This Week in Games

Build Mode

Welcome back, folks! I can finally discuss what got in the way of writing the column last week: I was flown out for a preview for Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma! I was still able to find time to write up a review for Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, too. It was nice to get in on the ground floor for an Atelier series, for once! I'm a latter-day fan of the games, but I hope the longtime fans of the series are excited. I'd also hope longtime fans aren't too bugged by a "B" rating for an Atelier game; that's consistently where the Atelier games seem to hover around, but they do great under that category. Just a lesson that you shouldn't get review scores to bug you too much.

Between Atelier Yumia and the Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma preview, I had a lot of exposure to building modes in RPGs. And it certainly got me thinking. So-called "survival games," wherein you have to build your own fortification, have become a bit of a hot-ticket genre lately (as seen by Ark: Survival Evolved, Palworld, The Forest, Only Human, and others). By and large, I don't like them; these games consistently have incredibly trite openings where you're stuck smacking rocks together to get resources, as well as forcing you to assemble facilities that are quickly made obsolete once you upgrade enough. They also tend to have decay mechanics where you constantly have to maintain equipment (read: play the game every day) before your base starts falling into disrepair. No thank you. But Atelier Yumia went down a bit easier for me.

It helps that resource gathering is already a central part of the Atelier series; you're not stuck doing boring busy-work to get chunks of rock for hours just to get a little campfire, you're just picking Unis and Tauns because you'd already be getting those for your alchemy recipes. You have to go out of your way to not get ingredients during normal exploration. And Atelier Yumia also gives you some fun ways of gathering via Yumia's rifle; certain crystalline clusters can only be shot down at a range, encouraging you to line up shots every so often to gather ore or iron.

It also helps that you don't have to start making the Sandpaper-Preparation Mill before you can make the Sandpaper Mill, needed to make the all-important Samoflange (which is only needed for constructing a tanning rack). You're making walls, floors, furniture, and other comforts. The ingredients you need to assemble workbenches and synthesis points are the same as you'd need to make a little fitting room for changing outfits. The priority is making domiciles, not fortifications; Atelier Yumia encourages you to get creative and make your little cottage.

There's also the old Georama system from the Dark Cloud games. While understandably not as in-depth as modern-day building modes, Georama offered you a ton of freedom. The conceit was that the towns you visited were destroyed by the villain, only for the King of Fairies to preserve the remains of the towns (people and their homes) in spheres called Atla, where they'd be stored in the Atlamillia on his wrist. Finding more Atla meant finding more of the local villagers, who would understandably want their homes back. Rather than a granular experience of building each home from the ground up, you'd find the basic framework of each person's home and fill it with objects they needed. This could be their siblings or roommates, or their favorite broken wagon wheel. But this could also include local decorations, like rivers or trees. Sure, there was an "ideal" way to re-create and organize the village, given all of the local requests for home placement--someone might want their house in front of the local windmill, or maybe across the road from their crush. But once you got the reward for "proper" positioning of the town, nothing would stop you from going into Georama and rezoning the entire town as you liked. And it was a breeze, too. Pick up a house, spin it around, and drop it someplace else. For as limited as Georama is, in hindsight, it still feels rather fresh and intuitive today. I miss this mechanic, and it feels like more and more games are starting to arrive at some of the same decisions used with Georama. Level-5, creators of Dark Cloud, would also revisit the Georama system with the PS3's White Knight Chronicles—but never again. Although the painfully beleaguered Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road will also feature a village-building mode; maybe some veteran at Level-5 remembered Georama?

While still a bit limited in scope, it's only fair to bring up the Secret Bases from the Gen 3 Pokémon games. An extension of the minor room decorations from the Gen 2 games, wherein you could choose a carpet and plushies to arrange in your in-game bedroom, players in Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald could find hidden locations in certain spots and turn them into "Secret Bases." You could then swap the locations of Secret Bases with other players through the GameBoy Advance Link Cable, allowing you to challenge them. Many players loved this because it was the best way to make an ersatz in-game Pokémon Gym. I didn't have as much fun back in the day, given how so many Secret Bases were rather annoying to get to; a lot of them were in locations that required one of the more exotic HM moves to reach. Also, in my experience, a lot of players would hack their parties. Nothing like going into a fight against someone with a hacked Tyranitar. Nevertheless, it was a fun mechanic that people felt strongly about. I feel like the Underground in the Gen 4 games left the Secret Bases redundant, but that hasn't stopped people from really bemoaning that the Bases weren't brought back in later generations.

