Death end re;Quest (PS4)

I never thought I'd see the day that IFI went full-on mature with their games. That day has come though, and as much of a surprise (or shock) as it was it was a pleasant one. I've always saw beyond the character driven antics into IFI's more brilliant plots pertaining to the industry, and it's many involvements in real world goings on. I could always read between the lines, and find a deeper meaning in the cute facade, and fantasy features that were a built upon staple of all their creations. In "Death end Re;Quest" all of the above still holds true. Through it's deeply applied character building, and layered mystery solving you will be fully immersed in the gritty world of cyber-hacking, criminal investigations, and the implementation of revolutionary VR game development accented by AI programming that is not too indifferent from applications of our own real world.

Enter Shina, and Arata. Two employees working for a game development studio known as Enigma. A studio working on a groundbreaking VRMMO engine known as the Alice Engine, and a virtually real gaming experience known as World's Odyssey. It is through the back and forth real world scenarios of Arata, and the resulting contact and ongoing combat situations of Shina through her mysterious VRMMO resurfacing in World's Odyssey after having gone missing for a year that we are clued into the spidery web of happenings that go beyond corporate interests into cyber-sleuthing in a dual attempt to get to the bottom of things. Through the staff at Enigma together with Shina, and Arata the fight to find out the truth about what's going on will take them deep into the metaphorical rabbit's hole as they follow Shina to the true ending of the World's Odyssey. A task, and undertaking that will not only effect Shina's fate, but also the fate of the world in which Arata, and his team of coders are struggling to deal with the aftermath of Shina's disappearance, and the resulting impact of it on the tech world.

Beyond the story, combat has evolved this time around even though it bares a slight resemblance to past IFI releases. The ring based optional action combat returns, but in a new and innovative way which will, itself evolve by choice and genre as the fight goes on. Also returning is the labyrinthine dungeon exploration which will have you popping in and out of battle while witnessing key conversations between characters of interest. Along with that comes the usual IFI party management options, as well as the new ability to swap realities via the main menu. A feature which helps you see the story from both Arata and Shina's perspective.

While the objective of 100% completing the World's Odyssey VRMMO as Shina in order to get the true ending, and find out what really transpired is the end goal you will find new functions and features never before seen in an IFI JRPG that will divert your attention. Staying true to the theme of malware infections, and hacking Shina and her NPC party members will be able to apply bug mechanics to the fight which in turn plays out in a sort of billiards manner. The field of battle is now littered with field bug effects that if touched have negative consequences to party members, and can also be used to deal extra damage to enemies (Martyrs, or curse/infected NPCs) as they are knocked back and into each other via a Triact action option in which three attacks will send said enemy bouncing around the battle ring. Through carefully positioned attacks/actions enemies can also be knocked back into supporting party members for additional combo damage.

Beyond the new Triact system which allows for a three actions, action including guarding, skill usage, and item use you will also be able to, at times, change the genre to a completely different type of combat to spice things up. This includes the fighting game genre, shooting genre, and others. To enable the Install Genre change or code cheat (both of which can be chosen from) you'll need to dish out enough damage by basically pinging the enemies into the field bugs, and NPC party members. It builds upon a percentage gauge where if the level is met you can press the touchpad, and bring up the internal Jack menu consisting of either a cheat code option that will change the nature of the battle into your favor through enemy/effect affliction or modification, or a genre flip which will allow you to approach combat for a limited time as if you were fighting in a different game genre.

Also returning to the mix is IFI's tried and true flashy skills, and signature transformation mode. This time the flashy skills work in tandem with the triact action system. By choosing the appropriate string of actions in the way of attacks you can trigger a special skill known as a Flash Drive. In regards to the transformation it is more of a last ditch effort to survive. If damaged or corrupted by field bugs to 80% you put your characters in Glitch Mode. It transforms them into a more powerful form that loses it's energy 10% per turn. Eventually returning the characters to their original states. It should be noted that once a character is fully corrupted they will be unable to join in the battle, so using items, and avoiding field bugs is a must. Utilizing additional cheats from Arata's separate menu which can be accessed after pressing TRIANGLE and following up with R2 can alter adverse effects or change mechanics effectiveness as you would with a cheat.

When it comes to stage play you will encounter the usual dungeon-like areas with accessible rooms, and hallways done up in a maze-like fashion. In one room you'll find a sort of save base that includes access to Rook's shop. The usual shop for all your equipment and item needs as well as quests to complete. There's that, and a camp where you swap places with Shina as Arata's Teddy avatar Mr.Enigma in order to be able to converse with the playable characters in a character building sort of way. Sometimes this includes cutscenes with dialogue, and sometimes it includes multiple choice questions that could impact the character relationships. You'll also find a warp stone which can be used to warp to other stage points as well as a save crystal for saving progress. Progress can also be saved sometimes at the start of key moments that are triggered when you run into event flags, or trigger an event by progression. This is done by pressing the touchpad when prompted, and selecting the SAVE option.

When it comes to character capabilities each character has a unique ability for dungeon exploration tied to their entoma, or curse. Shina, for example has spider legs, and can crawl up to places with web-like structures. Changing between played characters, and utilizing their entoma is done via the formation menu in the main TRIANGLE menu. In the way of quest objectives you'll find three types including a subjugation quest (enemy clearing), fetch quest (item gathering), and objective quest (objective completion). Quests are optional, but do reward you in-game currency and items for completion. Checking back in with Rook at his shops often is a must if you wish to capitalize on the questing side objectives. Do remember that in order to get the true ending all quests and side quests must be completed.

For those worried about in-game tutorials and references those are made available in a LIBRARY menu listing. Also included in the collection of info is key items, conversations, and clues that can be accessed via Arata's alternate menu. With the conversation you can actually opt to talk to key characters of interest throughout your playthrough, and read back through them via the TALK option. Successfully utilizing both Shina's & Arata's menus and in-game combat functions are the keys to completing World's Odyssey, and finding out what the heck is going on. Nothing in the game is too complicated to browse, access, or understand. Fans of IFI's older games will no doubt see the similarities in some features, and menu systems as they play.

The Verdict ...

My time spent with "Death end re;Quest" was fun, emotionally invested, and thoroughly intriguing. It featured a very well orchestrated story with gameplay elements that were all complimentary in their own unique ways. The story itself is one that is done up in such a way as to not spoil itself early on like so many plot driven entertainment experiences do. There are twists and turns throughout with enough teases to keep you wanting to play more. It's an adventurous tale that's hard to put down due to it's looming mystery, and the likable characters that each carry with them a distinct fleshed out personality. Personalities that invoke empathy, and sympathy among other things. The character building is impressive in it's own right, and the story even more so. Keep in mind though that this is, above all else, a mature rated game for a reason. It starts off grim in a way I've never seen IFI take any of their series. Even before the game lets you play there is a warning about graphic and gruesome violence. They are not lying when they caution you about extreme violence, and gruesome death scenes. This game is truly dark, but as with all IFI releases it comes with a relatable tale tied to the gaming industry, and it's effects in the real world. If you fancy some fan service IFI has you covered there as well, and not in a censored way. For all the reasons above I can, without a doubt, recommend this very special title to you. I feel it's worth the asking price, and it may very well be the best IFI game, to date. For those of you who like IFI's limited editions they do have an $80 bundle available on their online store with a lot of extra bits and baubles worth the extra money paid.