Weekend Announcements March 23-25th: Yakuza Kiwami 2, God Eater 3 and More

By Rebecca Smith,

After the pre-GDC weekend bombarded us with the announcement of 10 new titles, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the post-GDC weekend would be relatively quiet in comparison. You'd be wrong. This weekend brought along 14 new titles to be revealed, one of which does not have any confirmed platforms, although the developer's last title appeared on PlayStation 4. Which of these titles will you be watching?

7'scarlet (Vita)

Toy box Inc's upcoming title is one of three visual novels coming to the west courtesy of publisher Aksys Games. Players assume the role of Ichiko, who travels to the mysterious and remote town of Okune-zato to locate her missing brother. The crescent moon-shaped town is surrounded in dark myths and legends. Together with her childhood friend, she must speak to the town's residents, uncover their motives and reveal the dangerous truths that will lead to her brother. The title is arriving on PlayStation Vita this May.

Afterparty

Oxenfree developer Night School Studio has revealed their next project. Milo and Lola are two recently deceased college graduates, and they've landed in Hell. They want to find a way back to Earth rather than stay there, and the only way they'll ever be able to do that is if they "drink Satan under the table". As you'll see, Hell has an awful lot of neon as the duo bar hop their way around a network of underworld islands that are connected by the River Styx. There will be a variety of storylines from the underworld's hellions, and what happens by the end of the night is dependent on player decisions. The title will be arriving later this year, although platforms are unconfirmed.

God Eater 3

While announced beforehand, publisher Bandai Namco finally confirmed that the latest in the God Eater franchise will be coming to PlayStation 4 in the future. Earth has changed beyond recognition, occupied by The Aragami, beasts who cause destruction and misery in their pursuit of food. The GOD EATERS are an elite group of heroes with the power to wield God Arcs, a special weapon powered by Oracle Cells. As the God Arcs are the only weapons known to defeat the Aragami, the GOD EATERS are sent in to deal with them. In the meantime, something is happening to the GOD EATERS themselves and they'll need to break free from the cursed shackles that bind their souls.

Gorogoa

Jason Roberts' upcoming adventure title is not what you would expect from the genre. Players begin with a series of images within a frame that's set in the centre of the screen. By swapping images around and zooming in on certain points, it's possible to put together a bigger picture and discover hidden connections between the objects that surround you. Use clues from those everyday objects and occurrences to point you in the direction of where you should go next and uncover the world's secrets. The title will be making its way to PlayStation 4 in the future.

Headsnatchers

Iguanabee's upcoming multiplayer party title does exactly what it says on the tin. Players chose their head and try to keep it attached to their body throughout the match, all why trying to claim the heads of the other players. Once you've snatched someone else's head, you need to score with it, whether it's scoring a goal, getting a strike in bowling, or putting it in a specific place. However, if somebody claims your head, you'll need to get it back as soon as you can. There will be four different game modes across 25 different maps that each have their own rules. You can try it for yourself on PlayStation 4 in Q2 2018.

Of Mice and Sand -REVISED-

Arc System Works' upcoming title is a "Desert-Exploring Moving-Fortress Simulation Game". Players take charge of a desert craft and the mice that are its crew. Together you'll travel across the surface of an alien planet on a quest for El Dorado, a mythical land of Gold whose legend has been passed through generations of mice. Along the way you'll need to salvage scrap to expand your ship, or change it into treasure, but there are monsters who are out to stop you. You can attempt to find El Dorado when the game is released on PlayStation 4 on March 29th.

PixelJunk Monsters 2

Spike Chunsoft also revealed three titles that they would be publishing worldwide on Playstation 4. The first is Q-Games' "next evolution" of PixelJunk Monsters. An army of monsters has invaded the forest belonging to the spirit Tikiman. You'll need to build towers, upgrade them and use them to defeat the enemies before they do too much damage. After all, the fate of the Chibi Tiki tribe is in your hands. The title will be arriving on May 25th.

Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk (Vita)

Otomate's visual novel is coming to PlayStation Vita in the west as Aksys Games' second title in the list. Players assume the role of a woman whose eye gleams with a scarlet light. So she isn't bullied and cast aside, she disguises herself as a young boy who lives in a derelict tower at the edge of the city. When a mysterious treasure is stolen from the city's church, the woman realises that magic stones are real, and they're hidden throughout the city. They also hold the secret of her origins. You'll be able to play through her story when the game arrives in June.

Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly (Vita)

Otomate's second visual novel in the list is actually the one that will be releasing first on PlayStation Vita. A young woman wakes up in a mansion with no recollection of how she got there. In fact, she can't remember anything from her past, or even her name. Then, just to make things worse, she's attacked by a monster and has to run for her life. You'll only have to wait until next month to help her recover her lost memories.

Steins;Gate Elite

Spike Chunsoft's second title is a remastered version of STEINS;GATE coming to PlayStation 4. A rag-tag group of students discover they can change the past through e-mail by using a modified microwave. However, things get out of hand and they become involved in a conspiracy that concerns SERN, a organisation responsible for the Large Hadron Collider, and a man who claims to come from a dystopian future, John Titor. The game will also include animated scenes from 24 episodes of the anime series when it arrives later this year.

Table of Tales: The Crooked Crown

Tin Man Towers' upcoming turn-based RPG uses a mysterious magical artefact to bring the table to life in front of your eyes through PlayStation VR. Players control a party of swashbuckling scoundrels as they make their way across the Crown Islands. You'll decide who to help and who to betray, and which characters to include in your party based on their strengths and weaknesses. The story is based on the decisions that you make, so choose the fate of your characters carefully. The title will be arriving in Q3 2018.

The Mage's Tale

inXile Entertainment's upcoming PlayStation VR title is a dungeon crawler RPG set between the events of The Bard’s Tale III: Thief of Fate and The Bard’s Tale IV. The corrupt wizard Gaufroi has kidnapped Mage Alguin. You, his apprentice, are the only person who can save him. You'll need to explore the ten dungeons of Skara Brae, solve puzzles, avoid traps and defeat monsters if you're to rescue him. Your powers give you access to a range of spells and you'll discover more secrets, lore and spell reagents as you progress to improve your powers even further.

Yakuza Kiwami 2

The next title in the Yakuza universe is a remastered HD version of Yakuza 2. Players assume the role of Kazuma Kiryu, the dragon of Dojima. The game takes place a year after he left the Yakuza, but his former group, the Tojo Clan, needs his help. Relations with another clan, the Omi Family, are becoming unstable and it's up to Kazuma to keep the peace. Unfortunately, the Omi Family is linked with a Korean mafia group and he unwittingly becomes the rival of Ryuji Goda, the Omi's "Kansai Dragon". The title is coming to PlayStation 4 on August 28th.

Zanki Zero: Last Beginning

Spike Chunsoft's final title is a new survival RPG from the creators of the Danganronpa series. In the space of a single day, humanity managed to destroy the world, and the majority of the land sank beneath the sea. Modern civilisation became ruins that drifted in the sea: buildings, lamp posts, cars and roads. The game's eight protagonists live on the decaying islands, and they will need to investigate the new ruins that drift past every day if they're to survive, as well as uncover what happened in the past. The title is coming to PlayStation 4 in the future.

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.