, a JRPG with a story from Scenario Writer Kazushige Nojima. While Nojima’s work on entries in the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts involved fantasy worlds and fictional locales, this one brings us into the heart of Shibuya. To better understand what that involved, Siliconera had the chance to ask a few questions about the game’s development.

Jenni Lada: What led to you working on Reynatis? 

Kazushige Nojima: My encounter with Creative Producer TAKUMI’s enthusiasm is what started things.

What was your biggest influence when writing the story?

Nojima: The town of Shibuya itself. It’s a place I’m familiar with, so I walked around it thinking about what kinds of things could happen in which places.

What kinds of efforts did you take to balance realism and magic and the supernatural in the story?

Nojima: Aside from the magic, wizards, magic organizations, and the other world that exists because of magic and monsters, I made sure to keep everything else grounded.

After launch, Reynatis is getting additional story episodes. What did the development and creation of those look like?

Nojima: I think FURYU Corporation is very generous. During development, we tried to make sure that no one would think, “Couldn’t this have been in the main game?”

Given these are post-launch story episodes, what sorts of opportunities came when deciding what they’d cover and address?

Nojima: Events that happened before and after the main game. I wanted to make sure all the side story-type content went into the main game.

Do you feel like you accomplished all you wanted to with Reynatis, or do you feel like there’s opportunity for more to be explored in a possible sequel?

Nojima: It’s always difficult to tell a linear story in a game with an open map structure. I encountered this issue with Reynatis, but I don’t think I quite solved it. I’d love to take another crack at it.

Also, we weren’t able to put in episodes for the individual characters, so if there were the opportunity to do that [it would be great].

Reynatis will come to the PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC in North America and Europe on September 27, 2024, and then in Australia on October 4, 2024. 

The post Interview: Kazushige Nojima Talks About Reynatis’ Story and Influences appeared first on Siliconera.

After getting a chance to watch an NIS America staff member play through the JRPG Reynatis, I was struck by the various forces at play in the game. In many ways, it seems like a player might need to balance certain elements, such as which mode to use in battle and their stress levels. While there’s still more to see and confirm, it seems like the sort of game where a player may need to pay attention.

During my hands-off preview session, I was able to watch an NIS America employee sample two sections. The first featured Magic Enforcement istration (MEA) agent Sari Nishijima work alongside her team Kiichiro Ukai and Masayoshi Dogo on a search for Wizarts, markings in the city enabling certain magical abilities and skills, around Shibuya. In the other portion, there was a briefer look at wizards Marin Kirizumi and Nika Meguro as the two happen upon each other in Shibuya and attempt to live freely as wizards. From there, brief glimpses of exploration and battle helped set the stage for the title.

One of the ways the balancing act in Reynatis came up in gameplay during the preview session involved actions wizards take. We quickly learned that Stress is a key factor. It’s caused by interactions with people in the city and around you, and reduced if you grab a drink. Petting cats around town was also mentioned as a way to calm someone down. 

It’s a critical element, since someone being stressed means they won’t be able to hide that they are a wizard. This will make them visible in the city, resulting in undue attention from people and the MEA and the inability to take on certain quests. Those additional enemy encounters can be dangerous, as if you’re stressed going into a fight, you will only be able to take advantage of Liberation Mode. This lets you use your magical abilities to slow down time, quickly attack, and deal major supernatural damage. However, you won’t be able to dodge like you do in Suppression Mode and enemies move faster. If your Stress is low, then you can switch between the two modes in a fight to more tactfully take advantage of each one to build up magical power and evade attacks before striking back hard.

There’s also the idea of some humans towing the fine line between safety and danger. This is due to the use of an illegal drug on the streets called Rubrum that allows someone without magical talent to see and use wizarts. During the Sari portion of the story on display in the hands-off preview, part of the mission involved her team of three investigating Wizarts and happening upon a human who had been regularly taking this drug. As a result, he’d hit his limit and, during the encounter, transformed into a monster because of that use.  

Part of that balance seems to be between real-world and fantasy elements too, from what I saw. The MEA building in one part of the preview seemed ordinary enough as Sari explored it, but there were also these magical Wizart and wizard elements. Their uniforms also stood out in a way normal governmental employees’ would. This doesn’t even get into the eventual NEO The World Ends with Youelements that NIS promised. But once someone heads out into the city, Shibuya looks as it would in the real world. While I watched the NIS America employee play and visit a store, familiar products showed up. There was C.C. Lemon, my favorite lemon-flavored soda and Yakuza series staple. BOSS coffee showed up as well. 

All of this makes me curious how difficult it will be to maintain these types of balances when I’m playing Reynatis firsthand. It seems like there’s a lot to manage here. Especially considering the penalties wizards can face if they get careless. 

Reynatis will come to the PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC in North America and Europe on September 27, 2024, and then in Australia on October 4, 2024. 

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