Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines

Last updated
Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines
OreShika2 cover.jpg
Developer(s) Alfa System [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment
Director(s) Shoji Masuda
Designer(s) Shoji Masuda
Artist(s) Makoto Sajima
Writer(s) Shoji Masuda
Miwa Shoda
Composer(s) Konosuke Kihara
Platform(s) PlayStation Vita
Release
Genre(s) Role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines [lower-alpha 2] is a 2014 Japanese role playing game developed by Alfa System and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Vita. Oreshika is the sequel to the 1999 PlayStation game Ore no Shikabane o Koete Yuke , which received a remake in 2011 for the PlayStation Portable. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Setting

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines is set 100 years after its predecessor, with no direct story connections between the two games. [7] The story is based on a cursed bloodline destined to fight against a demon. [8]

Development

The game was first briefly introduced in 2011 in the form of a teaser; [8] further information relating to the game was revealed at the Tokyo Game Show in 2013.

While the game has significant graphical improvements over its predecessor, it maintains its trademark visual style resembling Japanese traditional-style artwork. The move towards a three-dimensional graphical interface was as a result of popular request from fans, who were interested in seeing a hereditary resemblance found between the characters, according to director Shoji Masuda. [8] Feedback from fans of the game played an important role in game development, with Sony gathering opinions via questionnaires from social media networks including Twitter, mixi and 2channel. [8] The writing of the game's script is more than double that of the previous game, with a significantly larger variety of scenarios. [9]

The game's animated cut-scenes were handled by Asahi Production.

Gameplay

In-game screenshot demonstrating the unique art style of the game. OreShika 2 screenshot.jpg
In-game screenshot demonstrating the unique art style of the game.

Unlike the original 1999 PlayStation game, the sequel has characters fully rendered in 3D. The labyrinth levels are also rendered in 3D, with a fixed camera. The game system is similar to the style of the original game, with basic enemy encounters, and decreased character strength upon running. The game utilises the PlayStation Vita's camera using a face recognition mechanism. [7]

Upon defeating enemies, the player will accumulate points, which will allow them to marry deities and create children with them; these children will have faces inherited from the parents, and can be customly named. [7] Each character can only live for two years, which means that players will need to progress through generations in the family tree when playing. There are eight different job classes to choose from, including swordsmen, archers, spearmen, dancers, naginatamen, breakers, martial artists, and cannoneers. [10] [11] [12]

Character development is based on leveling up through gaining experience and equipping various equipment akin to most role-playing games. Characters are able to develop abilities known as "arts" and "secret techniques", and the party consists of a leader and three other members. Whilst in dungeons, players fight demons and acquire items. Dungeons vary from caves, forests, mansions and temples. [10] There is a "Symbol Encounter" system for initiating battles, similar to recent Japanese RPG games, where a battle advantage can be attained by approaching enemies from the rear. [13] The game progresses as the player takes control over a family faction that spans the nation, and expands the control of the family. The family is managed by the player at a central base in the form of a mansion, whilst nearby towns have various stores that can be utilised. [10]

Media

The original game soundtrack was released in Japan on July 23, 2014, containing three CDs which feature 78 individual music tracks. [25]

Reception

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines received generally favorable reviews from critics, earning aggregate scores of 76% from GameRankings and 78/100 from Metacritic. [14] [15]

Famitsu gave Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines a review score of 36/40. [19] Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4 out of 5, saying "Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines is a strange, captivating experience unlike any other RPG." [21]

The game sold 93,775 physical retail copies within the first week of release in Japan, [26] representing a 73.64% sell-through of its initial shipment; according to retailers, the primary buyer demographic consisted of existing fans of the earlier 1999 PlayStation game. [27]

Notes

  1. ↑ Additional work by Japan Studio and MARS Corporation
  2. ↑ Japanese: 俺の屍を越えてゆけ２, Hepburn: Ore no Shikabane wo Koete Yuke 2, lit. Over My Dead Body 2

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nippon Ichi Software</span> Japanese video game developer

Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was founded in 1991 and has developed several role-playing video games, most notably the Disgaea and Marl Kingdom series. Its mascot is the penguin-like Disgaea character Prinny.

