GranBlue Fantasy: ReLink Endless Ragnarok by developer and publisher Cygames Inc.—Sony PlayStation 5 review written by Pierre-Yves with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes.
Showing posts with label PS5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PS5. Show all posts
GranBlue Fantasy: ReLink Endless Ragnarok - PS5 Review
Akuma Rise - PS5 Review
Akuma Rise by developer Exe Create Inc. and publisher KEMCO. PS5 review by Richard with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Well everyone, here we are with another KEMCO title. Last time we had a departure from classic JRPG, but this time we’re back in the turn-based JRPG genre with Akuma Rise.
Akuma Rise takes place in the Shadow Realm of Adribune, a land of various species of demons. It is here that the game starts off with our protagonist Kaine washing up on the beach of the Oni country. He is discovered by the local princess and rescued, only to discover he has amnesia! Oh no! Things couldn’t get much worse in the Shadow Realm either: the Overlord is missing and his second in command is causing trouble. Heroes from the Radiant Realm are attacking the locals, and now Kaine doesn’t really remember anything other than his name and his goal of finding some type of “fragment”. Thankfully for Kaine, the Oni princess Iroha is interested in helping out, and Kaine is interested in beating up the “heroes” that are attacking from the Radiant Realm.
Akuma Rise is a pretty traditional JRPG in the KAMCO flavouring that it’s probably become known to you by now. KEMCO JRPGs tend to come in two flavours, and this one is the standard turn-based battles with a turn order and a more “cartoonish” art style. Gameplay consists of going between towns, or castles in the case of Akuma Rise, by traversing the world map and making it through a dungeon between you and your next goal, all while completing sidequests along the way. Enemy encounters are random, but you are bequeathed a pair of boots very early that adjusts encounter rate between: normal, every step, or none (or half if you’re in an uncleared dungeon).
Towns allow you to nap at an inn for a quite reasonable charge, purchase equipment and items, or if he’s around, an old man will create orbs for you. These orbs act as a sort of secondary equipment-like accessories. While you have a weapon and armour slot, you also have five orb slots. Three of these are for equipable magic, and two are for passive effects, like stat increases or experience gain increases. Magic orbs have an element and a rank. The element is the type of magic used, for example might is fire and attack buffing spells, while rank determines how much an orb can be upgraded. Magic orbs will gain their own exp after battle when equipped, and the spells they hold will level with them, dealing more damage or reducing delay time if they don’t do damage. Alternatively you can infuse new orbs with old ones of the same element to get an exp boost.
Both orb types can be increased in rank if you have the correct items to do so. No worries about running out, as you can farm for these later in the game. For magic orbs ranking up allows them to level further, whereas the passive effect orbs will increase their effect. For example a five percent stat increase will turn into a ten percent increase. There are a bunch of different orbs with different effects, some magic orbs even combine different elements and spells, so it’s kinda fun to mix up your team every so often.
Now that you’re all geared up, it’s time to set out. Exploring the Shadow Realm is dangerous, and you’ll for sure be getting into all kinds of fights. During battle you have access to a list of commands on your turn that include: item use, defense, magic orb skills, power skills (which are unique character-based skills), and a basic attack. Enemies and allies are set on a three by three grid each, and enemies can take up multiple spaces. Different skills, and sometimes your basic attack, can hit single or multiple tiles on the grid adding a bit of strategy or forethought.
If you’ve been following my reviews on KEMCO titles for a while, you may have noticed that this style of KEMCO title usually comes with “quality of life” options for those who want an easier time and aren’t in it for the challenge. Well, it’s back here in Akuma Rise, and it’s a fairly decent midpoint between “absolutely busted” and “no help at all”. Every three battles from common enemies in-game that you actually fight will reward you with ten of a special resource. This resource can be exchanged at an in-game shop like premium currency in an online game, either to get items, adjust certain gameplay elements, or to roll for new equipment. This also applies to all save files. For example, you can exchange a set amount of the resource to increase the amount of experience earned permanently. Another option is to draw a piece of equipment from a random pool and maybe get an awesome magic orb or armour. Unlike some of the other titles, the shop and equipment selection in Akuma Rise is very reasonable and doesn’t fully break the game or offer too little if you’re struggling.
Between the freemium currency shop, the battle rate adjustment, the four difficulties offered, and the option to speed battles up to three times the speed, there are a lot of methods to cut down on grinding time. I hit level 99 well enough before finishing the game, and most enemies or bosses weren’t too much of a challenge, difficulty setting depending. That being said you can always increase the difficulty and not purchase the boosters if you’re interested in the challenge.
Sporting a more cartoonish art style and some enemies that will definitely be familiar to enjoyers of other KEMCO titles with a similar art style, Akuma Rise doesn’t really break new ground on the aesthetic side of things. That being the case there’s nothing wrong with the art style or music direction, so take it as you get it. Keep it in mind it is also available on a phone App Store.
Overall Akuma Rise is a pretty fun title to add to the KEMCO JRPG pool. While the plot is maybe a little cliché and the assets reused from previous titles, there’s enough in the new storyline and characters to keep it entertaining if you don’t think too hard about it. Definitely a pick up for those looking for a retro JRPG that want something to play in the background or casually.
Score: 8 / 10
Akuma Rise for PC & Consoles: Adventure through the Shadow Realm with three princesses!
May 8, 2026 - KEMCO proudly announces the release of Akuma Rise for Xbox consoles, including Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows devices, Steam™, PlayStation®5 / PlayStation®4 (supporting Cross-Buy) and for the Nintendo Switch™ family of systems set to hit each regional storefront today. Standard price is USD 19.99. A special edition including full game and all available add-ons is also made available for Xbox and PlayStation®. Please check each store for available launch promotions.
Overview
Set in the demon realm of Adribune, this story-driven JRPG follows
Kaine, a demon who awakens with no memories after washing ashore on a
remote island. With the Overlord gone, rival nations clash and heroes
from the Radiant Realm invade, seeking to dominate the Shadow Realm.
Joined by three demon princesses and a strange mascot, Kaine searches
for fragments of his lost past while fighting to protect a world on the
brink of collapse.
Featuring classic turn-based RPG gameplay, battles play out in a
side-view command system that rewards strategy and timing. Equip and
grow magical orbs to learn powerful skills, unlock new abilities, and
customize your party. Each character also wields unique POW skills that
can turn the tide of battle when used at the right moment. With deep
progression, charming companions, and nostalgic JRPG flair, this fantasy
RPG delivers a satisfying experience for fans of turn-based battle
games.
A realm of demons, Adribune.
The Overlord who once ruled this world has suddenly vanished. The three
nations and the ruling state, four countries in total, seize the chance
to start fighting among themselves. In the growing chaos, the Radiant
Realm sends its heroes to take control of the Shadow Realm.
Amid the turmoil, a lone demon named Kaine washes ashore on a remote
island nation. Kaine has lost all memories and remembers only his name
and the need to search for fragments of his past.
Iroha, who has been caring for Kaine, witnesses the immense power hidden
within him. Hoping to save her country from the heroes' advance, she
begs Kaine to lend his strength.
Learn magic through orbs
Some of the orbs Kaine and his allies can equip contain built-in skills. As these orbs grow in battle, their skills become stronger and may even unlock new ones. Keep training them and unleash powerful strikes.
