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Review by Dustin Murphy

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Pros:
+Graphical detail has been upgraded to bolster in this console version
+Relies heavily upon questing and revisiting missions in both online and offline versions
+Online connectivity has seemingly improved to allow for more interaction
+Armors between both the male and female have quite a bit unique
+A unique story that twists itself around the Feudal Japanese Era.
+Migration from Toukiden: The Age of Demons saves to PS Vita and PS4 versions are a bonus
+New weapons and armour upgrade system is a rather large added bonus

Cons:
–Purely Japanese voicing could be problematic for some who are unfamiliar with the titles
–A.I. partners seem to have trouble reviving players that are downed
–Odd colour contrasting within the game on PS4 version
–DLC content seems limited to users who port over their save from Toukiden: The Age of Demons

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Editors Note: Please note that because we were only supplied a PS4 code, we have been unable to review the PlayStation Vita version at this time, but do intend on getting to that in the near future. We will note any possible differences between the two in an updated note in our review.

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Last year we got to see one of the sharpest tools in the PlayStation Vita’s library come to shine and gain a momentous track record thanks to publisher KOEI TECMO and developer Omega Force. We were given a game that allowed players to slay unimaginable enemies that towered them in size ration, but also capabilities, which is where working in groups has become the most effective path to take and allowed for friends as well as random players become tactical groups of slayers. Once more players are given a rather robust character creator, weapon selection, and even missions to undertake. This time, however, the weapon selection and upgrades has become even larger thanks impart to player feedback, but also the creative minds behind the title. So lets take a peek at what has changed since the last time we played Toukiden. Do note that our review this time around (our old review has been lost due to website migrations), which leaves us with an all new chance to give a view on this game.

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/-/ An Improved Upgrade System /-/

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When upgrading in Toukiden: The Age of Demons there were a few things that players were disgruntled with. This time around we have been given instead of a single upgrade to choose from to a rather in-depth system that allows for players to take on different elements, weapon effects, but also a new set of stats to those weapons so that they may be a bit more effective. These chances come around for both the base weapon design, but also the upgrades of upgrades getting a chance to be altered in both design as well as stats so that they would be a bit more effective in combat. How this is done is quite simple thanks to the use of multiple items that can be gathered within missions from certain ‘Ages’, which can be done by sending out the Tenko in the characters house or even by talking to the Guardian Tree and feeding it Haku (in-game currency). With these materials weapons can be upgraded into multiple forms compared to what we had before, which makes for a lobster bow, chopstick-esque rifle, Ping Pong-esque paddles, and even a giant rice cake roll to assault their enemies with.

However, these are only a few of the upgrades possible that will allow for players to enjoy what they do and how they go about it. Instead, this time around, players can take on the role of upgrading weapons and armour by obtaining Pure Soul Steel and Soul Steel itself. These upgrades will allow for players to jump in and upgrade their armour and items in order to progress through the game. This newly implemented upgrade system is something that players should take with a bit of thought since the materials needed are rare, hard to find, and will require some finesse to obtain in the long run, but will also require players to obtain a highly grown Guardian Tree to even have a chance of getting a bit easier than before.

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/-/ New Weapons /-/

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Much like in Dynasty Warriors, Toukiden: Kiwami has taken a note from the previous entry Toukiden: The Age of Demons. This time around our weapon library has had three new weapon classes introduced to it such as the Naginata, Two-Handed Club or just club, and simply Rifle. Each of these weapons come with their own uses, tactics, and even combat styles that will and will not give players an edge in combat depending on the Oni that they find themselves going up against. This includes and is not limited to ones such as the Rifle, which has multiple type of ammo’s such as Delay, Absorb, Sniper, Piercing, Explosive, and even Scatter. With the rifle each of these ammo types have their own use depending on what needs to happen in order to make them more useful than before. This includes the standard shot (Square) that allows players to move while aiming at the boss, but not charging up a more powerful shot (circle) in order to take their enemies out in a timely manner. However, some of these ammo types can’t be charged up in order to provide a more direct and powerful approach. So what are these ammo types? Sniper, explosive, and delay. Even with how powerful they are, each of these shots are useful in their direct approach even when using a more powerful shot stance (this one being the circle, which is strong attack) in order to dispatch their enemies quicker than before.

When taking on Oni it’s never a bad idea to have a heavy hitter and this is where the Club weapon class comes into play. With devastating charge up attacks the club allows for players who use this to approach enemies with ease, break the body parts, and even push the health on demons down rather quickly. The trade off? Even with these devastating charge attacks, the club finds itself a bit weak against the fist weapons that provide heavy hitting rapid attacks that could quickly send an enemy into abysmal despair while they are being beaten on. This, however, is traded off by the tactical usefulness that the club weapons or hammers, if you will, give off when they are being used against enemies such as the Manhunter (or variants), Jolux, or even Windshredders in order to assure that they are no longer present on the battlefield. On the other end of this polarity we have the Naginata. The Naginata provides heavy hitting attacks that hit a wide range of enemies, body parts on large Oni, but also allow for players who use Speed and even Might Mitama to hit their enemies as hard and as fast as possible without ever having to slow down in order to assist in bringing enemies down quickly. However, this does come with a few weaknesses since the weapon itself doesn’t feature the hard hitting attacks like fist weapons, rifles, and clubs, but instead finds itself more along the lines of swords, dual daggers, and even sickle and chain in order to provide its devastating attacks.

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/-/ Cross-Play and Cross-Save Functionality /-/

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With the release of Toukiden: Kiwami on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, it’s not odd that players will wonder if they can take their save on-the-go and even hit up a few missions with friends online. The answer? Yes – yes you can. Thanks to the minds at Omega Force, it won’t be odd for friends to be joining each other on both PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 in order to take out the enemy hordes and try to purify the world around them in order for the last bastions of humanity to find themselves safe as the enemy force grows ever more dangerous over time. With this capability comes the question of being able to move save files across the two platforms, which is something that does happen thanks to the games capability of data sharing saves, but also the fact that this enables to be a game that will push those whom own both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita’s to obtain both copies of the game so that they may migrate their saves around and explore the world around them just a tidbit more than before. This also means for those wanting to game that they can play online and ad-hoc mode as needed in order to enjoy the game as they should.

The biggest question of this will be: can the game run smoothly online? The short answer is yes. Thanks to the improved netcode the game runs flawlessly compared to the experiences that had once been experienced with Toukiden: The Age of Demons where players would find themselves dumbfounded by the delay in monster placing, but also swinging at enemies on screen where they are not on another players. With this change, it has also allowed for combat to become more fluid, and a bit more easy to access in this manner. Something that this game had honestly needed quite a bit, which allows for a more fluid and easier to access as missions are completed.

