Batman: Arkham Shadow, the latest Meta Quest 3 pack-in and a follow-up to the much-respected Arkham console games, seeks to put you in the role of the caped crusader more directly than before. And though this isn’t quite the first VR Batman game, it’s certainly the first larger-scale attempt. So how is it? And is it worth buying a headset to play?

Developer Camouflaj, perhaps best known these days for its work on Iron Man VR, has been focusing its efforts on virtual reality, and it shows in Batman: Arkham Shadow through its well-considered (if conventional) setups. It’s also a bit slow to get going? Lots of early-game tutorials make sure you know what to do, as if it’s your first VR game. Which, for some, may be the case, as it becomes the Quest’s latest system seller.

Shadow follows the events of Batman: Arkham Origins and is most inspired by the confined gameplay of Arkham Asylum. There’s a ton of well-known voice talent, including a lot from the old Arkham cast! And that’s a good investment for this game, which is so much about those voices. You’re set off to take down the Rat King, a newly-created villain for the game, but along the way you see a lot of characters you might know.

Fundamentally, this game is about punching. Which, hey, VR does well! You complete a series of quick-time events to fight, throwing specific punches and countering through various means. This isn’t a “think about your opponents’ weaknesses” game; it’s decided for you. Which is fine? There are so many enemies to fight in this game, and it would rather see you push through them quickly.

It's in larger room encounters that Batman: Arkham Shadow is at its best. In these, you use perches, vents and such to help pick off enemies one by one, studying movements and bringing in some of your gadgets to help when needed. It's during these fights that Shadow truly opens up and lets you be creative. When we started watching guard patterns and scouting out just the right vantage points for unseen takedowns, that felt really nice. This is, fundamentally, an accurate recreation of the Arkham scheme, and just how enjoyable that was to people is a lot of why this game exists! But the perspective does change a lot about how it feels.

Taking out foes and finding hidden collectibles contributes to an experience meter, allowing you to upgrade various abilities. It’s also a game that likes giving you new abilities from time to time, as you find a need in the mission, climb to the roof for a delivery and then head back down to use it. A lot more time is spent in the process in this game, physically moving from place to place. We suppose it’s a good way to break up combat sequences and keep you immersed in the identity, but do be prepared for the time investment.

There’s still something of a theme park-like ethos to “big-budget” VR game design. Environments are more set dressing than places to spend lots of time. You get a lot of exposition through audio between encounters. It’s also more than happy to use that audio to not-so-subtly nudge you to your next objective. Rarely does Batman: Arkham Shadow want you to stop and smell the roses, and doing so will result in increasingly direct reminders of the thing to do next.

And maybe that’s for the best! Batman: Arkham Shadow is full of dark environments with similar sorts of dingy decoration. It’s true to the source material, and the low lighting does help mitigate the inevitable visual downgrades you get when rendering the resolution and double display of VR. It’s an action game through and through, and other Quest titles are happy to provide different pacing for those who want it.

That said, Batman: Arkham Shadows is not a bad looking VR game, and Camouflaj has clearly been pulling out tricks to get the most out of the hardware. For example, there’s some pre-rendered lighting in spots, putting your focus on particular corners. You can see the seams, sometimes. For example, we moved a grate from a green-tinged vent, and it stayed bright and green. But it’s likely worth those exceptions.

Batman: Arkham Shadow feels comfortable to play in a small room or even seated, with some creative use of the crouch button to reach lower objects. Conversely, the game doesn’t do a heck of a lot for room-scale players, but it’s likely a compromise worth making for the game. Other titles will make you want to walk around; this is extremely a stick-to-move experience.

We've encountered some bugs along the way, getting stuck on craggy rocks or having doors fall down and leave invisible barriers instead of opening. These are the sorts of things we expect will be patched up relatively quickly, but still thought it worth noting for early players. Generally, reloading the checkpoint has solved the issue, but sometimes that means losing a few minutes of progress. We also had a bit of difficulty with the cape controls, as the activation wasn’t as reliable as we wanted. Hopefully that can be tuned a bit!

While it may not have the immersive mechanics to be a great VR introduction, Batman: Arkham Shadow is fun to play and faithful to its Arkham predecessors. And yeah, picking off enemies one-by-one feels great.

Batman: Arkham Shadow, developed by Camouflaj and published by Meta, is available now for Meta Quest 3 and 3S. It’s included with new headsets, and costs $49.99 for other buyers.

The post Review: Batman: Arkham Shadow Lets You Wear the Cowl 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.

We’re pleased to announce that Siliconera will be offer its own free email newsletter. Every week, you can get one installment of Siliconera Speaks Up in your inbox to catch up with all the gaming news, reviews, and features you might have missed during the week. 

What can you expect? Good question! Primarily, this will be a way to help you catch up with something important you might have missed. We’ll curate a list of our most popular articles of the week, so you won’t miss out on major announcements and news stories. Did a big game drop? Links to our reviews will be there in case you want more insight into the title before making the plunge. 

Each week, there will also be an exclusive feature found only in our newsletter for subscribers. So if you sign up for the Siliconera Speaks Up newsletter, you’ll get an extra article to read in your email that won’t appear anywhere else. 

Finally, at the end of every newsletter we’ll name a few games (or game updates) coming up in the next few days. That way, you’ll never miss out on a possible title.

Here’s how you sign up:

Our first issue is coming soon, and we’re looking forward to providing easier access to news and articles soon!

The post Sign Up for the Free Siliconera Speaks Up Newsletter appeared first on Siliconera.

Sword Art Online left an indisputable imprint on the anime landscape since its adaptation in 2012, and it continues to influence shows that are coming out today. Of course, with the premise centered on people playing a VR MMORPG, many video games naturally followed. Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream is unequivocally made for veteran fans of the franchise, which might sound great on paper, but it packages itself into a niche category that only die-hard enthusiasts will find the experience cathartic, isolating much of its casual audience.

The main attraction of Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream is supposed to be its multiplayer experience. But as you need to make a reasonable dent in the primary campaign to unlock the multiplayer and the characters available, let's dive into this aspect first. Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream harbours an independent brand new story tailored for the game, presumably occurring sometime after the Alicization Arc. Without going into spoiler territory, characters introduced in this arc play a pivotal role in the overarching story. A new, updated beta system called Galaxia has been added to ALfheim online, aiming to enable players to relive their most cherished memories of the game. However, a critical error has now ensnared Kirito within the Galaxia system. Kirito will now need to navigate Galaxia, assisted by many familiar faces throughout the Sword Art Online timeline, to figure out how to return to the real world.

Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream has the best storytelling and cutscenes across all the games, and some of the moments that transpire are superb. One that stands out vividly is right at the beginning of the game, where Kirito realizes he is participating in an anomaly of the programming, and a fight quickly ensues. It felt like the scene could have been ripped straight out of the anime, which will surely place a gleeful smile on any fan's face. My only critique is that the overall plot requires a good knowledge of Sword Art Online. The story can be very "meta" at times, as characters across the Sword Art Online multiverse interact with one another. It's like watching Avengers Endgame without seeing the prior Marvel films leading up. You can do it if you want, but you'll be confused about certain parts.

The gameplay structure of the primary campaign is where things get a bit iffy. There are five chapters in total, all with several quests. Initially, your character will be transported to a new location, and you will have to travel to specific points on the map while fighting monsters along the way. In order to conclude the quest and move on to the next part of the story, you must defeat a minor boss battle. As you can tell from that description, the setup is very basic. What also does not help is that every location in the game feels empty and rigid due to an invisible barrier stopping you from fully exploring the environment. This often made me awkwardly zig-zag across the map to find a direct route. There are a few collectables you can pick up as well, which I assume is an attempt to make the environmental space not feel barren, but they are tedious to gather because of the terrain layout.

The combat is somewhat of a mixed bag, but enough distinction between the classes make it more enjoyable than not. There are six fighting classes: fighter, tank, rogue, ranger, mage and support. Each character is automatically categorized into one of these classes and plays distinctively differently from one another, which adds a lot of diversity to the combat. Kirito, in the fighting class, has his iconic dual blades, which allow him to excel at close combat while moving reasonably fast across the battlefield. Agil, part of the tank class, will move slower in comparison but will be able to endure more hits, and Llenn in the rogue class will utilize a massive gun, allowing her to attack from far away, mimicking the Fatal Bullet gameplay format. Usually, in a quest, you will pick one character to be your main fighter and can then select additional characters to join your team, but sometimes, you'll have to play a particular character, forcing you to try out all the classes. If you want to complete the main storyline as soon as possible, you'll want to stick with the fighter class as they feel stupidly overpowered, but all the classes have some merit to them.

Regarding the real-time combat system, there is the standard stuff you would expect to see, like normal and heavy attacks. Each character also has special and ultimate moves, which are excellent to use if you find yourself in a tight spot. However, you will have to wait for a brief cooldown before reusing one of these manoeuvres, which encourages you to think before you act. But the lock-on system is what brought down the combat for me. The game encourages you to lock onto opponents, as you can then dash towards enemies and unleash a string of combos, but it rarely works. Most times, when I tried to implement it, I would be left in mid-air or at a strange slant, so I would often attack opponents without using it, which made any flying monsters a bit trickier than the game intended.

After progressing through an hour or so of the primary campaign, you will then unlock the multiplayer mode, which shares a lot of parallels with Granblue Fantasy: Relink, as it encompasses real-time combat mashed up with MMO gameplay mechanics. The multiplayer is divided into three modes: free roam, co-op quest and boss raid. Free-roam is by far the best, as you can leisurely walk around the entire map, fight enemies and take on daily challenges. This was a breath of fresh air compared to the main campaign, which constricted where you could explore (yes, the invisible barriers are a sticking point). It reminded me a lot of Dauntless's open terrain environment, which may not be a complimentary statement to some, but I always like the relaxed atmosphere the game attempted to encapsulate.

In comparison, the co-op quest inhabits a more frantic vibe as twenty players are split into five squads, running through a massive dungeon to reach a boss at the very end. You have thirty minutes, but most lobby groups should be able to do this within the 15-20-minute range. On successful completion of this mission, you will then be rewarded with better weapons and different cosmetic appearances. Although looking at the scoreboard at the end to see how your performance faired to other players was interesting, the rewards didn't really incentivize me much to continue playing.

The boss raid was easily the weakest mode out of the bunch. Again, twenty players are broken down into five squads, but this time, your goal is to defeat an astronomical boss battle while your team attempts to score the most points. It felt repetitive as there was not much cooperative play, as you're mainly just striking the enormous adversary with endless attacks. The enemy's fighting pattern is nothing special either, and they would repeatedly recycle the same moves. Honestly, I got bored during the first boss I took on. I did a few more for good measure, but it somehow became even more mind-numbing.

There was a clear executive effort towards the Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream multiplayer experience, but it's average at best. When you're trying to get players to commit hours to multiplayer content, you need to offer something unique and different, but throughout, I got a severe case of déjà vu because I've partaken in this repetitive action in endless other titles. Within a short period, I felt like I had seen everything, got the t-shirt and was ready to play something else. You would only start investing serious hours into the multiplayer if you were a massive Sword Art Online fan who wanted to gain every item possible. But you would probably be a lone ranger in this pursuit because convincing others to tag along would be hard unless your friends are also gigantic fans.

Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream shines in some departments but flops in others.  
I wish the game had concentrated more on the primary campaign because the story here is terrific, and with a few tweaks to the open map environment and battle mechanics, it could have been a quintessential play for any fan. But the multiplayer feels so half-baked and unrewarding that only hardcore fans will enjoy the long, tedious grind to grab every morsel item.

Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream is now available on the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.

The post Review: Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream Will Only Appeal to Hardcore Fans 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.

The post Metaphor: ReFantazio vs FFXIV Dawntrail: Which Has a Better Throne Contest? appeared first on Siliconera.

I was excited when Yen Press announced it picked up the manhwa series Finding Camellia, because the initial description made it sound empowering. It suggested it followed a young woman who was stolen from her mother as a child by her father’s wife and forced to grow up and live as a young man as an additional heir as she took back her power and become her true self again. However, at least in the initial volume, Camellia being such a passive character that is often relegated to the background kept me from enjoying the story.

Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for volume 1 of the Finding Camellia manhwa below. 

Finding Camellia begins with Camellia’s abduction to turn her into “Camellius.” Her mother Laura was a maid in the house of her father, Marquis Gilliard Bale, who ended up in some sort of relationship with him and pregnant. The Marquis’ legitimate child Kieran suffers from an illness that only seems to grow worse. In fact, Laura fled the house with “Lia” when an incident made it seem like she was responsible for Kieran getting worse. So Gilliard’s wife Anastasia hunted down Laura and Camellia, abducted the girl, and because Gilliard considered a young woman useless, chopped off the child’s hair to raise her as a younger son named Camellius. 