Unleash decisive POW skills
Battles unfold in a side-view command format. Along with orb skills, each character has unique POW skills. Build up the gauge and strike at the perfect moment.
Charming companions
Your journey includes an adorable (perhaps) mascot and three captivating princesses. Fulfill their requests along the way to grow closer, and you might find special memories awaiting you. What will become of Kaine? What choices will he make?
Age Ratings
ESRB Teen: Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes | In-Game Purchases
PEGI 7: Mild Violence | In-Game Purchases
Links
Official Page | Official Trailer (PC) | Microsoft Store | Microsoft Store (Special Edition) | Steam Store | Nintendo Website (US) | Nintendo Website (UK) | PS5/PS4
Article by: Susan N.
MOTORSLICE - PS5 review
MOTORSLICE by developer Regular Studio and publisher Top Hat Studios. PS5 Review by Richard with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Are you ready to slice and dice in some mechanical mayhem? Do you love exploring abandoned megastructures full of traps looking to kill you? DO YOU DO PARKOUR? Well then, may I introduce you to MOTORSLICE.
In MOTORSLICE we are introduced to a girl known as ‘P’. P has come to a megastructure in the middle of a desert with the goal of wiping out all the sentient construction equipment that currently inhabits it. Armed with her handy chainsaw, she’s a force to be reckoned with. Being a megastructure inhabited solely by machines, the construction is anything but human friendly. As such, P will need to run, climb, crawl, and parkour her way to the top of the structure.
MOTORSLICE has a pretty refreshing gameplay style, being a cool mix of Mirror’s Edge and Shadow of the Colossus. What this means is that you’ll be doing parkour through a section of the megastructure, usually introducing a new mechanic to you, swinging from rods and climbing poles while dispatching the occasional group of enemies, until you reach the top of the area. At the top you will do battle with an elder machine, which in this case is a giant piece of construction equipment.
So, let’s take a look at megastructure climbing and exploration to start off. As a game with a focus on parkour, you will do a lot of running, jumping, climbing, wall riding, and using your chainsaw to properly ride up or across walls. Let’s go over some of the basics first. You can run up or along walls depending on how you jump at them, climb and jump from poles, and swing on rods. You can climb up and around cracks on the walls, leap from walls or objects, and do a sort of tuck and roll to get a little more distance or control.
Lots of areas of interest are colour-coded orange (or yellow) for your convenience. These colours indicate areas you should pay attention to, and usually indicate a way forward or something you can interact with in a parkour sense. Included in these are these yellow-orange mechanical style walls. With these walls you can pull out your chainsaw and ride them. You can go both horizontally and vertically, but only one direction at a time. Basically if you’re aiming along the wall, you shoot along it. If you’re aiming up it, you shoot up it. It’s also used to make transitions between large zones faster, i.e. after a boss as you’re heading toward the next themed segment of the megastructure.
Along the way you may come across a rest stop where P can catch a break. If you decide to take a pause here, P may strike up conversation with the drone that’s been following her around. Actually, your viewpoint as a player is from the drone, which is a really interesting manner to in-game justify a third person point of view. The rest-stops are a way of exposition for interesting things you may have seen and some background world-building about the megastructure, robot uprising, P herself, as well as the world you find yourself in.
The drone that follows you around isn’t the only one you’ll see. There are a bunch of miscellaneous drones scattered throughout the megastructure. If you find and touch them, you can bring them back to certain locations to “cash them in” as it were. These are entirely optional, and generally provide a good challenge of your parkour skills to get and return with. If you’re having trouble finding them, you can activate a vision mode that will highlight drones even through walls, as well as the walls you can use your chainsaw on. It’s pretty handy when going for the extra drones or trying to orient yourself.
Next let’s talk about non-boss combat. As you explore, you’ll run into small groups of enemies. These fellas are hostile, and it’s your duty to dispatch them. Or rather, you kinda have to since their existence creates a sort of barrier that prevents you from continuing until they’re all dead. Thankfully combat is pretty fluid and quick with most of the enemies dying in one or two hits. You slice the enemies in half, or deflect saw blades shot at you to dispatch your foes, and I can definitely say that the sawblade parrying is actually really fun once you get used to it.
While enemies only die in a few hits, unfortunately so do you. On the plus side, death is relatively cheap in MOTORSLICE. You’re expected to die a lot, so there are many checkpoints to respawn from, and the loading is pretty fast. You can also manually reset to a checkpoint as well. I say checkpoints, but it’s closer to a respawn point I suppose? There are also checkpoints in each chapter, based on segments of the megastructure, that you can return to the main menu to select. These will drop you at the start of a mini segment, but there are multiple points to respawn from within these checkpoints usually.
Now, let’s talk about the big bad bosses, the oversized construction equipment. When you reach a boss, the first few things you’ll likely notice are: one it’s really massive, and two it has a segmented health bar. Here’s where the “Shadow of the Colossus” parallel comes into play. You have to scale the mighty machine, then use your chainsaw to “ride” along some segments of the mechanical monstrosity similar to the walls you’ve been using. The different parts you need to ride along correspond to the different health bars. Each boss is incredibly unique both in design and in the manner you need to tackle it in. Some you can get to and start climbing, others have mechanics you need to use to take it down. It’s a huge amount of fun.
There are a few frustrations I had while playing through MOTORSLICE, although thankfully they’re rather minor. The biggest issue I found was trying to land on small platforms that can be rather frustrating. Usually you end up sliding off either because you started rolling or you had too much momentum. While this doesn’t happen so often that I would get fed up, and normally it only happened while going for the bonus drones, figuring out how to orient yourself is key. Speaking of orienting yourself, the amount of times I ran at a wall and accidentally went up it instead of across it, or vice-versa, was moderately frustrating. While this isn’t a big deal in long segments because the nature of the segments of wall running or jumping leans away from this being an issue, I definitely ran off a wall a few times more than I would care to admit. Admittedly this is partially a me problem, but you definitely need to learn how your orientation and button pressing affects how you interact with walls.
The only other real conundrum I had was when I was looking for bonus drones, and I accidentally went the right way for story and not drones, and hit a checkpoint along the way. Returning from some checkpoints can be really tough if you aren’t going back to a previous one through the menu. Overall a very minor issue, as you can always just go back to the previous checkpoint in the menu and you retain your drone collection, but it could be a bit frustrating at times. An option to go back a checkpoint/respawn point within a segment would be a nice quality of life option, but like I mentioned, only a concern if you’re trying to do everything on your first playthrough without going back through areas.
Now we get to talk about the visuals. An amazing job in the design department for MOTORSLICE, described as “modern low-poly graphics”, the atmosphere of the megastructure combined with the gameplay style mesh incredibly well creating a sort of retro yet modern combined feeling that for me really helped sell the aesthetic. While enemy designs don’t have much variation for the common mooks, the bosses are wonderfully innovatively designed both in terms of look and methods to beat. A somewhat upbeat music choice while fighting the towering menaces also helps keep the frustration of many failed attempts at bay as you may find yourself challenging the bosses again and again until you can beat them.
