x1464

I’m so glad Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is actually good. Not just good, but great. I was genuinely terrified after Rune Factory 5, considering the execution and certain design decisions. But the differences are immediately visible, and getting invested in the adventure highlights how different and daring it is. There’s so much to this new game, especially with the new village development options, and it finally feels like we have a worthy successor to Rune Factory 4. 

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma begins with a battle before the two protagonist options Kaguya and Subaru. The one you picked is riding on a white dragon, while the opposing one is on a blight-spreading black one. During the assault, our avatar falls off. They awake in the Spring Village with amnesia. However, even so, they know they are an Earth Dancer and, with the aid of a flying mascot creature that resembles a small Wooly with horns named Woolby, becomes the one person capable of reviving the lands’ gods, restoring the flow of Runes, and saving everyone from the blight. 

I don’t want to say too much more, as I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone. However, I really appreciated how the Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma story goes. Even though it involves the trademark amnesiac protagonist the series is known for, Marvelous tackled it in such a way that I appreciate the choices made and eventual reveals. It also got me more invested in the adventure, as I prioritized campaign quests over enjoying farming and socializing with the bachelors I might marry.

As in past Rune Factory games, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma involves a mixture of a farming life sim with romance paired with JRPG style gameplay and village management. When in a town, you can interact with characters to befriend and romance them, build up a village, and farm. In addition to bachelors and bachelorettes being folks you can talk to, add to your party for the action-RPG adventures, and marry, the certain important NPCs in each village can be befriended and brought along as an ally. In addition to giving gifts, you can level up your social skills in the skill tree to make options like talking about certain topics, getting meals together, and visiting specific locations means of building up affinity with folks. Farming involves creating the right types of terrain with Woolby, then placing it so you can grow crops suited to the season represented by that village. 

As for the village development, I’m amazed at how compelling it is. Initially, it’s rather freeform. You get a plot in each place for placing fields for planting crops, putting down buildings for businesses or new NPC villager homes, and decorations. However, these elements can improve your avatar’s stats! You get experience for each village for things like number of crops grown or decorative scores! Villagers may be better suited for certain tasks, making swapping ones between cities advantageous to fill gaps in other locations. When villages level up, you can get more space, new recipes, and the freedom to build more. Not to mention, terraforming and deg things so they look pretty is fun. I found myself taking breaks from the main story because of it. Will this quest give me more stuff to shove on this barren plot of land? It will? Hook me up. I’ll cause a mass extinction event for a new kind of lantern for the cafe theme that gives me 0.05% more RP.

However, I will say that sometimes it feels like that is the priority over farming. There are a decent selection of crops, and more open up as you explore areas and find rarer seeds. However the structure is such that farming and caring for monsters don't feel like the focus. Rather, it's often like something you set up and then allow visitors to handle while you take part in the JRPG elements in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma.

When outside of a town, we find the action-RPG battles and open world exploration elements in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. Upon heading into the field, there will be jizo statues to tidy up, holes you can roll onigiri into to satisfy a mysterious being’s hunger, targets to hit with your bow and arrow, treasures to find, blight-striken spots to purify with certain Sacred Treasures, frog statues to visit for recipes, shrines to check in at for weapon recipes, hidden hot spring baths, and of course monsters to fight or eventually tame. Rather than actual dungeons, major encounters can involve heading to specific points in the world and dealing with bosses you find there. We gain access to a number of different weapon types, such as varying sorts of swords, and ranged options include a bow and arrow or talismans. The Sacred Treasures from gods involve in-battle uses, as well as making areas able or accessible. And when it comes to boss fights, which are replayable, these larger foes require hitting weaknesses with the right weapons or Sacred Treasure elements to break their guard to do greater damage.

It’s all usually satisfying, especially when it comes to unlocking access to new areas and getting new recipes. Though in the case of the Switch version, there are some issues. The blight involving a fire-spitting flower does experience some frame rate issues when viewed from a distance. There are frame rate problems for some enemies. A few technical hiccups come up in battle as well. I also did experience an occasional bug with the dual blades ultimate that involved my avatar spinning in place for a minute before things automatically corrected, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s patched. I do wish the light platforming wasn't so frustrating though, as there are some times when, even after getting the correct abilities, reaching spots to get last hidden secrets isn't much fun due to the struggle to find footholds and get there.

Heading up into the sky on the back of that white dragon discussed early also involves even more exploration opportunities. These floating islands can involve additional interactions and experiences. That can mean more recipes and side quests. Except in this case, I feel like it made my Earth Dancer character feel special. We can head up there, journeying to these unknown places. We can gain additional rewards because of it. It adds an additional sense of weight and depth to the nature of Azuma. 

But what I really appreciated about the adventuring is both how well it ties in to the range of side quests we collect and the variations we can use when building up a party of characters. All Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma romance options and major NPC characters can be talked to and befriended. Upon hitting the first rank of friendship, they become potential allies. Each one is tied to a different archetype, such as attacker, buffer, debuffer, healer, or tank. So, for example, we initially have characters like the Attacker Murasame, the Tank Iroha, the Healer Mauro, and Iroha’s little sister Suzu, who is a er. I loved how the game encouraged us to talk to everyone, rewarding us with allies for doing so. And since the social options assign the same level of weight to certain interactions that cost us time in place of gifts, we can save those items to sell to maintain our villages. 

Because yes, villages involve maintenance. The management portion involves ensuring healthy populations, money to folks, and happiness. We’re incentivized to care about them due to the quality of life elements. Typically, new seeds and items come from beating enemies, gathering in the wild, and crafting. Building up towns and placing shops, as well as leveling, means gaining access to more seeds we can use, recipes, and development options. Having villagers assigned to jobs like farming, herding monsters, logging, fishing, and mining gets us resources when we get busy with quests or don’t feel like caring for animals and crops.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma restored my faith in the series, thanks to its ambitious sense of scope. There are a lot of tasks to balance in this life sim, farming game, and JRPG, and it feels like there’s much more to do than in past Rune Factory entries. But the same time, it doesn't feel like each of them carries the same weight, as farming can take a backseat to socializing, exploring, and simulation elements. Village management feels more important than farming and caring for livestock, and heading out into the world or sky to explore yields some of more valuable materials and experiences. Rune Factory 4 is my favorite entry in the series, and I think Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is close to being its equal in some ways.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma will be available for the Switch, Switch 2, and PC on June 5, 2025. 

The post Review: Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Is a Return to Form appeared first on Siliconera.

Now that Yen Press’ run of the CLAMP Collection Tokyo Babylon manga is done, we once again get to see what happened to Subaru and Hokuto Sumeragi and Seishirou Sakurazuka. After all, volume 7 is dedicated completely to the major reveals and 

Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for the Tokyo Babylon manga ending below. 265a2d

Throughout Tokyo Babylon, CLAMP keeps hinting at things not being exactly right. Seishirou engages in suspicious behavior that proves he not only has his own supernatural abilities and awareness, but may be an onmyouji on par with Subaru. Subaru constantly wears gloves he never takes off. There are times when we’ll see him think back to a childhood memory with a mysterious person. Hokuto seems especially aware of something to do with Seishirou, yet pushes him and her brother together. Once we start to get into later volumes, Seishirou’s activities become more blatant, and we start hearing about the Sakura Zukamori assassin. 

So Tokyo Babylon volume 7 is completely dedicated to giving us answers, yet with the ending also leaving us completely lost with new questions. The bet between Seishirou and Subaru? It’s completely revealed. Seishirou met Subaru when both of them were young and Subaru saw him committing one of his assassinations. Seishirou marked the boy as a possible victim, saying once they’d meet again that Subaru would have one year to get him to fall in love with him. If he failed, Seishirou would kill him. If he succeeded, he’d get to live. But Seishirou claims he failed, and we’re confronted with a scene that’s blatant torture. 

