As part of the lead-up to Sonic X Shadow Generations, a short comic about the Chao has arrived. On Twitter, the official Sonic the Hedgehog account posted the comic in full, and revealed the principal creators behind it. You can see the tweet and read the full comic here.

The story of the Sonic X Shadow Generations X Chao comic, a Shadow Chao and a Sonic Chao crossing space and time to try and rescue lost Chao, was written by Ian Flynn, one of the lead writers for the Sonic the Hedgehog IDW comics, Sonic Frontiers, and Sonic X Shadow Generations. The line art is done by illustrator Misa Shion, and the panels are colored by Min Ho Kim, cover and interior artist for the IDW Sonic comics and lead character designer for The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog.

This comic is part of a number of projects to celebrate the release of Sonic X Shadow Generations. Earlier in 2024, a Shadow the Hedgehog-centric short series, Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings, was released on the official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube account. In addition, a Sonic the Hedgehog crossover comic with DC Comics' superheroes was announced, with Shadow as Batman and Sonic as The Flash.

Sonic X Shadow Generations releases on October 25, 2024 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X. The Sonic X Shadow Generations X Chao comic is free to read on the Sonic the Hedgehog twitter account.

The post New Sonic X Shadow Generations X Chao Comic Arrives appeared first on Siliconera.

Nippon Ichi Software announced that the Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero sequel will add Castile and Walnut as DLC characters. The two are returning from the original game. The company also revealed that other characters from a variety of Nippon Ichi Software titles will be joining the game as DLC. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

More details about Castile and Walnut as DLC characters in the Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero sequel will appear in the future, as well as more information on other DLC characters for the game. Castile is a14-year-old girl and Phantom Brave protagonist Marona's best friend. In Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero, Castile seems to have recovered from her illness and is no longer wheelchair bound.

You can check out Castile and Walnut in Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero here:

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a brand-new sequel to the original PlayStation 2 title released in 2004. The sequel was revealed during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct. NIS America recently announced that the original Phantom Brave game will receive a remastered version for the PlayStation 5 due out on November 7, 2024. A limited edition for Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero was also revealed during TGS 2024.

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero will come out on January 30, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

The post Phantom Brave Sequel Includes Playable Castile and Walnut DLC appeared first on Siliconera.

Overwatch 2 is no stranger to collaborations, and received a series of My Hero Academia skins on October 17, 2024. Famitsu interviewed Art Director of Overwatch 2, Dion Rogers, which revealed how the collaboration came to be, and what decided certain characters receiving specific skins. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

Dion Rogers, the Art Director of Overwatch 2, said this concerning how the skins were chosen for the My Hero Academia crossover.

The team has a list of series that more or less match the "theme" of Overwatch 2, including things we've loved as children or have become interested in or addicted to! One of them is My Hero Academia, which we're collaborating with right now. My Hero Academia has that same positive outlook when it comes to being a hero, which is great.. I think the collaboration has good synergy.

Dion Rodgers, Blizzard Entertainment

When it came to deciding which character would receive skins, the team decided based on personality and circumstance. Rogers stated that Trace and Deku have similar personalities, and that their origin stories are similar. At least in terms of meeting an aspirational figure and that more or less deciding their initial journey.

Reinhardt was given an All Might skin, which the development team decided was a natural choice. This was due to Reinhardt's bombastic personality and booming voice. However, there were a lot of adjustments made to his face to make sure he encapsulated the character. A "withered" All Might skin was also considered, but it was too difficult to implement, and that idea was subsequently shelved.

Overwatch 2 is readily available for free on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch, and PC. The My Hero Academia crossover skins will be available until October 30, 2024.

The post Here’s How the Overwatch My Hero Academia Skins Were Decided appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix announced it added a FFXIV Adventurer’s Supply Kit to the Final Fantasy XIV Online Store, and it provides a quick way to get items like one Menphina’s Earring and 99 Aetheryte Tickets. The bundle is an account-wide one that works with all of your characters, and it costs $9.99.

Normally, Aetheryte Tickets can be paid for or earned in-game in FFXIV. So, for example, you can trade Allied Seals or Centurio Seals for them if you are a part of a Grand Company. This pack gives you 99, allowing for quick teleports on demand. 

As for the Menphina’s Earring, originally they were a bonus for certain Final Fantasy XIV purchases, such as the Xbox Series X version of the game or the FFXIV Endwalker expansion. This marks the first opportunity to get the earrings outside of that. When equipped by a character under level 80, you get 30% more experience than usual. 

The other items in the FFXIV Adventurer’s Supply Kit bundle involve cosmetics. You can change your appearance with the one included Fantasia. If you use Ballroom Etiquette: Improper Praise #4, you can learn the Cheer On: Bright emote. That was previously only available in a 6.4 event. The Rising Red Moon Parasol is also a part of it.

Here’s how the emote looks:

Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the Adventurer’s Supply Kit is now sold in the FFXIV Online Store.

The post FFXIV Adventurer’s Supply Kit Has Menphina’s Earring, 99 Aetheryte Tickets appeared first on Siliconera.