A good balance for these kinds of "building" modes is giving people enough to fool around with and decorate to their hearts' content without spending hours banging literal rocks together. This is why the modes I've brought up tend to be ancillary in bigger RPGs. My further ideas on Atelier Yumia can be found in my review; I hope that the later games expand on the building some.

Konami is far from being in the clear, as far as any one of us is concerned; I think that's fair to say. Metal Gear Solid Δ is shaping up to be a solid remake of the beloved Snake Eater, but a lot of people are still sour on everything that went down between Konami and Hideo Kojima. The Silent Hill 2 remake did way better than anyone expected... but expectations were also very low. Even then, I'd understand if there were a few things that folks still didn't quite gel in that remake. So all eyes are currently on Silent Hill f, a new Silent Hill title developed by Konami in collaboration with Ryukishi07, the beloved creator of the Higurashi and Umineko visual novel series. Konami had been quite tight-lipped about the series--until a trailer finally dropped last week...

I've never played a Silent Hill game before. I wasn't big on survival-horror games when I had my PlayStation 2 (didn't help that I was only 11 when Silent Hill 2 was released). I also have painfully little experience with either Higurashi or Umineko, outside of what little I've gathered via osmosis through people who love those games. So there's a lot I'm prepared to be very wrong over. With that said: the game looks really good so far. Ryukishi07 is playing to his strengths, keeping Silent Hill f set in a rural Japanese town during the Showa Era (fun fact: Silent Hill f takes place eleven whole years before Kamen Rider premiered!). A lot of comparisons have been drawn between Silent Hill f and Higurashi, from the era (1960 versus 1980s) to the setting being a small town in the boonies to the mysterious deity looming over this town. Similar to how so much of Higurashi revolves around the mysterious Oyashiro-sama and their curse, Silent Hill f seems to hinge around the presence of a fox deity; a ritual involving cutting your face might be involved. I've also seen folks draw comparisons with Siren; the comparison feels very apt.

It's also curious that the game is hinging around the idea of "Silent Hill" being another town in rural Japan; I'm assuming the game is working off of some kind of Nightmare on Elm Street logic where "every town has an Elm Street." Given the setting (and because it's also something done in Higurashi), I'm assuming the supernatural comings and goings might also be connected to something that happened in Japan during World War 2. The transition effect between the "real world" and the supernatural world as seen in the trailer does somewhat resemble buildings being consumed by fire. Grey, foggy fire, sure, but nevertheless.

It's a little hard to parse what else might be going on, outside of protagonist Hinako encountering creepy jerky-moving dolls and defending herself with a lead pipe. Also, red spider lilies--those are never a good sign. Regardless, I'm rather optimistic about Silent Hill f. It looks good so far, the vibes seem sufficiently spooky, and the ideas seem to work well within the conventions of Silent Hill as a series. Hopefully, they can pull it off.

I love my mecha anime. It's in my blood; I remember an artist who once came to Puerto Rico ComiCon and told me he could find Puerto Ricans in the audience because we all recognize Mazinger. So when I was approached to cover Iron Saga VS a while ago, I leaped at the opportunity; a 2D fighting game featuring some of the biggest and most beloved giant robots in anime. Sign me up, right?

Iron Saga VS comes from Gamedutchy. It's a fighting game spin-off of Iron Saga, a management mobile game where you roll for pilots and mecha and organize them against threats. I knew that going in, which is why the central conceit behind Iron Saga VS--the licensed characters—bummed me out a little. Make no mistake, the selection is rock-solid; you've got Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger, Boss Borot, Dancouger, and Getter Robo. The seven other robots they share space with (Kaguya, Wu Shuang, Mephisto, Susanoo, Vassago, Nero, and Qing Long) are genuinely cool, but being that I've never played Iron Saga, I don't quite have any attachment to them and I don't know what I'm supposed to feel towards them. It doesn't help that the art of their pilots clashes with the art of the licensed pilots. It's neat that we get to see Kabuto and Ryoma and the like, but their old-fashioned Gō Nagai sideburns and chiseled chins clash rather hard with everyone else.

