Epic RPG Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a lot of fighting. Like a lot. Naturally, you’ll want to up your damage output, cast buffs and debuffs to get through these fights, but healing materia is one of the most essential orbs you can snag and slap into your weapon or armor.
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I’ve gathered up all the materia (be jealous, Yuffie) that’ll heal you, revive you, cure status conditions, and in general keep you in the fight for longer in this guide. Plus, if you’re ready to take on Hard Mode, you’ll be locked out of using items. That means no X-Potions or Mist Giga-Potions. Factoring restorative materia into builds is mandatory for any Hard Mode run.
Some of these materia are green Magic materia, while others are purple Complete or yellow Command. If you’re not sure of the differences, check out general materia guide for some basics. Otherwise, here’s where to find all the materia to keep your HP up! (Yes, including HP Up!).
Healing Materia
Healing materia lets you cast Cure to start, and then Cura, Regen*, and eventually Curaga as you earn more AP. Characters with a high Magic stat will heal the most when casting. You can find Healing materia in the following locations (in addition to Cloud having an orb equipped at the start of the game):
Most materia and item vendors
Reward for “Grasslands Region Intel: Level 1” in Chadley’s Combat Simulator
The Cast Break Room of the Gold Saucer
The Hall of Diversion in the Cave of the Gi, rewarded for dropping the faded materia in front of Bugenhagen
Reward for an A-rank in six Piano mini-game performances
*Regen causes you to regenerate HP. Fun fact, it also cancels out Poison. You won’t get the Regen status effect if you cast it on someone with Poison, but it’s a simple solution if you’re not using items or you don’t have Cleansing materia equipped.
Revival Materia
Revival materia lets you raise your dead comrades in battle. It starts with Raise as the first spell, which revives and restores a decent amount of HP. After earning 5,000 AP you’ll be able to cast Arise, which revives a character for full hit points. You can find Revive Materia from the following locations:
Sold by most item and materia vendors after chapter 9
Reward for “Nibel Region Intel: Level 2” in Chadley’s Combat Simulator
I personally have Revive equipped on every character. I suspect there are more economical solutions, but it grants me peace of mind knowing everyone can resurrect someone.
Reraise Materia
Reraise will allow a character to automatically revive themselves after getting knocked out. It does cost 35 MP to cast, so while it may grant peace of mind, it sure is expensive. You can find Reraise materia in these locations:
Developed with Chadley from Meridian Ocean Intel*
Developed with Chadley from Meridian Ocean
*You’ll be able to earn Data Points from the Meridian Ocean once you complete all Protorelic activities in other regions of the world.
Cleansing Materia
Starting with Poisona, which cures Poison, Cleansing materia will level up to grant Esuna, and then eventually Resist. The former cures any negative status effect while the latter gives you immunity to them. You can find Cleansing materia in the following locations:
Sold by most item and materia vendors starting from chapter six
Reward for “Junon Region Intel: Level 2” in Chadley’s Combat Simulator
Chakra Materia
A Command (yellow) materia, Chakra heals for a percentage of the damage you’ve taken. It scales up as the materia earns more AP from combat thusly: 20% of damage taken, 25%, 30%, 35%, and then 40%. As a Command materia, it’s not found in Spells, but rather Abilities. You can source Chakra materia from the following places:
Tifa’s starting materia loadout
Purchasable from most materia and item shops
Reward for Crunch-Off at the gym in Corel
In the Water Grotto at Cosmo Canyon
In the Temple of the Ancients after the first gravity shift
Prayer Materia
Prayer heals all party members and doesn’t cost MP as it’s a Command materia. It can be leveled up via AP five times, with each level increasing the amount of healing dealt. You can find Prayer materia in the following places:
Purchasable from most item and materia shops in chapter 10 and onwards
Part of Aerith’s starting materia loadout
In a chest near Phenomenon Intel 4 in Gongaga
I ended up leaving Prayer materia behind in favor of linking Magnify materia with Healing materia. Cait Sith has Magnify equipped when he joins your party. You can otherwise find it in the Northern Ridge area of Mt. Nibel and after completing the Victim of Circumstance side-quest, as well as Brutal Challenge: Hellions’ Intonement in Chadley’s Combat scenario. It’s a pretty powerful materia that I found was most effective when connected to restorative materia and ones that buff statuses.
HP Absorption Materia
You’ll need to link this materia with an elemental spell. Once done, you can cast that spell and have its damage converted into healing. You can find HP Absorption materia from the following locations:
Develop with Chadley from Corel Region Intel (you can create a maximum of two orbs this way)
HP Up Materia
As a purple, Complete materia, HP Up doesn’t heal you. It does, however, raise your HP from 10% at its early level to 30% at max. You can find HP Up in the following places:
Part of Yuffie’s starting loadout
Purchasable at most item and materia vendors
Reward for “Combat Training: Beginner’s Hall” in Chadley’s Combat Simulator
In a boat on Under Junon’s shore
Earn an A-Rank on a performance of “On Our Way” on Piano
In a corner at the Event Square’s Golden Theater at the Gold Saucer
In the Dustbowl Bandit’s Bluff
Reward for “Gongaga Region Intel: Level 2” in Chadley’s Combat Simulator
You can stack HP Up materia for a maximum of an extra 30%. Note that when leveled all the way up, HP Up will already boost your HP by 30%, so while stacking might be a quick fix early on, it’s more economical to level up multiple instances of it and equip them across different characters (Barret is a good choice since he’s an excellent tank).
While it does help to think of materia in terms of its color-coded categories, I found that I was most effective in combat when I considered broader functionality of materia, regardless of the color-coding. No matter how you approach materia or how you spec out certain characters, materia inspires a kind of RPG character spec tinkering that has clearly withstood the test of time having originated in 1997.