As a developer that often worked on Mega Man games, we often see Inti Creates create original titles that are clearly inspired by them. In the case of Card-en-Ciel, we have a game that has a Mega Man Battle Network approach when it comes to aesthetics and gameplay. However, while it may look familiar and feels inspired by the other title, it lacks its charm of the other series.

In a world filled with VR full-dive games that people jump into, there are incidents that require accomplished hackers and detectives to solve. After getting an urgent message from someone working alongside a Rust Tactics VR game development team named Ancie, Neon the Gaming Chair Detective finds himself dealing with corruption and data tied to many different games. There involve abnormalities, bugs, characters from other titles are appearing where they shouldn’t, and Muses are buffing certain enemies with their songs. It’s up to us to work alongside Neon and Ancie to set things right in dungeons based on certain other “games” invading Rust Tactics. 

The thing is, Inti Creates isn’t great at telling a story in Card-en-Ciel or making its world appealing, something Capcom excelled at when it came to the Mega Man Battle Network games. When we go through the story dungeons based on full-dive games, each one looks practically identical. The structure of square rooms connected by brief “bridges” gets incredibly repetitive, especially considering the similar Mega Man titles managed to inject so much personality into the “net” we’d visit as MegaMan.EXE. When you enter an area inspired by an in-game series, there are no outward or immediately recognizable distinctions. Just the same blocks. Even the enemies you fight aren’t only drawn from that “title,” as instead Inti Creates pulls from its actual game library and original ones created for Card-en-Ciel. 

While this can make the idea of going through Card-en-Ciel dungeons a little boring, I feel the turn-based, deck-building gameplay actually improves upon the Mega Man Battle Network formula. When you’re dealt cards or pick them up after fights and while exploring, you’ll find they either deal HP or break damage to opponents. HP damage wears the enemy down and defeats them. Break damage affects the attack meter, keeping them from being able to take action against you and weakening their defense against HP attacks. Each round, you start with three points, and cards can require between 0-3 points to use. 

All cards are also used for movement to evade attacks or move so you can target enemies. Icons on each one show if they’ll move Neon up, down, left, or right. So you need to get out of ranged of the telegraphed attack under your feet that happens in X number of turns, you need to play one of your cards to move instead of taking the action shown on it.

While those are the three basic uses for cards, there are other factors to consider. Some are yellow. If you see the opponent’s timer counting down to show they are about to attack, you can play that card to counter and take action during that turn. Cards can have additional effects that add buffs, cause clones to appear, create 0-cost cards that deal damage and break damage, ensure cards of the same type get a boost, or affect future turns. 

There are also Muses to content with as you play Card-en-Ciel. You tend to start with one available when you enter a dungeon, with additional ones found in fights on floors. Once you collect one, you can trigger their buffs in battle by meeting requirements. So you may need to play the same card twice in a row, which means ensuring your deck is stacked with duplicates of a certain type. Another Muse might require you to play a three-cost card or for there to be exactly five cards in your hand after taking an action. Likewise, enemies can have Muses on their sides too, providing them buffs and adding junk cards to your hand that could force movement or affect your deck. 

It’s really quite clever, and I loved whenever I’d see a cameo from a returning Inti Creates game character in Card-en-Ciel. For example, Azure Striker Gunvolt and Gal Gun folks are here! But at the same time, since the story isn’t really compelling or well-executed, the cards and enemies based on “original” characters aren’t very appealing. In many cases, it feels like they’re excuses to insert some extra fanservice. But since we don’t know who they are until this title, it rings a bit hollow and doesn’t have the same appeal as it would if it involved actually recognizable people. Though personally, I also found the Muse and Ancie fanservice a bit overdone here. Others might enjoy it! But it was so out of place in the roguelike that it struck me as being more odd than appealing.

Once a fight is over, you will see certain options available in the “node” where you fought. You can choose to recover some HP. You can enhance one of the cards in your deck. It is also possible to station one of the characters in the cards you have, removing them from your deck in the process, for buffs. There can also be random events triggered after a fight is done that affects your cards and deck. Not to mention if you avoid fights for too long or make certain choices in those events, your Memory Gauge goes up and inflicts negative effects in fights until you battle enough to reduce it.

As Card-en-Ciel is a roguelike, there are elements that put you in a better position for future runs if you win. You can forge Wild Cards, which give you a chance to do better in a pinch during a fight. When recuperating with Ancie after a run, you can put points into determining if rarer cards come up, Neon’s HP goes up, Treasure Chests show up after battle, or other benefits come up. There are also different difficulties to choose from when heading in, which can help with players’ experiences. 

Though to be honest, I didn’t get much out of the PvP mode. This feature unlocks after a few runs. It offers a daily dungeon with leaderboards or an opportunity to face others. The daily dungeon is fine, but I got nothing out of the fights against others and would just… rather go through the base dungeons on different difficulties instead. 

I enjoyed Inti Creates’ approach to gameplay in Card-en-Ciel and appreciate how it built on the tactical deck-building found in the Mega Man Battle Network series. While it looks similar, it feels like its own thing. That’s great! Unfortunately, the actual story surrounding Neon and Ancie’s adventure is pretty weak and not handled well, and there’s no personality to any of the dungeons we explore. It’s a case where there’s some good gameplay we can sink our teeth into, but the style isn’t quite there even with colorful characters and some fun cameos. It can be entertaining, but lacks Mega Man Battle Network's charm.

