New Releases: July 18th-24th, 2019

From Team Ninja’s Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Date-A-Live: Rio Reincarnation’s collection trio of visual novel/dating sims, and Etherborn’s gravity-shifting puzzles, this week offers plenty of notable new releases. For those hoping to save a bit of coin, not only does Growtopia offer a free-to-play proposition, but the demo of Kill la Kill – IF arrives on Switch ahead of next week’s release. Expect some Satsuki Kiryuin artwork no matter what Matt says.

Header image: Date-A-Live: Rio Reincarnation, PS4 and PC

PlayStation 4
Date-A-Live: Rio Reincarnation (physical and digital, $49.99)
Etherborn (digital, $16.99)
Gabbuchi (digital, $7.99)
Growtopia (digital, free to play)
Redeemer: Enhanced Edition (physical and digital, $29.99)
Telefrag VR (digital, $24.99)

Switch
Adrenaline Rush – Miami Drive (digital, $2.99)
Alien Escape (digital, $4.99)
Arcade Archives: Shusse Ozumo (digital, $7.99)
Archlion Saga (digital, $3.49)
Astro Bears (digital, $6.99)
Automachef (digital, $14.99)
Battle & Crash (digital, $4.99)
Battleship (digital, $17.99)
Bot Vice (digital, $7.99)
Bubble Cats Rescue (digital, $2.99)
Desktop Table Tennis (digital, $7.99)
Etherborn (digital, $16.99)
High Noon Revolver (digital, $2.39)
Jim Is Moving Out! (digital, $11.99)
JumpHead: Battle4Fun! (digital, $8.99)
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (physical and digital, $59.99)
Mini Trains (digital, $5.99)
Mochi Mochi Boy (digital, $4.99)
Pawarumi (digital, $14.99)
Quest Hunter (digital, $16.99)
Redeemer: Enhanced Edition (digital, $29.99)
Rise: Race the Future (digital, $16.49)
Run the Fan (digital, $2.79)
Switchy Road (digital, $4.99)
Tarot Readings Premium (digital, $8.99)
The Drama Queen Murder (digital, $9.99)

Xbox One
Etherborn (digital, $16.99)
Growtopia (digital, free to play)
Welcome to Hanwell (digital, $14.99)

3DS
Pinball Breakout 3 (digital, $6.99)

PC
Automachef ($TBA)
Café Crush ($TBA)
Chibi Volleyball ($TBA)
Custom Order Maid 3D2 It’s a Night Magic
Date-A-Live: Rio Reincarnation ($39.99)
Touhou Fantasia ($TBA)
Night Sing ($TBA)
Swords & Souls: Neverseen ($TBA)
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus – Heretek (DLC, $TBA)

Robert’s Pick: While I’m looking forward to Team’s Ninja’s take on Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, “the most important thing” this week is Date-A-Live: Rio Reincarnation. Bundling three VNs (Date A Live: Rinne Utopia, Date A Live: Arusu Install, and Date A Live Twin Edition: Rio Reincarnation), the Compile Heart and Sting-developed anthology centers around the exploits of an everyman named Shido Itsuka.

After a series of natural disasters referred to as ‘spacequakes’ rock the metropolitan area, Shido encounters a girl at the epicenter. Together with his adoptive sister Kotori (who moonlights for a shadowy organization), they characters discover that the destructive tremors are triggered when a spirit materializes into the real world. Fortunately, Shido can seal a spirit’s power, but he must make the entity fall in love and kiss him first.

Yes, it’s all magnificently eccentric, blending fairy tale-esque elements with dating sim elements. But that’s Date-A-Live’s charm, which becomes increasingly quirky and thoughtful as the franchise moves along. Kudos for Idea Factory International for bring these novels stateside. I just hope it sells well enough to warrant a localization of the fourth game, Date A Live: Ren Dystopia, which comes out in Japan today.

Matt’s Pick (Editor, DigitallyDownloaded): There is absolutely no contest whatsoever this week: Date-A-Live: Rio Reincarnation is essential for anyone that likes their visual novels, fanservice, or just plain likes a good story. On the most basic level it’s a package of three visual novels, which is a LOT of game to play, but that would be for nothing if it wasn’t good, and Date A Live is very, very good.

Blending romantic comedy, slice of life, science fiction, and a dash of Shinto spirituality, Date A Live doesn’t try to be a life-changing work of dense art. What it does try to be, however, is a bright, charming, personable game, with a cast of adorable girls to woo, backed by the endlessly beautiful art and fanservice of Tsunako. I could stare at her character designs for hours, and with Date A Live, we see Tsunako at her very best.  Most importantly of all, if you play Date A Live, you get to get to know Tohka. And Tohka is right up there with Hatsune Miku and Risette and Marie Rose as the most adorable anime girl ever created. And yes, Robert, that is my way of suggesting the header image for this week.

Ryan’s Pick: Multiple Dates. Multiple Outcomes. M-Rating. Sign me up for Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation, and vote yes for this to be the header image for this week! For visual novel games, there are some really core elements that make for a really enjoyable experience. The cohesiveness and attention to detail of the art, the background(s), the animation (if any) with the character bust ups, voicing (if any), music, and number of characters will all determine what type of experience you will get as a player. Date-A-Live: Rio Reincarnation really nails all of these core facets and is a solid choice for any fan or newcomer.

The sheer amount of content alone should entice VN-goers to try and pick this up, whether it’s on PS4 or Steam. There are eleven characters, with over 150 dating events, so that should keep most players busy trying to unlock their favorite character’s true ending. The M rating for VNs that are rated for ESRB usually are a pretty easy tell that there will be some fan-service involved. Many dates and tough decisions are waiting for our old pal Shido, so make sure to bring your A game and get those flags!