Nov 09, 20:00


Kotaku Wednesday, November 9, 2022 7:30 PM
    

We've featured German cosplayer Maul a ton of times on Kotaku, maybe more than any other individual cosplayer, and there's a very good reason for that: just look at these photos.

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Kotaku Wednesday, November 9, 2022 6:25 PM
    

This month's helping of PlayStation Plus games is as stuffed as a Thanksgiving turkey. A little seasonal analogy for you there, ahem. Anyway, it's looking like a fantastic month for fans of a variety of popular game series.

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Kotaku Wednesday, November 9, 2022 6:00 PM
    

The latest in a seemingly never-ending list of dire consequences for Twitter users in the wake of Elon Musk's purchase is a very predictable one: after overhauling the site's verification system a flood of fake—and yet still "verified"—accounts have begun using the platform to fuck with people.

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Kotaku Wednesday, November 9, 2022 6:00 PM
    

In a lengthy, 14,000-word Medium post, Doom Eternal composer Mick Gordon accused id Software's executive producer Marty Stratton of lying about the official soundtrack's shoddy release and throwing him under the bus as the cause for its poorly mixed tracks.

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Kotaku Wednesday, November 9, 2022 4:30 PM
    

Nintendo wrapped up its Indie World Showcase today, highlighting a ton of upcoming and just-launched games for the Switch. There's a little bit of everything here, from a cute puzzler with a mischievous cat to a Fox and the Hound-like adventure game. This indie presentation was pretty big, so let's get into everything…

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Kotaku Wednesday, November 9, 2022 4:25 PM
    

As the sun rose on Twitter this morning, many users found new "Official" verification badges, which had just been announced yesterday, attached to their accounts. (Kotaku notably did not; what did we do to upset you, Elon?) But before anyone could even enjoy their first lunch as double-verified elites, the badges…

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Kotaku Wednesday, November 9, 2022 4:20 PM
    

I had one hell of a weekend. After I published my piece on Final Fantasy producer Naoki Yoshida's misguided comments about the next game's overwhelming whiteness, the fans completely lost their minds. Sure, I saw the usual slurs and petty insults. But those weren't the comments that stuck to my brain. What bothered me…

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Kotaku Wednesday, November 9, 2022 4:18 PM
    

In the new God of War games, Kratos is more mature and less angry. But before he was the Dad of War, he was a big asshole willing to kill anyone or let people die—often in horrible ways—if it meant he could continue his quest. And one poor soul, a nameless boat captain, encountered the terrible Kratos of the past…

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Kotaku Wednesday, November 9, 2022 3:35 PM
    

After being sued by one of its cofounders and accused of fraud, ZA/UM now says the lead writer behind 2019's hit RPG, Disco Elysium, was fired for professional misconduct, including gender discrimination and verbally abusing co-workers. It's the latest twist in a messy saga about the indie studio behind one of the…

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Kotaku Wednesday, November 9, 2022 1:40 PM
    

Yesterday's Halo Infinite Winter Update proves one thing: This game still needs more updates, and specifically updates like this, and on a regular basis. With two new maps, a unique game mode, expansions to the campaign sandbox, the forge beta, and yet more besides, the Winter Update proves that Halo Infinite is more…

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PCGamesN Wednesday, November 9, 2022 5:40 PM
     Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is becoming a board game

If you're a PC gamer of a certain age, you've likely got fond memories of playing the classic strategy game series Heroes of Might and Magic, which arguably peaked with Heroes of Might and Magic 3. A Polish company plans to recapture that nostalgia for the tabletop, and is gearing up to create an officially licensed Heroes of Might and Magic 3: The Board Game in a couple short weeks.

RELATED LINKS: The best Heroes of Might and Magic game, Learning English with HoMM3, The best strategy games on PC

PCGamesN Wednesday, November 9, 2022 4:21 PM
     Warzone will relaunch as Warzone: Caldera when Warzone 2.0 arrives

If you're not ready to leave the battle royale killing fields of Caldera just yet, don't worry - Call of Duty: Warzone as we know it now isn't going away. Instead, when Warzone 2.0 launches with Modern Warfare 2: Season 1 next week, what we now know as Warzone will be renamed Warzone: Caldera, and you'll be able to keep playing that if you need a break from the big new Al Mazrah map.

