Weekend Announcements Sep 29th - Oct 1st: The 25th Ward, Gal*Gun 2 and More

By Rebecca Smith,

Announcements were few and far between last week, with just rogue-lite shoot 'em up HyperParasite being revealed from Troglobyte Games. Well, the weekend made up for it. We have 11 new titles to reveal below, covering Playstation 4, Playstation VR and Playstation Vita.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle ~The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings~

The latest in the Atelier franchise has yet another title that you'd struggle to fit on the box. Continuing the story from Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book and Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey, Lydie and Suelle concludes the Mysterious series on its 20th anniversary. Twins Lydie and Suelle Marlen work alongside their father, but his lack of alchemy experience means that they don't get many customers. The twins discover a mysterious painting that draws them inside a world full of rare alchemy materials and this is just the start of the twins' quest to improve their skills and run the best atelier in the country. The title will be coming to Playstation 4 early next year.

Gal*Gun 2

The third instalment in Inti Creates' Gal*Gun franchise will be coming west early next year on Playstation 4, taking "one small step for man and one giant leap for moe-kind". Demon-hunting angel Risu takes on the protagonist role as she finds herself in difficulty, something complicated by the existence of two new heroines: "girl next door" Chiru and childhood friend Nanako. You'll be able to take on requests from the girls at the academy and separate them from the demons that are possessing them. The points that you earn unlock missions and story scenes, and the infamous Doki Doki Mode returns.

Double Dragon & Kunio-kun Retro Brawler Bundle (Asia)

It's rare that we get to cover a Japan-only release, but this title is one such game... or should I say collection of games. The collection features 11 titles from the Kunio-kun franchise, as well as four bonus titles that have previously never been released in the region. It will be heading to Japanese Playstation 4s in 2018. The list of included titles is below:

Downtown Nekketsu Koushinkyoku
Nekketsu Koukou Dodge Ball Bu
Nekketsu Kakutou Densetsu
Nekketsu! Street Basket
Nekketsu Koukou Dodge Ball Bu: Soccer Hen
Bikkuri Nekketsu Shinkiroku: Harukanaru Kin Medal
Kunio-kun no Nekketsu Soccer League
Ike Ike! Nekketsu Hockey Bu
Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun
Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari
Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki da yo Zen’in Shuugou!
[Bonus Title] Renegade
[Bonus Title] Super Dodge Ball
[Bonus Title] River City Ransom
[Bonus Title] Crash ‘n the Boys Street Challenge

Mugsters

Reinkout's "physics-based, action puzzle game" tasks players with the mere job of saving the world. Aliens have taken over the planet and humanity has been enslaved. Only the player character has the knowledge to be able to thwart this threat. Throughout the sandbox levels, players must free the captives, outsmart enemies and collect crystals with the aid of vehicles, environmental traps and good old explosives. The title is coming to unspecified consoles next year.

Okinawa Rush

Sokaikan's action RPG has taken inspiration from 70's/80's martial arts films, as well as classic beat 'em up titles like Double Dragon and Street Fighter. The title tells the tale of Hiro Yashima, a man capable of performing martial arts to a supernatural level since he can summon flame and sound to help defeat his enemies. One night, he returns home to find his children have been abducted, his wife has been killed and the perpetrators have left behind a note. Unable to find his legendary training scroll, the Black Mantis clan has looted, pillaged and killed anybody who got in their way. You'll be able to help Yashima gain revenge when the title comes to Playstation 4 in the future.

Reficul

MAG Studios' survival horror title promises a very creepy game with zero jump scares, perma-death, realistic weapon handling, a real-time inventory and no menus. As darkness spreads across the world, the player loses power and contact with the rest of the world. Will they survive nightfall? The title will be coming to Playstation VR with motion controls, hopefully this fall.

Semispheres (Vita)

Earlier this year, 2D puzzle title Semispheres was released for Playstation 4 and on October 11th it will be released for Playstation Vita. The title was a product of the Ludum Dare 30 game jam in 2014. The jam's theme of connected worlds means that dual realities are extremely important to the game. Each analogue stick controls a different avatar in two different environments that initially appear to be identical, but the subtle differences are crucial for players to progress. The avatars can enter the other's world through portals when necessary, especially if they need to avoid the sentries that guard the two worlds. Can you resynchronise the worlds when the game is released next month?

Super Seducer

Touted as the "biggest live action game ever" with eight hours of video footage, Fair Play Labs' upcoming title promised to help players test out their seduction skills and increase their chances of success through 520 choices and multiple endings. The title features 10 "familiar real-world" scenarios, such as "treading the fine-line of seducing a co-worker, to trying to turn a friend into a girlfriend, to being a good “wingman” for your hapless buddy". The title hasn't received the best of receptions so far after Kickstarter suspended their campaign after just seven days. Despite this, the game is still due to appear on Playstation 4 on Valentine's Day: February 14th, 2018.

Super Skull Smash GO! 2 Turbo

The sequel to Playstation Mobile's Super Skull Smash GO!, Thomas Hopper's latest platformer sees players return to the haunted town to save the villagers from the worst king ever once again. The Evil King has sent his skeleton army to take over the countryside while the twonspeople have been cursed. It's up to you to smash every skeleton you can find in a title with "TURBO action, TURBO puzzles and TURBO boss battles". The game will be coming to Playstation Vita in the future.

The 25th Ward: The Silver Case

The sequel to SUDA51's The Silver Case will be making its way to Playstation 4 next year. Taking place five years after that title, the game is set in a new 25th ward in the bayside area of Kanto. A woman is found mysteriously murdered in a room at the Bayside Tower Land apartment complex. This triggers a series of random events where players will encounter multiple protagonists, including the returning Tokio Morishima from The Silver Case. Players who pre-order the ultimate bundle from NIS America's online store will receive the limited edition versions of both The 25th Ward and The Silver Case.

In case you missed Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner on Playstation 2, Konami re-released the HD edition of the title on Playstation 3 back in 2013. Not satisfied with the fact that you still might not have played the title, they're now bringing it to Playstation 4 with Playstation VR support, enhanced graphics (including 4K resolution), and "truly luscious stereophonic sound". The PS4 version will be based on the PS3 HD edition, meaning that the previously upgraded visuals and new user interface will be included. The title will launch worldwide next spring.

Will be keeping an eye on any of these titles?

Written by Rebecca Smith

Rebecca is the Newshound Manager at TrueGaming Network. She has been contributing articles since 2010, especially those that involve intimidatingly long lists. When not writing news, she works in an independent game shop so that she can spend all day talking about games too. She'll occasionally go outside.