In another story of a niche publisher taking on a heavy labor of love to localize a hit JRPG to the North American masses, Xseed Games brings us Unchained Blades from FuRyu. A collaborative effort of Japanese game development’s A-list talent, the game's creators include Takashi Hino of Grandia fame, and Toshio Akashi, known for his work on the Lunar series. Even Nobuo Uematsu himself contributed some hot licks for the soundtrack.
All things considered, Unchained Blades is still an assumptive write-off among other by-the-numbers JRPGs destined to be overlooked. But upon further inspection, Unchained Blades breaks most of those expectations and delivers some real hope that the genre has plenty of life left in it.
Polygon: "Unchained Blades doesn't care about you. This tough-as-nails dungeon crawler isn't looking for respect, and it sure as hell isn't going to respect you."
GR: "One way to kill a JRPG buzz is with another JRPG.
"That became clear to me somewhere around hour 20 of Unchained Blades. With a thirst brought on by the summery, intense, mysterious Persona 4 Golden, I dove into Unchained Blades hoping to find the same kind of catharsis. 75 hours of one JRPG means I'm ready for another, right?
"You don't play that much of a game without having some inner desire to conquer a mountain… or in this case a dungeon. Unchained Blades is another Japanese dungeon crawler but in a decidedly different vein. Are all JRPGs created equal or did my patience wear thin?"
Bosscast: Having spent time on the CES show floor, Jason gives us the first-hand scoop on Project S.H.I.E.L.D. and Xi3′s ‘Steam Box’. We then get into games we’ve been playing, which include Dark Souls, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, Unchained Blades, ZombiU, the God of War: Ascension beta, and Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed. Before calling it a night, we discuss the gaming outlook for 2013 and wildly speculate on what the next consoles from Microsoft and Sony will be like.
Curious, name some new games that have hit the PSP or 3DS this month....Name five releases. Again, it doesn't break new ground but it refines what's good to fine polished point. I enjoyed it, give it a go.