Things begin with the desperation Camellia clearly feels. She’s desperate to see her mother again and keeps asking. However, she’s only 12. She passively takes part in lessons. She’s put forward and forced to learn to fire a gun. We watch as Anastasia and Gilliard talk about her being a stopgap in case Kieran doesn’t get better, even after he’s sent away for the sake of possibly improving by living in another region. Her servant Betty lies to her about “her ladyship” being honorable and allowing her to return to Laura if she does what she says. Lord Claude Ihar, Kieran’s friend and another noble, intimidates and teases her. She’s berated and abused for an accident that occurs when she’s forced to try shooting.

So throughout the first 169 pages of the manhwa, I felt completely let down by the first volume of Finding Camellia. We don’t get to see any inner monologue from Camellia explaining how she’s going to fight back. There’s no passion or fire on her part. It’s like she’s a doll tossed around from scene to scene. acting as a plot device for other people. I suppose I could see some reasoning for it. It certainly establishes a tragic backstory for her. Maybe even the goal on Jin Soye’s part was to leave people frustrated and angry on her behalf. 

But the thing is, I expected things to get better once I hit page 170 and the timeskip to a 16-year-old Camellia/Camellius. She’s about to be shipped away to an academy in the city to study. Except the initial sentiments about this instead has her lamenting not hearing from her brother Kieran or Lord Claude in the past few years. It is only at page 192 that we see any sort of outrage or passion on Camellia’s part. It’s the first hint that she might actually do anything for her own sake and strike back. Yet a few pages later, in interactions with Eddie, Camellia’s father Gilliard, Prince Wade, and Lord Claude, we’re right back to her being at the whims of others again.

I can only hope that Finding Camellia picks up in later volumes, because Camellia doesn’t get to take charge at any point in the story so far. It feels like other people are constantly making decisions for her and pushing her around, with none of her actions actually decided for herself. The lack of agency is annoying and even infuriating, and I think I’d find it difficult to continue reading if things don’t change by the second volume.

Volume 1 of the Finding Camellia manhwa is available now, and Yen Press will release volume 2 on December 10, 2024. 

The post I Wish Camillia Wasn’t so Passive in the Finding Camellia Manhwa appeared first on Siliconera.

When you find a manga about new stepsister and stepbrother who are the same age living together, odds are it seems like it’d be romantic in nature somehow. While volume 1 of Days with My Stepsister does tease that possibility, with even Yen Press’ official description for the manga suggests it the new relationship could involve “simple admiration, familial love, or something more.” However, what makes this series appealing is watching teenagers who grew up with trauma due to their family life learning to recover and reach out to others again.

Editor’s note: There will be spoilers for volume 1 of the Days with My Stepsister manga below.

In the case of new stepsiblings Yuuta Asamura and Saki Ayase, each one is dealing with trauma and unresolved issues that come from their home lives prior to the start of their story and interactions with other people. As we’re initially seeing things from Yuuta’s perspective, his are more obvious. His parents constantly fought. His mother cheated on his father, resulting in their divorce. Throughout the entirety of the first volume of the manga, his mother is absent. So must so, she doesn’t have a name. There are suggestions she was verbally abusive. 

As such, we see a number of ways in which Yuuta adjusted his life and personality to avoid those sorts of situation and that kind of trauma again. In addition to deciding to avoid women and romantic interactions, it seems he avoids people in general. We really only see one friend of his, with Yuuta mentioning he doesn’t have many. Is he protecting himself? Absolutely. Is it healthy? No. 

In the case of Saki, it isn’t as immediately obvious that she’s suffering from similar issues. However, after the first meeting and an agreement to respectfully coexist, but not expect anything from each other, it becomes obvious she’s dealing with similar problems. After all, her reactions to simple kindnesses like assistance unpacking, a tub being refilled for her. Once school starts, we see that there’s not only the hurt caused from her own past family life with an absent father who cheated on her mother and a mother who had to be constantly working to support them affected her deeply. 

That, paired with people making negative assumptions about Saki based on her appearance, leads to her being in a situation similar to Yuuta at the outset. She also doesn’t expect anything from anyone and seems detached. She’s learned from experiences with her family and with strangers that misjudge her that it might not be possible to connect with others. So, like Yuuta, she strives for independence. 

Being forced into a situation in which they learn to connect and consider another person feels like it could be healing for them. They go in expecting nothing from each other. However, they immediately start showing each other common consideration. They agree to avoid each other at school and pretend they aren’t related, but talk in secret. When Saki is looking for a well-paying, part-time job and mentions it to Yuuta, he immediately starts helping her find a solution. Already, in a single volume and short span of time, the two are gradually growing and helping each other start to recover by forming a more positive relationship built on mutual respect and understanding.

I mean, those following the Days with My Stepsister light novel will know where the manga is heading and what will happen between Yuuta and Saki. Still, the progression and character development keeps this from feeling like a contrived situation. What’s happening her feels more meaningful. The characters aren’t just typical teenagers or enamored with the situation. This really is about growth and a possible genuine relationship.

Volume 1 of Days with My Stepsister is now available, and Yen Press will release volume 2 on January 21, 2025. The anime is streaming on Crunchyroll. Yen Press also published the light novel outside Japan.

The post Days With My Stepsister Manga Starts With Teenagers Recovering From Trauma appeared first on Siliconera.

Moss and Moss: Book II remain these constant VR staples, even years after the original 2018 release. We see both entries show up on new platforms, years after their launch. After all, both only just made their PS5 debut in 2023. Most recently, alongside the Meta Quest 3S launch, both games ended up getting additional improvements and updates in September 2024. After going back and playing them after said update, it’s easy to understand why.

Part of it is the premise of both Moss and Book II. These aren’t VR games that attempt to put you firsthand in the experience of a massive adventure game or action-RPG, though the scope is admirable. You’re a person who follows alongside a mouse named Quill and assists her as she first attempts to save her immediate home in the first entry, then save the world of Moss as a whole in the second. 

As such an assistant, it means there is a lot more freedom to explore and handle puzzles. After all, we’re trusting and replying upon Quill, our partner, to help with some of the lifting. So we aren’t necessarily going through actions or activities that could result in motion sickness or unpleasant effects. We’re allowed a little more freedom with our actions and don’t need to worry about demanding precision, since we’re assisting in puzzle solving and progression.

