Hello fellow gamers,

Guess what? I just scored a sweet freebie: a Steam key for V Rising. It’s like one of those action RPGs—think Diablo, Path Of Exile, and hey, even Valheim—it’s got that survival vibe with building stuff and crafting goodies.

Now, let me level with you—I’m not always into the whole point-and-click RPG thing. Too much of that and my wrist starts crying for mercy. But you know what they say, never knock it till you try it. So, I figured, why not give V Rising a shot?

From what I’ve heard, it’s got all these cool elements mashed together. You can slay monsters, build up your base, craft gear—sounds like a recipe for some serious gaming fun, right?

I’m all about games that mix it up. I mean, who doesn’t want a bit of everything? You get your action fix with the monster battles, your strategy kicks in when you’re plotting your fortress, and then there’s the crafting part where you get to create some epic gear. It’s like being a one-stop-shop for all things gaming.

Plus, the whole survival angle? That’s a game-changer. It’s not just about bashing bad guys; it’s about surviving in a world that wants to eat you for breakfast. I dig that kind of challenge—it keeps you on your toes, you know?

So, yeah, even though I might not be the biggest fan of clicking my way through an RPG marathon, I’m willing to give V Rising a whirl. Who knows, maybe it’ll surprise me. Maybe it’ll be the game that makes me rethink my whole gaming playbook.

And hey, getting a free Steam key? That’s like finding money in your pocket you forgot about. It’s a win-win situation. Worst case, I play for a bit, have some laughs, and move on. Best case, I find my new gaming obsession.

Anyway, if you have any comments, questions or reactions then please post them in the comments section below. Also, please consider following, liking and sharing to your friends.

Thank you for reading.

Killing Machine Boy Meets Vampire Princess Girl

HIGH A riveting supernatural story with a legendary legacy.

LOW What do you mean the other half is still in production?!

WTF The tonal shifts when encountering a bad ending and reading the cast commenting on your failures.

Frankly speaking, the mere thought of being able to draft a review of the official English-language international release of Tsukihime feels unreal. For nearly 24 years, it seemed like Type-Moon’s legendary visual novel would forever be Japan-exclusive, never to appear in English without the help of fan translations — but it’s here now, and all is well.

To be accurate, the subject of this review is not, strictly speaking, the Tsukihime that I first played a fan translation of in high school. Instead, I’m reviewing Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon-, a remake developed by Type-Moon and released in Japan in 2021. It features a fully rewritten story and new original art from Type-Moon co-founders Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.

Though the story has been rewritten, the core premise hasn’t changed. As before, the narrative is told almost entirely in the first person, experienced through the very special eyes of Shiki Tohno, a young high school student.

Shiki possesses the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, causing him to see supernatural “lines” drawn all over everything around him. Cutting along those lines instantly kills almost anything… or anyone, unless Shiki wears a pair of special magical glasses that hide the lines from his sight. After years living in exile away from his aristocratic family, Shiki is called back to the massive Tohno mansion following the death of his father. A shockingly violent encounter with a mysterious, beautiful woman named Arcueid kicks off the story proper, drawing Shiki deeper into a mystical world that lies just beneath the surface of the urban ordinary. It’s a world where vampires war in the city streets under cover of night, all the while dodging monster hunters empowered by the church itself, and where seemingly anyone, from the family doctor to one’s own classmates, might be hiding some kind of supernatural secret.

Adventure stories with a horror twist aren’t new, but it’s notable that Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- is also, at its core, a romance.

Alongside the vividly rendered passages describing magical battles and vampire hunts are meet-cutes straight out of a romantic comedy playbook. In these instances, the writing bubbles with a sweet puppy-love vibe, full of dramatic teenage infatuation rendered in flowery, heartfelt passages. Thanks to an top-class English-language localization, the mood of reckless teenage romance is perfectly captured. It’s even thanks to this localization that segments where Shiki essentially ogles his female conversation partners come across as cutely awkward, rather than creepy — immensely helpful considering the large number of pretty girls that interact with Shiki. That said, the story of Tsukihime does focus on two main narrative branches, each centered around a different heroine.

One of the biggest departures A piece of blue glass moon makes from the original Tsukihime is in the writing of the second branch, which focuses on Ciel, Shiki’s mature, reliable, enigmatic upperclassman.

The original game presented Ciel as an alternative romantic “route,” as is the custom for games in the genre, though the bulk of written material and development was clearly concentrated on Arcueid as the “main” heroine. The result was a Ciel route that felt like a variation of Arcueid’s — an alternative path included less as an equally valid option than a value-add for players seeking replayability.

By comparison, Ciel’s route in Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon– truly feels distinct, with its own plotting, cast of characters, and and exploration of a different side of Tsukihime‘s setting and lore. If Arcueid’s story route largely involves vampires and other supernatural kindred, Ciel’s dips heavily into the holy church, a vaguely Christian organization that defends human society against supernatural threats and violently suppresses the ones that come too close to revealing the magical world’s existence to mankind at large. In their way, the two main routes in Tsukihime‘s remake feel like genuinely equal options, fitting well with Type-Moon’s permissive attitude towards what counts as “canon” in its various properties.