<i>Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk</i> 2012 video game

Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk is a Japanese role-playing video game developed by Gust Co. Ltd. The character designs are by Hidari. It is the fourteenth title in the Atelier series, coming after Atelier Meruru, but has a storyline independent from previous titles in the series. The game is the first installment in the Dusk storyline. An English language release was published in March 2013 by Tecmo Koei in western regions. A PlayStation Vita version titled Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk was released on March 27, 2014 in Japan, January 13, 2015 in North America and January 14, 2015 in Europe. There is also a drama CD and novel based on the game.

<i>BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma</i> 2012 video game

BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma, released in Japan as BlazBlue: Chronophantasma, is a 2-D fighting game developed by Arc System Works. It is the third game of the Blazblue series, set after the events of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. The game was originally to be released first as an arcade game in the early fourth quarter of 2012, which was later pushed forward to November, 2012. A PlayStation 3 version of the game was released in Japan on October 24, 2013, while it was released in the North America on March 25, 2014. Due to limited hardware and disc space the game was not released on the Xbox 360.

<i>Toukiden: The Age of Demons</i> 2013 video game

Toukiden: The Age of Demons is an action role-playing game developed by Omega Force for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita. It was released on June 27, 2013 in Japan. Tecmo Koei Games showcased the PlayStation Vita version of the game at E3 2013, and released the game within North America on February 11, 2014 exclusively on PlayStation Vita. A sequel titled Toukiden 2 was released in 2016 on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.

<i>IA/VT Colorful</i> 2015 video game

IA/VT Colorful is a rhythm game for the PlayStation Vita developed by Marvelous, and is based on Vocaloid's IA Project. It was released in Japan on July 30, 2015.

<i>Science Adventure</i> Video game series

Science Adventure is a multimedia series consisting of interconnected science fiction stories, created mainly by Mages, Nitroplus, and Chiyomaru Studio. The main entries mostly take the form of visual novel video games, but side entries span across several different mediums.

<i>Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea</i> 2014 video game

Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea is a 2014 Japanese role-playing video game developed by Gust for the PlayStation 3. It is the 16th main entry in Gust's Atelier series and is currently the final installment of the Dusk trilogy. The game was released in North America and Europe in March 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spike Chunsoft</span> Japanese video game development company

Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game development and localization company specializing in role-playing video games, visual novels and adventure games. The company was founded in 1984 as Chunsoft Co., Ltd. and merged with Spike in 2012. It is owned by Dwango.

<i>Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3</i> 2016 video game

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 is a 2016 role-playing video game developed by Tose and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the sequel to Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 (2010), and is the sixth game in the Dragon Quest Monsters series.

<i>Steins;Gate: Linear Bounded Phenogram</i> Japanese visual novel game

Steins;Gate: Linear Bounded Phenogram is a visual novel video game developed and published by 5pb. for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PlayStation Vita in 2013, and later ported to iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows; the PlayStation 4 and Windows versions were released internationally by Spike Chunsoft in 2019. The game is part of the Science Adventure series, and a spin-off from the 2009 game Steins;Gate. It consists of ten side stories set in different realities, and follow different Steins;Gate characters. Unlike previous entries in the Steins;Gate series, the game is nearly devoid of interactive narrative.

<i>Ore no Shikabane o Koete Yuke</i> 1999 video game

Ore no Shikabane o Koete Yuke, commonly abbreviated to Oreshika, is a 1999 role-playing video game co-developed by Alfa System, MARS Corporation and Contrail, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. A remake for the PlayStation Portable was released in 2011. The story follows a family cursed by the oni lord Shutendoji to have short lives and never have children with mortals. Aided by friendly gods who can help them produce heirs, the family goes on a generations-long quest to defeat Shutendoji. Gameplay combines role-playing mechanics and a turn-based battle system with continuing the family tree through pairings with different gods.

