4 “New Games for 2024” that successfully overcame the “anxiety” before their release! Pay attention to action RPGs and SRPGs you want to play during Golden Week

Since the long-awaited Golden Week has begun, there are many people who have completed the game in one go. Also, some people may be looking for something new to play with to refresh their mood.

It's best to choose the games you want to play, but there are cases where you overlook a work you're interested in, or you pass it up just by looking at the name, but when you find out what's inside, it turns out to be a strike…

Therefore, this time, we have carefully selected recommended software that has received a certain level of evaluation, targeting new titles released in 2024, and will deliver 4 titles. We will discuss each work, its features, and charm, along with the experience of actually playing it, so why not choose a new game from here to start playing next Golden Week?

■PS5/PS4/Steam “Granblue Fantasy Relink”: Released on February 1st
“Granblue Fantasy Relink'', which follows the world view and characters of Cygames' hit “Granblue Fantasy'' and transforms it into an action RPG, was released in February of this year.

However, in the lead-up to the release of this work, there were of course expectations, but at the same time there were also a certain number of voices who expressed concern. One of the reasons is that it comes with the original work.

While fans of the original work are highly interested in these works, they also tend to be plagued with concerns such as, “Will non-fans of the original work be able to enjoy them?'' and “Will the game be limited to a game for fans, with a low level of perfection?''

Also, “Granblue Fantasy Relink” was announced in September 2016. From that point on, it was a title that had been in development for over seven years (the title at the time was “Project Re:Link'').

Long-term projects are difficult to manage, and often end in failure or compromise. In addition, there were a number of things that made me feel anxious, such as the release date that was originally aimed for in 2018 being pushed back significantly, and the contract with co-developers PlatinumGames being terminated midway through production.

The original game, which was highly anticipated by fans, was released with disappointing results.

There are many works that have ended like this, and some people wondered if Granblue Fantasy Relink would follow the same pattern, but these concerns were quickly overturned with the trial and retail versions.

The colorful and adventurous world is beautifully depicted in 3D space, and the speedy battles between parties of four provide a sense of cooperation and exhilaration. Almost everything from the gameplay to the expressions was put together at a high level, with captivating production, refreshing sound effects, and music that promotes a sense of immersion.

Fans were surprised by the level of reproduction of the visuals, and even those who had never played Granblue were captivated by the action battles, successfully overcoming concerns raised before the game's release. For reference, if you look at the Steam ratings, you can see that it has a “very positive rating (29,270)'' in “all reviews'' (at the time of writing), indicating that many users have given it high ratings. .

If I had to point out a drawback, I would say that the volume of the story mode is a bit small.

However, it is not a level that can be completed in a few hours, so there is no doubt that it is a content that will let you fully enjoy this golden week. In addition, you can further develop your character even after clearing the game, so in terms of gameplay, it can be said to be a work that you can play for a long time.

A free update “Ver.1.2.0” will be distributed on April 26th, and further updates are planned for May. It's never too late to start playing now, and in fact, the density of the experience is increasing because you can enjoy all the updates all at once. If the world, visuals, and genre suit your tastes, Granblue Relink is a work worth considering.

■PS5 “Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth”: Released on February 29th
“Final Fantasy 7'' significantly changed the direction of the “Final Fantasy'' series with its then-cutting-edge 3D depiction, and strongly supported the popularity of the original PlayStation.

A remake series is underway to revive this masterpiece in a trilogy, and the second installment, “Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth'', was released in February of this year.

The original “FF7'' was also a 3D model, but most of the characters were drawn in deformed form. There are times, such as during battles, where the head and body are raised, but at that time, 3D expression was still in its infancy, so the visuals were still in the development stage.

However, in this remake series, while following the image of the original, everything from battles to stories and explorations are drawn with realistic heads and bodies. At the time, the tall and cool Cloud and Sephiroth, who only existed in players' imaginations, are now running freely across the big screen.

This evolution in visuals can be seen in the first remake, “Final Fantasy 7 Remake,'' and “FF7 Rebirth'' steadily inherits that charm.

In addition, battles with increased action will be more challenging and will spur your desire to play.

