The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is out now RPG fans and it is brilliant. With a new bunch of characters, with some old favourites peppered in, this is a fascinating new chapter.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak: Welcome to Calvard

After years of travelling across Zemuria, beginning my adventure in Erebonia with Class 7, and then making my way to Crossbell with the SS, it’s exciting to finally be in Calvard. With Van, the self-proclaimed spriggan, players find themselves embroiled in a battle for the soul of Calvard as sinister forces are using its recent prosperity to change the country, and not for the better.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak has all the stalwarts of previous entries. It includes an eccentric cast of playable characters, equally impressive villains and a thoroughly fleshed-out world.

What has changed is several quality-of-life elements. There has been an upgrade in graphics which allows the denizens of Calvard to pop off the screen. The various locations are also enchanting to visit.

On top of this though is an overhaul of the combat system. There are two styles of combat. One is where you throw out a “shard” which thrusts everyone in it into battle. This is similar to the original entries, however, there is a fluidity to it that makes it feel looser and more intense. Then there is the second combat style.

With this second style, you dodge and attack your enemies, though you don’t get full access to your skills, arts or crafts there is a wildness to it that I enjoyed. These two styles make for a thoroughly enjoyable time whenever Van and his motley crew do battle with the baddies, whether they be monsters, the villainous Almata or old favourites Oroborous.

Helping in these battles is a new kind of orbment filled with shiny new toys. Utilising the Xipha allows you to add status effects to your weapons, increase buffs at the beginning of a battle and so much more. It’s an impressive new iteration of a feature that has been around for a while in the franchise.

Embrace the Nightmare

One of the new elements which reminded me of playing as Rean and Valimar was the power of Grendel. This being is a kind of demonic armour which Van utilises in battle. It’s a lot of fun and evolves as the story progresses.

If there were any issues it would be some complacencies that just pet peeves. We are far into this series and still, there are no weapon skins when you buy a new weapon, which is something I love in RPGs.

Following Van, Agnes, Feri and the rest of this new merry band has been a lot of fun and the ramifications of The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak will be sure to excite longtime fans.

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About Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero

In Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero, the story follows Marona – a gifted young girl with the power to speak to Phantoms – as she traverses the ocean world of Ivoire, providing aid to those in need. When a fleet of ghost ships attack, it’s up to Marona and her new friend Apricot to assemble the legendary crew that once defeated these spectral foes. 

Recruit Phantoms, bind them to objects, combine them with Gadgets, and even merge them with Marona herself to unleash show-stopping abilities and sink the Shipwreck Fleet!

This release will feature both English and French text, with Japanese and English audio.

That’s not all

To celebrate the announcement of Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero, Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle Remastered is currently on sale as part of the Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 1: Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle Remastered / Soul Nomad & the World Eaters bundle on Nintendo eShop. Get these two classic Strategy RPGs for just $9.99 through July 7th. PC users can also take advantage of a whopping 80% off Phantom Brave PC on Steam until July 11th.

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In this expansion, players step into the Realm of Shadow, a world full of mysteries and danger, riddled with more threatening bosses. ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree brings a wide array of new spells, weapons, and armour for players to create their builds and overcome challenges in their own style.

Join Miquella ina journey to the Shadow of the Erdtree

Guided by Miquella, walk in his footsteps and unravel the dark side of the ELDEN RING story. ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree is available now for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.

If you’re interested, Lewis has headed down the path underneath the Erdtree and has his thoughts about the DLC.

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Rise once again Tarnished, answer the call of the kindly Miquella and follow his pilgrimage through the lands of shadow. Journey across a new land filled with beautiful and grotesque landmarks to behold. Discover a new cast of characters to introduce yourself to and follow their journeys. Not only that, uncover an arsenal of new weaponry and magic to wield and unleash upon your foes. Remember one important thing, when you get to the Shadow Realm, you are going to die. A lot. Shadow of the Erdtree is the newly released DLC of FromSoftware’s critically acclaimed 2022 title Elden Ring. It is a huge expansion on top of the base game taking place solely within the impressively massive Shadow Realm, where you once again step into the shoes of the Tarnished as they answer the call of Miquella.

The content can be accessed once you defeat Mohg in the base game (I highly recommend using a guide for this if you’ve forgotten how to access his arena as a returning player). From there you are teleported into a dark cave in total silence and as you make your way outside you are greeted by an absolutely stunning skybox. A gigantic golden tree looms in the distance, draped in cloth-like shadow, the world washed with different shades of gold and black and a score rises alongside as the reveal happens, the opening minute sets the tone and easily reminds you why you fell in love with this game two years ago.

The world of Elden Ring has never been so scary in scope

The map is massive, with more verticality in the placement of locations, layering them above and below the player. It is so easy to get lost in this world and I don’t mean in the sense of wandering with no direction. You can fall deep into the beauty and horror of the lands you travel. The world is littered with landmarks in the distance and just travelling over to them will start a Rube Goldberg machine of events taking you off the beaten path and on an adventure. The sense of discovery in this game feels so natural. You will find secret areas, items, bosses and accomplishments that feel like you have earned them with no guidance, just your own intuition. You made this discovery possible by just having a nosey around the sides of a cliff or behind a waterfall.