Considering the violence we’ve seen throughout Tokyo Babylon, which affected both Subaru and Seishirou in the past, this in itself isn’t shocking. Especially paired with CLAMP being realistic and showing the effect of this latest encounter on Subaru after the fact. He’s comatose. Completely broken. His mind and body is devastated after Seishirou completely revealed who he is. There’s no immediate recovery. We witness exactly how brutal it all was. 

These moments before the end also provide an opportunity for us to see the healthier loving relationships around Subaru. We know at this point that, age difference not withstanding, the primary pairing here is extremely toxic. But Subaru is initially saved because of an act of love and sacrifice by his grandmother. She resorted to extreme lengths to snatch him away from Seishirou, paying a price in the process. Then Hokuto, his twin sister, sets out as a secondary sacrifice to assure his safety after the previous encounter that left him broken. 

But more importantly, we don’t get to know what’s next. We only know what happened to Hokuto because of CLAMP’s narrative and Subaru’s ability. We don’t see him meet Seishirou again in the ending of volume 7 of the Tokyo Babylon manga. We don’t see the inevitable weeks and months it takes him to recover. We even don’t see him pick up the pieces. We only see him end up assisting on a final “case” to show that even after everything that happened, he’s still using his onmyouji abilities to help others.

I also think the fact that X/1999 remains unfinished helps the Tokyo Babylon ending stand out even further at this point. CLAMP got to offer us some resolution. Further confrontations between Subaru and Seishiro appear, as they meet again. Hokuto is referenced, and we get closure regarding that spell only she could use. But at the same time, we don’t get to know what becomes of Subaru. He still doesn’t get an ending.

The Tokyo Babylon ending still hits me every time I read it, even years later. There’s no mercy in this final volume. CLAMP set up a tragedy, leaving little clues along the way. Some more obvious than others, of course. There’s no closure here. No happy ending. Just like real life, things don’t come together perfectly. Instead, we see how different choices we’ve made and people we let in permanently affect our lives even after a short time together. And, because the follow-up work remains unfinished, we just never get to really know what happened to Subaru at the end.

All seven volumes of the CLAMP Collection Tokyo Babylon manga are available via Yen Press.

The post The Tokyo Babylon Ending Remains Striking Over 30 Years Later appeared first on Siliconera.

So Takahashi from the Bike Shop, a shojo slice-of-life manga from Arare Matsumushi, is one of those love stories that you can settle in, enjoy, and get cozy with due to how low-key it is. Yes, there’s some anxiety about the relationship in the first volume as characters define things and Panko gets used to Ryouhei. However, by the end of it and throughout the second volume, we’re seeing a strong foundation being built between a couple that could really work. 

Editor’s Note: There are some mild spoilers for volume 2 of the Takahashi from the Bike Shop manga below. s5s2l

The end of the first volume of Takahashi from the Bike Shop and start of the second volume of the manga mainly focuses on how Panko is overthinking things and adjusting to the new potential relationship and her feelings. Like clearly, she’s now dating Ryouhei. There are mutual feelings that are obvious to Ryouhei and the reader. But she’s just taking a moment. Which is relatable and fine! It happens. Where Matsumushi takes a turn from other shojo manga is that this doesn’t get stretched out to a full, uncomfortable volume or two of “will they or won’t they” moments. Instead, Panko realizes at work while fantasizing and shutting down a jerk coworker that yes, she likes him, and she wants to date him. 

This means when she does go out with Ryouhei again, following a meal with her work friend Kimi and her partner Suruga, there’s no ambiguity. The new couple defines what they are. They enjoy their time together. He notices she’s a bit upset about an change. She treats him to a shirt he wanted. It’s just comfortable and pleasant to see a couple who is behaving in such a healthy, mature manner. 

Honestly, I also love how mature Takahashi from the Bike Shop is, but how the manga approaches even serious situations in a cozy and comfortable manner. Panko sees people misjudging Ryouhei or treating people unfairly, and she starts speaking up because of the influence of her new boyfriend. I mean, I’d even consider it as her realizing it doesn’t matter what people think of her. Only the opinions of folks who count, like him and her friend Kimi. She’s 30! Who cares about them! Do what makes her happy! And, in turn, reading that makes me happy. 

This extends to another situation. There’s something of a tragedy that happens at the end of the second volume of Takahashi from the Bike Shop. Ryouhei completely steps up and volunteers to help Panko and her mother. Even though it means he needs to go out of his way, as well as encounter a traumatic situation of his own. He goes all out for his partner and his kindness makes something sad a little more bearable. Then, in turn, Panko comforts him in her own way. They’re able to be there for each other.

Maybe it’s because Panko is an older protagonist or due to the fact that this is a slice-of-life manga with so little drama, but Takahashi from the Bike Shop is a shojo series that makes me feel all cozy and happy. Both Panko and Ryouhei are pretty secure individuals by the time we get to the second volume. She’s still way more anxious about things than he is, so he’s coming across as the more mature one. But we get a sense that this is a real partnership with both people invested in, helping out, respecting, and caring for each other. It’s refreshingly mature and grown-up about things.

Volumes 1 and 2 of Takahashi from the Bike Shop are available now via Yen Press, and volume 3 of the manga will debut on October 28, 2025. 

The post Takahashi from the Bike Shop Is My Current Cozy Manga appeared first on Siliconera.

I’m constantly bombarded with ads from manga apps with shojo series, like Emaqi and Manga Plaza, taunting me with a few pages from a Cinderella story series about a black sheep twin or stepsister who meets the best man who recognizes her for the diamond in the rough she is. Some of these types of stories can be great in their own right due to certain takes on the genre, like Bride of the Barrier Master. Now that we’re five volumes deep into the My Happy Marriage manga, I keep being reminded how its the superior series when it comes to characters, handling of sensitive topics, and actual relationship development.  

Editor’s Note: There will be some minor spoilers for early volumes of the My Happy Marriage manga below. 12423z

The first reason I feel like My Happy Marriage is the superior Cinderella story manga is because the start is exactly that. Miyo Saimori’s the elder daughter who is pushed aside in favor of her stepsister due to not possessing a Gift and the marriage between her father and mother being essentially a political one. She’s engaged to Kiyoka Kudo, a person with a powerful gift who is also head of the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit and rich. He’s as close as a prince as we can get in this period piece. Because she’s so kind, humble, considerate, and unlike any fiance ever forced on him, he ends up seeing exactly who she is and realizing how special she is. And because this is a manga based on a light novel, there’s ample characterization to make him appealing too.

Also important is how Miyo is depicted throughout My Happy Marriage compared to the Cinderella fairy tale and other shojo manga. Miyo went through hell in her family home. She was abused. Throughout the first two volumes, we see her responses to that. She hides the fact that she has so little clothing and is working to make what she has last. She apologizes too much. She goes out of her way to not cause trouble. Don’t make requests. Don’t make mistakes. Don’t make assumptions. It might almost seem like overkill sometimes to see someone trip over herself so much to keep out of others’ ways. However, if you ever were in her position or knew someone who was, it comes across as quite realistic. It isn’t like other shojo manga that involves a heroine more quickly getting over years of abuse because now she’s got a normal life where she’s potentially pampered and loved. She’s very much in recovery.

I also appreciate that Kiyoka’s approach to the situation feels equally realistic. He tries to be patient and kind. He reaches out to her. He sets up gifts in such a way to possibly encourage her accepting them and not feeling guilty about doing so. He has his housekeeper Yurie reach out to her and her. But at the same time, there are moments in later volumes of the manga in which even he gets frustrated. Which happens! Even if you care about someone, it could be easy to get impatient about the time table for recovery not being what you’d expect. 

