Balan Wonderworld, from Sonic the Hedgehog creators Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima, is a new action platformer in development at Square Enix's Balan Company studio. Today, the team revealed the full opening cinematic created by Square Enix's Visual Works studio. Check it out below: Leo and Emma encounter a mysterious character name Balan, who whisks them away to another world that they must save by restoring clearing it of negative emotions. The game sports over 80 collectible costumes that each have a unique ability they bestow. Players can play alone or cooperatively, the latter making use of a "Joint Play" mechanic that allows players to use the abilities of both costumes when in proximity of one another. The game is planned to release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on March 26, 2021. You can also check out the boxart below the trailer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpUfLwRNDXA Boxart

The Dragon Quest series is no stranger to the mobile game realm, having released other titles including ports of its own numbered series to the platform in the past. Now, Square Enix is stepping up with a new, standalone spin-off titled Dragon Quest Tact. As the name might suggest, Dragon Quest Tact is a tactics-based free to play role-playing game. Which means it has all of the typical mobile/gasha game-style bones but coated with its own strategy RPG and monster catching paint. Recently we were allowed access to an early version of the game in English ahead of its Western launch in 2021. If you’ve dabbled in any sort of free-to-play game, the setup and structure of Dragon Quest Tact will feel very familiar - or at least it did to me as someone who frequently plays the Dragon Ball mobile titles. The game leads with a base tutorial of sorts before dropping you into its menu where you’ll be able to get a start on the story content. Enter the realm of Orchesterra – a place where a dormant evil threatens all. Well it wouldn’t be Dragon Quest without that element, and it’s up to you as the hero to keep peace among

With the arrival of Patch 5.35 this week, Final Fantasy XIV players can take on the second chapter of the Save the Queen scenario, written by Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII creator Yasumi Matsuno. The overarching story picks up where the Return to Ivalice series left off -- so to understand what's at play, the game requires you complete that scenario first. Once that's complete, you'll need to finish the first chapter released back in Patch 5.25 -- the quest-giver is in Kugane. Without spoiling, the Bozjan Resistance has drafted the Warrior of Light to win back Alermuc Fortress (now Castrum Lacus Litore) from the Garlean Empire's IVth Legion. When you accept the quest and depart from Gangos, you'll be taken to resistance camp in the Southern Bozjan Front. Bozja is built similarly to the Forbidden Land Eureka series that released in the Stormblood expansion. You enter a large zone and take on varying objectives that employ the use of an independent levelling system. Story beats are gated based on your level, and the experience needed to raise it can be lost should you fall afield then use the Return function. (Be sure to call for help first!) This makes

The launch of Marvel's Avengers in September has been rocky at best, with myriad issues affecting the game's matchmaking, progress-halting bugs, and disappearing skill points and costumes. Developer Crystal Dynamics acknowledged these shortcomings, committing to ongoing fixes and adjustments in a new blog post. They also shared updates about the content roadmap they've planned for the next several months. The team cite four major areas of improvement, including performance and stability tweaks that will attempt to fix the large amount of crashes reported on the PC version of the game. Matchmaking will be improved by allowing a larger pool of players to participate in a given mission and cut down on the wait to assemble a group. Exotic drops will feel unique and earned when you participate in the late-game content that bestow them. Another area the team seeks to improve is the endgame content. Recently, Mega Hives were added the the game. They're a gauntlet of back-to-back missions geared for solo players that make use of your whole hero roster. Should one hero fall, another will take their place. If all heroes fall before Mega Hive is complete, you must restart from the beginning. Based on player feedback, the team is

The latest update to Marvel's Avengers dropped yesterday, and included another round of bug fixes and quality of life improvements (some we recorded here.) It also includes new content in the form of an outpost you can visit in the Pacific Northwest region: the SHIELD Substation Zero. It's at this location that you'll meet SHIELD's Maria Hill in person, who will elaborate on a strange temporal phenomenon that's begun to transpire. This meeting will open up a new type of daily mission called Tachyon Rifts. The tachyon storms that take place within will slowly sap your willpower (health) but heroic abilities charge at a faster rate. A timer will also tick downward, and, if it runs out, will end the mission in failure. However, you can collect tachyon particles in the field and by defeating enemies to add time to the clock, so it's important to keep moving and keep busy. Tachyon Rifts are intended for late-game play -- it's recommended that you attempt them with a Level 50 hero with a power rating of 140. Gear with a Cosmic attribute can be found by completing these missions, which will refresh daily. In the video below, we check out SHIELD Substation Zero