Card-en-Ciel will come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on October 24, 2024, and a demo is available on the PC via Steam and Switch. 

The post Review: Solid Card-en-Ciel Card Lacks Mega Man Battle Network Charm appeared first on Siliconera.

Even though Renji Abarai was one of the first confirmed Bleach Rebirth of Souls playable characters, Bandai Namco didn’t share a character trailer for him until now. We now can see what the 6th division lieutenant is capable of if we choose him as a fighter in the game.

Appropriately enough, Renji faces off against 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki in his character trailer. He wields his Zanpakuto Zabimaru both in his standard and awakened state. Things begin with his Sweep signature move, which features his sword extending like a whip. From there, we see two Spiritual Pressure Moves. One is the Tsumuji Kaze attack, and the other is the Oath of the Soul buff.

Here’s the full character trailer showing how Renji will work in the game.

Here’s the full list of all of the Bleach Rebirth of Souls characters who got their own trailers before Renji Abarai did.

• Byakuya Kuchiki
• Gin Ichimaru
• Ichigo Kurosaki
• Ichigo Kurosaki (Bankai)
• Kaname Tosen
• Kenpachi Zaraki
• Kisuke Urahara
• Rangiku Matsumoto
• Rukia Kuchiki
• Soi Fon (Sui-Feng)
• Toushiro Hitsugaya
• Ulquiorra Cifer
• Uryu Ishida
• Yasutora “Chad” Sado
• Yoruichi Shihoin

Bleach Rebirth of Souls will come to the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC in early 2025. The Bleach anime, including Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, are streaming on on Disney+ and Hulu. Viz Media handles the manga series outside of Japan.

The post Bleach Rebirth of Souls Renji Abarai Trailer Finally Appears appeared first on Siliconera.

Poncle announced a second Vampire Survivors crossover with Konami, this time being the Ode to Castlevania DLC. It will debut on Halloween 2024, adding characters and the largest map so far. It will be on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices for $3.99 on October 31, 2024.

As this is a Castlevania add-on with no vampires, it means other iconic characters from the series will be playable instead. Poncle confirmed over 20 will be available. It noted that many of them will be from the Belmont and Belnades families. 

So far, the following folks are all confirmed.

• Charlotte Aulin
• Eric Lecarde
• Maria Renard
• John Morris
• Jonathan Morris
• Richter Belmont
• Shanoa
• Simon Belmont
• Sonia Belmont
• Sypha Belnades
• Trevor Belmont
• Yoko Belnades

Poncle confirmed over 40 weapons for the crossover too. Alucard’s Shield, Spear, and Sword will all be present. Eight different kinds of whips will appear, building on the one in the base game. The announcement also confirmed Glyphs, elemental magic, and projectiles will show up. 

Here’s the animated announcement trailer, which showed many of the characters we’ll get to use when the add-on appears. It also hints at Soma Cruz and Alucard’s inclusions. 

As a reminder, the Vampire Survivors Konami crossover prior to the Castlevania DLC involved Contra. Characters and stages from that game showed up in the Operation Guns add-on.

Vampire Survivors is available for the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices, and its Ode to Castlevania DLC launches on October 31, 2024. 

The post Vampire Survivors Ode to Castlevania DLC Adds No Vampires appeared first on Siliconera.

Koei Tecmo confirmed Tamaki will be the fourth character in Venus Vacation Prism - Dead or Alive Xtreme. Players of the upcoming romance simulation game will be able to choose her as one of the six dateable heroines. Saori Onishi will also return to reprise her role as her Japanese voice actress role.

The fashion designer Tamaki made her debut in the original Japanese version of Venus Vacation in April 2018. She later joined the Asian English server roster in July 2019. Tamaki is arguably one of the title's most popular characters, as Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja actually added her to Dead or Alive 6 as a DLC character with an Aikido fighting style in March 2020.

The teaser trailer featuring Tamaki in Venus Vacation Prism is available to view via the game's official X account:

The first three characters revealed for Venus Vacation Prism are Misaki, Fiona, and Elise. All four characters revealed to date, including Tamaki, made their debuts in the original Venus Vacation free-to-play title. Koei Tecmo will reveal the last two characters on the next two Mondays.

Venus Vacation Prism - Dead or Alive Xtreme will be available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam and DMM Games in Southeast and East Asia including Japan in early 2025.

The post Tamaki Will Join Venus Vacation Prism DOAX Roster appeared first on Siliconera.

Horror games are so iconic. Few games immerse the player in an evocative and memorable world as well as horror titles. Famous, classic Japanese horror series like Resident Evil and Silent Hill keep putting out games. In fact, the recent release of Silent Hill 2 shows there is plenty of room for more horror remakes. This are our picks for the classic horror games that need a sequel or remake next.