It was a rather big week in gaming, this last one in February—mostly because we got Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, and everyone came out of the woodwork to spout their hottest take and spiciest opinion about the Square Enix RPG. Is Cid redeemed? Is Aerith a goat lady? Is jank good?
It wasn’t all FF7 all the time: We also had some things to say about third-person shooter Helldivers 2, this week, because we’re a well-rounded bunch. Click through to see our most opinionated stories of the week.
2024’s most anticipated game is finally here, and the further adventures of Cloud Strife and his besties has launched on PS5. Final Fantasy VII Rebirthexpands and enhances the middle section of the 1997 classic, and there’s a big, beautiful world to see. If you’re looking to spend a few dozen hours in Square Enix’s…
Some Pokémon cards are highly sought, especially by collectors and by resellers looking to make a quick buck off of rare cards, or cards with distinguishing characteristics that make them more valuable. For example, a card signed by illustrator Naoki Saito reportedly sold for over $100,000 in July 2023, which has had the unfortunate side effect of prompting folks to harass and stalk the artist in ways he recently said made him fear for his life.
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Saito is best known for his work as a contributing artist for the Duel Masters Trading Card Game, Hatsune Miku merchandise, and the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Saito has drawn over 280 Pokémon cards, with many of them hitting online resell markets for absolutely ridiculous prices, particularly if he emblazoned them with his John Hancock. This has made the combination of his art and his signature something of a collectible item for admirers and enthusiasts, and some folks will stop at nothing to get their hands on signed copies of his work. Now, though, Saito is so terrified by the fervor that he may never sign another card again.
Posting to Twitter in Japanese on February 24 (and translated by VGC on February 27), Saito said he’s repeatedly been “systematically ambushed and surrounded” by multiple people at once, all vying for his autograph. The situation got so bad that, at a recent event he didn’t disclose, Saito said he was “followed by a car for several minutes.” As a result, he won’t personally sign anything until things—and people—calm down.
“I have always been very happy to be asked for autographs, so I have always done my best to respond to all requests for autographs,” Saito wrote, calling the situations in which people ambush him in groups or while he’s traveling “very annoying.” He stated that at some events, people desperate for his autograph have “been making phone calls to the event management under false identities, trying to confirm my schedule.”
In a February 27 Automaton report, the editor and writer Shinya Kusaka, who was reportedly with Saito at the time of the car stalking incident, said that the pursuers were so skilled at chasing the artist that they followed Saito into narrow alleyways. Kusaka said that the relentless hawking has caused Saito “severe mental distress,” with folks apparently coercing him into handing out his autograph. Some people, according to Kusaka, even went as far as lying about their sick family members to get Saito’s signature, which just seems like a wild low for resellers.
Kotaku has reached out to Saito for comment.
I understand wanting a signature from your fave celebrity, whether that be an artist, musician, writer, or whatever else. That autograph can make for a nice memento and a fantastic memory worth retelling. However, harassing and stalking someone to essentially force them to sign something just so you can make a profit off it? That ain’t it, so hopefully, folks will learn to leave people alone. Saito is just trying to live.
The lowkey farming simulator Stardew Valley is getting some new stuff in a couple of weeks. Developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone announced on X/Twitter on February 26 that the PC version of the chill game will get the 1.6 update on March 19, with the patch coming to to consoles and mobile “as soon as possible.”
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In follow-up posts, ConcernedApe celebrated the game selling over 30 million copies and thanked everyone for their support. He also said a worldwide concert tour and an official cookbook are in the works, which sounds cool, but the meat and potatoes here is its 1.6 patch, and Stardew Valley fans are gonna be eating real good.
What’s In Stardew Valley’s 1.6 Update?
We don’t know exactly what the patch will entail. However, ConcernedApe has teased various details about what to expect when the update drops on March 19. In April 2023, he said 1.6 will mostly benefit modders and also includes new game content. Three months later, in July, he expanded on that “new game content” a bit, tweeting that 1.6 will feature a new festival, dialogue, items, and “secrets”—whatever that means. As unspecific as this all is, it sounds enticing.
But wait, there’s more (but not much). In responding to a Twitter user on February 23, who said the mobile version of the game is pretty buggy (night doesn’t transition to day, for example), ConcernedApe said that he’ll address those issues on mobile as part of update 1.6. A similar problem affected some Stardew ValleyPC players back in 2019, but regular updates seem to have resolved the issue. Hopefully, the PC and console ports of version 1.6 will stamp out any lingering hiccups.
It can be tough figuring out how to manage everything Persona 3 Reload throws at you. Between school life, social life, and fighting demonic shadows during the Dark Hour, your time in Gekkoukan High School is hectic, to say the least. So whether you’re returning to Persona 3 or playing it for the first time via the brand-new remake, here are some tips for how to get the most out of every day on the game’s calendar. — Kenneth Shepard
Hey, remember that little game Palworld? Well as of today, it’s surpassed a staggering 25 million players, all within about a month of its early access launch. That’s a lot of people shooting at or alongside their legally distinct “pals,” not Pokémon. Love it or hate it—or don’t get it all, like myself—people have certainly been showing up in droves to see what Palworld is all about after being hyped up as “Pokémon With Guns.”
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According to developer Pocketpair, its open-world survival game Palworld has crossed this impressive milestone across both the Steam and Xbox versions of the game. On Steam at least, where the game is in early access and for purchase, Palworld has sold nearly 15 million copies. The remaining 10 million players in that figure are on Xbox and Windows, where Palworld is available as part of the Game Preview program via Xbox Game Pass. Though it has slowed over the course of the last month, it’s still an impressive figure that makes Palworld the biggest release of the year two months in.
