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Title Screens that tell stories (Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia)

This is a fairly short entry, but I just had to make it due to how impactful I found the subject matter. I hope you find it as interesting as I do, especially if you are a fan of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.

Title screens are something we tend to overlook, and that’s understandable, as their existence in a game is the equivalent of a door to a room. Typically, they’re just the game’s logo accompanied by 2D artwork or a glimpse of the game’s environment. And from the title screens of old games such as the Game Boy Color’s Magi Nation to new adventures such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, they are functionally identical. The game loads the title screen, sometimes after an opening animation, the player presses start, or any other button despite the text stating “Press Start,” which presents a series of options to the player. Sometimes the title screens of games will simply begin with these options available, rather than asking the player to perform the equivalent of a mic check on a button. These screens also tend to accompanied by music that embodies the main theme or themes of the game.

These two title screens are pretty boring, but they don’t need to command the player’s interest. That was the role of the game’s box or case and any promotional materials or media. Most players spend only a few seconds here at most, and if they aren’t diving head first into the game, it’s because they are looking and adjusting the game’s default settings to make sure sound, subtitles, screen size, and camera controls fit their preferences. But every now and then, a developer will more effort into the title screen than typically seen, and sometimes the end result is mind-blowing. 

    Until I played Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, the last game that stood out in my mind as having a particularly memorable title screen was Sting’s Knights in the Nightmare, a cult classic build for the DS and later ported to the PSP. The cinematography, artwork, and sound come together to create a brief 20 sequence that embodies the main theme of the game: tragedy, and creates a marvelous first impression on the viewer. Below, a video of the title sequence on the DS can be seen. This video was cut from a Let’s Play by YouTuber Harold Lp.

    As can be seen in the video, we’re first greeted by beautiful artwork of a grim castle surrounded by fog, clouds, and a blood-red moon. As the intro to the game’s main theme plays, the camera pans up so the castle is visible in its entirety. The title text fades into view like a spectre, and as the intro transitions to the main part of the song, the title is dropped by a woman’s voice. Not only do the combination of cinematography, timed music, and create an impactful title screen that commands the player’s attention, but it perfectly condenses the mood of the game into 20 seconds. Players who continue listening to the song are treated to a wonderful song that embodies the overwhelming sadness endured by the knights the player encounters, repeats the overwhelming with small glimmers of hope at the end. The title screen rewards players who venture further, as they will soon come to realize that the female voice declaring the game’s title in the opening is none other than the heroine of the story, Maria.

    Knights in the Nightmare and its accompanying games in Sting’s fantastic Department Heaven are truly worth your time, and I could spend forever talking about various aspects of the series, but what I really wanted to write about today was the title screen in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. Below is a video of the sequence, taken from a Let’s Play by YouTuber BeardBear. If you would like to listen to the title theme in its entirety after watching the video, you can do so here. I was blown away by this title screen the first time I saw it. Since then, I’ve continued to watch it each time I start the game up. Not only that, but sometimes I’ll visit the DLC menu or soft reset the game just so I can see it again. This title screen is just about perfect, and does an amazing job of telling the players a story before they start the game.

    The first component of this title screen I want to talk about is the story it tells. I consider there to be 4 frames in this storyboard. Each of the frames can be seen arranged in the chart below.

The first frame begins by showing us the setting of the story, and the origin point of the story of Shadows of Valentia. We see a field of flowers surrounded by trees. The flowers are arranged haphazardly and there’s no evidence of the site being contained within a castle’s walls, as we see it stretch on into endless forest. This leads the viewer to believe the scene is located in the countryside, somewhere close to nature. Even though this frame doesn’t last more than 3 seconds, it establishes the context of the story instantly, and immediately transitions us to the second frame.

    The second frame introduces us to the hero and heroine of the story, Alm and Celica, though as children. Although Celica’s face is obscured, we can easily tell it is her from the box art and preceding opening animation. The decision to make Alm’s face visible and Celica’s not could be considered foreshadowing in a way, as the story begins with Alm’s perspective on the events, giving Celica an air of mystery, and forcing us to question who she is and what happened to her. Alm and Celica are running through the field of flowers, though they stay positioned in the lower half of the screen as the camera follows them. They’re simply engaging in what children enjoy doing, play.

    The third frame shows Alm extending his hand for Celica to grab, and the two disappear as the camera continues to move through the field, leading us to the fourth frame. This combination of frames leaves us wondering about the whereabouts of the two children we saw only briefly. Although we know the long-term answers to this question once we begin the story, the sequence is created in a way that manipulates our mind into asking them. The mystery of Alm and Celica is the focus of the story of Shadows of Valentia, and this title screen shows that perfectly.

    But this sequence does not solely excel in a visual aspect, it does so in an auditory one as well. Within a second of the song playing we begin hear the repetition of a drum. These beats sound muffled, as if they were being played many miles away from Alm and Celica, and their unrelenting adherence to a pattern evoke a sense of militaries marching. This is quite befitting for Shadows of Valentia, as the war the player battles through is the end result of actions since the time Alm and Celica lived in the village together. Occasionally a few notes by wind instruments can be heard, the light nature of those sounds heavily contrast with the heavy drum beats, and their louder volume suggests they represent Alm and Celica’s nature as children, small, light, and consumed by the marching of war drums surrounding them. The overlapping vocals are allied with Alm and Celica, the voices of protesting the beat of the drums or mourning the tragic events that have caused the very scene we are watching to exist. Although Alm and Celica are children, we already know that they soon become soldiers, and the vocals can also be seen as mourning the end of their childlike innocence as they become engaged in a conflict that pits their country against a cruel antagonist. Although simple and brief, this song manifests so much essential information about Shadows of Valentia. It is unknown which of the game’s 4 composers was responsible for this short 1-minute song, but perhaps unknowingly, they contributed to one of the greatest title screens to ever exist. Although there are plenty of games with fantastic soundtracks out there, it is very rare to lend themselves to this kind of experience, which is so tremendously impactful despite its brevity.

