My experiences with the Civilization series are more recent, tracing back to playing the mobile version of Civilization V, to the sci-fi Beyond Earth, before finally obsessing over Civilization VI with my family in multiplayer matches for hundreds of hours. This is one of the only strategy series I’ve enjoyed and my time with the Civilization VII preview build continued this trend, outside of frustrations with the new Age system.

To start, Civilization VII seems to be a stunning game so far. I encountered only one minor crash so far, while it looked and performed well. As mentioned, this is all subject to change since it is an early build, but I generally enjoyed my time with it so far on the platform and saw no real issues of note yet.

The level of detail is a noticeable improvement over the previous mainline entry in the series. There is so much to see on each individual tile in the world. From the soldiers standing atop pieces of farmland or how each building has its own intricate design, there is so much to appreciate about the beauty of the experience.

Better yet, the build I played also made it feel like Civilization VII could be one of the best in the series at easing players into the overall strategy experience. The general idea is to play as a certain famous person from history and rule over a civilization to win against the rival civilizations in the world. This is done through a number of victory methods, such as Culture, Science, and War. These methods all have their own style, such as researching various categories like Mathematics and building a Library on the Science side or going all-out conquest if you prefer to win via War. Thankfully, the tutorials worked quite well in the time I’ve spent with the game so far in two of the three Ages.

There are even aspects I feel like I understand better now than I did with the hundreds of hours I put into Civilization VII. For instance, each troop you have in your civilization has different functions. They can move around the map, attack others, or even fortify their defenses. I feel like I better understand more specific troops, like the Army Commander. The game makes it more clear the possibilities troops like this one have, such as gathering together other troops for army-sized invasion squads.

Civilization VII is also quite speedy for a tactical game in this genre. Sure, you can take a long time each turn to figure out what you want to do, but everything is silky smooth. Completing actions is near-instantaneous, and the game guides you well on what to do next. This even includes the best quest routes for your particular victory preference.

Perhaps my favorite feature are the neat little narrative moments that happen randomly. A scout may die on the battlefield. You get to choose how to remember them. The different options will involve different rewards and outcomes, which makes for a unique playthrough each time.

With all of that said, though, I feel like after spending time with the build that there is an elephant in the room with Civilization VII. The new Age system might end up being a problematic gameplay choice, and I was not a fan of at all in these early sessions. In past games, you had different eras and the like. In this game, there are distinct Ages.

For the purposes of this preview, I checked out the Age of Antiquity and Age of Exploration. The former takes place before recorded history. How it works is you pick a hero to play as and a civilization. I appreciate the openness this time around, with the possibility to choose between locations. For instance, Confucius doesn’t have to pick Han China. He is able to pick other surrounding locales as well.

You then play through the Age you are in until it comes to an end. From there, it switches to the next Age, and you continue playing as the same leader. This is where the problem may lie. I feel like Ages felt a bit disconnected from one another in these early hours and experiences, unlike past games. You do play the multiple Ages in the same “match,” but they are segmented off in an odd way.

What I like is you can switch your civilizations (within reason) depending on your location and leader. For instance, one could go from Rome to Spain between ages. The problem is how some elements don’t make a lot of sense. While the rest of the game is clear cut and understandable, the Legacy and Ages seemed far from it. For one, there was a time my capital city changed between Ages to a different location. But I didn’t get the option to make this decision.

I also found it unclear what exactly carried over from Age to Age during this early session. Some building types did and certain points did, but not everything. The whole system may end up being a bit redundant and awkward. In the past, changing eras was seamless and smooth. Here, my initial impression is that they were rough, heavily divided, and confusing.

I definitely need more time with the Civilization VII Ages system leading up to our proper review. But, for now, the new feature feels unnecessarily awkward and frustrating. Hopefully, it makes more sense as I come to understand its quirks in later matches. If you can look past this, though, I suspect Civilization VII could end up feeling like the fastest, most stunning, and welcoming game in the series yet.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII releases for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 11, 2025.

The post Preview: Civilization VII’s Age System Feels Unnecessary appeared first on Siliconera.

Around fifteen years after it first appeared on the Nintendo Wii, Tales of Graces f Remastered finally brings the experience of protecting your friends and family onto even more consoles. The updated graphics, combined with the very anime aesthetics and bright watercolor-like palette, help in making the game look stylized, rather than dated. As the first entry in Bandai Namco’s initiative to remaster the Tales series, it’s a roaring success that amplifies the original game’s pros while cutting down on its cons.

Tales of Graces is, for better or for worse, a pretty standard JRPG in terms of its plot. It follows Asbel Lhant, the eldest son of Aston Lhant. His parents expected him to inherit Lhant territory from his father. However, Asbel's dream was to become a knight in the service of Windor's king. During his childhood, he (along with his younger brother, Hubert, and their childhood friend, Cheria) encounter a girl with amnesia. They dub her Sophie, and then learn that monsters had attacked a carriage carrying Prince Richard, who’d been on his way to visit Lhant. The group becomes fast friends. However, a monster they encounter in the underground of Barona’s castle changes the course of their lives forever.

The main arc then follows Asbel after he becomes an adult. While the childhood prologue was the weakest part of the story for a variety of reasons, it's not something you can skip. The friendship pact that Asbel, Richard, and Sophie made at the beginning of the game comes up again and again, especially when Asbel and Sophie are discussing how much Richard changed. As a kid, he was more of an idealist who wanted to do good in the world. But when Asbel and the others meet him again as an adult—even if he went through some pretty traumatizing events—he’s like a completely different person. As they try to figure out what caused Richard’s dramatic personality change, they also uncover a secret about their planet’s past.

Tales of Graces f Remastered has a pretty simple story. It’s not as emotional or memorable as Legendia’s, but I don’t think it’ll stir as much controversy as, say, Xillia’s or Zestiria’s. The narrative plays most of the tropes it introduces straight, which can make later plot twists predictable to players familiar with the genre. That’s fine, though. Not every game is going to be a contender for Best Narrative at the Game Awards. The party dynamic in Graces more than makes up for the weaker story. Because most of the party knows each other from childhood, there’s a very relaxed atmosphere in the group after the initial awkward phase passes. Pascal and Malik, the newcomers, are all chill adults, who either mind their own business or can play along with the wilder quirks from the Lhant group (and Richard).

Tales games tend to employ a pseudo-family dynamic for its parties. I don't want to say "found family," because the characters fall into very stereotypical and gender-specific positions. For example, Asbel is the dad, Cheria is the mom, and Sophie is the kid. Pascal, somehow, fills the role of Sophie's sister, even though she's older than both Asbel and Cheria. I definitely felt my growth as a person when seeing the characters interact with each other, as well as the overall plot revolving around the Lhant family. For reference, I first played Tales of Graces when it first came out on the Wii, and imported f back in 2010 when it was still a Japan-exclusive. That means I was only in my teens when I played it.

When I was younger, I felt really bad for Kerri (Asbel and Hubert’s mom) after seeing the way teenager Hubert talked to her. But now that I’m old enough to have kids Asbel and Hubert’s age at the beginning of the game, my sympathy for her and Aston faded a lot. At most, I can understand why they even had to choose between their children, since they're both the sons of a lord. Most of my general irritation at the pseudo-family dynamic in Tales of Graces f Remastered faded as well, especially after I saw Lineage and Legacies. While Lineage and Legacies was really fun for its endgame dungeon and Accelerate Mode, its plot was even weaker than the childhood prologue. Honestly, the interactions between the party members (in the main story) were so cute. I don’t understand what annoyed me so much when I was a teenager.

