Dark Rose Valkyrie is the latest Japanese role-playing game presented to us by developer Compile Heart and publisher Idea Factory. It’s set in an alternate version of 1929 Japan where Black Garnet, a meteorite, has hit the Earth and caused a virus that transforms the public into deadly creatures called Chimera. The protagonist, Asahi Shiramine, is the captain of Task Force Valkyrie – a special unit created by a military agency in order to defeat these beings.
Day 15: Post a screenshot from the game you’re playing right now
Much to my own surprise, I’m still playing Persona 5. I’ve been waiting for this game for five years, so I thought I’d breeze through it, but I’ve decided to be sensible (for once) and try and savour it as much as possible. Anyway! Here is probably the most boring screenshot of Persona 5 – I’m not about to break Atlus’ heart by getting my own, so have this one I found on Google.
Day 12: A game everyone should play
I’m usually really bad with game recommendations, as I get so carried away with the games that I love, I forget what the other person’s interests are or what genre of games they like playing. This has lead to some disasters in the past, but my answer for this game is pretty simple.
I think everyone should play The Last of Us. Naughty Dog’s game is simply, a masterpiece, and I’ve never met anyone who didn’t enjoy playing it. Even if action adventure games aren’t your usual sort of thing, the story is so compelling and gripping that you simply must play it. It has so much going on, from the raw emotion of the storyline to some genuinely terrifying parts, and so much more.
The Last of Us multiplayer was also the first multiplayer that I delved into, and subsequently got completely addicted to, so there’s always that too.
Day 11: Gaming system of choice
Finally! An easy question!
I have been a Sony fangirl since the original PlayStation came out, so these days I do 99.9% of my gaming on my PS4 or PS Vita. I regularly say my PS Vita is the best thing I’ve ever bought, but honestly, I can’t choose between them.
A very brief answer, I know, but there’s not a lot to debate when it’s such a clear cut answer!
Day 7: Favourite game couple
Long time no write. I’ve neglected this challenge thing (theme of my blog), so on bank holiday Monday, what better time to get back at it?
I’ll be honest, part of the reason I’ve not updated 30 Days Of is because I really struggled with this question. Most of the games I play don’t have ‘couples’, and if there’s a romance option, it’s up to you who you date rather than having a preassigned partner *coughPersonacough*.
After a lot of thought, I’ve opted for Snow and Bigby from The Wolf Among Us. I know in the game they’re not strictly a couple, but I think they’ve got a really great dynamic and they’re part of the reason I started reading Fables (which everyone else should totally do, especially if you enjoyed TWAU). Also, Bigby is a babe, and Snow isn’t taking any shit from anyone. They’re both great individually as well as together, and that’s what being a great couple is about!
Rogue-like role-playing release Touhou Genso Wanderer follows the story of adorable protagonist Reimu Harukei. Reimu becomes entranced by the ‘golden sphere’ that soon-to-be antagonist Rinnosuke Morichika is holding, and tries to steal it from him. Clearly under the sphere’s spell, Rinnosuke fights back, and Reimu soon finds herself away from her home, trying to find her way back and battling the clones which have been borne of the sphere’s dark power. The whole thing feels a little trope-y, and starting the game feels like setting off down a well-worn path, so it’s a good job that it has a lot to throw at you to try and keep you interested.
Some eleven years after its original Japanese release, Ys Origin has been brought to PlayStation 4 by publisher DotEmu (via a PC localisation by XSEED back in 2006). Set 700 years before the events of the main Ys series, Origin steers away from the series’ familiar protagonist Adol Christin in order to focus on the background of the series’ story by exploring the world through the eyes of new characters.
I’d like to be able to tell you things are going well, but I’m not in the business of lying. Let’s find out just how poorly things are going!
Make 10 new cosplays (including one entirely from scratch)
To be honest, I feel like I should be panicking a bit more about this target, but con season isn’t even here yet. I say that, but I’m actually attending MCM Midlands in two weeks time, so maybe I am in the business of lying after all. What I mean is, MCM London in May is my first ‘big con’ of the year, the first one that’s not just a day event, and that’s where I’ll put the wheels into motion for my first new cosplays of the year. I’ve got something planned for each day (including the one cosplay from scratch), so I have just over four months to pull it all together! As it stands, I’ve made no new cosplays, though I have got a variation on one of last years together, but I’m not counting that for the purposes of this challenge.