This leeway allows for range of approachability and accessibility that not every VR game offers, which works in favor of Moss and Book II. The genre is one that is generally very well accepted on the platform, since adventure games do generally allow players more time to react and puzzles are welcoming to anyone. It not demanding many sudden movements or major activity means someone new to VR or gaming in general could easily get adjusted. Since we’re working alongside a heroine who can provide us insight and hints, but who isn’t holding our hands as we go through it, it’s also a comfortable way to ease into the experience and allow for more character and storytelling.

It also helps that Polyarc does continue to improve the Moss and Book II experiences. The most recent update alongside the Meta Quest 3S launch is a perfect example. It features both visual updates and fan-requested features. As I played the original games before, heading back and being able to completely turn off combat was quite a boon. Not that it is bad, as I appreciate how it is handled, but it is another good option both in terms of accessibility and approachability. It allows someone to return and, as a result of that stressor being removed, be able to appreciate other elements of the games. Plus the additional visual improvements mean that it does keep looking crisper, better, and more in line with what we expect from VR games as technology improves. 

Moss and Moss: Book II always feel like they remain relevant VR games, and a few hours spent with each reveal why. The nature of both adventures show how welcoming they are to both newcomers to gaming in general or VR headsets. The fact that Polyarc also keeps considering what players might want and updating it goes even further to ensure they remain staples even six years after the original’s debut.

Moss I and Moss: Book II are available on the PS VR and PS VR 2 for the PS4 and PS5, Meta Quest headsets, and other VR headsets via Steam. 

The post Moss I  and Book II Remain Solid VR Staples appeared first on Siliconera.

Horror games were once a staple in the games industry. Clock Tower, Fatal Frame, Resident Evil, Silent Hill. These were all notable franchises that went on to inspire the likes of Dead Space, and other seminal horror titles that would pop up over the years. But as the industry shifted, embracing the trend that Resident Evil 4 set into motion, survival horror as it once was died. In it's place was action horror, which veered further and further from what was previously associated with the genre. Even Silent Hill was affected by this, with Silent Hill: Homecoming being the series' first foray into "smoother," action oriented combat. And as interest in horror waned, franchises began to disappear. Fatal Frame vanished, Clock Tower was long since gone, and Silent Hill was no more. All that remained was Resident Evil. But as remakes began to appear, and shown to be highly successful, Konami finally announced a reimagining of Silent Hill 2. Which has since become a critically acclaimed hit — whether longtime fans want to agree with that.

While the Silent Hill 2 remake may not be the best selling Silent Hill title as of writing this feature, it is the fastest selling. The best selling Silent Hill title is still the first, which capped at around 2 million units sold worldwide. But it seems like this new interpretation of Silent Hill 2 could take that spot.

I don't enjoy writing about the "profitability" of games, but unfortunately, this is what drives the market and trends. The Resident Evil 2 remake more or less paved the way for where we are now. Remakes are hot, they're popular, and they're a winning formula. Resident Evil 2 remake is one of Capcom's best selling titles, with the Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 4 remakes up there as well. So it's natural the other developers and publishers have followed suit. It more or less guarantees sales, as it banks on nostalgia while also pulling in a new audience from a generation of consumers that otherwise do not have immediate access to the originals. (Capcom has more or less catered to both audiences at this point by releasing the original versions of the first three Resident Evil games on GOG.) The long and short of it, is that Capcom established a trend that other developers are following.

And with the Silent Hill 2 remake selling as well as it is, I wouldn't be surprised if we see more Silent Hill remakes on the horizon. If you read my review then you know I enjoyed it quite a bit, even if it did fumble in some places. I also wouldn't be opposed to other remakes of previous Silent Hill games, specifically Silent Hill 4: The Room, which remains my favorite. Even if it is deeply flawed and feels like half of a game at times due to all of the backtracking. (Which I have no problem with, personally.) I also don't feel like it's strange to expect or even ask of these things.

There's been a debate in the community for quite sometime about the artistic integrity of remakes. Some view them as abhorrent, soulless recreations of a title or franchise they loved. Others are happy to experience something they may have otherwise missed, or is no longer accessible due to not owning the required hardware. Emulation does exist, of course, but is not a viable option for everyone. Some are stuck in the middle, agreeing that remakes lack the artist vision or intention of the original, but are interested to see new interpretations of something they love. Despite these debates, I don't see remakes going away for the foreseeable future.

Because while the Silent Hill 2 remake is an indication that horror games are still capable of generating profit, it's another example of how remakes are a sure fire way for developers to make their money back. Or even allow funding for new IPs in some cases. Not ever developer or publisher will pump that money into new IPs, of course, but it is a consistent way to keep making money. Which is ultimately what this industry boils down to. And honestly has boiled down to for a long time.

It's all about profit. And I don't think it's wrong to make that observation or state it as fact. Production and budgets have ballooned to the point of absurdity. Shareholders and investors are key factors into what does and doesn't get made. It's why one genre can dominate an entire market for a handful of years, as developers are forced to chase trends. Obviously, I should clarify that I work in game development, I had a brief stint in Public Relations (for AA and AAA titles), and moonlight as a market analyst. This more or less intersects with every facet of my career. Understanding a market, profitability, and so forth.

Does this mean Konami will return to game development full swing with the success of this remake? Who knows. Honestly, I couldn't speculate. While it does have several Silent Hill projects in the works, including Silent Hill f, and Townsend, that doesn't mean that Konami will continue to spit out Silent Hill games once development on f has wrapped. Konami as a developer and publisher has made some very strange business decisions in the past, at least when it comes to video games, that make it somewhat hard to predict what it will end up doing with this success.

But I can see this continuing to bolster the resurgence of survival horror, and by extension action horror, because let's be honest; that's what a lot of these remakes are. Remakes and horror go hand in hand. It makes these titles approachable, accessible, and in the end a profitable venture for studios with established IPs. A part of me hopes Koei Tecmo follows suit and makes a new Fatal Frame game, or that Capcom decides to make a new horror IP entirely. (This is purely optimistic thinking on my end.) Overall, I can't see this trend ending any time soon, especially with the success of the Silent Hill 2 remake. And in the end, I fully expect this trend to run itself into the ground, even if I don't want it to.