The fact that Miyo keeps growing throughout My Happy Marriage and her own development as a person isn’t sidelined for the sake of the more romantic elements in this shojo manga and immediately resolved Cinderella story is encouraging as well. By the time the fourth volume hits, we’re aware of her capabilities. But this isn’t a blessing. All gifts are shown to have their own trade-offs, and in her case being untrained is leading to negative experiences that exacerbate her PTSD reflected throughout the story. This means as we lead into the fifth volume, we’re hitting a point at which her own character development is going to be prioritized. As a result, I feel like we’re seeing her feelings for Kiyoka coming through more clearly and better understanding her own power.

I love My Happy Marriage so much, and I’m so glad Square Enix Books picked it up, as the manga ended up being one of the best period piece Cinderella style stories out there. It feels like one of the best written “underdog” tales in a sea of manga about twin sisters who supposedly aren’t the gifted ones, but actually are, and end up with a too-good-to-be-true fiance who realizes exactly how amazing they are and fights off their jealous family. Here we see things like PTSD acknowledged. We watch personal growth between characters. Difficulties surrounding supernatural abilities are addressed, so they don’t seem all wonderful. Plus the actual relationship between Miyo and Kiyoka feels as though it is developing in as health a manner as it can, given the circumstances. It’s a wonderful shojo manga. 

Volumes 1-5 of the My Happy Marriage manga adaptation are available via Square Enix, and both seasons of the shojo anime are on Netflix.

The post My Happy Marriage Is the Best Cinderella Story Series appeared first on Siliconera.

Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping brings us back to the world introduced in Duck Detective: The Secret Salami and, well, it’s exactly what you’d expect the adventure game to be. This is a short, bite-sized adventure with colorful characters, and it ends it feeling rather cozy due to it being a rather laid back approach to sometimes low stakes mysteries. It’s a good thing! Not every title needs to be a 40-hour epic, and Happy Broccoli Games again created a captivating story to savor over the course of an afternoon.

Eugene McQuacklin, who I’ll just go ahead and call Duck Detective from here on out since everyone else does, is down on his luck as the sequel begins. He’s living in Freddy Frederson’s spare room, still is addicted to bread, and his ex-wife wants nothing to do with him and won’t return his calls. He can’t wallow, however, as Freddy is dragging him on a glamping trip with his new girlfriend to grounds near a potentially haunted asylum. (He already paid for it!) Forced along, the detective finds either ghosts or haunting the area, or there’s a decidedly more dastardly explanation for unsettling behavior. It’s up to us to investigate again.

Aside from Freddy, the alligator that got Duck Detective goat’s in the first game, tagging along, Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping proceeds pretty much identically to the first game. A mystery will arise. You’ll need to put together deducktions, based on observations, interviewing people, and interacting with the environment, to get topics to feed into a Mad-Libs style statement figuring out what happened. Solving one mystery opens up the next, advancing the story and granting access to new areas.

What I loved about Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping that is unique to this entry is honestly the increased interactions with Freddy. The Duck Detective is a prickly sort of character that feels plucked from a noir novella and dumped into what is, at a glance, an adorable world that includes a lot of quirky characters. By adding Freddy as a more present foil, we get to appreciate the ways in which this more goofy, nerdy, and typical person interacts with this serious investigator.

However, I also appreciate that despite being cozy, The Ghost of Glamping continues the tradition of Duck Detective actually including some dark and mature themes just like The Secret Salami. While it’s played for laughs and silliness since it is just bread, the titular detective does have an addiction. His relationship with his former lover is an issue. There are not-great people here trying to take advantage of and hurt others. 

Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping offers more of the same and, in the case of this series, that’s exactly what Happy Broccoli Games should be doing. It’s a welcome addition to our gaming libraries! The characters are still incredibly entertaining. The gameplay is sound. The narrative is engaging. It feels like another episode of something we all already agreed that we enjoyed, and I appreciate the relief of knowing there’s a consistent series that will regularly deliver a certain type of enjoyable adventure for an evening.

Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is available for the Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. 

The post Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping Builds on the Original Game appeared first on Siliconera.

Anyone else ever worry when a game gets delayed, then delayed again, then delayed even further? I do. It completely shakes my confidence. Especially when the developer behind it hasn’t launched a lot of titles recently and talks ing AI when making things. Simply put, Fantasy Life ended up being one of my absolute favorite 3DS games, and I was terrified about Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time after the delays and the disaster that was Fantasy Life Online. 

I didn’t need to be. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is amazing. My only concern is perhaps maybe that Level-5 tries to do too much with it, but even then it is easy to just… ignore the elements you don’t care for as much and focus on the ones you do. There are like three games worth of games in Fantasy Life i, and all of them are good.

When I say there’s so much to Fantasy Life i, that applies to the story too. Our avatar is an archeologist working alongside Edward to investigate a mysterious dragon skeleton that led their crew to an island spot. Except upon reaching an unusual place, it means the fossil awakens to become Skelegon. So in the past, we’re investigating Mysteria in the past, our home base hub on the outskirts of depths with a mysterious gear somewhere inside in the present, and an additional major landmass known as Ginormosia. Each place has its own mysteries, not to mention gameplay elements, and they all feed into each other.

The Mysteria past location in Fantasy Life i feels most like a traditional action-RPG and Fantasy Life game. Here’s where you’ll pick up the 14 lives. Four of them are classic RPG class roles, which are Hunter (archer), Magician, Mercenary, and Paladin. These are used for the action-RPG combat segments. The gathering jobs are Angler, Farmer, Miner, and Woodcutter, which are tied to fishing, getting crops, mining rocks and ore, and getting wood. Those directly feed into the crafting lives, which are the Alchemist, Artist, Blacksmith, Carpenter, and Tailor. The alchemist can make potions, some accessories, and mounts, the artist works on home decorations, the blacksmith makes weapons and equipment, the carpenter makes furniture, and the tailor makes some decorations and clothing. And since the best way to get equipment for your combat classes is via the Alchemist, Blacksmith, and Tailor roles, all that feeds into each other again. Artist and Farmer are the new roles this time around and, as such, need to be unlocked by actually going through the campaign quests. 

When going through the campaign, tied mostly to the Mysteria part in the past and our hub in the present, it means following storylines that send you to different locations. In the past, you’ll work alongside Rem to go to different islands in Mysteria from the main hub of Eternia, which is your base in the present. There aren’t really traditional dungeons here, as instead you’ll go through woods, caves, fields, and other locations. These will be filled with gathering points for those types of jobs, enemies to fight, and even “bosses” for the combat and gathering roles. For example, a “boss” for a miner might be a major elemental crystal or for a woodcutter would be a tree with angel wings. Aside from having more health than usual, these “foes” will change their weak point, forcing you to search for the “sweet spot” to deal damage when “attacking” to gather. Naturally, there will be enemy bosses as well, which could be a real boss or a bigger and more adept version of lesser foes around you. 

However, interestingly enough, our base in the present time in Fantasy Life i involves Animal Crossing types of elements. There’s terraforming, to determine how it all looks. We have villagers of sorts, in the restored Strangelings from Ginormosia and the main campaign. We get a home that we can customize. It is based on 24-hour, real world time for flower, crop, and resource gathering. There’s even relationship-building with these allies, which unlocks additional traits and bonuses for when they you while adventuring in the world or crafting. Yes, if you’re not playing with folks online, you can have up to three in your party for adventures at any time. They’ll help when you fight enemies! When you’re gathering, they’ll offer buffs for you, debuffs on the target, or even in if they share that job. Whenever you craft, you can add folks who share that role to the task to boost your skill level and get a possible bonus. 