References

  1. ↑ 2014-04-13. 【速報】『俺の屍を越えてゆけ2』発売日は7月17日！　複数の体験版や初回限定版情報も公開 . Famitsu (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2014-04-14.
  2. ↑ Yoshimura, Yulie (2015-02-19). Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines Coming to PS Vita on March 3rd . blog.us.playstation.com. Sony Computer Entertainment America. Archived February 20, 2015, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
  3. ↑ Kuczynski, Jan (2015-02-19). Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines arrives on PS Vita next month . blog.eu.playstation.com. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Archived February 20, 2015, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
  4. ↑ SCEJA、PS Vita「俺の屍を越えてゆけ２」を2014年夏発売へ . CNET Japan (in Japanese). 2013-09-10. Archived November 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2014-11-19.
  5. ↑ 「俺の屍を越えてゆけ２」プレイリポート＆インタビュー . GameWatch (in Japanese). 2013-09-12. Archived November 5, 2013, at the Wayback Machine on 2013-11-05.
  6. ↑ 『俺の屍を越えてゆけ』続編の正体がついに公開！発売は2014年夏 . 日刊SPA！ (in Japanese). 2013-09-12. Archived September 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2014-09-06.
  7. 1 2 3 Romano, Sal (2013-09-12). Over My Dead Body 2 first details and screenshots, Gematsu. Archived November 5, 2013, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2013-11-05.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Sato (2013-09-20). Over My Dead Body 2 Director Shares Details On The Upcoming Vita RPG . Siliconera. Archived February 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2014-02-23.
  9. ↑ '【速報】『俺屍2』の発売日は7月17日、 体験版配信日は4月24日に決定！ 開発秘話も語られた“お披露目の儀”をレポート . Dengeki PlayStation (in Japanese). 2014-04-13. Archived April 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2014-04-13.
  10. 1 2 3 Sal (2014-01-14). Over My Dead Body 2 Offers Detailed Genealogy Features For Players . Siliconera. Archived January 18, 2014, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2014-01-18.
  11. ↑ 『俺屍2』新情報公開！謎の女性登場と、カメラ機能で主人公をプレイヤー自身の顔に . Ameba (in Japanese). 2014-01-16. Archived January 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2014-01-16.
  12. ↑ Romano, Sal (2014-06-05). Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines ‘Jobs’ trailer . Gematsu. Archived December 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2014-12-05.
  13. ↑ Sal (2014-03-27). How You’ll Be Going Demon-Hunting In Over My Dead Body 2′s Dungeons . Siliconera. Archived April 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2014-04-10.
  14. 1 2 "Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines for PlayStation Vita". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2015-05-07. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  15. 1 2 "Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines Critic Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2015-05-15. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  16. ↑ "Review: Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines". Destructoid . March 3, 2015. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Oreshika Tainted Bloodlines, classico ma con stile! - recensione". Eurogamer Italy. April 20, 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  18. ↑ "Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines - Recenzja". Eurogamer.pl. March 26, 2015. Archived from the original on 2022-01-19. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  19. 1 2 "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1335". Gematsu. 2014-05-20. Archived from the original on 2014-09-09. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  20. ↑ Clark, Justin (2015-03-03). "Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2015-03-04. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  21. 1 2 Thew, Geoff (2015-03-24). "Review: Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
  22. ↑ Teague, Cameron (2015-03-03). "Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines Review – Taint Very Good (Vita)". PlayStation LifeStyle. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 2015-04-23. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  23. ↑ "Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines Análisis". IGN Spain. March 10, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Review - Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines". NZGamer. March 13, 2015. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  25. ↑ 「フリーダムウォーズ」と「俺の屍を越えてゆけ2」のサントラCDが本日発売 . 4gamer (in Japanese). 2014-07-23. Archived November 21, 2014, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2014-11-21.
  26. ↑ Romano, Sal (2014-07-23). Media Create Sales: 7/14/14 – 7/20/14 . Gematsu. Archived July 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2014-07-23.
  27. ↑ Ishaan (2014-07-25). Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines Sold To Existing Fans Of The Series . Siliconera. Archived February 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine from the original on 2015-02-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.