Overall MOTORSLICE is a really great title that I feel really shines through. With an action packed core coupled with some fun parkour and cool bosses, I can pretty confidently claim MOTORSLICE as one of my favourite games of the year so far. Utilizing a rarer art-style and interaction method between the main character and player is also a well received choice for the apocalyptic megastructure setting. While it isn’t the longest game I’ve ever played, my first though on clearing it was “this was really fun. I want more. When is the sequel coming out.” Thankfully it’s also not overpriced for it’s length, so I’m happy about that as well. As a final word, I would like to congratulate the developer on making such a wonderful title that mixes two underused styles into something I was absolutely enamored with. I highly anticipate their future titles and hope they keep up the good work.
Score: 9.5 / 10
Kingdom's Return: Time-Eating Fruit and the Ancient Monster - PS5 Review
Kingdom's Return: Time-Eating Fruit and the Ancient Monster by developer and publisher Inti Creates—Sony PlayStation 5 review written by Pierre-Yves with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes.
Decollate Decoration - PS5 Review
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Hello
everyone and welcome to a new KEMCO title! But wait a moment, this one is
different to the retro JRPGs that you’re probably expecting when you hear KEMCO
from me by this point. Instead what we have is a sort of point-and-click style
visual novel! Something a little new and fresh coming out here!
Decollate Decoration
is the story about a girl (you) and her love, life, and trying to kill the guy
she likes. Yeah, I know that last one is a little weird, but hear me out.
Basically, this girl died and is stuck as a ghost. She can’t bear to be parted
with the guy she loves, so she wants his soul to come with her to the
afterlife. Obviously that means she needs him dead so they can be together
forever! Or does it? You’ll need to find that out.
The short premise
here is that you only have so many days to fulfill your task before your spirit
can’t stick around any longer. Your hubby can’t see or hear you, so you need to
get him to notice you if you want to affect him in any meaningful way. You can
take actions such as talking to him, entering his dreams, causing a poltergeist
phenomenon, or cursing him. Each of these actions drains your power and you
need to wait for it to recharge. You can also check items around his house at
no energy charge. All this is done via a point-and-click style interaction.
There are
six different endings you can get, each ending not taking too long to reach,
and a prologue and epilogue that are unlockable. It’s a short and “bitter”sweet
sort of story that is kinda depressing and heartwarming at the same time,
depending on the ending you reach.
The story
is told mostly through endings and the little tidbits you can glean between
each time you have to act told through a sort of bit-like style with a sort of
up-beat but creepy ish soundtrack playing in the background. It doesn’t take
more than maybe a few hours to get through the entire thing, all endings and
prologue and epilogue included, so make sure you’re aware of what you’re
getting. Thankfully the price is pretty low, so you may want to either grab it
on sale or pick it up as part of a package deal if you’re unsure if you want to
play it.
As a handy
note, there are a bunch of save locations if you want to try different
combinations of actions, and there is a “hint” system built in to tell you what
you need to do in order to get each ending, just in case you’re struggling on some.
Definitely helpful on a second or third go around to make sure you’re on route
for a new ending. It even tells you if you’ve seen the different endings
before! The only real issue I can bring up is occasionally some words in the textboxes aren't separated properly, but that's small potatoes really.
Overall
Decollate Decoration is a pretty interesting but short title that uses a
point-and-choose type of interaction to tell a narrative about life, death, and
what feelings mean to different people. It’s a weirdly introspective story told
in a cute art style about a not-so-cute topic. Definitely worth a go if you have
the chance I’d say.
Score: 9 / 10
People of Note - PS5 Review
Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes.
Not many people know that I love musicals from movies like The Greatest Showman and Repo! The Genetic Opera. I love musical plays like The Phantom of the Opera and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I loved games like Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, and of course, I love music in general. After playing the People of Note demo, I knew I had to play the full game.
You play as a pop singer named Cadence who wants to become the next big pop star in Chordia, the City of Pop. The boy band Smolder has won it for the last few years and is all everyone in Chordia can talk about. To become the next big singer, Cadence enters Noteworthy, a type of competition, but when she is told by commissioner Sharp she isn't good enough, Cadence goes on a quest to make her music better by forming a band. The story evolves from this challenge into a dramatic quest to save the world, keeping me engaged and eager to see how it unfolds.
I fell in love with all four of the main characters. There is, of course, Cadence, who represents pop; Fret, the old-school rocker; Synthia, an EDM DJ; and Vox, a rapper. The cast is really good. Heather Gonzalez plays Cadence perfectly, and even though the singing is by LEXXE, they sound so much alike that I didn't even realize they weren't the same. Erika Ishii voices Synthia, and Amanda Angeles does the singing for Synthia. It was easy to tell that the singer's voice didn't match Erika Ishii's, but I still enjoyed it. Fret is voiced and sung by Jason Charles Miller, who some may know from his singing in the Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance song Rules of Nature among other things. And lastly, Vox is voiced and sung by Mansa Wakili, who, honestly, I have never heard of, but he plays Vox like a pro with good rapping. That is just the four main characters of the game; The other minor characters are just as amazing voice actors and singers!
People of Note is a turn-based RPG with some music thrown into the battles. The battles play a little differently from a traditional RPG, where a turn is called a "stanza". During a stanza, you can act with any of your characters first and then all of your enemies. There is a bar at the bottom of the screen that shows how many actions you have, and each character can act once and has to wait. You can sometimes act more times than you have active characters in a stanza. Once you use each character once, you will be able to use any character again. Using an attack or skill will bring up a rhythm mini game where you hit X when two circles meet, like in lots of other rhythm games. If this isn't to your liking, you can turn it off in the options menu. The better you do, the more damage the attack will do. Using Skills uses up BP. Each stanza, you get one BP, but you can rest instead of attacking or using a skill that will give two BP and acts like a defense in other games, as it raises a character's defense. A neat feature of battles in People of Note is that each stanza will have a music style or sometimes none at all. Using a skill or attack with the character who matches the style of music will increase the power of that attack or skill.
You get to see what is coming for the next few turns so that you can plan ahead. Once Cadence becomes closer to her bandmates, they will unlock Mash-ups. Every time one of the bandmates takes damage, their mash-up bar will go up, and once both bandmates' bars are full, they can use a special skill that will deplete their mash-up bar, but is a useful skill that can be very powerful or do things like heal everyone. Mash-ups will then change the music's style for the rest of that stanza to match the bandmates who used the mash-up. One thing I didn't like was that every boss battle starts with them using a skill called mash-down, which takes the bars down to nothing. If you were saving it for a boss, it won't let you use it. I have used this tactic in other RPGs with skills like this, and it's a bummer that they make you raise the bar again, and most of the time, the battle didn't last long enough to get a mash-up. The party is healed after every battle, so there are no battle items like potions. Boss fights also have a timer; the longer you take, the higher the "crescendo" bar rises, and the stronger their attacks become, adding a new challenge to bosses.
People of Note handles random battles a little differently than other games. Instead of walking around and a random battle starting, you have to press Triangle, and it will ask if you want to start a battle. Winning battles awards you with experience, groove (money), and AP. It's a good way to farm for levels or AP. There are still some battles that are not random that start by running into the enemy on the map. They stand there and don't move, but you have to defeat them before you can move on. Another thing you get from battles is vinyls. Each area that has battles, let's call them dungeons, has its own vinyl that you can trade to an NPC in each area for items like new equipment or songstones. It gives a reason to use that random battle feature if you want decent equipment you can't get anywhere else.