As Yusuke Tomizawa, the general producer of the Tales series, said in August 2024, a huge selling point for Tales of Graces f Remastered is the combat. It’s fast-paced, addictive, and stylish. With relatively short casting times for spells, as well as a lot of flashy animations for the melee characters’ A and B artes, the screen can get very busy very fast. So some people who aren’t too familiar with how combat in this game looks might decry it as visual noise. Personally, because I know what’s going on and I’m also used to flashier Tales battles, I don’t notice anything wrong with it.

While you can get away with mindless button mashing, I do suggest taking the time to learn how to use the different techniques and characters. Each character has A and B artes, which can alter how they work in battle or offer different bonuses. Asbel's B artes unsheathe his sword. Using A artes will sheathe his sword again, as well as heal him based on his Physical Defense and how many B artes he used. Knowing little tricks like this can really save you in more difficult battles later in the game. In Asbel's case, I could get away with letting my healers prioritize someone else, because he can stay alive long enough to at least eat an Apple Gel. The more you learn about the Graces battle system, the more fun you'll get out of it.

Oddly enough, I had a far harder time settling on a difficulty level. Because I started the game with both double and quintuple EXP (along with other boosts), it didn’t take long before I became too overpowered for regular encounters. That made the game pretty boring since, again, the combat is Tales of Graces f Remastered's main selling point. But turning the difficulty to the highest setting, especially in the early game when you can only control Asbel, made the game way too hard sometimes. I felt embarrassed at how many attempts I needed to kill that first wolf you fight in the main arc. In my defense, I usually control Sophie. It took some trial and error before stumbling upon the perfect combination. I’d rather get through random battles quickly than have to redo a boss fight over and over again, especially really annoying ones like enemies with a Nova shield.

Speaking of which, one of the mechanics that Bandai Namco announced would be in the remastered version of Tales of Graces f was the grade shop being available right at the beginning of the game. If this is your first time playing, I do not recommend taking bonuses like the 5x EXP one. Like I said in the paragraph above, it makes the combat way too easy. In my opinion, the 2x EXP bonus was more than enough. It makes grinding for the endgame dungeon a lot easier, but doesn’t trivialize combat outside of boss fights.

Another quality of life change in the remastered version of Tales of Graces f was the on-screen map. You can now see where you need to go, as well as any time-limited events you might miss. Other than the improved graphics, this is the biggest reason to play the remastered version and not the previous ones. It is a serious life-changer. If there’s one thing that I think Graces did terribly at, it was dungeon design. All the dungeons look the same no matter where you are in it. And since you can't follow along your mini-map while you're inside a dungeon, it was hard to remember where I was or where I needed to go.

The Wallbridge, in particular, is a nightmare. One of my core memories of Tales of Graces on the Wii was being stuck in that stupid fortress for literal days. Every turn and room looked almost the same. I remember backtracking to see if I had gotten all the treasure chests, and then couldn't find my way back to where I needed to go. The goal icon on the screen in the remastered version not only helped to guide me to my destination, but it also served as an on-screen landmark whenever I wandered off to loot or fight.

Finally, let’s talk about the game’s visuals on modern consoles. It’s impressive! Close-up shots of the characters sometimes highlight the low-poly background. Seeing it makes it obvious that Bandai Namco didn’t develop this from the ground-up in the 2020s. However, the character models all look smooth. I booted up my PS3 Tales of Graces f to compare, and I never noticed how grainy PS3 games were. It says a lot about the quality of the game’s models and overall design that the remastered visuals hold up, even fifteen years after its initial release. At times, backgrounds and characters in the distance looked foggy in a weird way. But Tales of Graces’s watercolor-like aesthetics helped a lot in making it look natural rather than odd with the rest of the game.

I read some reviews from when Tales of Graces and Tales of Graces f first came out, and saw a few criticisms that came up again and again. One of them was load time. I'm happy to report that while the game needed to load up a new map or transport me to the battlefield, it never felt slow or annoying. On the PC, at the very least, load times were minimal. Another common criticism was the graphics. Even when f came out in 2010, it looked pretty dated for a PS3 game, apparently. When playing the remastered version, Tales of Graces f felt like a lot of the visual choices Bandai Namco made were purposeful. It looked like a stylistic choice, especially since we're now in an era where realism or "fancy" graphics is no longer the main pursuit of studios.

Between Tales of Graces f Remastered's challenging endgame dungeon and collectibles, completionists can easily sink over a hundred hours into this game. Its palatable story and fast-paced combat also make it a good introduction to the series if you’ve never played Tales before. The thing about that, though, is that there are a lot of references to previous Tales games in this one—even titles that never appeared in the west. Another detriment is that the Graces combat system makes older games in the franchise feel horribly sluggish in comparison. Nonetheless, Tales of Graces f Remastered is a promising way for Bandai Namco to start its year, as well as a potential Tales renaissance. 

Tales of Graces f Remastered will come out on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC on January 17, 2025. PC version reviewed.

The post Review: Tales of Graces f Remastered Preserves Its Best Parts appeared first on Siliconera.

Love Siliconera? Want to keep up with everything, see games we recommend above all others, and get an exclusive article every week? Want to also get a Switch? Now those points aren’t mutually exclusive. To help celebrate the launch of our Siliconera Speaks Up Newsletter, we’re running a contest to win a 64GB Switch OLED if you are already a member or are just joining it. 

Here’s how it works. Sign up for our newsletter. Then, you can enter our contest for your chance to win a Switch. You can enter with your email for one entry, and it’s possible to earn additional entries as well! On January 31, 2025, we’ll pick one winner to get the console. This contest is open to everyone worldwide, though it is void where prohibited by law. You must be 18 or older to enter. You can read the full Terms & Conditions of the giveaway in the Gleam.io embed below.

You can sign up for Siliconera Speaks Up and enter our contest here:

Nintendo Switch

Good luck, and we hope you enjoy the Siliconera weekly newsletter! Every Friday, you’ll get an email with an exclusive article, the biggest recent news stories, things you won’t want to miss, a growing list of our most recommended games, and reminders of big game releases and updates coming up soon!

The post Subscribe to Siliconera’s Newsletter for a Chance to Win a Switch appeared first on Siliconera.

You could suggest the end of the Nintendo Switch’s lifespan is coming quite soon when Nintendo revisits older titles like Donkey Kong Country Returns. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing! After all, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a straightforward remaster that includes some neat quality-of-changes that make it worth a look 15 years later.

If there is one element in recent platformers that I find a bit annoying at times, it is the breezy difficulty. Games like Super Mario Wonder and even Astro Bot rarely challenged me. That isn’t the case at all with Donkey Kong Country Returns HD. If you like 2D platforming levels that will push you to your limits, this is the one to check out.

Across 80 levels set in multiple worlds, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD features countless different activities. From rocket-jumping your way through danger and riding a mine cart to bashing through foes atop the rhino Rambi, one of the best parts of the game remains its variety. I never got bored, since there was always something new to see and do as a first-time player of this particular entry. The Jungle world looks notably lush and vibrant with the game's remastered visuals. Meanwhile, the Beach feels bright, cheery, and reminiscent of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. More importantly, though, was the ever-present difficulty of this experience.

Much of the beauty of this comes from the distinct separation between the background and the foreground. Levels often have the player shoot out of a barrel to a part of the level closer to the screen. Then, they might complete that section and fire further back into the background to keep going. This isn’t just for show, either, as the mechanic plays into the challenges as well.

One of my favorite uses of this mechanic came during an octopus level. The entire level, we see a menacing octopus just chilling in the background and being all creepy. This isn’t for show, as the octopus will randomly bust its tentacles through the wall or ceiling to increase the difficulty and threaten Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. This type of gameplay element still surprised me, even though we see the concept in other titles, and it kept me on my toes in an engaging way.

It ties into an important element of this title that remains as true now as it did in 2010. What Nintendo does best with Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is continuously surprise and delight a player with challenges and a wealth of experiences. Each of the core 80 levels is already enough of a hurdle to overcome when dealing with the speedy and well-thought-out obstacles and enemies, but there is so much to else to do and collect as well.