Palworld’s ascendancy from meme to legit hit has been an astonishing sight. For a while there, it seemed to be growing by a million or so players a day. By the end of January, Palworld was sitting pretty at about 20 million players, dwarfing pretty much any other release at the time. Not all the attention Palworld has received in the month since has been great, though. Its popularity raised concerns about the potential use of AI in its development, and of course, some very valid points about how closely its “pals” resemble a number of existing Pokémon. It was all enough attention to get a statement out of The Pokémon Company claiming they were essentially keeping an eye on Palworld.
Nonetheless, Palworld’s rise continues, even if some of its initial engagement has dropped off over the last month, and I’m sure we’ll be updating these numbers for a while to come.
This week we’re going back to school,collecting Pals, and being reborn—that’s a lot of stuff to do without some tips. Palworld, the breakout hit from developer PocketPair, got a handful of major bug fixes that will make your creature-collecting a lot easier. And Atlus’ recent Persona 3 Reloadrelease means you’ll want to make sure you’re a Grade A student and a damn good friend—luckily we’re here to help you with all of that. The week also saw the surprise-debut of a Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo, and with progress carrying over to the main game, you’ll want to make sure you do everything you can with Sephiroth and company.
That’s why we’ve gathered the biggest, best, and most helpful Kotaku tips of the week, all in one spot. You’re welcome.
Ever since the launch of Final Fantasy VII Remake back in 2020, fans of the original have been wondering how the next installment of Square Enix’s reimagining of the landmark 1997 game would handle the many iconic setpiece moments, reveals, and twists yet to come. The Nibelheim Incident, which centers around Cloud’s consequential return to his hometown five years earlier, has been an especially fertile ground for speculation. The original game and its many spinoffs revisit this mission numerous times to show off the varying perspectives of the key players. It’s an overused analogy, but The Nibelheim Incident is essentially FF7’s equivalent of the Rashomon murder scene.With each slightly different retelling, we inch a little bit closer to the truth.
FF7‘s save-the-world story wasn’t revolutionary in 1997, and it certainly isn’t today. But the palpable sense that something is “off” with Cloud and his mentor-turned-nemesis Sephiroth elevates it into something far more memorable and enduring. For much of the game, the fate of the planet kinda takes a backseat to finding out what the deal is with these guys. At the same time, with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the developers at Square Enix face the daunting task of attracting newcomers to the second chapter of a trilogy, those who may primarily know Cloud and Sephiroth as cool badasses with fun hair from the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster.
So when I booted up the game at a recent media preview event, I was delighted to see that Chapter 1 of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth immediately begins with Cloud telling his version of what happened at Nibelheim. Rebirth throws you in at the deep end and delivers high stakes right up front—and it’s exactly what longtime fans want and newcomers need.
Sephiroth and Cloud ascend Mt. Nibel as jagged peaks loom ahead.Image: Square Enix
Déjà vu all over again
I’d played a smaller segment of this section at a preview event a few months back, but that slice was more combat- and traversal-focused. True to the original game, the full version of Rebirth’s Nibelheim incident is a slow burn, a cozy evening with friends winding down after the frantic escape from Midgar. Present-day Cloud narrates over this extended interactive sequence where you play as his younger self, and his storytelling is punctuated by interruptions from Barrett, Tifa, and Aerith. Many of these exchanges are taken beat-by-beat from the original game, and it’s nice to see them return here to inject some levity and sense of camaraderie into Cloud’s suspenseful and gloomy story.
Rebirth’s take on Nibelheim largely sticks to that of the original FF7. (Mostly.) The reason for Cloud and Sephy’s mission remains the same—they’re sent to investigate a malfunctioning mako reactor at Mt. Nibel, and deal with any monsters along the way. We get a clearer sense of Sephiroth’s renown and celebrity—we’re mostly told, not shown this in the original—as townsfolk breathlessly gossip about him and jostle for photos. As before, you get the chance to control Sephiroth in combat during the climb, and he’s absurdly strong and fun to play.
Ascending Mt. Nibel functions as a light tutorial for Rebirth’s new traversal mechanics, including jumping and climbing. It’s nothing complicated, but it does convey that Mt. Nibel is dangerous enough to require a guide’s assistance better than the original game did. Speaking of guides, we get quite a bit more of young Tifa in this section of Rebirth (Nibelheim is her hometown too, after all), complete with her adorable cowgirl outfit. And there are some very intriguing consequences of that, which I am not going to get into here.
On that note, Chapter 1 of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a veritable bonanza of jaw-dropping spoilers for folks who haven’t played the original game. Despite knowing exactly what was coming at certain moments, the impeccable visuals and environmental design blew me away. And, as was the case with Remake, when Rebirth’s soundtrack is firing on all cylinders, it’s the stuff of real-deal goosebumps on your arms. As the flames reach higher and the music shudders like a terrified heart, suddenly I’m 11 years old again, sitting cross-legged on the floor next to my older brother in front of a CRT with a skateboarding sticker on the side, unable to say anything but whoa.
Kalm is a far more charming and intricate city in Rebirth than the original game.Image: Square Enix
A whole new world
After Cloud gives his friends the rundown of what happened with Sephiroth in Nibelheim, we resume the present-tense story in the city of Kalm. And golly, what a glow-up. In 1997’s FF7, the town was little more than an RPG gas station—a place to pick up some potions, cheap equipment, and a quick snooze at the inn. There was never much reason to go back once you’d progressed to other places. This time around, its cobbled streets, overgrown flower boxes, and rabbit-warren layout ooze a tranquil charm that’s worthy of the name.