Siliconera Speaks Up: Horror Games That Need a Remake or Sequel

I'm kind of loathe to think of Siren: Blood Curse as a remake of the original game since it's SO different in terms of…well, everything. It's more a reimagination, really. While a much more faithful remake of Siren would be nice, I'm one of those people who believe that if you're going to play it, you should play the original, horrible, janky version and get that true frustrating experience. It's part of the charm. -- Stephanie (1/2)

Siren 2, on the other hand, seemed to have genuinely wanted to provide some quality-of-life upgrades. As such, it would be nice to see a proper remake of that one. Heck, a Siren 3 that's similar to the first two in terms of gameplay and writing would be great too. It might be difficult though, since the main creative team for Siren seem to be at Bokeh Game Studio now and I don't know who even has the rights to the IP anymore. -- Stephanie (2/2)

I have to agree with Stephanie. Siren should come back. It's such a memorable story, and the gameplay was so unusual and different. It genuinely felt desperate and horrifying when you knew the Shibito were everywhere, you were outnumbered, and it would be so easy to panic and slip up. -- Jenni

I’m a wimp when it comes to horror games so I mostly stick to visual novels. Though not outright horror games, I keep hoping and praying for new games in the Zero Escape and Danganronpa series. They both have light spooky elements, especially 999 with the “knocking” part that actually made me jump when I first played it. Both series made me fall in love with the visual novel genre and I just need more of both. This is particularly painful for Zero Escape since I will stand by that Zero Time Dilemma’s most horrifying part was its terribly unfinished ending that needs a sequel someday. -- Cody

The post Which Classic Horror Games Need a Remake or Sequel Next? appeared first on Siliconera.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a booming success for Atlus, with plenty of good reviews and sales milestones hit almost immediately after its official release. But with so many things from the game nagging at me, I find it difficult to partake in the celebrations. While the ultimate message is well-meaning, it’s delivered in such a tepid and messy narrative that even now, I struggle to care about or even remember what it has to say.

This article contains heavy spoilers for the entire story of Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Before we begin, I’d like to reiterate that this is my personal opinion on why the story in Metaphor: ReFantazio didn't work. If you enjoyed the story, then great. I’m happy for you, genuinely. I would love to hear why you liked it, because I have no idea what redeeming quality people are finding in the narrative. Nonetheless, lots of people saw what I couldn't, considering the slew of perfect scores other sites gave it. While I gave it an 8—a high score in retrospect, whereas some noted that it was a “low” one—the more I think about it, the more I believe that I was being far too generous as a result of the battle system and music.

For starters, without talking about the themes, the pacing of the story in Metaphor: ReFantazio was awful. It feels like you spend lots of time with Strohl, Hulkenberg, and Heismay. But Junah, Eupha, and Basilio join, and they jump right into business. The story doesn’t dedicate as much time, fluff, or events into giving them depth or showing how they interact with the others. It leads to them feeling a little out of place in the overall party dynamic.

Basilio getting his awakening scene after the grand moment when he and Fidelio protect innocent children and Fidelio dies in his arms was such a weird creative choice. The ghost fist bump was a neat touch though. The revelation of what Rella did to the prince, as well as her death, elicited no emotion from me either. I don’t know this girl, nor do I particularly care about her relationship to Junah. If I felt anything, it was surprise that she was revealing her crimes so quickly. The pacing from Louis’ soiree forth felt insanely rushed and off, and I don’t really understand what could’ve happened behind the scenes for the story to end up this way.

Louis remaining the sole main antagonist was also a bit of a surprise. He really felt like someone who would be a first act boss and then disappear to make room for a more dangerous foe. Nothing really wrong with Louis being a constant antagonist, outside of the fact that for the most part, he wasn't very interesting. As per usual with Atlus games, story beats and themes are introduced and then discarded without much time on them. The Protagonist turning into a monster, the Protagonist merging with the prince, and Louis being elda are some major revelations in the last act that the game glosses over. They don't get anywhere near the appropriate narrative weight.

In my review, I mentioned that it reminded me of Zootopia. This was due to similarities in how if you spend even a second thinking about the world, the allegory falls apart. As well, the Japanese audience ate it up as a “perfect” analogy of real-world politics but still dolled up in a fun family-friendly film. The more I think about Metaphor: ReFantazio, the more I realize how apt I was with that comparison because under even a little scrutiny, it’s easy to see just how shallow the world of Metaphor is. In fact, I’m willing to say that Zootopia presented a more interesting world than Metaphor did.

Euchronia is not a compelling setting at all. The world of Metaphor is akin to a cardboard cutout. It exists solely as a backdrop to discuss racism and discrimination, yet there's no real structure or depth to it to make said racism or discrimination work. Look at Zootopia and try to picture the titular city beyond what was in the film. There’s enough lore and thought put into it that you can imagine how the animals live, how the city works, and how the society functions. The same goes with other fantasy worlds, even in gacha games like Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail. The fiction feels alive, even when you turn off the screen. While I praised the individual cities of Euchronia for how distinct they felt, the entire country itself feels like nothing more than a convenient prop.

Now let's delve a little deeper into the narrative Atlus gives us. The game presents us with two favorites for the crown: Sanctifex Forden and Count Louis. The Protagonist is one too, thanks to the visions of a united world under the prince’s rule, but the people don’t really give him the time of day until the halfway point. Under Forden, the system would remain the same as it’s always been, with preferential treatment for nobles and devout Sanctists.

