■ Two Ways to Modify and Expand RPG Maker Unite‘s Functionality!
Method 1．Using “Addons”
In the RPG Maker series, users have always been able to develop and use scripts known in the community as “plugins” to expand engine functionalities not available by default. Due to this, many users volunteer to develop and generously share plugins with the community, which is how the RPG Maker series gave birth to so many marvelous titles, even as of now!
Similarly, in RPG Maker Unite, users can use “Addons” to enhance and expand the engine. We changed the name due to how the internal processing works differently from past RPG Maker titles, but the concept and usage is identical. However, please do note that like always, we cannot provide official support on the development or usage of Addons. Up to this part we briefly touched on our announcement on September 2, 2022.
—RPG Maker Unite’s Addon Manager UI. This feature allows users to turn ON or OFF on the Addons installed into the game at will.
Method 2．Rewriting the Source Code Through Unity Editor
The second option—which we cannot provide official support for either—is to edit RPG Maker Unite‘s source code directly using Unity Editor. In RPG Maker Unite, users can call out the Unity Editor UI any time as needed. Through this, users can confirm and rewrite a part of the source code however they see fit (Note: with the exception of some DLL files). This is especially useful for large-scale modification! Although the source code is open for viewing in Unity Editor, please do adhere to the EULAs that we will publish later on!
—Users can open Unity Editor from the RPG Maker Unite UI anytime they need it.
—It is possible to have both editors side by side, making modifications while confirming each other simultaneously.
■ Which Method to Choose?
Both Addons and direct editing through Unity uses C# programming language. However, depending on the user’s knowledge level or objectives, there are clear reasons to prefer one over the other.
The biggest difference is whether users wish to modify RPG Maker Unite‘s source code directly or not.
Addons by nature do not modify RPG Maker Unite‘s source code, and thus would not cause conflicts induced by Source Code changes. This is great for developing multiple Addons simultaneously, independently. Merely using other’s Addons is still as easy as always and would not require any programming nor Unity Editor knowledge either. Also, due to not tinkering with the source code, whenever there is an official update to RPG Maker Unite, users can apply it safely too. (Note: Some Addons may need some updates to be compatible with latest updates.)
On the other hand, modification of the source code directly through the Unity Editor would give users unprecedented amounts of freedom. Naturally, this would require a fairly advanced level of programming skills and deep knowledge towards how the Unity Editor and RPG Maker Unite works.
■ Dev Log #10 now available on Steam
The Dev Log #10 this time takes a deeper dive into Addon development! Next month we plan to continue on it with more elaborate examples. If you are an RPG Maker plugin developer, you would be interested in reading this!
RPG Maker Unite is due out for PC [16,593 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/platforms/pc”>PC via Unity Asset Store in spring 2023 worldwide, followed “slightly later” by Steam.
2022 was truly the year of Elden Ring, with FromSoftware’s latest game exploding into the mainstream unlike anything it had previously created. As such, a lot of people played and finished Elden Ring. In fact, according to one set of data, Elden Ring was the most completed game of 2022. But funnily enough, the same source also pegs it as the game players were most likely to abandon before reaching the end.
If you’ve read Kotaku (or any other gaming website) in 2022, you are likely already familiar with Elden Ring, the latest game from Dark Souls creators FromSoftware. And like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, Elden Ring is a tough-as-nails action-RPG with a heavy focus on mystery, world-building, and boss fights. However, this time around FromSoftware added a true open world to its popular “Soulslike” formula. The end result? One of 2022’s most acclaimed, best-selling games. The open world in particular helped sway many to try Elden Ring for the first time, letting players avoid harder areas until later and ostensibly making it easier to finish than past FromSoftware adventures. And it seems that design choice paid off.
According to data on HowLongToBeat.com, Elden Ring is 2022’s most completed game, with nearly 6,000 users of the site reporting they have played and finished the massive open-world RPG. That’s an impressive number when you look at the runner-up games on the list. Stray, that adorable futuristic cat game, was completed by nearly 4,000 users. Meanwhile, in third with 2,500 completions, was Game Freak and Nintendo’s Switch hit, Pokemon Legends: Arceus. To see such a big and difficult game top the list is both a sign that Elden Ring is very good and also a hint at the kind of audience that is primarily using HowLongToBeat.com.
