The semi-open world action-adventure game KAKU: Ancient Seal, developed by Shenzhen BINGOBELL, is now available globally on Steam Early Access. At launch the game has a 30+ hour open-ended campaign.
KAKU: Ancient Seal contains four huge maps, a variety of monster types, and many epic boss battles. Additionally, there are four huge puzzle-solving levels and legions of combat encounters with a vast variety of foes. Scattered throughout the land are countless collectables, such as chests, sacred stones and essences, offering adventurers plenty of reasons to explore KAKU’s world to the fullest.
The game is built around an ancient fantasy world based upon the four elements of wind, fire, water, and earth. Players will take on the role of Kaku, a young man from the vast snowy mountains. After accidentally passing a test, Kaku is forced to embark upon an adventure with a magical flying pig, Piji, in order to recover the power of the elements. Along the way, you’ll have to search for suitable weapons and equipment, and master legendary abilities. It’s now your destiny to face off against powerful monsters that have absorbed the power of the elements!
Cyber Citizen Shockman – Debuts in the West –
The premise of what Cyber Citizen Shockman offers is a fairly straightforward, hack and slash experience as you fight through 18 stages, collecting rewards – healing, gold, etc. before you face the obligatory boss in the guise of a mecca or three headed dragon. As you progress, more powerful rewards and upgrades will be presented to you and a challenging experience with fluid movement and precise actions is well presented!
FEATURES/FACTS
* Action platformer starring 2 characters (boy and girl), 18 exciting platforming stages with multiple routes to explore
* A plethora of upgrades to unlock
* Added image gallery from hand-made scans
* Rewind/FF functions
* Brand new english translation, plus old JP Original
* Complete EN and JP user interface!
* Save states
* CRT Filter
* Suu Urabe, famous mangaka, created the character design and the main illustrations of the game
Shockingly coming soon for the first time in the West!
Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord
First,I want to take a second to just say thank you to the people at Idea Factory for tossing me a copy of Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord to review. It’s always appreciated working with someone new.
Usually the Fairy Fencer games are turned based but this one the decision was made to take it into a slightly different direction. Refrain Chord is a turned based Tactical RPG, much like Final fantasy tactics or Tactics Ogre.
The battles take place in the usual grid based alternating people style. There is as usual a bar on top of the screen to show you the upcoming order of the troops.
The battles themselves are pretty standard, if you want a challenge tossing the game on hard will have its moments. Easy is the epitome of just wanting to be able to see the story with very little difficulty,which is truly how it should be.
Speaking of the story I have always felt any RPG that wasn’t based around a solid story was defeating the purpose of even existing. Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord revolves around Fang and his company from past games such as Fairy Fencer F :Advent Dark Force. You don’t need to play the other games to understand it,any back story is explained pretty well or isn’t even necessary to have.
The story for this game revolves around trying to collect Furys before an evil corporation. You want them so you can summon the Goddess for world peace. The corporation wants them to summon the Vile God for unlimited power. The details I will leave for you to discover because getting to know this almost goofy cast of characters through the various interactions at the Inn or during missions is probably the best part of the game itself.
From the very beginning with Fang being busted out of jail because of his dine and dash antics and being caught talking to cockroaches or him and Galdo being obsessed with nudie magazines while the female characters make fun of Fang for being childish there really isn’t a time the characters aren’t interesting to get to know.
The game of course isn’t perfect,for example you will spend a lot of time reading because the vocals are only in their native language. Most battles also come down to how much you leveled up,not if you are actually good with any sort of strategy. Most of the Furys you come across are also pointless to have outside of the side quest to stab the ground and discover treasure and hidden locations.
This is one of those games I enjoyed playing,and I actually think fans of strategy RPGs will also enjoy playing. It isn’t the best one on the market, but it is absolutely enjoyable. 7/10, loved my time with it. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Irem Collection Volume 1
Some of the greatest and most requested action arcade games will be available to modern gaming platforms. With iconic action titles such as R-TYPE, Air Duel or Hammerin‘ Harry, irem shaped the games industry since the 1980‘s and was one of the leaders in the arcade era. With very few exceptions many of these titles have never been brought to modern console platforms or remained Japan-exclusive. Most of them even have never seen a release on physical media up until now. So ININ, Tozai Games and irem are finally joining forces to bring them to modern console gamers. Tozai Games and ININ will be responsible for Japanese as well as worldwide digital releases on Nintendo Switch, Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox.
