Update: We’ve got the crazy name worked out. It’s actually “Charles D. Goale.”
As you know, my excitement over Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness has made me interested in playing the entire Star Ocean series… which I still haven’t done, but Star Ocean 5 continues to look great.
The latest news (thanks, Gematsu) from Square Enix is about the spaceship.
You’ll use it to travel in between worlds, but it also has shops inside and a shuttle used to access the planets.
Since I’ve never played Star Ocean, I don’t know how ships are usually handled by the series, but this sounds cool.
Some people have suggested this name is a pun or reference, but… I don’t know, when I read the name “Charles D. Goal F,” I don’t quite think of an awesome spaceship traveling the stars.
Square Enix revealed new details about things other than the ship, too, such as the battle system, group battles, and “private actions,” where you have conversations with party members. You can read all about it at Gematsu, while I continue to make vague plans about trying the series before Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness comes out.
When I heard about its localization, my first question was, “What game is Adventures of Mana?”
Adventures of Mana is a remake of the first game in the Mana series.
Called Final Fantasy Gaiden in Japan, the first Mana game was localized in 1991 as Final Fantasy Adventure. In North America, that is. It was released in Europe as Mystic Quest, not to be confused with Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, which is a different game entirely.
In 2003, it was remade for the GBA as Sword of Mana. This remake altered the gameplay and plot. It was remade a second time in Japan, but unlike Sword of Mana, this remake only updated the graphics and music of the original.
And now it’s been remade yet again, this time as Adventures of Mana!
Adventures of Mana recently released in the West… for iOS and Android only. The PS Vita version was not localized. This annoyed a lot of fans, and Square Enix actually listened!
It began with a tweet from Square-Enix Europe asking you to let them know if you want Adventures of Mana on the Vita.
Both the European and North American blog posts have been updated to include a new message:
Thank you for all of your comments on a PS Vita edition of Adventures of Mana.
We’ve been listening to your feedback and because of your passion for the game, we’re going to look into making a PS Vita version of Adventures of Mana for the west. We can’t guarantee we’ll be able to make this happen but we will see what we can do.
We’ll let you know if we have any news, so watch out for future updates and thank you for your support.
It’s nice to know Square Enix is listening to fans. So if you want Adventures of Mana to be available on the PS Vita in the West, visit the blog and let them know.
I played Sword of Mana years ago. I had no idea it was a remake of the first game. It didn’t have the deepest plot, but I enjoyed it. I’m not sure how the versions compare, but it looks like Adventures of Mana is based more on the original Final Fantasy Adventure than on Sword of Mana.
Have you played any games in the Mana series? Are you interested in this one? Let me know in the comments… and let Square Enix know if you’re interested!
Over the weekend, Square Enix shared more details on the upcoming Final Fantasy XV through its latest Active Time Report. If you missed it, you can check out the full thing here:
This ATR provided a lot of information about how the magic system works and showed how the battle system has changed since Episode Duscae. They also announced a special event for March 30, which is when they’ll also announce the release date. (Some people have criticized them for announcing the announcement of the release date, but they already announced the announcement would come in March back during Gamescom 2015.)
You can get all of those details from the above video or Gematsu. Now let’s talk about the most exciting revelation: the villains!
Okay, this is a JRPG, so we have no guarantee these guys will be the main villains for the whole game. Still, the Niflheim Empire has been presented as the major antagonistic force so far.
First, we have Iedolas Aldercapt, the emperor. He’s not directly in charge at the start of the game, but look at that evil smile! I think we can safely call him an evil emperor.
True power currently lies with Chancellor Ardyn Izunia. Despite his pink hair and resemblance to Luka (am I the only one who sees that?), he look sinister.
Apparently he’s a clever, humorous character building the empire’s power by expanding the use of Magitek Infantry. I can’t help but get a slight Kefka vibe from this description of our evil chancellor.
Those Magitek soldiers were developed by a character who didn’t get as much of the spotlight, but still seems important, Verstael.
He’s described as a “researcher,” but look at that face. He’s a mad scientist!
I had to cut his image from a diagram showing the Niflheim leadership because he didn’t get a full shot like the others, but I hope he still has a fun role to play in the game.
And while the Magitek soldiers are robots, they’re led by a human, General Glauca.
What’s going on with his armor? I’d love a full-body shot of Glacua to get a better look at his crazy armor. He’s masked, which makes me even more interested in this dark knight.
Finally, one of Niflheim’s aerial divisions is led by a dragoon, Aranea Highwind.
Apparently she was initially shown back when the game was Final Fantasy Versus XIII, so fans are thrilled to see she’s still in the game. I didn’t pay attention to Versus XIII, but she seems interesting. Crazy helmet, though.
I love villains. They can make or break a story for me. Back at Gamescom, they said Final Fantasy XV’s villains would top even Sephiroth and Kefka. If they can pull that off, awesome. It’s a bold claim to make, though…
With an evil emperor, an evil chancellor, a mad scientist, a masked knight, and a black-armored dragoon, they definitely have potential. Then again, mere screenshots and descriptions of Final Fantasy XIII’s villains probably look promising, too.
Will Final Fantasy XV’s cast of villains live up to their potential or fall flat? Join me in the comments to speculate on Iedolas, Ardyn, and all the others.
As you know, my excitement over Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness has made me interested in playing the entire Star Ocean series… which I still haven’t done, but Star Ocean 5 continues to look great.
