At The Game Awards 2023, a brand-new title in the Mana series was revealed: Visions of Mana. The marks the first original title for the action-RPG series in 15 years, with recent entries being remasters or remakes. Visions will be coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Steam, and Windows in 2024 — and we have first details from Square Enix alongside a debut trailer. Visions will have you play as Val, a "curious and carefree" young man who hails from the Fire Village of Tianeea. Every four years, a Faerie visits the regions of the world to choose "alms". Alms are people destined to travel to the Tree of Mana, a massive tree that presides over the flow of mana that sustains all life. Val invites his childhood friend to a festival to welcome the Faerie, and in the ensuing events, Val's friend is chosen as an alm and tasked with journeying to the Mana Tree. He decides to set out alongside her as her "soul guard" with the blessings of the villagers. In the images and artwork, we can see Val and his friend accompanied by a blonde-haired character with cat ears and a blue cape, and a silver-haired

The Starlight Celebration limited-time seasonal event returns to Final Fantasy XIV from December 15th through December 31st, 2023. Subtitled "Ties to Remember", a short scenario quest will be available in game with a variety of seasonal rewards. Limited time items from previous years' iterations of the event can also be purchased from the Online Store at a discount. Take a look at the event details below, and, while you're here, check out where to unlock new content in Patch 6.5, which released on October 3, 2023. This patch continued main scenario with Growing Light, and concluded the alliance raid series Myths of the Realm. Further updates will include a final story update, a new Variant Dungeon, upgrades to weapons and tools, and additional side quests. You can also check out the recent Live Letter detailing Patch 6.5 Growing Light and the recent announcement of the fifth expansion Dawntrail here. "Wintry weather has settled in across the realm, and the citizens of Eorzea have begun preparing for this year's Starlight Celebration. The time has come to deck the halls with festive decorations and delight others with heartfelt surprises─who will you remember during this season of giving? Quest Blue Starlight Location: Speak to the Bearded Lady @ Old

Earlier today, Final Fantasy XVI announced that two paid DLC packages will come to the game, and the first was shadow dropped today. Titled Echoes of the Fallen, Clive and company lead an investigation into a Fallen ruin after strange crystals appear on the black market. A new storyline comes with this DLC that takes place before the ending of the game, a new re-playable stage, equipment, and an increased level cap have been added. Alongside the first DLC, Square Enix has updated the game for everyone with the following changes, including a new feature for Vivian's State of the Realm, new orchestrion rolls, and changes to the leaderboard, Arcade Mode, and Training Mode. Read what's new in Patch 1.21 below. Final Fantasy XVI is now available on PlayStation 5. Additional Features Adds a new Inner Voice option to the Grand Cast menu, which can be viewed upon inquiring with Vivian about the State of the Realm. Hover the cursor over a character and press the touchpad to view their inner feelings towards their allies and enemies. See how each character's feelings change as the story progresses. Adds several new orchestrion rolls. These can be obtained from in-game vendors after progressing a certain way through the story. Introduces

In the latest update for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth that was shown at The Game Awards 2023, we get new look at some of the characters, areas, and battles encountered in the game. Notably, the basement-dwelling Vincent Valentine and the hard-ass pilot Cid Highwind have been detailed, along with other supporting cast members. While neither character will be directly playable until the third entry, they will join your party as guests. We also get a closer look at The Gold Saucer, a massive amusement park near Corel that attracts patrons worldwide and is run by the eccentric Dio. We also glimpse the prison underneath, where those condemned to its depths have no chance at return. It's here that Barret will meet Dyne, Marlene's biological father, and confront the shadows in his past. Combat also has an update with more synergy attacks and summons to behold: this time we see Titan, Bahamut "Arisen", and Phoenix will be used in the same method as Remake. Summoning these massive creatures to the battlefield will allow them to directly attack your enemies, and when the timer's up, they'll execute a powerful finisher. At the Gold Saucer, and throughout your journey, you'll be able to engage in moments

New adventures for Clive and companions are coming your way starting today with a surprise announcement and release of Final Fantasy XVI's additional expansion content. The first of the lot, "Echoes of the Fallen", is releasing first, with further chapters centered around Leviathan in "The Rising Tide" coming Spring 2024. Additionally, starting today the game will allow players to purchase an Expanion Pass which offers up both DLC expansions for a discounted price. Alongside this announcement, Square Enix provided a trailer, which shows off several new locations, battles including Omega, as well as the long-awaited introduction of the eikon Leviathan. Final Fantasy XVI launched back in June on PlayStation 5. A PC version is also currently in development and is expected to be revealed in detail at a later date. For now, the contents of the DLC expansions can be previewed below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RecsFD6SWfc

