Ghostlight Blog

The Lost Dimension DLC Bundles

Hi Everyone. I've been busy handing out DLC codes to the Lost Dimension beta testers this past week so that they can check everything's working as expected.  While I was doing this, it occurred to me that I hadn't told you how we would be handling the DLC yet.

Since there's quite a lot of individual items to get your teeth in to, we've decided that rather than making it all available individually, we will be packing the items into bite sized bundles.  While prices for the DLC have not yet been confirmed, we are planning to offer you significant savings on the cost of the DLC over the console version of the game.

Since there's a lot to get through, I'll go straight to the DLC bundles themselves:

Phew!  Like I said, there's certainly a lot of DLC available with Lost Dimension, so hopefully bundling the DLC in packs will make it all a little easier to manage and of course far more cost effective for you all :)  That said, please do let us know if you have any comments that you'd like to share with us about the DLC.  Next week I should be able to share release and pricing details with you all so keep watching this space!

Before I go, since we mentioned in last week's blog that we were working on a PC port of a JRPG for another Western Publisher, lots of you have been asking which game it was.  I can't share too many details, but I am incredibly excited to be able to say that we're working with our good friends at Aksys on the English PC port of the mighty Tokyo Xanadu eX+!  Understandably, I can't wait to help out on testing that one :)

That’s all for now. I’ll be back soon with more news from Ghostlight, but until then why not follow us on our Twitter and Facebook pages, our Youtube Channel and our  Google + account, where we’ll be posting all the latest news from Ghostlight.  You can also follow me on Twitter for a more personal take on all things Ghostlight.

(Blog written by Ghostlight Ltd.)

An update on Lost Dimension

Hi everyone. I hope you've been enjoying Al's blogs on the mighty Lost Dimension from our good friends at FURYU Corporation.  I certainly have, and not just because someone else has been writing them! :)  Since we've had quite a few blogs talking about the various mechanics and characters in the game, I thought that this week I'd give you an update on where we are with the development of Lost Dimension and also provide a brief update on the other game we're working on, Idea Factory's brilliant JRPG, Omega Quintet.

We started the Lost Dimension closed beta slightly over a month ago and once again our group of beta testers have been a massive help to us.  We're currently working on fixing the very few remaining bugs, so a huge thank you goes out to everyone who has helped us along the way.  We really do appreciate it :).  At the moment we're waiting for feedback from a middleware supplier who is kindly updating their software in order to help us solve a few of the remaining issues as we move the game from console to PC.  Once we have the updated middleware, it will fix most of the lingering issues and at that point we will be very close to release, so please keep your eyes peeled for more information on a release date for Lost Dimension soon.

We haven't been idle while waiting for this new version of the middleware though.  Not only have we integrated higher res artwork than the original console version, but we very recently added the ability to assign multiple skill points at once.  While handy during your first playthrough, this is a real lifesaver when starting a New Game +. :)

Finally, as mentioned in a previous blog, we are unable to use the title music featured in the opening movie sequence of the console version of the game.  Unfortunately that particular piece of music has not been made available for worldwide use on PC due to some fairly complex licensing issues.  However, I'm pleased to say that with the help of FURYU Corporation, we now have a new track for the opening movie sequence; one which fits the opening video sequence so well that suspicions were raised in the office that it was originally created for that purpose.  While there is a lingering disappointment that I was unable to persuade anyone in the office that Viking Metal would have been the perfect accompaniment, this does seem like a very good solution to this problem.  Sadly, it does mean you may have to go elsewhere for your Amon Amarth fix. :)

It's been a while since we talked about Omega Quintet, but after announcing the game, the feedback we received was really positive! As an update, I'm pleased to say that the port is going extremely well.  Our lead programmer is busily working on rewriting the libraries, which is probably the most complex part of the process.  We're currently still expecting to put Omega Quintet out on Steam in late 2017, so watch this space for more news in the coming weeks.

© 2017 IDEA FACTORY/COMPILE HEART. All rights reserved. Omega Quintet™ is a trademark of Idea Factory.  Licensed to and published by Ghostlight Ltd.

We are also working on localising some of our JRPGs in to Traditional Chinese, which is very exciting for us.  Working on new language versions of our games is always a nice change of pace for the team, even if working in a language you are not familiar with has its challenges.  Happily most of the testing is handled by our partners in Taiwan, but I always take a close look at the games to make sure that everything is as it should be.

We're also going to be working on a new PC port of a JRPG for a Western publisher.  I can't really go into too much detail at this stage, but on a personal level I am really excited to get the chance to work on this one!

That’s all for now. I’ll be back soon with more news from Ghostlight, but until then why not follow us on our Twitter and Facebook pages, our Youtube Channel and our  Google + account, where we’ll be posting all the latest news from Ghostlight. You can also follow me on Twitter for a more personal take on all things Ghostlight.