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/-/ What Remains Unchanged /-/

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Even as a ‘hunting game’, Toukiden: Kiwami still has a few weaknesses that titles like itself such as Freedom Wars, Monster Hunter, Soul Sacrifice Delta, and even God Eater did a bit better: exploration and open terrain for farming even while on a hunt. This is something that the previous titles did quite a bit since they did not restrict players on what, how, and when they would go through areas in order to obtain rare and hard to obtain materials, but also to track down enemies as they went between each of the zones in order to fight something that offers a challenge as they move away to recover, but also to find reinforcements as they need them. This, unfortunately, is a couple of the weakened points. Sadly, these restrictions do stirr some trouble for those who want a bit more freedom and capability to get further along in their zone explorations.

 Unfortunately due to the lack of exploration, missions must be completed in repetitious questing that must be completed in order to obtain rare materials, but also some common materials. It is unfortunate that this is an issue and something we hope to be seen in future patches, downloaded content, and or even future installments that could lead to more changes and a fully upgraded system.

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/-/ Closing Thoughts /-/

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Even with a few of the subtle changes and the lack of DLC ports such as the Soul Sacrifice content, it’s surprising to see a lot of these pieces of content, not limited to the Nobles Garments have been left out, but only for those who want to obtain the armour by having the original entry, downloading the content, and playing enough to unlock it before actually being able to use it. This, unfortunately, is something that is unfortunate, and even will drive some consumers to question the motives regarding how to obtain this content, but also how to go about obtaining it if it is currently present within Toukiden: Kiwami.

The only thing that would be a major advancement for this game would be to allow for zones to be fully open and to allow for a free roam ordeal where players can go into the wildernesses and hunt down rare, common, or even uncommon resources while encountering demons of all sorts.

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 Final Score: 7 out of 10

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Ethics Note: This version of the game is based upon a pre-release retail version of the game. Our copy was provided to us by the games publisher. For information about our ethics policy please click here.

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About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, MMO’s, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable and can’t be softened by even the biggest names in the gaming industry. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. To follow Dustin, hit him up on Twitter over at @GamingAnomaly, find him on his Google+. Wanna game with him? You can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

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Join the Blast Away the Game Review Community on Facebook or Google+
Review by Dustin Murphy

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Editor’s Note: Please note that this is a review in progress. Any changes to the game via updates or server changes could possibly affect the way the game performs or even provide higher challenge curving. At this time, due to the length of the game with New Game+ and Chalice Dungeons, we have decided to return to this portion of the review at a later date. We will notify you once these changes have been made.

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Pros:
+Extremely difficult for some new players
+Boss Fights are craftily created and require player awareness
+Traps are well placed in order to provide players with a test of situational awareness
+In-depth character creation
+Beautifully crafted world
+World hub returns (Demon’s Souls anyone?)
+Equipment weight has been removed from the series
+Minor tutorials have been added to help new players learn the series.

Cons:
–Insanely long load screens
–Multiplayer is restricted based on player progression (10 level difference)
–Armor and weapon variants are seemingly not-present

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When Demon’s Souls first appeared on the PlayStation 3, there was something magical happening, and the reason behind it all the more magical. We were presented with a game that had not been anything but a whisper for gamers, which left quite a few people dumbfounded as to what this title released by developer From Software was. All we knew was the case looked interesting, the text on the back explained some of what was going on, and players were soon cascading onto the battlefields and relentlessly dying all in the name of progression. This was because of difficult enemies, no tutorials, limited knowledge of what was going on, and no hand-holding to guide players through the game. Instead players were given no training at all, except for finding their own way with an instruction manual that gave little to no idea what to do. Lets fast forward to today. Today we’ve been given a carefully crafted series known as “Souls”. This series of games tests players skill, awareness, patience, and even ability to adjust equipment to match the enemies around them. Not much has changed in this way when it comes to SCE Studio Japan and From Software. Once more players have been thrusted into a battlefield that will seek out any way possible to hunt them down, slaughter them, and leave players demoralized at any twist or turn possible.

With these new twists and turns we are introduced to the newest of the “Souls” style games: Bloodborne. This is a game that is quite literally the epitome of dark, gruesome, and made of things that only nightmares can create. This has been the adventure that Bloodborne has had to offer in all its dark, grisly, and blood-soaked brutality while traversing through Yharnam. Unlike previous titles, Bloodborne has turned away the old medieval appeal and gone for a more Victorian look to it, which pits players into enjoying the 1800’s appearances. Much like this theme for your hunter, even enemies have been designed to match this setting as has much of the village, towns, and even ruins around the character. Ranging from inner city, to cathedrals, to even villages that are outside of the main city, the game itself has been craftily made so that players can see a story in the scenery, the enemies, and even the overall atmosphere that has been created for players to enjoy. So what exactly is the allure to this game?

Much to their creative nature for creating nightmares and dreamscapes that would make H.P Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, and even Stephen King happy; Bloodborne’s developer (From Software) has created a world that has been hit with a plague. This very plague has begun to change the inhabitants of Yharnam into beastly creatures and even have brought some more-so disturbing creatures to join up with them. Your curse? You are a hunter who is made to die, die, and die some more while battling on throngs of these infected. While doing so, players will be challenged and punished based upon their passiveness in combat, but also their sheer brutality on offense. This is something that reflects heavily upon the world around them; brutality is highly rewarded and even shined upon. This is because death is rewarded, by rewarded it means that players have gained knowledge about enemy capabilities, placement, and even weaknesses. This means that every bit of knowledge about enemies is just as important as the enemy before and will leave players hungering for more.

This can be also be said about the games dangerous and sometimes grueling boss fights that will leave players who are new to the series a bit under the weather. If players are online, injury can be added to insult as players (once progress has been made to this point) can go online and search for help or even invade each other in order to slow ones progress and this is not something new to the series, which is nice to have seen returned. Unlike the past titles in the franchise, Bloodborne does not hamper a character based on death, but instead almost seemingly celebrates it as “Humanity” has been removed and been exchanged with “Insight”, which can be replenished by killing bosses or simply found by exploring in order to obtain “Madman’s Knowledge”. These items can be used as currency or simply used to help summon friendlies, enemies, or even look to do either of the mentioned before – something that has returned from previous titles.

Much like before, leveling up, buying items, and even moving through the game is granted as a possibility by obtaining souls, but now referred to as Blood Essence. This essence is acts as the games experience and currency for those looking to have an edge against their enemies and hopefully not die so that they don’t suffer brutal loading screens that can seem almost debilitating to some. In previous titles, players were accustomed to death, and by that being said – death is everywhere and players will die a lot, which leads to the load screens and retrieving their blood essence to being a bit of a problem as they move through the games campaign. This can somewhat be lightened down to their favor with exploring, equipment, essence farming, and even spending time to upgrade their weapons as well as learning their weapons weakness as well as its strengths. This means that players may have to take the time, find new weapons, and even look at their armor in order to weigh what stats may benefit them a bit more than the time before. This can help on some of the most difficult boss battles you will encounter such as the Blood-Starved Beast or even Father Gascione.

