In between my rapid running through the game I’m reviewing next week (mostly because the other two I lined up had mechanical and optimization issues), I found some time to play the demo for Danganronpa V3, and I have to remark at how impressed I am to see a demo of such length, detail, and quality be released for a game in this day and age. It was not as elaborate as I am sure the final game will be, the Class Trial didn’t even have a proper ending, but the level of detail and showcasing of some new mechanics made me excited to see more the game of its colorful cast and how the final game will shape up. It’s actually comforting to know that the same Danganronpa spirit I have come to love at least appears to remain alive in this entry, when I’ve had doubts about this series’ future ever since the unfortunate Danganronpa 3. Anyways, on with the news.
After being given an insubstantial announcement during the Nintendo Switch event held in January, which was a borderline embarrassing showcase regarding its production values, the next entry in the cult classic No More Heroes series was properly revealed as Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes. This reveal took the form of a difficult to follow trailer with some of the worst audio design I have seen in a good while, before more concrete details emerged on the game, announcing that it is action title in line with the prior games in the series that will at least partially take place inside a game system called the Death Drive MK-II, which will likely feature work from prominent independent game developers. Also, the story is centered around a person named Badman going after series protagonist Travis Touchdown after he murdered his daughter, Bad Girl at the end of No More Heroes 1.
While there is reason to be excited for this new entry, part of me wonders whether or not there is any chance of seeing the original two titles in this series come out for modern systems. Titles such as those, which were very rough around the edges, could certainly benefit from being given a slightly improved port based on already existing assets. Also, the games can easily work with a controller. I know that a previous remastered version of the first game was put out by Konami back in 2011, entitled No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise, but that game had loads of issues because, well, Konami, so it should just be ignored.
Following the release of Persona 5, Atlus has been doing some restructuring as a company, adapting to modern times and trying to determine what the company will be doing going forward. As part of this initiative, the company has begun recruiting for their newly formed Studio Zero, and actually held a livestream to build interest. A livestream that was themed after the Golden Playhouse, a narrative framework Atlus introduced in 2011’s Catherine, and was left very open for other narrative driven games with a more adult tone and focus. Seeing as how they are bringing this up, one can only assume that some other title in the as of yet unestablished Golden Playhouse series could be in development, and that would be quite interesting to see. Though, anybody misconstruing this to mean a Catherine sequel is probably wrong, seeing as how Catherine was a player decision driven game released a generation ago. This will likely just be a spiritual successor. Which is for the best anyhow.
To mark an end to the enduring saga that is Shovel Knight, Yacht Club games have announced the final additional campaign for their debut title with Shovel Knight: King of Cards campaign. Much like the two campaigns that came before it, the game will center around a former boss character as they go on an adventure across the land, adding more details to the story of Shovel Knight while also offering remixed and new levels, along with new mechanics, most notably the introduction of a card game. The game is due to launch on… basically all the systems in early 2018, and will be free for those who own Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove.