PAX West Impressions of Necrobarista by Route 59

Last month at Pax West in Seattle I had the pleasure of sitting down with Route 59’s Justin Kuiper, writer behind their upcoming PC and Switch title Necrobarista. The game is a visual novel set in a “supernatural cafe where the living come to mingle with the dead.” The team is set in Melbourne, Australia, and they are taking their visual novel to a level that most developers do not by making it a 3D world with optional point and click exploration, which you can use to gain more insight on the characters and world. According to Justin, the concept and gameplay came before the storyline did. They wanted to make an immersive three dimensional visual novel like gamers have not seen before. The drive behind the story was simply that they wanted to tell the stories that could come out of a cafe in which the dead are given the chance to live for awhile longer. The overall idea is interesting, and once you actually get in the game you are captivated almost instantly by the mysterious barista Maddy and the shady characters around her. I was left wanting to know more about her and why she is making deals with the dead in the basement of a cafeand I still think about where the story will go often. Needless to say, Necrobarista is a title that I am very eager to play when it releases. While I spoke with Justin, he placed a lot of emphasis on how “games are good at providing atmosphere,” and that Route 59 is very specific about the setting of Necrobarista. I had to agree with him because it is difficult to become deeply involved in a game with shallow settings and poor atmosphere. Look at titles like Silent Hill, Dead Space, or Fallout. The atmosphere sets the story, and gets the player captivated in integrated into that game’s world. There is no mystery in a world that cannot provide a lingering sense of the unknown. Though Necrobarista is not a “horror” title, even after being told by Justin that is not a scary game I could not help but feel on edge but I did not know what this world was all about, or why the cafe had such an eerie and important feel to it. And this most certainly was not a bad thing because it meant that the developers are doing exactly what they are promising- providing atmosphere. I played Necrobarista on a laptop while at Route 59’s booth, but I am eager for the Nintendo Switch release because I truly enjoy titles that allow me to just lie back and push a couple of buttons while a story plays out before me. It is like watching a film or reading a book, but visual novels allow for a unique sense of involvement. We see a lot of visual novel style games in Japan, so it is always exciting to see a western developer dive into the genre. Necrobarista has four core team members working on its production, and their passion and devotion shows in the game, even while just playing a demo. Necrobarista hits PC and the Nintendo Switch early 2018.   Last month at Pax West in Seattle I had the pleasure of sitting down with Route 59’s Justin Kuiper, writer behind their upcoming PC and Switch title Necrobarista. The game is a visual novel set in a “supernatural café where the living come to mingle with the dead.” The team is set in Melbourne, Australia, and they are taking their visual novel to a level that most developers do not by making it a 3D world with optional point and click exploration, which you can use to gain more insight on the characters and world. According to Justin, the concept and gameplay came before the storyline did. They wanted to make an immersive three dimensional visual novel like gamers have not seen before. The drive behind the story was simply that they wanted to tell the stories that could come out of a café in which the dead are given the chance to live for awhile longer. The overall idea is interesting, and once you actually get in the game you are captivated almost instantly by the mysterious barista Maddy and the shady characters around her. I was left wanting to know more about her and why she is making deals with the dead in the basement of a café, and I still think about where the story will go often. Needless to say, Necrobarista is a title that I am very eager to play when it releases. While I spoke with Justin, he placed a lot of emphasis on how “games are good at providing atmosphere,” and that Route 59 is very specific about the setting of Necrobarista. I had to agree with him because it is difficult to become deeply involved in a game with shallow settings and poor atmosphere. Look at titles like Silent Hill, Dead Space, or Fallout. The atmosphere sets the story, and gets the player captivated in integrated into that game’s world. There is no mystery in a world that cannot provide a lingering sense of the unknown. Though Necrobarista is not a “horror” title, even after being told by Justin that is not a scary game I could not help but feel on edge but I did not know what this world was all about, or why the café had such an eerie and important feel to it. And this most certainly was not a bad thing because it meant that the developers are doing exactly what they are promising- providing atmosphere. I played Necrobarista on a laptop while at Route 59’s booth, but I am eager for the Nintendo Switch release because I truly enjoy titles that allow me to just lie back and push a couple of buttons while a story plays out before me. It is like watching a film or reading a book, but visual

Sony is releasing a PlayStation Credit Card in the United States

Sony is releasing a new PlayStation Credit Card, however you will only be able to get it, if you live in the United States. You do get a few benefits with it apart from having a PlayStation designed card , such as your Sony Reward points being multiplied by up to five times. You also get a $50 PSN code, when you first activated your card. You will also be credited half of your PS+ membership fee when you renew if you spend over $3000 pre annum. You also get 10% off Sony’s other PlayStation services such as PlayStation Music, PlayStation Vue, PlayStation Now and more.  What do you think? Is this something you’d be Interested in getting, let us know! Source: PushSquare