Unlike the “Souls” franchise, Bloodborne does find itself a much different beast when it comes down to it. This time around, players are not focusing on finding rings, amulets, and building just straight up for defense and or offense based upon the shield they’ve managed to find or the weapons they have decided to wield in order to storm into combat like a well greased warmachine. Instead this time around the game has been stripped down to its core mechanics allowing players to optimize stats based upon their own personal style, but also the modes that their weapons are capable of turning into. Best example of this would be the games Saw Cleaver, which can be changed from short range to long range simply by pushing L1 and going to town against enemies once they are stunned with the firing of your firearm of choice (there are plenty to choose from). This also opens up the capability of charming up a heavy attack with R2 and allow for players to devastate oncoming enemies with a single swing and even take on a bit of damage in a broad area. Even though this is only one of the games combat capabilities, Bloodborne offers a unique twist on a genre that has become fan favored and has even differentiated itself from the rest of a series.

With all the subtle changes and even graphical upgrades to their own engine, From Software teamed with publisher SCEA has managed to pull off a game that could easily set the par for future titles that could seek a launch on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but this exclusive defines what difficulty is while offering new twists in areas players may have visited once a boss is downed, and this is what gives the game such a rich replay value, but also issues a challenge for players to come back or take on the Chalice Dungeon’s in order to truly test their skill. Even though it may seem short to some, Bloodborne is all, but short, and its shortcomings are only because of those insanely long loading screens that have been created in order for creatures to be re-spawned after a player dies. With a patch being in the works? Bloodborne could easily be one of the best games to have landed on the PlayStation 4 to date.

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Final Score: 10 out of 10

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Editor’s Note: This review is based upon the final release product and was not provided to us by the publisher. Our review is also a review in progress as mentioned before and will be updated if we see a significant reason to update the review in the future. For information about our ethics policy please click here.

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About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, MMO’s, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable and can’t be softened by even the biggest names in the gaming industry. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. To follow Dustin, hit him up on Twitter over at @GamingAnomaly, find him on his Google+. Wanna game with him? You can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Join the Blast Away the Game Review Community on Facebook or Google+
Review by Dustin Murphy

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Pros:
+A vibrant and artistically crafted world
+Music that is well rounded and rather charming
+Rather well crafted and easy to navigate world
+Combat scenarios have been tamed down in difficulty
+Characters are convincing and well rounded
+Alchemy system has seemingly been broadened and made more interesting
+Discovery system by harvesting materials helps a lot to find unique treasure

Cons:
–Farming relentlessly to make items
–Side jobs can be entertaining, but also a hassle to complete
–Some parts of Stellard feel empty

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Bringing back their famed franchise, developer Gust 3D has once more entered us into a world of Atelier, which puts us into the third installment within the “Dusk” series, which makes it the sixteenth installment within the franchise itself. Much like Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky, Atelier Shallie allows players to once more choose between two alchemists; Shallotte and Shallistera. With the characters only really varying with personality and minor storyline tweaks, players will get to take on the tasks of either helping grow their own personal business or even how they approach the companions around them. However, their primary objective that lie before them is simple: Save the world.

This time around in order to improve the series’ mechanics, Gust 3D has parted ways with some rather problematic issues that held the franchise back from being rather enjoyable compared to before. So what exactly has changed? To start off, the timed gameplay between each requirement to be fulfilled has actually come to an end, and allows for players to once more enjoy the series where they will be able to enjoy the series without those annoying restrictions based upon time required. Now players are free to complete their side missions, exploring, and even material gathering as they please in order to complete their tasks at hand before revisiting their workshop in order to continue onto the next chapter.

Fulfilling the requirements for each Life Goal allows for players to once more undertake quests that require the alchemists to create items, eliminate enemies, explore areas, or even meet new people in order to complete their goals and open up new areas for them to explore. Much like in past games, exploration is taken on by multiple tasks that will require players to farm for materials, explore new zones, take on enemies, find uncovering relics and even take on the task of building up the alchemy shop skill level in order to take on more difficult recipes. This allows for the ability to obtain new recipes, new items, equipment, and even items, which players will use in order to up their chances of survival, but also completing given tasks.

Much like before, exploration features going into combat, which has in ways, seems rather well rounded this time around. Unlike before, there is no need to beat through an enemies extra health bars and treating it like a sever life and death situation. Granted it can still be that for your characters, it’s seemingly a bit easier than before thanks to each character having a variety of skills, enemies having weaknesses, and well being a bit more susceptible to the games new “Burst System”, which allows combat to have a seemingly faster speed while in combat. This meter is filled up by attacking in combat and not sustaining damage while having done so. In this mode players will notice that characters deal more damage, gain speed, and even seem to allow players to access the end-of-combat reward screen a bit quicker than before. In order to keep track of how quickly players are progressing towards activating the burst mere, players can take note of the combat bar up on the right side of the screen that will allow players to see their progression towards it. While in this mode, let alone are combat abilities upped, but players will be capable of buffing themselves, and even going as far as reviving their characters should they be knocked out while in combat. Something that is quite useful and will cause players to not find themselves being taken to the world map and only having one health per character.

This will allow players to pick up the progress that was taken forth from what Escha & Logy had been doing while attempting to find out why the seas are drying up, and attempting to save the world as both Shallotte and Shalistera. While in town there are a few options players can undertake, this includes picking up sidequests known as requests, and even take on the tasks of completing in-game challenges that will require players to complete such things as leveling up alchemy, jumping, visiting areas, gathering materials, or simply just completing combat scenarios. As an unfortunate bug that was experienced with our version before the latest patch, we experienced the inability to specialise our characters based upon what we wanted them to be, but also an issue that left much our title untranslated. However, thanks to the quick response by Gust 3D, this has been fixed so far, but this makes it so that those who play offline will find themselves being hit by this bug if they purchase the physical version of the title. So those of you looking at getting this physically? Be prepared to be hit by a few bugs if you can’t update. Even a game breaking one.

Overall, the game itself is much less daunting than before or even intimidating be it combat, alchemy, or simply completing requests from people within the town. Thanks to having been able to create combat items, usable items, weapons, and even request items, it was quite easy to enjoy the first playthrough as Shallotte and enjoy the quests with her wacky group of friends. Thanks to a large group of helpful tutorials and ease of access to them, the game this time has been a much more enjoyable experience compared to that of Atelier Rorona or Meruru Plus. The game itself left a rather fun experience that could eventually lead back to a few more playthroughs in order to see the larger scope of things within the long run. With those final thoughts, Atelier Shallie: Alchemist of the Dusk Sea will leave players wanting more if they have not already experienced previous titles within the series, but also within the franchise itself. We can only hope to see future titles like this one come out and allow fans whom only have the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita a chance to experience this wonderfully crafted and rather enjoyable title.