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Top 10 Games I played in 2017 [so far]

May was a busy month for me, and I didn’t realize until recently that I neglected this blog and forgot to write something. As a way to make up for it, I wrote 2 blog posts. Both entries this time are a list-like format, but since I’m playing Breath of the Wild right now, I’d really like to write something more detailed about open worlds for July.

The first half of the year is almost over, and boy, has it been great. There have been so many great games released during the first half of this year alone that making a Game of the Year list at the end of 2017 will be remarkably difficult, more so than most other years. At the end of the year, 2 things will be certain: 1) a fair amount of games I enjoyed will be left out of the top 10, and 2) games I played in this year that were released early than 2017 will be left out. As a result, I wanted to create a list of the top 10 games I played this year regardless of their actual release date. This year I played a fair amount of games from previous years, and some of them are so good it’d be a shame to not give them their 60 seconds of fame here. Even though the list is mostly of 2017 games anyway, the order may not necessarily be the same come December.

10. Snipperclips: Cut it out, together!

Snipperclips is one of the best games you could include in a potential “Nintendo Switch starter pack.” Although playable by a single player, the game shines in cooperative play, and through this method of play, you can experience the vision of the Switch hardware. The game is a blast regardless of whether you are playing it in TV or tabletop mode. Everything from the quick load time of the game software and OS to the snappy gameflow of Snipperclips perfectly exemplifies the mission statement of the Nintendo Switch hardware. The puzzles are well-crafted with a good amount of variety and rely on both players to work together. As you and your partner discover the solutions to the puzzles, you will undoubtedly find yourselves come across moments of laughter, which makes the game all the more memorable. The additional modes are welcomed, whether they be the competitive sports and battle mode or the 4 player puzzles. Overall, it’s a game with more content than you would expect, making it a fantastic launch game and a perfect introduction to the Switch hardware.

 9. ARMS

ARMS is a unique game, and even though the product on release is a little skimpy on the content, I’m really enjoying it. The motion controls are very intuitive, to the point where I haven’t even tried the Pro Controller. And although the mechanics appear simple on paper, there’s a lot of depth, and the skill ceiling is quite high; even the AI can be brutally difficult. I’m still barely above the skill floor, or at least the AI makes it seem that way at times, but I’m looking forward to playing more of ARMS as time goes on and seeing where my abilities peak. The great art direction, character design especially, makes the game very welcoming to all players. It’s really something to see the Mario Kart 8 team branch out of their comfort zone and create their own take on a fighting game.

8. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

How I perceive the Fire Emblem series has changed a lot over time. My first experience with the series was playing the Sacred Stones on the Gameboy Advance. I wasn’t particularly good at it, Advance Wars with its disposable units was more my style, but I did make it to the credits at the expense of many casualties during the endgame. I hadn’t played another game in the series since Awakening, and Awakening’s accessibility and the lack of Advance Wars games made me see the series in a new light. I’m proud to declare that I beat Fire Emblem: Fates on Hard, redeeming my poor play in the Sacred Stones, and although I haven’t beaten Echoes yet, I’m really enjoying it. The game is different in just the right amount of ways so that things feel fresh, and the writing is so well-done that I don’t feel like I’m missing the self-insert characters from the original 3DS entries. When it comes to sound, the amount of voicework in the game is nothing short of impressive and the soundtrack is as incredible as one should expect from the Fire Emblem series. Overall, Intelligent Systems did an excellent job taking an entry that not many people responded well to in the past and turning it into an excellent one.

 7. Steins;Gate

Are visual novels games? Let’s not go down that rabbit hole. For now, I just want to say that Steins;Gate is great and should be experienced by anyone who likes visual novels or science fiction. I haven’t seen the anime, so beyond the elevator pitch of “kids create a microwave that sends emails to the past,” I had no idea what to expect. But when the game was available for $2.99 on PSN during the Golden Week sale, I bit, and I’m glad I did. Although the True Ending is a little contrived, the journey there is one that shouldn’t be missed. The characters are very well-written and mechanics behind time travel are well-thought out; Naotaka Hayashi did his best to make the underlying pseudoscience as believable as possible. Anyone familiar with anonymous message boards, otaku culture, and chuuni will find the script hilarious. Also, Miyano Mamoru, my personal favorite VA ever since his great job as Takuto Tsunashi in Star Driver, does an amazing job voicing Okabe.

 6. NieR: Automata

NieR: Automata is a really unique game when it comes to aesthetic; the art direction and music are a combination that is so unique it’s worth playing for that alone. The story is really interesting as well, and it’s probably of the best game localizations of all time, with its amazing English dub. The actual game design has a more tried-and-true approach, but that’s not solely detractive. The Bayonetta-like combat is solid and responsive, and the genre shifts whether it be 9S’s hacking minigames or twinstick shooter segments are fun ways to shake up the monotony. However, the open world of the game is somewhat empty and boring, even if it is that way for narrative purposes. And although the ending of the game disappointed me (it felt like getting off a rollercoaster right when it reached the summit), it was still one of the best games released in 2017, and a PS4 classic without a doubt. I was completely engaged from beginning to end, and I would love to see Yoko Taro and Platinum Games collaborate on another project in the future.

