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NCG Review – Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star (Nintendo Switch)

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Released by Marvelous USA/XSEED, Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star has slashed its way to the Nintendo Switch as one of the first action packed, hack-and-slash title based off the “Fate” anime series. This time around the ports come with all of the previous DLC costumes that were released on the Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita versions, along with the exclusive new Unshackled Bride outfit.

 

Story

Fate/Extella starts with its own original story that follows three different factions that are battling to take control over “SE.RA.PH”. with characters from Fate/EXTRA, Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero, Fate/Apocrypha and Fate/Grand Order.Fate_EXTELLA_ The Umbral Star (PC) - 12

The story isn’t for everyone, and is not the main focus of this title, but it is there for fans of the series. The story is split up into 6 chapters for each faction and you follow the protagonists of each story as they fight for their faction…….with some fan service includedFate_EXTELLA_ The Umbral Star (PC) - 03

As someone who has never watched any of the Fate series, the characters and story did catch my interest, and did leave me wanting more. But I can say to new players, the story is a hit or miss.

Visuals

The graphics actually hold up pretty well for the Switch in portable mode and TV mode. I never experienced any frame drops and was amazed by the presentation of the gameplay animation overall.

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With cut scenes to go with the story, animations for the transformations in battle, and the lighting, models and particle effects resembling the PS4 and PSVita ports, players will be amazed that they are playing this title on the Switch. (I had nothing bad to say on visuals)

Audio

One of the most known aspects of games in this genre is that the soundtrack is usually a rock inspired soundtrack, but that is not the case of Fate/Extella. Fate/Extella’s soundtrack will have players feeling like they are in a medieval themed anime, as well as a few stages having the ancient  Japan feel and the usual techno music.Fate_EXTELLA_ The Umbral Star (PC) - 05

The soundtrack is a perfect fit, as it never draws players out of the gameplay or even the cut scenes. This is a soundtrack that is recommended to check out for anyone who love the anime and old-school game style music.

Gameplay

Fate/Extella follows the combat style from such franchises like Dynasty Warriors, and the Senran Kagura series where you rush your way through a screen full of thousands of enemies. The difference this time is that it features characters from the Fate series. Players will be using flashy combat attacks, perform a massive combo, and completing side missions, all while defending areas or taking out the bosses of each stage. You might be asking yourself, “Do I need to be a fan of the anime series or Hack and slash genre?” The answer is NO! Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star is a fantastic title for the Nintendo Switch!Fate_EXTELLA_ The Umbral Star (PC) - 01

Players will jump into its Main Story mode, which has 3 unique main characters stories, which are told in a visual novel approach for each interaction for the characters. The core gameplay is simple, and the map is separated into sections that are controlled by your faction and the enemies. You are given goals to accomplish for each battle while you have to defend your points and takeover the enemies points. Along the way in doing so, the enemies have sub bosses enter the battlefield that try to get in your way. The gameplay is solid to the core, but can get repetitive, as other games of this genre do.

Verdict

Fate/Extella The Umbral Star is a must pick up for anyone who owns a Nintendo Switch! It might be a hack-n-slash title that hits the perfection mark, but it is a game not to pass up, especially to play on the go. I recommend this game to new players and veterans, as it will add a single player title next to your Breath of the Wild on your console/ handheld hybrid.Score

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NCG Review – Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire (PS4)

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Developed by YummyYummyTummy, Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire is one part of a two-part story from the Fallen Legion titles.Fallen Legion_20170513205838

Story

When first entering the world of Fallen Legion, players will be introduced to Cecile, a princess of her kingdom and a talking grimoire (Magic Book), who are on a quest to save her crumbling kingdom. At the beginning of the game Cecile is fleeing from her enemies, who is led from Legatus Laendur, a general who wants to overthrow the royal family.  I don’t want to go too much into the story, but it will draw players in. Until a certain point, where it becomes somewhat bland and not as engaging.

Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire takes a somewhat minimal approach to telling its tale, but then feels like it peaks just a slight too fast. One aspect that did bug me though, was that there was hardly any voice acting, especially when players are introduced into the cut scences that have some terrific voice overs. Most of the time players will find themself with a small voiced over intro to a cut scene, then nothing but pure dialog and no voice overs. Reading the dialog than felt more like a chore instead captivating, but this is not a reason to overlook this title.

