Ghostlight Blog
Thu, 22nd May 2014 | Posted by Ross
When we first spoke about bringing JRPGs to Steam, one of the things we were excited about was that if JRPGs were successful for us, we might get the opportunity to bring over games that had never been released outside of Japan before. Well, I’m pleased to say that we’re now starting to make good on that opportunity.
That’s because later this year we’ll be bringing the classic Japanese dungeon crawler, Elminage Gothic, to PC. Elminage Gothic, originally known as Elminage Gothic: Ulm Zakir to Yami no Gishik, is the 4th entry in Starfish SD’s popular Elminage series of dungeon crawlers, originally released in Japan for PSP in 2012 and on 3DS in 2013.
Some of you might remember the original Elminage game, which we released in Europe last year on PSP. The game is currently available on PSN but the boxed release was a highly exclusive offering, with one of the smallest, if not the smallest, PSP print runs ever. Only 300 very special limited edition physical copies were ever manufactured!
For those of you who enjoyed it, I’m pleased to say that Elminage Gothic offers the same classic old school dungeon crawling experience but adds a darker, more gothic twist to the game’s theme and art style. It features multiple character classes, hundreds of stunningly designed monsters, creatures and demons, well over 80 hours of gameplay and it even goes right down to including the traditional “THAC0” system (which certainly takes me back!) If you’re like me, then I’m sure you’ll agree that there’s a definitely a simple pleasure in delving deep into dungeons searching for hidden treasures and slaying monsters! :)
Plus, if you’re a fan of the incredibly popular Wizardry series of dungeon crawlers, you’ll be pleased to hear that Elminage Gothic is very reminiscent of those Wizardry titles. It’s not surprising really, given that the development team at Starfish were also behind the Wizardry Empire games (the last of which, Wizardry Empire III: Haō no Keifu, released on PSP in Japan in 2007, just a year before the release of the first Elminage game on PS2).
“So when can I buy it?” I hear you ask, well, I don’t have details of pricing and release date just yet as the team are still working hard on the PC port but I hear that we’re aiming at a late summer release. The team are still in the early stages of the translation and conversion process so please bear in mind that the content of these screenshots may be subject to change over the coming weeks! :) We’re working closely with the team at Starfish SD to offer increased resolution of the original artwork as well as a host of additions for the Steam release including mouse and keyboard support and of course Steam Trading Cards. I’ll have more details for you in the coming weeks.
For now though, I suggest you ready your best dungeoneering gear and prepare to join Ghostlight in exploring the dungeons of Elminage Gothic later this year!
More on Elminage Gothic
In the far-off realm of Ishmag, King Jardin has ushered in an age of peace. At least that is, until foul and hideous creatures begin emerging from the deep, treacherous caves of Tsun-Kurn and dark rumours of a rising evil begin to creep across the peaceful lands. It is up to you to arm yourself and descend into the depths of Tsun-Kurn in an attempt to put an end to the ever growing darkness and save your kingdom.
I’ll be back next week, 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.
Tue, 20th May 2014 | Posted by Ross
Hi everyone. We’ve got lots of Agarest news for you all today. First of all I’m pleased to inform you that both Agarest: Generations of War and Agarest: Generations of War Zero are now on sale on Steam. Agarest Zero is receiving a mighty 33% discount ($13.99 / £10.04 / 13,39€) and can be picked up from here while Agarest: Generations of War is receiving an incredible 66% discount ($5.09 / £3.73 / 5,09€) and is available from here.
It might come as little surprise to you , but while I’m on the subject of Agarest I’m very pleased to confirm that we will be releasing Agarest: Generations of War 2 on Steam later this year. This sequel to the bestselling original game introduces a whole new battle system as well as a raft of other features.
Once again we will be using the team over at Laughing Jackal to port this popular console JRPG to PC.
Now, as some of you may have noticed, Agarest 2 is not a dungeon crawler and has been released in the West :). So, those of you looking forward to finding out which dungeon crawler we’re bringing to Steam (as discussed in my previous blog) will be pleased to know that this announcement is still due to come on Thursday. So do keep your eye on the blog.
More on Agarest: Generations of War 2
THE THIRD INSTALMENT IN THE THRILLING AGAREST SERIES!
One day, the world was enveloped by a mysterious blinding light causing terrible destruction. The central continent, from where the light is believed to have originated, fell silent whilst demons began to spread throughout the world like a plague.
Sometime afterwards, a young man by the name of Weiss, suffering from amnesia, encounters the enigmatic Eva, from whom Weiss learns that he has committed the grievous sin of deicide. In order to atone for his crime, he must become the "Vessel" in which the power of the divinity he slaughtered will be stored. For it will be that power which will be used to resurrect the one whose life he stole.
For those who betray the divine will pay for their sins in the space which separates salvation and damnation, as will their progeny...
Revamped Battle System: Unlike the first two games of the series, Agarest 2 battles are fought with an engaging active grid-based battle system.
HD graphics: Enjoy your favourite characters, environments and CGs in high-definition!
Mini-games: Engage in Bathtub, Shiatsu and Massage mini-games.
New Agarest Universe: Roam freely in the newly designed Agarest Universe
I’ll be back next week, 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.
Thu, 15th May 2014 | Posted by Ross
Following on from the success of the first DLC bundle for Agarest: Generations of War Zero, I’m pleased to announce that the second bundle will be released this evening. As before, this will happen at roughly 6pm BST, although please do be aware this is a rough estimate and the actual timing may vary. :) Once the DLC bundle does go live you’ll be able to order it from Agarest Zero’s Steam Store page, here.
The second bundle features the following items of DLC: Chaotic War Pack, The L Family Pack & Extra Points Pack 4 and will be priced at just £3.99. This represents a saving of just over 30% off the original price of £7.17 that it would cost to buy these packs individually on console.
As many of you have been asking about our release schedule for the Agarest Zero DLC I thought I’d let you all know that we’re aiming to put up a DLC bundle every two weeks until all the bundles have been released.
So far we’re happy with how the bundle system we’re using for the Agarest Zero DLC has been working, but if you have any comments on it or on the release schedule I outlined above please do let us know.
Moving on to SMT: Digital Devil Saga I and II for PSN – if you remember last week I mentioned we were looking into these titles again following the recent release of SMT: Nocturne on the North American PSN Store. Well, earlier today I learned that following some discussions with Sony, they are investigating whether the two Digital Devil Saga titles will work with the latest version of the PS2 emulator. This process is likely to take a few weeks but we’re keeping our fingers crossed in the hope that all goes well. Whatever happens, I’ll be sure to let you all know as soon as I hear anything.
Finally, some of you may remember talk of a new Japanese dungeon crawler that we’re in the process of bringing to PC, via Steam :) Well, with everything now finalised I’ll be able to reveal which one it is in next week’s blog. The game itself has never had a western release before, so we’re rather excited about it! :)
I’ll be back next week, 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.