Characters gain skills by equipping songstones to their weapons, which are also their instruments. Each instrument has its own songstone graph. Stronger instruments allow more songstones to be equipped. This part was a pain. Every time you equip a new instrument, check the graph, as it changes what's equipped and the order in which they appear in the battle menu. Don't let muscle memory get to you during battles, as it did me a few times. At least you can change skills anytime you want outside of battles. You will also get remix stones you can attach to the graph to add things to the skills, for example, making attack skills stronger or healing anytime you use the skill the remix stone is attached to. The AP you gain from battles can be used to strengthen songstones that you have equipped. Each character gets their own AP. You are free to experiment with it, as there is no penalty for taking from and adding to the songstones you want; you even get all AP back if you unequip a songstone! You can buy new songstones and remixstones at shops and find them in chests.
As you explore, you will find NPCs who will give you puzzle battles. Each puzzle battle gives you predetermined equipment, songstones, and tasks you with doing things like winning a battle in so many stanzas. You're keeping everyone alive for so many stanzas, or doing so much damage. Some of them were difficult towards the end, but I managed to get them with time. Luckily, these are all optional, but they do give you experience and groove. Other things you can find that are optional are hidden owls you find by a shining spot on the ground. These owls are called "Weird Owl"; they look a lot like Weird Al and even play polka music when you encounter them. They give you trivia about the game, and if you get it right, you will get a feather that you can trade later on in the game. Again, these are optional, but they are fun to try to find and get all of them. I do love the nod to Weird Al, though! These are not the only nods to singers or bands. I saw a shop called 3 Stores Down. These little nods are all over the place in this game, and I love it. Also, there is a dog breed in the game called an Accorgion! Half accordian, half Corgi, that you can pet!
There are puzzles in the dungeons that, for the most part, I was able to figure out, but some of them were frustrating. Luckily, there is an option to turn off puzzles. This option helps if you've already beaten the puzzles but want to go back to look for anything you might have missed, or if you don't like puzzles. I'm not a huge fan of puzzles, but with trial and error, I was able to do them. You can also play the game with skippable battles, but I kept this option off; it's there for anyone who wants to hear the story or listen to the music.
For a game about music, and the devs went out and made fully animated music videos, having no option to rewatch them was a huge bummer. There are jukeboxes where you can listen to any song you have listened to, including battle music and world music, not just the musical songs. It's nice to listen to them, but I would have loved to rewatch the videos, and I have to wonder why they didn't think of this? Why spend all that time animating a song when you will only allow it to be viewed once?
Now, I did run into a few issues with the game that I hope are just early build bugs. I got stuck on scenery a few times and had to return to the menu and reload a save. There are a few times when, like above, I got stuck by falling off areas I wasn't even supposed to be able to fall off of. This glitch also happened about two times. Later in the game, I ran into an issue where the screen wouldn't transition views or would show a white screen. This happened a few times, maybe 2 or 3. Then, in one mini game, if you fail to win it, you cannot start it again unless you reload your save. I am hopeful these will be patched in a day-one patch.
Graphically, the game is pleasing. It looks hand-drawn with bright colors. Each City is based on a genre of music, and the colors and style match it so perfectly. Another nice touch is that each instrument (weapon) that you can equip to characters all look different. It's really noticeable with Frets guitar.
A game about music should have a good soundtrack. I'm happy to report that the music in People of Note is really good. From the score to the musical songs, they are all so good! There are a good number of musical songs, and I'm hoping they release the soundtrack at some point. I do wish the musical songs were a little longer; most seem to be under 3 minutes.
It took me about 30 hours to beat the game, which is a decent length for an indie RPG, but it wasn't long enough to fully tell the story of some of the characters, like Vox, who you get just before the halfway point. I would like to know more about the boy band Smolder or one of the main enemies, with whom I was expecting a big reveal, but nothing really happened with them. I hope the game does well enough that we get a sequel, because I fell in love with the game's characters.
Overall, People of Note made me smile from start to finish. I absolutely love the game's music, and I am so glad I got to play it. The story is decent, but not the best, but the musical songs more than make up for it. It's extremely rare to find games like this, with only two others coming to mind off the top of my head. They added too many puzzles toward the end. To me, it was to make the game seem longer, and I wasn't a fan of that, but other than that, I really enjoyed the game! So far, it might be my game of the year! The game's engaging soundtrack and musical themes really resonated with me, making it a must-try for music lovers.
Score: 8.75 / 10
Devolver Digital Announces Serious Sam: Shatterverse
This Co-operative FPS from Dead By Daylight Creator Behaviour Interactive – Sams from Across the Multiverse Join Forces this Year on PC and Consoles
Austin, TX (March 26, 2026) - Dimension-hopping developer Behaviour Interactive (Dead By Daylight) and rocket-jumping publisher Devolver Digital (BALL x PIT, Baby Steps) have joined forces to unveil Serious Sam: Shatterverse via today's Xbox Partner Preview showcase. This multiversal multiplayer FPS is based on the adventures of boomer shooter legend Sam ‘Serious’ Stone – whose over-the-top run-and-gun classic, Serious Sam: The First Encounter, celebrates its 25th birthday this year – but with an oh-so-modern roguelite twist. (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2067210/Serious_Sam_Shatterverse)
Trailer: https://youtu.be/jHl-GhG5szc
Serious Sam: Shatterverse is a co-op FPS where five players can team up, blast through shifting universes, stack wild boons, bend the rules with run modifiers and hunt the deadliest forces of Sam’s relentless arch-nemesis, the villainous Mental.
Mental’s maniacal machinations have fractured the walls between universes, and now Sams from multiple dimensions must learn to work together to repair the Shatterverse. You’ll travel across shifting universes to finish battles other Sams couldn’t, fighting alongside alternate versions of yourself to defeat the big bad’s five nefarious lieutenants.
While this game is developed by Behaviour Interactive, newcomers to the Serious Sam universe, the developer has the full blessing of series creators Croteam:
Mental’s maniacal machinations have fractured the walls between universes, and now Sams from multiple dimensions must learn to work together to repair the Shatterverse. You’ll travel across shifting universes to finish battles other Sams couldn’t, fighting alongside alternate versions of yourself to defeat the big bad’s five nefarious lieutenants.
While this game is developed by Behaviour Interactive, newcomers to the Serious Sam universe, the developer has the full blessing of series creators Croteam:
“Seeing Shatterverse come to life is a really big moment for us,” says Croteam’s Davor Hunski, co-creator of Serious Sam. “It's very exciting to see another talented team step in and create something bold, fresh and different within the universe we cherished for so long. I can't wait for both the old and new fans to experience this new interpretation of the series!”
“Our main goal was to respect Serious Sam's rich legacy while presenting it in a fresh, contemporary way unlike anything seen before in the series,” says Behaviour Interactive’s Nic Duchesne. “Working with Devolver has been an incredible, enriching experience for our team. The folks there are real renegades of the video game publishing world: they always put the game first and aren’t afraid to carve their own path.”
