Tag: Nintendo Switch

Review: Square Enix’s Oninaki

Review: Square Enix’s Oninaki

by Kirstie ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Platform: Nintendo Switch Gameplay: 20-25 hours Genre: JRPG, fantasy

Impressions: Memorable mechanics, rushed plot Rating: 7.5/10

This game left me conflicted. Mechanically it’s the best thing I’ve played all year, but story-wise I think it had a lot of untapped potential, which made it fall down in the end.

The latest game from Square Enix, Oninaki hooks you in pretty early with a plot about reincarnation and people tasked with guiding lost souls on to their next life. You play as one such person, a Watcher named Kagachi, blessed (or cursed) with the ability to travel to the other side, speak to the dead and find out what’s preventing them from moving on. This ability was done really well and became a large part of the gameplay and story.

For every location you visit, there’s an alternate version where lost souls dwell, and the transition between the two is pretty seamless. I found it really interesting to complete quests for the dead rather than the living, and also to see the societal impact of an ideology based on reincarnation. That being said, the story lacked detail at times and could have been expanded upon a whole lot more. What starts out as a great concept doesn’t follow through to the ending, which felt more like an unwanted surprise party than a fulfilling finale.

Plot holes aside, Oninaki has a unique and memorable battle system that goes some way in making up for its shortfalls. Kagachi can recruit certain lost souls to fight alongside him as Daemons, and each has a unique weapon class, ability, battle moveset and skill tree. There are 10 Daemons to unlock – including four that feature in the main story – and this makes for truly versatile gameplay. Four Daemons can be in your party at any one time, meaning you can mix and match to find what suits you, or choose strategically based on the situation. Personally I favoured Izana (scythe and warp) and Rigan (twin blades and combat roll) for their speed and reach. I also loved Zephyr (fangs and double jump) and Treize (chain whips and air attack), especially the latter which just took me back to the days of playing as Velvet in Odin Sphere Leifthrasir. The battles were a good combination of hacking and slashing fun, and using satisfying skills to slay the hordes, but don’t expect anything too challenging.

Building up the characters and optimising their weapons and abilities was really enjoyable, but at the end of the day the game just wasn’t long enough to make the most of it. The same goes for the Daemon Lore system, a great idea that’s not as well executed as it could have been because of the time restraints. Essentially, this feature lets you gradually unlock the memories of your Daemon partners, and learn details about their time in the world of the living. This made me really excited at the outset, but even focusing on just four of the ten characters, I only unlocked two to three memories each. It feels like I was promised a story here and the game didn’t deliver – I would love for there to be a conclusion of the Daemon’s stories that is attainable in a first playthrough.

Even as I write what’s wrong with this game, I can’t help but like it and remember what’s right. If nothing else it’s really fun, and I recommend playing it. After all, where else can you experience reincarnation while talking to dead people, riding on the back of a majestic wolf and summoning bad-ass sidekicks?

Atelier Lulua VS Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists

Atelier Lulua VS Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists

by Kirstie ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

As a huge fan of the Atelier franchise, I was beyond excited to see not just one, but two new games hit the shelves in the first half of 2019. Unfortunately although this news was good for my soul, it didn’t bode so well for the quality of the games themselves. I’ll preface my review by saying I don’t regret purchasing or playing these games, but there are certainly aspects which may be disappointing to fans of the series, or anticlimactic for newcomers.

Let’s start with Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists. This game is unlike any that have been part of the Atelier lineup to date – it takes a whole cast of characters from across literal decades of games, and uses a time-travel mishap to unite them in the same time and place, where they then have to combine their skills to build a city. Now i’m not going to lie, I started this game with a healthy dose of skepticism, and at first I was definitely questioning Gust’s decision to take its games in a new direction (See: Hey Gust, where’s the item synthesizing at?”), but it turns out they were onto something good. Yes Nelke lacks the traditional mechanics of an Atelier game, like roaming different areas and crafting the perfect item at your cauldron, but it’s a trade-off for something fresh and exciting.

  • Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists gameplay

In Nelke the player still has some scope to explore and craft items, however there’s no option to physically walk through areas, or to select ingredients in synthesis and transfer traits. Instead you assign people to craft, grow, collect and sell items for you, and then use these materials and funds to build the foundations and facilities of your city. As you progress through the story you’ll unlock more recipes, blueprints and characters which make the game progressively more interesting. I found the amount of skits to be overkill, but I absolutely loved how building relationships with each character consistently unlocked new and unique things for me to build around town.

Be warned, Nelke does set you up to fail on the first playthrough, and it’s difficult to achieve the optimum ending without some practice and some patience. However, for me the town building was entertaining and novel enough that I didn’t mind, and the second playthrough was more enjoyable once I had become more accustomed to the gameplay and knew what strategies would work best. For a game with an entirely new concept and playstyle it doesn’t always explain things very well. For instance, on my first playthrough my success was very limited by not knowing about, and therefore not utilising, the dispatch function, which is probably one of the most important inclusions in the game. In short, pay attention to all the little features available to you, take the time to create a good strategy and stick to it, and you’ll see the payoff.

  • Atelier Lulua The Scion of Arland gameplay

Both Nelke and Lulua are available on Nintendo Switch and PS4, but visually there’s not really a noticeable difference from earlier titles on PS4. If you’ve been an Atelier player for a while, the cast of Lulua will be pleasantly familiar. Like in Nelke, the story relies on classic characters, except their personas show the passage of time. This is especially true of Rorona, who has become the adoptive mother of Lulua. This is a little strange as they basically look the same age, but it’s nice to see Rorona grow over time.