Visuals and Audio

With an art style similar to such titles like Dragons Crown and Odin’s Sphere, Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire looks stunning and amazing. From the cut scene art, menus, backgrounds and battles, Fallen Legion will have players immersed in its world’s visuals.  The hand drawn sprites for the character and bosses in the game is most notably impressive, especially with all the details will have you in awe. On top of that the background are will have you amazed and just look fantastic all around. The art style also fits perfect with the game’s soundtrack.Fallen Legion_20170513210846

Fallen Legion’s soundtrack is actually one of my favorite feature when I was playing. The soundtrack instantly drew me into its world, and pumped me up for the battles. When it comes to music in RPG’s, I always feel like it needs to help the player engage in the world of the title, and Fallen Legion hits the nail on the head perfectly.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire mainly focuses on combat, rather than story and characters. The title takes mechanics from older RPG’s combat system such as Valkyrie Profiles, and meshes it into its own unique gameplay style, which I might say is extremely fun!Fallen Legion_20170513204506

Players will find themselves learning the fast combat system battles and some what button mashing until they finally figure out everything works, and how to execute unique moves. The battle system consist of Cecille and her Exemplars. Cecile is tied to the triangle button, and is able to unleash a magical attack and able to heal the party or revive the Exemplars when they fall in battle. Exemplars are tied to the X, Square and O buttons on your controller and are primarily your attackers and defenders. So when in battle, your goal is to use the Exemplars together to link attacks and getting high combo chains to do a death-blow attack, as well as keeping them alive with Cecile. The only thing is that you can’t just button mash, and cannot be hit by the enemies otherwise it will stop your combo. Each character has AP that needs to recharge after attacking, and players will also have a defense button, which can parry attacks if executed on time as well help with combos. So the trick to this is pure timing. This is where players will be the most engaged in Fallen Legion, because it takes time to perfect, and feels satisfying when done right, especially during boss fights, which is the most intense battles you will have in Fallen Legion. Fallen Legion_20170513204938

The most unusual part about the game is during battles players will be given moral choices which will decide the stories out come and will also give players special items or buffs during combat. Often they will just be buffs that feel needed for upcoming boss battles but they can be tied to a bad decision that can shift the narrative in a different direction. I found this to never be annoying, or a burden at all during gameplay, but rather a fun and unique touch for the game. Having to make a choice quick in battle just make the title more of its own identity and not a game that felt like a clone of any other game titles.Fallen Legion_20170513210508

Verdict

Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire is not an average RPG title, and that is fantastic. It falls flat on the story, but makes up for it in the battle system, visuals, ad soundtrack. I actually really enjoyed playing Fallen Legion, mainly because it didn’t feel like any other title I played before, and would recommend new RPG fans and veteran players to pick this title up. It has 90 percent of what makes a title great and I can see all players enjoying Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire for Playstation 4.

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NCG Review – God Wars: Future Past (Playstation 4, PSVita)

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Title: God Wars: Future Past
 System: PS4, PSVita
 Price: $49.99
 Release Date: 06/20/2017
(Special Thanks to NIS America for providing the Review Copy)

Published by NIS America, God Wars: Future Past is a tactical RPG that has an old-school feel which will have fans of Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactic Ogre titles feeling right at home. However, God Wars: Future Past does not follow a medieval theme, but rather a tradition Japanese folklore.GodWars-3

Story

God Wars: Future Past takes place in the ancient land of Mizuho, with three nations: Fuji, Izumo, and Hyga. A princess has been sacrificed in order to keep peace with the nations with another princess, named Kaguya, waiting to be sacrificed. Kaguya is saved by a young man named Kintaro and his furry friend Kuma. Together, they set forth on a journey to find  Kaguya’s mother and discover why Kaguya was left to be sacrificed. I won’t go too deep into the story, but I can say it is a damn good one; not to mention it has some of the most memorable characters I have seen in a tactical RPG to date.gw

Visuals

The art style of the whole game looks amazing, especially the cut scenes. When starting the game, you are introduced to the story by blazing into the gorgeous looking manga style story panels, then right into some grade “A” anime cut scenes. Not only that, you transition over straight into the 3D grid based environments for battle. Most of the 3D models look nice, but something to mention is that the enemies start to lose their identity and start looking the same after you make your way though tons of battles, unless you end up fighting a boss. They look outstanding!