The good news is that the robots control well. Inputs are fairly simple. You don't have to worry about stuff like Korean backdashes or what have you; each character has a few canned combos while also featuring plenty of offensive options. Each character also has their own unique "gimmick;" Mazinger Z, for example, has an array of six missiles he can shoot out in a single volley that recharge over time. Meanwhile, Getter Robo can swap between Getter-1, Getter-2, or Getter-3 at a moment's notice, changing your abilities and move list (Getter-1 is a general all-rounder with his Getter Beam and tomahawks, Getter-2 has a useful dash and is better at pokes; Getter-3 is a grappler). Each unit also comes with two unique Arsenals that further modify each robot's move list—think "Grooves" or "Isms" from the CAPCOM VS games. Timing for inputs can be a bit weird, but also, I'm not exactly the best at fighting games. Thankfully, Iron Saga VS gives a few options in Single Player for wrapping your head around each robot's move list. There's a guided Training Mode that teaches you several basic combos for each robot, plus an Arcade Mode that walks you through a barebones story, and a Challenge Mode wherein you can earn currency for fighting in matches with specific conditions. I give Arcade Mode credit for including some of the supporting cast for each pilot, like the Saotome Institute.

Full credit to Iron Saga VS: it looks good. The robots are all somewhat chibi in their proportions but their animations are quite detailed. The super moves are appropriately flashy (I couldn't even be mad when Getter-3 schooled me with his extending-arm finisher). And it's undeniably neat to see them pulling off their signature moves. I've been focusing on the licensed mechs, but I wanna underline that the Iron Saga crew is also really neat. I can't pretend that this has motivated me to try the Iron Saga mobile game, but the other mechs are suitably awesome in their animations. This is as close as it gets to having a Super Robot Wars fighting game; I'll take it.

I didn't have an opportunity to try out online in Iron Saga VS, but I'm assured Iron Saga VS will have rollback netcode. Players will have the option of establishing private lobbies or online ranked modes. The one thing that has me furrowing my brow is the promise of a "gacha" mode on the home menu. You can earn some manner of currency from the single-player modes; what for, I'm not entirely sure. The online network wasn't up when I was experimenting with Iron Saga VS, so neither Gacha mode nor online worked when I tried it. I don't see much appeal in a gacha mode for a fighting game, I'll let you all arrive at your own conclusions. I also have to point out that I've had some minor issues with bugs; one playthrough with Mazinger had me quit the game because the final boss wouldn't load. The translation also seems off in some places, with the dialogue feeling unnatural. Still, there's hope for improvement. There's a good foundation for Iron Saga VS. Some extra characters, maybe, and a gacha mode that isn't horrendously manipulative, and I can see Iron Saga VS becoming a fixture at the Salty Suite. Interested would-be pilots can pick up Iron Saga VS now on Steam.

Last week, I was allowed to fly out to Los Angeles to try out Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. It was a great experience! It's always nice to get a chance to talk to some of the team working on a game. They also had these neat replicas of the in-game Sacred Treasures. They let me hold them--it was terrifying, I was sweating bullets at the prospect of breaking one in my clumsy hands. Thankfully, disaster was averted, and the team was nice enough to let me interview Marvelous' Hisashi Fujii, producer of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma.

Anime News Network: Fujii-san, first of all, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. It's very appreciated. In the short time I spent with Guardians of Azuma, it seems like much of what it does is trying to improve upon the Rune Factory formula with regards to character interaction, combat... was this in response to criticism towards Rune Factory 5, or was this simply a desire to push the envelope for the Rune Factory series?

Hisashi Fujii: More than a response to Rune Factory 5, it's an attempt to evolve the Rune Factory series as a whole. The Rune Factory series lets you do a lot of different kinds of things like farm, adventure, and romance. We wanted to make those things more fun and fluid to play.

ANN: The Rune Factory series was, once upon a time, simply meant to be "A Fantasy Story of Seasons." Now it's grown into its own thing where farming is seen as a side aspect of village construction. Do you feel like there's a future where Rune Factory might step away from farming entirely?

Fujii: I like to think of [Guardians of Azuma] as a spin-off of the numbered Rune Factory series. If there's a sequel to this game, maybe they'll continue to explore the village-building aspect. But in terms of how the numbered games, we're not thinking about it that way.

