Square Enix Test Play Report!　Big titles such as the open world RPG "FORSPOKEN" and the action game "Valkyrie Elysian"! Tokyo Game Show 2022 Special Edition

The Tokyo Game Show 2022 is being held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture from September 15 to 18, 2022. This was the first time in three years that the show was held locally since the venue went online due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection. The show has been bustling since the first day with exhibits from various game manufacturers, both large and small.

In this report, we picked up "Star Ocean 6 THE DIVINE FORCE," "FORSPOKEN," and "Valkyrie Elysium" from among the titles available for test play at the Square Enix booth. Here are the play reports for each. Please note that each title is a test version, so there is a possibility that some parts may be different from the full version.

Star Ocean 6 THE DIVINE FORCE

This is the latest title in the "Star Ocean" series that began in 1996. The storyline is split between Raymond, a young man from Beguardo, a planet not belonging to the Galactic Federation, and Leticia, a princess of the Kingdom of Auxidius, depending on which one you choose at the start of the story. The storyline will diverge depending on which character you choose at the start of the story, and the characters who will join you will also change.

In this trial, we first had to choose between two saved data. The first is the data from the beginning of the story, which contains the content of the story and the basics of combat, while the second is the data that allows you to play freely while equipped with the "DUMA" (to be described later). As this was my first experience with the "Star Ocean" series, I chose the first one.

The objective of this data is to reach the destination while controlling Raymond, Laetitia, and Abelardo, and you can learn a tutorial along the way. The game uses a symbol-encountered system, so if an enemy is nearby, the player is plunged into battle. The direction is seamless, so you will fight the enemy as soon as you come in contact with him. During our several dozen minutes of trial playing, we did not feel any stress from the loading time.

The "AP" is an essential part of the game's action. The □, △, and ○ buttons each have their own special attack moves, and by simply hitting them repeatedly, a combo can be created. In addition, holding down the same button for a long time will also lead to a different move. As you can see, the controls are relatively simple.

However, these attack techniques require AP, which is capped at a certain amount, and if it is not enough, the player cannot use the technique at all until it is restored. In fact, in many cases, the player would run into an enemy, only to run out of AP and be hit by a counterattack, so it is fair to say that the ability to manage AP will determine the outcome of the battle.

The tempo seemed a bit slow at first, as the player had to repeat the process of stopping the attack and waiting for the AP to recover after deciding on a combo. However, when a new element called "DUMA" is introduced, the pace of the game suddenly increases.

DUMA is like a machine that assists the player, and instead of consuming the "VA Gauge," it can use a variety of techniques, including the "VA Attack," which rushes toward the enemy. The VA Attack is an important action in this work. The "blind side" is triggered by changing course while lunging, getting out of the enemy's sight, and exploiting the resulting gap in the enemy's view. If successful, the enemy will be immobilized for a certain period of time, and the amount of damage inflicted will increase, with a maximum AP increase of 10 or more.

While the above advantages are great, I personally find the exhilaration of mastering the blind side to be very appealing. Attacking from high-speed movement gives a sense of speed and makes battles more exciting. Not only is it cool, but it also has game benefits such as neutralizing enemies and increasing the amount of damage you can inflict, so it's nice to be able to use it without worrying.

DUMA is also useful outside of battle. It can be used to move to high walls or remote locations, and scanning the surroundings will detect nearby treasure chests. Since the fields in this work are vast, DUMA will come in handy when collecting materials or exterminating monsters.

DUMA is the core of the game, both in battle and in the field, and the key to the game will be how well you can use DUMA. The author played the early stages of the game, so it will be interesting to see how battles and exploration using DUMA will expand the enjoyment of the game in the future.

FORSPOKEN

FORSPOKEN" is an open-world action RPG in which the main character, Frey Holland, has been transported from New York to the mysterious world of "Arcia," and with the help of his magical bracelet "Cuff," sets out on a journey to find clues that will help him return to his original world. This title was created by the development team of "Final Fantasy XV," and the open-world worldview and other aspects of the game show the similarities between the two titles.

The most enjoyable part of the game was the "magic parkour," which is triggered by moving while pressing the B button (based on the Xbox gamepad). When activated, not only can you move at high speed, but you can also automatically overcome bumps. The ability to move smoothly from place to place seems to reduce the stress of moving long distances, which is often a bottleneck in open-world games.

While using parkour, stamina is consumed, but the recovery rate is quite fast, so there is no need to use it sparingly. It would be okay to be enthusiastic about using parkour all the time while moving.

Pressing the B button again while parkouring allows you to jump, so you will not be stopped even when there is a difference in elevation that cannot be overcome with a single jump.
Also, although it is known only from the scope of the test playground, it is safe even if you fall from a high place, as there is probably no falling to your death. This was a welcome gesture, as there are many places in the field where the difference in elevation is extreme, and during the trial run, I sometimes made mistakes in parkour operation.