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Gameplay

During most of the game players will find themselves playing battles, which is the best part of God Wars: Future Past. The battles are turn based, and the order of each character relies on their individual stats. This, and the leveling up system, is what fans of the older tactical RPG titles will really enjoy.9-13_ss (9)

Leveling up character stats and move set is job-based feels similar to Final Fantasy Tactics. Each character will have jobs, or classes, where they gain “Job Points” to be used in each “job’s skill tree” for gaining new abilities.  Each character is allowed a main job and sub-job that players can change at anytime, but they are also assigned a unique job which cannot be switched and is specifically for that character. With the three jobs selected, players can mix and match skill sets and abilities to fit each character during battles. The drawback to this option is that any acquired class skills are not usable during battle unless that character has that job set as main or sub. I found the this as the most addicting part of the whole game. Feeling like I had an attachment to my characters and knowing I built them the way I wanted was very rewarding because of the time I spent figuring out which characters I wanted to be in the front line and who will defend, or heal.9-13_ss (2)

God Wars: Future Past took me back to the roots of the tactical RPG’s that I loved while I was growing up, and I will say I recommend this title to anyone who is a fan of the older Tactic games, so pick this up as soon as you can! For new players, this is a great title to see if you like the genre. As for my score on the title, I give God Wars: Future Past an 8 out of 10.Score

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NCG Review – RPG Maker FES (3DS)

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Title: RPG Maker FES
 System: Nintendo 3DS
 Price: $39.99
 Release Date: 06/27/2017
(Special Thanks to NIS America for providing the Review Copy)

3Published by NIS America, RPG Maker FES is not a typical game, but more of a creative application, which will help players create the JRPG title of their dream and share it with people around the world to enjoy. Since RPG Maker FES isn’t a typical game, I figure I wasn’t going to do a typical NCG review. First off, I need to get this out-of-the-way: RPG Maker FES is not for the casual gamer, but more for the JRPG fans, that have always wanted to make their own game.

 

 

Players will be delighted to see how technical the tools can get when starting to make their JRPG game, and will also be grateful how simple it is as well. From character creation, story, dialog, and map making, RPG Maker FES will have fans of the genre spewing new ideas out. One of the spots I found myself dedicating a lot of my time to was map making. Trying to make the perfect map, enjoying how simple it was to tweak the map,  and even adding a dungeon/town was really rewarding and sparked new ideas to evolve what I created.

From the start, you have a set amount of objects, terrain, and landscapes to select to create whatever you want ranging from dangerous snowing mountains or enchanted lost forests. One of the most useful parts, after setting objects down, is actually deciding which objects lead to the next section and where your collision detection will lay. These were tools that surprised me, just because it made it felt like I was actually designing a real game to be released.6

After creating the scenery, the next step is to add the soundtracks to each area. This was were I felt disappointed. Even though you get a handful of background music and ambient sounds, your limitation is choices from the fantasy pack (sorry sci-fi fans, you will have to wait for the DLC). Besides the limited pack sounds and music, you have even more in-depth options to work with, such as the character, party, NPC, and enemies creation tools.

 

 

 

The character creation tools were great to tinker with, from the names, nicknames, profession, character descriptions, and even how the characters level up. There are thousands of ways to make your story.  The only downside, you cannot create any original sprites or even portraits. You have to rely only on the presets you are given. At least until you are able to buy the DLC later down the line for other preset packs. RPG Maker also has tools where you can create special skills, weapons, and items similar to how character creation works. Just like how you cannot use original sprites or portraits for characters, you also cannot use them for weapons and items.  I would have loved to create an original character, sword, or healing items, but I could understand that people would probably recreate these from other licensed universes, and devs usually don’t like to deal with legal actions from it. 15

RPG Maker FES is a great title…tool for the 3DS, but isn’t for everyone. It is more for the players who want to create, write, and make their own world to share with who ever else owns this title. I have to give RPG Maker FES a 6/10, mainly because it is an RPG maker, but lacks in some creation areas that are important to anyone who wants to make an adventure that isn’t too generic.

