Here at oprainfall, we love quirky publishers, so it’s no surprise we’re fond of Idea Factory International. I got to meet with them during E3 2019, where I was shown a presentation of upcoming titles, and got brief hands-on time with Super Neptunia RPG. There’s always a lot brewing at IFI, but the following are some titles in particular to be excited for.
One of the series coming here courtesy of Idea Factory International are the Date A Live light novels. Illustrated by Tsunako and written by Kōshi Tachibana, the series deals with life or death stakes that can only be solved by dating beautiful spirits. If that sounds crazy, you’ve obviously never played a Japanese video game before. As for the first one, Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation deals with a series of Spacequakes caused by angry Spirits. Naturally, to stop them you have to date said Spirits. The game features 11 characters and 150 possible dates, which means there’s a ton of replay value here. If that sounds like your cup of tea, you’ll be happy that Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation comes to PC and PS4; July 23rd for NA Steam, and the 26th for Europe.
Another game coming from Idea Factory International is Arc of Alchemist. The world has been turned into an endless desert, and it’s your job to search for a cure. You play the young Quinn Bravesford as she sets out on her quest. Armed with only the Lunagear, you face off against horrific Machine Dolls, as well as the Principality of Neuhaven. Using your Lunagear, you find 4 elemental orbs to obtain eldritch forces. Hack and slash your way through hordes of foes with your team and organize your forces from a mobile base. Much like Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation before it, this one is also slated to release Winter 2019, but only for PS4. If nothing else, it looks colorful and interesting with complex battle mechanics. Maybe not my sort of RPG, but it should have lots of fans.
Next up is a sequel of sorts to the uber challenging and twisted Mary Skelter, Mary Skelter 2! Set in an alternate timeline to the original Mary Skelter: Nightmares, this one does things a bit differently. For one, Jack is now Nightmare Jack. But don’t let his hideous appearance fool you, he’s still a good guy, so long as you keep him calm. You’ll make your way through intense dungeons using turn based mechanics to fight back against the monsters of the game. And fear not, the titular Nightmares will still be after you, and can only be killed once you defeat a dungeon’s core. Otherwise, they’re invincible, and your only hope is to stun them and escape. Perhaps the best feature of Mary Skelter 2 is that you get two games for the price of one. They have balanced and re-released the Vita original with the sequel. The only downside is that currently Mary Skelter 2 is only going to be digital, but the upside is it’s coming to Nintendo Switch! So if, like me, you were intrigued by the art of the original and wanted to give it a go, this is a great incentive to pick up the sequel.
The next game is technically already out as of yesterday, but I’ll mention it since I got some hands on time with it. That game includes none other than Idea Factory International’s pink mascot, Super Neptunia RPG! Unlike most of the other games, this one is a mix of 2D platformer aspects and traditional turn based team mechanics. It’s also the first Nep game by Artisan Studios. I found the game to be pretty intuitive, and liked how switching around my team formation on the fly in battle changed their available attacks. Other than that, the game is still colorful, witty and fun. While you’ll be able to find out much more when oprainfall’s official review of the game goes live, I’d say it’s worth checking out now. If you need more Nep in your life, then you can pick it up right now for PS4 and Switch.
Last but certainly not least is a series I’ve been hearing a lot about lately. That series is Azur Lane, and the game is Azur Lane: Crosswave. Once I wrapped my head around the concept of ship girls, the game sounded pretty fun. Unlike the mobile incarnation, this one isn’t a side scrolling shooter. Instead, Crosswave is a 3D Action Shooter. It features beautiful cel-shaded artwork and frantic and chaotic battles involving tons of moving pieces. The game also has a huge cast of playable characters and tons of rivals to defeat. When you add the usual Idea Factory International fixation on customization, you know this is gonna be a huge game. If you love Azur Lane and need more in your life, you can pick up Azur Lane: Crosswave on PS4 sometime later in 2020.
Overall, I had a great time checking out what Idea Factory International had to show at E3 2019. There’s lots of cool stuff on the horizon, for fans old and new. Keep on checking out oprainfall for the last portion of my E3 coverage.
