The best Prime Day power bank deal is still available. Amazon is offering Amazon Prime members the powerful and high capacity Anker Prime 27,650mAh USB Power Bank for only $119.99, a hefty 33% price drop from its original $180 MSRP. This is the successor to the Anker 737 that we deemed the best Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally charger. Note only does it carry a significant battery capacity, it also boasts an absolutely massive 250W of USB power delivery to charge even the most power hungry MacBooks, iPhones, and handheld gaming consoles (simultaneously, in most cases).
Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank for $119.99
with 250W of USB Type-C Power Delivery
The Anker Prime is a hefy power bank, measuring 6.4″x2″x2.2″ and weighing in at 1.5 pounds. This is a heavier duty power bank designed to charge more power hungry devices like laptops, (multiple) portable gaming systems, and (multiple) phones. It has two USB Type-C ports and one USB Type-A port. Each USB Type C port supports up to 140W of Power Delivery, which is the max charging rate of a new 2024 MacBook Pro 16″ laptop. If you want to use both USB Type-C ports simultaneously, one will charge at 140W and the other at 100W. The USB Type-A port also boasts up to 65W of charging, although that drops to 18W if you’re using both USB Type-C ports at the same time.
The 27,650mAh battery capacity is more than you’ll ever need on your itinerary. It can charge a Nintendo Switch OLED about 6 times, iPhone 15 Pro Max about 6 times, Steam Deck about 5 times, and an ASUS ROG Ally about 10 times. What also makes the Anker Prime unique compared to most other power banks is the LCD digital readout. It displays a lot of useful real-time information like remaining battery capacity, power input, and power output from each port.
Regarding bringing the Anker Prime on airplanes, this power bank outputs 99.54Wh, which meets the TSA requirements for carry-on baggage. Power banks need to be under 100Wh, which means this is the absolutely highest capacity you can bring on board without needing special clearance.
The Anker Prime is an excellent Steam Deck / ASUS ROG Ally charger
Both the ROG Ally and Steam Deck suffer from a short battery life when gaming on the go. For instance, when playing most games at 60 FPS, you’re likely looking at four hours of battery life for the Steam Deck and maybe half that on the ASUS ROG Ally, which is equipped with a measly 2600mAh battery. During our Steam Deck review, we even found games like God of War or Spider-Man could potentially tap out in under 2 hours. At the end of the day, you’ll never get the full potential out of your Steam Deck or ROG Ally if you’re not equipped with a decent portable charger.
The Anker Prime is an outstanding charger for the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally portable gaming handhelds. The Steam Deck supports up to 38W, the ASUS ROG Ally up to 65W, and the Nintendo Switch up to 18W of power delivery, That means technically you could charge all three gaming consoles at the same time across all three ports. If you’re traveling with a family with multiple Nintendo Switches or Steam Decks, this option will be a lot more convenient than bringing multiple power banks.
Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, and Sonic 06 favourites return.
Continuing the Year of Shadow celebrations, Sega has shared a brand new trailer for Sonic X Shadow Generations, which showcases a couple of the stages returning for Shadow’s side of the adventure.
And, just like with Sonic’s stages in Sonic Generations, Shadow will also be revisiting levels from previous titles. Sega has highlighted three of those, and they’ll be familiar to all of you diehard Shadow fans.
Dungeons 4 Heads West in New DLC: The Good, the Bad, and the Evil
David Colbourne, PR and Media Relations Coordinator, Kalypso Media
Summary
Brynnhilde and her army of do-gooder Dwarves gather their forces as the last bastion against Thalya and the uprising of The Absolute Evil.
Contend with powerful new enemies wielding weapons dreamt up by the finest Dwarven blacksmiths.
Dungeons 4 – The Good, the Bad and the Evil releases on August 8, 2024. The base game is available now with Game Pass.
Tell them Thalya’s coming, and Hell’s coming with her! Dungeons 4 is catching a steam engine to the Wild West in its first DLC, The Good, the Bad and the Evil, on August 8, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S, taking you through a brand-new, western-inspired area of the overworld known as “The West.” The new frontier is bristling with opportunity for The Absolute Evil, featuring new enemies, environments, and challenges, including a 5-mission campaign that will revisit an old rivalry between the Dark-Elf Thalya and the Dwarf Queen Brynnhild, culminating in a duel at high-noon.