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Final Score: 8 out of 10

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Editor’s Note: This version of the game is based upon a pre-release retail version of the game. Our copy was provided to us by the games publisher. For information about our ethics policy please click here.

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About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, MMO’s, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable and can’t be softened by even the biggest names in the gaming industry. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. To follow Dustin, hit him up on Twitter over at @GamingAnomaly, find him on his Google+. Wanna game with him? You can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Join the Blast Away the Game Review Community on Facebook or Google+
Review by Dustin Murphy

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Editors Note: Please note that this is a review that is in progress since we have not had a chance to test the multiplayer yet. We will update this accordingly soon.

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Pros:
+Character creation is in-depth and allows for heavy customizations
+Weapon selections vary between fantasy and non-fantasy campaigns
+Level-up system is unique, in-depth, and allows for complete control
+Difficulty is easy to overcome once weapon types and their weaknesses are learned
+Absolutely insanely large battlefields (58+ minutes to fully clear a map)

Cons:
-Intermittent framerate drops
-White specks appearing on terrain texture collision points at times
-Combat can sometimes be lucrative and time consuming
-Disappointing A.I. that is absolutely useless in combat
-Aiming abilities for ranged characters such as the archers and casters are annoying
-Little Variation in combat theaters

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What do you do when you re-release a game that was originally released on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 as “Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War” back in 2007? Well port it eventually of course, which is just what Omega Force and publisher Koei Tecmo have done by adding a bunch of new customizations, a new scenario, online mode, a free mode, and even an online portion that can be activated at any given time. With that being said, what exactly is the big draw to this game if there is one?

Taking place during the well known Hundred Years War, which takes course during the conflicts between both England and France for 120 years between the 14th and the 15th centuries, which documented historical figures that participated within this conflict. During these conflicts, players will get to see Joan d’Arc, Edward of Woodstock (The Black Prince), John Talbot, and even John Fastolf, and even Phillipe le Bon all the while traversing some of history’s most famous battlegrounds such as Crécy, Poitiers, and Orléans. For those of you who always wanted a history refresher, this game will offer quite a bit of that through its extensive campaign that can spread out to 100+ hours just to play “The Hundred Years’ War” and not even include the “Nightmare” campaign, which features fantasy twists to what happened after “The Hundred Years’ War”.

So what exactly is Bladestorm: Nightmare? At its heart, Omega Force designed an intricate a large scale RTS that plays off in real time. In this title players will make their officer, help lead armies, and take on large scale battles that will take place through The Hundred Years War and help bring the war to find a resolution. Unlike the original campaign, however, “Nightmare” is a campaign that is scripted to be a ‘linear’ twist of the original one, which takes place after the first campaign where the forces of England and france have been met with a rather fierce group of enemies that come as creatures that can easily be called demon’s, skeletons, and random fantasy creatures – their leader? The once famed Joan d’Arc has fallen and become their leader. Even though it was intended to be played at the end of “The Hundred Years’ War”, “Nightmare,” is a much more entertaining campaign that will let fans who prefer an altered and fantasy filled history to enjoy. Within this game mode, fans will once more take the role as their mercenary who works their way once more through Europe in order to track down Joan d’Arc. Upon joining this campaign, however, players get to carry over several rather important things – weapons, gear, levels, and distributed skill points without any form of restrictions or altered stats. Instead the game stays true to its intention in letting players join an expanded campaign. With that information shared, it is something to keep in mind when tempted to jump straight into “Nightmare,” versus “The Hundred Years’ War”.

So the question after that is going to surely be the technical one – how does the game perform on new-gen? Unfortunately it did seem the game itself ran into a few general hiccups that could easily be patched out given the time. The game itself ran into infrequent framerate drops compared the constantly plaguing the last-gen version. However, that doesn’t mean they are entirely gone, nor is the infrequent white dots that will appear where the terrain collides, but these are negligible and infrequent. However, when it comes to graphics, Bladestorm itself has been highly upgraded and has even with the newly added particle effects and lighting effects. Something that is seemingly common in games such as Dynasty Warriors and now their franchise Bladestorm, but this simply could be due to all the the enemies and actions the game is tracking in real time.

This can be mostly noticed when combining multiple groups of troops and their commanders into one large army and storming the battlefield. Players will find them using R1, R2, L1, and L2 in order to control those groups and attempt to take out their enemies. In this game, many will take note that it is a huge departure from the typical Omega Force combat setup. This time around, Omega Force has removed the capability of controlling just one character to allowing users to controlling a rather large battalion of soldiers. Within this ocean of soldiers players will find themselves having to direct and control them all as one giant and cohesive unit. Each of these units will have their own controls and can even participate in this games equivalent of the Musou attack. All this can be set up in the games central hub, which is a tavern where mercenaries gather in order to equip new armour, weapons, and even setting up their squads.

Thanks to the use of both L1, L2, R1, R2 on the PS3, PS4, and LB, Left Trigger, RB, and Right Trigger in order to access the controls for each of your coordinated groups. Thanks to these innovations, players can also change between the leaders they want to control using the controller’s d-pad, which will help in doing so. This also allows players to enjoy new weapon types, abilities, and even character leveling as players progress through both of the games main campaigns. For players looking to fight against both strengths and weaknesses to their weapon types, players will need to utilize multiple classes through the battles on the go. So how does this work? Want to wipe out a cavalry? Easy, grab a group of Viking Swordsmen or Pikemen and you will absolutely level the playing field. Are you the cavalry? Well prepare to be weak to both Pikemen and archers as they will seek to pick you off quite easily while you are talking out halberdiers and even archers, but that’s also while players could quite easily be taking out enemy sword and shield wielders. This is something that players will become quite well versed in by using enemy class warning symbols showing if players can take them out or not. The only issue here? Combat will become repetitive, quiet, and even a bit boring, but this is something that will wear off a bit over time and will bring players back to enjoy it, but that’s not the only charming thing of the game thanks to composer Jamie Christopherson.

With music composed by Jamie Christopherson (well known for his soundtrack he composed for Metal Gear Rising Revengeance) it’s not hard to find someone being drawn into the combat scenarios while leading forth a cavalry or group of undead mages to take on an enemy ogre during their time of war in order to take over enemy bases and run the battlefield. Thanks to his usage of both instrumental music that both cascades on the ears yet remains subtle; the game itself remains fulfilling and yet intriguing thanks to the atmosphere he helps create. Something that terrains, enemies, and even conversations in battle should have been able to manage on their own.

Overall, even with this as a review in progress, Bladestorm: Nightmare is a game that challenges players to the fullest and will push them to truly extend their battle prowess on the battlefield and show their inner tactician.

Bladestorm: Nightmare is now available for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game is priced 59.99 USD on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and 39.99 USD on PlayStation 3. The title released on March 17th for North America and will launch on March 20th for Europe.