RELATED LINKS: Warzone loadouts, Best AR in Warzone , The best guns in Warzone

PCGamesN Wednesday, November 9, 2022 2:31 PM
     Fired Disco Elysium creators trade accusations with new ZA/UM owners

Two of the principal creators of Disco Elysium have published a statement accusing the new owners of developer Studio ZA/UM of taking over the company by fraud, saying that they are now exploring legal options. Those new owners have, for their part, said that these creators were fired last year for refusing to discharge their work responsibilities and for creating a toxic work environment at the troubled RPG game studio.

RELATED LINKS: Disco Elysium review, Best RPGs on PC, The best PC games

PCGamesN Wednesday, November 9, 2022 2:16 PM
     Deckmate creator is making more Steam Deck accessories

The creator of the popular Deckmate, a multipurpose accessory for the Steam Deck, has said they have more products "in the pipeline." What started out as a rough idea soon snowballed into a versatile third-party attachment, proving to be a very handy addition to the Valve gaming PC.

RELATED LINKS: Best SSD for gaming, How to build a gaming PC, Best gaming CPU

PCGamesN Wednesday, November 9, 2022 1:49 PM
     Destiny 2's Telesto may have gained sentience

Destiny 2's Telesto may have gained sentience. Recent tweets from the official Destiny Twitter account and an in-game message appear to indicate the weapon can now talk and communicate within the game world and associated Twitter account. The latest developments come after players noticed a new Telesto 'bug' had emerged in the popular FPS game, which, upon deeper analysis, showed Bungie had likely intentionally inserted into the game.

RELATED LINKS: Destiny 2 classes, Destiny 2 exotics, Destiny 2 builds

PCGamesN Wednesday, November 9, 2022 1:20 PM
     The best Batman games on PC in 2022

Looking for the best Batman games on PC? The Caped Crusader has been protecting Gotham's streets for many years now across a number of different media franchises. And naturally, the philanthropist-turned-superhero has also swooped his way over to the world of videogames from time to time.

And thankfully, unlike many other superhero spin off titles, most of Batman's games on PC have actually been quite good. Whether fighting criminals through the dank halls of Arkham Asylum or taking a more light-hearted romp through Gotham as his LEGO counterpart, there's something for all fans of the Dark Knight, though most of them come in the form of action-adventure games.

If you've not delved into Batman games on PC, or are looking for something new, then this list is here to help. We'll only be covering games where Batman, or Gotham, is the star — no Injustice or Multiversus here, as good as those are — or anything that isn't easily accessible anymore. With those caveats in mind, here are the best Batman games on PC in 2022.

RELATED LINKS: Best Gotham Knights abilities, How long is Gotham Knights?, Gotham Knights mods

PCGamesN Wednesday, November 9, 2022 1:02 PM
     Fulfilling all The Sims 2 fears can't bring a good Sim down

The Sims 2 fears are just one way that the life sim represents your character's many desires - specifically, their desires for things not to happen. The wants and fears system - often referred to as SWAF - gives your Sims up to three concurrent fears, such as being unlucky in love or not being able to pay their Sims rent. Much like wants, these will rotate out over time unless they're manually locked in by the player - but if they are fulfilled, your Sim will face a hefty penalty to their aspiration bar.


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, November 9, 2022 5:15 PM
    

It's been a good week for monitor deals, but a lot of what we've looked at has been fairly expensive, from a 42-inch LG OLED for £779 or a 34-inch QD-OLED ultrawide for £943. These are great monitors, don't get me wrong, but you could spend a fraction of the money and still get a brilliant monitor.

That brings us neatly to the subject of this deals post: the Dell S3422DWG, a 34-in ultrawide gaming monitor that sits at the comfortable crossroads of refresh rate and resolution: 3440x1440 and 144Hz. Rather than expensive OLED, this monitor comes with a curved VA panel, offering excellent contrast, great colours and good motion handling, while costing significantly less: just £351 when you use code GSGALLMON10 at the checkout, down from £390.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, November 9, 2022 5:01 PM
    

LG's C2 OLEDs are brilliant gaming displays at any size - and the 42-in and 48-in models are just small enough to fit onto an average to large-sized desk. That technically makes them "cool gaming monitors" and therefore well within my RPS deals duties. Both are now discounted from Crampton & Moore via Ebay, with a 25% off coupon ("FLASH25") that maxes out at a pretty sweet £150 discount.

That means you can pick up the 42-in for £779 and the 48-in model for £848, both of which are the best prices we've ever seen for these highly recommended TVs.