Cloud and his pals have a new slate of double and triple attacks this time around.Image: Square Enix
You won’t spend too long here in Rebirth either, but it does provide a chance to get acquainted with several new gameplay additions. The most notable of these are party relationships and party level, which allow you to strengthen your bond with your teammates through dialogue choices and optional activities. The original FF7 had a less fleshed-out version of this that culminated in the infamous Gold Saucer date, and it’s nice to see that the devs are finding new ways to let players spend more time with their favorite characters.
The innkeeper at Kalm will introduce you to Queen’s Blood, Rebirth’s answer to card games like Witcher 3‘s Gwent and FF8‘s Triple Triad. I can already tell loads of people are going to be utterly obsessed with this minigame, though I sadly am not one of them. (Happy for you guys, though!) This section also offers a brief rundown of skill trees, weapon upgrades, and item crafting. I remain unconvinced that Final Fantasy 7 needed a crafting system, and I didn’t find much occasion to use it during my demo. I can see how it may be useful for some optional fights later on, but I hope it’s more of a “take it or leave it” mechanic.
But we can’t stay in Kalm for long, and it’s soon time for our merry band of weirdos to hit the road in search of adventures, pocket money, and eventually Sephiroth. Rebirth’s version of the original game’s vast open world is bigger and more beautiful than I’d hoped, with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore. You’ll gain access to both menu-based fast-travel and chocobos pretty much immediately after leaving Kalm, mercifully cutting down on the ponderous backtracking of the 1997 game. Instead of large swaths of empty space for random encounters, now there are small farms, hamlets, and ruins between cities and dungeons. This makes Rebirth’s open world feel like a natural expansion of scope rather than just a concession to the expectations of fans. After hitting up the Chocobo Farm, you’re free to explore for a while, but once you’re ready to return to the main story, a Ghost of Tsushima-esque green Mako trail will appear to nudge you toward your destination. It’s a thoughtful design choice that avoids the immersion-breaking “map game” vibes that have become a bit too commonplace in open-world design.
Holding down the basic attack button for Red XIII will allow him to do a continuous “Sonic spin” attack.Image: Square Enix
Naturally, once you get out into the big wide world, you’re gonna be doing some fighting. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth adds another layer to Remake’s real-time combat system, and I’m still not totally sure how I feel about it. You’ll have more than three party members to choose from at any given time, and each unique duo or trio can team up for a unique special attack. On paper, this sounds like Chrono Trigger, which is terrific. In practice, it kinda feels like one thing too many to keep track of. Remake’s combat had a satisfying cadence of managing cooldowns to pull off magic spells, heals, and special attacks. But in the early hours of Rebirth, even mundane fights have a noticeably stop-start feel to them. I’m hoping to settle into a flow eventually, but I’m also curious if this all might feel better in classic, turn-based mode instead. (Thankfully, it’s an on-the-fly toggle in the full game.) Quibbles aside, I’m still enjoying the heck out of the combat and the demo left me hungry for more. Pro tip: Red XIII’s strangely Sonic Spinball moveset is extremely fun to play.
The big question heading into Rebirth and its unnamed successor is: can it recapture—or even exceed—the magic of the original game? That remains to be seen. But, so far, the first three chapters are a helluva good sign for what’s to come.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches February 29 on PlayStation 5.
As an expansive survival game, Palworld has a variety of stats you can increase as you level up, leading to different strengths and weaknesses over the course of your character’s life. As is customary for many games like this, you can usually alter, or “respec,” these stats later on. Palworld lets you do this by way of “Memory Wiping Medicine,” which you can craft with the right items. – Claire Jackson Read More
Pokémon Concierge, the stop-motion animated series that launched on Netflix in December, is a total vibe. After spending time watching a lovely series about a Pokémon resort, I almost don’t want to go back to battling and training. I just want to hang out with all these little guys and take a neverending vacation. Unfortunately, that’s not the core of most Pokémon games, but it is nice to picture what a Pokémon Concierge video game could look like. Thankfully, we don’t have to imagine it, as some artists have already created a mock-up of it for the original Game Boy, though it’s unfortunately not a playable game. – Kenneth Shepard Read More
First introduced in 2022’s Modern Warfare II, Call of Duty currently features a nonlinear battle pass themed like a geographic map. While this allows players to choose what they want to unlock from the pass instead of going through a scripted path, it can be a little confusing to newcomers used to more traditional, linear sets of unlockables. What’s more, the “token” system that CoD uses to unlock stuff from the battle pass can be a little confusing as well, especially if you’re not sure whether you should just let the pass automatically unlock itself by spending tokens for you. – Claire Jackson Read More
Over the weekend, I downloaded Palworldon my PC. I was excited. After all the weird trailers and screenshots showing Pokémon-like creatures using assault rifles or being shot with handguns, I was ready to earn official Xbox achievements as I killed Pokémon facsimiles using modern guns. It was hunting time. And then, after playing for over six hours, I realized that I had been tricked into playing another goddamn survival crafting game that wanted me to punch trees and mine stone for a few hours before it got fun. – Zack Zwiezen Read More
In a new press release from audio electronics company Altec Lansing, it was revealed that GameShark is returning, sort of via an artificial intelligence-powered successor called “AI Shark” You don’t care about that. Instead, the big news out of this press release is that it might have leaked the release date for the Nintendo Switch 2. – Zack Zwiezen Read More
Gamers are a passionate bunch, and we’re no exception. These are the week’s most interesting perspectives on the wild, wonderful, and sometimes weird world of video game news.
