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Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines
Developer(s)Alfa System[a]
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[b] is a 2014 role-playing video game developed by Alfa System and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Vita. It is the sequel to the 1999 PlayStation game Ore no Shikabane o Koete Yuke which Alfa System previously developed.[4][5][6]

Setting

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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

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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

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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

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

Reception

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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.[16] 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

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  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

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b "Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines for PlayStation Vita". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  15. ^ a b "Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines Critic Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1335". Gematsu. May 20, 2014. Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  17. ^ Clark, Justin (March 3, 2015). "Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 4, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  18. ^ "Review: Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines". Destructoid. March 3, 2015. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  19. ^ "Oreshika Tainted Bloodlines, classico ma con stile! - recensione". Eurogamer Italy. April 20, 2015. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  20. ^ "Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines - Recenzja". Eurogamer.pl. March 26, 2015. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  21. ^ a b Thew, Geoff (March 24, 2015). "Review: Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  22. ^ Teague, Cameron (March 3, 2015). "Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines Review – Taint Very Good (Vita)". PlayStation LifeStyle. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  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.
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