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Twinfinite Wednesday, November 9, 2022 5:03 PM
     Star Wars: The Old Republic Update 7.2 brings some much needed quality of life changes.

Twinfinite Wednesday, November 9, 2022 5:00 PM
     All the immense details that make God of War Ragnarok such a treat for your eyes!

Twinfinite Wednesday, November 9, 2022 4:59 PM
     Nothing stops third-party Microsoft Flight Simulator developers.

Twinfinite Wednesday, November 9, 2022 3:59 PM
     There's no place like high school.

Twinfinite Wednesday, November 9, 2022 2:58 PM
     Learn all you need to know about CoD Warzone 2.0 and Modern Warfare 2's first season.

Twinfinite Wednesday, November 9, 2022 2:56 PM
     Something cryptic is going on in Destiny 2, as the community is scrambling to unfold the secret.

Twinfinite Wednesday, November 9, 2022 2:33 PM
     Humanity restored.

Twinfinite Wednesday, November 9, 2022 2:02 PM
     Sports Story finally gets a new trailer and release window, and it's coming soon.

Twinfinite Wednesday, November 9, 2022 1:42 PM
     6 things you should know before you watch Mythic Quest's season 3.

Twinfinite Wednesday, November 9, 2022 1:39 PM
     Season four of the series is streaming now.

Siliconera Wednesday, November 9, 2022 6:00 PM
    

How to Unlock Bayonetta 3 Secret Chapter Old Picture Book

Like Bayonetta herself, Bayonetta 3 is a game with quite a few secrets. Yes, there are things like costumes and Viola's identity to consider and unlock. However, there's another important element to consider. The game essentially contains a teaser for things to come. However, if you want to unlock the secret chapter in Bayonetta 3, you'll need Halos, an Old Picture Book, and access to a number of chapters throughout the game. Here's a spoiler-free guide to getting that extra adventure.

How to Get the Old Picture Book to Unlock Bayonetta 3's Secret Chapter

First things first, you'll need to prompt Rodin to carry the Old Picture Book in Rodin's Treasures. This is easy enough. If you beat Chapter 1, you'll find it in his store. You do need 4,100 Halos to purchase it, however.

There are two ways to earn enough Halos to buy it, and both tend to involve being a few chapters into the game first. As you go through chapters, you'll sometimes encounter Verses with Angels as opponents. If you're coming to this guide after playing Bayonetta 3 for a while though, you might already be able to play Jeanne's Spy Action minigame at The Gates of Hell. You can earn Halos there, with the Casual difficulty offering a rate of 0.5, Standard 1.0, Expert 1.5, and Climax 3.0. This is a way to essentially go through Jeanne's spy side-chapters with an additional challenge.

Earn 4,100 Halos, buy the Old Picture Book, then beat Bayonetta 3. Once that's done, you can move on to step two. Which is…

How to Unlock Bayonetta 3 Secret Chapter Old Picture Book

How to Open the Old Picture Book to Unlock Bayonetta 3's Secret Chapter

There are three keys that appear in levels once you beat Bayonetta 3 for the first time. Which is for the best, because a familiarity with the areas helps a lot when collecting them. You'll need to pick up the Blue Key in Chapter 1, the Green Key in Chapter 4, and the Red Key in Chapter 13. All three appear in the Ginnungagap portions of those levels, which makes finding them a bit easier. In many cases, the chapter select portion will let you jump right to that section.

Chapter 1's Blue Key is the easiest to find. It is hiding behind a rock formation after you finish fighting in Verse 4. I recommend equipping Colour My World or Ignis Araneae Yo-Yo, so you can use the Madama Butterfly or Phantasmaraneae Masquerades to reach it. It's honestly easier to see if you go past it and continue along the path to the exit. As you're hopping up a series of floating platforms, you can look to your left and see it.

Chapter 4's Green Key is more finicky, because it requires some platforming skill and quite a few jumps to sometimes get it righ. Once you start the level, head into Ginnungagap as normal. Once you do, you'll see a big mountain that it seems like you could maybe reach? Well, you can. The two best weapons at this point are Ignis Araneae Yo-Yo or Ribbit Libido BZ55. If you're good at platforming, I recommend Ribbit Libido BZ55, as it's faster. You could use the Baal Masquerade's high jumps to try and jump and float your way up there. If you aren't, use the Phantasmaraneae Masquerade to jump and climb your way up.