Frey's weapon is magic. There are various types of magic weapons, such as shooting rocks like bullets, throwing spears of flame at enemies, and trapping enemies in walls of flame, and the player switches between them in real time during battle. Each type of magic has a different range and compatibility with the enemy, so it is important to use different types of magic depending on the situation, rather than using a specific type all the time.

Magic is basically divided into offensive and supportive types. I played the PC version of the game, and with the controller provided, the right trigger was for offensive magic, and the left trigger was for support magic. The left and right functions are clearly separated, making the controls easy to feel, and I was able to get used to them within a few minutes of starting to play.

Another important point is that there is no concept of defense in the battles of this game. In other words, you have no choice but to avoid your opponent's attacks, but while using magic parkour, you can automatically avoid them. When touching an enemy during parkour, the flay will jump up, and if magic is used at this time, the technique will change. The technique changes when magic is used at this time, and it is derived from a motion as if it were slashing from above. When approaching an opponent whose strength has been reduced to a certain degree, a one-hit-kill technique can be used, so magic parkour, which allows you to move around at high speed, is very useful in battle.

The more one uses parkour, the more one is amazed at the smoothness of its movements. When jumping up over an opponent's head, when unleashing a finishing blow, or when climbing over an obstacle, each movement is seamless. It was also impressive that there was no game-like behavior, such as canceling the previous move.

Although we were not able to delve too deeply into the game during our test play, it seems that there are multiple cloaks and bracelets used by Frey, which can be enhanced to improve his status. The visual presentation of the game is also a key point. The game is very visually appealing, with burning flames, flying particles, and backgrounds refracted through water, all of which take advantage of the high spec environment of the PS5 and PC.

The enjoyment of magic parkour, which can be used for both battle and movement, and the fantasy-inspired combat using magic were of a quality that showed the high development capabilities of the team that created "FFXV" in the past. As a game that can only be made for the latest hardware, we look forward to more information on this game in the future.

Valkyrie Elysium

This is the latest title in the "Valkyrie" series, which has enjoyed strong popularity since the first title was released on PlayStation. The setting is the world of Norse mythology. The world is on the verge of destruction due to the inevitable fate of "Ragnarok. Valkyrie, entrusted with the fate of the world by Odin, the main god, sets out on a journey to save the world as an "Apostle of Salvation.

In this trial version, we were able to play only the beginning of the game, starting with a tutorial where we could learn the basics of battles, and ending with a battle against a giant who seems to be a boss. In general, the focus was on battles.
This is the first action RPG in the "Valkyrie" series, and the main elements are combo attacks on the ground and in the air, magic, and "ein feria".

The weak attack can be launched by pressing the □ button, and the strong attack can be launched by pressing the △ button. It is important to choose the right combo depending on the situation and the enemy. In addition to blasting the opponent with a powerful blow, you can also launch the opponent up and derive an aerial combo, giving you many options for fighting. However, the controls themselves are fairly easy, as attacks can basically be performed using only the □ and △ buttons. Simply hitting the buttons in rapid succession is sufficient for a good fight.

The "Combo Gauge" rises as you attack the enemy. If the combo is continued, the "Arts Gauge" will build up, and powerful attacks called "Divine Arts" can be launched. It is unknown how many different types of Divine Arts there are, but the one we were able to experience this time was one that attacks distant enemies with lightning.

Divine Arts have attributes, and each enemy has a kind of gauge corresponding to its attribute. When this gauge is built up to a certain level, the enemy goes down and the player has a chance to fold it up. The player can proceed smoothly in battles with enemies if he or she is aware of the following flow of events: hitting combos to accumulate combo gauges, using the accumulated gauges to use Divine Arts, and launching a series of attacks after the opponent is downed.
This Divine Arts is especially important in battles against bosses with a lot of HP, creating opportunities to aim for multiple downs in a single battle. Fighting with an awareness of the compatibility of attributes will be the crux of this work.

Along with the Divine Arts, the Einferior is also important. This is a technique that summons the souls of superior warriors to fight together, and consumes a "Soul Gauge" separate from the Combo Gauge.
The two players who were able to use it in the demo version were a swordsman and a bowman. When summoned, the swordsman rushes toward the target the player has locked onto. The swordsman uses his long sword to slay the enemy. The bowman attacks the enemy from a distance with his bow. In addition, they could be seen fighting with a dagger-like object when approaching an enemy.

Einferior is ready to use immediately, so it does not create any gaps such as long chanting or command input. It can be used in a variety of ways depending on the warrior, such as mixing it with combo attacks to increase the number of moves, or using it when fleeing to slow down the enemy. Warriors who use Einfeier also have attributes, so when combined with Divine Arts, it is easier to take down enemies.

The Soul Gauge required to use the Einfeier is recovered by obtaining "Blue Souls" dropped by defeated enemies. Therefore, it is not possible to use it as much as one wants, but at least in this trial, I was able to use the Einfeier whenever I wanted to and did not have to worry about how much soul gauge I had left. If the difficulty level is increased, a different approach may be required.

A demo version of "Valkyrie Elysium" is currently available for PS5 and PS4. If you are interested in the game, please try it at home.