As of September of last year, FF7 Remake's total worldwide shipments and digital version sales exceeded 7 million units. As a result, expectations for FF7 Rebirth rose accordingly, and many people thought that it would be difficult to overcome this hurdle.

In particular, “FF7 Rebirth'' is a major change from the previous work, which centered on the battle in Midgar, and the stage of the adventure expands to the rest of the world. It's not an open world, so you won't be able to travel to all parts of the world, but I was a mixture of anticipation and anxiety as I wondered how many adventures we'd be able to take away from Midgar, which was a small setting.

However, when you actually play FF7 Rebirth, you quickly realize that your fears about field exploration were unfounded.

After going beyond the opening stages and exiting the first town, Calm, a vast field awaits the player.

Just like in the original, after leaving Calm, you will head to the “Chocobo Farm'' and then to the “Mithril Mine.'' However, if you do the field exploration and side trips during this time, the time of about 7 to 8 hours will pass by in the blink of an eye.

Of course, this is not the only time for extensive field exploration. Beyond Mithril Mine, adventures await in the Junon area, and this time you can explore the mountainous region as well. In addition, there are plenty of activities to liven up the game, including a boat trip where you can enjoy card games, “Costa de Sol'' where you can enjoy wearing swimsuits, and “Gold Saucer'' where everything you see is exciting.

As the field adventure expands in line with these developments, it is not uncommon for it to take over 100 hours to complete if you enjoy each element accordingly. What's more, most of the time you spend playing the game, there's always something you want to do, so there's never any boring time.

“FF7 Rebirth'' is a major evolution of the original work, and a new essence has been added to the story. If you haven't gotten around to it yet, we recommend you start playing from this GW. However, it is closely related to the previous game, “FF7 Remake,'' so if you haven't played either, you should start with FF7 Remake.

■Switch/PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X｜S “Unicorn Overlord”: Released on March 8th
While there are many developers who develop games, Vanillaware, which has thoroughly crafted everything from gameplay to visuals and is so particular about craftsmanship, has gained a strong following among core game fans. Masu.

The company's latest work is “Unicorn Overlord,'' a simulation RPG in which you throw yourself into a battle that shakes the entire continent. It attracted attention from the time it was announced and had high expectations.

However, there were some users who had high expectations for this work, but at the same time held off on making a purchase decision. This is because a relatively large number of games made by Vanillaware are action RPGs, and games with high simulation elements are limited, such as “Grim Grimoire'' and “Gran Knights History.''

It's been more than 10 years since Gran Knights History was the first completely new work with simulation as its main feature. For this reason, even among Vanillaware fans, opinions were divided as to whether or not they should get their hands on this game right away.

In the first place, simulation games tend to choose people, and since this game is a real-time strategy game, you need to make decisions to assess the battle situation within a limited amount of time. Although the game progress can be paused at any time, this is not a game genre for everyone.

In terms of a completely new work, “13 Sentinel Defense Zone'', which came out one year earlier, also had simulation elements. However, since the ADV element was larger, it would be natural to wait and see if Unicorn Overlord is a full-fledged simulation.

Unicorn Overlord, which was released in the midst of such hesitation, was truly a full-fledged and highly strategic simulation RPG… However, it had a very wide scope and completely lacked the “heaviness'' that is common in this genre. It quickly gained popularity due to its ease of use.

Each class has opponents that are not suitable for it, and since multiple classes are organized at the same time, there is no one-size-fits-all optimal solution that will work anywhere and anytime. However, if you consider the compatibility, it is not difficult to achieve an overwhelming victory, and the feeling of satisfaction when you get the strategy right is irreplaceable fun.

What I particularly admire about this game is the exquisite difficulty adjustment. The real pleasure of this genre is that the more you understand the game system, the more you can overwhelm your enemies. On top of that, it is possible to win in this game even if you have a moderate understanding of the system.

Although there are many different elements involved in combat, it is possible to achieve victory without understanding all of them. Naturally, there are times when the game will be difficult depending on your level of understanding, but at least on the normal difficulty level, it is a work that does not require complete mastery of the system and can be enjoyed even with a moderate understanding.