 5. Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xenoblade Chronicles X may be the closest thing we’ll ever get to an open world Gundam game. Although the first third of the game is somewhat dull, and the amount of systems they throw at you can be overwhelming, once you stick with it and get your Skell license the game becomes magnitudes better. The Skell’s vehicle mode and flight mode offer you so much freedom in how to tackle obstacles and where to explore. Upon obtaining the Skell, I couldn’t put the game down, and was addicted to exploring every nook and cranny, ignoring most of the main storyline until I felt my collection of mecha were fully decked-out. Xenoblade Chronicles X isn’t a perfect game by any means, most of the character models are kind of ugly, the story has more low points than high points, and the battle system isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but the exploration component of the game brought me so much satisfaction I was more than willing to look over the flaws.

 4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

This latest entry in the Legend of Zelda franchise is a large departure from the norm. Breath of the Wild is the kind of game that gives back the more you invest into it. If you just go from point A to B completing only the tasks and shrines associated with the main quest, you probably won’t enjoy the game. But if you’re the type of person who is willing to put off the main quest and head in a random direction, unlocking as many shrines and watchtowers along the way as possible, you’ll have a tremendous amount of fun. The game’s world as well as its physics and chemistry engines gives you a variety of ways to accomplish your goals, and the focus on shorter dungeons with well thought-out puzzles makes the game perfect for the Switch. The need to craft elixirs or food for adventuring in areas of extreme cold and heat are the only negatives I’ve encountered thus far. It just seems contradictory to place those kinds of limits on a player in a game about exploring. But Breath of the Wild is still one of Link’s best outings, and I can’t wait to see what the next Zelda game will look like.

3. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

Last year I had the chance to play Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, and really enjoyed it. Ever since I finished VII, I was heavily anticipating VIII, eager to return to the old-school RPG worlds of Dragon Quest, and this game did not disappoint, but instead, exceeded by expectations. Similar to Final Fantasy IV, my favorite in that franchise, the game gives you party members whose roles are initially static, but the ability to denote skill points into several categories allows you to experiment with and specialize them. The story is a well-written mix of vignettes tied to an overall plotline, and the cast of the game, especially your party members, is just incredible. The battle system remains the classic turn-based system you want out of a Dragon Quest game, but benefits from the speed-up feature included in this 3DS port and the addition of the Tension system. Upon beating the final boss, the game isn’t quite over, and the segments that follow make one of the most memorable ending sequences of all time. When you play Dragon Quest VIII it doesn’t feel like just an old game, it feels like an eternal classic.

 2. Persona 5

Although Persona 3 is still my favorite game of the post-Persona 2 trilogy, I really enjoyed this entry. The new additions to the battle system work incredibly well alongside its stylish UI, which makes full use of the controller’s buttons to minimize the inputs needed for every action you may want to perform. And the addition of new elements such as Nuclear and Psychic ensure that all of your party members are viable in different areas of the game, something I felt the series struggled with in the past. The cast is appealing, revamped social link system is fantastic, and although the first third of the story is the strongest part, it remains enjoyable for the entire duration of the game. Fusing Personas remains as engaging as ever, although the filtering systems in place aren’t as robust as those in the Shin Megami Tensei 4 duology. The game has one of the strongest and most focused aesthetics I’ve ever seen. Everything from the soundtrack to the UI elements just screams “Phantom Thieves.” Upon beating it, I was already planning my second playthrough, which I’ll be sure to do before summer is over.

 1. Monster Strike

Monster Strike has no right being as good as it is. It takes the gameplay of the successful mobile game, removes the microtransactions, and turns it into a full-blown RPG with a challenging post-game, resulting in something that’s really amazing. The process of creating your team of monsters has a tremendous amount of depth. Not only do you need to consider the elemental strengths of weaknesses of your crew versus your enemies, but you need to take into account the passives of each monster, such as erasing mines or immunity to walls that inflict damage, as well the type of combo attacks they expel, such as X-shaped laser beams or explosions. Once the billiards-like battles begin, you need to carefully aim your monsters, adjusting the angle so that you can maximize damage to the enemy by bumping into them and setting off Friend Combos by bumping into your allies. The graphics are impressive for a 3DS title, and the story is predictable, but enjoyable. The end result is a game with the level of decision-making typically reserved for series like Shin Megami Tensei or Bravely Default. It’s an incredibly unique and well-made RPG, and is without a doubt one of my favorite titles on the 3DS.

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Hopes for the Switch

The Nintendo Switch released in March, and even though the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the only large-scale game out for it, it’s still an incredibly difficult system to find. I haven’t managed to find one yet, and even though I really want a Neon unit, I’m beginning to think I’ll just settle for Grey. As for what’s on the Switch’s horizon, there are a lot of titles to be optimistic about. ARMS, which I had the opportunity to play at one of the NYC Switch tour stops, was tremendously fun, Splatoon 2 will no doubtedly be amazing, and Mario Odyssey looks great. Not only that, but Octopath Traveler, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Fire Emblem, and Shin Megami Tensei give the impression that this will be a must-have system for people who want to play RPGs. After developers release their last big titles for the 3DS this year, I’m sure they’ll jump right onto the Switch, especially if Nintendo uses its influence to get Monster Hunter, Pokemon “Stars,” and Yo-Kai Watch on the platform, ensuring its huge success. But this piece isn’t about the Switch’s current library or announced future titles; it’s about 5 games ranging from likely to completely improbable that I would love to play on the system.

Etrian Odyssey

Etrian Odyssey is in an awkward position. Without the dual-screen map-drawing, it loses a bit of its identity. But even so, it has the fantastic dungeon design and job system to back it up. It’ll be very interesting to see how Etrian Odyssey transitions to a single-screen platform and how Atlus differentiates it to not be “just another DRPG,” although to be frank, it’s the best of the bunch and would stand out for its quality alone. There really isn’t much more to say for this series, other than I hope it manages to make the leap now that single-display devices are the future.