There’s also open-world style exploring. Like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, heading to Ginormosia means finding towers that unlock new views of the map, conquering shrines with different sorts of challenges to get Strangelings that can be restored into villagers for your hub, more gathering opportunities, enemies to challenge, and even villages to save, as well as additional insights into the overarching story and major characters you’ll encounter in them. And you can jump into this area at any time! It’s even encouraged, since fast traveling back and forth can reset resources in certain areas or make it easier to find certain foes for tasks. However, I noticed that facing enemies in these spots seemed to trigger bugs where suddenly foes will be temporarily invincible, due to being outside their range or getting stuck on different “levels” or “elements” of the environment. That usually rectifies itself after a few seconds. 

The funny thing about Fantasy Life i is, while this is a game that absolutely involves grinding, it never feels like a grind. It respects your time in so many ways. Do you need resources? Once you can bring in NPC allies or work together with other players, it takes far less time to get the materials you need and ends up being more fun. Worried about that crafting minigame? Get enough experience and you can automatically skip it by unlocking certain abilities in the skill tree and adding allies. Need money? There are folks in the past who will offer sidequests with helpful rewards. Getting a lot of Celestia flowers? You can put those toward items in a shop in the present. Ginormosia is getting too easy? Rank things up at a tower. Don’t like how you look? You can change it at any time in the present and “buy” new catalogs to add additional cosmetic options. Just want access to the new jobs without the tutorial quests? You can skip them. Happen upon a gathering spot, group of enemies, or crafting table that needs a job you don’t have equipped? It automatically swaps to the one you need at a push of a button. Want to forge some equipment when you’re in a restaurant with cooking equipment? Any workbench offers access to all crafting Lives’ actions. By finding other people to play with, unlocking Strangeling allies from Ginormosia, and unlocking certain nodes in the skill trees for each job, you can basically customize elements of the experience to your liking. 

There’s also a sense of freedom that comes from reaching certain points in the Fantasy Life i story. Once I got access to Ginormosia, I immediately unlocked all the towers, found all the shrines, and made sure I restored a Strangeling from each crafting and gathering class. After I got the Farmer role unlocked, I spent a lot of time leveling Lives, finishing sidequests, and starting to work on my own little town. It’s like open-world games in that way, as you get this sense of freedom to do what you want and prioritize the elements you enjoy. Yes, you unlock more recipes, Lives, and locations if you follow the campaign. But if you take your time, you’ll find just as much to do without advancing things.

The only real issue I noticed is that Fantasy Life i has a real issue on handheld gaming PCs. This is a problem not only I noticed, but someone else I consulted with as well. It plays amazingly well on high settings! …Until you enter a cutscene. Then everything slows to a crawl. The only way I managed to solve it was to drop down to medium settings, then play around with all of the other features like shadows, anti-aliasing, and such until I found a combination that worked. Once you do go through that, I found it works perfectly and still looks fantastic, so it’s more of a potentially temporary annoyance than anything. 

Again, minor hiccups aside, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is amazing. There's so much to it, and it is easy to prioritize the elements you like best. There’s an endless wealth of content and options, and you could probably spend months enjoying every element. The original Fantasy Life is one of the best 3DS games, and now Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is one of the best titles we’ll see on the Switch and PC. Since Level-5 also confirmed there will be DLC, I also wonder if we’ll see it get even better.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is available for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and it will also come to the Switch 2. 

The post Review: Fantasy Life i Turned Out Incredible appeared first on Siliconera.

Strange Scaffold proved itself quite an unusual developer, due to doing unconventional and narratively interesting things with titles like Clickolding and Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3. TMNT: Tactical Takedown is an opportunity to do that with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IP, and it’s surprising just how creative the team got to be. While I do think it isn’t for everyone, due to the way the narrative forces the direction of early encounters and the initial difficulty, but it is a delightful challenge once someone gets settled.

As established ahead of launch, TMNT: Tactical Takedown is set after some definitive events that resulted in both Splinter and Shredder’s deaths. The turtles have grown up a bit, which means they’re on their own paths. For example, at the outset Raphael is sharing an apartment with Casey Jones. However, Karai, the new leader of the Foot Clan, invades with a horde of units to invade the sewer stronghold, recover Shredder’s kabuto, and defeat the turtles. It’s up to the quartet to reunite, regroup, and fight back.

While I do appreciate the direction TMNT: Tactical Takedown takes, I wish the initial approach and introduction worked differently. When the game starts, we following Michelangelo as he starts investigating the Foot Clan incursion into the sewers. Things start with some tutorial style segments showing how each action, be it to move a turtle, deal damage, or move an enemy, uses one some of the up to six points each turtle gets per turn. It also brings up how we get six hearts, losing one for each hit of damage, and that we can only revive twice per level. It shows how stage mutations are designed to encourage forward movement toward goals, with new sections opening up on turns and existing ones disappearing to force you forward. 

However, the downside to this is there are moments when I felt the forced “narrative” direction for levels and Strange Scaffold’s “guiding” us through a level doesn’t allow for as much strategic experimentation. At the outset, Michelangelo, then his brothers, end up overwhelmed by Karai and her soldiers. While I appreciate the structure and concept, it makes it difficult to really experiment and understand characters’ initial movesets. You’re tossed in and not given a chance to experiment with unique movement options, since you need to use skills to get around the field, and test the additional effects that come from proper positioning around foes. The constant movement of the battlefield and overwhelming hordes of enemies also impart a sense of urgency that I felt prevented me from really getting my bearings until I’d actually used three of the turtles. 

Once the turtles start to get their bearings and properly fight back, it feels like Strange Scaffold gets TMNT Tactical Takedown on more solid footing. After you’re able to access the shop and start customizing movesets, I feel like it really opens up and feels fantastic. That extra element of control makes the execution shine. See, I feel like TMNT Tactical Takedown can sometimes feel like Fights in Tight Spaces and Knights in Tight Spaces. Because of the mutation mechanic, a stage might be a more contained area at parts. Knocking an enemy that is especially strong out of bounds might be a wiser choice than outright attacking. Prioritizing attacks and movements based on energy you have left becomes critical. It can be about dealing with the most hazardous opponents first or attempting to use AOE or enemy moment skills for crowd control. 

This is complemented by what ends up being a genuinely fascinating Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story, as Strange Scaffold really goes some places with TMNT Tactical Takedown. First, a more futuristic look at what happens with the brothers is a novel approach. The team also did a fantastic job of implementing different characters from the series’ run, including major and minor ones and using them well. I appreciate the decision to split characters up both so we can better focus on what they're capable of on their own in levels and see who they are as individuals in this new installment.

I also love the visual approach. TMNT Tactical Takedown looks like a tabletop RPG. All ally and enemy units look like miniatures, and they’re dropped down on the field and move in ways that resemble those types of actions. The aesthetic is maintained for setpieces and maps too. It suits the situations so well!

TMNT: Tactically Takedown is a delightfully challenging game, once you get settled and accustomed to the pace. It does involve quite a bit of adjustment as the story gets started. I wish there was perhaps a bit more of an opportunity to be introduced to movesets or experiment as a result. But after a few hours spent getting accustomed to the nuances, you’ll find this 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown is available for the PC via Steam. 

The post Review: TMNT Tactical Takedown Gets Great After You Settle in appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix surprised us by turning a Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis April Fools’ Day 2025 joke into a full alternate universe (AU) high school themed event called FFVII Ever Crisis Academy Seven: Episode - Brawler. Siliconera was able to briefly talk to Producer Shoichi Ichikawa about the storyline and characters, as well as how the event came to be.

Jenni Lada: How did you come up with the concept for the Ever Crisis Academy Seven FFVII Ever Crisis high school AU scenario? Did you always know it would be a real event?