Chapter 13's Red Key can be found not long after entering Ginnungagap. While running through, you'll see a rather large floating landmass with essentially a spiral path around it leading to the top. Climb it. The path will be dissolving as you run, but as you look to the right you will see a key floating there. From my experience, the easiest way to safely get it, then back to a platform safely, is to equip Simoon and use the Malphas Masquerade to leap and glide over.

Do all that, and you can open the Old Picture Book on the Chapter Select screen and see the secret Bayonetta 3 chapter. It features its own unique visual style and different sorts of gameplay elements.

Bayonetta 3 is available for the Nintendo Switch.

The post How to Unlock the Secret Chapter in Bayonetta 3 appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, November 9, 2022 5:30 PM
    

Kingdom Hearts Merchandise

Japanese clothing and accessory retailer JAM HOME MADE released a series of Kingdom Hearts merchandise featuring King Mickey (or Mickey Mouse) and several iconic Keyblades from the series. A total of four exclusive pieces of merchandise are immediately available to purchase. A total of three pieces of merchandise featuring King Mickey are available alongside three different bracelets based on the Kingdom Key and Way to Dawn. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

The three pieces of Kingdom Hearts merchandise focusing on King Mickey are a silver necklace which costs 25,300 yen (or about $173), a total of three different t-shirts at 7,480 a piece (or approximately $51), and two different hoodies at 16,280 yen (or $111). Each of these items features Mickey as he appears in Kingdom Hearts II, wearing the iconic leather jacket donned by the Nobodies.

And lastly, JAM HOME MADE will release a total of two bracelets inspired by the Kingdom Key and Way to Dawn. Each bracelet is 25,300 yen, or roughly $173. You can take a look at both bracelets through the official Kingdom Hearts collaboration merchandise website.

A plethora of Kingdom Hearts goods have released throughout 2022 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series. Among the items are a range of themed accessories such as watches and bags. Additionally, Square Enix announced the production of Kingdom Hearts III figures.

The post New Kingdom Hearts Merchandise Features King Mickey appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, November 9, 2022 5:00 PM
    

Sonic Frontiers Motion Sickness

In an interview with Famitsu, Sonic Frontiers Producer Sachiko Kawamura shared the extent to which the development team went to create countermeasures for motion sickness. She stated that the Q&;A team played a huge part in it and is thankful for their contribution to the game. Additionally, she noted that it was important to take this aspect of the game very seriously, and that the team prepared a lot of different parameters to reduce 3D motion sickness for players. [Thanks, ryokutya2089!]

These are the translated excerpts from the interview about the preventative measures the Sonic Frontiers team took against motion sickness:

I can only thank the Q&A team that tested the game. However, some of them were unable to play the game due to 3D motion sickness.. I thought it would be a shame if countermeasures were not taken, so this is something that we decided to take very seriously.. In the end, we prepared a lot of countermeasures to reduce the amount of 3D motion sickness.

A new take on the franchise, Sonic Frontiers takes a more "open world" approach to the formula. Players navigate through different environments, which have their own monsters populating the world at large. That said, players can still race through the game at high speeds, as shown in previous trailers.

Sonic Frontiers is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The post Sonic Frontier Developers Took Countermeasures Against Motion Sickness appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, November 9, 2022 4:30 PM
    

Monster Hunter Rise Upgrade Materials

Capcom announced a quality of life update concerning upgrade materials will appear in Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak alongside the scheduled Free Title Update 3. This feature will allow players to obtain free upgrade materials in exchange for leftover upgrade points. These points are obtained by upgrading your armor through Qurious Crafting at your local Smithy. Capcom shared a screenshot accompanying the announcement, showing how the quality of life update will function.

You can take a look at the Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak upgrade materials quality of life update screenshot below.

[embed]https://twitter.com/monsterhunter/status/1590293095387578368[/embed]

Capcom rolled out quite a few Free Title Updates in the past. These included updates for previous installments in the series, like Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. Free Title Updates can involve things like the addition of returning monsters to the roster of the game, along with outfits and special events.

Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak will be receiving quite a bit of new content through Free Title Update 3. Among the new features will be the addition of new follower options. Balance changes will also be accompanying this update, alongside Qurious Crafting options for the Gunlance.

Monster Hunter Rise and its Sunbreak expansion are immediately available on the Nintendo Switch and PC. The Free Title Update 3 will appear sometime in late November 2022.