Brynnhilde and her army of do-gooder Dwarves gather their forces as the last bastion against Thalya and the uprising of The Absolute Evil. The feud reaches an epic climax as the minions of Evil battle against Dwarven gunslingers to determine the fate of the Overworld. But it won’t be easy; the Wild West is a dangerous place for even Thalya and her most formidable and evil Little Snots, and you will need to contend with powerful new enemies wielding weapons dreamt up by the finest Dwarven blacksmiths. Check them out below!
The Pistolero is a pistol-wielding outlaw especially adept at close range battles. They draw their guns faster than you can say “Brynnhilde” and unleash their full clip with a fury before needing to reload.
The Machine Dwarf is equipped with rotary guns powerful enough to pierce through even the most well-armoured Evil with maximum efficiency and speed, but with a slow enough reload time you might be able to take them out before they lay waste to larger areas.
The Crack Shot is capable of firing at long distances with extreme precision zoning in on one specific target.
The Brewmaster does more than just brew beer for his thirsty compatriots, but weaponizes the malted grain to damage to enemies and heal nearby allies.
And if these new daunting enemies weren’t enough of a challenge for the Absolute Evil, the mighty (irritating) Dwarves and their new gunslinging factions have turned to the tracks to capitalize on their new steam locomotives, which roar and chug through the prairie. Outfitted with more dynamite than you can shake a stick at, the Dwarves are pulling out all the stops to try and stop Thalya from conquering the Overworld.
But, luckily for Thalya, the Train-Enthusiast Evil is a long-time Railway Empire 2 fan and has been conjuring up an idea for a locomotive of its very own. Traverse the West and research the necessary science to uncover the boundless resources of the dusty plains to build your own locomotive capable of destroying the Dwarves once and for all and put it to use for the good of all that is Evil!
Dungeons 4 – The Good, the Bad and the Evil releases on August 8, 2024, with the base game available to play now on Xbox and PC Game Pass. So, there is only one question left to answer – do you feel evil, punk?
The Absolute Evil and its trusted *cough* servant, the Dark Elf Thalya, return in Dungeons 4 after the events of its fabulous predecessor to bring about their triumph over the forces of good once more.
Build a cozy and comfortable Dungeon to suit your creatures’ needs and rule over them, then send them out into the Overworld to kindly remind the good people living there that the Absolute Evil rules over their lands. Gather your Evilness in new and dynamic ways and unleash it upon the lush green forests and plains of the Overworld to turn them over to the dark side. But make sure that your Dungeon is well-secured by traps and defended by your creatures, for those pesky Overworlders won’t just twiddle their thumbs while you turn their land into the Absolute Evil’s most pleasurable holiday paradise.
But what is that noise? “Gold, gold, gold and gems, gold and gems and gold!” The ancient song echoes throughout the underworld, accompanied by the clanging steel of hammers and axes. The Dwarves have arrived to claim their share of the abundant resources and together with the Elves and Humans of the Overworld, they send out their raiding parties to find the Dungeon’s heart.
Dungeons 4 keeps the spirit of its predecessor, but everything is now bigger, better, and with even more dynamic Evilness.
Features:
• Everything is better with Dwarves: The Dwarves have arrived to build their underground strongholds and the hardy little fellows (although they don’t like being called that) compete with the Ever-Expanding Evil for space and resources.
• It makes your Dungeon great again: Dungeons are up four times larger than before and there are many more creatures who wait for the All-Commanding Evil’s orders to conquer the Overworld. Now the time has come for massive armies and truly sprawling dungeons!
• Ripe for the taking: The Overworld is bigger than ever before. Gain Evilness by beating Mini Bosses like the obsessively harmonious Unicorn and use it to transform the Overworld into stunning biomes of pure evil.
• New and shiny: An ability-based Perk system for Thalya, the Absolute Evil’s trusted *cough* and most loyal subordinate, grants her impressive new powers. The Absolute Evil can now enjoy taking over the world, governing the creatures and slapping subordinates even more with the customizable Evil Hand.
• Minions, everywhere: The Horde, the Undead and the Demons wait to do the Absolute Evil’s bidding, with more creatures than ever eagerly following the gesturing Evil’s orders, and Snots will play a much more prominent role this time.
• Many ways to tell the story: A long campaign, narrated by the beloved English Narrator from previous titles, as well as several skirmish maps all to challenge your rule as the Absolute Evil.
• Change the world: Spread your Evilness across the Overworld to bring lush and green environments over to the dark side, now shining even more vibrantly and beautifully evil as you spread your evilness across many new biomes.
• Work together, slay together: 2-player co-op multiplayer with both players managing one Dungeon together. All maps from the campaign and the skirmish mode are playable in co-op.
The Dungeons 4 – Deluxe Edition Upgrade includes the digital artbook and soundtrack, nostalgic Dungeons 3 skins for Thalya and your Evil Hand, as well as a remaster of the classic Dungeons 3 map “The Storming of Dollaran”. See the nostalgic outfits in all their splendour, and the music will surely delight the culture-loving Evil.
It doesn’t take all that much to get me to dive back into Blizzard’s stellar ARPG, Diablo 4, which has had a fantastic run of seasonal content and updates in the year since it made its devilish debut. But after an extensive hands-on with its upcoming character class, the Spiritborn, I might be kissing my free time goodbye altogether. This jack of all trades impressively mixes up the Diablo ecosystem with its most customizable and varied class yet, opens up a whole new unexplored aspect of Diablo lore, and most importantly, lets you summon a giant spectral gorilla to Hulk-smash demons into pink giblets. By the end of my time exploring Vessel of Hatred’s spooky jungles and dark dungeons, I was ready to forsake my roguish ways and declare myself a Spiritborn main, and that’s no small feat.
A quick housekeeping note: my time playing Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred was focused almost exclusively on the Spiritborn character class. After choosing my preferred Spiritborn warrior, I was dropped right into the action in the new region of Nahantu to craft my build and dismember everything in sight. Though all of the following things are in there, I didn’t see any story, meet any NPCs (aside from vendors), or get to check out the new hireable mercenaries feature. That said, my access to the Spiritborn class and all it offers was pretty exhaustive, so I’ll be focusing on that. Let’s dive in!
The Spiritborn are an entirely new class to the Diablo series, complete with their own lore that’s tied up in the ancient civilization of Nahantu – as seen in the Act 3 jungles of Diablo II – and the ethereal spirits with which they commune. Unlike the other Diablo IV classes, where you dive quite deep into a specific fantasy like tanking with the Barbarian or doing mad DPS with the Rogue, the Spiritborn is much more customizable and varied, thanks to the four guardian spirits you can choose to build into. Those four spirits are: the eagle, which focuses on mobility, evasion, and lightning damage; the gorilla, which is all about survivability and physical damage; the jaguar, which is the king of DPS, attack speed, and fire damage; and my personal favorite, the centipede, which uses poison, debuffs, and lifesteal to control the battlefield and feed off your foes’ misfortune.
Each of those spirit guardians is represented by a massive ghostly avatar that imbues you with power and occasionally takes to the battlefield itself to lay waste to your enemies, like how the centipede bursts onto the scene to start spitting giant globs of venom at everything in sight, or the eagle, which swoops in to zap your foes into dust. The skills and abilities that correspond with each of these spirits appear on the Spiritborn skill tree as color-coded nodes, so you can easily identify which you might want to focus on depending on your chosen spectral BFF.
These four distinct styles, and the divergent builds you can create from them as a result, make the Spiritborn feel like four new classes in one. For example, a slow-moving, extremely resilient gorilla build will feel very different from a jaguar build where you’re teleporting around the map. But although you’ll need to choose one of them to be your primary patron, one of the most defining characteristics of the character class is the ability to hybridize your build with some of the powers offered by other guardian animals. So, for example, if your jaguar build is feeling a bit squishy, you can reach across the aisle to your gorilla spirit and add a few of his tanky abilities to your repertoire, making yourself significantly more durable.
The four distinct styles, and the divergent builds you can create from them as a result, make the Spiritborn feel like four new classes in one.