Even beyond the already substantial number of worlds, there are some secret levels you can unlock. There are four letters that spell out “KONG” in most levels, and finding all of them unlocks a special level in each world. These are by far the most difficult ones. They usually require precise movements and perfect timing to complete. In addition to that, there is a co-op mode. One player takes on the role of Donkey Kong, while the other plays as Diddy. I had the most fun exploring each 2D level with another person. You can feed off of one another and help each other out, which relieves some of the stress.

Of course, this remaster of Donkey Kong Country Returns wouldn’t be complete without some quality-of-life improvements. There is a general sharpening of the visuals. Each level pops with vibrant color and none of the grainy, blurry details of the Wii and 3DS versions.

More importantly, though, it is possible for things to feel a bit easier time with the new Modern Mode. This is an optional mode that gives you more hearts and lets someone hold more items. Naturally, the Classic Mode is still there for purists. But I find the Modern Mode is a neat addition for those fear they'll be frustrated.

Beyond a handful of graphical changes and a couple of meaningful changes like Modern Mode, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a pretty straightforward remaster. In fact, I would say Nintendo plays its pretty safe here. I wouldn’t recommend going into it expecting anything too radically new. That said, if you are a newcomer like myself, it is well worth a look since this is one of the most rewarding Nintendo platformers. However, if you are a veteran, just know that this is mostly the same game from 15 years ago, but for the Switch.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD releases for Nintendo Switch on January 16, 2025. It also appeared on the Wii and 3DS.

The post Review: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Is a Straightforward Remaster appeared first on Siliconera.

Anime is going to have a massive 2025 year. The four seasons of anime ahead look to be some of the most exciting in a long time. There are brand new series like Sakamoto Days, alongside returning ones like Dragon Ball Daima. It is also the year for the end of many of the most popular anime series. But what is the most anticipated anime of 2025? Here is what the Siliconera staff has to say about that.

Siliconera Speaks Up: Most Anticipated Anime Series of 2025

Mine right now is Gnosia. Yes, part of it is because Gnosia is my current obsession, but I'm also really curious as to how the anime will adapt its unique story structure. It'll obviously have to keep the time loop thing, but how will it also have the different story events and Werewolf segment? Until we know more information about how many episodes it'll have, it's so hard to picture that I can't wait until it actually starts airing. I'm also super excited for the Twisted Wonderland anime, too! -- Stephanie

The most anticipated anime for me in 2025 has to be My Happy Marriage Season 2. The first season wowed me with its beautiful blend of romance series like Fruits Basket and Violet Evergarden. It tragically reminds me so much of a Kyoto Animation series and the wonderful people that were lost far too soon in 2019. If you want a stunning series with the best couple in anime in 2025, be sure to watch this one.

Special shoutouts also go to the final seasons of My Hero Academia and Dr. Stone, both of which should be spectacular. My Hero Academia’s most recent season is arguably its best and it should continue this trend into its final season. The same goes for Dr. Stone. In fact, I am fully expecting to put both of these series in the overall top 25 anime of all time when all is said and done for both of them. -- Cody

The post What Is the Most Anticipated Anime of 2025? appeared first on Siliconera.

While one of the two new shojo anime series debuting on Crunchyroll in January 2025 took quite some time to go from manga to animated adaptation, Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You ended up rather swiftly heading to screens. Honestly, I can see why. I get it. This story is rooted in the COVID-19 pandemic experience, and telling it via another medium as swiftly as possible helps ensure those watching will better connect with it. But the thing is, I feel like this adaptation isn’t leaning as much into telling a unique love story shaped by how society changed and reacted to the pandemic as it could, though I hope future episodes could prove me wrong.

Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for the first episode of Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You below.

While most shojo series begin completely focused on the heroine and her school life, the early moments of the Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You anime adaptation don’t. Rather, it is about setting a scene. Instead, it begins with a vision of a Japanese city. The color palette is washed out and feels dismal. The news report is on the screens in the city. When Mizuho Nishino, our heroine, finally appears, it is an adult version of her. She laments the fact that her birthday was terrible, and a business email just came in asking if Megu Kawaguchi’s series could end that year. After seeing a high school girl walk past with four of her classmates, she is reminded of her own past and what happened on her 17th birthday. I really loved how it started, as it felt different from other shojo series and left me feeling like maybe it could pull from real-life events to make this reverse harem love story be unique.

From there, things flash back to July 2020. This would be about the height of the pandemic. It’s 95 degrees out, and the radio is warning about the heat and “infectious diseases,” which is COVID-19 of course. Mizuho’s father walks up to her room with a meal, to find her sleeping on the floor alongside her childhood friend. Her sketches of him are all around them. He’s understandably upset, of course, and cautions them about acting like they did when they were little. She says Kizuki Hazawa is like her little brother, which he doesn’t seem to pleased to hear. So we meet her first possible love interest, and realize that due to everything going on in the world that it is actually her birthday.

We meet the whole reverse harem once Mizuho leaves her house to head to school. In addition to Kizuki, she also grew up around Airu Izumi, Shin Kashiwagi, and Shugo Hoshikawa. In a fairly short span, we learn she stays up late drawing manga, suggesting she’s the “Megu Kawaguchi” referenced in the introduction, and quick snippets of Airu, Shin, and Shugo’s personalities come up in response to her being lazy about wearing makeup and staying up late. It’s a bit rushed, though I suppose that makes sense since this first episode is more about swiftly establishing things and focusing on Mizuho and Kizuki’s relationship. 

But right away, I’m also feeling like there are missed opportunities. It’s like the Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You anime adaptation is doing more telling than showing. I sort of would expect more people to be wearing face masks during this period of time, given it was July 2020, but there are none. (Given that they want to highlight the art and character designs, I guess I can understand.) References to current events are minimal. We don’t really see so much the effect of things, rather than hear they happened. Prime examples include the initial report on the radio, Kizuki noting that swim practice finally resumed after being halted due to the pandemic, and upper-classman Saito Ryosuke mentioning classes being canceled for a time due to “some infectious disease.” But instead of properly responding to it in potentially meaningful ways in the first episode, we instead see it as an excuse for Airu to tease her about her crush on Saito or Saito to talk about how events, class trips, classes, and sports were canceled for a while. 

I suppose I hoped for more reactions like Saito’s. It’s only about halfway through this first episode that we see someone react to current events, and it isn’t even one of the established “main” characters in Mizuho’s group. It’s a supporting cast member acknowledging his depression over things that happened. The fact that Mizuho reacts to his admission the way that she does also left me disappointed. I knew it was coming, since I’m familiar with the source series. And I’m still impressed with Saito’s characterization and response to her reaction. Honestly, it’s the moments with Saito and Kizuki opening up that left the strongest impressions on me here, as they’re the two that seemed to have the strongest emotions and reactions here. Both in terms of feelings about the current state of things and emotions relating to Mizuho, they seem to really ring true and make this first episode.

I am hoping that maybe Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You starts to feel stronger and more unique as episodes go on. This first one was very focused on Mizuho and Kizuki, really breezing through establishing other characters and pandemic life. If handled well, it could end up being fun. After all, I did enjoy the original manga! I just feel like with the anime adaptation, it’s an opportunity to really show and highlight what life was like during a unique period of time in Japan, and so far it feels more like any shojo love story than a period piece.

The Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You anime adaptation is now airing in Japan and streaming on Crunchyroll worldwide, and the manga is available via Kodansha worldwide.

The post Anyway, I’m Falling in Love With You Anime Is a Pandemic Love Story appeared first on Siliconera.