Shoichi Ichikawa:  Initially, it came from the younger of the development team who voiced their desire to do a school-themed event.

One of the strengths of this title lies in its unique standing as a Live Ops game that takes on new endeavors that would be difficult to achieve in the original FFVII, such as seasonal events and gear, so we consulted [Tetsuya] Nomura-san and made this idea a reality.

For the story, we first worked on a single illustration, and from there, the two base concepts were formed: “Midgard Seventh High School,” a high school for delinquents where Cloud and his group belongs, and “Shinra Private Academy,” an elite school where Sephiroth and his group belongs.

How did you determine which characters would participate in the Ever Crisis Academy Seven FFVII Ever Crisis high school event? 

Ichikawa: We started with the three characters Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa, and gradually expanded the concept as we mused, “If Barret is a part of it, then perhaps he'd be like...” For Midgard Seventh High School, we picked characters who would be key players in the scenario, while Shinra Private Academy would be composed of of Shinra.

Aerith gets to be a sukeban (a girl version of a Japanese bancho character and delinquent youth) as leader of Team Cetra in this FFVII Ever Crisis event. What led to this depiction of the heroine? And how did you decide to adjust her personality accordingly? 

Ichikawa: This was a playful idea on the part of the staff.

Tifa is an honor student and Cloud/Zack are delinquents, so while we were wondering what we should do with Aerith, the art team proposed a rough sketch of Aerith as a sukeban. 

It was visually impactful but also showed a side that was very Aerith-like, such as her fondness for flowers, and we thought we could depict the relationship between Zack and Aerith that is unique to this world setting.

A few characters, such as Cid, Vincent, and Yuffie, ended up left out for this Ever Crisis Academy FFVII Ever Crisis scenario. Were there any ideas for them that didn’t make it into the final event? 

Ichikawa: Yes, there were many different ideas. I am hoping that we will be able to introduce other characters in some form in the future as well.

Do you have any messages about the future of the game?

Ichikawa: Thank you for playing Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis!

We are truly encouraged to see everyone enjoying the game and posting on social media.

This time, we took on the endeavor of developing Ever Crisis Academy Seven, consisting of content that would be quite a challenge to realize in the original FFVII.

We will continue to develop new content and explore various themes for Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, so please keep an eye out for future updates.

Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis is available for the PC and mobile devices, and the FFVII Ever Crisis Academy Seven high school AU event and banners will run until May 28, 2025. 

The post Interview: Preparing the FFVII Ever Crisis Academy Event appeared first on Siliconera.

Labubu basically ended up being the pop culture fad going into 2025, with Kasing Lung’s The Monsters designs resulting in different kinds of merchandise based on the characters, and shockingly enough One Piece is a part of it. While the only one with plush elements are the 400% and 1,000% Mega Labubu of Chopper, with the hat being soft fabric, Pop Mart also released PVC, ABS figures of the Straw Hat crew. While I do think the ideal target audience for the collection is going to be people already interested in Labubu, the design and execution is such that I think people who love One Piece might be interested it for the depiction of some of the cast.

Okay, so to start, the Pop Mart The Monsters One Piece collection is a blind box situation, but it is possible to avoid getting repeat characters by making sure you only get Labubu figures from the same box. This is because each unopened box includes a full set of 12. However, the caveat is that this set is actually made up of 13 total, as the secret one is a Gear 5 version of Luffy. Odds of getting it are 1/144. So most likely someone will just get the full, standard crew of Straw Hats or those considered allies in a box. It basically covers up through the Whole Cake Island Arc, if you don’t count the Gear 5 figure. 

In of style and size, the characters are all very uniform. This does mean they aren’t realistic and to scale in any way. Like Chopper being the same size as Franky sort of proves that. However, there is about the same care and effort put into each one, which I appreciated. Their poses all seem realistic and based on attacks or actions in the anime and manga. The standard Luffy one is about to unleash Gomu Gomu no Mi. Sanji is in the midst of a Diable Jambe attack. Nami comes with a (removable) Clima-Tact in the midst of an electrical attack. There are special uses of glossy paint or transparent parts for certain effects, such as Franky and Robin’s sunglasses. Also, when characters arrive, the packing involves foam for more delicate parts, such as Usopp’s slingshot, Jinbe’s ponytail, and the neck of Brook’s guitar, to ensure they aren’t damaged in transit. All of the bases are also individual Berry coins with specialized parts to ensure they grip characters properly. So while Zoro’s coin has no parts, there are pegs on ones for folks like Sanji and slats that fit into Jinbe’s geta. 

I also mentioned that certain people feature extra accessories. as accents, and you could honestly sort of pose them with or without them. The One Piece characters with extra parts in this The Monsters Labubu figures line are Law, Nami, Sabo, and Sanji. Out of those, I feel like you could honestly display any without their extra accent or weapon, though with Nami it’s a bit of a stretch. Her Clima-Tact, the fire on Sanji’s foot, Sabo’s pipe, and Law’s Kikoku are all separate parts, in some cases with additional paint jobs or translucent elements. All of them fit well into the figures’ hands, so they are pretty stable once in place for display. They’re nice little accents that set the characters apart, and I sort of wish Robin came with extra hands to showcase her Devil Fruit ability since she is in a pose that suggests she is using it. 

Honestly, the Labubu Robin figure is the only one in the One Piece The Monsters set that I didn’t really like. Yes, it is cool that she has translucent sunglasses on her head. However, her pose isn’t as expressive as other characters, the nature of it means we don’t see as much of her costume as the the rest of the set, and it generally doesn’t feel as detailed. Everyone else has a lot more personality to them, which I appreciated.

The funny thing is, I actually think the Brook one is one of my favorites even though it features no real The Monsters or Labubu accents. There are no signature ears. The skull doesn’t feature the pointy teeth in place of the standard ones. The only thing that suggests he’s part of the line are the proportions. Even so, it really just looks adorable and very true to the character, and I appreciate that.

Okay, scratch that. My actual favorite is Franky. I really don’t care about the character when he shows up in One Piece games or other adaptations. He’s just sort of there. But I do appreciate how the Labubu figure version of him in this The Monsters line features a little bit of articulation. You can move his arms up and down, and I really like that extra bit of whimsy.

People’s mileage may vary when it comes to the Pop Mart The Monsters One Piece figures of characters as Labubu. The designs are well-thought out and made, I will say. And some of them are especially neat due to extra accessories or posing elements. They are quite cute and, since there is the One Piece connection, they’ll be relevant even when the fad wears out. Especially in the case of the extra cute Franky, Brook, or Chopper ones. I do wish maybe some characters had a bit more to them, like Robin, but in general they’re fun.

The Monsters One Piece figures that turn characters into Labubu are available in single blind boxes or in a full box of 12. The anime is streaming on services like Crunchyroll and Netflix. The live-action adaptation is on Netflix. Viz Media handles the manga outside Japan. 

The post The Monsters One Piece Figures Make Characters Labubu appeared first on Siliconera.

I’ve mentioned before how in early Oshi no Ko manga volumes and anime episodes, it seems to focus on Aqua and his development, and it’s only around volume 9 that we Ruby starts to steal the show. The 10th volume builds on that in a way that’s honestly a little terrifying. We see the full extent of her plans from the previous volume to now and the effects of those actions, as well as her brother’s response, and it shows exactly how brilliant, devious, and powerful she can be.

Editor’s Note: There will be minor spoilers for the first few three chapters of the 10th volume of the Oshi no Ko manga below. 2o4n1u

Things start out with a new episode of the show Dig Deep, which features Aqua as a host and Ruby as a reporter, dealing with the cosplay incident and flaming of the show from the previous volume. Because of the director Tetsu Urushibara’s decisions, a cosplayer was treated abominably, people who were supposed to be on the show had no warning about changes, and approval wasn’t gotten from Abiko Samejima for Tokyo Blade usage. However, while that all went wrong and people’s reputations were hurt and livelihoods threatened, we start with Ruby about to benefit. She orchestrated the proposal for handling it on the show, with her hosting the “interviews” to explain how it all went wrong.