Monster Strike

This may be a surprising pick, especially so since even though the iOS game has been out in North America since 2015, my only experience with the game so far is the 3DS game (which I imported). However, I really like it! I fully endorse the notion of supporting iOS developers who release “consolized” versions of their games on “real” gaming platform (GungHo’s Puzzle & Dragons efforts were great, especially in the west where we got a both the vanilla and Super Mario versions packaged for a budget price, overall a crazy good deal). Monster Strike seems like a perfect fit for the Switch due to its tablet-like form and touchscreen. The ability to take it on the go and play with others also makes it a good fit for the series, since you can share one Switch rather than use 4 phones. I think if Puyo Puyo Tetris is a moderate success, it will show that there’s a real space for puzzle games on these non-cellular but mobile and multiplayer-friendly platforms. It’d be great to see others follow suit, like Puzzle & Dragons (especially if players can save their data to a cloud a la Dragon’s Crown and use it in cooperative split-screen play on their friends’ device).

Trauma Center

The Trauma Center series is incredibly unique, and something I’m disappointed never appeared on the Wii U. The series is something that’s practically made for any system with a touch screen and stylus. Not only would a title on Switch give us the new entry we so desperately need, but the features of the Switch would allow players to operate in multiple ways. The Switch can be laid on a table to mimic an operating table and let player(s) use styluses or their fingers to act, or either be propped up in tabletop top or connected to the tv via the dock and let players control it using the JoyCon’s IR similar to how Wii remotes were used in the Wii entries. The Trauma Center series has also been a great combination of arcade gameplay and medical anime drama, and it’d be a shame if Atlus once again didn’t release a new title on a platform that’s begging for it.

Yo-Kai Watch

If a Yo-Kai Watch game was to come out for the Switch, would it even head to the west? It’s hard to say at this point, because although the first two games performed decently in North America,, they weren’t the blockbuster success that Level-5 was hoping for. But the series is still popular in Japan, even if the third entry wasn’t as big a hit as its predecessor. Even so, Yo-Kai Watch is too big of a series not to make the jump from 3DS to the Switch. This will be an especially interesting transition because of how dependent the series is on the dual-screen features. As the Yo-Kai automatically battle on the upper screen, the player uses the bottom screen to adjust the lineup, focus targets, use items, and complete minigames to perform super attacks, debuffs, and status cures, making it very dependent on the second screen. Level-5 will have to come up with some clever solutions to make it as playable and accessible on the Switch as it is on the 3DS.

Bravely Third

Spoilers for Bravely Default and Bravely Second below, read at your own risk.

If you read my earlier posts, it’s no surprise that I love the Bravely series. Actually, not just love, really, really, really love. Bravely Second’s conclusion teased a sequel with Ringabel possibly returning as a party member. It would be great to see that come to fruition on the Switch. Unlike other 3DS RPGs, the second screen in the Bravely games is just there to declutter the UI, and I’m sure Silicon Studio will find a way to make gameplay fit a single display. SIlicon Studio created a really great series of RPGs with well-crafted job systems, but they also managed to break the 4th wall in a clever way. The Celestial Realm, which Oroboros tried to break into and the home of Vega and Altair, is our own world. In Default, Tiz avoids death due to the player lending their soul (control), and in Second, Yu speaks directly with the player. Beating the game is only possible after physically restarting, and Providence, the final boss, aims to disrupt the players attempts to lead the party to victory by forcing the player back to the main menu and trying to delete the save file in a scene that, despite being scripted, was horrifying to play through (at least for me). Not only will it be interesting to see how Silicon Studio improves upon the already fantastic formula they’ve created, but also keep the overarching 4th wall-breaking on the Switch.

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The Peaceful Desolation of Post-Apocalyptic Worlds

This year is shaping up to be one of the best in gaming history. Not only is Persona 5 almost out, but a metric ton of other great games like Ni No Kuni 2, Super Mario Odyssey, and Deep Strange Journey are slated for this year, and a bunch of great games have already released; the worst part is, I haven’t even played half of them yet, and it’s not even close to E3. But during the summer I’m looking forward to diving into games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Resident Evil 7, and more in my attempt to catch up. As for the games I’m actually managing to play now: Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King and NieR: Automata, they’re both absolutely fantastic. While Dragon Quest VIII is undoubtedly a classic from an earlier time period (and holds up remarkably well), NieR: Automata is a game I could comfortably call a modern classic, and I know there are a lot of people who agree with that sentiment, regardless of whether they played the first game or not (I never did).

There’s a number of reasons for that. Even though I’ve only gotten endings A, B, and D at the time of writing this, I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve played, and I can’t wait to see how it concludes itself. The game is such an amazing collaboration between cult-famous writer and director Yoko Taro, the masters of action-gameplay at Platinum Games, and the resources and talent of Square Enix. It’s kind of like the Revolutionary Girl Utena of videogames, in that it’s an awesome product created by a combined effort from very talented individuals and organizations without diluting itself for mass market appeal.

But there’s one aspect of the game in particular that has grabbed my attention completely, and it’s the beautifully desolate world it’s managed to create. I suppose in a way, NieR: Automata’s setting isn’t particularly desolate. In addition to the massive army of machines you need to destroy, there’s a camp of them of them practicing pacifism, as well as a small camp of androids with vendors and sidequests in addition to the populated command center in space. There are buildings everywhere. But nature, no longer inhibited by mankind’s follies, is slowly taking back the planet and any evidence of humanity’s existence. The center area is full of buildings aggressively overrun by nature. Moss, thick tree roots, and trees themselves suffocate the once proud but now empty structures (this may have been a technical limitation rather than artistic choice, but hey, it works). There are also buildings being drowned in progressing ocean or being buried in an environment suffering from tremendous desertification. A secluded and worn-down castle is surrounded by a sea of trees. The exception to this is the eerie amusement park, but there's no doubt that in a few thousand years it will give way to nature like the other areas. Although the areas are teeming with machines, they don't negate the feelings of overbearing loneliness these environments present to the player. The world of NieR: Automata is peculiarly sincere.