Screenshot: Howlongtobeat.com / Kotaku
But perhaps more interesting is that Elden Ring is also the most “retired” game. When users “retire” from a game on Howlongtobeat.com it means they have given up on it, either permanently or temporarily. Now, even though only 261 players officially retired from Elden Ring on the site, that’s still more than double any other game in 2022. Even if the dataset is a bit small and weird (how many people are logging into this site to admit defeat?) it’s still an interesting data point.
This all makes sense to me. Elden Ring was the most talked-about game of 2022, and with that many people playing, it makes sense that a good chunk of them might give up on it. Other data seems to suggest around half the people playing Elden Ring never reached the end. So I buy that Elden Ring could be the most completed game of 2022 while also being the game more people gave up on than anything else.
Some other interesting 2022 data from the site: Turns out Elden Ring is also on the most backlogs, has the most reviews, and is the longest game of 2022. However, Naughty Dog’s The Last Of Us Part 1 is the most positively reviewed game, and Diablo Immortal is the worst-reviewed.
Pokémonsaved the Switchin 2022, which was also the year that the console officially started to feel old.
As we approach the Switch’s sixth anniversary, it feels like Nintendo’s innovative hybrid gaming device has finally peaked and is now on the decline. Missing features and poor online experiences that were once easier to forgive have started to feel more frustrating. Even the latest visually impressive first-party games likeKirby And The Forgotten Land and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 struggled to mask the hardware’s aging limitations.
2022 was the unofficial year of the Kirb. Screenshot: Nintendo / Kotaku
Don’t get me wrong. The Switch’s release calendar was still lowkey stacked month in and month out. The OLED version continues to bring out a level of vibrancy in games big and small that helps make up for some of the technical drawbacks. And despite never receiving a price drop since it launched, the Switch remains an extremely competitive gaming option when stacked up against pricier alternatives like the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Steam Deck.
Still, a meaningful hardware refresh has never felt more overdue. 2022 was the year of the missing Switch Pro, and the year it felt like Nintendo’s existing handheld hybrid went from punching above its weight to under-delivering on the promise of its core conceit.
Great games, chugging hardware
Nintendo made up for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdombeing delayed this year through sheer quantity of new releases. On the first-party side Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Nintendo Switch Sports, Mario Strikers: Battle League, and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes anchored the first half of the year, while Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Splatoon 3, and Bayonetta 3 delivered heavy-hitters in the second half.
Gaps were stuffed with many of the year’s biggest indie games: Sifu, Citizen Sleeper, Nobody Saves the World, Return to Monkey Island, OlliOlli World, Shredder’s Revenge, Tunic, and Neon White. Square Enix’s 2022 JRPG bonanza was well represented, including Switch exclusives Live a Live and Triangle Strategy. Plus big ports like No Man’s Sky, Personal 5 Royal, and Nier Automata brought over some of the best games of the last console generation.
At times Arceus gives off the vibe of a Nintendo 64 game in HD. Screenshot: Nintendo / Kotaku
It’s safe to say, however, that it might have still felt like one of the quieter years on Switch if not for Pokémon Arceus: Legendsand Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. In addition to selling tons, both games also perfectly represented the platform’s growing pains this year: they iterated on the series’ tried and true collectathon formula in creative and refreshing ways while also looking like ass and running badly.
On the Arceus side, the game’s open world often looked empty and flat. On the Scarlet and Violet side, framerate drops, constant pop-in of objects, and rogue glitches held back an otherwise ambitious new blueprint for the future of the mainline Pokémon games. It’s hard to know how much these shortcomings are due to the Switch’s old chipsets, a lack of development time, a particular set of design trade-offs, or some combination of those and other factors.