The limited time Make-it-Rain Campaign event will return to the Manderville Gold Saucer in Final Fantasy XIV on October 21st and continues through November 20th. This event will see increase MGP gains by 50% as well as discounts on certain items. Furnishings on offer in previous events will also return. In order to participate, you must be Level 15 and have the ability to travel to Ul'dah. To begin, start the quest "Caught Shorthanded" by speaking to Nanaphon in Uldah's Steps of Nald. (X:9.2, Y:9.4) You'll be able to snag an exclusive "/consider" emote pictured below. (The Lodestone) It should be noted that the All Saints' Wake seasonal event will skip this year, but you'll be able to enter the Haunted Manor by speaking to the Genial Guiser at the Manderville Gold Saucer. If you want to check out the previous years' events, you can check them out on our YouTube channel below. (2016, 2017, 2018) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlaypiwfOzo

A free demo for Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory went live today on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, giving players a sample of the newest entry in the franchise set to release on November 13th. The demo features six songs to try, as well as a couch co-op mode for two players. If you're on the Switch version, you can check out a local multiplayer mode where up to eight players can compete for the best score. Using the music of the series to create a rhythm game, Melody of Memory blends in staples of Kingdom Hearts gameplay. Much like Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and it's different versions, the type of song you pick will correspond to a different type of stage. Some will involve combat against Heartless enemies, while others be set over key event scenes from the series. What sets it apart is that characters can attack, jump, glide, and use abilities in real time, more closely resembling a Kingdom Hearts experience. These different functions are mapped to buttons in a layout Kingdom Hearts players will find familiar, but if you want a simpler experience, the game offers a "One Button Mode" that will allow you to focus more

Final Fantasy XIV's Patch 5.35 released this week, bringing with it our first foray into the Bozjan Southern Front in an effort to liberate it from the Garlean Empire's control. This content serves as a new chapter following the Return to Ivalice alliance raid series, which brought in Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII creator Yasumi Matsuno to pen its story. In fact, completing the Return to Ivalice series is required to enter this content, as it picks on some lingering threads left hanging. The content itself is an iteration of the Forbidden Land Eureka from the Stormblood patch series. You're set loose in a large zone with a variety of objectives, which may have you grinding monsters to gain experience points and flocking from FATE to FATE. Bozja streamlines the experience to a certain extent a bit and imparts a bit more of a structure to its field events, allowing for more exciting "Critical Engagements" and follow-up "Duels" at the expense of a queue system. It's possible to queue for an engagement and miss out -- but there's enough built into the backend that you aren't mired in downtime should such a situation arise. It feels a bit easier

The Mana series celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and to celebrate the occasion, Square Enix has released a new update for the Trials of Mana remake that adds new difficulty modes and other features. Patch 1.1.0 (Version 1.10 on PlayStation 4) adds a No Future difficulty with harder enemies and harder bosses that will now include a time limit. Some bosses will have their attack telegraph time shortened. This mode also restricts the amount of items you can use in battle as well as some abilities, though, you'll be able to find stronger equipment by using Rainbow Seeds and chain abilities here. If you complete the story after the clearing No Future mode, you will be rewarded the Rabite Slippers, which will remove field and dungeon enemies. An Expert difficulty mode will be available when using the New Game Plus feature, and you'll also get to select whether to reset your characters to Level 1 and what costumes they'll bring over. You can also skip class change cutscenes. Additionally, more goddess statues (save points) have been added to the game as well as various bug fixes. Square Enix is also discounting the game by 30% for the game's anniversary until November

The demo for Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory, an upcoming rhythm based game, is releasing tomorrow on October 15 according to an official Twitter post. The demo will be available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, allowing fans a chance to experience the musical adventure before it's release this November. In addition to the demo release date announcement, the official Kingdom Hearts twitter account shared the main menu for the game in the form of a short teaser video, accompanied by a few words from series director Tetsuya Nomura: "Along with the date changing on the 15th, the demo version of KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory will be available. Whether you’re good at rhythm games, not good at them, a KH series fan, or new to the series, please play this game!" "Along with the date changing on the 15th, the demo version of KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory will be available.Whether you’re good at rhythm games, not good at them, a KH series fan, or new to the series, please play this game!" - Tetsuya Nomura, Series Director pic.twitter.com/PawSCNH8S9— KINGDOM HEARTS (@KINGDOMHEARTS) October 14, 2020 Square Enix has also released a bundle of new high-quality screenshots that showcase various elements