But although I really like traversing NieR: Automata’s landscapes, they remind me of a game with an even more beautiful post-apocalyptic world: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. Despite being for the Wii, the game’s beautiful sound design and artistic vision shone through the 480p visuals. Amusingly enough, it has a lot in common with NieR: Automata in terms of world design, even if the combat systems couldn't possibly be more different. Combat design was not its strong point by any stretch of the imagination, and I remember several encounters that required me to come up with clever strategies (cheese), which looking back, were amusing. But it's still a very playable game, and the world it creates is well worth experiencing for anyone with a Wii or Wii U and a tolerance for subpar combat. Seriously, go play it. Don't read on and spoil yourself if you haven't.

The way Fragile Dreams opens up is nothing short of amazing, and the low-key nature of the game allows it to immerse the player slowly without distracting the player with tense combat situations like NieR: Automata does. This isn’t necessarily a failing on NieR: Automata’s part; the focus of the game is a story about androids and machines, and the post-apocalyptic world is somewhat insignificant as far as its design goes. Whereas in Fragile Dreams, the post-apocalyptic world is the focus. The main character, a young boy named Seto, decides to leave his small home after his grandpa, the other human he’s ever known, dies of old age. It’s nighttime, and the Seto wanders into a deserted subway station as he begins his search for other survivors. Like NieR: Automata’s environments, Fragile Dream’s has enemies, but combat isn’t the focus, and the encounters are over quickly. The enemies aren’t as talkative as the machines as well, so it’s easier to ignore their presence, whether by ending combat quickly or avoiding it altogether. This allows the player to play to really become immersed in the environment. Even though Seto comes across a companion, a small walkie-talkie-like robot named PF (short for Personal Frame), the abandoned subway still has a dark, lonely, and oppressive atmosphere. After some time, Seto leaves the subway station, and it’s at this moment that one of the greatest moments in the game occurs: the sunrise. After being trapped in the station for so long, the player is treated with a fading starry sky painted with a beautiful palette of orange and purple. Despite the Wii’s lack of power, it’s a jaw-dropping scene. Shortly afterwards, your electronic companion’s battery dies, ending the first third of the game on a profoundly sad note, returning the player to the loneliness they felt at the very start.

The rest of the game is filled with similarly lonely and creepy settings as well. There’s a shopping mall, amusement park, hotel, hospital, sewer system complete with a giant man-eating mole, a dam, and Tokyo Tower. Although every area is abandoned, they still do something to make themselves stand, using a combination of time and/or companions. For example, Seto traverses the amusement park at night. With no one to mow the grass it’s almost as tall as Seto, and being able to do things you would never be able to do in real life, like walk the track of a roller coaster, give the familiar setting and alien feeling. The hotel and hospital are visited during the day, but even the daylight doesn’t stop them from being any less unsettling. When you finally come across another human body, it’s unfortunately a corpse, possibly having committed suicide only moments before you arrive. Her ghost becomes your newest friend, and it’s at this point that the game’s story starts to get a little weirder as it begins to shed light on what caused the game’s world to become what it is.

But even so, the game’s post-apocalyptic environments never stop being interesting. As the player climbs Tokyo Tower, the unlit buildings below are so dark they form a blob-like silhouette, forming a stark contrast with the glowing tower. It’s a fitting ending for a great game like Fragile Dreams. So much more goes into designing a game’s world than a system’s power, and this Wii gem is proof of that.

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The Art of the Mecha Anime Visual Novel

What do Code Geass, Star Driver, and Captain Earth have in common? If you said they featured high school students piloting giant robots, you would be correct. If you said they all have visual novel adaptations for PlayStation systems, you would also be correct.