FEATURES
- Wield a big, loud, stupid and frankly irresponsible arsenal of weapons, mixing classic Serious Sam guns and all-new toys plucked from the Shatterverse
- High adrenaline run-and-gun FPS combat with big battlefields, non-stop pressure, a lot of backpedaling and perfectly timed one-liners when everything’s on fire
- Leans into Serious Sam’s legacy and pushes it forward with procedurally shifted runs across hand-crafted arenas set in previously unexplored worlds
- Navigate unstable anomalies, hidden portals and high-risk opportunities that can supercharge a run – or end it instantly
- Push forward for greater rewards, unlock powerful modifiers and take advantage of upgrades that permanently expand your possibilities
- Face off against massive hordes of enemies including classic Serious Sam foes and fresh monsters under Mental’s control, all begging to be gibbed
All this and more awaits you in Serious Sam: Shatterverse, launching on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S this year.
Check out serioussam.com for more information. See you in the Shatterverse.
Check out serioussam.com for more information. See you in the Shatterverse.
WWE 2K26 - PlayStation 5 Review
WWE 2K26 by developer Visual Concepts and publisher 2K Games—Sony PlayStation 5 review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.
#WWE #WWE2K26
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Fortuna Magus - PS5 Review
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Hello
everyone and welcome to a new flavour of KEMCO rpg! Today we will be looking at
Fortuna Magus, a bit of a shorter title with a more straight-laced JRPG
gameplay.
Fortuna
Magus tells the tale of Amane and Tia, whose father disappeared a number of
years ago and their sister left to go find him. They are drawn into a struggle
against the kingdom when they defend a magus, a person capable of using magic,
that the kingdom has deemed a threat to the peace. Now put on the wanted list
for defending a discriminated against group, Amane and Tia embark on a journey
with Rett, the magus they helped, in order to learn the truth behind why their
father went missing and what their sister has gotten herself into.
In this
KEMCO release, we’ve gone back a little in terms of how the game plays. A
traditional JRPG style with random encounters while walking around field areas
and a pretty basic structure compared to some of their other titles, Fortuna
Magus tends to play it more straight than adding some of the gimmicks or
mechanics that have been a part of similar styled titles. All the tried and
true combat is there: turn-based battles with turn order based on unit speed,
normal attacks, skills that use MP, special moves that can be used when you
fill a gauge similar to a limit break, defence and item commands, and different
elements and attack types to play with.
What is a
bit more of an underused trait in most RPGs is how you learn new skills. By
meeting certain level and element requirements and performing certain actions
in battle you can learn new skills. These could be improved versions of your
current skills, a new special move, or maybe even a combo attack. This is
labelled as the Revelation System in the game, and it can seem a little random
at times, but it is pretty fun to use one move and then get a chain of other
moves that completely wipe all the enemies off the screen. You don’t see this
done very often, so it’s a neat addition to keep the game from feeling too
lacking in interesting mechanics while still holding true to the retro spirit.
Those of
you familiar with KEMCO titles should also have guessed that there is a point
shop, however this one is significantly less game breaking than pretty much any
other point shop in a KEMCO title. While there are equipment pieces that reduce
damage taken or confer passive bonuses, items that can raise stats, and items
that can raise element levels, they are largely inexpensive. But the game seems
to be built around the assumption you’ll be using the shop. Seriously, some of
the bosses can be pretty big bullies, so unless you spend some time grinding
monsters for points to buy stat increases and earning exp to level with, you’re
probably going to get hurt a decent amount.
Another
interesting aspect of Fortuna Magus is that there isn’t a world map to roam
around like you’ve probably gotten used to in these KEMCO titles. Instead you
have a map with red and blue dots representing fields/dungeons and towns, where
you will instantly go to when selecting. Add onto that the fact most fields are
about three fairly small areas, and the game isn’t very long story wise, and
you’ll end up with a much shorter title than what you’d probably expect. That
being said it isn’t bad, just be prepared to get through half the story in a
handful of hours pretty easily.
There are
some sidequests available for you to participate in as you play through the
game, and titles to earn that can be equipped like any other gear. So it’s not
as if Fortuna Magus is particularly lacking in content for what it’s worth,
despite how short it is. The story is surprisingly engaging and full of more plot
turns than I was honestly expecting, so that’s also a nice bonus. On the other
hand, you’ll probably be quick to notice that the assets are pretty much all
very generic looking. While I can’t confirm 100% if they used an RPG maker
style engine for the game, I’m pretty confident they did. Not saying this is
bad, just don’t go expecting any fancy unique and flourishing artwork or
designs.
Overall I
have to say that Fortuna Magus was a bit of a pleasant surprise. While
definitely shorter than I was expecting, the story was engaging and the
characters were pretty varied. The Revelation aspect is an underused mechanic,
although it tends to be hit and miss with whether you will enjoy learning
skills a little more randomly than pure level requirements. If you’re
interested in a quick nostalgia trip, definitely keep Fortuna Magus on your
radar!
Score: 8 / 10
Ship's Cat - PS5 Review
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Today we have a treat for all you folks. We
get to talk about Ship’s Cat, a game about playing as a cat on a ship trying to
get rid of the rodent infestation. This one is a bit of an experience, so
buckle up and let’s get exploring.
The basic premise of Ship’s Cat is exactly
what it says on the tin: you’re a cat on a ship. You’ve been brought on board
to take care of the rodents, and for some reason all the crewmates treat you
like a moderately functional human who can understand them and can freely open
doors and interact with things. Luckily you actually can. You can bap the mice on the head, pick them up and throw them in the pool, listen to some
vacationers talk about some really funny stuff, put out fires (literally and
figuratively), do some golf, try on hats, get distracted by lasers, all great
cat things!
Alright, I have to admit that the game
gets…silly, I suppose is the best way to describe it. If you’re anticipating a
chill, relaxed game with not much going on, you’d be somewhat right for only
the first half the game at best. There have only been three times in my life
where I had to pause a game to just think for five minutes about what just
happened, and one of those times was the ending sequence for Ship’s Cat. I
won’t spoil it if you’re interested in discovering it, but hoh boy I was not
expecting that.
In terms of gameplay, I’m going to have to
say it’s a combination of slapping and throwing mice, trying to maneuver your
cat to face the right way to jump up or down a ledge, and trying really hard
not to hit a glitch. Good lord the amount of times I tried jumping on a shelf
only to end up outside the ship and falling into the void below. Or getting
stuck in the environment. Or using a special attack on the mice and being
slingshot outside bounds, or dying and reloading only to have my cat
constantly drift in one direction even if it’s through walls. Yeah, there’s a
lot of issues that need some fixing here.
So, the main idea is that you explore the
ship, taking out mice and dealing with problems as they occur. Some of this is
hitting buttons, some is finding the path you need to take to proceed to the
next area. All of it has something to do with the mice and their boss. Then it
gets weird. Very weird. And suddenly you have special moves. And so do the mice. Most of the time though a good whack or two will solve your problems,
unless your problems are figuring out what you’re supposed to do in areas where
you aren’t given much direction. Pro tip, usually fighting isn’t actually the
answer.
I’m really torn with Ship’s Cat, because on
the one hand, it’s cooky and I loved it. On the other hand, it’s so full of
glitches I can’t rightly call it a well put together game. The only saving
grace is that the autosave makes plenty of backups when you need them.