The post Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak Upgrade Materials Quality of Life Update Confirmed appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, November 9, 2022 4:00 PM
    

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 3

With just over two weeks left until the movie airs, a season 3 announcement for That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, also known as TenSura, appeared. News of the new season came up at an advance screening of the movie, which is subtitled Scarlet Bond. A teaser visual was also released as part of the announcement. Currently, there is no information about the new season's staff or release date. [Thanks, Comic Natalie!]

Check out the season 3 announcement tweet from the official TenSura anime account below.

https://twitter.com/ten_sura_anime/status/1590317886220165120

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime follows Satoru Mikami's rebirth into a fantasy world. He gets killed in a random stabbing. After waking up, he finds that he's now a slime monster. Soon after, he befriends a powerful dragon who gives him the name Rimuru Tempest. Rimuru then sets out to make his new world a welcoming place for all races.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season 3 is in production. The first two seasons can be streamed on Crunchyroll, with both subtitles and dubs in several languages available. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime The Movie: Scarlet Bond comes to theaters in Japan on November 25, 2022. It will appear outside of Asia in early 2023.

The post That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (TenSura) Season 3 Announced appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, November 9, 2022 3:30 PM
    

Metroid Prime

Metroid Prime is approaching its 20th anniversary, which falls on November 18, 2022. In light of the approaching occasion, former Retro Studios developer Zoid Kirsch is sharing stories about the game's development via Twitter. He began on November 8, 2022, and plans to share one or two stories each day until its anniversary. The topics covered things like why doors work the way they do in-game or how Retro Studios came up with certain visual effects.

https://twitter.com/ZoidCTF/status/1589829280049266691

In his first story, Kirsch -- who served as a Senior Gameplay Engineer at Retro Studios during the development of Metroid Prime and its sequel Metroid Prime 2: Echoes -- revealed why doors had a certain force field effect that disappeared when shot. The reason doors worked that way in Metroid Prime was that Retro needed to mask the game's loading times. The fading of the blue force field and the speed of the door helped hide the fact that the next room was still loading. At most, only two rooms were loaded at once in-game. One would be the room the player was in, and the other was the one they were going to. In rooms with multiple exits, only one door could be opened at a time.

In a second story, Kirsch revealed more about the special static visual effect that appears on Samus' visor when she approaches a Scatter Bombu creature. Due to the tiny RAM size of the GameCube (just 24MB), Retro had to save on texture memory everywhere it could. A small texture would just appear like a blur rather than familiar static. One engineer proposed rendering the Metroid Prime software code itself on the screen. The tiny size of the pixels looked random enough to work as a static effect.

https://twitter.com/ZoidCTF/status/1590012338421518337

Other stories included more technical explanations, like how Retro Studios used an open-source solution to work around the GameCube's limited RAM budget.

The Metroid Prime games are playable via the Wii-exclusive Metroid Prime Trilogy, which also came to the Wii U downloadable library. The most recent Metroid title is Metroid Dread for the Nintendo Switch.

The post Former Retro Studios Developer Shared Metroid Prime Trivia appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, November 9, 2022 3:00 PM
    

Siliconera Harvestella review

After what happened with Rune Factory 5, I figured it would be a year or two until we saw another admirable successor or new entry, but Harvestella is a shockingly strong competitor for the farming/action-rpg hybrid crown. The game isn't perfect, as some balancing issues and design decisions really stand out. But if you think of it more as an action-RPG with farming and life-sim elements, rather than a game trying to steal Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons's watering can, Harvestella can be a lot of fun.

Like other farming sims, Harvestella begins with an amnesiac avatar. You find yourself wandering through a town, speaking with an ethereal woman with Rapunzel hair. After a cryptic exchange, you are awakened by Cres, the town of Lethe's doctor. You wandered outside during Quietus, the season of death that comes between every season. You're quickly offered a homestead on the outskirts of town.

However, you aren't the only newcomer to the area. After a meteorite crashes, it opens to reveal a futuristic interior and person encased in armor. She awakes and reveals herself to be Aria, a displaced individual. As she goes to the nearby Seaslight for answers, you learn that all of the world's massive megaliths are behaving oddly. You head out after her, getting pulled into the world's mysteries, secrets, and salvation when you do.

Harvestella Siliconera review

Review What You Know About Farming Sims for Harvestella, but Prepare for Surprises.

