Operation Backlog Completion 2025
Feb 172025
 

The State of Play on Wednesday didn’t have any news earth-shattering enough to get its own post over the latest Fantasy Life i news, but it still had some good announcements.

I’ll only be talking about the highlights that stood out to me, so be sure to check out the full showcase if you want to see everything.

The first major highlight for me was one we sort of already expected.

As anticipated from the surprise retailer listing, a new Digimon Story game was announced.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is set for later this year and involves traveling between the human world and the Digital World to prevent an apocalypse.

It’s also been confirmed to be a turn-based RPG, so that’s great! Sign me up!

Right after that was a new trailer for Lost Soul Aside, which will be out on May 30.

I remember when this game was first shown, and all the Final Fantasy XV / Versus XIII comparisons it got. It still definitely has that look, and it also still looks fantastic. Depending on the state of my backlog when the end of May rolls around, I’ll want to play this one eventually.

Moving on, a demo was announced for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii! I won’t be trying the demo, since I already know I’m going to play it once I finish Infinite Wealth, but now is the time to be extra careful about avoiding spoilers.

Like a Dragon is also getting a crossover with Dave the Diver, which is unexpected yet entertaining. I haven’t played Dave the Diver, but it sounds like a fun collaboration.

There was a new trailer for Split Fiction, which looks interesting, and the announcement of a new game from Supermassive, Directive 8020: A Dark Pictures Game.

Onimusha also got highlighted at the State of Play, with both a trailer for the Onimusha 2 remaster and a new one for Onimusha: Way of the Sword. It looks great, and it seems you’ll be able use the environment to your advantage in combat. The new trailer also confirms that the protagonist is Miyamoto Musashi.

The Lies of P DLC could be interesting (if I ever get around to playing the main game), and Dreams of Another looks very surreal and unique. Stellar Blade is also getting more DLC, this time a collaboration with Nikke, in June. (Hey, maybe by then I’ll have played that one at least!)

Blue Prince looks intriguing, too, a sort of puzzle exploration game set in a manor where the floor plan changes each day.

But the standout surprise for me was Tides of Annihilation, an action game inspired by Arthurian legend. It looks beautiful and like it could be a lot of fun.

There were other games shown, of course, including a new trailer for Metal Gear Solid Delta and the next game from Housemarque, but these are the highlights that stood out to me the most! Overall, it was a decent State of Play, but one without anything huge.

What did you think of the State of Play?

Feb 142025
 

(No we don’t have a special Valentine’s Day romance review after all, since I’m still grievously behind on my game-playing.)

So, let’s talk about Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time.

Once one of my most-anticipated titles, Fantasy Life i is one of several upcoming games from Level-5 that has been delayed repeatedly. We last discussed it after last year’s Level-5 Vision 2024, when it was delayed out of 2024 to this April.

Well, it’s been delayed once more, this time to May 21.

(The specific release date might be an encouraging sign, but then again, I remember when it was set for October 10.)

This new release date comes alongside an overview trailer that shows off the game’s various features, as well as the confirmation that it is now a multi-platform title.

The digital deluxe edition will include early access on May 18, for all versions except the Switch version, for some reason.

Unfortunately, even though it was originally expected to have a physical release, it is now confirmed to be digital-only outside of Japan. This is disappointing to me, so I might import a physical copy if they’re multi-language.

I say “might” because I have to admit, I’ve gotten nervous about Fantasy Life i. I loved the original Fantasy Life, and the trailers for Fantasy Life i look good, but all the delays and increasingly bigger scope of the game have me nervous enough about how it will turn out that I might wait a bit after all.

Are you looking forward to Fantasy Life i? Do you think May 21 will be its final release date this time?

Feb 122025
 

PlayStation is having a State of Play tonight at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET, and while we don’t know what will be announced, one unexpected title just got a whole lot likelier.

Listings have appeared at GameStop for Digimon Story: Time Stranger, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

That doesn’t necessarily mean it will be announced tonight, but an unannounced game appearing at a retailer on the same day as a showcase means there’s a good chance.

We’ve known for a while now that a new Digimon Story game was in development. In 2022, it was revealed to take place in the Digital World and feature the Olympos XII.

Now, I’ll be honest, I know next to nothing about Digimon. That description means nothing to me.

But I love RPGs and story-driven games, so I’ve been wanting to play both the Cyber Sleuth games and Digimon Survive. They’re all in my backlog, but this potential upcoming news of the next game has me excited to finally try them. Hmm… perhaps Cyber Sleuth as one of our May mystery games this year?

State of my backlog aside, I’ll be looking forward to news of the next Digimon Story game, whether it’s announced tonight at the State of Play or another time. What do you think about the sudden appearance of Digimon Story: Time Stranger?