The Silent Hill 2 remake is available for PC and PlayStation 5.

The post Silent Hill 2 Remake’s Success Shows Horror Games are Still Profitable appeared first on Siliconera.

When it comes to a personality test, it honestly might be better to think of it as a game or hypothetical, rather than a reliable determination of who you are as a person. (Especially if you’re just doing so online.) Refind Self: The Personality Test Game leans into that by basically giving you a light slice-of-life experience following a grieving android coming to terms with recent events while also going about their day and considering what to do next.

Within the “world” of Lizardry and Playism’s Refind Self: The Personality Test Game, you are taking a test designed to help someone recover and determine who they are by playing through said game about the android. You’re warned that you can only take so many actions while exploring and interacting before your “heart is full,” which will then result in an assessment based on what you did and decisions you made. From there, you’re tossed into the life of an android who’s just lost the Doctor who acted as a parent to them and go about your day.

While this is a personality test of sorts, I think it is better to think of Refind Self: The Personality Test Game as a life sim that might be different each time you play it. The first time you go into it blind is probably when you’ll both get the most and least accurate assessment of who you might be, since you’re given no guidance beyond “live.” There are no instructions. Provided you didn’t look up details online, you won’t know what to expect. Also, since you likely won’t turn streamer mode on, you’ll be making decisions naturally and not considering the fact that the game is actually keeping track of how long it takes you to do certain things as part of the determinations as well.

The world of  Refind Self: The Personality Test Game is a homey and relatively peaceful one. After heading down from the hill, you can visit with other human and robotic inhabitants of the village. It is possible to investigate things, collect items, and shop. You’ll learn about possible tasks or activities, which you can take part in. So in a way, it really does feel like it could be an assessment of who you are. After all, there are a lot of choices as to what you might do.

As such, I found the second and third runs of Refind Self: The Personality Test Game were more satisfying than the first. During the second, I had a better idea of where everything was an knew what I hadn’t gotten around to the first time. So I had more of an idea what to expect and perhaps even felt like I enjoyed it more since I better understood what was possible. But in the third, I actually started working toward some of the potential “objectives” or activities that really feels like you’re supposed to be pushing yourself toward a certain way to get something done. Also, the more you play, the more you unlock and know about the game.

The execution also makes doing so something of a pleasure. Playism noted a playthrough can last about an hour, but it might even be shorter than that depending on what you do. It’s easy to go through and fun to explore. Not to mention it’s quite a pretty diversion, with fantastic spritework and a subdued color scheme that matches the tone of the experience perfectly. I ended up taking to playing it either between other games or before heading to bed each night to relax. I eventually felt like I wanted to go out of my way to earn personalities I hadn’t seen yet, just to get feedback on that mindset, get a look at the fun outfits, and see how to trigger that result.

Refind Self: The Personality Test Game may not be the best at accurately assessing who you are, but it is absolutely entertaining. I really liked the relax atmosphere and presentation. Plus, its length encourages you to return and see what you might discover and unlock next. It’s an enjoyable way to briefly spend some time thinking about your actions.

Refind Self: The Personality Test Game is available on the Nintendo Switch, PC and mobile devices.

The post Review: Refind Self: The Personality Test Game Is a Fascinating Time Sink appeared first on Siliconera.

Hello, everyone. I'm Shaun, and I'm a very big fan of Dragon Quest. This is not an especially unique condition, but it's uncommon enough among Western gaming enthusiasts that we always have to cross our fingers that any given game will get localized and released globally. As one of those fans, I am very excited about Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. It's a great game and a very important one for the history of the medium, and it's awesome to see it get such a high-class treatment.

On top of that, Square Enix has also announced that the first two games in the series will also be getting the HD-2D Remake treatment. It's easy to see why Square Enix would lead this effort with the third game in the series. Dragon Quest 3 is where the series really hit the big-time in Japan, pushing the brand into the wider pop culture in a way few games had done before. Where the first two games have a rather prototypical feel at times due to being genre pioneers, Dragon Quest 3 has most of what modern players would expect from a JRPG. It feels classic, but never terribly dated.

It's that latter point that is most important outside of Japan, where the series has enjoyed a decent level of popularity but never truly broken out the way it did in its home country. This isn't the first time Square Enix has tried to push Dragon Quest in the West, and it surely won't be the last. The attention afforded to HD-2D games right here and now presents a unique opportunity, however. It's a chance for the formative games in the franchise to shine, and one that Dragon Quest 3 can take advantage of in a way its predecessors might not be able to.

Editor's Note: There will be spoilers for the first three Dragon Quest games below.

There's another fortunate aspect at play here. You see, unlike most of the games in the series, the first three Dragon Quest games have strong narrative ties. Where this could present a huge problem for releasing the games out of order, Dragon Quest 3 ducks the issue by being a prequel. Chronologically speaking, this is where the trilogy starts. There's no issue with playing Dragon Quest 3 first and then going on to the first two when they're released. Or… is there?

Prequels aren't a new thing by any means, and they certainly weren't back when the 8-bit Dragon Quest games were made. History is full of interesting stories, and that can apply to fictional worlds as well. A skilled storyteller can use a prequel to flesh out the world further, and even surprise those familiar with the original works by going against their firm expectations. Part of the fun of a prequel is that we generally know where things will end up, but not how they get there. There's a lot of narrative meat in that type of tale. The more the person knows about what comes next, the more fun you can have playing around with that.

There's another kind of prequel, though. Sometimes the person experiencing the story doesn't even know it's a prequel until the storyteller chooses to reveal it. Sometimes they know it's a prequel but specific connections are kept under wraps until the right moment. It can be carefully hinted at along the way, enough to tickle at people's memories. When the boom is finally dropped, the impact can be tremendous.

At first, Dragon Quest 3 seems like it's completely separate from the first two games. Unlike Dragon Quest 2, the world you're thrown into has no resemblance in form to that of the original game. A whole new map, albeit one that might be familiar in other ways to the observant. After going on a long quest that spans the whole world, evil is defeated. Celebrations are underway when it is revealed that there is a greater threat, and the only way to put an end to it is to chase it into its own realm. Courageously, as thou must, you volunteer to make that journey.

Suddenly, you find yourself in a completely new world. If you've played the first two games, you know exactly where you are. The geography, the layout of the nearest settlement, and even the music hammer it home. A clever little move that was played in a smaller way in the previous game. If you know the previous two games very well, some of the details will start adding up. You're not just in Alefgard. You're in Alefgard at a time before the original game's events. The tasks you must perform to reach the final boss should also ring a bell.