The Week In Games: Pocket Monsters And Simulated Goats
If you tried to venture to your local Target for some groceries or perhaps a discounted appliance this past Wednesday, January 3, you might have noticed a massive line snaking around its brick edifice. Based on historical reasons why a huge congregation of people would wait outside a retailer in the wee hours of the morning, you might have thought it was for a new Pokémon card set, or maybe a rare Nintendo bundle. But no, instead, the line of people standing (and fighting) in line are trying to buy a portable cup. Yes, a drinking cup. – Alyssa Mercante Read More
We asked and you answered. Some games and franchises, no matter how popular they are, just don’t make the cut for some of us, and we wanted to know which ones just don’t click with you. – Claire Jackson Read More
Back in November, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama said that Infinite Wealth was the biggest game in the series yet. He described it to Japan’s Game Watchas a “monster-class game longer than anything we’ve made so far.” Eep. The series is known for its ostentatious helpings of optional content, and while main stories usually run around 20-30 hours, it’s awfully easy to double that playtime if you get sucked into minigames and sidequests. Do you have 80 hours to play a new Yakuza game? I sure don’t! But I’m sure I’ll manage to find it somehow. – Jen Glennon Read More
Image: Andrii Iemelianenko / Nintendo / Microsoft / From Software / Rockstar Games / Ubisoft / Square Enix / Capcom (Shutterstock)
We all have our favorite franchises and one-and-done games, be it classics like Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy, Tetris, or more modern series like The Last of Us, Halo, or Uncharted Others we happily play, but they don’t become go-to favorites. And then there are those games that we’re just so definitely, clearly, absolutely sure are not for us that we can go on at length as to why. – Claire Jackson Read More
Like too many movements, there’s a thing the alt-right does that’s pretty essential to its survival: it obfuscates everything it believes in overlapping layers of irony. No one involved is in any form of agreement over which aspects are irony and which are sincerely held beliefs, which only adds to this bizarro wall of gibberish that protects it from any form of intellectual scrutiny. Yes, some of them absolutely believe there’s a pedophile ring being run out of a pizza parlor in Washington, D.C., and would die in the cause’s name. Others, meanwhile, laugh at you for thinking that’s really a thing the alt-right believes, you libtard idiot cuck. Apply the same to every other element of their clusterfuck of deranged and bigoted beliefs. – John Walker Read More
Image: Ubisoft, Atlus, Rockstar Games, Mundfish / Shedworks / Nintendo / Claire Jackson / Kotaku, Screenshot: Remedy Games / Kotaku
If you’re stuck on a tricky boss fight or a challenging puzzle, or just want to make the most of your time with a new release, we’ve got you covered. Here are some of the tips we found most helpful this week.
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Massive Entertainment’s upcoming open-world Star Wars game, Outlaws,is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S sometime in 2024. The game doesn’t follow Jedi and deal with The Force, but instead will give us a look into the seedier side of life in the Star Wars universe as it follows the exploits of a smuggler and scoundrel in an open-world format encompassing multiple planets. Let’s take a look at everything we know about the next trek to a galaxy far, far away. – Kenneth Shepard Read More
Persona 3 Reload, the from-the-ground-up remake of Atlus’ beloved PlayStation 2 role-playing game, is coming out on February 2. But while the 2006 classic is getting a modern retouching very soon, it won’t include everything added to the original in the updated Persona 3 Portable and Persona 3 FES editions, the former of which is on Game Pass right now for Xbox and PC. So if you want to play one of the best additions to the base game, you still have a chance before Persona 3 Portable leaves Game Pass on January 14. – Kenneth Shepard Read More
If you’ve been playing Grand Theft Auto V or GTA Online via Game Pass lately, you might need to pony up and buy a copy to sustain your criminal enterprise. Rockstar’s crime saga is expected to leave Xbox Game Pass in about two weeks. – Claire Jackson Read More
Image: Mundfish / Shedworks / Nintendo / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
Happy new year! This week the Kotaku weekend guide returns with a brisk list of games for your consideration. Maybe some of these you hadn’t considered playing before, or perhaps others have been sitting on your backlog. In that case, consider this your reminder to get working on that stubborn list of yours. – Claire Jackson Read More
If you’ve been eyeing (or playing) Alan Wake II lately but haven’t yet played any of the other titles in Remedy Games’ growing “Remedyverse” of connected stories, then you might want to take a look at the Epic Games Store right now. During its “Developer Spotlight” sale, Alan Wake Remastered, Alan Wake American Nightmare, Control, and both the standard and deluxe versions of Alan Wake II are all available for some pretty generous discounts. – Claire Jackson Read More
Pokémon’s profit margins probably don’t reflect it, but the franchise had a rough year in 2023. Without a new mainline role-playing game to dominate the series’ headlines, Pikachu and friends were, instead, shrouded in controversies throughout the past 12 months. Between Pokémon Go angering swaths of its community, scalpers making a public embarrassment of the franchise to people who don’t even pay attention to it, and Scarlet and Violet’s DLC underlining the problems ingrained within the Pokémon pipeline, the screws are coming loose on the hype train. – Kenneth Shepard Read More
Pokémon’s profit margins probably don’t reflect it, but the franchise had a rough year in 2023. Without a new mainline role-playing game to dominate the series’ headlines, Pikachu and friends were, instead, shrouded in controversies throughout the past 12 months. Between Pokémon Go angering swaths of its community, scalpers making a public embarrassment of the franchise to people who don’t even pay attention to it, and Scarlet and Violet’s DLC underlining the problems ingrained within the Pokémon pipeline, the screws are coming loose on the hype train. And yet, it cannot be stopped as it barrels down the tracks. Pokémon’s 2023 had its moments, but overall, it was pretty grim for a series usually so full of hope.