Crafts & Meister isn’t a well-known developer. If you’ve heard of them before, it’s probably because you’ve played the Gundam Breaker games. They’re an independent developer that has created a number of games published by Bandai Namco. But the Gundam Breaker games are neither the only anime-related project they’ve worked on together nor are they the only ones that feature giant robots. In 2008, 2011, and 2014, Crafts & Meister collaborated with Bandai Namco to create Code Geass: Lost Colors, Star Driver: Takuto of the Radiance - Legend of the Galactic Pretty Boy, and Captain Earth: Mind Labyrinth.Although Star Driver and Captain Earth had gorgeous fight scenes animated by Bones, they were ultimately shows about young adults growing up, which is pretty different from Code Geass, but at some point, even Code Geass had some high school hijinks. Now, I won’t defend Captain Earth’s story nor characters as anything more than mediocre. I don’t particularly like the show; although I think episodes 23-25 are fantastic and the OPs are great. However, when it comes to Star Driver, I’ll go down fighting. I’m not saying the show is perfect, but it’s pretty damn good and of my favorite anime of all time for a variety of reasons (it’s a shame we never got the Star Driver costume pack for Tales of Xillia in the west).Code Geass and Star Driver follow the same formula. You play as an original character who exists only to serve as your vessel as you go through an original story, which is usually a twist on the events of the anime. It’s interesting seeing how each IP changes its plot to accommodate the player’s existence; Code Geass makes the self-insert another Geass user and gives them the option of befriending or betraying Lelouch and Star Driver turns the main trio into a quartet with the addition your character insert, a second Galactic Pretty Boy. But the main draw of these games is dating-sim elements that allow you to romance just about any female member of the cast. Star Driver in particular has a great route where you befriend Takuto’s father and ally with the Glittering Crux. As far as fanservice goes, these games deliver. They capitalize on the each series’ love of drama and large casts. Star Driver is a little more ambitious than its brethren in that it has a battle system. Every now and then, you’ll fight alongside Takuto in simple turn-based combat. It’s a little bit of a shame that these battles didn’t have much animation given how beautiful the series itself is animated, but something like that is outside the realm of possibility. When it comes down to it, there games are made on a very low budget, even though Star Driver in particular would have been a perfect fit for a character-action game with its flashy attacks and unique mecha design philosophy. Amusingly enough, the enemy Cybodies in these turn-based battles last longer than they did in the anime.Captain Earth differs significantly from its two companions. The game doesn’t introduce a self-insert for the player; instead, you control Daichi, the main character. The game rewrites episode 23 of the series. Daichi finds himself trapped inside the “Nickel Odeon,” a virtual world created by Puck, the series antagonist and cute spherical AI. From there, you explore a set of “Mind Pieces,” essentially chapters in a route, for each character, even the Kiltgang. There’s no relationship feature because it isn’t an alternative canon, but you still get some good beach CGs. After completing all routes (which more or less results in that character “waking up,” and in the case of the Kiltgang crew, becoming allies, you get access to nearly 200 additional events. But herein lies Captain Earth’s biggest weaknesses. Even though these events numbered, it’s difficult to find certain ones, not to mention they fit randomly into the routes you already completed, which makes it a little confusing. The game even has Setsuna, who serves as Daichi’s guide, explain the context of each scene before you start it to try and fix that. Also, because it’s easy to play the events in the game out of order, it makes the journey feel disjointed at times. When these negatives are factored into the equation in addition to Captain Earth’s general unpopularity, it’s not surprising the game flopped. Code Geass, the most popular of the 3 IP, sold about 70K on the PSP and 60K on PS2, at least according to vgchartz. The subsequent game, Star Driver, which released only on PSP, sold about 50K, which is respectable as far as I’m concerned. But Captain Earth was a downright flop. It opened with less than 2K and will never reach 10K. Whether or not Mind Labyrinth was the nail in the coffin for Crafts & Meister’s mecha anime visual novel spin-offs remains to be seen. There hasn’t really been a big new mecha IP from a studio like Sunrise or Bones since Captain Earth. While Cross Ange and Aldnoah;Zero exist, neither seems like it would carry over to Craft & Meister’s visual novel format; well, maybe Cross Ange, but it got an action game by Shade. I would love to know if a Valvrave the Liberator visual novel was ever being discussed back in 2013; it certainly would have performed better than Captain Earth and had the potential for some downright insane routes.The saddest thing about being the game adaptation of an anime series is that you usually only get 1 shot. Even if you’re part of a wildly popular series like Fullmetal Alchemist or Death Note, you’re still limited by the time it spends on-air. The purpose of your development isn’t to create an excellent game, but to make something serviceable enough to help the anime studio earn money. But until that day decades into the future when Star Driver gets a reboot and we receive a neat action game, we’ll have to make due with this visual novel; and I’m okay with that.

[parvaatidynasty-blog]

Role-playing games, or RPGs, are a genre steeped in tradition, especially if they’re of the Japanese variety. Nearly 7 years ago, when it was revealed that Final Fantasy XIII lacked towns, there was a noticeable outrage among fans. Ever since games like Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy first propelled the genre into the massive popularity it enjoys today, towns were an integral part of fleshing out a game’s world. Aside from the useful functions they provided in the form of inns and shops, they were often loaded with NPCs who spat out one-liners to give the illusion that the game’s world was alive. But is the ability to immerse one’s self in an RPG’s world truly dependent on the presence of towns? Bravely Default & Bravely Second are two of my favorite RPGs, and games, of all time, yet I wouldn’t say they have particularly engaging or memorable towns. While the games have a very interesting lore behind them, one about a religious war and the other about a devastating plague, the way the game immerses you is by slowly revealing the threads that connect each boss character. With that in mind, maybe it isn’t about towns themselves, but how most RPGs use them, and on a larger scale, the game world itself, in order to convince the player the kingdom, continent, or world they’re saving is truly living-and-breathing.

In 2016, I had the opportunity to play not only some lengthy and well-favored RPGs, but some that were praised for the depth of their game world, particularly Dragon Quest VII and The Legend of Heroes: Cold Steel. While both are entries in series that have been around for a long time, I consider it my first time diving into them with a certain level of awareness (I had played Dragon Quest IX when it released on the DS, but I don’t remember much about the game). Not only do both come from long-running series, but they come from series that are praised for the depth and detail put into their worlds. But despite this similarity, my experiences with each game was completely different. I really liked the tiny details that encompassed Dragon Quest’s world-building, but I found Cold Steel’s relatively boring and uninteresting.

There are a number of reasons this could be. Cold Steel, regardless of being the first entry in a spinoff of Trails in the Sky, may be made for people who have are well-versed or have an investment in the ongoing lore of the games. With hundreds of hours of gameplay preceding Cold Steel in the form of mainline series entries, it just may be an effect of hopping on the train at a later stop. The structure of the game itself may also be at fault; although the episodic academic field trip-like setup fits the context of the game’s narrative, it doesn’t give you a reason to invest in each location. They’re one and done. After you resolve the story arc, the location is more or less irrelevant. These story arcs usually revolve around the different classmates overcoming their differences and becoming a functional military unit, so it may just be Cold Steel is about the relationships between the classmates rather than the world they live in.

But Cold Steel’s world is detailed, just not in a way that rewards the players who devour its history as if it were a real country, and there’s no attempt to make players curious through a “show, don’t tell” design philosophy. Cold Steel is “tell, tell, tell” to the point where some lengthy conversations can dispel your will to play for the remainder of that session. At times, it’s a history book, and while I’m not frightened of history, politics, or economics, there’s just no reason or incentive to remember it. The Nord Highlands chapter is easily the best part of the game: the setting is far different than the other scenarios and some pretty exciting things happen. So while I admire the writers’ decision to think out every last detail of their game’s world, I just don’t find it interesting or purposeful.