From the outset, it seems like a fantastic way to make amends. The director apologizes. The show explains how it happens. The wronged cosplayer who sicced her thousands of followers on the show and started the hate campaign gets a chance to speak up. Abiko is able to talk about her project and why she’s protective. It seems like everything went right and Ruby gets some attention in the process.

But we see that Aqua understood what Ruby orchestrated, and he brings up up after the episode recording in Oshi no Ko. He can tell she had a hand, but asks when she started it all. It’s then that, like a James Bond villain, we see exactly how brilliant she is. She realized she didn’t want to wait for the assistant director Shun Yoshizumi to climb the ranks so she could get more work. So she used the flaws she observed in Dig Deep, formulated a plan to ruin the direct, pulled in a cosplayer known for leaks and unleashing a toxic community, and put everything together to force a situation where the already established director Urushibara owes her. She forces her way up the ladder quickly, rather than the more gradual and slow way Aqua did. He looks more and more shocked as she explains, and we get this greater sense of appreciation of how observant she was, how she watched people, the decisions she made, and how she ensured she had the cosplayer, director, assistant director, and audience all on her side by the end.

The thing it comes down to is collateral damage. When Aqua schemed in Oshi no Ko, it felt like it ended up being more targeted endeavors. During the Love for Real incident with Akane, he convinces people to work together for a good cause. When he’s taking part in the Tokyo Blade stage play, it’s to reach one specific person and get information from people tied to a certain group. His climb through the ranks of the entertainment industry isn’t about his personal gain, really. It’s about getting clues and insight to find Ai’s killer. His climb doesn’t tear anyone down and, while he does get Akane on his side along the way, the relationship he builds don’t seem to involve exploitation.

With Ruby, she’s more ruthless once she decides she learned what happened to Gorou Amamiya and sets her sights on advancing as quickly as possible. She’s willing to manufacture situations to play people to her advantage. Yes, in this instance she does “fix” things in the end. But the only person who is better off at the end is herself. Also, in so doing, it gives the impression she’s somewhat alienating herself from others. While Aqua did detach from Kana, which he established is a purposeful action to ensure what happened to Ai never happens to her and protects her, he also didn’t set things up to benefit. Ruby is cunning, enraged, and determined enough to do that.

In a way, I think only now getting to see Ruby in this way in Oshi no Ko, especially after Aqua did much of his scheming in early volumes, makes for a more interesting comparison. It makes the lengths she went to and the way she behaved as a mastermind more impressive and terrifying than it might have been otherwise. Likewise, seeing Aqua’s response to the realization that Ruby is willing to go so far is a major moment.

Oshi no Ko volume 10 debuts on May 27, 2025, and Yen Press will release volume 11 of the manga on August 26, 2025. The anime is on Hidive. 

The post Ruby Can Be Scarier Than Aqua in Oshi no Ko appeared first on Siliconera.

I love Playdate games that don’t use the crank. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate titles that do use it in inventive ways. But I also like when developers experiment with the limited palette, screen dimensions, and size of the system to approach other genres in unusual ways. Most notably, I’ve really appreciated the range of adventure games showing up on the Playdate over the last year, as the range of options gets diverse, engaging, and inclusive.

I first realized how much I enjoyed the various adventures that did show up on Playdate once I played the game Echoes of Emergent. It’s a gorgeous visual novel from RNG Party Games that essentially accomplishes miracles with the limited color palette of the handheld. The post-apocalyptic story follows a woman named Ayumi as she comes to with what happened and what’s next. I was stunned by how gorgeous and the realism the developer accomplished with it, as well as the touching story. It’s so engaging, and the minimalism helps make the tale stand out even more.

This feeling of the handheld working well with the genre ended up solidified with Terratopia: March of the Demon King. Kodiak Games’ adventure feels like a hybrid of the old school, first-person RPGs and point-and-click adventure games, given its perspective and approach. You assist a princess in preparing to defend a kingdom. This means investigation, interacting with people around you, learning more about the world, and training so you can fight back. It’s clever and I felt encouraged to explore, especially since it features such a fun script.

As I mentioned earlier, some of these Playdate adventure games seem to be getting extra inclusive too. One of the most obvious examples being Julie and Anders Bjørnskov’s Escape the Boardgame. It’s an escape room adventure that involves getting out of board games after being mysteriously shrunk down to the size of their pieces. It’s a follow-up to their previous title Escape the Arcade, and both tie together nostalgia, family-friendly situations, and puzzles that anyone of any age and skill level can enjoy. 

But all this is really exemplified by just how much is showing up to enhance the library of adventure games on the Playdate as of late. I picked up Wegiout of curiosity, even though I’m usually not as interested in horror adventures, and found Pixel Addict Games and Keith Baker, and found it even darkly funny sometimes! Hundred Rabbits’exploration and puzzle game Oquonie caught my eye because it is so detailed and features such unique characters and rooms, and I loved finding a way through a world where I didn’t know the language. Even though Hablet, from PiousPigeon, is more of a simulation, I also feel like the nature of visiting daily and interacting with The Concierge as I build up the town almost feels like I’m on my own adventure when I play. 

I feel like the adventure games on the Playdate really highlight other creative things developers can accomplish with the handheld. We know the crank is fun and can do neat things. But with various adventure games showing up on the handheld, we see how folks are taking advantage of its other unique features to tell stories in unusual ways.

Panic’s Playdate is available now, and Season 2 of games for it debuts on May 29, 2025. 

The post Playdate Is Proving to Be a Home for Adventure Games appeared first on Siliconera.

One of Square Enix’s most recent releases is On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance, a slice-of-life manga series that explores identity and relationships while also celebrating people expressing themselves through fashion. It’s interesting from the outset, with the first volume both establishing how Akira Hanku and Sotaro Amata express themselves at work and at home and showing their possible relationship. They even respect each other completely, each appreciating the other’s style! It seems promising, but what I think I’m starting to appreciate most is Shinnosuke Kanazawa’s art.

Editor’s Note: There will be minor spoilers for volume 1 of the On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance manga. 6tc1t

The thing about On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance is that it is both a celebration of two people unabashedly embracing styles they like, dressing in ways that make them feel comfortable, and being proud of that in their personal lives. Because they each embrace a different aesthetic, it means Shinnosuke Kanazawa gets to go all out on Rococo style Lolita dresses and elaborate punk designs. 

We see Sotaro’s Lolita style first, and it’s handled with so much care in both the initial introduction and all ensuing ones. First, we get a shots of specific elements of an outfit, like the detailed heels with matching stockings, a bonnet with a pigtail hairstyle, and lace on the cuffs of a dress’ sleeves. When the full-body shot appears, there’s focus on every ruffle and insert s highlighting bows. Different angles are presented, so we can appreciate how the outfit is put together. And because Sotaro is shopping, we also get to see additional pieces. Even proper terminology and slang is used, with “Cha-Lolita” used for Classic Lolita during a daydream about a new look.

With Akira, it means the moment the character is off-work, we see how a put-together look masks someone who rocks a wolf cut, wears multiple piercings, and would look as comfortable in Vivienne Westwood, street punk styles as ska or skater attire. The first “look” emphasizes a fake neck tattoo, ear piercing with a chain that connects to one through a lower lip, a studded choker with chains dangling off of it, and multiple rings. There are rivets in the black, pinstripe pants, with a black belt with chains that match the necklace. There are deliberate tears in the pants and a white, oversized shirt. I could swear the shoes look like T.U.K.’s two-tone Viva Mondo Creepers. There are fingerless black gloves with zippers on them, and a oversized jacket with belts. Whenever Kanazawa draws the character, the art is clearly pulling from the progression of the fashion movement over the decades.