Since it came out in 2023, Dave the Diver, an action-adventure scuba diving game that combines harpoon fishing with restaurant management, has received almost universal praise from critics and fans alike. Despite its unique premise and cute pixel art, I didn't purchase the game until the end of 2024. The only reason behind my reluctance to try Dave the Diver was my crippling thalassophobia and megalophobia. However, new year, new me. It’s time to overcome my fear and, to my surprise, it worked better than I imagined.

Honestly, I thought most people have thalassophobia. "It’s not irrational or ridiculous or something I need to work on at all," I thought. Have you ever looked at how vast and dark the ocean is, and realized how small we humans are in comparison? The idea of being trapped underwater while God knows what lurks around you in the murky depths is terrifying. And speaking of which, don’t even get me started on the creatures that live down there. Whales are friendly, I know, but they’re so big. What if it swallows you by accident? Fish don’t need to be big to be scary either. Some look like they’re the bastard children of Lovecraftian horrors and Satan’s nightmares. Of course, that’s when I remembered that marine biologists and scuba divers exist in real life. So maybe it’s not as normal a fear as I thought.

My fear of the ocean (any large body of water, really) was so bad that I freaked out while on the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride at Tokyo DisneySea. The Fishdom ad, when it shows that giant fish about to swallow all the other fish, makes my heart beat faster. A trailer I saw of Subnautica once scared me so badly that I had to exit YouTube. Yes, I’m aware of how embarrassing this is and how weak I seem, but I can’t help it. Since even clips of Subnautica look far scarier than any other horror game I’ve ever seen, I decided that Dave the Diver is the safest place to start from. I mean, how scary can it be?

In Dave the Diver, you play as a dude who dives for fish, which you then give to sushi chef Bancho. At night, you also need to help out at Bancho's restaurant. The pixel art is so cute, and the gameplay loop sounds relaxing. Surely, I can see that the ocean is a lovely place full of friends, and that'll curb my fear with this. That optimism didn’t last long. The moment I had to travel to the depths and a huge shark appeared from the dark, I wanted to turn off the game. All the tunnels full of tubeworms and hostile jellyfish, as well as the sheer scale of the ocean you can see in the background, frightened me.

But you know what? My idea actually worked. I was right about how the game's visuals make it approachable. I won't lie and say the depths didn't scare me at first, but after a while, I stopped hesitating to dive down there for fish and quests. Subnautica features a much wider space, and it forces you to see it from a first person perspective. Since Dave the Diver's level design is more compact, and you view it from a third person perspective, it's not so bad once you play more of it. The designs of the fish aren't that realistic thanks to the pixel art, and you see them from such a distance that even species I'd normally scream at look fine.

There's something soothing about the grind, too. Focusing on finding coral or looking for a specific fish to hunt keep my eyes and mind busy enough that I don’t notice the dark environment anymore. The game constantly forcing you down there for quests, as well as the rather static layout, makes the depths more familiar, which is another way of alleviating fear. The pixel art really softens the visuals when it comes to the scarier looking marine animals, too. Riding the high of the confidence boost, I checked out some Subnautica clips and had to back out before even seeing the Leviathan Reaper. So I have a real appreciation for the overall design in Dave the Diver.

Gaming therapy is a real thing, and it’s something that’s gaining some real traction from its first use in 1980. Different cases require different games or genres. Relaxing games like Flower can relieve stress, while some therapists use more open-world games like Minecraft to help children with autism. For better or for worse, games are a more mainstream hobby now. Sure, there are some people now who still believe games (like anime or cartoons) are specifically for children. But, that seems like a minority opinion nowadays. So it makes sense that as games become more common in our everyday lives, different fields and industries will employ them for their own purposes.

Saying that Dave the Diver helps me with my real-world phobia is like saying a Band-Aid helped me with a broken arm. Toss me into the ocean, away from land, and I’ll definitely have a panic attack. But at least while I occupy Dave’s body and paddle around the pixel waters of Dave the Diver, I feel better about my fear of thalassophobia. I can at least watch that silly Fishdom ad with a normal resting heart rate now. Maybe one day in the far future, I’ll work myself up to playing Subnautica.

Dave the Diver is available on the PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, and macOS.

The post Dave the Diver Actually Helped With My Thalassophobia appeared first on Siliconera.

Honey Lemon Soda was a staple in Shueisha’s Ribon, running in the manga magazine since December 2015. We’ve read about Uka Ishimori’s growth and developing relationship with Kai Miura for years. We saw series that ran alongside it, like Tsubasa to Hotaru and Acro Trip, inspire animated series. Now Honey Lemon Soda finally gets its change with an anime streaming worldwide on Crunchyroll, and I feel like the J.C.Staff and TMS Entertainment adaptation might have been worth the wait.

Editor’s Note: There are minor spoilers for the first episode of the Honey Lemon Soda anime below.

 Honey Lemon Soda is one of those series in the vein of Fruits Basket or Kimi ni Todoke, where you have a downtrodden heroine who gets a chance to finally be accepted and find a place for herself. Uka Ishimori found herself bullied throughout school. One of the only exceptions was the lemon soda-loving Kai Miura, a stranger who was kind to her and there for her at a pivotal moment. As a result of their meeting, she ended up at Hachimitsu High School alongside him. And even in instances when people might hassle him for his popularity or blond hair, he doesn’t let that get him down and handles it.

It’s because of one of those interactions that Uka finds herself in Kai’s life and circle again. When heading to Hachimitsu one day, some classmates attempted to bully Kai. He responded by shaking up the lemon soda he carried and opened it to dowse them. Uka ended up caught in the crossfire, which in turn brings her to his attention and helps her find actual friends in people like Ayumi Endo. It’s the impetus for her to finally get a chance at the “cheerful and fun high school life” she wants. 

Given the nature of the series, we aren’t going to see major development in the first two episodes of the Honey Lemon Soda anime. But there are strides we already get to see in these initial moments. Kai recognizing Uka and her struggles and showing consideration, even though he’s initially painted as a more quiet or stand off-ish individual, by wearing his gym uniform and helping her get the courage to greet people. Uka reaching out to Ayumi to help her after being helped a previous day. Accepting an invitation from potential friends. J.C.Staff and TMS Entertainment handle these initial moments really well, and the depiction of them ensures they feel poignant as they happen.

I also appreciated how the anime adaptation of Honey Lemon Soda never minimizes what Uka went through in the past either. We see how the trauma and stress from past bullying triggers a flashback to a past memory after getting soda splashed on her in the introduction. When others from her middle school spot her at Hachimitsu and use her nickname “Stony,” Uka panics and runs even though she’d been invited. However, Kai, Ayumi,  Satoru Seto, and Tomoya Takamine don’t blame her for the altercation, instead identifying correctly the bullies as the issue, and Kai finds and encourages her to react and get help. The resolution of the first episode left me in satisfied tears as the group banded together.

For years, Ribon readers and people following the Honey Lemon Soda manga have gotten to gradually see Uka recover, find friends, and develop a relationship with Kai, and it feels like the new anime adaptation is going to do that story justice. After seeing how it’s started, it seems like the pacing and development is taking the proper care to address the situations and bonds between characters. It feels like it could end up being quite heartfelt, and I hope more people get to appreciate this shojo classic as a result.

The Honey Lemon Soda anime is airing in Japan and streaming on Crunchyroll worldwide as part of the WInter 2025 season, and Yen Press handled the manga outside of Japan. 

The post Honey Lemon Soda Anime Adaptation Was Worth the Wait appeared first on Siliconera.

The latest collaboration between McDonald's Japan and Neon Genesis Evangelion has certainly been an attention-grabber. From the amusing commercials to the freshly-designed original McDonald's-themed EVA Unit UNIT-M to the transforming toys, it has been hitting all the right notes. At the heart of this unusual mash-up lie the Evangelion burgers, three special limited-time menu items. You may have seen promotional pictures of them already, but what is the reality? And most importantly, how do they taste? There's only one thing for it: I had to try them out.