With that in mind, players must read through Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- multiple times to get the most out of the story. Thankfully, it includes plenty of tools to ease exploration. Players can save and load anytime, and a handy “flowchart” system not unlike the one seen in Vanillaware’s 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim allows players to jump back and forth in the timeline, checking the results of choices at their leisure. The main routes and their endings are also unlocked sequentially, so there’s no danger of making the “wrong” choice and being forced to reload or wait until the next playthrough.

There are even more than a dozen different “bad endings” to acquire for completionist players. Bad endings are very much the “wrong choices,” usually in the sense that picking them results in Shiki’s death, described in gruesome, embarrassing detail. These are usually played for laughs, though, and invariably conclude with a post-credits classroom sequence where the characters discuss what just happened and advise the player on what choices to pick after they reload.

Outside of the occasional typo and an odd bug where a small amount of voiced Japanese-language lines aren’t properly subtitled in other languages, Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- is larger in scale than the original, polished to a mirror sheen, and convenient almost to a fault. Its writing expands the story in an appealing way that’s conscious of Type-Moon’s status as a company at the top of its field managing its own multiverse of related stories and projects (such as the Fate/Grand Order mobile game and more besides). It doesn’t supplant the scrappy, rough-hewn, original Tsukihime, but rather compliments it, presenting the visual novel equivalent of a breathtakingly costly but inimitably entertaining triple-A blockbuster to contrast with the original’s history as an out-of-nowhere indie hit.

The only wrinkle in this otherwise perfect remake story is that A piece of blue glass moon is just the first entry of the Tsukihime remake project. The two routes contained in this release are just the “Near Side” routes. The original game’s three other “Far Side” routes — routes that were more psychodrama-focused and starred supporting characters like Akiha, Kohaku, and Hisui, are due to be included in another installment, Tsukihime -The other side of red garden-, which is still in production. This isn’t to say that the experience feels incomplete without the additional routes, but it’s an acknowledgement that those who want to know more about certain other characters and see how Type-Moon will address their respective stories may end up waiting a while for the second half of the remake project to release.

Nevertheless, as it is, Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- remains a superlative visual novel, and a must-read for any fan of Type-Moon’s work, as well as a great potential entry point for those looking to get into visual novels as a medium.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed Type-Moon and published by Aniplex. It is currently available for the Switch and PS4. This review is based on a paid download and reviewed on Switch. A PS4 code provided by the publisher was tested. Approximately 47 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode and acquiring all main endings. There is no multiplayer mode. The game was completed.

Parents: This game is rated M by the ESRB, with content descriptors for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, and Suggestive Themes. The rating description is as follows: “This is a visual novel in which players follow the story of a high-school student who encounters vampires and ghouls in Japan. As players progress through the narrative, they view stylized story sequences (mostly still images), some depicting violence and blood: blood splatter; pools of blood; characters killed off camera; a character’s hand repeatedly stabbed. The text includes descriptive details of violent acts (e.g., “I stab, I cut, I slice, I carve. Severing piece after piece until nothing is left…”; “After listening to the weakling beg for its life, she begins her meticulous work…Once the other arm is gone too, she swaps her tools and sets work on its inside.”). Some sequences depict severed limbs and dismembered body parts in large pools of blood. A female vampire is depicted partially nude, with exposed pelvic area (no genitalia), and her arm covering her breasts. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” are heard in the game.”

Colorblind Modes: The game has no colorblind modes.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The gameplay is not reliant on audio cues. All voiced dialogue is represented by on-screen text. There are no options for text size or readability configuration, but detailed options exist to manage text display speed. This game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: This game’s button controls are not remappable.

Sometimes all it takes to grab my attention is one trailer. One good teaser. And that’s exactly how I discovered Blud, a newly released 2D Zelda-like action game about vampires, evil tech bros, and high school. I saw its release trailer on Twitter, thought “Wow that looks cool!” and started playing it. The game, with…

Read more...

Cancellation Watch: Status updates for the sci fi and fantasy shows on the broadcast networks, cable channels, and streaming services as well as breaking news on the currently airing, returning, and upcoming genre entries. 

Status Updates

Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix, Status: Renewal Possible): This supernatural drama made it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for the week of its premiere, landing at the Number 3 slot with an estimated 633 million hours of viewing.  But considering how quickly it slipped out of the Netflix charts, this may not be enough to ensure the show receives a second season. Its connection to the Sandman universe could help it, but fans should certainly make some noise on the social networks to bring this one more attention.

Reginald the Vampire (Syfy, Status: On the Bubble): The supernatural dramedy has averaged just a 0.02 rating based on same-day viewing in the 18-49 demographic across its first three Season 2 episodes, and I am moving it to Bubble status. Surrealestate averaged only a 0.02 score in its second season and got the nod for a third year, but I had that show On the Bubble as well. It’s possible that international partnerships and/or syndication are keeping these shows afloat, but fans of Reginald should make a Call to Action on the social networks to help this show out so that it could possibly survive to a third season.