From there, Harvestella plays out like a Rune Factory game. You have a farm, which you can tend for extra income. You can raise Cluffowls (chickens) and Woolums (goats) there too. Different cities litter the map, each with a Seaslight near them. These Seaslights act as dungeons. However, there are also some other spaces you'll go through while heading from point A to point B populated with enemies too. Should you head into town, you might find folks who could need your help via quests or cooking. Also, as you go through the story, you'll meet people to form relationships with and fight alongside.

Honestly, I started to enjoy Harvestella more when I realized its "failings" were really due to my constantly comparing it to Rune Factory or Story of Seasons. For example, there is a lack of community here. Aside from the main allies or characters critical to the story, other villagers are nameless residents who might be tied to a side quest. If you come at it as someone who just played Pioneers of Olive Town, it's disappointing! Yes, characters might get a little attention, but not as much as a villager there. If you think of it more like a regular JRPG, then of course. Sure. These folks matter, but they aren't your "neighbors." Even with your allies, befriending is tied to side quests and story progress. So it isn't like, "All right, I'm immediately kicking off my Harvestella relationships and ready for romance." No. It takes things at its own pace, in its own way.

This doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. The farming elements could really use some rebalancing. For example, a lot of crops grow abnormally fast. Also, I found that unless I was going with a plant that could be harvested multiple times, like a Cucumble or Nemean Tomato, it wasn't really worth my time to grow it as a cash crop. Other items I'd tend to grow either to make specific meals or use as fodder instead. Also, while the passage of time is better than in the demo, I would appreciate time passing at different rates depending on where you are. For example, maybe slow it down a bit in dungeons?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pst5Ny5tQBg&ab_channel=SquareEnix

There are Power and Balancing Issues That Come Through in Combat.

Speaking of the dungeons and combat, I was a bit surprised that there are balancing issues in Harvestella. The dungeon design itself is great. The areas look great. Different Seaslights feature different mechanics to make the area feel unique. They are a decent size, with fast travel points in fitting places to keep progressing over multiple days from being frustrating. I also loved the thought of different jobs. However, once you find one or two jobs you like and that handle multiple weaknesses, I didn't find much of a reason to explore other classes.

The Mage job is one that especially suffers in Harvestella. Yes, there are certain enemies that are weak against magic, due to their armor. However the delay involved with regular attacks and special abilities kills any enthusiasm for the role. At that point, I'd rather take a more physical approach with a job like Shadow Walker or Mechanic. Will it take more time? Sure. But it'll be faster and less frustrating than one of the magical roles.

I'd also say there are some balancing issues in terms of characters' power levels. When you level up, you're getting one or two points added to your stats each time. If you head to the Smithy to improve the weapons you and your allies wield, again it only offers a few points more strength with each investment. It really feels like it takes a lot of grinding and equipment investment to start seeing damage numbers go up. Especially since your experience is being doled out at the end of each day, rather than as you take down each foe. Not to mention you'll need to delve into certain dungeons multiple times to get necessary ore. (Fortunately, items for bombs and repair kits were plentiful everywhere.) Conversely, I didn't find any of the bosses too frustrating. Especially if I made sure to pack multiple meals. While the big bads are HP sponges, their attacks tend to be clearly telegraphed and fairly easy to dodge.

Harvestella Siliconera Review

Take Your Time to Appreciate the Scenery (and Localization)!

But even if it isn't perfect, there are so many ways in which Harvestella defines itself. It's a gorgeous game, with beautiful landscapes. Sometimes I wondered if they had an artist create some incredible, supernatural designs, then took those and figured, "Okay, so how can we work around this to get it in here?" The localization is just as colorful, packed with personality. Aria especially is delightful, given the fact that she behaves differently than a typical JRPG heroine and is a rather practical woman. Side quests can be heartfelt sometimes, especially ones involving children. I was also shocked by how many character portrait variations there are for people you'll interact with regularly. (Both Aria and Asyl get some great expressions.)

You can't go into Harvestella thinking, "So is Square Enix's Rune Factory/Story of Seasons game?" It isn't fair to the developers or the game itself. Yes, this is an action-RPG with farming and life-sim elements. But it's also very much trying to be its own thing. It needs time to grow. A think a few patches would help to act as stakes to help bolster the game would do a world of good. If Square Enix tends to it well, I could see a successful successor spawn.

Harvestella is available for the Nintendo Switch and PC.

The post Review: Harvestella Combines Farming and JRPGs in Its Own Way appeared first on Siliconera.