We love niche and challenging titles here at oprainfall, so of course we had to visit with our friends at NISA while at E3. They had a whole host of games there, but we decided to play the ones that appealed most to us at the time. Though all 3 titles are already well known, getting some hands on time with them is always appreciated. Keep reading to see what titles we had the joy of playing.
NISA Game # 1 – SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy
SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy was already on my radar simply because I knew it was coming to the Switch. But after watching a couple of matches at E3, now I’m really excited to play it. The reason why? Well, for one thing it’s candy coated and beautiful, as well as featuring an eclectic mix of bodacious and badass women. For another, the quasi casual focus of the game reminded me a lot of one of my favorite fighting game series – Smash Bros! That’s a great mark in its favor. Frankly, if Smash Bros. had a baby with DOA (or the DOA of years past), this would be the child.
Some might be put off by the casual stance, but that doesn’t mean the game isn’t nuanced and entertaining. I was really attracted by how visually appealing the game was, how even something as simple as a costume change came along with a totally different pose and facial expression for the girls. I also thought it was cool how you could use items in combat to tip the scales in your favor. While I may have not been sure about SNK Heroines prior to E3, now I’m going to preorder myself a copy on my Switch before the September 7th release date (it’s also headed to PS4). If you like fun fighting games, I think this will be for you.
NISA Game # 2 – Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk
I admit to not knowing as much about Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk prior to E3. But that worked out nicely, since I really found myself enjoying the game. Prior to my demo, I managed to check out a cute little physical comic book NISA provided explaining how the game works. What instantly caught my attention was how much Labyrinth of Refrain looked like another game published by NISA, Makai Kingdom. Much like in that classic, you control a living book who can summon creatures to fight for you. Unlike that game, this one is a dungeon crawler, and it also features a nasty witch who may or may not be Baba Yaga and a tormenting maze to explore.
From my short time with the game, I quickly decided it was Disgaea as a dungeon crawler, and I’m totally fine with that. There’s a lot of humor, delightful hand drawn characters and an eclectic horde of monstrous foes. There’s also a ton of customization you can do to make your teams of puppets fare better. If you’re already a fan of dungeon crawlers, this game will get its hooks into you pretty fast. Labyrinth of Refrain is slated to release later in September for Switch, PS4 and PC.
NISA Game #3 – The Lost Child
At first I felt that the final NISA game was oddly familiar, then I realized why. It felt like Pokémon by way of H.P. Lovecraft, with a little VN styling thrown in. Which made it both feel like something I’ve done before and something totally new. The game seems to have deep lore and lots of creepy narration, so it should appeal to a wide range of audiences.
One thing that really surprised me about The Lost Child? It’s developed by none other than Kadokawa Games, the same team behind God Wars. That was a very immersive and challenging title, so here’s hoping they can make another exciting romp here. If any of that sounds good to you, then you’ll be happy to hear that The Lost Child is already out on PS4 and Switch. But don’t take my word for it, stay tuned to oprainfall for our official upcoming review of the game!
As always, NISA came prepared with a bunch of great games that were truly diverse. Stay tuned to oprainfall for more details about what’s on the horizon, as well as our various reviews of NISA games. It’ll be worth the wait, doods!
