Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link Key Art, Prototype Test Announced

 Video games  3 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Dec 192022
 

The next Kingdom Hearts mobile game, Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, was supposed to have a closed beta test this year.

(And yes, it seems Missing-Link is the correct way to write the title.)

The closed beta was delayed, and a recent update on its progress also included a mysterious new emblem.

Well, now the Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link “Prototype Test” has been announced.

This is not a closed beta test, but a smaller-scale test of the game’s functions. It’s only available in Japan and is limited to iOS devices. An actual beta will follow later.

What’s more interesting to me is the new artwork (pictured here) from the website. This is our first real look at Missing-Link, and why can’t I un-see Bloodborne?

At first I saw a tweet that only had a smaller portion of the art, as well as the game’s logo, and I laughed because the character’s outfit reminded me of Bloodborne. Then I got to see the full art and paid more attention to the architecture, and now it makes me think of Bloodborne even more!

I’m not alone in thinking this, and I’ve enjoyed all the Bloodborne Missing-Link memes I’ve been seeing.

So, what can we take from this key art? Despite the Yharnam jokes, the setting appears to be Scala ad Caelum. A lot of fans think the character standing by the lamp post in the background might be Sigurd due to the similar hat and style.

There’s a lot we still don’t know about Missing-Link. It’s set sometime between KHUX and Dark Road, but that’s about it. We also have that new emblem to consider – a new enemy type, perhaps?

Here’s hoping we’ll have more substantial details about Missing-Link before too long, now that things are finally moving again.

Ys X Officially Announced (and More Ys News)

 Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Dec 162022
 

We knew it was in development, and now it’s officially been announced: the next game in the Ys series.

Ys X: Nordics will be released for the PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch in 2023.

As detailed here by Gematsu, it is set somewhat early in the series’ timeline (it seems to take place after Ys II) and follows a young Adol exploring a bay made up of numerous islands.

In keeping with this setting, you’ll have control of a ship, which you can use to explore the oceans and fight naval battles.

Now, earlier this year we discussed an interview in which the next Ys game was said to have a “completely different” system. Not only will you have a ship in Ys X, but it also features a new combat system called the Cross Action system.

There will be two combat modes, a Solo Mode in which you control one partner with a partner attacking on their own, and a Combination Mode in which you control both characters as once.

It sounds interesting, so I hope we get to see a trailer with this combat system in action.

Meanwhile, Falcom also announced Ys Memoire: the Oath in Felghana for the Switch for spring 2023, a remastered version of Ys: The Oath in Felghana with newly voiced scenes, the option to switch between classic art and new art, and a high-speed mode and other features, as detailed by Gematsu.

Localization hasn’t been announced for either game yet, so we’ll have to wait a bit to learn when we’ll be able to play them. I still have plenty of Ys games to catch up on in the meantime…

What do you think of Ys X?

New Features Announced for Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden Ports

 Video games  4 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Dec 142022
 

If you’ll recall, back during Xbox’s E3 show, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal were announced for a multiplatform release, later confirmed for PS4 and Switch as well.

Persona 5 is already out, but Persona 3 and Persona 4 ports are set to be released on January 19.

Well, some new gameplay features have been announced for these ports, as translated here by Persona Central.

First, you’ll be able to choose your difficulty level at the start of the game, as well as change the difficulty at any point in P3P, which wasn’t an option before. There’s also a new quick save feature in both games that lets you save at any time. It’s not clear right now if that will be a permanent save, or the sort of quick save that goes away once you load it. Either way, it’s a nice feature for convenience.

Finally, Persona 4 Golden will have a new “Album” feature that lets you replay social link scenes to make different choices. Persona 4 Golden is already on Steam, but it’s expected to get an update to coincide with the release of the new port.

Only Japanese pricing has been announced so far, but based on that, people are expecting them to cost $19.99 each here. There’s been no word about a physical release.

For a long time, I was holding out hope for a definitive remake of Persona 3 that would combine the best of both versions, because I could never make up my mind on whether I wanted to play Persona 3 FES for the 3D exploration and epilogue story or Persona 3 Portable for the manual party control and female protagonist option, and I’m still not convinced that Atlus doesn’t have a Persona 3 remake announcement waiting to spring on people. However, with some quality of life additions and a low price point, this upcoming Persona 3 Portable port is looking increasingly attractive.

Are you planning to play Persona 3 Portable and/or Persona 4 Golden when they’re ported next year?

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