Of course, even though I finished Cold Steel, I’m not truly done with it. The game ends with the revelation that it’s only the first half, or third now that Cold Steel 3 has been revealed, of a larger story. It’s possible that when I play Cold Steel 2 and 3, I’ll see the game world become more engaging and interesting. If I can revisit previous locations and see how the actions of the characters and events of the game have affected them, it may just change my mind on the series.

Dragon Quest VII, on the other hand, managed to engage me precisely because it did what Cold Steel didn’t: show me the effects of actions, whether they were my party members’ or NPCs’, and in case anyone here is currently playing or plans to play Dragon Quest VII, I want to mention that I’ll be spoiling some plot events, so if you fall into that group, beware.

Even though the narrative in both games is based on individual vignettes that contribute to a larger narrative, they do so in different ways. Dragon Quest VII has the benefit of having time travel as a plot element, and this makes it quite easy for the game to show you those effects.  Each vignette begins with the party being teleported to a new location, resolving a conflict (most of the time), and returning to the location in the future. While each vignette is related to the overall plot, it isn’t necessary to understand or enjoy it, which is good. Not every vignette is engaging, some are a drag while others are especially memorable. Personally, I loved the Greenthumbs Garden and Vogograd scenarios the most. Vogorad in particular really manages to surprise the player with how the town’s government completely lies about the events that happened in the past, which the player themself witnessed, to prevent the townspeople from feeling guilty. The end result is that you get to see the game world as if it were living and breathing.

The relatively open-world nature of the game is also really conducive to satisfying curiosity. Aside from revisiting towns you saved in the past, you have the opportunity to visit other locations as well. And the game’s relatively lax restrictions on your movement allow you to find some interesting details before you are “meant to.” Keifer’s grave is the most notable example of this. When Keifer leaves the party, I, at least, expected him to rejoin at some point. However, while exploring the continent the Roamer’s resided on, I came across his grave on a cliff. This gave the game’s usually goofy atmosphere a sense of sadness, and the idea that I mistakenly came across something so important and relevant to the characters, not only to my party members’ but also NPCs like Estard’s king, really changed how I felt about Dragon Quest VII.

RPGs are a truly impressive genre. There aren’t many other types of games out there that can keep you engaged in a story from 40 to 80 hours, or even more, with number-crunching gameplay, epic music, and imaginative worlds. The simple mechanics that make up turn-based gameplay have hundreds of applications. It’s these reasons that have me returning to the genre again and again. Having finished writing all of this, all I can think of now is “I really want to play Dragon Quest VIII and Trails in the Sky: Cold Steel 2.”

Tumblr seems pretty weird when it comes to replying to others text posts, so feel free to send me an ask or message me on Twitter if you’d like to share your own thoughts and feelings with me.

[parvaatidynasty-blog]

Here’s a list of the 5 games I want to buy and play the most in 2017.

5: Toukiden 2

Although Monster Hunter is my favorite of the genre known as “hunting games,” I still like to try out each one that comes out on the Vita. Out of the games that have tried to fill the void Monster Hunter left, such as Freedom Wars, God Eater, and Soul Sacrifice, Toukiden is by far my favorite. I’m really interested in how Toukiden 2 will change the franchise as it transitions to an open world game. I’ll finally be able to get some real use of my PS+ subscription too, since I’ll be getting the PS4 version.

4: Trails in the Sky: Cold Steel 2

This game came out in 2016, true, but I’m a year behind when it comes to this subseries of the Trails in the Sky franchise, only having played the first Cold Steel last summer. The first game had a neat battle system and character customization elements, and although the story took a while to get going, it ended on a high note; the music for the final boss battle is unbelievably awesome. Since Trails in the Sky: Cold Steel 3 was announced for only the PS4, I wonder if Falcom will be porting 1 and 2 in a bundle to the system; that would be pretty cool. However, I’ll probably just play Cold Steel 2 on the Vita.

3: Persona 5

Persona 5 has captured a lot of peoples’ attention since it was first revealed, and I’m no exception. The UI is incredibly slick, and knowing how talented the developers at Atlus are when it comes to creating RPGs, there’s no way this game will be anything less than awesome.

2: Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

I’m a Dragon Quest newbie, having only played IX years ago when it first launched in NA. But I played Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past last year, and despite its pacing issues, I was really satisfied and want to experience more of what the franchise has to offer. I like how Dragon Quest VIII seems to be completely different in structure, which will make it feel like a fresh experience even after just playing VII. I’m not sure how much I’ll time to dedicate to it before summer though.

1: Etrian Odyssey V: The End of the Long Myth

Although its localization isn’t set in stone, I really hope Atlus decides to bring this game over. Etrian Odyssey is one of my favorite series of RPGs; the dungeon crawling, lore, and class system are my cup of my tea. Since the Nintendo Switch only has one screen and it doesn’t look like Nintendo has a new dual-screen handheld in the works, this could be the end of the series as we know it.

[parvaatidynasty-blog]

This is my list of the top 10 games released in 2016 which I bought and beat. I played my 3DS more than anything this year, with a little over 1,050 hours in my Activity Log.

10: Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits & Fleshy Souls

Even though I played the Japanese release of Yo-Kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls in 2014, I was still anticipating the American release despite Level-5’s debatable localization philosophy of removing all references to Japanese culture. The inclusion of online battles and trades are welcome, and the small but tightly-knit Yo-Kai Watch community made sure there were plenty of people willing to participate in tournaments or exchange Yo-Kai. If only Level-5 could get over obsession with RNG in every monster-collecting game they make, as the ability to recruit Yo-Kai can be pretty frustrating even when you do everything to stack the numbers in your favor. However, the relaxing atmosphere of the game is pretty unique.