Square Enix revealed the main theme song for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth during a surprise performance at The Game Awards. Penned by iconic Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, the song titled "No Promises to Keep" taps singer Loren Allred with lyrics by scenario writer Kazushige Nojima. The accompanying trailer also showed off some new footage including returning characters such as Vincent Valentine and Cid Highwind, with Cid being revealed for the first time today. Additionally, the trailer features the rest of the established cast as they travel the world post-Midgar, along with familiar spaces such as the Gold Saucer - fully realized in the Remake art style. Catch the new song and announcement trailer below. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is due out for PlayStation 5 on February 29, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okGnXYjvJRM Additionally, Square Enix will be pairing up with Apex Legends for a new partnership that pairs that game with a Final Fantasy VII branded event starting on January 9, 2024. A new artwork drawn up by character designer Tetsuya Nomura was shown alongside the announcement.

Square Enix is prepping a new game in the Mana series for release in 2024, the company announced today during The Game Awards in Los Angeles. For the first 15 years, a brand new entry in the mainline series introduces action-based gameplay and exploration in a semi-open 3D field with Visions of Mana. Players will embark on a new adventure with Val, a newly appointed soul guard, as he sets off on journey across the world his friend on her pilgrimage to the Tree of Mana. The trailer released alongside the announcement features action-packed gameplay and showcases a vibrant world where players will be able to journey across a range of environments, battle with an array of enemies and monsters, including the classic series Rabites, while exploring a world where the powers of nature and elemental spirits connect. The game is currently in development for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, Windows PC and Steam. Further details will be shared in the coming months, but in the meantime the announcement trailer can be seen below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9biJipMQ-9Y Screenshots

As part of an ongoing celebration of the SaGa series' 35th anniversary, Square Enix will be broadcasting a special 'Glimmerfest 2023' stream featuring details on upcoming and currently running titles and guest appearances with developers. We'll expect to get the latest details on the Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe smparthone gacha, as well as new info on SaGa Emerald Beyond, the newest title in the series that was announced back in September. Emerald Beyond will allow you to select one of six different protagonists, each with branching stories that are highly influenced by the choices you make. Combat sees the return of a timeline battle system that was featured in the excellent SaGa Scarlet Grace, but Emerald Beyond has many new twists on the formula. Selecting certain types of actions will manipulate the turn order and said actions will consume Battle Points. Depending on how you deploy these actions, characters can team up in United Attacks when their icons are adjacent to one another. What's new is that empty spaces in the timeline can now be utilized by allies and enemies to create combos in 'Showstopper' moves The hour-long stream will air on YouTube and Twitch at 6:00am Pacific time on December 15th. Special guests

Final Fantasy XVI will be updating it's Arcade Mode and leaderboards on December 8th, via an announcement on the game's official social media. These updates are likely part and parcel of adjustments coming to the game's battle system, where leaderboards will be refreshed to reflect different stages of the game's balance. Players who've competed for high scores will have their records preserved. For players wanting to get the best score in the current version of the game, you'll have until this update to do so. Final Fantasy XVI features an Arcade Mode were previous stages of the game can be replayed in several difficulty modes including 'Final Fantasy Mode' unlocked after completing the game once, and 'Ultimaniac' mode. Completing these stages timely and with style contributes to a higher score. The timing is also of interest, as the night before this update is The Game Awards, and we also know that an update on the game's DLC plans is coming before the end of the year. Perhaps the stars have aligned. Final Fantasy XVI is now available on PlayStation 5. You can read our review here. Final Fantasy XVI • Update 1.10 (September 2023) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OONOGNX51EU

Dragon Quest Monsters The Dark Prince is set to release this Friday, December 1st on Nintendo Switch. The latest entry in the spinoff series, The Dark Prince follows an antagonist of Dragon Quest IV, Psaro, in his younger years. Cursed by his father to be unable to harm monsters, he must instead become a monster wrangler to exact his revenge. His journey leads him through the lands of Nadiria, where he will encounter the elf Rose and other allies that will assist him. Of course, there are no shortage of monsters that can be fought, captured, and trained just like in previous Dragon Quest Monsters titles. Before the game launches, you can check our previous coverage, including an overview of the game's story and cast, building your very own monster party, and some of the game's optional online features. The game also has a free demo, available to try on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Check out the launch trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmM25YS8Wo0