Blood of Zeus (Netflix, Status: Renewal Possible): This show fell out of the Netflix Top 10 after hitting the lower rungs of that chart in its debut week. But its viewership numbers may be good enough for an animated entry, and perhaps this one will be allowed to come back for at least one more season. Support from the fans on the social networks might help to give it a boost.

Them (Prime Video, Status: Renewal Possible): This season-long horror anthology series crept into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings at Number 10 for the week of its second season premiere with 251 million minutes of viewing. If it continues to post decent viewership for another couple of weeks, it could be back for a third year.

You can see the status of all the shows from the current season at our Cancellation Watch Page.

Go to r/SciFiTV to join the discussion on sci fi and fantasy television and to keep up with the latest news, trailers, schedule announcements and more

Cancellation/Renewal Score:

Somehow I missed it, but Amazon’s sci fi dramedy Upload was renewed earlier this year. I am now factoring that into the Cancellation/Renewal Score which brings us to 26 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (40% of shows tracked) vs. 15 cancelled and ending (23%). Below are this season’s numbers, and you can see the list of shows and keep up with the score throughout the week at our Cancellation Watch Page.

Be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site  for breaking news and updates. And for the latest news and discussions on sci fi and fantasy television, follow r/SciFiTV

Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.

The post Cancellation Watch: Dead Boy Detectives Enters the Nielsen Rankings; Reginald the Vampire Moves to Bubble Status, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Cancellation Watch: Status updates for the sci fi and fantasy shows on the broadcast networks, cable channels, and streaming services as well as breaking news on the currently airing, returning, and upcoming genre entries. 

Status Updates

Fallout (Amazon, Status: Renewed): Amazon’s post-apocalyptic series Fallout started at the Top of the Nielsen Rankings for the week of its debut, pulling in an estimated 2.9 billion minutes of viewing across a five-day period (it premiered on a Wednesday). That set a record for the highest viewership ever for an Amazon original across one week, and not surprisingly the show has already been renewed for a second season. I expect that this one could stick around for a while if the viewership remains strong and turn into a franchise similar to what Amazon has done with the recently renewed The Boys.

Interview with the Vampire (AMC, Status: Renewal Possible): This supernatural drama returned for its second season and posted only a 0.04 rating based on same-day viewing with 282K total viewers. That is a 56% drop from its first season average as we continue to see viewership dwindle for originals on the basic cable channels. This one may be picking up slack with streaming on AMC+, and the network appears to be all-in on its Immortal Universe (which also includes Mayfair Witches), so the show may be okay for now.  But I will keep a close eye on how it trakcs for the next few weeks.

Reginald the Vampire (Syfy, Status: Renewal Possible): This supernatural dramedy returned for its second season last week, but only posted a 0.02 rating based on same-day viewing with 163K total viewers. That is down from its first season average which was already pretty low to begin with (a 0.04 score). But then it is hard to gauge the status of Syfy shows these days because Surrealestate had only a 0.02 average this season and it got renewed. These shows may have international partnerships and/or syndication deals helping them out, but fans of Reginald the Vampire should probably make some noise on the social networks to bring the show more attention.

Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix, Status: Renewal Possible): This supernatural drama took a notable drop in its third week, slipping to Number 7 in the Netflix charts with 13.3 million hours watched across 1.8 million accounts. If this one slips out of the Top 10 next week, that could be bad news because it could suggest it is not seeing the completion rate Netflix execs are looking for (which tracks how many people watched all episodes of the current season). This is another show that could use some support from fans on the social networks.

Blood of Zeus (Netflix, Status: Renewal Possible): This fantasy series did not make it into the Netflix Top 10 for the premiere of its second season, but that is not uncommon for animated entries from this streamer. It is possible that it could continue to a third year, but I would expect it to wrap up around that point.

You can see the status of all the shows from the current season at our Cancellation Watch Page.

Go to r/SciFiTV to join the discussion on sci fi and fantasy television and to keep up with the latest news, trailers, schedule announcements and more

Cancellation/Renewal Score:

This past week brought a renewal for Amazon’s The Boys (more on that at this link) and the cancellations Max’s Scavengers Reign and Apple TV+’s Constellation (more on those at this link) as well as ABC’s Not Dead Yet (more on that at this link). That brings the current Cancellation/Renewal Score to 24 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (39% of shows tracked) vs. 14 cancelled and ending (23%). Below are this season’s numbers, and you can see the list of shows and keep up with the score throughout the week at our Cancellation Watch Page.

Be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site  for breaking news and updates. And for the latest news and discussions on sci fi and fantasy television, follow r/SciFiTV

Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.

The post Cancellation Watch: Fallout Tops the Nielsen Rankings, Interview with the Vampire Returns Down, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Madame Web, the new Sony film about the titular Marvel comics character starring 50 Shades of Grey’s Dakota Johnson, just released on Valentine’s Day. As if Johnson’s press tour (where it seemed very clear that she does not like the movie) wasn’t enough, the reviews are pouring in—and according to them, the film is…

Read more...