This screenshot is not as pretty as I remembered it. Screenshot: Nintendo / Kotaku
A modern spec sheet probably wouldn’t hurt though. Even Xenoblade Chronicles 3, a sprawling RPG with big open environments that look much better than what you’ll find in Pokémon, brushed up against the limits of the Switch. The frame rate was far from stable in the later half of the game, and the sweeping vistas themselves lose all sorts of detail and definition the second you move away from them. This didn’t stop Monolith’s game from feeling and looking great when in motion, but it does mean that almost every screenshot I have from my time with it is full of jagged edges and washed out textures. Bayonetta 3 was even worse.
Switch Online is still a drag
Another game that gets at the increasing duality of the Switch is Splatoon 3. A gorgeous and colorful sequel with even more content and features, it nevertheless is held back by Nintendo’s online infrastructure. It’s 2022. Splatoon 3 is one of the best competitive shooters out there. And you will almost certainly spend at least part of any gaming session mired in disconnects or other connectivity woes.
It’s especially notable considering some of the biggest shooters around like Fortnite and Apex Legends are also on Switch, and those games also don’t require players to download a separate app to use voice chat. These problems were easier to ignore when Nintendo’s online service was free, but as the company continues to double-down on its monthly subscription service, subpar online performance continues to be a sore spot.
Last year, Nintendo launched the Switch Online + Expansion Pack, a $50 version of the service that raised the price in exchange for access to Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games, as well as various bits of Switch DLC. It felt like a terrible deal at the time, and nothing over the past 12 months has done much to change that.
That’s not to say that Nintendo hasn’t been diligently filling out the Netflix-style retro library. Notable additions included Earthbound, Shining Force II, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.
Screenshot: Nintendo / Kotaku
In total, Switch Online received five more NES games, six more SNES games, 17 more Genesis games, and 11 more N64 games this year. Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games remain MIA, however, as do notable third-party SNES titles like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI.
As rival services like PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass expand and evolve to include some of the biggest new releases and cloud gaming, it’s hard not to look at Switch Online and feel like it comes up short, despite being significantly cheaper. Switch Online did experiment with week-long free trials for games like Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe this year, as well as add a new Switch Online missions and rewards feature, but four years into the service’s life it still feels like it’s struggling to justify itself.
Netflix is never coming
If Switch Online still seems like an underwhelming value proposition, the base console user experience remains absolutely barebones. The Switch firmware received six updates in 2022, and the only notable feature added was “Groups” which allows players to organize their game libraries into folders. It’s nice to have and was long overdue, which mostly serves to underline just how little the rest of the console experience has changed since launch.
Despite the popularity of the Switch, Nintendo has never prioritized social features—-and that didn’t change in 2022. There’s no way to search for friends, send them messages, or gift them games. There’s no social feed to speak of when it comes to wondering what they are playing, buying, or sharing. Again, this has been the status quo, but as each new year passes, the fact that the Switch hasn’t improved on any of it becomes more glaring.
*Sigh*Screenshot: Nintendo / Kotaku
The apps never came this year, either. For years the joke was that you could get Netflix on every modern Nintendo device but the Switch. The streaming wars are in full swing, with services like Game Pass including complimentary subscriptions to Apple TV and Disney+, neither of which exist on Switch. Hulu remains the lone exception, joined last year by Funimaiton and this year by Crunchyroll.
The Switch has been outpaced by app integration in other areas as well. Spotify has been a mainstay on PlayStation and Xbox for years, while social hub Discord was finally added to both this past year. Neither are on Nintendo’s platform, which is especially surprising considering how many communication shortcomings would be solved by the arrival of Discord. The Switch didn’t get achievements or home screen themes in 2022, either.
So…Switch Pro when?
When the Switch released in 2017, holding games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey in your hands and taking them on the go was a powerful revelation. In 2022, thanks to the bar already raised by Nintendo half a decade ago, it’s somewhat less novel.
At the low-end, an explosion in cloud gaming peripherals and third-party handhelds means you can stream Assassin’s Creed Valhalla alongside Dead Cells to a bunch ofcompetitors’ portables. The experience isn’t great but it’s often good enough.