By the end, many players will have already figured out what the final twist will be. It still hits. It turns out the legendary warrior Erdrick who the heroes of the first two games descended from is… you. So the trilogy closes, having fully closed its circle in a surprisingly elegant way for games of this vintage. It's a stunning end to an excellent game, and one that might have you anxious to replay those first two games again.

Virtually every Dragon Quest fan already knows this, of course. Among Japanese gamers in general, the original Dragon Quest trilogy occupies such a large part of the history of the medium that even those who aren't into the games have a good chance of being aware of this twist. If that's the case for you, then it doesn't really matter what order you play these games in now. It can even be fun to play them in their narrative chronological order.

This release of Dragon Quest 3 is very likely to reach people who haven't played the original trilogy and aren't aware of the story, however. For them, none of those big story beats are going to land the way they're meant to. Dragon Quest 3 happens first, but it was never meant to be played first. It's still a great game even without all of those connections being revealed, but it loses something. In a series that envelopes itself in nostalgia more than most, the final hours of Dragon Quest III are quite possibly its greatest, most natural callback.

Ultimately, Square Enix is probably making the right call by presenting Dragon Quest 3 ahead of its more rough-edged forbearers. At the same time, there's a real cost to presenting these games out of their original order. While I'm sure that Dragon Quest 3 can get by just fine without its memorable endgame flourish, it's a heavy sacrifice for those experiencing this legendary trilogy for the first time.

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D will come to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC on November 14, 2024.

The post Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake Will Spoil the Coolest Narrative Trick in the Series appeared first on Siliconera.

I am never going to beat the allegations of being a Warcraft III-liker, or that I really, really like Arthas Menethil. (I write about him all of the time and how I am still, unfortunately, deep in the Warcraft III sauce.) Which is why I, personally, think that Blizzard Entertainment should roll out another wave of those sweet, sweet Warcraft III Frostmourne replicas that were produced in 2021. Would I have the money to drop on a $1,500 1:1 scale replica of the legendary blade? Absolutely not. I work in games, which means I make peanuts by comparison to almost anyone outside of this field. But I can dream about owning it.

You see, Frostmourne isn't just any sword. It was the ancient Runeblade wielded by the Lich King Ner'zhul, and after him Prince Arthas Menethil of Lordaeron. (I am going to ignore the additional lore about Frostmourne and it's origins added in through Shadowlands because it doesn't do much other than overcomplicate the mythology around a really cool sword, and sometimes things are better off left unexplained.) That probably means nothing to you unless if you've played Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, it's expansion The Frozen Throne, or World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King.

My original intention for this feature was to take pictures around my apartment and poorly Photoshop the sword in various places, such as in my kitchen, my bedroom, and above my desk, showcasing just how cool Frostmourne would look in these mundane, day-to-day spaces. But I realize that it isn't the wisest choice. I don't need people seeing what the inside of my apartment looks like. Not because it looks bad, but putting that information out on the internet isn't exactly smart. Especially for a gag.

So imagine, if you will, Frostmourne mounted above your very own desk; it's polished edge, glistening in the lamplight of your personal office. Or perhaps hanging beside your fridge, complimenting the eggshell white walls of an otherwise drab room. Or even in your bedroom! Not above your bed, but just somewhere on one of the four walls, hanging there, menacingly. It could be a neat conversation starter at the very least, as I've been told by friends who are truly encouraging to live my best life. (We're only here once, after all.) But I'm not entirely certain guests would be down to listen to a long schpeal about Warcraft lore, like I've often subjected you to. At least those that have frequently read my World of Warcraft features at Siliconera.

Perhaps that doesn't seem entirely cool to you, the reader. After all, we more than likely have different tastes when it comes to home decor. I prefer the moody atmosphere of forest green walls accentuated by dark wood trim accented with gold. Vintage furniture and chaise lounges accompanied by towering bookshelves. Picture frames of dull silver housing hand illustrated pomegranates and flowers. What I'm describing is Gothic, perhaps even a little Castlevania flavored. Would the Warcraft III Frostmourne replica fit in with this perfectly curated space that I've painstakingly took the time to assemble? More than likely not. Still, a man can dream.

Warcraft III is available for PC. World of Warcraft is also available for PC.

The post I Think Blizzard’s 1:1 Warcraft Frostmourne Replica Would Look Really Cool in my Apartment appeared first on Siliconera.

I’ll admit right from the start: I have little to no experience with the Fairy Tail anime or manga. My only previous encounter with the series was playing a bit of the first game, which I found surprisingly enjoyable. However, I do know JRPGs. So while it's important how well Fairy Tail 2 translates the anime's world into a new format, my main question when given the opportunity to preview it on PC was, “Could it end up being a good JRPG?”

In the world of JRPGs, you might expect to see a wealth of titles based on anime, given the strong overlap between the two genres. But surprisingly, there aren’t as many standout JRPGs based on popular anime as one might expect. (However, I did put together a list of some notable anime-based JRPGs a few months ago.) That context made me more interested in seeing how Fairy Tail 2 might hold up.

In Fairy Tail 2, players again follow members of the Fairy Tail wizard guild as they navigate the series’ climactic "Alvarez Empire Arc." If you’re like me and aren’t fully familiar with the arc, don’t worry. From my experience with the first moments of Fairy Tail 2, Koei Tecmo goes to great lengths to make the story at least a little accessible to newcomers. The game sets up the narrative, providing clear context for players stepping into the series for the first time. Additionally, It includes detailed lore, backstory, and character explanations through an in-game encyclopedia. This is one of my favorite modern JRPG quality of life mechanics. I found myself consulting it often. It genuinely helped bridge the gap in my limited knowledge of the anime.

But let’s talk gameplay. Fairy Tail 2 builds on the first game’s combat system, which was already a highlight for me. It’s a turn-based system with a twist, resembling an Active Time Battle (ATB) system. Players build SP (Skill Points) through basic attacks as their action bar refreshes. SP can unleash powerful, flashy moves, adding a strategic layer to the gameplay as you decide when to go all-in with bigger attacks.