ANN:So the specific mechanics of village building in Guardians of Azuma would be unique to Guardians of Azuma.

Fujii: Yes, exactly.

ANN: What were some of the challenges related to setting this game in Azuma as opposed to Adonea? Did you feel it was liberating to break free from the typical Rune Factory aesthetics? Were there concerns that the game wouldn't look like a Rune Factory game?

Fujii: Moving from [Adonea to Azuma] allowed us to try new things. The series has mostly been an action RPG until now. Changing the setting allowed us to try a lot of new things. Of course, there were challenges but we were able to create something great in the end.

ANN: In Guardians of Azuma, the main character isn't an "Earthmate" but an "Earthdancer;" where did the impetus come from for this change? Was it a desire to simply find an appropriate Azuma-style flavoring?

Fujii: They aren't necessarily different roles; the "Earthdancer" is just what they call Earthmates in Azuma. The fundamental role is the same, but what it's called is different and the expression is different.

ANN: With regards to lore, can we presume that Guardians of Azuma won't touch upon the ongoing conflict with the Sechs Empire?

Fujii: We can't say anything about that.

ANN: I noticed that one of the characters in Guardians of Azuma was based on the Ainu people in terms of wardrobe and behavior. What other kinds of inspirations were used for the cast in the Azuma region?

Fujii: There are characters in the game based on Japanese myths, like Kanata, who is inspired by Amaterasu. There are other characters like that. We can't go through them one by one, but Japanese myths play a big part in Guardians of Azuma.

ANN: Many fans of Rune Factory or Story of Seasons are very interested in Japanese folklore and mythology; less than worrying about turning people away with obscure references, do you feel like the Rune Factory series has given you more of an opportunity to talk about Eastern culture or folklore?

Fujii: I think there is that desire. When we created Guardians of Azuma, there was a lot of Japanese influence even in the main story. A lot of the side quests also feature very specific elements of Japanese culture. There's a great opportunity to learn from playing Guardians of Azuma.

ANN: What aspect of Guardians of Azuma are you most excited for fans to discover?

Fujii: The Rune Factory series has always been about using the power of nature to restore the Earth; of course, Guardians of Azuma has similar themes. You'll be using the power of dance to restore villages, get rid of the blight, and return the world to the way it once was. As part of that, you'll be building villages, and I think that being able to build a village you're proud of is something we put a lot of effort into. That's something we want fans to try and enjoy.

ANN: Of the characters you're able to speak of, who is your favorite character in Guardians of Azuma?

Fujii: I like all of the characters! Among the male characters, I like Kai the best. For the female characters, my favorite is Matsuri. But I don't want to pick favorites.

Thank you again to Marvelous for allowing me to interview Fujii-san, and for translating the interview with him! Look forward to Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma releasing this May 30th on the Nintendo Switch and Steam.

Folks who love Pokémon and LEGO have a lot to look forward to in 2026; a LEGO/Pokémon collab has been announced for that year. Curious what this will mean for Pokémon's current deal with Megablox...

If you haven't checked out Donkey Kong '94 on Nintendo Switch Online--do so! It's a phenomenal action platform that was added to the platform last week. A pity that it doesn't include any of the Super Game Boy features...

Digimon Con was earlier this week and unveiled some details about the upcoming Digimon Story: Time Stranger. And I was right on the money: the Greco-Roman-themed Olympos XII factor heavily into the story! Time Stranger promises one of the biggest rosters for a Digimon game ever at 450 Digimon to collect and battle. It'll also feature character designs by Suzuhito Yasuda and boss designs by Oh! great.

That'll do it for this week! Congratulations: you've made it to Spring! Even as the last of the Winter blizzards go on in some parts of the country, I hope folks look forward to the warmer weather. It's a great time to jog and bathe in the sunlight around your neighborhood! Unless you have allergies. Be good to each other, I'll see you in seven!

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This Week In Games! is written from idyllic Portland by Jean-Karlo Lemus. When not collaborating with Anime News Network, Jean-Karlo can be found playing JRPGs, eating popcorn, watching v-tubers, and tokusatsu. You can keep up with him at @ventcard.bsky.social.

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