At the high-end, Valve’s Steam Deck went from a trickle of pre-orders to on-demand availability, and let people take Steam hits from The Witcher 3 to Vampire Survivors to the bathroom and beyond. It’s clunky, the battery life isn’t great, and it’s a much less streamlined user experience than the Switch. Valve is also selling the device at a big loss. And yet while it’s only sold less than 2 percent as many units as the Switch so far, it’s shown the massive leap handheld gaming is capable of since the latter first shipped.
The Switch OLED is nice but it’s no Switch Pro.Photo: Nintendo
While Kotaku has mentioned a mythical Switch Pro in every State of the Switch review since 2018, this is the year it went from “when is it coming?” to “where the hell is it?” Many fans expected Nintendo to reveal upgraded hardware at E3 2021. Instead, it revealed the Switch OLED: a fancy screen atop the same basic guts for $50 more. This led to a lot of questions about repeated Bloomberg reports that Nintendo was gearing up to release a 4K successor to the Switch, but Nintendo’s past history alone says we’re due for a new Switch.
The Nintendo DS launched in 2004. The DS Lite followed in 2006. The DSi in 2008. And the DSi XL in 2009. The first and last iterations of the device showed a long range in terms of improvement. The 3DS launched in 2011. A 3DS XL arrived the following year. A 2DS was added to the lineup the year after that. And a New Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL launched the year after that, both of which notably played a handful of games the earlier versions of the system couldn’t run. The Switch is already two years older than the PS4 was when the PS4 Pro came out, and older than the Wii U was when the Switch launched.
The global pandemic, which created shortages for semiconductors that affected everything from cars to smartphones, no doubt threw any traditional timeline for a Switch Pro out the window. At the same time, that hasn’t stopped the Switch from continuing to age in the interim. From Joy-Con drift to finicky Wi-Fi reception, the console has succeeded despite notable design flaws and shortcomings thanks to its brilliant form factor and exclusives.
The form factor is becoming less and less of a differentiator though, and despite the development wizardry at Nintendo, old hardware is starting to catch up with it. We’ll see if 2023’s Tears of the Kingdom can replicate the magic of Breath of the Wild on a six year old machine. By the time it comes out in May, the gap between them will be even bigger than the one between GameCube’s TwilightPrincess and the Wii’s Skyward Sword.
Image: Square Enix / Wildcard / Focus Entertainment / Kotaku
Video games are very hard to make, take years to finish, and require many people to work together to create them. As a result, video games are incredibly complex and more prone to delays than movies, books, or TV shows. So just because a game is set to come out in 2023 doesn’t mean it actually will…
It should be noted that we can’t tell the future and don’t have any inside knowledge on these projects that we haven’t already reported. So we could (and likely will) be wrong about some or even all of these. But as the pandemic continues to cause production problems around the world, it’s harder than ever to ship a game on time. If these games do get delayed, I hope it spares the devs from having to crunch for months to get something out the door. But even delays can lead to crunch and overtime, as we’ve unfortunately learned this year.
Now, let’s take a look at some games currently scheduled to launch in 2023 that we think might end up getting pushed back into 2024.
Another year in the books. Or ebooks. Or TikTok. I don’t know. I’m older now so I can’t keep up with all your newfangled gizmos and bookkeeping tools. What I do know is that this year is basically over. So, we can now look at Metacritic to see what game critics collectively declared as the worst of the worst in 2022.
We’ve said this before and it’s worth repeating: Liking a “bad” game isn’t a bad thing. Numbered scores come with all sorts of asterisks and caveats, which is part of the reason we don’t use them here. But if you see a game on this list that you happen to love, it just means you have a different taste than a bunch of other critics or players. That’s fine! Enjoy what you like and don’t be an asshole about it and everything will be fine. Now, as we’vedonebefore, here are the worst-rated games on Metacritic with at least seven reviews, the number the site deems necessary before placing any game on this list.