Meanwhile, Louis means to set up a meritocracy in which those with strength—and only those with strength—deserve to live. Neither of them are trying to bring about a world or society that seems genuinely helpful for the people, thus leaving no real moral quandary as to whether or not they’re in the right. The Protagonist’s vision of a fair and united world, free of discrimination based on your birth, is very idealistic and all. But at no point does he or the party members actually say how they’re going to do bring that about.

It seems that for most of the game, those kinds of logistics will come later, after they restore the prince to the throne. Unfortunately, the prince never wakes up, technically speaking, and he simply merges back with the Protagonist. This means that we never get to actually hear how the Protagonist will solve any of the ongoing issues in the game. Him being a silent protagonist contributes to this problem, but I'll touch on that later.

I personally prefer stories, if they’re going to tackle such difficult themes, to present a real trolley problem of sorts. In Persona 5 Royal—which I no longer have qualms about comparing Metaphor: ReFantazio to since Atlus was pulling our legs when it said that Metaphor: ReFantazio would be different—Maruki presented a really interesting choice. Stay in a dream world where all the bad things in your life didn’t happen, or choose to face the more bitter and painful reality? While the game presents the latter as the right one, it’s hard to argue against the former. If such a choice existed, would you be so quick to discard it?

There’s never any question in the game in regards to Forden or Louis. Forden ruling the country would be bad, but Louis ruling the country would be bad too. Ergo, the only one who can and should rule it is you, or the prince. Well, let’s look at how the Protagonist interacts with people to see how they'd better the world. Whenever you talk to an NPC in the game, they start out quite hostile and prejudiced. But if you're nice, the NPC gives some excuse for their bad behavior and then becomes much friendlier. Perhaps Atlus wanted to use this to show that not everyone is a bad person at heart. But it just feels lazy. Do I want the characters to be mean and racist to me? No. However, if that’s going to be in the game in the first place, why resolve it this quickly?

I feel like a huge part of why the discrimination thing doesn’t work for me personally is that it doesn’t feel real. It feels very forced and informed. In my review, I chalked this feeling up to everyone being really humanoid save for the eugiefs, but now that I’ve had more time to compile my thoughts, I think I know why. It doesn’t feel organic. Think about the cultures and races in real life that have a bad reputation. There should be some stereotype that gets repeated a lot, right? Whether it has to do with bad apples, cuisine, or a physical characteristic, there’s some reason as to why they’re viewed with a lot more disdain than others.

As a Chinese person, I’ll list a few: we eat anything and everything, we’re loud, we’re cheap, we’re colorist, and so on and so forth. Is there real grounds for all of that? I mean, yeah, kind of. Some Chinese people practically yell at each other in public, and everyone uses the “HoYoVerse is a Chinese company and the beauty standards favor pale skin!” excuse when people want to discuss the lack of darker-skinned characters. The historical bad blood between nations like China and Japan can also lead to prejudice among the population. There’s a distinct lack of that kind of stuff in Metaphor: ReFantazio, outside of some mean-spirited comments about physical appearance. The one time I opened up the memorandum in game was to look at the races and see why certain races are “lesser” than others, because the story made it impossible to understand. That's not great.

The themes of prejudice and racism never feel impactful because you see it in such an artificial setting. That it never evolves beyond racism and religious fervor is kind of ridiculous too. So there’s no ageism or sexism? No discrimination against people with disabilities? It’s not as if the game is solely about racism either; it’s technically about anxiety. There are so many things they could’ve done to add onto it and still keep the themes of injustice though. For example, Maria is half-blooded, and while she deals with people calling her a weirdo, the issue of her not being ishkian or rhoag enough doesn’t come up. This is a very common struggle that people from two heritages face. Her being ousted as a “freak” feels so similar to all of the other stories in Metaphor that it would be nice if Maria’s social link introduced yet another angle.

Another thing that makes the setting seem thoughtless is that there’s no one even attempting to pass, yet prejudice is such a large part of it. You mean to tell me that Louis is the only person in the entire course of history who thought to fake clemar heritage? No paripus thought to simply wear a shawl and baggy clothing, put on some face make-up, and pretend they're a prudish rhoag? The Protagonist is an elda—a tribe so rare some don't believe they exist yet somehow everyone recognizes you as one. Elda also have no defining racial traits, making them quite the blank canvas. Gallica tells you to keep your head down in Grand Trad, but the thought of using fake horns or ears never crossed her mind?

These are topics and questions that might’ve or should've come up during the conceptual stage. This game was in development for so long, but I wonder how much of it Atlus had to scrap and cut away. I also wonder how much of it was executive meddling forcing the development team to keep a lot of these Persona elements. It certainly doesn’t feel like they spent as much time as they needed to create a whole new fantasy setting. How can I care about a world and characters that hardly feel like a world and characters? 

It’s clear from all angles that a writer who is in his country’s majority wrote the story. That’s not anything Hashino can fix, but he could’ve certainly done more research. Foreigners, citizens of non-Japanese descent, and multiracial people all deal with prejudice. Considering Japan’s culture of conformity, I’m sure that Hashino or someone else could’ve found some people talking about their experiences online in order to add some grounded nuance to the tale. The racism in the game is either allegorical in nature (intentional or not) or cartoonishly blatant. I'm glad that it included more realistic scenes like how one's race affects their job prospects, at least.