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Final Score: 7 out of 10

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Editor’s Note: This version of the game is based upon a pre-release retail version of the game. Our copy was provided to us by the games publisher. For information about our ethics policy please click here.

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About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, MMO’s, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable and can’t be softened by even the biggest names in the gaming industry. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. To follow Dustin, hit him up on Twitter over at @GamingAnomaly, find him on his Google+. Wanna game with him? You can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Originally Published on the Official Blast Away the Game Review Facebook Page
Review by Dustin Murphy

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Pros:
+Moral choices that actually weave a story of their own
+Deaths punish a player by removing items providing a challenge
+Emphasizes the use of anime character designs and vibrant visuals
+Traditional rogue-like dungeon crawling mechanics
+Angel and Demon forms offer an edge in combat

Cons:
–Time taken between graphic novel and combat can bore some players
–English dubbing leaves room for improvement
–Character choices, at times, can leave players dumbfounded by what they are picking

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What would you do when your decisions choose your fate as God? That is something that Shin Kamikaze has learned to take on earlier than before. As a follow up to the 2013 title Guided Fate Paradox, the developer (Nippon Ichi Software). In this sequel, however, it is time to take on the original build and emphasis on that in order to to help the series evolve into a bit more of a strategy like title. So what does this mean? A much more enjoyable title than before.

As stated, your story takes on the role as God from the get go. Shin Kamikaze is the perfect host to become such a figure. With a bright attitude, a rather pessimistic attitude, and a huge issue for trust, our hero finds himself rather quickly killed only to be revived so that he can become our stereotyped JRPG lead character. The question that will come to mind is easy to answer; yes he fits the role perfectly and will definitely entertain fans and newcomers for hours. Some of this is due to the fact the game emphasizes itself around the well used anime-like visuals that include character designs, terrains, and even settings. Following the tradition that worked in the past title, Guided Fate Paradox, The Awakened Fate Ultimatum feeds itself in a graphic novel type style, which should find itself as a draw for those who find huge interest in Manga’s.

When playing The Awakened Fate Ultimatum, it’s hard not to see that the game feeds off the successfulness of many games out there that come from Japan, and in this game it actually works quite well thanks to how the story unfolds. But where do you look to a game that is driven by a powerful narrative with tropes based upon the anime genre as a whole? To a dungeon crawling experience where players will take on enemies across a grid-like map. The combat is very straight-forward for players wishing to engage enemies. Players can navigate each of the maps that they are trying to go through by using the controller’s’ D-Pad, analog stick, L2 (Angel Form), (L1 + Right Stick to Select an ability), R3 (release ultimate power), R2 (Demon Form), triangle (character menu), and ‘X’ to attack. Outside of this, navigating dungeons are easy to do and so the game is rather easily explained for those wanting to explore through the dungeons.

But what else goes into this games combat system? As before, it was mentioned that L2 and R2 changed players between Angel and Devil form, which causes a new form to take shape and abilities to be used. Doing this players will alternate between using SP and just energy. When using SP, players will note that every attack, step, and even ability uses up SP, which can leave the player running around in their ‘human’ form. When out of SP, players will also be able to note that it regenerates while using up their stamina by moving around the map. In order to regenerate SP or their stamina, players will need to use their food, use their medicines, and even use those items against their enemies for the opposite effect of what would happen to them. This tactic is something that players will become familiar with in their 10-20 hour adventure through this title. Do note though; you run out of stamina? You will start losing health, once out of both? Shin dies, your dungeon ends, and you must restart where you left off.

With that mentioned, maps are explored in a birds-eye-view. Players will get to see a rather nicely detailed character models that show off with each character movement. As the game progresses so does the change in elements as players gain new weapons, trip and evade new traps, but also find themselves being randomly activated in order to halt the players progress. Outside of these combat scenarios, the game is one that is very straightforward and will attempt to keep players interested as they level up both their angel and demon (devil) forms in order to progress through the games campaign. Even with these bare essentials as part of the mechanics, the game boasts something else even more detailed that players may not realize. Outside of these well planned out dungeons with rather well placed enemies, the game boasts a system where players choices actually matter, and these choices will influence a grid like system that will determine what stats they have between both forms. So why does this matter more than the games rather straight forward combat system and dungeon exploration tactics, the game boasts something unique.

When playing through The Awakened Fate Ultimatum, players will be able to take on the tasks, as mentioned before, of taking time to make decisions that will alternate between both Angel and Devil. These decisions will give players points to spend in each of the trees in order to make that form (when used) more powerful in combat when sneaking through dungeons. Overall – what does this leave for a game of this caliber?

The Awakened Fate Ultimatum is a charming game that will leave players with quite a bit of duration that will offer fun gameplay mechanics, an entertaining story, and even decisions that seem to actually matter through the duration of the game.

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/-/ Closing Thoughts /-/

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Normally I’m not one to do closing thoughts when it comes to games that are rather simple when it comes to controls and story. This is one of the few games I can honestly state that actually let me go through around ten hours of enjoyment before finding myself departing from a rather amusing campaign. With that being said, the game is entertaining, which leads me to say – this game is unique, fun, and equally challenging, which got me coming back for more and enjoying what I was playing.

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Final Score: 8 out of 10

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Editor’s Note: This version of the game is based upon a pre-release retail version of the game. Our copy was provided to us by the games publisher. For information about our ethics policy please click here.

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About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, MMO’s, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable and can’t be softened by even the biggest names in the gaming industry. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. To follow Dustin, hit him up on Twitter over at @GamingAnomaly, find him on his Google+. Wanna game with him? You can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Join the Blast Away the Game Review Community on Facebook or Google+
Review by Dustin Murphy

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Pros:
+Well done transition from JRPG to Strategy RPG
+Carries on the series as a sidestory of the Hyperdimension franchise
+No annoyances in the ‘shares’ system for the Gameindustri market
+Semi-linear gameplay direction adds to a quick on-the-go experience
+Creative chibi like character models that make the game one of the best looking on Vita

Cons:
-Boss difficulties, just as in other games, can be challenging and at times too hard
-A massive amount of tutorials that slow down the games pacing
-Characters do not heal up when leveling up in combat scenes, which improves the games difficulty

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Where do you go with a franchise that has become so well known for its take on the gaming industry by having four CPU’s from different ‘realms’ and constantly fighting each other go to? A side-story adventure that puts one of the most anti-social of all the characters at the focus; her name? Goddess Blackheart or Noire for short.

Our story takes us into the world of Lastation where Noire (the CPU goddess Blackheart) has gotten tired of existing in the shadows of her allies; Vert, Blanc, and Neptune to name those allies. This time around we are finally getting to see Noire in action where her heart is full of hope, her mind is filled with determination, and her innermost embarrassments are for us to see as her secretary. That’s after she condemns the world into a ‘shares blackout’ and strips the CPU’s of their power. This is where you the player becomes important. For the first-time ever players get to see the world unfold in front of Noire’s eyes where she gets to put the spotlight on her, but also shares the advantage of being in her very own strategy role-playing title, which does itself a lot of justice.