Unfortunately, loading a save may have the unfortunate side effect of making
you drift in one direction constantly and through walls. Even while trying to
open a door. Good news is, if you close the game and boot it back up it’ll be
back to working normally. Also be wary of how you jump up to things, because
sometimes you get pushed through the walls and then need to reload then as
well.
On a more positive note, the game is weirdly fun despite all this, and the dialogue between passengers in the background can be pretty funny. Between a lady explaining what she uses her extra long nails for, and a guy in the kitchen inappropriately trying to cook eggs, it had some really hilarious dialogue. Just be prepared for everything voiced to be AI voicechat style, although I honestly found this to be more amusing than having actual real voices, since it's "ye olde" robotic voice that's clearly fake, and not any of the newer "sounds human" fake. Really this is something you play for the laughs, not something you're serious about, which we really need to see more of.
Overall, I have to say I really liked Ship's Cat, despite being riddled with issues. If we ignore the clipping through walls and objects, the occasional weird drift while trying to open a door after dying, and some weird attack animations slingshotting you into the nether, Ship's Cat is really enjoyable, and for a good price. Honestly, for a one man dev I think this is a really fun project and I gotta hand it to them for making such an entertaining piece. It might not be perfect, but it's fun to laugh about in a good way. Definitely take a look into this if you're interested in a short but weird and funny romp through a ship and some mutant mice.
Score: 7 / 10
No Sleep for Kaname Date-From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - PS5 Review
No Sleep for Kaname Date-From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES by developer and publisher Spike Chunsoft Co. Ltd.—PS5 review written by Richard with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Hello
everyone and welcome back to another Somnium Files title! Today we’ll be taking
a look at No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES! A sort of
filler game in the series set between the first and second games
chronologically. In this instalment Date gets to experience the wonders of
escape games in addition to his detective and mental deep dive work!
If you’ve
read the review for No Sleep on the Switch, the takeaway from the PS5 version
is basically just a smoother running experience, and that’s about it. Less lag
or slowdown in some scenes, and faster loading times. For those who haven’t
read the Switch review, come join me as we take a look at this nifty spin-off
type game that’s broaching into escape game!
It's
important to note right off the bat that if you don’t know what happened in the
first game in the series, you’re probably going to be pretty confused. You can
get away without having played Nirvana Initiative, although some things may
still confuse you. That being the case, I’m going to assume you have a bit of
knowledge about the series, but may be a little rusty.
No Sleep
for Kaname Date starts out with Iris, the local internet idol extraordinaire,
being kidnapped and waking up in a spaceship! She is told by an alien that she
must use her “third eye” to escape the confines of the ship. She’s allowed one
helper she can call, so who else but Date and his sentient AI fake eyeball
companion Aiba! Basically this means Iris will need to “play an escape game” to
get out while Date can give running commentary or suggestions. The viewpoint
will rotate between Date’s investigation and Iris’s escape attempts, having a
mix of investigations, escape rooms, and mental diving into the Somnium.
Let’s take
things one at a time. Since this game starts in an escape room, we’ll begin
there. If you’ve played any of the Zero Escape games, you’ll have a decent idea
how this works, but basically the escape sequences work in the same way that
real life escape rooms do. You have a bunch of puzzles and objects and your
goal is to use what you have available to escape the room you’re stuck in. You
can interact with points of interest, pick up and use or combine items, and
rotate and examine items to figure out what to do.
Good news
for those that are having a tough time, if you set the game to anything other
than hard for the escape sequences you will get plenty of hints. Unfortunately
this also means that if you don’t need those hints but are checking something
or seeing if there are other places to inspect, it feels like you’re being
treated like you have no idea what you’re doing. It isn’t too bad for the most
part, but can get pretty annoying. Thankfully there’s not usually a time limit
in the escape games, so most of the time you’re free to think or reexamine at
your leisure.
Good news
for you puzzle fans, pretty much all of the answers to the puzzles or riddles
are quite reasonable. There were only two I recall being a bit troubling, one
was because I discovered an alternate way to solve the puzzle that didn’t give
the actual answer but still was AN answer, and the other was a bit of suspect
wording, but I managed to get through them, so it isn’t unsolvable. Each escape
segment is themed, and as you progress through the game you will actually get
multiple characters to swap between during the escape segments. You need to
find ways to pass items back and forth, or solve puzzles to make something
another character can interact with work. It’s actually pretty neat.
While
outside the escape game, you will be either investigating the disappearance of
Iris, or the appearance of a mysterious pod that may have been related to the
incident or it could be completely unrelated. Either way, it’s up to you to investigate!
Go places, talk to people, examine things, and sometimes get into a quick-time
event. It’s detective Date’s time to shine! An interesting thing about No Sleep
for Kaname Date is that there are a ton of hidden alternate endings. Like,
there are at least three in the first investigation sequence you do alone, and
most of them are pretty funny.
Once you’ve
completed your prodding at possible leads, you can head back to ABYSS, where
Kaname Date can delve into the subconscious mind of a suspect, and hope to gain
insight from their dream realm, or somnium as it were. In the somnium you
control Aiba as she investigates the mental world. Things are usually weird
here, and you basically play a guessing or association game where you can
interact or examine items, and sometimes do weird things with them. Sometimes
those weird things are actually what you’re supposed to do too. In the somnium
you have a time limit, and actions and walking decrease your time. After 6
minutes are up, you’re forcibly ejected and have to restart either from a
checkpoint or from the beginning.
A neat
thing about the somniums is that they have a lot of really funny and weird
interactions. Also, there are giant eyeballs you can collect that give points
towards bonus content you can unlock in-game. If you collect them all you also
get some concept art. Once you’ve completed a somnium once you can return to it
with infinite time so you can explore at your leisure. The giant eyeballs are
still here and can be collected, but the clear bonus for more than a second
remaining won’t be available if you go infinite time. There are multiple difficulties
for the somniums, mostly adjusting how much time gets used on actions.
I have to
say I was rather a fan of No Sleep for Kaname Date. It’s certainly shorter than
other titles, and the plot is very “filler episode” like, but I thought it was
pretty interesting, and I found the escape additions a fun time. The graphics
and soundtrack should be just what you expect from previous games, with decent
3D models for characters and interesting environments coupled with a suitable
soundtrack and solid voice acting. I also like how each game has it’s own dance
number.
While No
Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI the Somnium Files probably isn’t winning too
many awards, it’s definitely a nice filler between main title entries. The
puzzles are good, the escape rooms are well put together, and the somniums are
pretty entertaining. The story is also really interesting once you really get
into it, but might take awhile to really take hold for some people. It is a
little on the shorter side, but I certainly enjoyed my time with it. The PS5
port does wonders for some choppy load times and lag I experienced on the
switch, so if you’re considering playing this title after one of the previous
two, you won’t go wrong with the PS5 port here.
Score: 8.5 / 10
Nioh 3 - PS5 Review
Nioh 3 by developer Team Ninja and publisher Koei Tecmo America—Sony PlayStation 5 review written by Pierre-Yves with copy provided by the publisher.
#Nioh3 Nioh 3
Estimated Reading Time: 17 minutes.