Screenshot: The Pokémon Company / Kotaku
Detective Pikachu Returns pulls off its story better than the movie
To start off with some good, Detective Pikachu Returnsfinally came to Switch and wrapped up the original 3DS game’s bewildering cliffhanger. Without a new RPG out this year, Detective Pikachu Returns was the only home console game Pokémon fans got in 2023. The adventure game is pretty simple, but maintains the original’s charm and compelling setting. The ending felt pretty definitive, but hopefully, it’s not the end of The Pokémon Company greenlighting adventure games in the Pokémon universe.
Image: The Pokémon Company
Pokémon Sleep finally wakes up
After years of teases, Pokémon Sleep, the sleeping app meant to encourage consistent sleeping habits, finally launched on mobile devices. In our review, I talked about how it feels geared toward kids who need a little motivation to get to sleep on time. Arceus knows it’s near impossible for an adult with sleep disorders and things to do in the morning to get their recommended eight hours of shuteye. But the app is the latest example of Pokémon getting into lifestyle and wellness, following Pokémon Go’s lead of gamifying daily activity while building people’s relationships with the Pokémon brand.
Photo: Kenneth Shepard
Pokémon remains a community hub
Whether you were one of the 194,000 trainers attending Pokémon Go Fest or were in attendance during the Pokémon World Championships in Yokohama this year, Pokémon remains a community-driven series that brings people together. I even attended my first Go Fest this year, and having felt walled off from that side of the community living in rural Georgia, it was an invigorating experience to be surrounded by so many people coming together for a common love.
Image: The Pokémon Company
The anime ushers in a new era
One of the biggest events of Pokémon history happened in 2023, with long-time protagonist Ash Ketchum walking into the sunset in a final episode. The episode itself didn’t end with a definitive story beat but essentially said he and his partner Pikachu would continue to go on adventures throughout the Pokémon world, but we wouldn’t get to follow them. Instead, Pokémon Horizons, which follows new heroes Liko and Roy, has usurped Ash and Pikachu’s adventures as the primary animated series. The series has been airing in Japan since April, and will finally come to English-speaking territories in February 2024. Though it remains to be seen if Liko and Roy will ascend to Ash’s status as a beloved, iconic hero in anime, Horizons has already garnered acclaim from fans for its lovingly crafted animation.
Image: The Pokémon Company / Netflix
Pokémon shows of all shapes and sizes
While Liko and Roy are headlining the anime, Pokémon has had two more TV projects in 2023 that expand beyond 2D animation. This includes PokéTsume, a live-action drama starring a young woman who sorts through her personal and professional drama by playing Pokémon (she’s just like me, FR), and Pokémon Concierge, a stop-motion animation series on Netflix that is available to stream today, December 28. The Pokémon machine primarily focuses on games, anime, and merchandise as its core pillars, so it’s been nice to see The Pokémon Company continue to expand its projects to tell new stories in this world that aren’t always tied to competitive sports.
Screenshot: The Pokémon Company / Kotaku
Scarlet and Violet’s DLC highlights the best and worst of the base games
While there was no new RPG in 2023, Scarlet and Violet got a two-part expansion called The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. Between The Teal Maskand The Indigo Disk, fans got new maps to explore, Pokémon to catch, and tools to build competitive teams. While the new story beats didn’t capitalize enough on the base games’ incredible ending to my liking (with one major exception), I was still happy to run around new places with my friends in co-op and learn more about this world. Sadly, in the year since Scarlet and Violet launched, Game Freak hasn’t managed to get the games into a fully functional state, and The Teal Mask and Indigo Disk’s new open-world maps are just as (if not more) buggy and ugly than Paldea was in 2022.
Welcome to Exp. Share, Kotaku’s Pokémon column in which we dive deep to explore notable characters, urban legends, communities, and just plain weird quirks from throughout the Pokémon franchise.
Image: The Pokémon Company / Vincent Van Gogh
The Van Gogh Museum fiasco underlined deep-rooted issues in the community
Pokémon and the Van Gogh Museum had a collaboration this year that included Pokémon-themed recreations of legendary Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh’s works, as well as merchandise tied to the event and a rare Pikachu card available with purchase alongside these limited edition items. As anyone who has paid attention to Pokémon in the past seven years can tell you, scalpers have become an entrenched part of this community, as it’s nearly impossible attempting to buy any limited edition item without someone’s bot swooping in and buying it to resell it on sites like eBay. While Pokémon fans know to expect that, it’s not often that this issue becomes a public spectacle. The Van Gogh Museum’s new exhibit, however, was overrun by so many people that it looked like something out of a Black Friday sale, and rather than just being fans hoping to acquire some special merch for themselves, many of these were scalpers, looking to hoard the items and jack up the prices.
It’s not unusual for people to attempt to steal and sell Pokémon merchandise, especially cards, andt more often than not, these are just petty crimes. The Van Gogh Museum fiasco, however, was a public embarrassment for The Pokémon Company, and the museum had to cease its card distribution for the safety of its patrons and employees. But even if the card is no longer being given out at the museum, the lingering aftermath of scalpers can still be seen on overpriced eBay listings for it, as well as associated merchandise from the collaboration. The Pokémon Company issued an apology and has since offered the card through the Pokémon Center store, but has neglected to manufacture more of the merchandise.