5. LEGO Brawls | Score: 46 (PS5)
LEGO / Sony
LEGO games tend to be pretty fine at worst and really great at best. However, LEGO Brawls, a Smash Bros-like fighting game, is an exception to this rule. It seems the main problem is that this is just a port of a 2019 phone game that wasn’t very good. (I played it and totally forgot about it until a few minutes ago.) And making matters worse, the publisher had the audacity to charge $40 for this no-frills port of a three-year-old mediocre mobile game. LEGO Brawls on PS5, you deserve this spot on the list!
4. XEL | Score: 43 (Switch)
Tiny Roar / Nintendo
For a split second, when I first saw the name of this sci-fi 3D open-world action game, I thought some weird XFL game had shipped without me knowing. That’s not the case and instead, the somewhat nice-looking XEL is undermined by bugs, unpolished gameplay, and frustrating technical issues that exist on the PC port, too.
3. Babylon’s Fall | Score: 41 (PS5)
Square Enix
It’s not shocking that a flop of a game like Babylon’s Fall made the top five worst games released in 2022. That’s probably down to its awful controls, tedious combat, and everything else feeling incomplete. At the same time, it’s a bit shocking that this live-service action RPG only snagged the third spot on the list. I’d warn you to not play Babylon’s Fall, but it’s actually incredibly cheap (even free in some cases) to pick up now after Square Enix announced it was killing the servers for this live-service game in February, less than a year after its release.
2. Crossfire X | Score: 38 (Xbox Series X/S)
Remedy / Smilegate / Xbox
Remedy Entertainment makes good shit. I love Alan Wake, Max Payne, and Control, games that average in the 83 to 89 range on Metacritic. So the idea of the studio building a brand new single-player FPS campaign, as Crossfire X was originally pitched, sounded great on paper. In practice, the actual game is a boring, meandering mess that mostly plays like a bad Call of Duty knock-off and doesn’t get interesting until too late. By the time the game started turning it around, I was so tired of it that I just couldn’t care. And then I tried to play the online PvP portion of the game (which wasn’t developed by Remedy) and remembered I have access to at least a dozen better, less buggy, more interesting shooters on my Xbox and stopped playing Crossfire X.
1. Postal 4: No Regerts | Score: 30 (PC)
Running With Scissors
There will be some people who see this low score and use it as a weapon in their fight against the so-called “WOKE” critics and journalists of the world. Here’s the thing though: I played open-world shooter Postal 4 and its various quests and side quests set in a depraved city and even if I ignore its shitty, punching-down humor and awful jokes, what I’m left with is a crappy shooter which plays like Postal 2 but worse. And when you’ve created a game that is being negatively compared to Postal fucking 2, you’ve made a mistake. The best thing I can say about Postal 4 is that well…at least it isn’t Postal 3!
Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII – Reunion was released today and is a solid remastering/remake of a beloved PSP title. But at least one painting in the new game contains a li’l something extra: a Getty Images watermark, implying that the in-game painting was created using an image preview taken directly from that service’s website.
In our review posted earlier today, we noted that the new remake is a faithful adaptation of the original PSP game, complete with flaws that come about from being overly dedicated to being a perfect prequel. And like the original, while the first half or so of the game is solid, the ending makes for a “disappointing conclusion.” It’s a damn good-looking remake nonetheless. However, we’ve noticed that the new visuals come with a new mistake, in the form of a watermark left on at least three instances of an in-game painting.
During chapter eight of the game, you’ll enter a Shinra mansion. In this very nice-looking and opulent home you’ll find many fancy paintings hanging on the walls. Look closely and you’ll discover these are real paintings. Look a little closer and you’ll clearly see where Square Enix grabbed the art from.
Yup, that’s a big old Getty Images watermark right in the middle of it. I was able to track down the exact painting that Square Enix grabbed using our own Getty account. It’s a piece by artist John Crowther depicting Ludgate Circus in London in 1881.
Kotaku has reached out to Square Enix but didn’t hear back before publication.
Read More:Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII – Reunion: The Kotaku Review
It appears that whoever grabbed this image from Getty—and possibly didn’t pay to license it, as the watermark is still there—stretched it out and cropped most of its top to make it fit in the frame. And this isn’t a one-off error. The resulting painting appears at least three times in this area of the game complete with the Getty watermark. Whoops!
The watermarked painting appears in at least three different places.Screenshot: Square Enix / Kotaku
This isn’t the first time a big Square Enix RPG has shipped with a mistaken watermark included.Kingdom Hearts III also included a watermark during one cutscene. However, that was a “blink and you’ll miss it moment” and not an easy-to-find painting that appears multiple times and can be seen clearly by anyone paying attention. If you want to see this mistake yourself, I’d go to the mansion sooner than later, as I imagine Square Enix will be patching it out shortly.
If you’re a fan of tactical RPGs, you’ll want to make note of Redemption Reapers, coming to the Switch in February 2023.
This dark fantasy tactical RPG developed by Adglobe and Binary Haze Interactive (ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights) is being brought to life by industry luminaries such as Masayuki Horikawa – known for working on the Fire Emblem series as a director and scenario/level designer, and also Kingdom Hearts III planning.
Here’s a bit about the story, and what to expect from the gameplay, courtesy of the PR:
Hope fades across the land following the sudden appearance of the ruthless Mort armies. Efficient as they are brutal, the macabre forces descend upon civilizations, leaving destruction in the wake of their nightly raids. As entire nations fall to the Mort onslaught, the Ashen Hawk Brigade, a contingent of mercenaries specializing in surprise tactics, band together to fight back against the invading legions.
Lead the Ashen Hawk Brigade in tactical skirmishes on 3D maps. Employ strategic moves, directing units across the battlefield before issuing commands to attack, defend, or deploy skills during each turn. Overcome seemingly insurmountable odds by mastering sneak attacks for extra damage or powerful combo strikes from multiple Brigade members.
Ensure each Brigade member is fit for the trials ahead by outfitting the party with powerful gear. Turn hard-earned spoils of victory into resources for crafting mighty weapons and armor. Upgrade skills to unlock combat abilities capable of turning a ragtag troop of underdogs into courageous champions.
Carve through the Mort and uncover a gripping, mature story of wartime struggles. Witness powerful moments unfold between members of the Brigade during fully voiced cutscenes (recorded in English and Japanese audio) as fighters learn more about their allies and the world around them. Guide the Ashen Hawk Brigade’s rise from obscurity to folk heroes as members grapple with their dark past as a deadly – and despised – organization dubbed “Faithless Reapers.”
It will also feature a “star-studded” voice cast including Kyle McCarley, Allegra Clark, David Lodge and Lucien Dodge. These folks have contributed to series such as 13 Sentinels, NieR: Automata, Dragon Age, Persona 5, Final Fantasy XV, Fire Emblem and the Trails series.
What are your first impressions of this upcoming game based on the trailer above? Comment below.
Published by Binary Haze Interactive [8 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/companies/binary-haze-interactive”>Binary Haze Interactive and developer Adglobe [8 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/companies/adglobe”>Adglobe have announced Strategy RPG [150 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/genres/rpg/strategy-rpg”>strategy RPG Redemption Reapers [1 article]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/games/redemption-reapers”>Redemption Reapers for PS4 [24,361 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/platforms/playstation/ps4″>PlayStation 4, Switch [12,692 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/platforms/nintendo/switch”>Switch, and PC [16,526 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/platforms/pc”>PC (Steam). It will launch in February 2023 with English and Japanese voice-over options, and English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), and Korean language support.
Here is an overview of the game, via Binary Haze Interactive:
Redemption Reapers is being brought to life by industry luminaries, including tactical RPG [14,721 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/genres/rpg”>RPG veteran Masayuki Horikawa (Fire Emblem series director and scenario / level designer; Kingdom Hearts III [130 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/games/kingdom-hearts-iii”>Kingdom Hearts III planning), as well as a star-studded voice cast featuring Kyle McCarley ( 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim [52 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/games/13-sentinels-aegis-rim”>13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, NieR: Automata [112 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/games/nier-automata”>NieR: Automata), Allegra Clark (Apex Legends, Dragon Age: Inquisition), David Lodge ( Persona 5 [148 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/games/persona-5″>Persona 5, Final Fantasy [44 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/series/final-fantasy”>Final Fantasy XV), and Lucien Dodge (Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Trails [28 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/series/trails”>The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel series).