I’ve found myself re-assigning my levels constantly during my playthrough. This is mostly due to the new arrangement of weapons available (shoutout to the ‘DryLeaf Arts’ martial arts weapon). Each one provides its own unique style of play and has been tremendously fun to play around with so far. I highly recommend you use a save file with most of the base game explored. At the very least grab the bell bearings to easily have access to buy all purchasable smithing stones back at the Roundtable from the Bell Maidens so you can hastily upgrade the new weapons as you acquire them and jump back into the DLC to try them out. Weapons are great but what you use them on is what’s important. Shadow of the Erdtree has a plethora of new enemies and bosses for the Tarnished to run at.

Some of these new foes are returning from the base game but the new additions will leave you either in awe as you see them approach or shout out in fear when you see them charging you down. FromSoftware’s approach to balancing this DLC was the introduction of ‘Scadutree Fragments and Revered Ashes’.

Beware the shadow of the Erdtree

Fragments will increase your attack and defence while ashes strengthen your summons. These only apply inside the DLC, and they do not affect stats when you return to the base game. I cannot stress this enough you need to collect these things! I entered at level 215 and I was being killed in either two or three hits by regular enemies. The difference these upgrades make is night and day. A number of them can be found by exploring the opening area of the DLC.

Shadow of the Erdtree is a beautiful expansion on an already beautiful game. I’ve not finished the DLC as of writing this and most of that is because I just can’t stop running off in the opposite direction of the main path looking for stuff to discover. It’s big, bold, brutal and beautiful. My only gripe is the game has great difficulty keeping a playable framerate in some areas. I had to stop using one of my weapon arts during an encounter due to the game chugging so much.

These are things that get ironed out down the line in a patch hopefully. I really enjoyed my time and once I regained my muscle memory of the controls and familiarised myself with my build again, I left like I was catching up with an old friend I hadn’t seen in years. Just picking back up where we left off like no time had passed at all. FromSoftware has created a magical world again. They could easily be looking at even more awards for Elden Ring due to their hard work and craft.

These words were written in blood by the Tarnished Lewis Magee.

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In Monster Hunter Stories, step into a vibrant world where Riders form bonds with wild Monsties instead of hunting them. This enhanced version of the first RPG set in the Monster Hunter universe now comes with exciting new features for an even more thrilling and immersive adventure:

• Enhanced Visuals: Dive into action with upgraded graphics, featuring improved modeling, textures, and lighting on larger screens.
• New Voiceovers: Enjoy the story with full English and Japanese voice acting.
• Museum Mode: Explore over 200 pieces of concept art, background music, and special developer sketches.
• Added Title Updates: Players also get access to content previously exclusive Japan, including Title Updates 1.20 and 1.30.

Continue the journey with Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. Follow the legendary Rider Red’s legacy and join Ena, a Wyverian girl, on a quest to protect a Rathalos egg that could hatch into a monster of immense power. In this sequel, players can explore an even more expansive and dynamic world with new Monsties to befriend. Enjoy engaging turn-based combat and discover a captivating narrative delving into ancient legends and the deep bonds between Riders and Monsties.

For even more Monster Hunter fun, Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Now will host a celebratory launch collaboration event! In the mobile game, players can explore the real world and enjoy the thrill of monster hunting on the go! Starting on June 24th, players can win limited hunter medals and layered armour by clearing event quests, as well as gain access to a special Rider Card!

The Monster Hunter Stories Collection includes both titles.

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In addition to showcasing the game’s brand-new and enhanced gameplay – including monster hunting and its trademark visceral combat between rat and foe – the demo also marks the return of multi-award-winning voice actor, Doug Cockle (The Witcher 3, Baldur’s Gate 3, Alan Wake 2), as the game’s narrator.

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter Features:

• An expanded campaign of violence and revenge – Whiskers of Winter’s ‘tail’ of Arlo’s fight against the ferocious Dark Wing Bats is an intense experience, featuring a semi-open RPG world set across six varied biomes to explore, and new animal factions to discover.
• Challenging combat – Building upon the series’ trademark hardcore combat, Tails of Iron 2 features enhanced weapons gameplay, including four elemental effects (fire, ice, electricity, and poison) to imbue Arlo’s arsenal with unique abilities to use against foes.

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter, is set to launch on PC and consoles in 2024.

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SacriFire follows the story of Ezekiel Ridan, a young priest struggling to maintain his faith amidst a war between gods and demons. As a soldier in training for the elite sect of the Church of Sheol, Ezekiel’s primary goal is to protect the underground city of Antioch from the demons above. However, he soon finds himself embroiled in a conflict far greater than he could have imagined – a struggle that has been waged for thousands of years by entities beyond his comprehension.

SacriFire playtest build includes:

• 1 main story quest
• 3 side quests
• 2 major locations and 6 smaller locations
• 1 boss and a variety of enemies
• A fun mini-game of Moligmania
• And much more!