The game takes us into the alternate universe known as Gamarket, which is a huge change from the traditional world of ‘Gameindustri’ where Noire, Vert, and Blanc are always going to war with each other and well Purpleheart or rather Neptune herself. In this newly unveiled world, we get to see Noire as the commander and chief who runs her world with an iron fist and lets the other CPUs know exactly where she stands. Unfortunately for her, there are a bit of issues where she’s tricked into wishing at the sharacite crystal, this being after she is tricked into wishing upon it, and loses all control of her power, the other CPUs power, and well each of the countries generals are out for blood, and hers is to be exact. After almost being attacked by a monster that would normally have been a simple task for her, you – her secretary in all reasons and purposes for this story – are her saving grace that allows her to have her CPU form back. This is, however, where the plot becomes paper thin and focuses on character development versus a solid story that would normally send fans into a craze.

With all of this aside, the games story is, as stated, very thin and leaves little to no room as to a heavy concern on what happened, but instead allows players to see the behind the scenes look at Noire as well as her personal inner-workings. With the game having done this, players will at times feel as if they aren’t playing the game for the story, but instead to experience the fresh-new-look at a series that hasn’t changed all that much since its days on the PlayStation 3. In this game, the new combat system is the most unique twist to the whole thing, which improves upon the old system with the newly implemented “Lily System”, which allows for characters to team up by standing beside each other, getting a peck on the cheek, and performing their skills. Doing this will cause abilities to require less skill points to perform, and will even allow for a buff to be given depending on who, how many, and when the ability is used. The best time for this usage? Making sure your entire team is around you and popping the ability to vanquish enemies that could be annoying to fight.

In this new system, players will also get a ‘kissing currency’, which can be used in order for characters to turn to their CPU appearance and allow for their HDD form as well as abilities to be used. In these forms players can take on using special attacks (just like in the previous titles) and even deploy more units on the field when they start digitally phasing out one by one like some bad sprite from an old game. However, do not think this is something you’ll want to focus on since it does mean that your arsenal of characters to choose from can be used up and leave you defenseless when you really will need those characters on the battlefield. However, who doesn’t want to see every character they can put on the field out in combat in all their animated chibi glory?

Even with the subtle changes to the old combat system, one thing does main majorly intact, and that is the individuality that each character portrays in previous titles while in combat. This means that abilities, their range, and even attack animations remain much the same, but it also means that abilities very rarely become overlapping, if at all. Something that was done quite well in the Re;birth 1 and Re;birth 2 titles (reviews coming soon). Thanks to how Idea Factory approached this, it’s not odd to Vert send a spear piercing through enemies and nuking their health bar to nothingness or see Neptune go into a flashy spiral and knocking a rather large chunk of their health bar off. Though this isn’t something that should always be celebrated. While moving across the battlefield may seem easy, the developers became crafty and allowed enemies to use traps (terrain, etc) against you, they’ve also managed to allow enemies to enjoy a bit of their own quickly dispatching attacks. Enemies can use a range of viruses, poisons, and even status ailments in order to prevent players from proceeding through battlefields as quickly as they would like. Players will also find themselves taking on CPU like characters (no HDD form, but very devastating are accompanied by them).

For those of you who like to move between one point to the next, it never hurts to opt out of attacking and instead moving an extra turn so that players may get to a goal that may need quickly maneuvered to. Luckily those of you who are constantly in trouble due to status ailments, it’s not hard to pick a character on your team setup (assuming you’ve failed the mission and returned to Lastation) can revisit the mission, build your team best suited for the mission, and retry it. Note, anything you’ve obtained or found will be lost upon the mission fail and will require a chance at re-obtaining it by once more taking out enemies and finding that hidden loot.

When not on the battlefield, players are given a chance to visit vendors that will seem rather familiar from the past titles, which is the item developer, disc developer and even a chance to visit the Basilicom. Here players can use special plans obtained from bosses, missions, or simply finding them from chests, this is something rather useful when wanting to create more powerful weapons and armour but this also means that players will be dealing with hard to kill bosses that can be an almost guaranteed one shot when trying to take them on for the materials and item plans. This is where the Lastation Hub becomes an important place when not in the middle of missions.

Visiting the Basilicom is something players can do in order to visit Noire and chat with her or even undergo a small conversation and spend some Sim Points in order to better situate her living area, which is just short of being a shack due to how trashy it looks to begin with. Here is where players can also undertake requests from the people of Lastation and chat with Noire regarding these requests. These requests give an insight into what the possible every day life of Noire must be like. Some of them causing a small chuckle as it tends to be a bit of comedy relief depending on the options chosen.

Outside of this, the game is rather straight forward as a Hyperdimension franchise installment in the fact that players will find themselves doing what they need at the Lastation hub when not trying to complete objectives, missions, and working with the CPUs as suggested, the game is creative and allows for a unique spin on the JRPG series it originates from. With even a paper-thin plot, the story, character development, and even graphics are eye popping and will leave players entertained longer than they would have thought, which is what makes this game well worthwhile.

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Closing Thoughts: Reflecting on the Sim

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When thinking about where the Hyperdimension series originated from, it’s hard not to see that the game itself has become a bit of a unique spin on the world of Gamarket and the look at what Noire would do if the world was hers. Luckily the game is amusing in every means of amusing and does not cut any corners to fill in the classic puns the series is known for. With requests for missions now being side missions, the game provides quite a bit of fun and even allows for a few of the games rib nudges that can get a small chuckle or laugh out of a person. The game itself is enjoyable and allows for a strategy take on the familiar RPG series. This is definitely one that fills a spot that has been void on the PlayStation Vita and allows for fans to enjoy the series, but for fans who want a very story driven game should look elsewhere for their entertainment.

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Final Score: 6 out of 10

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Editor’s Note: This version of the game is based upon a pre-release retail version of the game. Our copy was provided to us by the games publisher. For information about our ethics policy please click here.

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About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, MMO’s, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable and can’t be softened by even the biggest names in the gaming industry. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. To follow Dustin, hit him up on Twitter over at @GamingAnomaly, find him on his Google+. Wanna game with him? You can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Join the Blast Away the Game Review Community on Facebook or Google+
Review by Dustin Murphy

 

Pros:
+Beautifully Artistic
+Intriguing use of the front and rear Vita touchpads
+Challenging stages that offer plenty of puzzle variations
+An intriguing story told through scenery and actions

Cons:
-At times unresponsive reactions when using shadow world firefly
-Can, at times, be boring and cumbersome to play
-Lack of analog controls makes the game hard to play for those on the go

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htoL#NiQ, also known by Hotaru no Nikki, is by all the means is a beautiful game. It is one that I’ve been closely tracking since it’s Japanese launch and was almost tempted on more than one occasion to download it. Before I begin, I want to applaud Nippon Icchi Software America for picking up this title, it is gorgeous, and at times gives players a truly troubling story that is told through the scenery and the actions of the characters. So where do we begin? First of all, we’ll begin with introducing the game. htoL#NiQ tells the story of an amnesiac child by the name of Mion whom has awoken in December 31, 9999, and has come to witness the dark and desolate world that has been left in ruins. Unfortunately, Mion has to escape the rubble she is stuck in so that she may see the outside world and hope for the best. In this story, Mion is lead by her companion firefly Hotaru whom is leading her through her journey upwards through the ruins Mion is stuck in. Unfortunately, not all that looks good – is good. With distorted and ruthless shadows, machines, and the bodies of dead children hanging around in random areas, Mion is put into a world that looks like it may not all be that great when she gets out.