In order to keep my doctor and wife from getting too upset, I properly prepared for this potentially stomach-destroying effort. Okay, I just had a light brunch and drank a lot of water, but I'm telling myself that's good enough. After finishing work for the day, I hopped in the car and headed for the nearest Makku. While I considered taking the easy way out by going through the drive-through, I wanted to check out some of the in-store signage. So in I went. I placed my order for all three burgers, then checked things out while I waited.

After taking a few pictures, I grabbed my order and drove back to my office. In total, there are three Evangelion burgers at McDonald's, each with a particular character assigned to them. Representing Shinji Ikari, we have the Double Teriyaki Cheeseburger. The enigmatic Rei Ayanami adorns the wrapper for the Hashbrown & Beef Burger with Garlic Mayo. Finally, the fiery Asuka Langley is paired with the Mexican Cheese Chicken Burger. I wouldn't think too hard about how those are supposed to line up. Well, let's dig in.

Mexican Cheese Chicken Burger

This was the one I was the most interested in trying. The special burgers from McDonald's Japan can be hit or miss at times, but they rarely miss when they try to go spicier. This isn't a particularly fancy sandwich, but on paper it seems like it would work. The usual chicken filet patty is placed in a special fluffier-than-usual bun and topped with a slice of processed cheddar cheese, a couple of pickles, taco meat, and a sweet lemon sauce. McDonald's Japan issues a warning that this sandwich is spicy, so if you don't like spicy food you should be careful. This typically doesn't mean much, but upon opening the wrapper there was a certain spiciness wafting off of the burger.

The Mexican Cheese Chicken Burger kicked off what turned out to be a theme with these Evangelion burgers. It was quite messy to eat and its contents were prone to spilling out. The first bite I took was quite delicious. I got a good bite of pickle and taco meat, and the result was a pleasantly spicy and flavorful taste. The sweet lemon sauce had a nice tang to it, too. The chicken filet patties at McDonald's Japan can be a little bland, so having these peppy ingredients in the mix really helped out.

Sadly, the ingredients weren't evenly distributed. Some bites had no pickles and very little taco meat, and when that happened it really demonstrated how important those two elements are to this burger. My hands were in an absolute state by the time I finished this one, but that's what soap and water is for. All in all, I rather enjoyed the Mexican Cheese Chicken Burger. It could have used a little more tsun in its tsundere, but overall it's one I would order again. Best burger for the best character? I guess we'll see as we continue on.

Score: Eight "ANTA BAKAs" Out of Ten

Hashbrown & Beef Burger with Garlic Mayo

A real gap between the McDonald's Evangelion crossover marketing photo and the reality for this one, but we all know how that goes. The Hashbrown & Beef Burger with Garlic Mayo comes off as the busiest of this bunch. You've got the same fancy bun we saw with the Mexican Cheese Chicken Burger, with a thicker-than-usual beef patty. From the bottom to the top, you get some tangy steak sauce, a slice of processed cheese, a hashbrown potato patty, the aforementioned beef patty, and some garlic mayonnaise sauce. Surprisingly, this is not the highest-calorie sandwich of the three. That would be the next one.

The scent of garlic hits you as soon as you open the wrapper. And that proved to be the case for the Hashbrown & Beef Burger with Garlic Mayo as a whole. Biting into it, I found the garlic mayo overpowered every other flavor. The hashbrown pretty much melted into the rest of the burger. Since this burger is lacking any crunchy vegetables, I was hoping the hashbrown would add a bit of texture to the sandwhich. Unfortunately, it was quite soft. The hashbrown and beef patty took turns trying to fall out with each bite, too.

Ultimately, the Hashbrown & Beef Burger with Garlic Mayo sees the rest of its flavors lost in the powerful taste of the garlic sauce. I like garlic as much as the next person, but I couldn't help but feel a little empty about this burger. For how much it appears to have going on, it's completely one-note. Those who hate garlic cannot love or trust this sandwich. Rei, you got robbed. Hopefully the last of the Evangelion burgers can bring this back around. Shinji, don't let us down!

Score: Four "Objects Living a Lie" Out of Ten

Double Teriyaki Cheeseburger

I'll say straight-up that I wasn't very excited by the Double Teriyaki Cheeseburger in the way I was for the other two. It's not that I was expecting it to taste bad or anything like that. The reason is that this is really just a Teriyaki McBurger with an extra pork patty and a slice of processed cheese. On top of that, McDonald's Japan has offered the Double Teriyaki Cheeseburger before without a Shinji endorsement. The only new thing here is the bun, which is the same special one used by the other two Evangelion burgers. The filling is two pork patties generously slathered in sweet teriyaki sauce, the aforementioned slice of processed cheese, some lettuce, and a large dollop of tangy mayonnaise.

If you've never had the Teriyaki McBurger before, there are a few things to know. First, it's very tasty. The sweetness of the teriyaki sauce and saltiness of the pork patty make for an enticing blend, and the mayo adds to the nasty decadence of it all. The lettuce is just there to make you feel better, as it will most likely be rendered fully limp by the time you start eating. Second, it's really messy. When you open the wrapper, it's like an explosion went off. You will get your hands dirty eating it, so plan ahead. Third, because it's such a saucy burger, the contents like to spill out of the bun. The more McDonald's tries to cram in there, the more it wants to spill out. Indeed, the second pork patty and slice of cheese in the Double Teriyaki Burger make it hard to keep a handle on.

The Double Teriyaki Cheeseburger is good, but it's just a bigger Teriyaki McBurger. The extra pork patty doesn't hurt the balance of the burger, and cheese is always welcome. Still, it feels like an opportunity was missed here. For such a big collaboration, having one of the burgers be a recycled one that wasn't very exciting to begin with is a bit of a disappointment. Surely the main character of the show deserves something a little cooler. Then again, it's Shinji. Maybe this is just what he deserves. Reliable, a little on the plain side, and if the others can't get it done then this might be your hero.

Score: Seven "Get in the Burger, Patties!" Out of Ten

Closing Thoughts on the McDonald's Evangelion Burgers

Overall, this isn't a bad batch of burgers. Sure, the Hashbrown & Beef Burger with Garlic Mayo comes off like an oily garlic ball, but McDonald's Japan has unleashed far worse before. With that said, I feel like McDonald's could have done more to lean into the theme. Despite the name, the Evangelion Burgers feel like they could have been slotted in during any number of McDonalds campaigns, and it feels like very little attempt was made to fit them to the Evangelion brand. Even so, I'll stop in and get the Mexican Cheese Chicken Burger once more before it's gone. If you happen to be visiting McDonald's Japan this month, that would be my recommendation. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go hit the treadmill for about six hours.

The Evangelion crossover is live at McDonald's stores in Japan now.

The post A Cruel Grimace’s Thesis: Trying the Evangelion Burgers from McDonald’s Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

It’s no secret The Pokémon Company and Game Freak largely ignored 2024. If it weren’t for Pokemon TCG Pocket, 2024 would’ve likely gone down as possibly the worst year in the history of the franchise. And this is even if the infamous leaks never happened. Thankfully, Pokemon has the chance to make 2025 a major comeback year with releases like Pokemon Legends Z-A and much more.

Take a look back at 2024 and there isn’t much to talk about. The Horizons anime did its thing alongside updates for the typical free-to-play titles. Of course, there was the monumental release of Pokemon TCG Pocket, which saved the year for the company. But no major DLC for Scarlet & Violet, remasters, remakes, other spin-offs, and so on.

The lack of releases in general wouldn’t be so bad on its own. After all, this has happened before in years like 2005 and 2015. That said, it has been almost 10 years of something new for players to enjoy outside of mobile titles every single year. But the worst part of it all has been the general radio silence from the company.