9: Zero Time Dilemma

Due to the series’ incredibly niche status and massive unpopularity in Japan, the third and final game to the Zero Escape trilogy was something nobody expected to ever be made until its surprising announcement at Anime Expo 2015. The story certainly isn’t without its disappointments; several plotlines from Virtue’s Last Reward have been dropped, and those who have the played previous entries will feel one returning character’s characterization is significantly off. That said, it has the twists you expect from a writer like Uchikoshi, and it’s great to see mysteries like the origin of Phi and events leading up to Virtue’s Last Reward be revealed through the game’s film-like presentation. Maybe there’s a timeline where Zero Time Dilemma is the perfect conclusion to the Zero Escape trilogy and meets everyone’s expectations, including my own, but I’m content with this one.

8: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4

I wouldn’t exactly consider myself a Naruto fan, but I remember reading the first chapter in Shonen Jump as a kid and later watching the anime on Cartoon Network, so it’s always been something I had nostalgia for. However, my sister is an avid fan of the series, so I was always aware of what was going on, even if I didn’t follow it directly. Since I had fond memories playing some of the fighting games on Wii and PlayStation 3, picking this up for my newly-purchased PlayStation 4 was a no-brainer. CyberConnect has really perfected the art of capturing an anime artstyle in a 3D game engine, and the gameplay itself is accessible enough that someone like me who normally doesn’t enjoy fighting games can have fun. Playing through the last few battles of the story, especially the final battle between Naruto and Sasuke, felt like something I’ve been waiting for since childhood.

7: Fire Emblem Fates

Blood or bond? Or why not both? Those are the questions that will cross your mind as you play this latest entry in the Fire Emblem series. As far as story is concerned, I much prefer Awakening’s. Neither of the 3 plotlines in Fates felt particularly satisfying to me. However, the level design and difficulty of the Conquest route is definitely worth experiencing if you enjoy tactical RPGs. Some of my best gaming memories of the 2016 are conquering its particularly-difficult scenarios.

6: Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth

I haven’t been involved with Digimon since the first 2 seasons of the anime aired on television, but I like monster-collecting RPGs. Upon release, the game was showered with lots of praise, so I figured I’d give it a shot once a good sale appeared, and I’m glad I did. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth manages to be a fun and engaging combination of Pokémon and Shin Megami Tensei. Character design by Durarara’s Suzuhito Yasuda and music by Danganronpa’s Masafumi Takeda create a wonderful aesthetic. A deep and well-developed Digimon growth system lets you plan and craft really strong teammates, and the battle system’s focus on 3 versus 3 lets it stand out from Pokémon, which unfortunately abandoned them in its latest entry. The story is a little slow at first, but the highs are really high, and the lows are, if anything, still entertaining.

5: VA-11 HALL-A

VA-11 HALL-A is a pretty unique game. It’s a visual novel about bartending in a cyberpunk future made by a team in Venezuela. Interacting with customers, learning about their backstories, fears, and dreams while making the perfect drink is addicting. The characters are a great combination of believable and over-the-top, just like the setting of the game.

4: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirits of Justice

The Phoenix Wright series is something I’ve been a fan of for a long time. Spirits of Justice manages to prevent the formula from becoming stale by having the bulk of the game take place in a fictional country, with laws and court procedures that are just different enough from the norm. While the last game focused on Athena, this one focuses on Apollo and did what his premiere game didn’t, actually make me love him as a character.

3: Monster Hunter Generations

I’ve loved Monster Hunter ever since it allowed for online play. Monster Hunter Generations, an anniversary game, lets players join together to fight some fan-favorite monsters, and a few awesome new ones, in a brand new way. Not only do you have the ability to use 1 of 16 weapon types in every battle, but each weapon type has 4 unique fighting styles, such as one focused on aerial attacks while another is all about dodging at the very last second. Some are more effective than others when it comes to different weapons, but with 64 different ways to fight every monster in the game, there’s a lot for players to try. Discord, a program that acts like a fusion of Skype and IRC, has made finding others to play with easier than ever.

2: Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse

I loved Shin Megami Tensei IV when I played it in 2013, but it wasn’t without its fair share of issues. The difficulty was frontloaded, the world map was confusing to navigate even after 3 playthroughs, and the story was a step down from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey’s. But Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse pulls out all the stops, fixing all of its prequel’s flaws while including lots of great characters like Gaston and Dagda, to create what is without a doubt my favorite Shin Megami Tensei game. The battle system is better than ever thanks to tiny but noticeable improvements, and the small changes to Demon Fusion have made your decisions regarding team-building much more meaningful. The game manages to prevent you from relying on 2-3 favorite demons in a clever ways without making you feel like you need to grind. This also happens to be one of the few games I’m aware of where you start at level 1 and is actually long enough to close out with you approaching, if not at, 100. How cool is that?

1: Bravely Second: End Layer

As far as I’m concerned, almost nothing beats an RPG with a great Job system, and Bravely Second has nearly perfected what was established in Bravely Default: Flying Fairy. The world of Luxendarc returns with lots of new locations and characters while still paying respects to the old with Edea and Tiz returning as party members. Not only are the new Jobs well-balanced and fun to use, but the Asterisk users that represent them are all lovable characters, and seeing how they all tie into the events preceding game is something to behold. The soundtrack, although by a different composer, is still great, though less-so than its predecessor’s. The final challenges of Bravely Second are no less exciting than the first game as it continues to cleverly break the fourth wall, and one moment in particularly is absolutely terrifying. With Final Fantasy completing its transformation into an action game, it’s nice to know that Square Enix is dedicated to a smaller turn-based series with elements its parent was known for.