During the last act of the game, the narrative shifts slightly to focus on themes of anxiety. Anxiety and fear in real life can manifest as prejudice and racism, for sure, but it feels like it came out of nowhere. The ultimate theme of how anxiety is the cause of all the problems feels really incongruent with the set-up thus far. I don’t believe that the party came together because the Protagonist soothed their anxieties. It feels like they all unite behind the Protagonist because he’s open to listening to them and understanding them.

In my opinion, the awakening sequence, in which characters rip out their heart and it’s a mic and they give a speech into it, plays really well with that idea. Eupha’s and Maria’s social links, while a little heavy-handed with the writing, also work well in that it presents the usual discrimination problem, but the way they go about overcoming it and befriending their neighbor feels a lot more realistic than what was in the main story. It might be a little cheesy with how overly sincere it is. But considering how heavy-handed Metaphor: ReFantazio is as a whole, that’s not a bad thing.

So why in the world is the game like this? What could be the cause? To give a short answer, I think the longer Atlus spends on a game, the more the story suffers for it in exchange for sheer “fun” value. Honestly though, I think part of the issue is the Persona gameplay loop. The calendar system naturally limits what you can do with the narrative. Not only is this due to player freedom, but it also sets an arbitrary limit on patience. It can be frustrating when the game eats away at your "time" with too many days that railroad you into doing the main plot. This works in, say, Persona, because the world in Persona is our own. But in a fantasy world like Metaphor: ReFantazio and with a story that’s so reliant on worldbuilding, it’s a double-edged sword.

The player simultaneously has too much and not enough control. The social links also work against it because there’s a lot of important information in them that someone might not get to. The paripus igniter experiments, for example, seems like a major incident in the history of the world and is a very interesting bit of lore. The effects it had on paripus may have also contributed to the overarching in-game reception of the race. But because the details and aftereffects are stuck behind Basilio’s story, some players may not see it in their first playthrough. Junah's past as a slave is something that seems important to her character and how she grew up with Rella after that would be a great way to make you care about them both. Yet this is trapped behind Junah's social link, which barely gets into that anyway.

Metaphor: ReFantazio should’ve done away with the Persona gameplay loop of story, then a long objective with a deadline, and then more story. It should’ve just stuck with a more conventional JRPG narrative structure. This way, they can make sure all players are on the same schedule, receiving the same information and experiencing the same story. It also leaves Atlus free to add more if it pleased, since there's no longer the worry that players would be scrambling to meet deadlines. This is an interesting attempt, for sure. But with so much going on and so much that it needed to convey to the player, it should’ve exercised more control rather than letting people do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. Yes, there are some segments when the game railroads you into certain activities, but that’s only a fraction of the story.

Speaking of Junah and Basilio, the final three party members feel like glorified tagalongs in the main story half the time. Everything interesting about them are behind their links. While Heismay, Strohl, and Hulkenberg also have their own separate arcs, the story does enough to present them in an endearing way. My favorite scene is when the Protagonist, Strohl, and Hulkenberg are banging their pots and pans, and they’re yelling their frustrations at each other and the situation, much to Strohl and Hulkenberg’s chagrin. Then, Heismay comes wobbling out more like an annoyed neighbor than a wanted criminal. His behavior as a captive made me like him a lot too. It makes sense that they’d hang around with the Protagonist, and they get enough scenes or dialogue that they feel like well-rounded characters even if you don’t do their links.

On the other hand, Junah, Eupha, and Basilio felt like Haru in Persona 5 where they join after the story accelerates to the point that's the only thing we focus on. I already mentioned how little I cared about Junah and Rella, as well as what could've been done to ameliorate that. Basilio gets it better because we got to know him and Fidelio prior. Meanwhile, Eupha’s entire experience outside of the island is behind her social link, making her feel like an accomplice who exists only for the Louis assassination. Again, a simple fix to this is to make their social links part of the main story or as optional side quests, and without a calendar system that may lock you out. The paripus stuff, as well as Junah’s past, all feel important to the themes and world, so why risk people missing them?

Yet another culprit that ties into the Persona gameplay loop is the lack of meaningful side quests. There are a lot of side quests that boil down to people being in trouble because of X monster in Y dungeon, so you have to go and slay said creature. They're similar to Mementos requests from Persona 5, which would be fine if the world wasn't a fantasy world separate from ours. Side quests could flesh out the characters, the setting, and the themes some more. Think about all the side quests from Nier Automata that do exactly that. It's one more element of the game that, through under-utilization, lends to the entire world lacking any interesting depth. And if the world isn't interesting, the story and characters that take place in that setting naturally feel pretty bland as well.

Finally, the Protagonist being a silent protagonist doesn't really work in Metaphor. I've mentioned my distaste for this trope before, but I really mean it this time. Characters like Maria, Eupha, and Catherina all present a way in which the people can work together to overcome social inequality and injustice. It's nice to see. The problem is that their scenes are, again, trapped behind social links. The main story does little in presenting an alternative to solely relying on a monarch to enact change. The Protagonist provides no solutions to any of the issues the game poses outside of referencing More's novel. He's a cute little airhead, but he can be a cute airhead and still be his own character. Considering the themes the game wants to tackle, the protagonist lacking any ideals of his own, serving more like a yes-man to others, is really unfortunate.

