Japanese developer and publisher, Idea Factory Intl, recently held their 5th Annual Press Event which concluded yesterday with a whole lot of animesque video game announcements. First off, new, upcoming titles are making the trip from overseas onto Western shores in 2019 including, Arc of Alchemist, DATE A LIVE: Rio Reincarnation, and Dragon Star Varnir. And secondly, an official release date for the long waited Death end re: Quest was finally announced to the public. Good news all around, eh?
In celebration of Death end re: Quest’s release date announcement, came new screenshots of the Normal Battle UI and a brand new Battle System (Pt.1) trailer! This trailer introduces four battle basics that exist within the battling system techniques present within the game. The Triact System, Field Bugs, Entering Glitch Mode, and the Knockback System are all covered topics which you can view right below:
Next up we have Arc of Alchemist, which is coming to the West for PlayStation 4 and will be available in both physical or digital format. This particular title will be launching next year, sometime during the summer season of 2019.
Enter the desert in search of the key to save humanity – the Great Power. Quinn Bravesford, for the sake of her kingdom, leads her soldiers into battle against a swath of enemy nations. One year, the king declared that he would send a large-scale investigation team to the Desert of Beginnings.
And so, Quinn was selected to captain this mission. Quinn gazes at the ancient alchemic device, the Lunagear, within her hand. According to the legends of yore, once the Lunagear is equipped with the four Orbs, it will unlock the Great Power that will save humanity. Only one Orb resides in Quinn’s Lunagear. Collecting the four Orbs for the Lunagear, however, is a mere legend.
With the threat of dangerous creatures and Machine Dolls wandering the desert, one of the enemy nations, the Principality of Neuhaven, has dispatched their military in search of the Great Power. Now, Quinn and her band of allies must fight against the Principality of Neuhaven in hopes to find the Great Power and save humanity. Quinn steels herself, but even so, she can’t help but doubt the existence of the Great Power…
Key gameplay features within Arc of Alchemist will involve players gathering up the four elemental orbs to unleash the power of the Lunagear. These orbs represent the elements of fire, water, earth, and wind; you’ll need to take advantage of enemies’ elemental weaknesses to hack n’ slash through your robotic nemesis.
However, dispersing foes may require utilizing different strategies, which is where a myriad of weapons, actions, and skills come into play. Fighting with Quinn and her two party members might also call upon using the old noggin. See, exploring an endless desert teeming with antagonistic forces won’t be easy… Though imploring various battle formations that suit the situation at hand might just keep you alive. Be aware that each character has specific roles that pertain to them, so arranging your formation is key.
And if you wish to further your command over the vast, barren wasteland comes the ability to build your very own base. A cozy battle-ready home away from home that includes facilities primed for upgrading that lend to satisfying your party’s needs.
Now onto DATE A LIVE: Rio Reincarnation, the adventure/visual novel based off of the popular light novel series, is coming to the West for both PlayStation 4 and Steam. The former will be available in physical and digital formats too! This title’s release also happens to be slated for launch sometime during the summer season of 2019. An interesting tidbit to note is that two CG scenes were also modified for the PS4 release, while the Steam version remains unedited.
A brand new character named Rio appears, who calls Shido ”Papa” and is searching for the “most important thing.”
After having escaped nearly being trapped in a virtual reality, Shido is afflicted by a strange feeling.
A disturbance in the world in which he lives. Someone is out there… He cannot shake the helpless, uncomfortable feeling. This strange feeling persists… A new paradise. A girl who has the same last name as Rinne–Rio Sonogami. The girl, along with Marina… for the sake of everyone’s happiness, they wander in search of “the most important thing.”
DATE A LIVE: Rio Reincarnation will feature multiple dates with multiple outcomes. Over 150 dating events to be exact, and you’ll be able to partake in these romantic outings with one lucky gal out of eleven girls to choose from.
Choices you make with each girl can affect your overall fate. Which is probably even more pronounced with animated standing portraits. These portraits will breathe, blink, and react to your conversations. So the game’s cast of heroines now feels more realistic than ever before. Speaking of which, clearing all of your date’s conditions will reveal a heroine’s true ending…
Are you still looking for more love in your DATE A LIVE? Well, DATE A LIVE: Rio Reincarnation will come bundled with two previous entries in the series that were originally only available on the PlayStation 3. Both Rinne Utopia and Arusu Install are packaged together within the latest title.
And finally, we come to the last game on this list announced at the press event, Dragon Star Vanir. This title will be hitting the West come spring season of 2019 for PlayStation 4; available both physically and digitally.
In a world where the bones of an ancient beast tower over the land…
The Knight Zephy is part of an order whose role is to hunt down witches – people seen as cursed beings for giving birth to dragons.
When he is almost killed on one of these missions, two mysterious witches save him from the brink of death by feeding him dragon blood.
Granted new magic abilities by their efforts, he soon finds his fate intertwined with the witches and reluctantly joins them to fight against an Empire out to destroy his kind, ruthless dragon hunters, and a witch more powerful than any in existence.
Can they fight all this and save themselves, or will his new allies succumb to the dragon’s curse…?
Battles in Dragon Star Varnir will take place in midair on a vertical plane. The vertically-oriented battle system will require strategically positioning your party at different elevational tiers. Attack and disable the enemies’ skills one level at a time; take em’ down a peg or two.
Letting off enough attacks during a fight will trigger a transformation of your characters that unleashes their inner dragon; unlocking devastating skills and newfound strength as a result. And if you want even more dragon blood coursing through your veins why not devour a weakened enemy dragon absorbing its Skill Tree in the process?
And let’s top off the gameplay features with a little moral dilemma for good measure. Your adopted allies, the three witches, depend on you for food. Bring them dragon blood to stave off their hunger or let them starve, forcing their mental state to maddening levels. And if you overfeed them, they’ll become a dragon! Whether or not you keep them alive or sacrifice them for ultra rare item and skills, the choice is ultimately yours. Though these decisions you make will change the game’s ending…
There you have it, Idea Factory Intl’s 5th Annual Press Event announcements all wrapped up for you courtesy of The Outerhaven.