Image: The Pokémon Company
Pokémon Go’s Remote Raid changes undermine the community it nurtured
At the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, Pokémon Go developer Niantic made it easier for players to take part in raids with Remote Raid Passes that let you play the game from anywhere. It was a huge move for the game, as it was now possible to take part in these events regardless of where you and your friends were. This was especially helpful for people who lived in rural areas where Pokémon Go was typically not well-supported, as well as disabled players who typically had trouble playing Pokémon Go due to its focus on walking to reach objectives.
In March, Niantic made Remote Raid Passes more expensive and limited how many you can use in a day, which fundamentally undermined the ways several subsets of the Pokémon Go community had been playing the game for three years. The subsequent backlash spawned a fan campaign using the hashtag #HearUsNiantic, in which players expressed how these changes affected their enjoyment of the game, with some going as far as to say the increase in price for Remote Raid Passes felt like a tax on the disabled community. Despite protests and boycotts, these restrictions remain in the game to this day.
Image: Niantic
Niantic’s struggles go beyond Pokémon Go
If the public controversy around its flagship game weren’t enough, Niantic has been the subject of a lot of bad news in 2023. In June, Kotaku reported that Niantic was shutting down its Los Angeles studio, laying off over 200 employees in the process. The company made the decision to move away from in-house development, shuttering its basketball game NBA All-World and canceling its planned Marvel game.
Two weeks later, Niantic was the subject of a lawsuit accusing it of “systemic sexual bias” against its female employees and creating a “boys club” work environment. In November, a California judge approved the lawsuit to proceed.
Image: The Pokémon Company
The death of the 3DS eShop shakes Pokémon trading
The 3DS and Wii U eShops were shut down in 2023. While this affects every game and service on those platforms, Pokémon is in a precarious position because the loss of the 3DS eShop has created a gap between Pokémon generations. Trading old Pokémon to new games has been a long-held tradition within the series. It’s taken different forms between games, but the practice has become much more streamlined with the introduction of platform-agnostic services like Pokémon Home that host Pokémon from any game that can connect to the internet. However, the 3DS has been the bridge between older generations and Home through an app called Pokémon Bank. This 3DS app is used to transfer Pokémon from 3DS games to Home, thus to Switch games like Scarlet and Violet.
Pokémon Home is still probably the best solution The Pokémon Company has launched for this problem, as it doesn’t have to rely on specific hardware to store and trade different monsters. But without Bank, some Pokémon have become difficult or even impossible to obtain and trade over to modern games. As of this writing, Bank still works for those who had it purchased and installed on their 3DS before the eShop shutdown, but the tool is no longer readily available for new players.
Image: The Pokémon Company
Competitive Pokémon has a big hacking controversy
While not every Pokémon player is embedded in the competitive scene, ranked Pokémon play is still a pillar of the RPGs millions of people play every year. However, at this year’s Pokémon World Championship tournament in Yokohama, several players were banned from competing after it was discovered they were using hacked teams that weren’t approved for competitive use at an official tournament. However, some competitors told Kotaku The Pokémon Company’s rulings on this matter have been inconsistent, which made their bans at the headlining event of the year all the more devastating. In the fallout, new data seems to reveal this kind of homebrewing of competitively viable teams is rampant within the community.
The debate about using tools like PKHeX, which allows you to create teams without finding, catching, and training the Pokémon in a game, is a complicated one. Going this route doesn’t necessarily give you a competitive edge but can be viewed as not within the spirit of the franchise. Competitive players argue that using a tool like this is just a matter of saving time, allowing users to craft a team without having to do so within the boundaries of games like Scarlet and Violet. Training Pokémon to their most powerful potential isn’t an easy feat and can take large swaths of your time, even if you have endgame resources. But the argument that you should have to train like a real Pokémon trainer to “earn” your spot in the competitive space harkens to arguments made in the games and anime themselves.
Screenshot: The Pokémon Company / Kotaku
The machine must be stopped. Or at least made better
We at Kotaku launched Exp. Share, our Pokémon column, in 2023 to talk about all the wild, wonderful, weird, and woeful parts of this franchise. One of the most telling things I’ve learned in my years of covering Pokémon, especially for this column, has been that even as the series frustrates and confounds its legions of fans, those people will still show up to throw their money at it, despite their annoyance.
Issues like the supply problems that let scalpers run rampant, Pokémon Go pushing out the same community that kept it afloat, and Scarlet and Violet selling 23 million copies despite being an absolute trainwreck on a technical level only happen when The Pokémon Company is given little incentive to fix these problems. When I interviewed collectors for the Van Gogh reseller story, Grace Klich, who owns one of the Pikachu-inspired Volkswagen Beetles known as Pikabugs, pointed out that The Pokémon Company has watched systemic issues sprout up in its community over the years, but hasn’t done much to address them. Sure, the company apologized this time, but it’s not making more of what people are asking for. They made their projected profits; what does it matter if people are upset by the same supply problems they’ve always been?
This extends to pretty much every pillar of Pokémon’s business. The merch can sell out before fans can buy it because a scalper’s money clears just as easily for The Pokémon Company as that of a dedicated fan who wanted a Pikachu plush for their shelf. Pokémon COO Takato Utsunomiya said this year that the company’s annual releases may not be sustainable, as it’s affecting the quality of games like Scarlet and Violet, which are largely defined by big ideas and squandered potential. But if they sell 23 million copies despite being raked through the coals for their poor technical performance, is anything actually going to change? If The Pokémon Company knows it can count on people to show up, no matter how poor or frustrating its offerings are, can the machine ever be stopped?