That’s a whole new ball game from the much more specific fantasies the other character classes offer, and at first I was worried that would make it feel like a jack of all trades and master of none. But the longer I played, the less I was concerned about the class feeling underpowered, as I went deep into a centipede-eagle (centipeagle?) build that had me filling the battlefield with life-sapping poison, then dashing out of reach when things got too hot. “You would think that it would have some kind of identity crisis, but if you play the build it doesn’t – it works,” Diablo IV Game Director Brent Gibson told me. “And I think the team has done a great job at picking the right things inside of each of the lanes that make it so unique and distinct without trying to turn it into giant cream corn.” From what I’ve played so far, I tend to agree.
After trying out half a dozen different builds, I’m very much sold on this extremely unorthodox class, and I really got a kick out of how different each of the spirits felt and how flexible the class was in allowing me to take on different roles depending on my current need or flight of fancy. It remains to be seen if any of these builds will be able to compete with the five existing and much more focused classes, but so far I’m really encouraged by what I saw, and have a feeling I’ll be running as a Spiritborn exclusively when I tackle Vessel of Hatred later this year.
Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road holds a special place in the hearts of many, and it also happens to hover over very specific parts of our planet.
X/Twitter account @MarioBrothBlog highlighted the placement of the racing series’ most iconic track in a series of posts. Those who have put in some time into the Nintendo spinoff franchise might have noticed that Earth can be seen below some versions of Rainbow Road in-game. Mario Broth offers an in-depth analysis of the size and location of both the Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart Wii iterations of Rainbow Road, revealing that they both cast shadows over very different parts of the planet.
Mario Kart Wii’s and Mario Kart 8’s Rainbow Roads are both depicted as floating above the Earth. By examining the skyboxes, we can map their real-world locations. The Wii Rainbow Road is over Canada, while the Mario Kart 8 Rainbow Road is over the Mediterranean. pic.twitter.com/MUoHwhYiOL
— Supper Mario Broth (@MarioBrothBlog) July 18, 2024
Mario Kart Wii’s Rainbow Road is massive, covering a large portion of Canada and even a sliver of Greenland. Quebec and Nunavut get the most coverage, with the starting line placed just above the former. Mario Kart 8, meanwhile, seems to be positioned above the Mediterranean Sea and Tyrrhenian Sea, centered between Sardinia, Sicily, and Tunisia. It’s also much smaller than its Nintendo Wii counterpart. Mario Broth notes that the Booster Course Pass re-release of the Wii track uses this same skybox, putting it in same place.
But wait, there’s more! X user @SB2749 was able to track down a 3D model of the Mario Kart Tour version of Wii Rainbow Road, which comes with a few small changes. Notably, the gargantuan course hovers above Southeast Asia instead of Canada in the mobile entry, swallowing more than half of Japan with one sharp turn.
Addendum: reader @SB2749 has provided the location of the Mario Kart Tour version of the Wii Rainbow Road track, which is in yet another location, covering Japan, China and Southeast Asia: https://t.co/2xD73iMtYR
— Supper Mario Broth (@MarioBrothBlog) July 18, 2024
Nintendo likely didn’t intend for any version of its Rainbow Road to be built to scale, but it’s still fun to imagine you might catch a glimpse of Mario and co. if you break out a telescope. Meanwhile, Nintendo’s Mario Kart series is currently between releases. The last numbered entry arrived on the Wii U in 2014, though Nintendo’s managed to make the most of that experience with a Deluxe re-release for the Switch in 2017. A long list of DLC additions have since arrived over the course of the last few years via the Booster Course Pass, which wrapped up with its final wave of content late last year.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
Crow Country, Conscript, and now Vultures – Scavengers Of Death. We really do seem to be living through a craze for PS1-style horror games. Vultures is different to the others, though, in that it’s turn-based zombie crunching combined with roguelike scavenging to survive and get more powerful. It’s arriving on Steam sometime soon and it’s probably worth a looksy if you’re after biohazard disposal with a tactical twist.
Toree’s Panic Pack costs 89p. 99¢. That’ll probably either perk up your ears, or make your face twist in reasonable scepticism. Luckily, as with all the previous Toree games, it’s absolutely worthy of the former and certainly not the latter.
Previous games in the series of short and colourful 3D platformers have had a mantra of ‘easy to pick up, difficult to master’, and if you’ve indulged in any of them and have been hankering for something a bit more ‘difficult to pick up, aching to master’, well you’ve struck gold here, sunshine.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess: How Capcom Created a Prequel Story Through Traditional Japanese Puppeteering
The lush Mt. Kafuku, home of the Goddess. The source of turmoil, the defilement. The defilement corrupts the mountain, and the 12 masks containing the power of the Goddess are stolen. The Maiden Yoshiro & her guardian Soh purge the defilement and perform a ritual.