Related reading:
● Nioh - PS4 Review
● Nioh 2 - PC Review
● Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty - PS5 Review
● Nioh 3 - Alpha and Pre-release demo Preview
The year is off to a great start.
Releasing a demo containing the first hours of Nioh 3 in late January, Nioh 3 itself released on February 6. Available until February 15, this demo allowed players to experience the beginning of what this title has to offer.
From an amazing character customization to a new dual playstyle in a more open world format environment, everything accomplished can carry over to the main game. The best parts? Anyone who completed the demo in the available time frame will revive an item in the full game and the trophies are retroactive. So there's no reason to restart!
Now for the reason you're here. After a solid almost 70 hours between the demo and the rest of the adventure, Nioh 3 is easily already on my short list for game of the year. It also, for the record didn't feel like that much time… where have my past two weeks gone?!
Introduction
For those that may not have heard of Nioh before, it is Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo’s Soulslike series. Taking a different direction from the often darker gothic inspired designs that the genre gravitates towards, Nioh instead chose to visit Japan in the 15~1600s. Using historical events as a backdrop allowed for an interesting fantasy adventure of what could have happened if otherworldly power was involved.
This series has also never been afraid to try new things while still keeping its formula intact. Starting with Nioh in 2017, our British protagonist William sets sail for Japan in the very late 1500s. Instead of the more Metroidvania approach that most Soulslikes have adopted with plenty of locked doors, ladders to kick down and other shortcuts to unlock in a single large environment, Nioh instead went in a stage like format. Stages could vary in length but they all finished with an epic boss fight.
Released in 2020, Nioh 2 enhanced the gameplay design of its predecessor. While being named, Hidechiyo, you this time around had the chance to design your own character that would become “half” of Hideyoshi, one of Oda Nobunaga’s retainers. Where you were different from William is that you yourself were half demon. You could harness the powers of the spirit guardians in a different way and instead of seriously imbuing your weapons with power, you yourself changed shape and surged in power. You could also now acquire demon cores for an even greater advantage in battle.
Just released, Nioh 3 takes all of the above, including lessons learned from Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty in 2023, and has dropped the best entry yet. Combining stage-like designs with open world hubs, our latest protagonist and future Shogun Tokugawa Takechiyo is fighting for Japan across the ages starting in the early 1600s, visiting the late 1500s, the late 200s, and mid 1800s for some interesting blends of challenges.
Exploration
Where the Nioh series has stood apart from the rest of the Soulslikes is in its stage design. While using some of the Metroidvania formula with locked doors, hidden passages and plenty of shortcuts, these were all “bite” sized pieces of the world. This has allowed for a very catered experience that presented a very specific gauntlet to be conquered.
Nioh 3 is the first in this series to move away from the strict stage-like design. Combining the stage-like formula that it's known for with “open world” hubs, the scope is now much grander in what can be done. While the specific stages segments will continue to throw a very catered gauntlet your way, the open nature of the hubs will often allow you to poke and prod at various parts of Japan throughout the years.
There are still plenty of elements to block your path such as locked gates that need a specific key, doors that “don’t open from this side”, and shortcuts to uncover but it works well together. If you can’t move forward right away, that’s often because you don’t yet have the right tools to do so. You can also explore another area if the current area is too hard.
While I personally in general am not a fan of open worlds as I often find them empty and just an excuse to pad the core gameplay design, the open nature of the hubs work for the most part. Rarely did I feel like I was going through yet another empty space as there is enough to do while you’re in each of these areas. Lastly, I appreciated that some of these areas will see multiple uses from the main and secondary quests.
Map items
Love them or hate them, Nioh 3 has A LOT of collectibles or actions to be taken on a map for "completion. Back once again are our adorable Kodama that reside in the shrines that act as our safety points. Scattered throughout the world, they need to be guided back and can provide us with bonuses for doing so.
Also returning are treasure chests big and small. Who doesn’t like a good loot box? Available to locate are Chijiko which are flying ferrets that love to be used for target practice. Once shot down they can be pet and will drop you much needed items for character development. Finally, and also returning are the Scampusses which are super adorably round but unlike before, need to be chased down to obtain a reward.
While these may sound like “ugh”, why do I have to do this for a simple item or three, they combine into a grander feature. Each hub is designed in regions that all have a various amounts of items or actions that must be taken. As these lists are completed, you’ll obtain permanent bonuses such as attack, defense or luck increases which can go a very long way as the adventure progresses.
The best part? Once you get to the higher thresholds of completion, you’ll be able to see all the currently missing ones on the map. This makes searching much easier with no need for guides in order to get 100%.
Player graves
Making a return are the various player's graves that can be interacted with. This is one feature that I’ve enjoyed going back to the original alpha for Nioh. While Demons and Dark Souls introduced a feature to see the last moments of a player’s life before “something” ended it, Nioh instead allows you to fight these revenants.
While controlled by the game’s AI (which goes back decades now with IF / Then statements), revenants can easily differ from one to another as they are a reflection of the player that died. Do they go in for super fast attacks? Use items? Dodge a lot? Try to stay in long range combat? All of these can be easily calculated by the system to give other players a challenge.
Why do this though? Like in the original, you can do it for Glory (more below), or you can do it for cold hard steel. Taking out a revenant gives you the chance to acquire a copy of one or more pieces of gear that they are holding. Sometimes this can be better than what you have, other times it’s useful for materials to help you upgrade.
Introduced in Nioh 2 and making a return is the ability for players to place benevolent grave sites. Like the malevolent graves, they will summon a copy of a player but instead of facing off against them, they’ll stay with you for a period of time giving you a bit of breathing room especially against foes of immense powers like the new Bloodedge Demons.
Bloodedge Demons
These will haunt me for a long time.
As tough as I considered some of the boss fights, I would rather do them with increasing difficulty than facing off against one of these four horsemen of the apocalypse. Horseman War here is the accumulation of the hatred of all of the players that died.
If I’m not mistaken on this aspect, the more players that die, the stronger this demon is? They do however level with you, so regardless of if they level up another way, they will always be an insane fight as they are already stronger than they have the right to be. In my almost 70 hours, I’ve honestly only defeated three in total and that is not from a lack of trying. Two in the Beta Demo and one in the main game.
So why go out of your way for this? The loot they dropped changed the entire course of my game. The armor was nice, by the Tonfa they dropped with a VERY high paralyze infusion? I literally used them until the very end of the game through the returning soul level matching available at the blacksmith.
So worth it, but you’re going to have to really work for those victories.
Combat styles
While each Soulslike has its own quirk, the Nioh series continues to push the boundaries of its own from one entry to the next.
Shifting styles
Originally combining the martial Samurai arts with both Ninjitsu and Onmyo as support abilities, you could shape William and Hidechiyo into the type of warrior that you wanted.
Unlike our former protagonists, Takechiyo can literally on a moment's notice switch from being a Samurai to a Ninja. Weapon change, armor change, and even appearance change if you want, all of these changes allow for two completely different playstyles without the need to restart your entire character development.
I loved this as it allowed for a much more flexible approach to the various challenges. Being nimble won’t always help you win the day, some days you need to tank the hits. Other times, you need to be fast otherwise you’ll never catch up or be able to avoid certain enemies. The shifting mechanic has removed the compromise in your character setup. Now you can really play as you want to play regardless of the situation.