One of the standout features of combat is the ability to chain together special moves for devastating combos. Timing and strategy are crucial here. You’ll want to set up smaller attacks to build SP before unleashing more powerful abilities. During battle, you also build the Fairy Meter, which gives you access to more SP to extend combos. This can turn longer battles, especially boss fights, into almost cinematic experiences, with explosive attacks flying back and forth. The pacing of combat, alongside the spectacle of special moves, made it fun and engaging, even for someone who doesn’t know the source material inside and out.

What’s more, the variety of characters available from the outset adds a lot to the gameplay, based on what I saw in these early moments. Each character brings a unique set of skills to the table, with different elemental affinities and specialties. This diversity means that you’ll often need to think strategically about party composition and the elements you bring into each battle. Since enemies have their own affinities and weaknesses, planning your approach becomes crucial to maximizing damage and efficiency in combat. This dynamic keeps the gameplay fresh and ensures that encounters never feel like mindless button-mashing.

All of this seems wrapped in a story that still had enough hooks to draw in a relative newcomer like me within about an hour of play. The interactions between characters and their relationships feel authentic. They’re presented in a way that even someone unfamiliar with the history of Fairy Tail can appreciate. Fans of the series will probably find even more to love here, with key moments from the anime and manga brought to life.

While I initially approached Fairy Tail 2 as a game first and adaptation second, I came away pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t just learning about this world passively. I was experiencing it through the characters and their battles. It piqued my interest in the broader series, making me curious to go back and explore the anime or manga to get the full picture.

Ultimately, Fairy Tail 2 has the potential to be more than just a game for fans of the series. It could be the gateway that brings new players into the fold. The combination of accessible storytelling, strategic combat, and a vibrant cast makes it a strong entry in the world of anime-based JRPGs. And for those like me, who might have missed the Fairy Tail phenomenon the first time around, it might just make a fan out of you too.

Fairy Tail 2 will release on Steam on December 11, 2024, and it will be on the PS4, PS5 and Switch on December 13, 2024.

The post Fairy Tail 2 Might Make You a Fan of the Series appeared first on Siliconera.

Having only spent time with the Mario Party games on Nintendo 64, it was high time to change that with Super Mario Party Jamboree. This latest entry on the Switch is packed full of an impressive level of content. While not all minigames and modes are worth a look, this is generally the most fun I’ve had with a party game in a long time.

After a short introduction, you get to explore the hub island. It is here in Super Mario Party Jamboree where players can shop, take in the vistas, and find the different modes. Each island in this title hosts a different game mode. There are quite a few to check out from the minigame island to Bowser’s Challenges to the normal Mario Party island.

It is on Mario Party island where most of the action happens. Players pick between one of 20 (plus two unlockable) characters from across the pantheon. This is a pretty solid cast, with the usual suspects of Mario, Peach, and Bowser. But also some more intriguing additions like Ninji and Shy Guy, who I like to play.

There are also seven different game boards — four at the start — to pick from. Each game board has a completely different feel when compared to the others. In addition, there are mechanics with each board that help them stand out. For instance, there is the Mega Wiggler board. Here, players go around a simple forest with only a handful of red bad spaces to land on.

The main crux of this board is the Mega Wiggler in the middle of the forest. Players can hop on the back of it but he could move at any point. This would result in the player ending up in a different part of the board than they might want to. It is a neat risk-and-reward system. Do you hop on the Mega Wiggler’s back for a possible shortcut? Or do you play it safe?

The other boards you get, including two returning ones from N64 titles, also come with their own exciting gimmicks. Rainbow Galleria (my personal favorite) is a huge colorful mall with escalators to zip from floor to floor and unique stamps to collect. Roll ‘Em Raceway is an odd map with everyone racing around in cars that doesn’t get too out of hand, thankfully.

The general goal of each Super Mario Party Jamboree board game is to have the most stars at the end. Every player takes turns rolling the dice. You could land on a spot with an exclamation point that will grant a random item. But you could also land a red space and have negative effects, like losing coins.

Along the way throughout the board, there are also random stops like shops. Here, you can buy extra dice, custom dice, or even items to hinder your opponents. After all four players take a turn, it is then time for a minigame. There are more than 110 minigames so it took a few matches before I even saw a repeat minigame.

Minigames have a lot of variation to them, such as free-for-all or even 3-vs-1 modes. For instance, a free-for-all game mode might be Light-Wave Battle. Here, every player is essentially battling against the others. You can jump to hop over the waves your opponents send out to avoid defeat. But you can also double jump to ground pound classic Mario-style and send waves. The last person standing wins coins.

Even a simple minigame like this one has a neat level of depth to it. Do you focus on defense purely by just jumping? Or do you risk a ground pound, which has an animation that leaves you vulnerable to waves for a moment? Then there are the fascinating minigames like the three on one modes. Here, you might have a player control a Bomber Bill and try to eliminate the other three players before five rounds are up.

There are still more minigames, such as ice skating to collect coins or a hide-and-seek take on whack-a-mole. The variety is pretty impressive and each minigame pretty fun. I often looked forward to the minigame at the end of each round as one of the highlights of the games I did.

However, I will say the more you play, the more you realize there is a bit of repetition in the minigames. Sure, there are more than 110, but there are a lot of similar modes. One of the oddest parts is there are a lot of run away modes where you have to escape something. And each of these minigames does little to differentiate from the other besides a simple palette or map swap.

Outside of the core board game island, there are other modes to extend your time with in Super Mario Party Jamboree. This is where the game largely loses its quality and my interest. There are different islands for special game modes like flying around in the Paratroopa Flight School or the Overcooked-like Rhythm Kitchen. The former is horrid, where the player uses motion controls to act like they're flying around. It is ridiculous and frustrating to control.

Rhythm Kitchen is a cooking battle mode where you engage in different food-related minigames to score the highest. But it is a bit too hard to understand how the scoring system works that it feels a little off. Then there are the other forgettable modes like Toad’s Item Factory where you maneuver balls to their destination and the motion control-only minigame location.

The Koopathlon even sounds great a glance, being the showstopping 20-player online mode. Unfortunately, it gets a bit too messy quite fast. 20 players in minigames is a bit too much and overwhelming at times, and the minigames here repeat way too often. Minigame Island with only minigames to play over and over fares a bit better but even it loses its shine after a bit.

The only extra mode that truly captured my attention beyond the normal board games is the new Bowser mode. Here, seven players work together to take down the Impostor Bowser through minigames. The creativity of these unique minigames really shine through, such as stopping bombs from Impostor Bowser. Having everyone work together in a sort of PvE mode feels unique, but it does have its limitations due to only offering 10 minigames in total.