The more you know about the gameplay, the stronger you will become, but even with a moderate understanding, you can experience challenging battles and victory in “Unicorn Overlord.'' The exquisite game system and difficulty adjustment that goes beyond simply weakening enemies made me feel like there are new possibilities for simulation RPGs.

The high reputation of this work directly led to its sales, with cumulative sales of over 500,000 copies worldwide in less than a month after its release. It has gotten off to a faster start than the hit work “13 Sentinel Defense Zone'', and attention is now focused on how far it will ultimately reach. The exciting and popular “Unicorn Overlord” is also a work that I would like to recommend for this Golden Week.

■PS5/Xbox Series X｜S/Steam “Dragon’s Dogma 2”: March 21st
The last work to be introduced this time is the sequel “Dragon's Dogma 2”, which appeared for the first time in about 12 years counting from the previous numbered work. This is an open world action RPG created by Capcom and was released on March 21st.

At the time the previous work was released, there were only a limited number of domestically produced open world games, and under such circumstances, it was only natural that it would attract attention if the major company Capcom were to work on it. The first game, “Dragon's Dogma,'' has been released as a notable work that has garnered a lot of anticipation and interest.

What was particularly groundbreaking about Dragon's Dogma was the presence of “pawns'' who acted alongside the protagonist. The “main pawn” always follows you as a partner, and you can also borrow “support pawns” prepared by other players or Capcom and go on adventures together.

Being able to enjoy the feeling of fighting together with someone even though it was an offline single game was quite unusual and exciting in terms of gaming at the time. This is an extremely rare work that is an adventure in which you are not alone, but also has the ease of allowing you to play freely. Another unique and useful feature of the game was that the main pawn that was borrowed by other players returned with knowledge.

However, it will take a long time for a sequel to such a popular work to appear. Although titles in the series include “Dragon's Dogma Quest'' and “Dragon's Dogma Online,'' a completely new “single-player open-world action RPG'' has been a long-cherished desire for 12 years, as I mentioned earlier.

Dragon's Dogma 2, which was successfully released, received unanimous praise…but I can't say I agree with it completely. This is because, if you look at it from a point-deduction system, there are several problems with this work.

The vastness of this work is much larger than its predecessor, but on the other hand, there are limitations to the “fast travel” that is typical of open world games. There are a limited number of locations you can choose to move to, and you must consume items each time.

Additionally, the “ox carts'' that appear in the story are also a means of fast travel, but if you are attacked by a monster, a battle will begin there, so you will not be able to travel instantly. Moreover, once the oxcart is destroyed, the only way to go from there is to reach the destination on foot. Additionally, there are only a limited number of points where you can go by oxcart.

This is just one example, but there are other issues such as “Pawns fall to death,'' “It takes time to move,'' “UI is difficult to use,'' and “Dragon possession,'' which has a serious effect on pawns, is troublesome. There are many areas that have been pointed out as problems. If you deduct points for these problematic areas, your final rating will be lower.

However, it is also true that there are a considerable number of users who highly rate this work. That voice is not just a form of nursing care, but one that I have decided is suitable for me based on Dragon's Dogma 2.

This author also views Dragon's Dogma 2 favorably. It's true that moving to a destination is a hassle, but there are many other things you can do such as “encounter unexplored caves,'' “battling a variety of monsters with surprise attacks,'' “discovering treasure chests in unexpected places,'' and “unexpected shortcuts.'' The journey was full of surprises and excitement, and I realized that “inconvenient transportation'' and “rich adventure'' are two sides of the same coin.

If you make fast travel more convenient, your chances of encountering adventure will be greatly reduced. Anyone can enjoy the game smoothly if the story progresses in a strict manner, but I don't think they would have been able to enjoy the naughty play of “crossing the border on their own and going to the neighboring country'' before the main scenario.

I can't deny that this work is inconvenient. At the same time, we strive to be as free as possible and have the tolerance to enjoy “our own adventures.” It's no wonder that some people consider a work to be a good work or a masterpiece by adding points to its appeal.

“Dragon's Dogma 2'' has received widely divided reviews, with some people calling it problematic and others raving about it. Whether it becomes medicine or poison depends on each person, but that's why it's a work worth considering playing.