It’s common knowledge among writers that one of the worst things a reader can think is: “I don’t care what happens to these people.” I hate to say it, but for half of the time I was playing Metaphor, I was thinking that word for word. The people in Euchronia, outside of the misfits you hang out with in social links, are wishy-washy sheeple who spend more time complaining than they do thinking. Hmm, kind of like the citizens in Persona 5. Half of my party consists of people I don’t really know. Louis’s motivations for wanting to rule the kingdom under Darwinian laws aren’t very compelling. Heck, even Thanos had a more interesting reason than he did. Did I still like the game? I mean, yeah, it’s a fun game. But an RPG is more than just its battle system.

I admit that I’m quite critical of Atlus writing, and director Hashino in particular. However, I never scrutinized, say, Persona 3 with the same vigor I did Persona 5. It’s because of the difference in thematic scope. Persona 5, like Metaphor: ReFantazio, wants to commentate on the world and society as a whole. And the problem is that Hashino’s takes are simply not that good or revolutionary. So many story beats and themes in Metaphor derived from ground Persona 5 already tread. The setting was what Atlus needed to really draw a line between the two and unfortunately, the writers dropped the ball. Metaphor: ReFantazio was at its best when it focused entirely on the fantasy epic and while I’m not denying real-world politics’ place in fiction, it’s more effective when the creator presents something substantial, rather than repeating empty ideals and platitudes.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

The post The Metaphor: ReFantazio Story Fell Flat for Me appeared first on Siliconera.

It is bizarre for 2024 to have not one, but two major, Japanese role-playing games with the same exact theme involving a contest to determine the next king. Despite not being the most common story premise around, both Metaphor: ReFantazio and FFXIV Dawntrail feature the same idea and launched within months of each other. So, when it comes to Metaphor: ReFantazio vs FFXIV Dawntrail, which ultimately does the concept of a contest for the throne better?

Pros and Cons of Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Throne Contest

To determine a winner, if there is any, it is worth diving deeper into the good and bad sides of both games in terms of just the throne contest. For Metaphor: ReFantazio, specifically, the key positives I took away from this monumental new Atlus JRPG regarding the contest is the grand scope of it all and the actual characters.

The Kingdom of Euchronia feels massive and like an actual kingdom that the player explores across. I will say there is some awkwardness to the game, such as feeling like the exploration loses a bit of its wonder in the second half, but it makes up for that with the unbelievable number of contestants.

You start out with a popularity ranking of more than 8,000 and there is a substantial number of candidates with dedicated portraits. I will say I wish there was more focus on some of the characters because they ended up feeling useless. Characters like Milo and Loveless are just there and had little influence on the actual contest, at least in my playthrough.

By far my biggest issue with this contest is the direction it goes in. I won’t go into spoilers here but it has more of a whimper of an ending in my opinion than it deserved. Furthermore, the actual activities that make up the contest, such as the core tests, are pretty underbaked. Outside of the first test where players visit Martira, I had no interest in the pretty basic and unsurprising, highly repetitive activities.

Pros and Cons of FFXIV Dawntrail’s Throne Contest

Then there is the contest for FFXIV Dawntrail. Despite also taking place across an entire continent, it feels far more personal. It lacks the grandeur of its competitor but it makes up for that in other ways. For one, while I am not a huge fan of the smaller cast of candidates, I do feel like proper attention was given to all of them in equal enough measure.

In addition, the actual activities are far more intriguing and numerous as well. You spend time cooking a dish for one tribe, taking down a legendary beast in another, or learning about the lore of the society in still more. Despite the focus Metaphor has on its tribes and racism, I honestly think Dawntrail did a finer job of getting to know each group in Tural. In addition, the areas are just generally more beautiful and fun to visit, such as the gorgeous jungles in Kozama’uka and the stunning glowing forest of Yak T’el.

That said, the characters aren’t arguably as intriguing as the ones in Metaphor. Though they get more attention, they don’t have as much of an impact or interesting writing. At least, that is until the second half of the expansion, but that has nothing to do with the actual succession contest in question. As such, the contest left a bitter taste in my mouth. It felt a little too plain, simple, and predictable, especially in its conclusion.

Metaphor: ReFantazio vs. FFXIV Dawntrail: Which Is Better?

In the end, it is quite difficult to say which of Metaphor: ReFantazio vs. FFXIV Dawntrail has the overall better throne succession storyline. Both are solid games and they both have their positives that are, quite frankly, the opposite of one another but they also have their flaws almost equally so.

If you want the grand spectacle of it all, Metaphor is the way to go. If you prefer a true adventure that feels more personal and emotional at times, Dawntrail is likely the place to be. However, if I had to pick one overall winner, I would go with Metaphor. I think I prefer Dawntrail’s contest conclusion but Metaphor makes the contest a grander focus.