I even appreciate the care with which Shinnosuke Kanazawa depicts the professional attire for both Akira and Sotaro. That’s how we see each of them for the “work” sides of their lives. In each case, they also seem to perfectly suit them and still somehow seem as detailed as the clothes they’re most comfortable wearing. The first time we see Sotaro, he’s in a three-piece suit. Kanazawa used shading techniques that somehow make it look expensive, and the tie has a pinstripe pattern. Attention is called to accessories, such as what seems like it would be a gold watch with a black face that ends up being the focal point of some close-up s. Similar attention is paid to his loafers. He is designed to look the part of a professional, but there are hints at a bit of flashiness.

With Akira, we see how formal she looks in the On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance manga, but Shinnosuke Kanazawa’s artwork also emphasizes practicality for her. She wears black vest and pencil skirt with white button-up shirt. It’s impeccable, with every part in place. Her hair is tied back in a no-nonsense ponytail with a basic hair tie. Her shoes are black with a Cuban heel style, a short heel with a wide base designed for comfort instead of fashion. We can tell that she commits and is direct, making choices that emphasize that. In each case, these looks say a lot about the people.

I really appreciate the thought we can see Shinnosuke Kanazawa put into the design of the On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance characters, with the art in the manga looking extremely fashionable, realistic, and suited to each individuals. Their home life looks are incredible and intricate, showing elements of who they really are and how they feel comfortable. Their professional ones get the job done, but also offer hints at elements of their personalities even though they’re obviously following office dress codes. I can’t wait to see what each of them wear next.

Volume 1 of On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance is available now, and Square Enix will release volume 2 of the manga on September 16, 2025. 

The post I’m Captivated by the On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance Manga Art appeared first on Siliconera.

I don't know who I am. I don't know what happened to my family. I'm alone, on a road to a small town, and while nobody cares enough to offer me food or a place to stay, they show enough concern to warn me away from the witch living in the woods. Yet the moment they do, I know that is exactly where I am meant to be. This is Emberstorm Entertainment's Reka, a game about training under a witch, decorating a chicken-legged, moving house, and using my herbal and potentially magical skills to improve my life throughout this simulation. 

I take my time on my journey to the witch's house. She's not going anywhere. I'm not running away. But I do want to know what is around us, and what I can expect. I help a merchant with a fae entity of sorts trapped in a lantern repair a wagon. I find a baby goat before it falls to it's death in a well. People in this dwindling village spread many rumors about the woman I'll soon meet. She's a demonic presence. She's an eccentric old lady. She once had a companion, but who knows where they went. She eats children. She's an affront to The High Lord. 

Everyone has an opinion and, after hearing a sufficient amount, I know enough to suss out her exact location and use my com to head to my new home. All this serves as a means of showing how much worldbuilding can be done in such a short amount of time. You need to try and connect to learn more. Only by hearing rumors can you get on the right path. But by taking that time, you also learn what their lives are like. What the village is like. What they need. How you can help to gain useful or decorative rewards.

Upon first meeting Baba Jaga, she seems... ordinary. A plain, elderly woman. Someone a bit gruff. She's been waiting for me, just as I have for her, and she tasks me with gathering mushrooms and honey for our meal, then raspberries to barter with some Lutki in the woods who stole her talisman. Said charm will be mine if I retrieve it, allowing me immediate access to teleport back to her home at a whim. "So she is magic," I think as I head out for more practical gathering. Her crows follow and surround me. Whether they are there to report my deeds back to her or protect me, I can't tell. Mushrooms, honey, and raspberries are easy enough to spot. So are the mischievous woodland creatures that look like hopping wooden logs with faces. They're eager to trade me niceties like apples for my berries and give a gift if freed from errant logs, though I did need to chase down the thief who stole from my new master. 

I feel like that’s what I appreciate most about Reka, even in these early days. There’s a strong sense of magical realism. Yes, there really are beings like the Lutki and Leshy in the woods. Some remedies for people around you are as simple as putting in some effort to harvest, gather, or prepare food. However, there’s real magic here too. The fast traveling is a prime example, as is the chicken-footed, moving home itself. After a death in the family in the village, the home really does need to be cleansed, but that involves placing black salt instead of weaving some spell. But it’s amazing how often practicality and common sense wins. For example, when getting permission from Leshy for a trial that allows a larger home, none of the tasks involve magic or crafting. They involve actions that make the forest and its inhabitants happier. 

I also appreciate how this carries over to added content as well. For example, in May 2025 a Roots and Remedies update launched for Reka. This brings farming to the game. However, I feel like that garden is multifaceted. It looks nice, besides my quaint cottage. It adds something new to my routine. But it also enhances this witch game by making elixirs possible. Yes, we could poison people before, but now there are more opportunities, and it seems like a means of using both practical tonics to assist people and more magical potions such as one that lets us understand animals.

Reka feels full of potential and like a witch game that explores how “magic” could be an actual spell or a more practical solution someone didn’t consider. Even though the 1.0 release isn’t set to arrive until later in 2025, it feels like there’s so much to enjoy already. I love diving into the world created here and taking in the ambiance.

Reka is in early access on PC via Steam. 

The post Preview: Reka Already Feels Like an Immersive Witch Game appeared first on Siliconera.

We are in the midst of a glut of roguelikes that also involve deck-building mechanics. There’s so much to sort through, likely not enough time or money to play them all, and I know I often see titles that are too clearly doing a little too good of a job “paying homage” to the most popular properties. Not that this wealth of options is a bad thing. The original Monster Train, which is sublime, wouldn’t be here if games like Hand of Fate and Slay the Spire didn’t pave the way and inspire developer Shiny Shoe. Fortunately for us, Monster Train 2 feels as satisfying as its predecessor, with this new game building on everything good from the original and including more strategic options.

While in the original Monster Train we ran a train right into hell, Monster Train 2 is taking us to Heaven. The Titans are a universal threat, Seraph is a traitor, and we begin with the once-divine Banished angels and demonic Pyreborne dragons making the first push to the top. While we initially learn about the situation from Banished leader Fel, going through runs and pushing yourself unlocks additional clans, like the Lazarus League scientists, Luna Coven witches, Under Legion fungi, and more insights into the current situation. If all goes well and we make smart choices while playing, the new covenant between angels and demons might result in everyone being saved.

The Monster Train formula remains largely unchanged in Monster Train 2, with any new additions layered on top of existing concepts to enhance the core gameplay experience. You start by picking two Clans, which will influence the decks you build, and probably a Pyreheart modifier. Your train features multiple rooms layered one on top of the other. You’ll be building a deck of cards to deal with the hordes trying to stop your train from reaching its destination. You place units in each room to face off during the battle phase, hopefully protecting the fire at the top that ensures your run into the Abyss can continue. A fight starts with an idea of who you’ll face. You’ll then be able to use some of your points to initially assign and even arm the units you’ll place on floor’s room on the train. Every round, enemies that survive combat move up another floor to the fires at the top. You’ll get a chance to pull from your hand to perform spells, arm units, and dispatch new warriors to floors ahead of the next assault. This repeats until the final wave and perhaps an encounter with a more devious boss. Once that opponent is on the field, it will lead to previous rooms it destroys being blocked off as it makes its ascent and special mechanics kicking in to make fending off that greater foe a greater challenge. 