(Blog written by Ghostlight Ltd.)

The 5 best things about Lost Dimension

Hi everyone,

This week we’re getting closer than ever to a Steam release of Lost Dimension. Just a few middleware-related issues are between us and the finish line, so those of you who are excited for the game can feel justified in getting even more excited in the coming weeks. :)

So far in this series of blog posts on the game I’ve broken down all the characters, the vision system and the battle system in general terms. So, this week I thought I’d try and round everything up and give you my Top 5 favourite things about Lost Dimension. So, without further ado, here goes!

1)      Treacherous Traitors!

Probably the best-known feature in Lost Dimension and clearly one of its coolest aspects is the traitor system. On every floor of The End’s otherworldly tower you’ll have to figure out which of the people in your party is the traitor. To begin with you’ve no idea who it is, but by mixing and matching your party in battle and listening to the voice that Sho hears in the post-battle Vision sequence, you can use the process of elimination, a handy colouration scheme and your own logic to discern the villain.

If you’ve got to this point, you’d better hope you picked the correct traitor.

You can read more about this in my previous post on the subject but needless to say it’s a standout feature. The best part is that for every playthrough after your first, the traitor on each floor is randomised, so you’ll never get comfortable with a fixed party. Heck, it doesn’t even matter if you erase the right person or not, the game rolls with it and you must carry on regardless!

2)      Deferring Deadliness

Seeing as I was just talking about how I love being sort-of-forced to use the other characters, now’s a good time to talk about deferring. Not only are you free to defer to another character you’ve already used to give them a second turn, but once you have the proper Materia, you can also gain a one-off usage of what I call ‘Crossover-Materia’ gifts.

Another day, another defer.

These are the gifts that you can only use in regular battle once a character has been Erased in the Judgment room and you’ve given their Materia to a compatible character. However, by deferring to the compatible character you can use crossover Materia Gifts for that turn only, getting access to powerful techniques you’d normally be unable to use.

3)      Mix n’ Match Materia

Again, the previous point touches on this, but in general I love how levelling up your Gifts gains access to extra Materia as you progress through the game and that how – once the traitorous characters have been erased – those Materia aren’t lost forever. Simply use the Gifts menu and you can transfer your erased characters’ Materia to their teammates, often gaining powerful new crossover Gifts in the process.

Here you can see Yoko making use of one of Agito’s Materia skills. Nice knife!

Even if you don’t gain any brand-new gifts, you can use vacant Materia to give all a character’s basic gifts to any other teammate, creating powerful new character builds in the process. Want your tank to be able to walk through walls? Give a couple of Agito’s Materia to Marco and voila, you got your wish! Wish that Mana was a bit more mobile? Give her some of Nagi’s Materia and she’ll be zipping to the top of ledges in an instant!

4)      Rewarding Storyline

On my first playthrough through of Lost Dimension I found the story very intriguing, but admittedly also a little confusing. I was unable to reconcile a few points like fully understanding The End’s motivations and why nobody really knew anyone else. All I can say is, that once I got all the characters’ trust in Sho to maximum, I fully grasped the story and my initial puzzlement was more than paid off.

I like baddies who look like baddies. And this guy is definitely bad.

I can’t really say a lot about this one (for obvious reasons!) but the way the true ending ties everything together was really rewarding and I also enjoyed finding the secret case files on my second (and even third!) times through the game. The DLC missions available are also a great way to get more info on things, although the game resolves things perfectly well on its own, if you’re not inclined to double-dip. :)

5)      Tampering with the Turn Order

The last in my top 5 favourite things, and probably also my favourite-est! ;D I simply LOVE the flexibility Lost Dimension gives you to exploit turn-based combat in general. Assist attacks where you mob a tougher enemy and use the whole team to take it down in a single turn are just soooooo satisfying.

Another of Sho’s skills that passively messes with turn order is Premonition, which stops an enemy’s turn in its tracks. Win!

I can also praise how deferring to gain extra turns for your favourite characters, or those with strategic roles on some maps (hello Nagi and Agito!) always makes you feel like a genius strategist. But my favourite thing in terms of messing with the turn order is Sho’s highly-expensive but totally awesome ‘Daydream’ gift. Cast this, and as soon as your turn ends, it magically begins all over again. For the WHOLE team. Yeah, that’s amazing!

So, those are my favourite things about Lost Dimension. If you’re lucky enough to have played the game before in its PS3 or Vita incarnations, what are your favourite aspects of the game? Why not let us know in the comments below? :)

That’s it for this week but we’ll be back next week with more info on Lost Dimension and other Ghostlight stuff. Until then, have a great week! ^_^

(Blog written by Ghostlight Ltd.)