Embracing the company slogan, “From Osaka to the World,” Capcom will release Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess tomorrow, July 19. An original action-strategy hybrid that weaves its gameplay into a unique Japanese-inspired world, players take on the role of Soh, the guardian of the Maiden Yoshiro, and must protect and fight for her, making use of the two phases; day and night, to prepare for and fend off the looming threat of the Seethe respectively.
The game takes inspiration from several Japanese traditions, helping inform everything from the aesthetic to how Soh fights in a “sword-dancing” style – and the influence is far more than skin-deep. With the release of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess coming on Friday, July 19, Capcom has partnered with practitioners of one of Japan’s oldest traditional performing arts, Ningyo Joruri Bunraku (known more simply as Bunraku) – a comprehensive art form that integrates Tayu (narration), Shamisen (a three-stringed Japanese musical instrument), and puppeteering. A special video titled “Ceremony of the Deity: The Maiden’s Destiny,” featuring living national treasure and master puppeteer Kanjuro Kiritake the Third, portraying the priestess, has been released as a prequel to invite players into the world of Kunitsugami: Path of the Goddess.
Ahead of the release of the video, the Xbox Wire Japan team participated in an interview at the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka, where the performance was staged and filmed. The interview features Master Kanjuro Kiritake, Kunitsu-Gami director Shuichi Kawata, and Capcom’s Tairoku Nozoe, who scripted for the Bunraku performance. The team talked us through the influence of Bunraku on the game, the unique creation of a Bunraku performance for the game, and more.
First, we’d like to hear more about the background of this collaboration. We understand that the challenge to collaborate began when the Capcom team reached out with the idea, and Master Kanjuro graciously accepted to help out. Could you tell us about the process leading up to this?
Nozoe: If we were to trace things back to its origin, it might be when Kawata, who was developing the concept for Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, shared his passion for Bunraku with me. Kawata is a fervent fan of Bunraku, and his enthusiasm led us to attend a performance together. We were both deeply moved by the performance, and it made us realize that such fascinating art form existed out there, convincingly withstanding the test of time. This inspired us to reach out to the National Bunraku Theatre. Kawata’s connection with the world of Bunraku also helped, allowing us to have various discussions and propose the idea for this collab. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess was created with a sense of traditional arts and performances in mind, so I am incredibly moved that this collaboration has come to fruition in such a big way.
From left to right: Capcom’s Suichi Kawata, Master Kanjuro Kiritake, Capcom’s Tairoku Nozoe.
Master Kanjuro, when you first heard about the proposal to work and collaborate with a game through the arts of Bunraku, what were your initial thoughts?
Master Kanjuro: I remember feeling a bit troubled because I couldn’t immediately organize the concept in my mind, and I wasn’t sure how to make the project a reality. However, given my extended experience with various collaborations and my inherent love for collaborations through the art of Bunraku, I offered to help if I could. I believe that by the time of filming, I had managed to clear my mind and focus, resulting in the wonderful video.
The National Bunraku Theatre preparing for the performance of Ceremony of the Deity: The Maiden’s Destiny Video.
Master Kanjuro, do you personally play video games? Or do any of the people close to you enjoy playing games?
Master Kanjuro: Games are fascinating because they allow you to immerse yourself in the story happening on the screen, and moreover share various narratives that are embedded in Japanese culture with the world. All of my children love games, and I also enjoyed the early, simple video games when I was younger. I remember having to guide my children to play in moderation, as they tended to play a little too much under the past standards. Now, it’s mainly my grandchildren who play games, and they often invite me to join. When I have time, I enjoy playing with them. I still get very absorbed in gaming, so I try to be a bit careful [laughs].
Master Kanjuro and his crew attend the final meeting before the performance.
I heard that when discussing the project, you felt a personal connection with Capcom’s catchphrase, “From Osaka to the world”.
Master Kanjuro: Exactly. Bunraku is an art form that was born and raised in Osaka, just like how Capcom has continued to nurture this same land. I felt a strong connection with the idea of sharing and spreading our efforts further, beyond Osaka, to the rest of the world.
