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Now If Only Square Would Treat Final Fantasy VI On PC Like It Treated Chrono Trigger
Today, Square Enix announced that it has finished patching Chrono Trigger on PC, just days after releasing the fifth major update to the game since it launched six months ago. (Chrono Trigger is 50% off on Steam for the next week to celebrate.) Now if only Square’s other classic games would get the same treatment.…
By Jason Schreier Published August 21, 2018 -
Karaoke Parlor With Official Final Fantasy And Evangelion Themed Rooms
Karaoke parlor Pasela Akiba Showadorikan in Tokyo’s Akihabara has a handful of seriously cool themed rooms. There are official themed rooms for Neon Genesis Evangelion, Sengoku Basara, Final Fantasy XIV and Hakuoki
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 6, 2018 -
The Octopath Traveler Musical Cue I Can’t Stop Thinking About
Octopath Traveler’s battle music has all of the zest you could want, brimming with quick drumbeats and arpeggiated chords. One simple trick ties together the game’s story and boss battles, creating amazing musical cues that make each new encounter even more exciting. Octopath Traveler assigns each character an instrument that’s used prominently in their leitmotifs,…
By Heather Alexandra Published July 27, 2018 -
Politician Made Anti-LGBTQ Comments On Dragon Quest Composer’s TV Show
Japanese politician Mio Sugita has made international news due to her anti-LGBTQ comments on a television show. The program is co-hosted by Koichi Sugiyama, who composes music for the Dragon Quest games. This was pointed out by Twitter user Shaun Musgrave (via Duckroll at ResetEra): The network is very right-wing. The show isn’t mainstream, nor…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 26, 2018 -
Octopath Traveler‘s Best NPC Is This Reclusive Old Man
Every party member in Octopath Traveler has a special ability that allows them to interact with NPCs throughout the world. Ophilia the cleric and Primrose the dancer can temporarily recruit NPCs into the party and summon them during battles. One unassuming old man is able to unleash Hell upon enemies. I’m pretty sure he’s a…
By Heather Alexandra Published July 23, 2018 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThe PS1 Strategy Game That Nails Robotic Destruction
In Front Mission 3’s 18th battle, I’m on a naval base facing down two giant walking artillery cannons, four Gundam-like mechs, and an apache helicopter. It isn’t the most challenging tactical role-playing game from the PS1 era, but like lots of games from that era it’s prone to the occasional difficulty spike. Unlike many other…
By Ethan Gach Published July 16, 2018 -
Tips & Guides
Tips For Playing Octopath Traveler
Octopath Traveler is a complicated game with a lot of intricate mechanics. I’ve played many hours of it. Now it is time for me to share my knowledge with you. If you plan to play the Switch’s next big role-playing game, here are some useful tips. I’ve split this guide up into two sections—general tips…
By Jason Schreier Published July 13, 2018 -
How To Unlock Octopath Traveler‘s Post-Game Dungeon
Once you’re past the credits of Octopath Traveler, there’s one major hidden dungeon left to find. It’s not obvious how to get there, though, so allow us to give you a guide. We won’t spoil any of the story here, but we will tell you the nature of this dungeon and how to get there,…
By Jason Schreier Published July 13, 2018 -
ReviewsSwitchOctopath Traveler: The Kotaku Review
Eight people gather in a tavern, swapping stories and preparing for adventure. It’s not clear why they’re traveling together—there’s a pious cleric and a murderous dancer in this odd crew—but they’ve united nonetheless. As they wander across the world, each of these people gets their turn to take the reins. In one city the hunter…
By Jason Schreier Published July 12, 2018 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThe Star Ocean Mobile Game Is Easy To Hate And Still Play Anyway
There’s finally a new Star Ocean game after 2016’s barebones Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness. Unfortunately, Star Ocean: Anamnesis, the latest entry, free-to-play, only on smartphones, and a gacha game to boot. The first of those would be forgivable if not for the second, but as a slot machine for collecting characters from Star Oceans…
By Ethan Gach Published July 11, 2018 -
Octopath Traveler Is Nothing Like Final Fantasy VI
The producer of the gorgeous upcoming Switch game Octopath Traveler made waves this week with a quote in which he said that mechanically it was a spiritual successor to Final Fantasy VI. Other people have made similar comparisons. But Octopath is nothing like Final Fantasy VI—it’s more like a SaGa game, with some experimental ideas…
By Jason Schreier Published July 6, 2018 -
How Final Fantasy XIV‘s Giant Moogle Boss Came To Be
One of Final Fantasy XIV’s most memorable bosses is Good King Moggle Mog, a giant demonic moogle whose Tim Burton-inspired theme song has been haunting players since the game’s earliest days. As it turns out, the king of the Moogles has an unlikely origin: one of Japan’s biggest natural disasters. At E3 in Los Angeles…
By Jason Schreier Published June 26, 2018 -
Final Fantasy XIV‘s Director Talks Housing Shortage, PS4 Cross-Play, And Much More
Naoki Yoshida has become an icon to Final Fantasy XIV fans. When he logs into the game, his character gets mobbed. One of the reasons for his popularity is his willingness to get candid about all of the issues his game faces. Last week at E3 in Los Angeles, I spoke to Yoshida about some…
By Jason Schreier Published June 21, 2018 -
Nintendo Switch RPG Octopath Traveler Won’t Have DLC Because It’s ‘A Finished Product’
Octopath Traveler, the Nintendo Switch exclusive from the team behind Bravely Default, will not have any DLC. Why? Because it’s already a complete game, says Square Enix. In an interview with Dengeki Online, Square Enix producer Masashi Takahashi said that it should take about fifty to sixty hours to complete the main story. “It took…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2018 -
CultureE3
Podcast: We React To Bethesda, Square Enix, And Ubisoft At E3 2018
Another day, another bunch of E3 press conferences. Let’s talk about them! On the second episode of Kotaku Splitscreen’s special E3 coverage, Jason Schreier and I talked about everything we liked (and didn’t like) about Bethesda’s press conference from last night, Square Enix’s letdown of a show this morning, and Ubisoft’s reliably daffy extravaganza earlier…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 11, 2018 -
CultureE3
Square Enix’s E3 Presentation Was A Joke
Expectations were high for the first E3 presser from Square Enix in three years. The publisher has a lot of exciting upcoming projects that we haven’t heard much about, including Final Fantasy VII Remake, The Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Naturally, Square Enix showed absolutely none of them. “That’s it?” was the resounding reaction…
By Jason Schreier Published June 11, 2018 -
CultureE3Everything Square Enix Showed At E3 2018
It’s the third day of E3 press conferences, and Square Enix just showed up with… well, with a pretty disappointing show. The Japanese publisher had a couple of game announcements, some videos about games we already know about, and a pair of slightly longer looks at Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Just Cause 4.…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 11, 2018 -
CultureE3Babylon’s Fall Is The Next Game From Nier Developer Platinum Games
Platinum Games has a new project. During their E3 2018 press conference today, Square Enix announced Babylon’s Fall The reveal trailer dropped heavy lore for the setting and showed off some dark fantasy action. The teaser trailer didn’t reveal much about Babylon’s Fall, but eagle-eyed viewers can decipher a world history where the discovery of…
By Heather Alexandra Published June 11, 2018 -
CultureE3
We’re Liveblogging Square Enix’s E3 Press Conference [Update: It’s Over]
It’s Monday morning, which means we’re ready to kick off E3’s most packed day of press conferences. First up is Square Enix. We’ve already seen a few of its games, but what else does the Final Fantasy maker have in store for us? You can watch the press conference here or follow along with our…
Maddy Myers & Chris Kohler Published June 11, 2018