During your turn, it’s possible to place units. (Said units can also gain new traits and be buffed based on events or store purchases between battles.) Once in position, Equipment Cards with armor or weapon traits and buffs could be applied, and Room Cards could influence what happens in a specific room on the train. (For example, a type of sword could allow for multiple hits or you could get more money from defeated units in a room on a floor.) While you might see the same units repeatedly, due to the Clans you pick and cards you’ve unlocked, the Pyre Hearts and their conditions picked at the outset of a run, the Equipment Cards you stock, the Room Cards you find, and the effects from purchases and events mean each playthrough feels different.

The customization applies when picking your path. As you go from one fight to another on your travels, you’ll be able to choose which track to follow. While they will tend to share one nod at the beginning of the journey and end up at the same encounter, the other stops along the way differ. Do you pick a road with a random event, one that could include a crossover guest encounter and a shop, or would one with an opportunity to upgrade a character or make more decisions about the contents of your deck be better for your current strategy? Random events can be unbalanced an unfun and punishing way sometimes, making the perk absolutely not worth the pains tied to it. It’s probably one of the few things that actually bothered me about Monster Train 2, and I hope there is rebalancing in Shiny Shoe’s future. 

And you'll see a lot of those options and runs as you play, as the execution means you won't derail after only one or two bouts. Since your sacred flame at the top of the train will "fight back" against any opponent that reaches it and is pretty sturdy even at the start, an enemy or boss slipping past your defenses and getting up there isn't a guaranteed "game over." You might still make it through another one or two fights before being wiped out. It feels like Shiny Shoe wants you to play long enough to learn from your mistakes or pick up on strategies you might like, so your next attempt has a better chance of going better.

Which is important, as I think anyone who picks up Monster Train 2 will end up playing it for a very long time. There is so much packed into this game. At one point, I ended up earning a wealth of content that I would have expected to be paid DLC (and gladly paid extra to access). The number of additional features, both gameplay-influencing and purely cosmetic, are staggering, and I am so excited about spending a few months trying out different Clan pairings, working on different deck mechanics, and going through the different modes. Yes, there are multiple modes, so if you don’t feel like trying to push yourself to advance the story, you could pick Endless to see how far you can get with no limits or try the Daily Challenge. 

I love Monster Train 2 now, and I suspect I’ll love it even more after putting 50 to 100 hours into it. Shiny Shoe did a fantastic job of keeping everything important in Monster Train, not disrespecting the original experience in any way, and implementing new Clans, card types, encounters, and mechanics that keep it challenging in a manageable way. Even the addition of a story is fascinating, considering the original only featured hints at the series’ lore. I love what the team did here, and Monster Train 2 ended up becoming as essential an entry in an roguelike library as the original.

Monster Train 2 will come to the Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on May 21, 2025. A demo is available on Steam.

The post Review: Monster Train 2 Is as Satisfying as the First Game appeared first on Siliconera.

We’re in the midst of an Onimusha revolution. The original game got a Hell Mode difficulty via a free update. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a new entry arriving in 2026. Now Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny 2 is back via a remaster. It’s a welcome one, since it is an intriguing entry, though I feel it prioritizes quality of life adjustments to controls, combat, and gameplay over visually impressive adjustments.

While on a rampage conquering Japan, an undead Nobunaga Oda who revived himself with the power of demons decimated Yagyu Village. Jubei Yagyu, the clan leader who was away at the time, is the only survivor. As he cuts through the demons still lurking about and takes in the damage, and otherworldly voice calls to him. He then finds his unknown mother is an Oni, he can tap into those powers to absorb the souls of demons. Not only is this now a quest for revenge against Nobunaga, but a mission to find the five Oni Orbs to harness their powers and save the world as a whole from demons. The tone is is very dramatic, yet also silly. Some actor ham it up, of course Oyu ends up being used as fanservice, and it can get over-the-top. Your mileage may vary as to how much you enjoy it or if the execution isn’t for you. This time around, those scenes can be skipped, if you decide you’re just here for the gameplay. 

For those new to Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, the best way I can describe it is feeling a bit like the older Resident Evil games, due to the camera angles, array of potential puzzles and even minigames, the more thoughtful approach to getting through areas instead of just mindlessly hacking and slashing at times, and something of a campy nature. While there will be areas with constantly spawning enemies, which might encourage button-mashing, some of the best encounters involve larger, stronger, more thoughtful altercations. And while a map might make a space look straightforward, Jubei may need more Oni powers or a specific item to advance. 

What made it special at the time, and still helps set Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny apart, is the relationship system. Jubei will encounter Ekei, Kotaro, Magoichi, and Oyu. You can form bonds with them via giving gifts. In response, you might end up seeing additional story scenes with them, you might control them for some parts, and the actual plot might change a bit. It still feels novel now, and it does make the idea of replaying and befriending another person on an ensuing run fun. I also find it important for gaming history, since this came before we started seeing relationship-building as a more common feature in games and the effects of connecting with characters results in changes to the experience.

So the biggest issue I experienced with the Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny remastermight be that I actually preferred the original tank controls to the updated analog joystick-based movement. This is because of the general structure of the game. There are no large, flowing maps. A single room or corridor in an area can be split into two or three viewpoints, and a location like a town or more open space will have multiple sections tied together. The problem is that pres to move forward in one section could suddenly be the equivalent of pressing back in the next area, sending you back to the previous room when moving between them. Or maybe a bit of forward momentum when attacking enemies will send you into another space with a different perspective, which can mess up your flow. There are also a few areas, such as the mines, where I ended up turned around for a second as the fixed perspectives in spots and similar structure got me turned around. I didn’t experience this issue as much with the original game, as the tank controls ended up being a bit more deliberate. So while I appreciate the option, it doesn’t feel as comfortable and I was glad the original option is there as well. 

While that new control option threw me off sometimes, the other changes are much better. We get more control over Jubei’s Onimusha transformation. In the past, it happened when the gauge filled, and that was that. Now, we get to choose when it triggers after the gauge is full. It’s a huge boon, and I saved it for more critical fights. Also, once you up your arsenal and gain your second weapon, you can don’t need to pause to swap to the other and back. It’s now possible to swap more immediately. I feel like this changes the atmosphere of the game a bit. While it can feel like a game where sometimes you need to think before you strike at times, the new options do lend themselves better to working in combos and swiftly reacting.

Things like this makes it feel like the Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny remaster is Capcom’s attempt to make the game more accessible. The option to go between the original and modern control scheme is the obvious one. So is the greater control over weaponry and his other form. But even more obvious is the addition of certain features that make it easier or more challenging. You can go through Easy mode at the outset, if you’re concerned about adjusting to the battle and ally systems. If you’re familiar with the game, Hell is a new difficulty level that means it’s game over if Jubei or your active character gets hit. Also, while it relies on the save point system like the original did for backing up progress, an autosave helps if you do manage to get overwhelmed or need to swiftly stop. 

Quality of life adjustments aside, I do feel like the Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny 2 remaster may not hold up when compared to other remastered titles. It it isn’t as visually impressive, even with the jump to HD. Character models and locations can still look dated due to designs and textures in spots. While it looks better now than it did on the PS2, don’t expect the update to be as stunning as changes in Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition or The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered.

The Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny remaster is a valuable one, especially with Way of the Sword on the horizon. There are a lot of gameplay elements that help it stand out, like the ally system and how Oni abilities and adventure elements are tied to progression. The quality of life adjustments are welcome as well. However, the campy nature of the story might not be for everyone, and it isn’t the prettiest remaster I’ve seen in the past few years. It’s well worth playing if you love the series and Capcom’s work, but it might not be for everyone. 

The Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny remaster will come to the Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC on May 23, 2025. The original version of the game is available on the PS2. 

The post Review: Onimusha 2 Remaster Prioritizes Quality of Life Additions appeared first on Siliconera.