Battle Chasers: Nightwar Review – Xbox One

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Game: Battle Chasers: Nightwar Developer: Airship Syndicate Publisher: THQ Nordic Platform/Price: Xbox One $29.99 , Also on PC, PS4 and Switch   Developed by Airship Syndicate and Published by THQ Nordic, Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a return to the classic RPG style. It features turn based combat, dungeon crawling and expansive story lore that pays homage to the JRPGs of old. It looks like your standard take RPG at first, but it’s much more than that and offers its own interesting twist on the genre. You begin Battle Chasers: Nightwar with your classic cut scene of static images presented in a slideshow format with voiceover. Your airship gets attacked, plummets to the ground and your party is scattered. We begin as Gully, a young girl entrusted with the power of her deceased father’s gauntlets. She must find the rest of her party along the way, which has been entrusted with her protection. Battle Chasers foregoes the typical format of laying out the story at the beginning and then having you explore to find a way to overcome the villain. Instead, it uses a nice twist of leaving the story open for mystery and utilizing lore to complete it along your exploration. Notes can be found scattered in dungeons or open areas that give you an idea as to what is really going on. You should definitely take the time to read them, as the story in Battle Chasers is very involved. The lore not only completes the story, but tends to offer you hints on how to proceed as well. What I was most impressed with is how Battle Chasers: Nightwar takes the best of both old and new style RPG along with adding its own twist to it. Newer type RPG’s have gotten away from strategy oriented, turn-based combat for more dynamic combat. They’ve instead implemented various upgrades and crafting systems to substitute for the strategy element. Battle Chasers: Nightwar utilizes both aspects, and it’s a lot better off for it. True RPG fans will appreciate the battle element, as it isn’t just turn based combat that you need to plan for. All your typical attacks, abilities and spells are present in Battle Chasers: Nightwar. Spells use mana which can only be replenished by potions or resting at inns. Some attacks also power up your overcharge meter – and this is the best part of the game’s combat setup. Overcharge is a separate meter that gets filled by certain attacks. Your special abilities and spells draw from it first, with any leftover being pulled from mana. A strategic player will find that using attacks to generate overcharge prior to using your spells is more prudent as you end up playing with house money. With mana being so rare in the game, it is much better to conserve. You may use a spell needing 25 mana, but only use five because your overcharge meter is sitting at 20. This becomes a necessity as your progress in the game and enemies become tougher. There’s also a new feature called Burst. This becomes available once you reach a certain level, and charges with each attack. Once it’s filled, you may use any player to trigger a super move. This includes a cut scene focused on the player using it and emphasizes their respective skill. You can unlock more as level up, and attacking isn’t always the prudent choice. You’ll often encounter issues with games that combine elements of different aspects of the genre, as they sometimes won’t blend well. Exploration is one of these areas, and I really enjoyed the way it was set up in this game. Battle Chasers: Nightwar uses two types of traveling with both linear and free exploration. The majority of the game takes place along a grid system surrounded by 3D environment. You see enemies along the path, and you can choose to either fight them or find a way around. The battle ensues once you touch the enemy location on the map, which results in that classic screen crack followed by the battle screen. It’s only linear to the point where you may not leave the path. There are many instances along the path, however, and each one offers a different route or sidequest possibility. Along the way you will encounter various camps, dungeons, sewers, etc that you can explore. If you choose to go in, you’ll find that the exploration becomes free roam. The enemies will attack you if you get close, but there are ways to avoid some of them as you proceed. It’s a great setup for exploration as Battle Chasers: Nightwar makes use of the best aspects of both turn-based and free roam gameplay while adding its own twist for an extra something special. Soundtrack is usually a staple of JRPGs. Whether in battle or exploration, I’m used to hearing that catchy tune as i’m playing. Surprisingly, that is absent Battle Chasers: Nightwar – but only partly. Combat has incredible music, sound effects and character sounds – I have zero complaints with it. The exploration aspect is quite different. Whether in the linear aspect or dungeon areas, the soundtrack is quite minimal. While there is some music, the low amount stood out as it’s such a large part of the game. It didn’t take away from gameplay as there are many things to do and the game is so deep in lore, but it would have been a bit more enjoyable with a deeper soundtrack. In terms of art style, Battle Chasers: Nightwar draws its inspiration from the 90’s comic of the same name on which it is based. Just as with exploration and battle, the developer uses its own combination to make it stand out. We get 3D rendered characters and movements draped in comic book style colors. Not only do they stand out from their design, but they are accentuated by their vibrant colors.   When I first heard this was going to be turn-based combat type of game, I