Elsewhere, a student required help tracking down a kraken, a mysterious ghost-like being that would speed away as soon as I approached, taking me on a merry chase across South Cirrus, where the game is based. The story mode puts you in the shoes of Destin Billows, a young boy who seems to despise football at the outset. In fact, it’s the reason he chose to study at South Cirrus Junior High, a school with a non-existent football club, thanks to a past incident that tarnished the school’s reputation.

Destin quickly finds himself embroiled in the lives of his fellow schoolmates, with a few of them joining him on a mission to revive the football club and take it to the very top of the school’s social order. However, that’s no easy feat, and you’re tasked with helping the fledgling team manage its reputation in a story that’s largely predictable but charming and fun nonetheless.

It’s in the way everything is presented to you. There’s a light-hearted vibe to it all, and gorgeously rendered environments help sell the experience to a large extent. Coupled with a soundtrack that’s pretty well done, exploring the school and engaging with your fellow students is a breeze. While the lack of any graphical options is a bummer, the game runs pretty smoothly for the most part.

With that being said, I did notice dropped frames and slight stuttering on my PS5 during a few cutscenes, and a weird shimmering effect around shadows with HDR turned on (it’s off by default). They didn’t really mar the experience in the slightest, but they’re there, and it’s worth pointing out.

However, those are minor issues that don’t take away from the fact that this is a very good-looking game. I only wish that its pacing in Story Mode was better, as it takes quite a while before Destin, Cedric, and Briar Bloomhurst even get to take to the field. For the most part, the game’s opening hours have you going from objective to objective while picking up collectibles, petting cats, and indulging in some very entertaining rock-paper-scissors-based combat with your fellow students or Cirrus’s citizens.

"There’s a light-hearted vibe to it all, and gorgeously rendered environments help sell the experience to a large extent."

It’s a fairly simple system that’s quite easy to pick up, and racking up wins wasn’t overly challenging. That might sound like it gets boring pretty quickly, and I wouldn’t blame you for thinking about it. You would be wrong, however, as it’s all done with so much heart and earnest simplicity that it just clicks, pulling you in without you being any the wiser. It’s easy to get distracted as you walk around town, although the number of activities you get to do is fairly limited.

Each character you meet has their own motivations, which are strong enough to keep them interesting as the story progresses. The English voice acting is serviceable, although I would recommend going with subs over dubs for this one. The character models are another highlight, and Briar’s smoldering energy was a personal highlight. Destin, as a protagonist, is quite compelling, and his love for football pushes him to contribute to the sport in any way he can, despite not being able to play it himself.

This sets the stage for some interesting team-building mechanics once you manage to gather a few recruits for your fledgling football club. Scouting out new talent and forming bonds with them is an important part of the gameplay loop, underlining Destin’s role as a manager extraordinaire who isn’t afraid to think outside of the box. Special training sessions often open up as a result of your recruitment efforts. They bring quirky yet interesting twists to the Focus Squabble system, or could be on-field simulations that train you in the game’s important mechanics.

A social system is in place and does add a layer of immersion to the entire experience, with texts coming in from your buddies and a few limited options that you can send back in reply. You get notified when new messages come in and can check them out at your leisure via the Inacord tab on your in-game menu. It isn’t anything groundbreaking, but it’s nice that it’s there.

"It’s all done with so much heart and earnest simplicity that it just clicks, pulling you in without you being any the wiser"

Harper Evans forms the other part of the story, with the weight of his father’s legacy weighing on him despite his prodigious skill on the field. Other characters are largely forgettable but do enough in the moment to justify their presence in the game’s cast. Overall, the Story Mode was where I spent most of my time with this game, although I suspect fans of the anime might prefer the Chronicle Mode and its random character pack-based team collection mechanic that brings a frankly overwhelming number of characters in packs of twelve to pick up and build teams with.

The extra modes didn’t feel as compelling as the Story Mode, but I can see die-hard fans losing themselves in Chronicle Mode and its unique proposition of reliving events in the Inazuma Eleven universe. I was tempted to jump in, but found myself wondering what Destin and his fellow team members would get up to next too often to make the other modes interesting. The Kizuna Station mode was the one I visited least, as I found its city-building activity too drab in comparison to the rest of the game, but I do think it’s going to have its takers.