In our exploration the game instantly opens up with some of the most beautiful art that one could expect to see for a game such as this, but afterwards our eyes will be drawn from enjoying this portion to a tutorial that teaches players how to control both Hotaru and Mion. Hotaru, being our playable character that guides Mion. Once players have become accustomed to using both the front and rear touch pads to control both Mion and Hotaru, it is time to try and get to safety. Within the game the atmosphere fits the setting with rather industrial areas that seem drab and dark, htoL#NiQ seems to try and boast a lot about its atmosphere, which it deserves to do, which is where I will leave it at that. This game is gorgeous is all that can be said to keep from going on a spew regarding it.

But in many ways, I felt that is where the games controls began to go downhill since the levels will eventually require players to have quick reactions to maneuver Hotaru and Mion from dying due to shadows, machines, and even the terrain that can be rather brutal. At times, it will become frustrating at how fast or slow the game seems to be. Though, that is where the charm comes in regarding the games puzzles that have a rather decent pacing until late in the game, which is where the game seems to have gone downhill and slowed down to a point I felt like I had chain and ball hanging on my thumbs. This is unfortunate since many of the games level designs (some of them overly challenging and left me rage quitting – admittedly) are almost too hard to do without a analog stick since they are almost impossible at times. With Hotaru at the lead, it’s not surprising to see that the developer has brought a few challenges that players will not expect, these challenges include Mion becoming confused and walking in the opposite direction of what Hotaru is in. This will lead players to needing to adapt and overcome in levels where they must use devices to protect Mion from floating up into saw blades, shadows, or simply just a terrain that will kill her. With this happening seemingly quite often, players will find themselves muttering, grunting, or even yelling in pure frustration since Mion seems to walk slowly above a world of death that awaits to claim her.

When not worrying about death, players will be growing frustrating with the slowly adapting touch screen controls, which will leave them frustrated when trying to move Mion up ladders, over boxes, and even to release items for some boss fights that will require her to run away. With Mion being as slow as she is, it’s hard not to get a cringe going when trying to re-position your firefly (Hotaru) where you need it. If you don’t when climbing up a ladder or box for example? You may end up dismounting it back to where you came from, this can be annoying and lead some players who want a faster pace to walk away and move onto another game; something I admittedly found myself doing multiple times before coming back to htoL#NiQ. This admittedly is a good thing though since it has actually shown that htoL#NiQ (Hotaru no Nikki) has some lure to it and will keep frustrated players coming back for more in order to find more saplings and even help Mion regain her memories.

With this exploration for such items, the question in mind that comes is the wondering of something else – where is the sprint? Does Mion just not know how to run or have the designers decided to omit this from the game on purpose? With moments of urgency that pop up, it would have been nice to see Mion run depending on how fast Hotaru is from her, which would make moving back and forth across the larger puzzle rooms rather nice while trying to also avoid falling death that tends to happen quite often throughout the game. On the bright side, the slow scenes due seem to end rather quickly thanks to events that help relieve this bit of annoyance throughout the game. We can only hope this is something that is added in if the game ever gets analog stick support.

When stepping away from the minor annoyances of the game, htoL#NiQ is a charming game that finds itself as a touch screen puzzle title that could easily find itself launching on tablets, phones, and other devices including the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. The Nintendo 3DS? It would have been a rather charming addition to the game thanks to the New Nintendo 3DS implemented C-Stick and Adaptive 3D. However, that is not a portion for me to discuss, which leaves me trying to revisit Hotaru no Nikki again so that I may snag up all this difficult (at times) to obtain Saplings so that Mion can regain her memories.

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Final Score: 6 out of 10

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Editor’s Note: This version of the game is based upon a pre-release retail version of the game. Our copy was provided to us by the games publisher. For information about our ethics policy please click here.

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About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, MMO’s, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable and can’t be softened by even the biggest names in the gaming industry. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. To follow Dustin, hit him up on Twitter over at @GamingAnomaly, find him on his Google+. Wanna game with him? You can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Join the Blast Away the Game Review Community on Facebook or Google+
Review by Dustin Murphy

Pros:
+The best graphics engine to date compared to other releases this generation
+Characters that are easily relatable to and sit almost true to their timeframes
+Werewolves, Vampires, Corrupt Knights in an Arthurian like tale
+Gunplay mechanics are pristine and well rounded
+Voice-acting is on par with a high-end Hollywood production
+Creative and intuitive ways to use quick-time-events

Cons:
–Cutscenes, even if in-game, tend to sometimes take away from player immersion
–Linear pathways leave little room for players to explore
–No backtracking through previously visited areas
–Characters at times seem out of place whether in combat or in cutscenes
–Quick-time-events can sometimes seem out of place are repetitive, could use work

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Editor’s Note: Before reading this, please note the review is an expanded version of our hands-on-impression and includes a final take on The Order: 1886. We apologize if this is an inconvenience, but it was decided this was the best way to approach this review due to how lengthy it would be if we included both looks at the game.

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The Order: 1886, as stated in the hands-on-impression, is a interactive cinema experience. It is a game that pushes the blend between movie, game, and storytelling to a level you may have only seen in games such as Beyond Two Souls, Heavy Rain, Binary Domain, Gears of War, and even God of War. Unlike a few of the titles, however, The Order: 1886 at times almost seems to have an identity crisis with what it wants to be. Starting out in the game, players are introduced within the first few minutes of starting up the game, to a quicktime-event that introduces our character ‘Grey’ or rather more-renowned as Sir Galahad. Upon this introduction it was more than clear this game was not going to disclude them from the overall experience. Allowing players to partake in this type of setup would have actually been a better choice than going between interactive movie and playable game.