Sure, the leaks do play some role in this. However, TPC and Game Freak can’t put all of the blame on those leaks. After all, they happened in October 2024. That doesn’t even account for the lack of new info on games like Pokemon Legends Z-A from its initial reveal in late February 2024 to October 2024. That is about eight months TPC could’ve given the fan base something.

As such, we're going into 2025 when this game is supposed to release without almost any information about it. Nothing official about the starters, time period, characters, new Mega Evolutions, and so on. As such, 2024 will likely go down as one of the most disappointing years for Pokemon in the franchise’s history, if not the clear cut winner.

That is why it is so imperative 2025 goes all out to turn this around. Sure, it is not quite the 30th anniversary of the series — that’s next year in 2026 — but there is still so much that can happen. The obvious part is Legends Z-A needs to be one of the best games in the series. It needs to take the open-world collectathon vibes of Legends Arceus and amp it up a notch. Make battles more prominent, have a great story, and generally feel like the second chance Generation VI desperately needs.

But it shouldn't stop there. We are long past due for some older titles to come to Switch. Whether on the Switch 2 or on the original Switch, we need to see Generations I-III come to the Nintendo Switch Online service. This should’ve happened in 2024 to avoid such a long drought, but better late than never regardless. I could even see these NSO releases be an exclusive for Switch 2 only, which would be a shame, but I’ll take what I can get.

Of course, the juggernaut that is Pokemon TCG Pocket shouldn't stop, either. New sets, events, and cards are inevitable. The main new feature I’d like to see beyond trading is a release on Switch and Switch 2. Sure, the game is designed to be played in portrait, but some adjusting can be done with the background to make it work in a landscape viewpoint on Switch. If anything, this could explain its release long after the mobile version.

Finally, I’d like to see some sort of surprise from the company in 2025. This could be in the form of an early Generation 10 announcement ahead of 2026 or a new spin-off game. My personal wish would be for a new Mystery Dungeon or a remaster of Pokemon Colosseum or XD: Gale of Darkness. That said, I’d even settle for a Pokken Tournament 2, which would be a great Switch 2 launch title to mirror what happened in 2017 with the original Switch.

Regardless, 2025 is The Pokémon Company’s chance to redeem an almost historically abysmal 2024. Pokemon Legends Z-A should absolutely be the headliner for the year, but far from the only showstopper. Other releases and announcements like older games, spin-off titles, and impressive updates for TCG Pocket are equally a must.

Pokemon Legends Z-A will release sometime in 2025 for Nintendo Switch.

The post Game Freak Must Do Better in 2025 With Legends Z-A appeared first on Siliconera.

It’s a big moment for followers of the Dr Stone anime adaptation, the Science Future season 4 debut happened on Crunchyroll. It’s the start of an end of an era, albeit one that will be a bit drawn out due to this last leg of the journey being released in three parts. 

Editor’s Note: There are some minor spoilers for the first episode of season 4 of the Dr Stone anime. 

Things kick off in Dr Stone Science Future with a brief refresher from Minami Hokutozai, in the event it’s been a while prior to the viewer jumping into season 4. We’re reminded that everyone on Earth ended up petrified thousands of years ago. Senku Ishigami was freed, and decides to begin reviving people to create a new scientific society. It mentions how previous seasons followed Senku reviving more people and making more discoveries, leading up to them all building a ship to cross the Pacific Ocean. The goal is to head toward San Francisco to find out about the petrification and build a space ship to head to the moon. This also serves as a means to reintroduce Senku, Minami, Tsukasa, Gen, Suika, Kaseki, Chrome, Kirisame, Kinro, Matsukaze, Ryusui, and Ginro. It’s an effective way to review allies and get their thoughts on the what happens next.

I appreciate that after that review, Dr Stone Science Future gets right back to, well, science. Once we revisit everyone’s thoughts on things and are reminded of what’s going on, we find Senku and Ryusui fighting about the course of the ship. Ryusui is proposing the Rhumb Line approach, which would go straight across from Tokyo to San Francisco and take 70 days. Senku then explains one that would follow along the coasts would be wiser, and people go to a globe with a rope to see how his answer is right. It would be 40 days on the Great Circle Route. 

It really gets into part of what I love about Dr Stone as a series. There are times when it will include these sorts of educational elements and actual science in a fun way. Senku’s personality is perfect to excuse sorts of explanations. Plus, in the case of this dispute here, we get to see the possible benefits of both the Rhumb and Great Circle options due to Ryusui and Senku being so intelligent. 

At the same time, this first episode’s direction and adaptation means it can be quite entertaining. The choice about how to head to America is a serious one. The points about the routes are valid. But settling things with Poker and the ensuing outcome of the game is handled so well. Plus, it ends up tying into an on-ship activity. 

I suppose there isn’t much progress in this episode. The first installment of the anime is really more about setting the stage for what’s next with season 4 of Dr Stone. But the execution makes it feel like a lot still did happen. I feel getting back into things with a more lighthearted episode that refreshes the viewer, sets the stage for things to come, and gives us a chance to see characters enjoying their momentary victories is especially welcoming seeing as how we’re nearing the end. 

The first part of season 4 of Dr Stone, Science Future, is streaming now on Crunchyroll, and past seasons of the anime are also available there. Viz Media handles the manga outside of Japan. 

The post Dr Stone Science Future Starts Season 4 With Refreshers appeared first on Siliconera.

If anyone had asked me about the possibility of a Freedom Wars Remastered release during the last decade, I wouldn’t have put my money on it. Yet this fascinating oddity of a game is now getting a new lease on life. For those unfamiliar, Freedom Wars is a mission-based action RPG with a particular and bold aesthetic, as well as a Sony first-party title developed by Dimps and released all the way back in 2014 exclusively on the PlayStation Vita Vita. But now, it's showing up on modern consoles and PCs.

Freedom Wars Remastered is set in a distant future where humanity lives imprisoned penal city-states called Panopticons. In these Panopticons, humanity is divided between regular citizens and sinners, people that have been condemned with 1,000,000 years of imprisonment for the crime of being alive. The player character is one such sinners that happens to lose their memories at the start of the game, forcing the Panopticon to reset their sentence to a million. Sinners are forced to “volunteer” in warfare with other rival Panopticons to gain resources or kidnap valuable citizens to perform labor.

The core conceit of the game sounds more melodramatic than it ends up being. While the game evokes images of prison and penitentiary life, it doesn’t take long after the introduction for Freedom Wars to give a different image from its seemingly dour premise. Sinners lead relatively normal lives and increasing your sentence doesn’t change much, other than serving as flavor text. Furthermore, the amnesia plot serves as a device to provide an explanation to the player and introduce them to the world of the game.

First and foremost, Freedom Wars Remastered is a portable game, and this is felt all throughout its pacing. The game starts with some basic tutorials, lengthy dialogue, and light “exploration” stages. I put exploration in quotations because it is apparent very quickly that areas in the main hub of your player-chosen Panopticon are recycled and identical, with very little variation until later into the game. Similarly, worldbuilding and story rely heavily on short, but constant, character exposition in between main story missions. While I didn’t mind this back in 2014 on the Vita, I found it to be a bit obtrusive playing for longer sessions on my PC. Particularly the Cell Garden infiltration sections felt too repetitive, despite there only being a handful.

Luckily, the pacing issues only exist during the first few hours. Once you learn the ropes, the game consistently gives you missions where you deploy with up to three party members and are tasked with different objectives. These vary between defeating all enemies, whether it is rival Sinners or Abductors, giant machines that Panopticons employ to wage war; rescue citizens from your rivals, or domination missions in the style of “capture the flag.” Again, because of its origins as a portable 2014 game, there isn’t a lot of mission variety. However, I didn’t mind this, as the main attraction is the Abductor fights. The variety of Abductor types isn’t massive either. Freedom Wars Remastered makes up for it by starting with fights against one, and increasing the number of Abductors and combinations of them you need to fight at the same time, or even having several of them in waves, or interspersed with waves of Sinners. This distinguishes the game from series like Monster Hunter or God Eater, where the focus lies on a single big spectacle fight.