Dawntrail’s throne storyline is essentially half or around 60% of the actual plot and the best part of this expansion is what comes afterwards. On the other hand, Metaphor is at its strongest in the earlier parts of the throne contest and it focuses more on this aspect a bit better in my opinion. Plus, the neat features like being able to check your popularity ranking at any point makes it feel like a more legitimate tournament. As such, I would say Metaphor takes the crown in this strangely coincidental situation.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is now available for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. FFXIV Dawntrail is available for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

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Square Enix announced the next FFXIV Letter from the Producer Live 84 showcase date and confirmed it will go over more patch 7.1 details. People will be able to catch it on November 1, 2024, with the presentation airing at 4am PT/7am ET/1pm CET on Niconico, Twitch, and YouTube. 

There’s no placeholder image on YouTube, which means no teases for new content reveals yet. However, we can expect this Letter from the Producer Live to confirm the release date for FFXIV patch 7.1. This is due to it debuting later that month. This showcase will only be available in Japanese with no English translator present, which likely means only Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida and Global Community Producer Toshio Murouchi will be present. The focus will be on part 2 of the update. However, some other news related to the series will come up. 

Here’s the placeholder for the showcase:

One of the biggest features for this update will be the FFXI crossover coming to FFXIV. We already know Prische and the Shadow Lord will appear as part of it.

Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. The next update arrives in mid-November 2024. Ahead of that, the FFXIV Letter from the Producer Live 84 will discuss patch 7.1 at 4am PT/7am ET/1pm CET on November 1, 2024.

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Cygames confirmed the date that Vikala will join Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising as DLC. Players will be able to add her as a new DLC character on October 25, 2024.

Vikala will primarily fight by launching random projectiles in this Granblue Fantasy fighting game. The shikigami Dormouse will also accompany her throughout her in-game appearance. Her personality will also change based on whether she is wearing the iconic rat ears or not.

Cygames has published a character page for Vikala, which includes her in-game personal theme BGM "Welcome to the Parade." It has also uploaded the individual gameplay trailer for Vikala with two different voiceover versions. The one available on the game's official YouTube channel features the Japanese voiceover by Atsumi Tanezaki:

A complete English version of the trailer, which includes Hayden Daviau's voiceover for Vikala, is also available via the Cygames EN channel:

Vikala will be the sixth and final DLC fighter in Character Pass 1, but she won't be the last overall character. Cygames revealed during the Evolution Championship Series in July 2024 that it will also add Sandalphon to the roster. The "1" in the currently available Character Pass 1 is already an indication for Cygames to release a second pass that will add even more DLC characters.

Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising is readily available worldwide on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC. Vikala will appear as a new DLC character for the fighting game on October 25, 2024.

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Square Enix announced that the Fall Guys Final Fantasy XIV will return to the Gold Saucer in-game in October 2024. The event will kick off again on October 23, 2024. We’ll then be able to compete again until patch 7.1 launches in the middle of November 2024. 

This is a return of an Final Fantasy XIV and Fall Guys Gold Saucer event that was first revealed at the 2023 Las Vegas Fan Fest. It first appeared on October 2023. Then, it returned in May 2024. Each time, people participate in Blunderville minigames to earn various rewards. However, you do need to be at level 15 or higher and have completed two quests. The first is the “It Could Happen to You” quest given by the Well-heeled Youth at Ul’dah, Steps of Nald (X:9.6, Y:9.0). The second is “Just Crowning Around” at the Gold Saucer by talking to Lewena (X:4.8, Y:6.1).

This event is identical to past ones, which means there will also be all the same rewards available to collect with earned MGF. Here are some of the most expensive items you can get:

• Ballroom Etiquette - Embracing Blunders emote - 410 MGF
• Gentlebean Bottoms- 410 MGF
• Gentlebean Knit Cap - 410 MGF
• Gentlebean Parka - 410 MGF
• Gentlebean Shoes - 410 MGF
• Glossy Winner’s Crown - 410 MGF
• Matte Winner’s Crown - 410 MGF
• Rhiyes Identification Key for mount - 410 MGF

As a note, this is happening during the latest Free Login Campaign. So if people don’t have an active subscription, they can still potentially return for a few days to take part.

Final Fantasy XIV is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the Fall Guys event will be back at the Gold Saucer between October 23, 2024 and patch 7.1 in November 2024.

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Bandai Namco announced during the 2024 New York Comic Con Dragon Ball Daima anime panel that DLC involving its characters and story will be in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. In each case, no exact dates were set for the add-ons, but there are trailers for each one showing them off. 

In the case of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Goku (Mini) is already part of the cast as the first DLC. As such, the additional Dragon Ball Daima add-ons will be Vegeta (Mini) and Glorio. Those will appear after Gamma 1 and Gamma 2.

Here’s the trailer showing both of them:

In the case of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, the Dragon Ball Daima DLC comes up during Future Saga Chapter 2. We already know that pack would involve Belmod, Champa, and Perfected Ultra Instinct Goku. Goku (Mini) will also be playable, and he’ll be a part of a free trial. 

Here’s how that looks:

Finally, the Dragon Ball Daima related addition to Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will be Adventure Through the Demon Realm Part 1 DLC. Once again, this means we’ll spend time with Goku (Mini). It also means visiting the Demon Realm. 

Here’s that trailer: 

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 appears on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch, and PC. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available for the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. Dragon Ball Daima is streaming on Crunchyroll, and the English dub will debut in US and Canadian theaters on November 10-12, 2024.

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