As the project progressed and you saw the game footage and concept art for Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, you became very enthusiastic and offered various advice on the creation of the puppets. Could you share your impressions when you first saw the game footage, and your thoughts as the project progressed?
Master Kanjuro: First and foremost, I was captivated by the visual beauty and found the character designs very interesting. Having been away from games for a while, besides playing with my grandchildren, I was honestly amazed by the advancements made in modern games. At the same time, it increased the challenge of figuring out how to create these characters as puppets. My expertise lies in performing in “jidai-mono”, which focuses on historical events and people, and not in fiction. So I initially thought this project would involve simply making and perhaps slightly manipulating the puppets, but when I learned that a full story and script were being written, I realized the collab was transforming into a very profound, enjoyable, and expansive project.
The script was apparently written by none other than Capcom’s Nozoe-san.
Master Kanjuro: At first, I didn’t know who had worked on the script. But after a read-through, I found it to be very profound, packed with just the right ingredients, and felt it was very compelling. What I found particularly interesting about this script was that, unlike many other scripts where it is difficult to pair with a suitable musical accompaniment, I could envision what type of music would be best fit from the first read. Although the final music will always be composed by the shamisen player, I had a strong impression of how the music would feel like, and I believe it turned out to be something truly exceptional.
As a result, I ended up being busy with this project throughout June, a month when I was supposed to be on a break with no performances assigned. However, my original aspiration when I was young was to be a manga artist, and I have always loved illustrating, creating things, drawing, and designing. The feeling of anticipation, seeing the puppets gradually nearing their final forms, made June a truly fulfilling month. Incidentally, the magatama decoration [a ceremonial, comma-shaped object considered sacred] on the Maiden puppet was entirely handcrafted by myself.
The kashira (head) of the puppets are each designed with specific characters and roles in mind.
Do you have any comments you would like to make, with the collaboration between Bunraku and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess soon coming to a full circle?
Nozoe:Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a game that values tradition while also embracing new challenges. For this collaboration project, the focus was not so much on expressing the essence of the game through the world of Bunraku, but rather on how to align and highlight the charm of Bunraku within the world of the game. Given that, what impressed me the most when Master Kanjuro supervised the script was how skillfully he adjusted everything with a keen sense of balance. He knew exactly when to align with the expressions that Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess has, and carefully incorporated the elements we felt should retain a Bunraku-esque touch. As a result, I feel the Ningyo Joruri Bunraku that came out of this project maintained a very satisfying balance.
Master Kanjuro: I am very glad that you are happy with the outcome. Would you like to consider a sequel?
Nozoe: Yes, please!
The tayu (narrator, left) and shamisen (instrumental accompaniment, two on the right) are key to a successful Ningyo Joruri Bunraku performance
Master Kanjuro: I don’t want to trouble everyone at the theater, but I’d like to try performing this as a full-length play. It would be interesting to turn this into a play and adjust the story to work on the stage. I’m delighted that such new attempts can be made with Ningyo Joruri Bunraku, which originated, rooted, and grew in Osaka. The “3-man manipulation” technique, now considered standard, was devised in 1734, about 290 years ago. It’s both fascinating and gratifying to see that the Ningyo Joruri, which has preserved this technique for so long, is now connected with the latest technology and content in gaming.
Nozoe: During the development of the game, we were always inspired by the direction and movements of Ningyo Joruri Bunraku. Even before discussing the collaboration, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess was already heavily infused with elements of Bunraku. Additionally, the method used to create the environmental elements in the game was quite unique, where we first created miniatures and then digitized them. This emphasis on realism, which is very important to Kawata-san, made our efforts within the collaboration align well.
I am aware that some people may read this blogpost before watching the performance, while others might read the article after having already seen it once and then are motivated to watch again. Could you share any tips for those who are experiencing Bunraku for the first time?
Master Kanjuro: As a puppeteer, I’d like you to carefully observe the synchronized movements of the puppets performed by the three puppeteers. The omozukai (head and right hand), hidarizukai (left hand), and ashizukai (legs) are three entirely different individuals working together in synchronicity to animate a single puppet. This technique has been refined over approximately 290 years, and through this, you can experience just how well-crafted the art of Ningyo Joruri Bunraku is. While it may be challenging to grasp everything in one viewing, I believe that if you watch it multiple times, there will be moments when its beauty may resonate with you. Once that happens, you’ll likely begin to enjoy any performance you watch. Some may feel unsure about what is being said or narrated, but don’t worry. The narration is crafted in the most beautiful Japanese language, and over time, you will be able to deepen your understanding with the help of a synopsis at hand. I hope you will pay close attention to these aspects.