And, in spite of all of its limitations as a portable title, Freedom Wars Remastered has really engaging combat. The player character can carry two weapons at a type, being able to choose between melee equipment such as one-handed, two-handed weapons, and polearms; as well as firearms in the form of assault weapons, portable artillery, and autocannons. Each melee weapon type has its own moveset, with some of them excelling at severing abductor parts, dealing critical hits, or other specialty. I gravitated towards light melee weapon and polearms for my melee choice favoring the Hawkshadow, and Barbara's Easy Blaster as my firearm of choice. While practice battles are available to try your moveset in a safe environment, for this remaster I would have liked having the option to change weapons on the fly during these practice missions so you could easily find your favorite combination of weapons.

And yet, my favorite inclusion to the gameplay is the thorn system. Sinners are capable of using a grappling hook-like tool called the Thorn. It is a useful system to traverse the arenas and maps, to drag down enemy Abductors, or even to connect with enemy Sinners for a powerful dash combo. This mechanic is simple but deceptively deep, granting the game a powerful layer of aerial combat and combo opportunities. Thorns come in Binding, Healing, and Shielding varieties, each with unique properties such as the ability to enhance defense, heal allies, or stun enemies. Sinners are also accompanied by an Accessory, a robotic ally that fights and offers support in the battlefield.

As a remaster of a decade-old game, Freedom Wars Remastered adds some subtle but meaningful changes, with the inclusion of some fascinating elements that never made it to the original American or European releases. First of all, the movement speed feels much faster and responsive now. Maps are not particularly big, and traversing them with the Thorn is pretty easy, but this increase in maneuverability is great to dodge and avoid damage in fights with lots of moving parts. Additionally, the unique voice synthesizer editor system used for Accessories in the original Japanese release finally made it overseas. This allows players to create their own unique responses to orders or gameplay actions, such as asking your Accessory to take care of rescuing citizens.

My only real problem with this version of the game is the inclusion of Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) for the PC release of the game. Depending on each player's PC, this might or might not be a problem for some. For me, EAC resulted in an unstable performance and drastic framerate drops, despite having a pretty powerful rig. I was able to fix this issue quickly due to having had this problem before with EAC and knowing how to deal with it, but this resulted in the game crashing approximately every hour and a half.

The generous use of auto-save ensured that I never lost progress, but this was a considerable inconvenience for the first 4-5 hours of playtime. And at around 10 hours of playtime in my approximately 22-hour playthrough of the main campaign, the framerate issues stopped completely and I was able to play normally. I would advise to keep an eye out in case you've ever experienced similar issues with other games that use EAC. The game is still absolutely worth it, but you might want to give it a try on console. On the other side, performance on the Steam Deck was silky smooth and it game me no problem.

Over a decade after its release, Freedom Wars Remastered remains a competent action RPG with a surprisingly engaging gameplay loop and complex combat system. Noticing the seams of a PS Vita portable game will be unavoidable even in this remaster, but it has a certain charm to it. Perhaps the story is not the most highbrow out there, but the aesthetic and purposeful odd vibe of the Panopticons are pretty unique and attractive. While I was unable to try the multiplayer, I plan on putting more hours into the game and jump into the post-game missions with friends, trying to reduce my sentence to 0, and maybe give the PvP modes a chance. If you enjoy mission-based action RPGs, this is an absolute classic.

Freedom Wars Remastered will come out on January 10, 2025 for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

The post Review: Freedom Wars Remastered Deserves a Second Chance appeared first on Siliconera.

The Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms manga really does a good job of showing how funny it is for a “beloved” girl to not get what she wants and have someone not fall all over her, and it only takes one episode of the anime to confirm this carries over to the full show. The SynergySP adaptation now running on Crunchyroll really drives home the lengths Mona Kawai will go to in order to get Medaka Koroiwa’s attention as we see every action in the adaptation. Not to mention Yu Serizawa’s performance as Mona and the depiction of her actual personality and response to being ignored and not adored comes across even stronger when animated than when appearing in a manga.

Editor’s Note: There will be some minor spoilers for the first episode of the Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms anime below.

Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms has an absolutely hilarious start. Our first introduction to Mona Kawai is seeing every baby and visiting person in the newborn ward at the hospital focused on her, smiling, because she’s so adorable. She can’t even hold up her head yet, but everyone is smitten. A flash forward to her as a small child at an amusement park shows that even when she went to town on an ice cream cone and became a mess, her reaction to that and cleaning it up stole hearts from everyone around her. It absolutely sets the stage for a heroine who is supposed to be it. Cute, irresistible, outgoing, and yes, completely conniving. 

So once we see Mona again in high school, SynergySP perfectly established who she is, why people are so devoted to her, and sets her up as a solid heroine in the Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms anime without making it seem too contrived or like she’s completely a “bad guy” for it. She just happened to be naturally lucky and blessed, which she ends up taking for granted and using to her advantage. 

This means early on, the Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms anime established the comedic element. Mona knows she’s blessed. She is set up as the queen bee due to circumstances, so the idea that Medaka Kuroiwa isn’t falling into line or behaving as expected makes the premise feel even stronger. Her reaction to it and need to not show that it isn’t getting to her makes it all even better. Especially since her internal voice sounds so different both in terms of tone and accent. Her meeting her match in a good and respectful guy who has a dream and maintains healthy boundaries is satisfying to watch.

That also means the Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms anime challenges and overarching problems are well established too. Throughout the majority of the first episode, we see the ordeals Mona goes through because one person doesn’t react the way she expected them after all experiences throughout her life. It also means we, as viewers, get to see that she isn’t just this charming from birth girl who is naturally gifted and good. She has a side to her! She’s got narcissistic tendencies! She’ll ignore boundaries if it means she gets what she wants! She can be a real brat! Him rebuffing her then leads to new challenges. So even though the first episode is focused on seeing what her ordeals in the series will be. However, I do hope that in later episodes we’ll see less boundary pushing and forced fanservice from Medaka however, and that her own developing feelings will result in her being more considerate to him.

The first episode of the Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms anime adaptation faithfully depicts the series’ story. Mona’s over-the-top actions and true mindsets and behavior are perfectly depicted in the series. Its direction really prioritizes the comedic elements of the situation. Plus, it sets up exactly what to expect as both Mona and Medaka deal with their own challenges going forward.

Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms is airing in Japan and streaming on Crunchyroll worldwide. The manga is handled by Kodansha worldwide. 

The post Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms Anime Adaptation Feels Adept appeared first on Siliconera.

Being a Western Ys fan has certainly gotten easier in the last decade or so. For a very long time, the odds of any given release in the series getting a localization was hit or miss. More miss than hit, really. That changed in the twilight years of the PSP, when Nihon Falcom hooked up with XSEED to bring a number of its games overseas. One such title was the PSP version of Ys: The Oath in Felghana, the superb remake of the third game in the series. The two companies have once again joined hands to bring that game to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4/5 with Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana.

The word "remake" gets applied in all kinds of ways in this wild hobby of ours, but Ys: The Oath in Felghana would probably qualify as one of its most extreme forms. It's essentially a new game that follows the narrative framework and world design of Ys III: Wanderers from Ys. Originally released on the NEC PC-8801 in July of 1989, Wanderers from Ys broke from the pattern of the first two games by shifting to a side-scrolling format. While the game was well-received at the time, it would prove to be the only time the Ys series would use that style of gameplay.

