Xblaze: Lost Memories
| Xblaze: Lost Memories | |
|---|---|
|
North American PlayStation Vita cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Arc System Works |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Composer(s) | Kikuo |
| Series | BlazBlue |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows |
| Release |
Microsoft Windows
|
| Genre(s) | Visual novel |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Xblaze: Lost Memories (エクスブレイズ ロスト：メモリーズ EkusuBureizu Rosuto: Memorīzu) is a sequel to the 2013 visual novel Xblaze Code: Embryo developed by Arc System Works.[2] It was released in Japan for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita on April 9, 2015,[3] in North America on August 11, 2015[4] and in Europe on June 21, 2016 by Aksys Games. The Microsoft Windows's version was released worldwide on August 11, 2016.
Synopsis
The protagonist, "Me", lives on the outskirts of the city of Ishana with her little sister in idyllic peace. However, that peace is shattered when "Me’s" sister disappears without a trace.
As panic begins to take a hold, "Me" starts running through increasingly more horrible scenarios in her mind: was she kidnapped? Or is her father, who performed dangerous experiments on his wife and eldest daughter, somehow behind it all? Rushing to her father’s workshop only served to confirm her fears, as the same strange azure light that appeared when her mother died was leaking once again through the cracks of the door...
After a single deep breath, "Me" opens the door and then wakes up without her memories in the "Phantom Field", a strange parallel world inhabited by a single person, the mysterious girl "Nobody". It is from this point that the protagonist begins her quest to find her sister, her memories, and uncover the origin of the Phantom Field.[5]
Gameplay
The protagonist unintentionally wanders into a mysterious alternate world known as the "Phantom Field" while searching for her missing sister. The Phantom Field is a strange place full of shifting pathways and traps to snare the unwary. Strange crystalline objects known as “Memory Fragments” are strewn throughout this place. In order to move on to the deeper levels of the field, players will have to find and gather these mysterious artifacts. Once you have gathered a certain number of Memory Fragments and make your way to the end of the level you’re on, Nobody will appear to quiz you on what you’ve learned.
Main Characters
All characters from Code: Embryo return in Lost Memories. In addition, the following characters are introduced:
- Me, One of the major protagonists of the game. While searching for her missing sister she was engulfed in a brilliant blue light and was transported to the Phantom Field, where she met the enigmatic girl “Nobody”. She harbors a fierce resentment towards her father for his experiments on her mother as well as herself.[6]
- Nobody, The sole occupant of the mysterious Phantom Field. As the concept of time doesn’t seem to exist in that place, she could’ve been there for five seconds or five thousand years. She loves thinking up riddles.[6] She is Es after falling into despair after Touya and her friends were killed by Freaks.
- Little Sister, The precocious younger sister of the protagonist “Me”. Always cheerful and upbeat, she idolizes her older sister and wants nothing more than to be just like her when she grows up. Unfortunately, her zealous desire to help often gets her into trouble and on her sister’s nerves.[6]
- Kiri, A remarkable-looking young man who suffers from amnesia. He is somewhat skittish and high-strung, but is generally a peaceful person with strong opinions about what is right and wrong. Other than his name, he knows absolutely nothing about himself. He hates being touched. Is never seen without his prized cat plushie.[6] He is actually Ripper's corpse brought back to life with a new, kinder personality.
- Brain Cat/Freaks, The quasi-official mascot of Xblaze: Lost Memories. The plushie that Ripper carried around with him. Is somehow able to speak, but it is unknown just how it gained this ability.[6] It's eventually revealed that Brain Cat is actually Ripper's soul housing it after the mage's guild revived his body as Kiri and eventually re-fuses with Kiri to become Freaks the main villain of the game.
Reception
It has a score of 63% on Metacritic.[7] PlayStation LifeStyle awarded it a score of 7.5 out of 10, saying "XBlaze Lost: Memories is a huge step in the right direction for the series, and is a very enjoyable read."[8]
References
- ↑ http://gematsu.com/2016/06/xblaze-lost-memories-launches-june-21-europe
- ↑ Romano, Sal (August 5, 2014). "Xblaze: Lost Memories announced for PS3 and PS Vita". Gematsu.com. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ↑ Hannley, Steve (March 25, 2015). "XBlaze – Lost: Memories Second Trailer Released". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ↑ "XBlaze Lost: Memories is Now Available - Anime News Network". Anime News Network. August 12, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ↑ "Story". Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Characters". Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/xblaze-lost-memories
- ↑ http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2015/08/11/xblaze-lost-memories-review-deja-vu-vitaps3/#/slide/1