Nozoe: Since Kunitsugami: Path of the Goddess is the focal point for this collaborative development, it might be good to first get to know its story. In the original work, there are the main characters: the guardian, Soh and the Maiden, Yoshiro, and their story is something that has been repeated many, many times. The game itself only highlights one of the many. Given this, “Ceremony of the Deity: The Maiden’s Destiny” can be considered a prequel to the main story of Kunitsugami: Path of the Goddess. How does Soh and the Maiden featured in this prequel connect to the main story? That is a mystery you might unveil once you play the game, and then come back to watch the performance again.
Kawata: We have prepared mechanisms that will further your understanding of Kunitsugami: Path of the Goddess when you watch the play after playing the game. Additionally, if you reflect on the ending of the main story while watching the Ningyo Joruri performance, you will find yourself saying, “oh, that’s why”.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess will be available on July 19 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to play the game from day one. In addition, this title is compatible with Xbox Play Anywhere, allowing cross-play and transfer of saved data between Xbox and Windows 10/11.
The New Era established in Mortal Kombat 1 has seen many classic characters from the series evolve in new and interesting ways. Resetting the Mortal Kombat Universe allowed us to experiment with their narratives to sharpen relationships, increase connections, and heighten conflicts. We’re taking characters in bold new directions while also honoring their pasts.
Before we dive into the backstory of Takeda joining the Mortal Kombat 1 roster, let’s take a first look at his Brutality finishing move.
When the team decided that Takeda Takahashi should join the roster of Mortal Kombat 1, we were faced with an intriguing narrative challenge: How do we make a character, who was previously a second generation kombatant, a peer of his immediate ancestors? We chose to alter Takeda’s history to root him firmly in the New Era’s present day.
Mortal Kombat 1 introduces reimagined versions of iconic characters in a way that as they’ve never been seen before, and in this New Era created by Fire God Liu Kang, Takeda is Kenshi Takahashi’s cousin, not his son. As a fellow Takahashi, he has also served the Yakuza. As a fellow hero, he also eventually chooses to reject them. But that doesn’t mean that he and Kenshi are thick as thieves. As was the case in the prior Mortal Kombat era, the two men have different agendas which bring them into conflict. Where Kenshi’s sole focus is extracting his family from the Yakuza’s embrace, Takeda seeks its destruction as well as the destruction of Earthrealm’s entire underworld. Kenshi is no fan of Takeda’s larger and deadlier agenda.
Even with these changes, Takeda’s backstory still retains key narrative elements from its prior iteration. As before, Takeda spends significant time living among the Shirai Ryu. He trains with Scorpion, blending the latter’s Shirai Ryu technique with his own style of kombat.
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As we began writing Takeda’s scripts, we realized that his world needed to be more deeply integrated with that of his fellow kombatants. To do so, we brought the criminal Red Dragon clan into the mix. They make their first appearance in the New Era as the shadowy bosses responsible for all of Earthrealm’s and Outworld’s organized crime.
Takeda Takahashi will be available on July 23 as part of the early access period for Mortal Kombat 1 Kombat Pack owners on PlayStation 5, followed by wide availability on July 30. Additionally, Takeda will be playable for the first time ahead of his release at the Evolution Championship Series (Evo) fighting game tournament in Las Vegas from July 19 to 21. This opportunity will be available exclusively for event attendees and located within the Mortal Kombat 1 booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall.
We’ve had a glut of articles about gloomier video games on here today, Rachel’s bright and breezy Dungeons Of Hinterberg review notwithstanding. Tomorrow, I promise, it’ll be wall-to-wall wholesome life sims, pastel petals and hug emojis as far as the eye can see. But before then, a quick piece on well-received DreadXP-published horror sim The Mortuary Assistant, which will shortly be updated with an “endless embalming-only mode” that strips out the game’s supernatural scares and turns it into a very downbeat job sim.
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