Following the release of Wanderers from Ys and the departure of series creators Masaya Hashimoto and Tomoyoshi Miyazaki, the series had some very rough years. Ys IV had two largely distinct versions, neither of which was developed by Nihon Falcom. Ys V brought the series back in-house, but didn't make much of an impact. It was a Super Famicom release in 1995, so that might not have been entirely the fault of the game. Whatever the reason, when Nihon Falcom returned to the series a few years later, it was in the form of Windows remakes of the first two games.

Things got back on track with the release of Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim in 2003 for Windows PCs. It sported a spiffy new engine, and had the good fortune to be picked up for a global release on PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable by none other than Konami. The work done on this game was carried into yet another remake, this time of Wanderers from Ys. Titled Ys: The Oath in Felghana, it released on Windows PCs in Japan in 2005 and the PSP globally in 2010, with a global PC release coming in 2012. While it told the same story as Wanderers from Ys and featured most of the same locations, the gameplay was more in line with the rest of the series and just about every aspect of the original was expanded upon.

We're a ways past 2012 now, however. That PC version is still kicking, of course. PC games are nice that way. Otherwise, you have had to dig out an PSP or Vita to play Felghana, a prospect that gets more inconvenient as time goes on. Fortunately, Nihon Falcom has ported the game to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4/5 in a slightly enhanced form as Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana. It appears to use the PlayStation Portable version of the game as its basis, which makes a certain degree of sense. It was the newest version up until now, after all. Things have been touched up a bit visually, and a few modest new features have been implemented.

The real star of the show here is simply that the game itself is now available on these consoles, though. Yes, Adol (awkwardly) fills the silence in conversations now. You can choose your preferred version of the soundtrack, and swap between the original portraits or some new ones. Otherwise, you're looking at all of the same content as the PlayStation Portable release. That's not a bad thing, but if you're looking for a lot of new additions you won't find much here. A remake of a remake, this is not.

With that said, Ys: The Oath in Felghana is an excellent action-RPG, and that goes just as well for this new version as it did for previous ones. At least for this writer, this era of Ys hits the sweet spot between the somewhat thin earlier entries and the multi-character, somewhat long-winded modern games. The story and characters are relatively basic in Felghana, but they're present and help make the world feel bigger than it really is. Adol and Dogi return to Dogi's hometown, and it turns out trouble's a-brewin'. It's up to our red-haired hero to save the day while Dogi is presumably off smashing through walls like the Kool-Aid Man.

The town of Redmont serves as your hub on this adventure, with each of the paths leading from its outskirts taking you in the direction of a different area of interest. You'll be dealing with these areas in a more or less linear order, as opening up them up usually rests on either a story trigger or an ability you'll earn in an earlier spoke. You can return to previously visited areas with your new abilities to score some extra upgrades, and the story will occasionally take you back to some locations to open a new path. Not exactly a massive world, but the areas are just big enough to require exploration without feeling too overwhelming.

You'll frequently return to Redmont, allowing you to take advantage of its shops to pick up useful items and equipment upgrades. You'll need quite a lot of money and ore to stay up to date with your gear, and this will sometimes encourage a bit of grinding. Nowhere near as much as the original Wanderers from Ys, but gold in particular can be scarce as the game goes on. Leveling up can also help with tricky sections, but Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana leans more on your reflexes and skills over having the best gear and a high level. The easier difficulty levels give you a comfortable ride, but even the Normal setting requires the player to put in a little work. The more challenging difficulty settings are a genuine test for any action game fan.

The gameplay in Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is fast-paced and tense. You will often be crowded by your enemies, and there are plenty of hazards and environmental features to keep in mind as you dance around those hostile forces. The boss battles are thrilling, with plenty of fun patterns to learn and liberal amounts of things that will dispatch the inattentive player in a hurry. It feels good to master each encounter, because Adol is like a whirling dervish of death when you've got a handle on things. When combined with the quick movement speed and outstanding soundtrack, it's very easy to get in a zone with this game. That's the mark of a quality Ys entry.

That zippy pace results in a game that you can easily wrap up within ten to fifteen hours, which some players might balk at. I think it's as long as it needs to be, with very little in the way of unnecessary filler. It also provides some satisfying incentives to replay on higher difficulty settings, with an interesting New Game+ feature. The game allows you to pick some cheats using points earned based on the difficulty level you beat the game on, so if you want the full Tiny God effect you really do need to push yourself to the limit. Big risk, big reward.

For this review, I played the Nintendo Switch version of the game. By and large, it runs nicely on the platform in both handheld and docked mode. There have been some light graphical improvements made, but this is still a game from the mid-00s at its core and the texture maps and geometry often reflect that. The framerate on the PSP version could get dicey in busier sections of the game, and while this Switch version is considerably better in that regard, it does still sometimes dip when there's a ton of things going on. One would hope the PlayStation version would smooth that out, but I can't confirm that. It's a little disappointing, but I doubt it will be gamebreaking for most.

The best thing about Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is simply that it gets this immensely enjoyable action-RPG onto more modern platforms. The port is solid though not flawless, and not much has been added for this go-around. I would argue that The Oath in Felghana doesn't need more than we already saw in the previous versions, though. I'm not sure if a series like Ys could get away with a game this lean and mean anymore as a brand new installment, but it's one classic that I always like to have at hand thanks to how breezy and satisfying it is to play. A great game then and now.

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana will be released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on January 7, 2025.

The post Review: Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana Is a Refreshing Blast from the Past appeared first on Siliconera.

As we enter a brand new year, it is time to look ahead. 2025 has so many amazing games coming out. From new JRPGs to remakes of classic titles, there is so much ahead. The Siliconera staff came together to reveal the most anticipated game of 2025 for each of us. Here are the games we think you should be looking forward to this year.

Siliconera Speaks Up: Most Anticipated Game of 2025

It's Monster Hunter Wilds. I need to play more of this game. The environments are amazing, with huge biomes that basically get a two-in-one effect when the seasons change. The monsters are great. The FASHION! I need it. I had the most fun with it when I played an early build. It feels so fantastic and rich already. I can't wait to play more. -- Jenni

My most anticipated would also be Monster Hunter Wilds, but that game needs no introduction. Instead, I'm starting to get a little interested in Avowed. A slick and updated Skyrim-like experience with some interesting weapons sounds like a good time, even if I wasn't paying too much attention to it before now. I'm also certainly going to pick up Civilization VII, though to be honest I'm yet to get too enthused about what I've seen. The art style, the mechanics… none of it has grabbed me, but I'd love to be surprised. -- Elliot

My most anticipated is Penny Blood! To this day, I'm hoping to see a remake or remaster of the Shadow Hearts series and I was so excited when I saw the news of the combined Kickstarter with Armed Fantasia. Considering the studio's recent troubles, as well as the lack of any meaningful updates in the Kickstarter e-mails, I'm not sure if we'll get it in 2025 anymore though… -- Stephanie

I've been eagerly waiting for the full release of Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist since earlier in 2024. Luckily, I won't have to wait long since the game is coming out very early into the year! I can't wait to jump into the world that Ender Lilies started and see what has changed in between the first game and the second one. -- Daniel

With the information we have right now, 2025 looks to have some solid titles, but my pick for my most anticipated game is The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II. The Legend of Heroes series is up there for one of my favorite video game franchises. Trails through Daybreak was great, but just short of the level of other firsts in the series. I still think Trails in the Sky, Trails of Cold Steel, and Trails from Zero were all a bit better. But the potential is absolutely there with a solid cast, the gorgeous Calvard Republic, and a pretty fun morally gray storyline. I’m hoping Trails through Daybreak II fulfills the potential of the first title with a longer JRPG that has even more of the memorable side quests similar to the original. -- Cody

The post What Is the Most Anticipated Game of 2025? appeared first on Siliconera.