Samurai Mode
Playing as a Samurai is everything that we’ve come to know over the course of the series. With multiple different weapons available, we can hold them in a low, medium or high stance which will affect the speed and power. As new weapon abilities are learned, we can modify some of these moves to be stronger and slower, or, add in some elemental damage for good measure.
It still feels just as solid as it has been. Where some players may feel “slighted”, is that not all of the weapons are available for a Samurai loadout, nor a Ninja loadout. Heavier and harder hitting weapons have been reserved keeping this mode feeling powerful. That’s not to say that there aren’t faster hitting weapons like your standard sword, but for Tonfa lovers, me, those are in the Ninja category.
Ninja Mode
Playing as a Ninja is where things get interesting. Unlike playing as a Samurai that can adjust how they hold their weapon, a Ninja only has one style. To compensate for this, playing as a Ninja allows you to equip several “usable” items that can be recharged for unlimited use. Elemental range attacks, surikens, caltrops, bombs, you name it. The stronger the item, the less uses it will have, but the more efficient it will be.
I abso-freaking-lutely loved this new style of gameplay. You can say that it’s technically already been there, but for people like me who have always preferred a character that can take more than one hit? I’ve avoided it as I just know that I’ll be dodging into an attack instead of out at the worst possible timing. Now being able to have a tank mode and a dodging mode for any occasion? I made very good use of the Ninja’s unlimited items.
Equipment
To prepare for all of these situations, you’ll be spending a decent amount of time in the equipment menu. Both Samurai and Ninja modes have their own melee weapons, range weapon, armor sets and accessories. Looking through both active and passive abilities will take some time, however it’s worth the investment.
Spirit guardians
Only adding to what you can do are your spirit guardians. These wonderful beings are back again and even better than before. Each spirit comes with an attack and defense value to increase your character’s baseline. From there, each spirit also has two special attacks that can be used for some pretty epic gameplay.
More than that, however, is that Burst moves from Nioh 2’s demon core abilities have moved into both the switching of the styles mentioned above and the spirit guardian abilities. Those giant red flashing attacks are no longer as scary as they have been as there are multiple ways to now counter them without fear of being taken out in one hit.
I have still been on many occasions taken out in one hit. But it’s a Soulslike, you learn, you adapt, and you run back to your spirit guardian to hopefully not lose all of the amrita that has been accumulated to level up!
Soul cores
Soul cores have also made a return but function “differently” than before. In Nioh 2, these cores were used for Burst attacks to counter the dreaded red attacks from enemies. Having been replaced by the spirit guardians, soul cores now have a Yin and Yang function.
If a core is set into the Yang position, that demon can be summoned however many times is listed to perform an attack against your enemies. The stronger the demon, the less times it can be summoned, but, the stronger the attack. Cores set into the Yang position will also provide an attack and defense boost similar to the Spirit Guardians.
If a core is set into the Yin position, Onmyo talismans can be created for use that are restored every time that you rest at a Kodama Shrine. These abilities range from added elements to your weapons, boosting your attack, your defense, regenerating your health or surrounding yourself in floating elemental orbs for extra damage. Why should the enemies get all of the fun?
I really enjoyed this adjustment to the soul cores from Nioh 2 as it allowed for so much flexibility while keeping the same pieces in play.
Rewards systems
So what does everything above have in common? The more you do, the more that you’ll be rewarded for it. Fighting enemies, tackling strong bosses, fighting mid-bosses, chasing down scampusses and guiding Kodama home all reward you in one of two ways.
Kodama and Jizo Six Statue boons
Guiding our little adorable yokai home has also been beneficial to us. In a stage-like format, these rewards used to be localized to either a stage or set of stages, but now? These bonuses carry through across the ages!
For every Kodama that you guide home, you’ll receive points that can be used to increase healing Elixir drop rates, its efficiency, and if it could boost your attack and defense at the same time. Comparatively, stopping to pray at Jizo statues will net you Jizo Merit that can be used to increase melee damage done in Crucibles, as well as Crucible Elixir drop rate, Life Corrosion and Guardian Spirit Skill recovery in Crucibles.
In both of these cases, these small increases can go a long way to help you out.
Titles
For everything else you do, you’ll earn a reputation in a variety of categories that will all allow you to increase the percentage of certain aspects. Increasing the amount of Amrita acquired will allow you to level up faster. You can increase your stealth to sneak around more easily. You can also increase the damage to another Ki which will allow you to perform grapple attacks even faster.
The great thing about all of these decisions are that none of them are permanent, allowing you to easily mix, match and try a variety of different upgrades to see what works best for you.
Clan battles
Clan battles continue to be interesting. This is where all of your glory can be used for a faction of your choice to try to come out on top of others. Glory can be accumulated by defeating revenants summoned through malevolent graves or by having your character summoned through benevolent graves.
What’s it all used for? Primarily, it’s used in a store that allows you to spend glory to buy items, character looks or gestures. What it is also used for is to raise your rank in the clan to increase the passive bonuses that it bestows for your loyalty. If you don’t end up liking these bonuses, you can always move, but this can only be done once every eight hours.
Either that, or move before you’re tired of being on the losing team. There’s no judgement here. I myself while having constantly been on the losing team haven’t moved because the bonuses provided to me made breaking an opponents Ki that much easier.
Summary
I think that we can all admit that the above was a lot to go through. Unlike a lot of others in the genre, Nioh continues to have layers to its gameplay that all come together for a very refined experience. Does it always work? “Yes”, but like a lot of others in the genre there are areas that can be a bit rougher than others.
Soulslikes have a high entry point and Nioh 3 is no different. In a way, Nioh 3 may have an even higher entry point as the first boss is damn right savage with most of the game’s features becoming available after that point. That said, I did keep expecting a super high difficulty spike that soulslikes and JRPGs are both known for, and it didn’t happen. Were some areas tougher? Sure, but not so much so that I would die in one hit. I mean… I did, but that’s because I realized that I shouldn’t have been there but conquered the day anyways. I was there and not leaving until I won.
What I think may have offset that difficulty spike are the adjustments to the series core features and the inclusion of being able to shift between a Samurai and Ninja loadout to be the one dictating the fight and not being dictated to.
Where I have a “tiny” bit of disappointment with Nioh 3 compared to its predecessors is with the normal enemies. The variety of yokai seems to be reduced and certain enemies were simply adjusted to meet a new environment. There was also a heavy recycling of previous bosses from Nioh and Nioh 2 for mid-bosses. I would have liked to see more new bosses across each area with the reduction of the stage-like format.
But otherwise, I really enjoyed the move to the new hub like format as I wasn’t sure how the “open world” would work. I’m happy that it wasn’t an actual open world but more of larger catered areas that use most of what’s been placed there.
Conclusion
Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo’s Nioh 3 continues to push the envelope of what this series offers. Moving away from a pure stage-like format and introducing area hubs works really well to divide the adventure’s chapters. Combined with multiple enhancements to the already fast-paced gameplay, and the new ability to instantly switch between Samurai and Ninja like combat, I was hooked solid from start to finish.
Score: 9/10