After being introduced to the first chapter or two, players will get to meet their full blown entourage and begin their exploration into an alt-history London where Werewolves, Vampires, and a zealous Order have taken rule. The Order’s job? To keep London safe and act as London’s ‘special operations division’. Doing this, they work closely with Nikola Tesla (can we just call him father of modern electricity?). Tesla acts as their weapons engineer, inventor and even the guy who helps out with scientific findings when needed. However, players will not be seeing much of him outside of his lab, instead they will get to know Marquise de Lafayette, Lady Igraine, and Sir Perceval. These characters are ones that the game tends to focus on in order to build the story that flows around them in regards to a rebel incursion that has a rather frightening background, but with this game, all is not what it seems, which leaves quite a few plot holes for players to dig through in order to understand what the real story is. Something that can be quite interesting to keep track of in a 68% or higher completion rate (yes, we’re talking trophies here, and it’s not going to be easy in just one playthrough).

With much of the games story hidden through background conversations, cut scenes, and even hidden documentation (phonograph recordings, newspaper clippings, photo’s, and even found artwork), players can find themselves a bit confused at what the entire plot is. Even for those who are sharp as a well sharpened knife, it’ll still be hard to piece together at times since the game doesn’t offer just a whole lot in the area of background stories. All that is known up to this game? Is all that Ready at Dawn and SCE Santa Monica wanted you to know. Unfortunately, this is where the outcry from fans can be understandable as the story itself is minimal, gameplay short (our review playthrough clocked in at 14 ½ hours with a 68% trophy completion and no breaks). Much like the out of place QTE’s even combat seems to be out of place at times since players will, at times, hop between cutscenes that are rendered using the games in-game graphic engine and a rather large scale shootout where players will take on enemies who are not scared to fall back and hide. Unlike enemies in Gears of War or other shooters, enemies do not seem to be programmed to come out from hiding after a certain duration, instead there were times when the most opportune weapon to use was a grenade in order to wipe out any stragglers that decided to hide behind a crate or wall.

However, that’s not the most troubling part when it does come to this games combat system, instead it is Galahad’s ability to slow-down time in-combat and diminish any remaining enemies that seem to be within range. Granted he switches to his pistol to do so – players will still find a bit of an eyeroll towards this, which does seem to reflect on the idea that these knights are the badasses that Ready at Dawn wanted them to be. Even with this being so, it is unsurprising that players will find themselves getting downed once in combat, which leads to, guess what? Another quick time event where players will find themselves pressing triangle only to return to smashing on their X button, but if they are not quick enough to do so those pesky enemies will come around and quickly dispatch any chances of returning to combat. If players die it won’t be uncommon to hear a bit of outcry in annoyance due to the awkwardly drawn out checkpoints that will set players back to the original checkpoint before combat started. This is even more-so troubling when combating the games rare-to-see werewolves. Fighting these ugly four legged beasts are more than a hassle. Players will become best friends with their X button when not hosing down one of these rather ugly creatures. Pressing X will allow players to quickly dodge out of the way and find some relief in doing so when not shooting the living heck out of a werewolf. Though some of these guys are not fought by just a shooting scenario, instead the combat for some of them is broken down into a QTE based scenario where players will find themselves dodging using the right analog stick while also hitting R2 for heavy attacks and L2 for light, but quick attacks. This set of combat is lucrative, out of place, and unfortunately does draw away from the games overall immersion since players will possibly be reluctant to even partake in these events. For those wanting a more-immersive cinematic experience, this may be right up your ally, for others it is going to be a bit of a hassle and a frustrating one at that. At least stealth kills and melee don’t seem that out of place when it comes to basic combat situations.

Outside of picking apart a rather awkward combat system that seems to try and take from a seemingly familiar Uncharted when it first launched on PS3, The Order: 1886 also offers up a wide array of weapons. These weapons include an arc gun that shoots electricity, The Order’s assault rifle that offers a nice little enemy stun, a massive array of pistols, shotguns, and even single shot rifles for those who want accuracy over firerate. Unfortunately it is not up to the players what weapons they use from the start of each chapter since the game has a preset weapon selection that sets players up with a choice of armoury that Galahad seems to be at peace with. This means that sniper rifle you found in Chapter IX? It’s not going to reappear in Chapter XI or Chapter XII. This is something that seems to more-so be within the developers array of weapon loadout and is unfortunate since there are weapons that players would undoubtedly want to tote around. However, to solve this issue, the development team did allow for enemies to carry an immense amount of weapon loadouts. This means those of you who want to change up your weapons can gladly do so while some might find themselves a bit more satisfied with the standardized setup that Galahad will come into combat with.

When stepping away from the negatives of the combat system, loadout and diluted immersion due to QTE’s and combat scenarios, The Order: 1886 is something profoundly solid, which is something to be said as one of the first exclusive launches in the second year of the PlayStation 4’s lifespan. The game boasts one of the best graphics engines to date, which works well for a game that shoots to be an interactive movie, which is something even the Game Director Dana Jan had to come at the defense of with original claims putting the game at five hours in length. So were the claims right? As part of the review playthrough it was time to press the games duration when moving through each of the games difficulties, which meant that would be hit at multiple difficulties, which we had to select ONCE the game started through the options menu. Timing the gameplay it was time to grab a stopwatch in order to track the gameplay length without hunting down trophies. So how did we manage to play out? With the game on easy the first playthrough clocked in at roughly six hours, second play through at almost six and a half and hard at a massive eight hours, which meant that the game took up quite a bit of time to hammer out regardless of how fast we hammered out. Do note that in those playthroughs I was not allowed to hunt down collectibles and was forced to play through the game as if I were someone just wanting to explore the story. With that being said, it isn’t surprising there have been reports of the game being no longer than five hours, which was pushed for in the speed playthroughs that left with few deaths, and a whole lot of annoyances when fighting against the werewolves whom were determined at slowing down the pace that was being aimed for. With that being said? The game does deliver itself as a movie based game, but does that justify the cost for those who aren’t collectible hunters? In the experience that was played through, the answer was a yes, but it was taken by note that the shortcomings began to outweigh the positives of the title with each passing minute in the speed playthroughs.

Even while boasting some solid, but at time weak mechanics, and minor irritations – The Order: 1886 does one thing most games haven’t, which is to try and set a pacing for a medium as an interactive movie. This interactive movie experience is something that Ready at Dawn and SCE Santa Monica has seemingly almost mastered if it hadn’t been for the QTE’s that popped up out of nowhere and seemed quite a bit out of place at times. With a little bit of polishing, focus on the combat scenarios, and even fixing the out-of-place combat locations that do tend to pop up for dramatic effect the game could easily place itself with a masterful series in the ftuure. With all this being said, The Order: 1886 is a designed masterpiece that could’ve used a bit more polishing, but like all masterpieces it was not meant to be perfect and has room to improve with future installments to a could-be franchise if Sony is to pick it up for a sequel. The next time around we just hope that combat is a bit more polished, QTE’s are a bit more well placed, and we do see more of those frightful enemies we’ve been introduced to.

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Final Score: 8 out of 10

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About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, MMO’s, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable and can’t be softened by even the biggest names in the gaming industry. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. To follow Dustin, hit him up on Twitter over at @GamingAnomaly, find him on his Google+. Wanna game with him? You can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.