While Nelke had me wanting to pick up the controller again and put the hours in, Lulua had the opposite effect. The storyline was almost non-existent, the usual time constraints and sense of urgency were missing and the synthesis was simpler. Battles were unnervingly easy, until a weird dramatic spike in difficulty for the final boss battle. This meant there wasn’t much incentive to improve along the way and surmount hurdles, because they were lacking. Nelke was enjoyable because it set challenges, and you had to have both strategy and growth to succeed, but the biggest challenge in Lulua was figuring out what the game wanted you to do next. Earlier games like Atelier Sophie had some great in-game mechanics that gradually revealed new recipes and tasks, but Lulua seemed much more haphazard. My biggest frustration was trying to decipher Alchemy Riddle – there’s such limited information that sometimes it’s really time consuming just to move forward at all.

Totori makes a return!

Lulua’s perk was that it was a reunion with some of my old favourite characters, like Totori, and it extended their stories into the present day of Atelier games. I’ll be curious to see what the next Atelier game has to offer and how it compares. See you in November Atelier Ryza!

JRPG watchlist: 2019/20

JRPG watchlist: 2019/20

by Kirstie ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

1. Pokemon Sword & Pokemon Shield

Release date: November 15, 2019

Platform: Nintendo Switch

In a win for all 20-somethings who still hold this franchise close to their heart, a new generation of Pokemon has been confirmed for Nintendo Switch.

Fans who felt only semi-sated by the release of Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee and Let’s Go Pikachu can be assured a brand new adventure, region, and Pokedex is on its way.

The latest generation remains largely a mystery, but has been schedule for release in late 2019.

2. Final Fantasy VII

Release date: March 20, 2020

Platform: PlayStation 4

More than 20 years after its original release, Final Fantasy VII will be revitalised and brought into the new era of gaming with a remake for PS4.

Remembered as one of the JRPG greats, and one of the best in the FF series, the seventh installment was somewhat limited by the graphics and technology of the time.

Many gamers will fondly remember the challenge of navigating a pixelated fantasy world with the block that was Cloud, but the first trailer for the remake shows just how far the industry has come. Fans were hopeful this title would be seen on shelves by the end of the year, but it has been given a release date in early March. At least we finally have a date!

3. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Release date: July 26, 2019

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

For those who love a bit of tactical gameplay, the Fire Emblem franchise will add a new game to its repertoire in July this year.

Known for offering an array of characters, relationships and alliance choices for the player, the latest installment goes a step further by adding three countries to choose between. This is reminiscent of the earlier Fire Emblem: Birthright and Fire Emblem: Conquest, whose storyline and character development was largely based on which royal family the player chose to support.

You can get your hands on this and start preparing your army on July 26.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

Release date: September 20, 2019

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Another remake we have to look forward to this year, Links Awakening is set to join Breath of the Wild on the Nintendo Switch.

Announced in February, the game’s trailer shows Link’s adventures transcend their low-res Game Boy origins and transform into a high-res piece of art on the big screen.

Game production appears to be in good hands, and involves the same development team (Grezzo) that worked on remakes of Ocarina of Time and Majoras Mask for 3DS.

5. Shin Megami Tensei V

Release date: TBA

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Persona fans rejoice, your craving for a new addition to the series will soon be sated! You’ll have to be patient though, there’s more mystery than news about this game so far.

The initial trailer reveals only that it will be set in Tokyo and similar in appearance to its predecessor Persona 5.Its introduction? “All the fountains of the great deep broke up and the windows of heaven were opened.”

Well, colour me intrigued.

6. Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland

Release date: May 21, 2019

Platform: Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4

The Atelier series is a gift that just keeps on giving, and Lulua is the 20th title to be released since its beginning in 1997. One new game each year over 20 years? That’s math I like to do.

The latest title will maintain the synthesizing, gathering, battling, side questing structure of the last few games, with a little more lenience when it comes to time limits.

Lulua is the adopted daughter of alchemy legend Rorona – who was the main character of the series when it launched on PlayStation – so you can expect many recognisable characters to make an appearance.

7. Catherine: Full Body

Release Date: September 3, 2019

Platform: PlayStation 4

Bearing the marks of an Atlus game, but with perhaps more adult content, Catherine: Full Body will be re-released exclusively for PS4 this year.

It has been confirmed the new version will stick to its origins by featuring the original voice actors, but it will also branch-out with brand new cutscenes and story pathways.

If like me you didn’t get a chance to play the original, here’s an opportunity to get on board, smash out some puzzles and help decide the fate of four characters caught in a “love square”.

8. Oninaki

Release date: August 22, 2019

Platform: PS4, Nintendo Switch

Not only does this game promise to look gorgeous, it has an action-packed story line to boot.

You’ll play as a Watcher. Your task? Giving salvation to the wandering, lost souls of the dead.

This could be a good one for fans of Lost Sphear, but you’ll need to choose between experiencing this latest Square Enix title on PS4 or Switch.

9. Animal Crossing

Release date: March 20, 2020

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Adorable animals and decorative fun will make a return in Animal Crossing: New Horizons next year.

The teaser promises a reunion with some classic characters as well as new faces to befriend.

This game will be a hive for creative minds who enjoy collecting, combining and crafting items to create their own personal world.

10. Rune Factory 4 Special

Release date: TBA 2019

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Rune Factory has been a classic in RPG circles for years, but this year it will come to life on Nintendo Switch. More details to come.