The Alliance Alive is a relatively new game, and those who have followed these articles know that its predecessor, The Legend of Legacy, has already been covered because of its unique elements. With a month of content dedicated to narrative elements, there is one particular aspect of The Alliance Alive that stands out in relation to many of its contemporaries- the overlapping narrative that takes place during the first quarter of the game. Although it certainly is not the first Japanese Role-playing game to implement the idea, the game revisits the concept at multiple points and benefits from the concept a great deal.

It comes as a great surprise to me that Square Enix has announced the far-off Final Fantasy VII remake will be released episodically. While any story-based game- and Role-playing games, especially- can have its narrative broken into smaller pieces, the pacing and amount of content per portion in Final Fantasy VII is questionable, and not necessarily clean-cut. Unless, I don't know, you break it up by the literal CD swaps from the original PS1 release. While many games have attempted episodic release schedules in the age of digital distribution, there are very few that seem justified in doing so. An episodic game needs to have a structure in which each installment tells a concise narrative, no matter how much cliff-hanging the writers wish to create in order to encourage a player to buy the next installment. What is stranger- to me, at least- is that there are specific franchises that feel primed to adopt an episodic release schedule yet have not done so.

Pokemon is arguably one of the most popular and widely recognized Role-playing games in the world, which is quite a feat for a genre with relatively low sales. Its addictive monster-catching gameplay is by no means revolutionary, but it is bolstered by an approachable battle system and strong core mechanics that have more or less endured the span of twenty years through the introduction of additional wrinkles. For newcomers, these can be seen as a gimmick- something new that appears in each new generation that may appear frequently during the course of a playthrough. For high-level and professional players, they are aspects that define and shape the competitive metagame based on their permanence- or lack thereof, if you consider the weather wars of generation five.

I took a look at the Octopath Traveler demo version recently, and it left quite an impression on me. I'm still not quite sure whether it was positive or negative, however, mostly because the game's intentions are still somewhat elusive. While there are some aspects of the demo that appealed to me a great deal, others feel a bit nebulous, and the game as a whole seems to lack some direction. While the developers have apparently taken some of the concerns of those who evaluated the game to heart, there is still much that has not been said about Octopath Traveler, and while its aesthetic is striking and its homages evident, I hope to address some concerns regarding this new Square Enix RPG.

Strategy games, whether turn-based or otherwise, are a huge time commitment. The momentum present is largely based on proficiency and awareness, and even then, players can have lengthy amounts of downtime and planning, especially in systems-rich titles. This is partially why finding the right entry point for the genre is a difficult task, and also why real-time strategy is more inviting- it is far more active and challenging, not to mention spectator friendly. But real time strategy often involves resource management on a larger scale than that of more traditional strategy games, as unit production is a major aspect of thoughtful strategy and execution. While some strategy games utilize weapon durability and unit movement as "resources" to manage, very few games are able to neatly and straightforwardly communicate the importance of this kind of gameplay, let alone implement it so that it takes a central focus. This is why Code Name S.T.E.A.M., Intelligent System's thi...

Many independent developers enter the scene working on their own intellectual property, utilizing specific aesthetics, genre, or gameplay mechanic motifs and gimmicks in order to differentiate themselves from their contemporaries. Whether it's arcade action, retro difficulty and aesthetic, or something completely new and unheard of, this industry is often where you'll find the most unique, engrossing, and/or charming experiences from Western and European developers, in contrast with the wacky nature of high-profile Japanese games and over-serious, rote triple-A Western games. Yes, I know I am going to be slaughtered for that comment. A particular developer whose works have remained aesthetically consistent is Image and Form, a Swedish development studio and creator of the SteamWorld series. What is so impressive about their works is that, despite each entry in the SteamWorld series belonging to different genres, the quality of gameplay has been consistent, engaging, and most ...

For those with an interest in Japanese Role Playing Games, there are a number of iconic developers who have been churning out new and exciting releases. Square Enix, Atlus, Falcom, and others have contributed a great deal to the landscape of this current console generation. But FuRyu might not be a familiar or memorable name to many, and that's admittedly because only a few of their games have made it over to the West. On the 3DS, FuRyu has released two particular titles of note, with a third on its way- Unchained Blades, a first person dungeon crawling RPG with an emphasis on story, and The Legend of Legacy. The latter of the two possessed an impressive pedigree, with a number of veteran creative forces working on the title, in particular, Masato Kato and Masahi Hamauzu, writer of a number of classic JRPGs and the ambient composer for several titles, respectively. Kyoji Koizumi, a longtime veteran of the SaGa series, was also a lead game designer, which can be felt in a great deal...