It has been a busy few years for Too Kyo Video games because it was shaped as an unbiased offshoot of Spike Chunsoft again in 2017. Even with that complete world pandemic presumably slowing down manufacturing at the least just a little bit, the studio has managed to ship three video games since 2020: FMV thriller Loss of life Come True, kid-friendly(ish) action-adventure World’s Finish Membership, and acclaimed visible novel Grasp Detective Archives: Rain Code.
Its subsequent recreation, tactical RPG The Hundred Line: Final Protection Academy, is predicted to launch in April 2025; and on high of that the studio has plans within the works to attempt its hand on the mobile-led gacha market that is all the fad nowadays with free-to-play motion RPG Tribe 9, an open beta for which is presently obtainable at Steam Subsequent Fest.
With the potential exception of Loss of life Come True, one factor that every one these video games have in widespread is that they’re, to some extent, non secular successors to the Danganronpa franchise, the rights to which nonetheless reside with Spike Chunsoft; however that is hardly stunning when you think about that collection creator Kazutaka Kodaka is one in every of Too Kyo’s founders and he undoubtedly is aware of what sort of video games he likes to make. Tribe 9 just isn’t really a brand new IP for the studio, both: the upcoming recreation is predicated on an anime written by Kodaka and co-produced between Too Kyo and publishers Akatsuki again in 2022.
Admittedly, Kodaka’s degree of direct involvement with the Tribe 9 online game spin-off is unclear at this level. Advertising for the sport leans onerous on the truth that the distinctively Danganronpa-y character designs are certainly courtesy of the identical artwork staff, which suggests to me that possibly The Hundred Line (touted because the long-awaited narrative collaboration between Kodaka and Zero Escape creator Kotaro Uchikoshi) is the place the studio’s lead writers are focussing most of their efforts proper now. However regardless of the case, followers of the Danganronpa franchise will not must squint too onerous to see the entire inventive staff’s fingerprints on this recreation.
Apart from the acquainted character artwork – which appears a bit much less distinctive within the recreation itself than within the CGs, because of everybody being totally animated in 3D after they’re not operating all over the world as pixel artwork chibis – there’s tropes and in-jokes galore to please and amuse long-time followers of the builders’ work.
On condition that Tribe 9 takes baseball as its dystopian future blood sport of alternative, I used to be counting down the seconds till a personality turned up who was an apparent visible callback to Leon Kuwata, Danganronpa’s personal Final Baseball Star, and I used to be not disenchanted. Sarcastically it is onerous to speak in an excessive amount of element concerning the subtler thematic nods with out spoiling the hell out of Danganronpa, a collection that actually must be loved with minimal spoilers, however I can promise you that those that know will comprehend it after they see it.
As for a way Tribe 9’s monetisation goes to work, I am not completely certain of the main points proper now – on the time of writing I’ve not reached the purpose within the demo the place you unlock the gacha, though as a veteran of the style I can see what appears suspiciously like a pull forex counter presently sitting empty within the high right-hand nook of my display screen. I am conscious that Tribe 9’s monetisation mannequin alone shall be sufficient to place off some potential gamers, which is honest sufficient; however as somebody who enjoys HoYoverse video games virtually as a lot as she loves Danganronpa, I am well-positioned to look at these two worlds colliding.
Probably the most instantly apparent distinction between Tribe 9 and HoYoverse’s output is that Tribe 9 would not attempt very onerous to ingratiate itself with you. HoYoverse video games are likely to ease you in for just a few dozen hours earlier than issues get difficult sufficient so that you can realise that you simply will must both drop off or begin grinding for character levelling supplies now. Tribe 9’s method appears to be the precise reverse: throw you right into a harmful world with a Stage 1 character and pressure you to determine how the sport really works earlier than it will allow you to transfer on to spend money on the story, the characters, or certainly the gacha.
One of many high tags for Tribe 9 on Steam following July’s closed beta is “tough”, and it is there for a purpose. It performs equally sufficient to Zenless Zone Zero that I wasn’t utterly out of my depth, however all the identical, it is one in every of comparatively few video games the place I’ve died within the tutorial whereas looking for my toes – primarily as a result of, not like ZZZ, you actually must handle your stamina and thoroughly observe enemy assault patterns proper from the beginning, and might’t simply spam the dodge button with only a few penalties whereas you determine your greatest angle of method.
Nonetheless although, Tribe 9’s adjacency to a number of studios, franchises, and genres that rank amongst my private very-special-interests obtained me to push on by the place in any other case I might need switched off and picked up a distinct recreation completely. And certain sufficient, in the long run I used to be completely having fun with the satisfaction of figuring out the best way to trounce enemies who might down my frail anime boy protagonist in two or three hits if I wasn’t cautious.
As an avowed Soulslike-disliker, it is simply too sickening, actually, to assume {that a} HoYoverse-style gacha RPG made by the creators of Danganronpa is likely to be the factor that lastly will get me invested sufficient to placed on my robust woman boots and begin really having fun with a “tough” motion recreation. However I’ve to confess that it might be very on-brand.
Tribe 9 would not have a launch date but, however you possibly can take a look at this open beta till Steam Subsequent Fest ends on Monday, October 21. It is simply on PC for the time being, however the full launch may even be obtainable on Android and iOS units.