A competitive mode lets you take on the CPU or online opponents, while a smattering of other options gives you more than enough to do in the game to keep you occupied for a while. But it’s the football that’s going to draw in the most players for Inazuma Eleven Victory Road.

And on that front, the game delivers, although there are minor gripes. For starters, the controls don’t feel smooth enough to support the mechanics that are given to you. Achieving breakthroughs in Focus Battles on the pitch needed a bit of trial and error until I could get used to the game’s controls. Executing more complex moves and strategies is similarly held back by the controls, which can get quite hard to remember in the heat of the moment. Not only that, the game’s fast pace doesn’t let you take a minute to familiarize yourself with them without pausing the action, which defeats its purpose.

" The Kizuna Station mode was the one I visited least, as I found its city-building activity too drab in comparison to the rest of the game."

However, that’s only a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things, thanks to how each match is exciting and unpredictable. The game isn’t afraid to come at you hard, and I was hard-pressed to find openings where I could sneak past my opponent’s defenses. The anime-inspired touches that come with the territory in a game like this one feel well-thought-out and do well to bring interesting twists to the table.

They form a gameplay loop in which you weave between opponents, execute passes to teammates, and use your innate abilities to pull off offensive and defensive moves that wear their inspirations on their sleeve. It’s a superb balance between offense and defense that makes each match a test of skill, just as a football game in an anime world should be.

I just wish it hadn’t taken so very long for the Story Mode to begin introducing all of the mechanics on offer, as I felt that trying out other modes without familiarizing myself with the game’s controls wouldn’t be advisable. If that sounds like you, know that you’re going to be locked into the story for a while before you finally get to a training session that lets you learn the basics as well as a few advanced mechanics to use on the pitch.

It might have been better to simply implement a tutorial similar to the one in Chronicle Mode at the outset and perhaps dive into more complex mechanics at a later point, but it is what it is. I’m just glad that things are fun and challenging once you get on the pitch, with the enemy AI putting up quite a good fight even in easier battles. You’re going to be repeating more than a few encounters thanks to sometimes not being able to meet the objectives required to progress to the next one.

"You’re going to be repeating more than a few encounters thanks to not being able to meet the objectives required to progress to the next one."

Overall, Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is a lot of fun to play. It’s done so well and is so charming that you’re automatically willing to forgive its flaws, while it offers up quite a lot to be a game that’s very easy to recommend. LEVEL 5 has done well to bring the original anime’s vibe and tone to life in this one. It’s a great choice for some football fun over the holidays, and might even give you aficionados an impressive show.

This one’s definitely worth its price tag if you like football, anime, or a combination of the two. If you were a fan of the anime, you’re going to have a lot of fun with this new adventure. Just give it the time it needs to get started, and you’re golden.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Bandai Namco Entertainment’s string of leaks continues. After FromSoftware’s Elden Ring and Tales of Arise leaking, it’s Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered. The remaster is coming to PS4 and PC this Fall with a resolution upscale and improved performance, but will also released on the Nintendo Switch without these enhancements.

Leaked courtesy of Direct-Feed Games on Twitter, it seems that the remaster of the PS3 classic will not be coming to Xbox One. The PS4 and PC versions could potentially support 4K resolution. Since Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom was a success for Level-5, it makes sense to remaster the original for a new generation.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch first released in Japan in 2011 and saw players controlling a boy named Oliver. Embarking on a journey to save his mother, Oliver travels through a fantastical land and meets various intriguing characters while partaking in battles and using Familiars. Containing animation sequences by Studio Ghibli and a soundtrack co-composed by Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle), the first game was critically acclaimed. Check out GamingBolt’s review here.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered has leaked. pic.twitter.com/9d1PrT2as3

— Direct-Feed Games (@DirectFeedGames) June 7, 2019

Unclear but appears that: Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is coming to Nintendo Switch in Fall 2019. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered is coming to PS4 and Xbox One in Fall 2019. pic.twitter.com/pKa7zgmV9U

— Direct-Feed Games (@DirectFeedGames) June 7, 2019

What is certain: Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered is coming out in Fall 2019 on PS4/PC may not hit Xbox One. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is coming to Switch in Fall 2019. Key difference being something like 4k resolution support.