Watch 30 anime series
Failure breeds failure, it turns out. This year so far, I’m ashamed to say I’ve watched no new anime. I do have my reasons for this, and they can all pretty much be attributed to Kuroko No Basuke. My relationship with KNB feels really weird at the moment. When I’m watching it, I love it, and I want to watch more and more, but it’s just getting to the point where I actually put it on that I’m struggling with. For this reason, I decided not to start any new anime until I’d finished it, simply because I know I’ll never go back to it and I really do want to finish it. I’m about 8 episodes from the end, so looking forward to wrapping it up and making some headway on this one!
Platinum 12 games
Can you sense a theme? I’ve also not made any progress with this one. In the interest of saving money, I want to platinum as many games as I already own before I go trawling for some new ones. I’ve recently finished the main storyline of Final Fantasy XV (expect more on that another time), so I’m going to aim for that to be the first platinum of the year.
Watch 30 new ‘old’ films
Finally! A challenge I’ve done something on! My last post mentioned that I’d recently watched E.T for the first time, and this counts towards this portion of the 2017 challenges. Where I am failing is making the whole damn list in the first place, which I will definitely get to soon!
Watch 60 films at the cinema
Now we’re talking. So far this year, I’ve seen 7 films and you can track which ones on Twitter, either by following me or by viewing the hashtag #cs2017challenge. I’m keen to get as far ahead with this one as possible, as I know later in the year I’ll trail off.
Clear the gaming backlog
Damn Jade, back at it again with the weak resolve. Unless you can count Final Fantasy XV towards this one, I’ve made no progress. Once again, I haven’t even made the list of what I’m trying to clear! I will though. Very soon!
The Huntsman: Winter’s Curse is a PlayStation 4 game based in the same universe as The Huntsman film series. Billed as an “episodic role-playing game with card collecting elements”, the game follows the story of a girl, Elisabeth, who goes on a quest in an attempt to save her brothers from the corruption of the Ice Queen.
Read the rest of my review on Push Square.
Episodic games are like the Holy Grail of easy platinum trophies, and for that reason, I will almost always play one. This is working out pretty well for me so far, as I’ve loved each and every episodic game I’ve played.
Life Is Strange is the first episodic game I’ve played that hasn’t been made by Telltale Games, but I didn’t enjoy it any less than any of their offerings. Though I didn’t feel the same emotional attachment to some characters in other episodic games I’ve played (“Lee?”, crying face), Life Is Strange does throw up some very real emotions and poses some very big questions on how individuals treat each other which is bound to resonate with players.
For those that don’t know, Life Is Strange is about Max Caulfield, a girl attending the prestigious Blackwell Academy. She seems to be some sort of photography prodigy, and her USP is that she uses a Polaroid camera. The game doesn’t take itself too seriously here, and makes lots of jokes about what a hipster Max is, but at the same time the majority of the plot centres around very mature and dark themes, so the frivolity and seriousness balance each other out. Early on, Max witnesses someone being shot and discovers she has the ability to rewind time to prevent it from happening. Over the course of the five episodes, Max will have to use her rewind power to help her friends and to solve the mystery of a missing Blackwell student, as well as trying to prevent a huge natural disaster hitting Arcadia Bay.
So, the platinum. You’ll be awarded a trophy for playing each episode, and one for completing the game. The rest of the trophies come from taking in-game photos of specific objects. There’s an in-game photo album with silhouettes of what you’re looking for, but if you’re dumb like me and can’t figure it out, there are some pretty comprehensive guides online. I would suggest using a guide as an accompaniment anyway as a few of the photos are only available to take once you have used Max’s rewind ability in a certain way which aren’t always obvious from the outset. Taking the photos should in no way detract from your enjoyment of the game, as it’s not too much of a detour to obtain each one – we’re talking mere seconds out of the story for each, and mostly en route to the next point of the story.
Playstation Trophies lists Life Is Strange as being a 1/10 on the difficulty rating and estimates that it will take 10-20 hours. I’d agree with these summations – with a guide, playing through in one go. I played each episode in individual sittings, which makes it seem a longer process somehow, but no more difficult.
Culture Shack 