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| Derek Heemsbergen |
A bevy of new titles are headed our way from now until 2018.
07.02.17 - 1:40 PM
Now that the buzz of E3 2017 is starting to die down, you'd think game companies might kick back and take a well-earned rest. Not so for Aksys Games — the publisher bid a speedy return to the Los Angeles Convention Center a scant two weeks after wrapping up at E3. We were on hand at Anime Expo 2017 to see what else they could possibly reveal on the heels of the biggest game conference of the year. As it turns out, they were just getting started.
First up was a recap of their latest offerings. Tokyo Xanadu released this past Friday (and we'll have impressions of that up shortly, so stay tuned), while Tokyo Xanadu eX+ is on track for a PS4 release this Fall. Zero Escape 3 is also on its way to PS4 on August 18, complete with new graphical shaders that should help the game look better than before.
The first new announcement was for Creeping Terror, a side-scrolling horror adventure for Nintendo 3DS. Players will take control of a young girl trying to escape from a monstrous stalker (much like the Clock Tower series) while navigating abandoned locales using only the light from her cell phone. It releases this Fall.
Next was the announcement of Drive Girls, a game that may very well end up speeding beyond the scope of our coverage. It features, uh, girls who transform into cars. (What did you expect?) These girls also have a suite of weapons they can use in their humanoid forms to battle enemies in an action combat system. We spied some damage numbers popping up during its debut trailer, so it may end up being more RPG than not. If nothing else, it bears a passing resemblance to Custom Robo, which should make some people happy.
More importantly for us was the subsequent deluge of otome game announcements. (Otome titles are visual novels where the player takes the role of a female protagonist and dates one of several eligible bachelors.) First was confirmation that Bad Apple Wars is slated to release for Playstation Vita on September 29. Who will the protagonist choose to pursue in a war between delinquents and disciplinarians? That's up to you, fair reader.
Also on the way is Code: Realize ~Bouquet of Rainbows~, a compilation of the two previous Code: Realize games (previously for Vita) on PS4. It arrives sometime in 2018. Following that is 7'sCarlet, a mystery otome that elicited some raucous cheers from the audience. This tale of a girl searching for her missing older brother arrives on Vita in 2018.
Next was a pair of sister titles bearing the Psychedelica moniker: Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly and Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk, both for Playstation Vita. The former stars an amnesiac heroine trapped in a mysterious mansion with several amnesiac bachelors, while the latter...presumably involves amnesia? It's hard to say, given that we only got to see the games' respective opening movies. We did hear that Black Butterfly at least involves a bit of action gameplay with regard to locating the titular butterflies. We'll have more information on these two games as they approach their 2018 release dates.
Finally, capping off the Aksys panel was the reveal of Jake Hunter Detective Story: Ghost of the Dusk, a 3DS follow-up to the well-regarded Jake Hunter series of adventure games. Details are scarce, but we know it will follow in its predecessors' footsteps with detective gameplay not unlike the investigation portion of the Phoenix Wright series. It's slated to release in 2018.
Otome fans are sure to have plenty of options come this Fall and beyond. (Vita means life, dammit!) Be sure check back with RPGFan for further coverage of the above titles in the coming months.