The Steam Playtest will be available until June 24th. SacriFire is planned to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.

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Players can look forward to a new quest, new playable characters, and other surprises featured in planned updates starting from March.

About Granblue Fantasy: Relink

Engage in real-time combat with a party of up to four characters in Granblue Fantasy: Relink.

Choose from a diverse roster of characters, each with their own unique weapons, skills, and combat styles. Whether button-mashing with abandon or timing each attack with perfect precision, there’s a play style for everyone. Every enemy and party formation has its own strengths and weaknesses—the key to victory lies in working out how these pieces fit together.

Assist modes provide accessibility for gamers of all skill levels. Full Assist mode essentially handles all aspects of combat when enabled.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink offers a complete single-player experience and cooperative online multiplayer action. Unite with others to tackle more than 100 quests that feature various goals and enemies!

This game is doing so well, I’m happy for the whole studio. And personally excited to pick up a copy myself.

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Hogwarts Legacy invites players to embark on an epic journey as a fifth-year student at Hogwarts, gifted with a rare ability to tap into ancient, powerful magic. Guided by the Wizard’s Field Guide and unique instruction from professors and other characters, fans will uncover a compelling storyline filled with thrilling challenges and mysteries.

Developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. Games under the Portkey Games label, Hogwarts Legacy introduces an original story that puts players at the centre of their own wizarding world adventure.

Published by Warner Bros. Games under the Portkey Games label and developed by Avalanche Software, Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, action, open-world role-playing game set in the 1800’s wizarding world.

Beginning as a fifth year, players will embark on a journey through new and familiar locations, explore and discover magical beasts, craft potions, master spell casting, upgrade talents and customize their character to become the witch or wizard they want to be.

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Dark Envoy is an RPG adventure tactical strategy game set in the futuristic Guns N’ Sorcery time. I have to admit I was very curious and excited to play this game. Surprisingly, it’s not that often that I get the chance to play many RPG tactical games, especially ones with a gripping storyline! So, does Dark Envoy deliver on its promises?

Welcome to the World of Jaan:

Dark Envoy is set on the planet of Jaan, where humans are attempting to colonize the entire planet. However, the inhabitants (consisting of non-human species such as elves etc) are less than happy about this arrangement. The humans self-identify as the Empire, while the remaining natives have arranged themselves into the League. They are constantly vying for control over Jaan. We begin our story with Kaela and Malakai, 2 relic hunting siblings in search of ancient powerful artefacts within the depths of Jaan.

The Darkness Looms:

The world of Jaan is pretty intriguing in a strange, janky kind of way. The environments are engaging, and really make you feel like you’re on an almost familiar alien planet. The enemy variety is also brilliant, as throughout your playthrough you are pitted against both of the main factions of Jaan, facing everything from killer automatons to sketchy human bandits.

However, story-wise, I found that while Dark Envoy does offer some redeeming qualities, it suffers from lacklustre cutscenes, poorly timed voice lines and overall poor voice acting. The cutscenes really drag me out of the experience, and the poor timing of voice lines really puts a dampener on an otherwise cool boss fight or interaction. I think that a lot of these story experiences can be perfected as they’re more rough around the edges, rather than completely broken. And with future patches, I hope to see more engaging and smoother story scenes.

Speaking of which, at pivotal points throughout the story you’ll be presented with the traditional fork in the road choice, generally bad choice or good choice. I was at first surprised they managed to squeeze this in as the story would be just fine without such choices, but it added a decent degree of variety to each playthrough.

Gameplay:

Now, for the heart and soul of Dark Envoy. The gameplay is honestly a little difficult to explain, but once you give it a try, you 100% understand it after your first round of combat. Combat centres around a tactical approach, with the ability to slow time (or stop it altogether) being available right from the get-go. Personally, I loathe this, as I’m all too fond of slowing time just for the frame-by-frame cinematics.

However, this option really does signal to the player that they should tactically and cautiously approach each encounter. This feels strange in an adventure-based RPG but it mixes a lot better than I thought. The only real drawback is that it slows down combat drastically, and some (such as myself) may suffer from the odd bout of analysis paralysis! You can almost forget how quick combat is in between pausing and slowing time.

Since Dark Envoy has a Guns N’ Sorcery backdrop, you get an interesting selection of classes play as. Warriors are your generic melee-focused damage dealers. Ranger your traditional range class. Engineers are your summoners/bombs experts. Finally, Adepts are your spellslingers. Each class has a decent variety of skills and upgrades, and I especially had fun as the dual-wielding ranger with a lot of movement, diving from cover to cover, and letting off a hail of bullets. All throughout the game you meet and control new party members so you’ll get plenty of opportunities to experiment! All the abilities feel nice and crisp, and a special nod to the information panel on each enemy that offers another layer of tactics in combat.

Verdict:

Dark Envoy is a one-of-a-kind game. It offers many unique experiences and some solid gameplay. However, I fear that the lacklustre cutscenes and all-around poorly voiced story really drag down what could’ve been an even greater packaged deal. However, I do expect the developers to address this soon, and really polish this nice indie gem!

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