Boruto Uzumaki's New Jutsu - Purple Electricity, Explained
Written by Rei PenberSenua's Saga: Hellblade II Releases In May
Written by Kyle Hilliard
Developer Ninja Theory appeared on Microsoft's Xbox Developer Direct stream to discuss its sequel, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. The big news from the footage is the game finally has a release date: May 21. Microsoft also confirmed that the game will be a digital-only release.
The developer revealed it is in the final months of development and outlined some elements to expect from Hellblade II. Senua is not in as much fear of her voices as she was in the original game, but she is still a Celtic warrior who struggles with psychosis. Like the first game, Ninja Theory is working with professionals like Cambridge's Paul Fletcher to ensure Senua represents an accurate version of someone struggling with complex mental issues.
There are a number of new characters she will interact with. Some will appreciate her perspective and consider her an ally, but others will reject her and consider her an enemy. Like the original game, Hellblade II takes 10th century Iceland (which the developer visited for research), and she is fighting against Vikings who are enslaving her people. Ninja Theory is focused on making the game historically accurate but with an obvious layer of fantasy on top.
Combat has been overhauled for the sequel, with the game focusing on the fact that Senua is not a superhero. The goal of the combat is to make players feel like they barely survived each encounter, and the gameplay footage of the combat looks brutal.
Ninja Theory ended the stream saying it hopes to "craft life-changing art with game-changing tech." We will determine if the game lives up to that lofty goal on May 21.
Obsidian has been working for years on Avowed, a first-person fantasy RPG set in the same world as its excellent Pillars of Eternity games. Unlike the isometric styling of those titles, Avowed is a first-person adventure more in the vein of something like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, or The Outer Worlds.
Today’s Xbox Developer Direct offered a deeper dive into several important aspects of the game, but the standout feature was an explanation of combat, which aims to be action-oriented but still tactically complex. Players are allowed to use customizable loadouts, including selecting different weapons or other tools for each hand. We saw combinations of swords, shields, wands, and spell usage, and pistols. Once in combat, the mix of various offensive skills with defensive capabilities like blocks and parries makes it look like a genuinely engaging approach to battles. I'm especially stoked about dual-wielding wands.
Beyond a slick combat system, we also learned more about Avowed and its approach to quests and conversations. The game seems to focus on morally complex and uncertain situations where the player must make choices that shape subsequent outcomes in the story. That’s pretty par for the course in the genre, but it was nice to see the system in action through a sidequest about several killed soldiers and a player character who had to decide if one of the soldiers had been a coward and fled, leaving the others to their doom.
Obsidian also discussed the game’s art style across the Living Lands locale, where players will be trying to resolve a mysterious spiritual plague that has overtaken this part of the fantasy world. The developers have put a big focus on the contract between dull and vibrant, as well as between verdant and corrupted areas, leading to a sense of tension between two extremes in many of the places you might visit. Every site we saw looked beautiful, and it seems like a game destination that will be great fun to explore.
My sense is that many players are hungry for a new first-person fantasy adventure. We’ve yet to get our hands on the game, but today’s dive into some of its systems only increased my belief that Obsidian is pulling together something special with the game.
I’m eager to see how it comes together when Avowed releases on Xbox Series X/S and PC, including Game Pass, in the fall of this year.
Visions Of Mana Gets Summer 2024 Release Window Alongside New Gameplay
Written by Wesley LeBlanc
During today's Xbox Developer Direct, Square Enix made a surprise appearance to pull back the curtains on Visions of Mana, the first new mainline game in the franchise in 15 years. Square Enix also revealed Visions of Mana will hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC this summer.
Executive producer Masaru Oyamada discussed the franchise's history, noting there have been 17 entries across its 30 years of existence. He also points out that what is now the Mana series today actually began as Final Fantasy Adventure in 1991.
Mana series creator Koichi Ishii also joined this segment of the show to discuss how he has supervised the team on its work and implementation of taking what were originally pixelated monsters and converting them into the 3D monsters players will fight in the game.
Notably, Visions of Mana is the first Mana game coming to Xbox. Oyamada expressed Square Enix's excitement about this first for the series while diving deeper into its real-time action combat. This real-time action combat is what originally separated Final Fantasy Adventure from the Final Fantasy series, which was strictly turn-based at the time.
Visions of Mana's combat continues to look great, as does its beautifully vibrant world. Unfortunately, there's still a few months to go until PlayStation, Xbox, and PC players can play it because it's due out sometime this summer.
While waiting for its release, check out the Visions of Mana announcement trailer from The Game Awards 2023 last month.
Are you excited for Visions of Mana? Let us know in the comments below!
Here's A Deep Dive Of Ara: History Untold, A New Strategy Game From Former Firaxis Developers
Written by Blake Hester
Today, during the most recent Xbox Developer Direct, Ara: History Untold, a new strategy game from Oxide Games, got a deep dive revealing gameplay and more. The game was first announced in 2022.
Oxide talked up its "living world," a procedurally generated map for players to create the society they want in Ara. As the developers say, it will change over time based on players' decisions. You can watch the presentation starting at the 25:00 minute mark.
Ara's Prestige System pits players to build a nation better than opponents'. The game's score system awards points based on what kind of leader a specific player wants to be. An example, as detailed during today's live stream, is building "Triumphs," or famous buildings throughout history that give large Prestige bonuses.
Oxide is a Maryland-based studio founded in 2013 by former Firaxis developers. Its previous games include 2016's Ashes of the Singularity and Star Swarm.
Ara: History Untold is expected to be released on PC and PC Game Pass in the fall of this year. However, Oxide plans to keep its "Insider Program" after release, implementing player feedback.
Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Launches This Year, First Gameplay Footage Revealed
Written by Marcus Stewart
Machine Games’ Indiana Jones game received an official name and got its first gameplay showing during today’s Xbox Developer Direct. We also learned that it’s launching later this year. EW.com also confirmed that though Harrison Ford's likeness will appear in the game, he will be performed by Troy Baker (The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite).
The adventure is called Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and stars Indy in his prime doing what he does best: solve puzzles, explore tombs, and pummel Nazis. Set in 1937 between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, Indy is chasing a stolen relic to solve an ancient, globe-trotting mystery.
Like Machine Games’ modern Wolfenstein games, The Great Circle is a first-person experience. Expect to engage in shootouts and fist fights in this more intimate perspective, but the game does switch to third-person during climbing sequences.
Indy will be helped by new character Gina, an investigative journalist pursuing her own goals that land her in a mutually beneficial (and banter-heavy) partnership with Dr. Jones. The pair travels to locations such as Egypt, the Vatican, the peaks of the Himalayas, and the sunken temples of Sukhothai to visit various tombs filled with puzzles that Machine Games teases have multiple solutions, either using your wits or, occasionally, by brute force.
In addition to punching enemies’ lights out or shooting them in the face, Indy’s signature whip is incorporated into all aspects of play. It can be used for traversal, such as attaching it to grapple points to scale walls. You can whip objects to create distractions in order to sneak past foes. Or you can just whip goons like they owe Indy money, including yanking distant foes toward you.
Machine Games says The Great Circle emphasizes player choice. You can discover multiple routes through levels to sneak through quietly or go in whipping everything in sight. The gameplay trailer shows off thrilling sequences, such as seeing Indy jumping from plane to plane in a midair dogfight, manning a machine gun to mow down adversaries, and swinging from precarious ledges while whipping foes off tall perches.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle launches sometime this year for Xbox Series X/S and PC. It's also coming to Xbox Game Pass.