Hope fades across the land following the sudden appearance of the ruthless Mort armies. Efficient as they are brutal, the macabre forces descend upon civilizations, leaving destruction in the wake of their nightly raids. As entire nations fall to the Mort onslaught, the Ashen Hawk Brigade, a contingent of mercenaries specializing in surprise tactics, band together to fight back against the invading legions.
Lead the Ashen Hawk Brigade in tactical skirmishes on 3D maps. Employ strategic moves, directing units across the battlefield before issuing commands to attack, defend, or deploy skills during each turn. Overcome seemingly insurmountable odds by mastering sneak attacks for extra damage or powerful combo strikes from multiple Brigade members.
Ensure each Brigade member is fit for the trials ahead by outfitting the party with powerful gear. Turn hard-earned spoils of victory into resources for crafting mighty weapons and armor. Upgrade skills to unlock combat abilities capable of turning a ragtag troop of underdogs into courageous champions.
Carve through the Mort and uncover a gripping, mature story of wartime struggles. Witness powerful moments unfold between members of the Brigade during fully voiced cutscenes (recorded in English and Japanese audio) as fighters learn more about their allies and the world around them. Guide the Ashen Hawk Brigade’s rise from obscurity to folk heroes as members grapple with their dark past as a deadly—and despised—organization dubbed “Faithless Reapers.”
“Following the success of ENDER LILIES, we aimed to approach a new genre ideal for sharing our love of dark fantasy stories,” said Binary Haze Interactive CEO Hiroyuki Kobayashi in a press release. “Redemption Reapers‘ tactical RPG combat and emotional storytelling combine for a memorable experience we cannot wait to share with the world in early 2023.”
Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.
Starting next year, Microsoft will raise the price of its first-party games from $60 to $70, joining other publishers and video game companies who are doing the same. Welcome to the era of the $70 game, folks.
For a few years now publishers and developers have hinted at game prices increasing as development costs rise and expensive-to-maintain online games become more and more popular. And while some $70 games popped up with the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2020, it wasn’t until this fall that we saw more of the industry move toward this new, higher price with the release of $70 games like Gotham Knights, Modern Warfare II and God of War Ragnarök on PS5. And next year, Microsoft—which has held back on raising prices this holiday season—joins other publishers and developers in this new, pricier era of video games.
As reported by IGN earlier today, Xbox has confirmed that its future first-party games developed for its next-gen Xbox consoles will cost $70 starting next year. This includes titles like Bethesda’s highly-anticipated sci-fi RPG Starfield as well as Arkane’s vampire shooter Redfall and the next Forza Motorsport.
Xbox / Arkane
“This price reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles,” a Microsoft spokesperson told IGN. “As with all games developed by our teams at Xbox, they will also be available with Game Pass the same day they launch.”
Kotaku has reached out to Microsoft about the price increase.
This increase isn’t too surprising as the entire industry seems to be shifting to $70 games and subscriptions. Even Xbox boss Phil Spencer hinted toward the increase in October, suggesting that the company couldn’t and wouldn’t hold its prices forever, adding that the cost of games, Game Pass, or Xbox consoles would likely increase after the 2022 holiday season. And now, as the year winds down, here we are, and here come the $70 Xbox games.
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Read More:Everything Is Left 4 Dead Now
Some may be quick to point out that this price increase won’t matter to many as Xbox Game Pass will continue to provide access to all future Xbox first-party releases across console and PC. In 2020, Xbox head of marketing Aaron Greenberg wondered if the price of a game even matters with Game Pass. But for folks who prefer to buy just one or two games a year or who like owning their games and don’t want a monthly subscription, things are about to get a bit more expensive.
It’s also interesting to wonder what price point Starfield or Redfall would have launched at had they made their originally planned 2022 release dates instead of being delayed into 2023. Would Microsoft have made the $70 shift this year, or would it have let Starfield and/or the vampire shooter release as its last first-party $60 games before making this change?
