News by Lindsay M.
Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s regular catch-up news feature. With each issue we will bring you the best news that you may have missed. Grab the biggest mug you’ve got, fill it with your favourite brew, and catch up with us (and our favourite news anchor, Dee Dee)!
Star Ocean: The Divine Force coming in 2022
2022 is Star Ocean’s 25th anniversary, making it the perfect time to launch a new title in the beloved series that includes five mainline games, one spin-off game, and a smartphone game. Featuring high-speed action battles, seamless enemy encounters, and the ability to fly around everywhere freely, Star Ocean: The Divine Force promises to have the “fastest” and “strongest” action of any other game in the series. Here’s the announcement trailer in English:
The game is set in the Sol System. The Pangalactic Federation has always sought to bring peace to all. Heroes have served under them, helping planets in need. But things have changed. The Federation is cloaked in darkness, assimilating planets against their will. A merchant vessel Captain, Raymond, is tasked with a standard missing that goes horribly wrong when the ship is attacked by one carrying a member of the Pangalactic Federation’s preeminent family. The result? Raymond and his crew are stranded on an unknown planet. He meets a princess (of course) who needs his help to save her kingdom. He accepts, as she promises to help him find a friend. Raymond’s problems with the Pangalactic Federation, though, have just begun.
Developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix, Star Ocean: The Divine Force will be released sometime next year for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, and Xbox One.
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series continues next week
These games are being launched faster than I can play them! Square Enix has announced that the fifth title in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series will be launching next week. The first three titles were released in July, and the fourth in September. The original trailer referenced six titles, so after this there should be one more; based on the current launch pattern, I’d expect to see it in early- to mid-January. Here’s the original trailer for the Remaster series:
In Final Fantasy V, the world’s powers are balanced by crystals. These crystals are threatened, and the King of Tycoon rushes to the rescue… and goes missing. Elsewhere, a man and his Chocobo are drawn towards people who will change their destiny. Features exclusive to this version of the game include updated 2D graphics, rearranged soundtrack, improved gameplay, modern user interface, auto-battle options, bestiary, illustration gallery, and music player.
Developed and published by Square Enix, Final Fantasy V is part of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series. It will be released on November 10 for PC via Steam, iOS, and Android. Steam pre-orders are currently open and a 20% discount is currently being applied; Steam pre-orders also include two wallpapers and three specially rearranged music tracks. Final Fantasy V first launched in 1992.
Mobile game set in the Tales universe launches this week
A new title in a popular series, Tales of Luminaria is set to launch this week. The game features 21 protagonists, each with their own distinct storyline. The 3D action RPG features cell graphic-like visuals, and battles and events occur seamlessly. Here’s a trailer from September:
There are both new and old characters in the game. The world is built by Mana produced by Primordial Beasts, a giant and mysterious life form that is just too much for human’s to fully understand. The game is designed exclusively for touch controls, so actions are activated by tapping and flicking. Each action has its own characteristics.
Developed by Colopl and published by Bandai Namco, Tales of Luminaria will be released on November 4 for iOS (via the App Store) and Android (via Google Play). Pre-registration is now open on both platforms.
Find out whodunnit in First Class Trouble
Social deception party games sound complicated, there’s only one goal: find out who did it (it generally being murder). Seems easy, right? Well, maybe it’s not that simple. Being unable to trust anyone makes things more difficult than they need to be. This all apples to First Class Trouble, where murder is more part of the gameplay than the narrative that starts it all. Here’s a trailer:
At the start of each playthrough, the player is assigned the role of either Resident (human) or Personoid (mechanically engineered assistants). Everyone plays together, but each side has their own objectives. Residents want to shut down rogue AI by collecting three keycards to progress to a deeper level in the ship. They require air and need to find and fill canisters to get it. Personoids want to stop Residents at all costs, including lying, tricking, and yes, even murder. They have no use for air and are able to sabotage the oxygen stations. They’re happy to shove someone into an icebox or fire, or use injections for an instant kill.
Developed by Invisible Walls and published by Versus Evil, First Class Trouble will be released on November 2 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. PlayStation Plus subscribers can get it for free. The game originally launched in Early Access via Steam in April.