ARCADE MILESTONE FOR COLLECTORS
The outstanding quality of these games often even used as a benchmark for others in the genre make the upcoming releases an exciting experience for both (modern) retro enthusiasts and casual players looking for new -or so far unknown- gaming adventures around the globe. With the outstanding history of irem as a studio and their iconic games shaping an entire industry, the collection is particularly interesting to collectors of video games and players interested in video game history and culture. To process the rich story of irem games, Strictly Limited Games will publish several Limited and Collector’s Editions for the upcoming volumes of the irem Collection.
READY VOLUME 1
The first volume of the irem Collection is an updated homage to the Japanese-exclusive ‘Arcade Gears‘ series (released in the 1990s on Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation) and comprises three legendary shoot ‘em up games Image Fight, Image Fight II and X-Multiply.
Image Fight first appeared in 1988 as a vertical scrolling Shoot ‘em Up. It became one of the most successful table arcade games at that time in Japan and is still being regarded by many fans as one of the best shmups ever made. In addition to this arcade version, the upcoming volume will also include the PC Engine/TurboGrafx version as well as the NES version from 1990. The game is set in the year 20XX, the moon collapses after an explosion caused by aliens which proceed their offensive against mankind. To settle the situation, the player must go through an eponymous training process called “Image Fight”, before they are allowed to join the combat to fend off the invaders and earn everlasting glory.
Image Fight II was released in Japan in 1992, after the success of the first part. Unfortunately, the game never made it to the west (except for a Wii Virtual Console release, that is). It is set in the year 2051, the alien forces try once again to exterminate humanity. The player must take over the role of pilot Sho, the main character in the story, switching to a new generation of ships. The story is really outstanding in this game, the introduction of visual scenes reminiscent of animes especially intended for the PC-Engine SUPER CD-ROM version strengthen the story and add depth and a second dimension to this game, shaping Sho as a real hero in this unequaled approach to building a SHMUP storyline.
X-Multiply is a side-scrolling shooter originally released in 1989 for arcade (M72). The combination of science fiction and biological elements makes X-Multiply extraordinary even though it flew under the radar of many gamers: The player is controlling a miniaturized ship getting ‘injected’ in an evidently humanoid body and is using tentacles attached to his ship to fight alien parasites killing humans in detailed as sinister designed stages located inside that corpse.
LIMITED PHYSICAL EDITIONS OF irem GAMES
The hardly rivaled quality of these games will be cumulated in outstanding Limited and Collector‘s Editions exclusively published by Strictly Limited Games.
The Limited Editions of the irem Collection Vol.1 include Image Fight, Image Fight II and X-Multiply, an exclusive titlesheet design and an English manual and are limited to 4,000 individually numbered copies for Nintendo Switch and 1,500 each for PS4 and PS5, at a price of 34.99€ / $34.99. 
The Collector‘s Edition will frame the games and complete them with their matchless Original Soundtracks as well as physical collectibles to deep dive even further:
- The premium Collector Box will be realized in format 4:3 as an homage to the screen ratio at that time. The print quality and the magnetic closure collect all the items in a suitably exclusive way.
- The Original Soundtracks will be realized on 3 CDs sitting in a Digifile. The format gives room to every game and its unparalleled music.
- A Visual Compendium will include backgrounds on the games, their history, feature unique insights and lay out level and character designs, from pixel sprites to context art.
- A Collector Coin in a separate box will make another nice link between the different volumes of the irem collection. The design is inspired by classic arcade coins and includes not just both logos and key elements from the games‘ visuals.
- A package of Retro Print material will complete the collection. Next to reprints of flyers from back then which are now getting localized the first time into English, there will be mini-DIY reproductions in the style of the NES game box, a marquee sticker, a foil catching the vibe of arcade light panel designs and posters showing the key visual in impressive size.
