October's wave of new releases has begun in earnest now, with Assassin's Creed Mirage launching at the end of last week. It climbed near the top of the UK's boxed games chart, making a number two debut behind the predictably popular EA Sports FC 24.
28.09.2023 - 00:05 / pushsquare.com
Level-5 has an enormous booth at the Tokyo Game Show this year, rivalling titans like SEGA, Konami, and Capcom. This is significant because the iconic Japanese developer hasn’t really released a noteworthy game since Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom. Admittedly, it has kept the lights on with a number of Japanese-centric titles, like Yo-Kai Watch 4, but it hasn’t been relevant in quite a while.
The good news is that its two new upcoming PS5 and PS4 titles, DECAPOLICE and Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, look like a return to form – and while we’re sceptical of either title hitting their vague 2023 release dates, having gone hands on with them both, we’re confident in the Dark Cloud developer making a meaningful comeback in the near future.
Playing the DECAPOLICE demo on the TGS show floor is honestly an exercise in futility if you’re an English speaker, as it’s entirely in Japanese and extremely text-heavy throughout. However, after pointing out our overall excitement for the game, we were able to swindle a couple of kind Level-5 employees into translating the general gist of the chapter-long teaser to us.
The game is, in essence, a detective title with turn-based RPG elements. The action takes place in DECASIM, a virtual replica of a real-world where clues can be obtained in order to unravel mysteries. Playing on the PS5, it looks absolutely stunning – like an anime brought to life. While we were directed towards a specific crime in a jewellery store, we were told the map could be freely explored.
Much like in the modern Sherlock Holmes games, you’ll gather clues by interrogating people and interacting with objects. This will unlock clues which can then be pinned to a deduction board, allowing you to make connections in order to find the culprit. We’re simplifying for brevity, but there’s quite a lot going on in the game, so there’s lots of storytelling to sink your teeth into.
Once you’ve found the offender you’ll enter into a turn-based RPG-style battle system, where you spend action points on attacks across your party. You’ll need to use a combination of brains and brawns to overcome your opponents, with a colour-coding system helping you to identify which attacks will work and why.
We found the combat lacking in feedback a little bit, and it was hard to tell whether we’d actually issued a command so little was the feedback at times. But this is something that could potentially be fixed – or may fare better in a more relaxed setting, as listening to multiple staff trying to translate while we played did understandably overwhelm our senses a touch.
But the game clearly has real promise, and its art style is exquisite. After being MIA for so long, this is the kind of comeback title that Level-5 must have
October's wave of new releases has begun in earnest now, with Assassin's Creed Mirage launching at the end of last week. It climbed near the top of the UK's boxed games chart, making a number two debut behind the predictably popular EA Sports FC 24.
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Dragon's Dogma 2 sticks with the Dark Arisen template to a pleasant but almost surprising degree. Sequels often walk a fine balancing act as significant departures can alienate existing fans, whereas repeating the established gameplay often feels too safe. Capcom's anticipated sequel easily falls into the latter category but when the original action RPG still feels refreshingly original, we'd argue that's not a bad thing. Following a recent preview, we're excited to see more.
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If you’ve been listening to the clacking of leather shoes in SEGA’s glamorous – but often oddball – Yakuza series since the late PS2 days, you’ll know the franchise hasn’t always been in this position. For years a PlayStation exclusive, there was a point where Sony was reeled in to localise the release of PS3 late-comer Yakuza 5, as its publisher had lost all interest in the series.