Last year, Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Scarlet and Violet showed that Pokémon is growing beyond simply banking on nostalgia. But 2023 showed that all of that growth can be squandered as it inevitably gets funneled back into the bottom line. The machine is pumping out Pokémon games, cards, merchandise, and collaborations at a rate only rivaled by the late ‘90s Pokémania era. And yet, with every botched launch and misguided decision, with the ongoing lack of real change, the facade of this most hopeful franchise gets increasingly exposed for the money-making machine it is underneath.
Now that we’ve entered the final few days of 2023, the year’s bumper crop of new game releases has slowed to a trickle. With long, lazy days looming ahead, it’s a lovely time to cuddle up with one of the biggest, beefiest games in your backlog. And if you’re looking for beef, RPGs are the way to go. On December 15, Atlus announced that Persona 5 crossed a major sales landmark. The modern fantasy RPG and its spinoffs have now sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Nowadays, the Persona series seems like a sure bet. But just a few years ago, itwas a niche fascination for a few devoted weebs. If you haven’t checked it out already, now’s your chance.
6 Things To Know Before Starting Persona 5 Tactica
Back in 2017, when Persona 5 first debuted outside Japan, critics and audiences had largely soured on turn-based role-playing games, waving them off as dated and passé. The previous year, Final Fantasy XV ditched menu-driven gameplay for rapid-fire action combat that was flashier and faster than the venerable Square Enix series had ever been. It seemed like turn-based RPGs were a thing of the past—until Persona 5 set the world on fire.
The game takes place in modern-day Tokyo, and follows a group of teen vigilantes known as the Phantom Thieves. By day, they’re just conspicuously attractive high school students. By night, they summon demonic Pokémon known as Personas to fight crime and corruption in supernatural dungeons known as Palaces. P5’s stylish, anime-inflected presentation stood out in the late PlayStation 4 era, which skewed heavily toward realism. Innovative combo mechanics kept enemy encounters feeling snappy and unique. The game drew sky-high review scores and currently sits at an enviable 93 on Metacritic. Not too bad for a genre past its prime, right?
Persona 5 Royal – Take Over Trailer – Nintendo Switch
An expanded and enhanced edition, Persona 5 Royal, was launched worldwide in March 2020. Royal came to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox consoles in October 2022. And like any good video game phenomenon, Persona 5 spawned a heap of crossovers and spinoffs. In addition to a dedicated anime series, the cast appeared in a rhythm game (2018’s Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight), a Switch-exclusive action RPG (2021’s Persona 5 Strikers), and this year’s strategy RPG, Persona 5 Tactica. Oh, and protagonist Joker also joined the roster of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Persona 5 isn’t without flaws. Okumura’s palace, which you’ll encounter late in the game, is an absolute chore. And the game’s portrayal of same-sex relationships is about as subtle as a sack of hammers. Oh, and it easily takes more than 100 hours to beat. If you can forgive those shortcomings, it’s an excellent way to wile away the final hours of 2023—whether you play the vanilla version or Royal.
Persona 5 Royal is available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch, and is often on sale for $30 or less. (Used copies of vanilla P5 on PlayStation 4 are even cheaper!)
On the heels of The Game Awards, this week saw the launch of two expansions for fan-fave games: God of War Ragnarok and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. We also took a meaty deep dive into Analogue’s latest and greatest new retro console and did a year-three rundown on the state of the PS5.
What’s Coming Out Beyond Pokémon: The Indigo Disk | The Week In Games
From the latest and greatest to cult gems and retro classics, these are the games and consoles we’re loving—and loathing—this week.
Valhalla takes place after the events of Ragnarök, as Kratos seeks out the titular hall of heroes due to a mysterious invitation. Once inside, he finds himself faced with combat arenas built from his memories that repeat as he ascends through Valhalla. Old vistas and enemies are a decent enough framing device, and an effective way to unpack Kratos’ nearly 20 years of baggage. While the 2018 reboot used shame and fatherhood to interrogate the pornographic violence and carnage of the series’ past, Valhalla actualizes that idea without having to be tied to his relationship with his son Atreus. – Kenneth Shepard Read More
Image: Daedalic Entertainment / Flux Games / IguanaBee / Natalie Schorr / Starbreeze Studios / Supasart Meekumrai / Kotaku (Shutterstock)
We made it. After a tumultuous 11 months of really high highs (the games) and really low lows (the layoffs), we’re finally rounding out the last month of 2023. Good riddance. And to really underscore that goodbye, we here at Kotaku thought it’d be fitting to take a look back at what felt like the longest year yet to compile some of the most buggy, broken, and busted games to drop in 2023. – Levi Winslow Read More
Today the company’s launching another retro console recreation, the Analogue Duo. And this time, it’s something of a deeper cut.
Just…god, there’s so much random info you gotta know to understand this thing’s deal. So before we get into it, here’s a tl;dr: Analogue Duo is a very solid PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 replacement that looks pretty good on modern displays and controls pretty well, too. It’s also not for everyone. It may not even be for me. – Alexandra Hall Read More
The Indigo Disk picks up with new characters Kieran and Carmine returning to their Unova-based school, Blueberry Academy. The school invites you to be an exchange student, and Blueberry Academy is a Pokémon trainer’s dream facility, as it’s built around a terarium that emulates four different biomes. Students capture and study Pokémon in habitats analogous to their natural homes. It’s a decent enough framing for a reasonably sized open-world environment, while also bringing some familiar Pokémon back into the fray. – Kenneth Shepard Read More
A slick new VR headset, a “slim” console refresh, tons of flashy new accessories, and multiple exclusives, including the fastest selling PlayStation game ever, Spider-Man 2. The PlayStation 5 made big moves in 2023. So why does it feel like the console spent most of it resting on its laurels while flailing for a new direction? – Ethan Gach Read More