— Direct-Feed Games (@DirectFeedGames) June 8, 2019

No Man’s Sky

Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky was a complicated case. With its initial reveal, the developer unveiled large alien creatures and a fairly dense planet teeming with wildlife. Enormous fleets and epic space battles were teased in screenshots leading up to launch. In comparison, the final game felt kind of empty. Those massive animals and epic space battles were almost no where to be seen. Procedural generation could be blamed for some of that and No Man’s Sky did have some pretty stunning vistas. They were just far from what the trailers before it had promised. Fortunately, Hello Games has been heavily supporting the game after launch and given us incredible forests, the potential to build massive bases and vastly improved visuals overall.

Shin Megami Tensei 5

As the first Shin Megami Tensei title exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, Shin Megami Tensei 5 will focus on contemporary issues like unemployment, terrorism and so on. Its gameplay will still feature demons but there’s also the post-apocalyptic twist, as the recent trailer showcased Tokyo in ruins. Shin Megami Tensei 5 will take longer to develop than the previous handheld iterations thanks to Atlus taking advantage of the Switch’s hardware so here’s hoping it’s worth the wait.

The first DLC for Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom, The Lair of the Lost Lord, has a release date. You can venture into the labyrinth and confront all kinds of evil on December 13th for PS4 and PC. The latest trailer highlights some of the hazards you’ll face in the labyrinth, including foes that are over Level 110.

There’s plenty more to look forward to though. There are new fighting styles and techniques to master (like Gizmo Supreme and Ding Dong Discipline). Over 80 new items, including some snazzy new weapons, can be collected. You can also expect a bevy of new quests, including tales from your party members’ pasts.

What lurks inside of the labyrinth though? How will it augment the already meaty endgame? We’ll find out when the DLC launches next week, but in the meantime, you can check out GamingBolt’s review of the base game here for more information.

Level-5’s Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom has faced another unfortunate delay, this time from January 2018 to March 23rd 2018. While the game suffered its first delay for more polish, the second delay has been done in order to insure the new gameplay modes are working at launch.

Studio president and CEO Akihiro Hino released a statement to fans and addressed the delay, announcing that the studio wanted the new Skirmish and Kingdom modes to be up to par.

“However, with innovation and new ideas comes the need to ensure everything works together in a fun and cohesive way; this means we’ll need a bit more time to make sure the entire Ni no Kuni 2 experience meets our highest quality standards. So today, I would like to ask for everyone’s patience as we move Ni no Kuni 2’s worldwide release date to March 23, 2018,” said Hino.

He did note that new information about Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom would be unveiled in the coming weeks and months so there’s definitely a lot more to look forward to. Also, a new trailer was released that offered a preview of the game’s Japanese voice actors. Check it out below.

While the delay is unfortunate, Level-5 has generally had its act together regarding its games and more time should translate to a better release. Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom will be coming to PC via Steam and PS4.

Level-5’s Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom will offer a compelling single-player campaign for its players but in an interesting new twist, online multiplayer will also be supported this time around.

An official Bandai Namco interview (via Gematsu) with Akihiro Hino, president and CEO of Level-5, revealed that, “There will be multiplayer. You will be able to play online with your friends in various capacities.”

Hino talked about the game’s kingdom building mechanics briefly again. “At its core, Ni No Kuni is an RPG game where you traverse the world map and go on adventures. However, a large part of the mechanics of the game deal with the kingdom building. Throughout your adventure you collect things to help your kingdom grow, and that is a big part of the gameplay as well.”

It also seems that characters from the previous game will appear though Hino hasn’t stated which. As for the multiplayer, perhaps players can cooperate and assist the building of each other’s kingdoms?

Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom is out on November 10th for PS4 and PC. What are your thoughts on the game? Let us know below.

Level 5 Games didn’t announce Dark Cloud 3 like we all thought it would but it did announce arguably the next best thing – Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom for the PlayStation 4. Check out the reveal trailer below.

There isn’t a lot we know except that you play as a prince for a kingdom that seems to have suffered from a coup. From here, you’ll play to regain control and keep a promise to become a worthy king for all. Given that the first Ni No Kuni was actually one of the best JRPGs released in the past few years, we can’t really complain about a sequel.

Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom is releasing for PlayStation 4 with a release date yet to be revealed. What are your thoughts on the announcement and the PlayStation Experience show as a whole? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more coverage.