That said, the extra modes are just that: additional content to enjoy. The quality of them matter little when the actual board games at the center of Super Mario Party Jamboree are exceptional. I enjoyed all seven of the board games and would gladly go back to them. Playing this game offline in person with others is the most fun I’ve had in a party game ever. The sheer level of variety and chaos ensured that every match I did was completely different from the last. Even playing alone against bots, which I usually don’t enjoy in a party game, was fun against the CPUs.

Super Mario Party Jamboree is up there for the best in the series. It boasts the most amount of content from high-quality boards to characters to minigames. The variety is enough to carry this game on its own, but the quality of the core experience is exceptional as well with how each board works and the many different types of minigames. Though the additional modes, with the exception of Bowser Kaboom Squad, are all pretty much misses, they do nothing to take away from the top-tier solo and multiplayer party experience Super Mario Party Jamboree has.

Super Mario Party Jamboree releases exclusively for Nintendo Switch on October 17, 2024.

The post Review: Super Mario Party Jamboree Offers an Impressive Amount of Content appeared first on Siliconera.

On first glance, Neva is a cozy game about nature and woodland friends. However, as soon as you load the game up, it quickly reminds you that nature is brutal. Within minutes, a bird has died and turned into a black husk, while a majestic wolf-deer is murdered by horrors.

This tone is not surprising when you realize who the developer of Neva is. It’s the latest game from Nomada Studio, whose previous game Gris was a beautiful yet harrowing exploration of grief. Neva feels like that the natural extension of that game. It takes the combination of beautiful visuals and dark subject matter and turns it towards the brutal conflicts of nature. And with it, the puzzle platforming now gets tougher and gains more combat mechanics.

You play as a woman named Alba, who is not directly named in-game. She serves as a protector for a vast forest, along with her wolf-deer hybrid companion. However, at the start of the game, this companion is killed, leaving behind a cub named Neva. The game then chronicles a year in the life of Alba and Neva, as she raises this pup into an adult so it can become the forest’s new protector.

The game itself is a puzzle platformer. You venture through the often-surreal wilderness, leaping across platforms, air dashing across gaps and climbing vast structures to progress. Along the way you encounter dark, corrupted enemies that threaten the sanctity of the forest. With each season, Neva takes a more active role in combat and can be called on to stall enemies with bites or damage enemies Alba can’t reach.

There’s an obvious Ghibli inspiration within all this. It’s not hard to look at our protagonist’s fierce defense of the forest, accompanied by a large wolf creature, and immediately see Princess Mononoke’s San and Moro. Similarly, the corrupted enemies, with their writhing black bodies and mask-like faces, bear more than a little resemblance to No-Face from Spirited Away.

That said, the game avoids feeling like an imitation, and more a work that exists in the same headspace. For a start, its visuals avoid the Ghibli style entirely. This is definitely the studio who made Gris, with its painterly aesthetic and minimalist design. You could take a screenshot of any part of this game, and it wouldn’t look out of place on a gallery wall.

However, the moment-to-moment gameplay is a huge contrast to the slow-paced, meditative puzzle-solving of Nomada’s previous work. The emphasis on combat adds fail states that Gris lacked, and the primary emotional state of the game is anger rather than sadness. There’s a sense of something profoundly wrong happening to these woods, and Alba and Neva must right the wrongs. It’s defiant and aggressive.

This means Neva is a lot more challenging than it might appear. I went into the game fully expecting the kind of slow, relaxed experience of a lot of artsy, narrative-driven projects. You walk a lot and solve puzzles. Sure, that is here too, but the extra difficulty adds an exciting new layer. Combat offers a tiny health pool, the limited moveset can make encounters with large groups tense, and some platforming segments combined Alba’s moveset in specific ways that must be figured out with some ingenuity. By no means is this Dark Souls, but anyone coming into this expecting to casually walk through it with ease may find themselves surprised.

This was welcome, as it created for some great moments. Sections where the scenery breaks open during combat, shifting the environment you’re trying to position yourself on. Sometimes enemies will use the scenery itself to fight you, or flying enemies will enter the fray. These enemies force you to change your tactics and make you focus on your positioning.

I also really loved how Neva shook up its platforming sections. The scenery shifts are a big way the game keeps you on your toes, but then some sections also require you to send Neva to attack switches while you’re in mid-air or combine your double jump and air dash in new ways. There’s also a section during the Winter chapter that deliberately screws with your perspective, and it’s easily one of the best parts of the game.

The real shining moments of the game are the moments of peril where you’re helpless and Neva jumps in and saves the day. These moments are the real heart of the game. Mechanically, they usually add something new to your kit that you’ll be using during the next section. Narratively, they show the building relationship between Alba and Neva in a way that’s highly effective despite the lack of words.

This minimalist approach to story is something that Neva does incredibly well. The only word spoken in the entire game is “Neva” whenever you call for her. Otherwise, the game’s narrative is communicated entirely through gestures and moments. We never get long exposition about the origins of the corruption, we just know it’s bad and must be stopped. Anything left unexplained is for the player to interpret as they see fit. Is it a reminder of the cruelty of nature that must be respected? A critique on pollution and its effect on wildlife? Or could it be seen as an allegory for death and rebirth? It’s all valid, and you’ll be left pondering these questions long after the game is over.

In fact, I struggle to find much I didn’t like about Neva. Any critique I have feels either like I’m nitpicking or trying to turn the game into something it’s not. Could the moveset be a little more expansive to make some sections feel less repetitive? Sure, but the game’s simplicity is a major asset in how the game delivers its narrative. Are there sections where the scenery can sometimes get in the way of the path a little too much? Sure, but these are rare and usually during quiet times where you’re simply walking. I certainly don’t recall any moments where fog obscured combat, for instance.

The game is, admittedly, short. My playthrough took just shy of four hours to complete, and aside from some optional plants you can make bloom, there’s little incentive to replay the game. However, those four hours are beautiful and heartfelt, and something you’d likely want to experience again.

Neva is a sweet little game that left a significant impression on me. Every frame looks like a painting, there’s a surprising amount of challenge and the way it builds these characters without saying a word is masterful. If you’re a fan of short, artful experiences in games, you need to play Neva.

Neva is out now for PC, PS5, Switch and Xbox Series X/S.

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