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Square Enix Dazzles At Preview Event – Culture of Gaming

Giant monster fish, unlikely heroes, and some familiar Final Fantasy faces were on display at the Square Enix media event in Toronto. At the sneak peak, we were able to go hands-on with many upcoming titles and here are our impressions.

Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV

Developer: Square Enix Business Division 2

Publisher: Square Enix

Release Date: November 21, 2017

Platform: PlayStation 4.

Official Site: https://www.finalfantasyxv.com/en/playstation-vr

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Riffing off of the fishing mini-game in Final Fantasy XV, Monster of the Deep is a virtual reality video game developed for the PlayStation VR. While Final Fantasy XV lead Noctis Lucis Caelum takes photos, you fish at a local lagoon. Using a rangefinder, you search the area for fish then cast your line and try to reel in your bounty. Once you have become familiar with and adjusted your depth perception, it’s fairly easy to hit the mark and hook those fish.

The second portion of the Monster of the Deep experience involved wielding a crossbow and harpooning the monster of the title. Leaping at you, crawling at you, and snapping at you, the enormous fish puts up a good fight and might even creep you out a bit.

Monster of the Deep was great fun but one wonders about the price point and the longevity and replayability of what is essentially an enhanced fishing game.

Secret of Mana

Developer: Square Enix

Publisher: Square Enix

Release Date: January 30, 2018

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Microsoft Windows.

Official Site: https://www.secretofmanagame.com/

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Originally released in 1993 on the Super Nintendo, Secret of Mana has always been compared to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past even though it has always stood on its own as a seminal action RPG.

This 3D remake is as bright and vibrant as the original. In fact, it is the energetic and vivid animation that will catch your eye before anything else.

Borrowing a few pages from the legend of King Arthur, Secret of Mana tells the sad saga of Randi. An orphan, Randi pulls a magic sword from a stone and his life is forever changed. Blamed for the bad luck that has befallen his village, Randi is systematically banished.

Guided by a ghost warrior who used to wield the sword, Randi visits a nearby shrine and begins his quest to revive the magical power of the Mana which is protected by assorted nasties.

From the new soundtrack to the 3D graphics, this remake impresses on every level. This is a must play or replay for RPG fans.

Lost Sphear

Developer: Tokyo RPG Factory

Publisher: Square Enix

Release Date: January 23, 2018

Platforms: PS4, Nintendo Switch.

Official Site: https://www.lostsphear.com/

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Lost Sphear is a bit of an odd cat. Imagine your entire world slowly disappearing. That is the dilemma Kanata is faced with. Although he is only a young boy, Kanata is tasked with rebuilding the world around him by making his thoughts a reality.

Aided by his extraordinary friends, we traveled around a canyon battling creatures and humans. The cool thing about Kanata and his companions is they can swap into their Vulcosuits. The Vulcosuits are powerful suits of armor that can destroy barriers and enemies.

Even though our initial impressions were positive, we would have to play further into the adventure to experience all that is has to offer.

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

Developer: Team Ninja

Publisher: Square Enix

Release Date: January 30, 2018

Platform: PlayStation 4.

Official Site: https://www.dissidiafinalfantasynt.com/

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Here is one you are either going to love or you are going to hate as fighting games are not for everyone. Developed by Square Enix and Team Ninja, Dissidia is a team-based arena brawler featuring characters from the Final Fantasy franchise. You can choose from 20 Final Fantasy characters and your legendary summons such as Shiva, Odin, Leviathan to assist you in battle. With each battle, players gain experience points which can be used to purchase new skills and other customizations.

The action is dizzyingly chaotic as you can be attacking while being attacked all at the same time. Each battle had a flow all its own with very little breathing room for the player.

All in all, if you like fighting games you might want to keep this one on your radar.

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