What do you get when you cross Monster Hunter with the Dungeon Master series and The Wizard of Oz? You get Unchained Blades! This latest PlayStation Portable game from XSEED brings some classic flavor to the JRPG genre. But is it compelling enough to get fans on this side of the pond to wipe the dust off of their PSP once again?
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.