They will be limited to 2,000 individually numbered copies for Nintendo Switch and 999 each for PS4 and PS5, at a price of 89.99€ / $89.99.
In time with Volume 1, Strictly Limited Games will offer bundles of both Limited and Collector‘s Editions including the upcoming volumes 1 to 5 of the irem Collection in an exclusively designed slip case. The Limited Edition bundle will be limited to 3,000 individually numbered copies for Nintendo Switch and 1,000 each for PS4 and PS5, at a price of 159.99€ / $159.99 and the Collector’s Edition bundle to 1,000 individually for Nintendo Switch and 500 each for PS4 and PS5, at a price of 429.99€ / $429.99.
The limited physical editions of irem Collection‘s Volume 1 will be available for Pre Order from 30th of April 2023 exclusively on StrictlyLimitedGames.com.
About Strictly Limited Games
Strictly Limited Games is a German publisher based near Stuttgart, specializing in releasing a curated selection of digital download-only games in exclusive collectible physical editions for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Nintendo Switch. The company was founded in 2017 by Dennis Mendel, a former scholar for game studies and advisor at Fraunhofer Institute, and Benedict Braitsch. Both passionate collectors with a combined collection of over 7.000 digital and physical games for all console generations, their intention is to form an opposite pole to the current trend of digital-only releases. All collectors’ editions are available exclusively at Strictly Limited Games online store www.strictlylimitedgames.com.
About Tozai
From the classics of yesterday to the original IP of tomorrow, Tozai Games delivers lasting gaming experiences to passionate gamers around the globe. Based in Bellevue, Washington, and Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan, Tozai Games is an experienced team of professionals dedicated to building successful licensing and publishing relationships around the world.
Keep up-to-date on Tozai Games’ upcoming projects on the Tozai Games Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Tozai, on Twitter @TozaiGames and at http://www.tozaigames.com/ and http://www.tozaigames.co.jp/.
Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless Character Trailer
The Netherworlds of Hinomoto are home to a myriad of diverse characters.
Meet the protagonists of Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless and see how a chance encounter will result in an intertwining of destinies!
Traverse the wastelands of Hinotomoto in this epic SRPG adventure bursting at the seams with with over 40 character classes, and loads of new features including Jumbification, Hell Mode, Item Reincarnation, new and improved auto-battle, and online ranked battles.
To hell, with honor!
Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless, coming to
Nintendo Switch™, PS4™, PS5™ and PC in fall 2023
Dungeon Drafters Review (PC)
Japanese developer Dangen Entertainment was nice enough to toss me a copy of Dungeon Drafters to check out,and I am both glad they did and appreciate it.
For those that are unfamiliar with this title you play the part of an adventurous hero that is about to explore one of several locations,one of the first being a sort of forest. The first boss will just absolutely destroy you.
This first area will introduce you to the card system. See in this world cards are magical, and they are essential to the world as a whole. You will make your way to this boss on a grid based system with your 3 action points per turn that you can either move or use cards with. Even in rooms without enemies you move across the grid.
At first the game will feel a bit out of place with it’s rogue-like system and it’s Hub town,but it doesn’t take long before you will feel right at home here talking to everyone, finding new cards gathering info and just all around getting to know the world.
The graphics are beautiful,and really one of the highlights of the game for me. The colorful world is just vibrant and full of life,I never felt like I was just staring at something for the sake of its existence.
Battles themselves are pretty intuitive and simple to figure out, even with the games very well done explanation. Simply use your AP to move around the grid and attack enemies using your cards. Each enemy reacts differently,many of which you can see what types of attacks they have. One early enemy has a single hit point and he explodes when he dies causing damage to everyone around him. Smart players however will simply push him away preferably closer to enemy units.
The game is full of small details like this that make the game amazing. Fans of these types of games will love it,and I can happily give it an 8/10. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters PS4 Review
The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on PlayStation 4 is a simple remaster. The graphics are greatly improved from the NES original but is far from the best looking remaster,even of this game.