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NCG Review – Dark Rose Valkyrie (Playstation 4)

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When players think of Compile Heart and Idea Factory titles, the first series that comes to mind is the Neptunia series. This time around we see a new tile, Dark Rose Valkyrie, with characters designed by the one and only Kosuke Fujishima and story written by Takumi Mayjima. Two veterans who have worked on many of the Tales series.

Story

The story takes place in Japan during 1929 where a meteorite has fallen and started to spread a disease called “Chimera” which turns people into monsters. Players take control of Asahi who is a “male” a member of  “Special Force Valkyrie”. Special Force Valkyrie is a group, which is mainly recruits of females, who are ordered to take out the Chimera infected people to stop the virus from spreading. This is important because its part of the main story plot.Untitled-5.png

The story was very engaging as players see who Asahi interacts with each character in the main base with its visual novel approach. It might not be a story a lot of new JRPG players will enjoy, but veteran players will feel right at home as the story unfolds. During my time with the title, I never was left wondering why the scenarios happen and really enjoyed how it never fall apart from beginning to end.

Audio

The voice acting drifts away from the usual quirky goofy story line that Compile Heart and Idea Factory is known for and is spot on for each character. As for the soundtrack, it was uplifting at points in the main base and during battles the music had me ready to get the Chimera infection out of my way.  Honestly, the music was my favorite part of the JRPG as a whole, as it will have players fall into the nostalgic style of JRPG soundtracks with original background music. As for the sound effects, they got rather dull and repetitive through out my battles.  You can only hear the same attack sounds for each character so many times until you ask yourself, WHY!Untitled-6.png

Graphics

The graphics of Dark Rose Valkyrie look dated, or that they should be on a portable for what it presents. They were very blocky and reminded me of the early PS3 or even PS2 era. I would have liked to see a little more work on the models, but they stood up to what the story and anime-look the game gave out. As for the particle effects from the battles though, they were flashy, and what to expect from any JRPG.Dark Rose Valkyrie_20170517190218

New players will probably be turned off from this, but for JRPG fans, graphics aren’t everything. They never turned me off from what was going on. One thing to point out though, is that the level design and model designs were a perfect fight for the game, as you spend most of your time in maps exploring from point A to B to unfold the story.Dark Rose Valkyrie_20170807182930.png

Gameplay

Dark Rose Valkyrie’s play style differs from most JRPG’s. When first entering a battle players might think this title is a traditional turn base battle system, which it sort of is, but with a combo system. Each character has a specific weapon and moves sets that you can combine with other character attacks. This was one of the best parts of Dark Rose Valkyrie, but it eventually falls flat and becomes very repetitive.

Each attack is set to each button on the dualshock 4, and depending on which attack is used, it will cost a different amount of time for that character to be able to attack on the next turn. This is where the combo system takes place. While you pick an attack you have to strategize which attack to use to get rid of the infected, and take them out with ease. I say “ease” because for a while you will feel over-powered, until you make your way further in the game where it actually gets a bit harder, but you will still be doing the same attacks throughout the game.Dark Rose Valkyrie_20170517185124

The maps are another part that lacks in the title, as they feel empty most of the time. Players will find themselves running through maps with no enemies for the most part, and will be wondering why. The main maps look awesome but then you hit the overworld, where the game looks very old graphically, and even more empty.

Verdict

Dark Rose Valkyrie isn’t for newcomers, but rather JRPG veterans. Veterans can look past most of the graphics, and find enjoyment out of this title, but it won’t leave a lasting impression. As for me, I enjoyed the title, but would recommend it as a pick up in between bigger JRPG’s. It made me really sad as I had high hopes for the title after I first saw it in action during the Idea Factory press event. The most enjoyment is mainly the story and the audio out of everything.

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