It has several quality of life improvements however including the ability to turn off random encounters and to be able to turn off experience and gil gain and multiply them by up to 4. This makes the game as easy or as hard as you want, and if you put them to times 3 or 4 you can basically play the game normally without ever having to grind. However any grinding with those settings will turn the game into a breeze. Even the final boss becomes a joke as you can easily hit level 99.
This is why the game is a Trophy Hunters dream. There are a million guides for this game considering its age and you can beat the game and get through it’s story in probably 8 hours for the platinum with only maybe 1 or 2 enemies to complete the enemy list trophy posing any challenge.
The game play itself is a simple turn based RPG and there isn’t exactly a lot to say on this game. For about $12 it was a fun game to play. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Cocaine Bear (2023)
Cocaine Bear is a 2023 movie that is yes, legitimately based on a true story, with quite a few liberties taken. For example the part about someone tossing massive amounts of coke out of a plane and a bear getting into it is absolutely true, there is even a museum in Lexington Kentucky where you can go see the bear they found in the woods that ate about 15 million dollars in that beautiful white stuff.
Now on to the movie, which quite honestly is a big old pile of what the fuck did Elizabeth Banks just make. I mean that in the best way possible. This movie is gory, it is funny it has some great acting for a movie that does absolutely nothing to take itself seriously. The bear also looks pretty good for a pretty low budget movie.
The story itself is actually very simple, a plane is going down so a man tosses duffle bags of coke off the plane. He dies when his parachute doesn’t open so a cop that knows what is going on rushed to find the drugs. The cartel that owns the drugs also wants to find the millions in drugs. Unfortunately a young girl and her male friend also skip school to go paint a waterfall after the mother breaks a promise to go paint the before mentioned waterfall.
As the name of the movie implies,a bear eats bags of coke and becomes all coked up and decides to kill everyone in his way of, you guessed it, eating more coke that it is now addicted too.
Small things you get to enjoy is a bear doing a line of coke off a severed leg if you pay attention. A drug dealer constantly complaining about his favorite jersey getting messed up (but not his missing fingers) and possibly the last movie appearance of the late great Ray Liotta. (He did finish filming numerous projects before his death but not all were movies)
The movie is a ton of fun,I won’t say it is a good movie, but God damn it was one of the most fun movies I have seen in years.
Announcing Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten!
Embark on an adventure in the newest installment of the Utawarerumono series, Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten!
The quiet life of Oshtor, a young man living in the frontier province of Ennakamuy, is abruptly shattered when he encounters a mysterious young girl named Shunya. She informs Oshtor that his father, whom he had thought was deceased, is actually alive and currently in the land of Arva Shulan–a mystifying country that doesn’t appear on any maps. Guided by his morals, Oshtor joins Shunya and embarks on a journey to discover the truth behind his father’s strange circumstances.
Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten is coming
to PS4™ and PS5™ in fall 2023!
Steel Defier (PS4/5 Review)
Steel Defier is another game tossed my way by the fine folks over at Ratalaika Games, and we all know how much I love those guys. They always toss me such fun little gems to check out. Last week they hooked me up with Ultra Pixel Survive and over the weekend I spent some time playing Steel Defier.
Steel Defier is a simple game, you are trapped in a malfunctioning space ship and as the sole survivor your mission is to escape. Each room is a slightly more difficult wave of sliding boxes, lasers and other assorted defenses to stop you as you collect 15 key cards to unlock the doors.
There is no real guesswork involved,it has a map that is easy to follow to the exit and the game isn’t overly difficult. Not to say the game is easy, I was able to complete it in less than an hour and get the platinum in not much longer and all through normal gameplay. Simply collect all the power ups and complete the rooms on the ship and escape. Hop on over to the survival mode and collect 50 key cards in one run and boom, easy platinum.
The game cost about $5 (US) and was honestly a good looking game with a nice a nice sound track, and I was able to get both the PS4 and PS5 platinum. I played a few runs even after I got the platinum to see how long I could last in survival mode (72 for those that are curious) Definitely pick this one up, especially if you are a trophy hunter. For what this game is definitely a 9/10 must buy for anyone looking for something to just pick up and play or that is looking for some easy platinum trophies.
Savior Gaming 