[International (Standalone Version)] Absented Age: Squarebound / Gotcha Gotcha Games Inc.

[International (Standalone Version)] Absented Age: Squarebound

“You awaken as a girl with no memories, left alone in the corner of a sinking world…”

Absented Age is a fresh mix of genres: an action RPG outside of combat that becomes a roguelike-style strategy RPG during combat.

If you touch a foe, get an advance attack in, or get jumped yourself, you’ll transition directly to turn-based combat, with any surrounding enemies joining the fray.

With quick dungeon progression and smooth music transitions, it aims to be fast-paced, free-flowing, and stress-free. Save, of course, for the despair of finding yourself in a hopeless battle, or the emotional turmoil the story may induce.

And that is precisely what you, our protagonist, must confront. May you overcome with wisdom, bravery, and kindness, and be left with the best of memories.

Manage hundreds of skills and items strategically, practice high-level techniques like counters, perfect guards, and hitstop shifting, and put it all together to make short work of powerful monsters!

 

Highlight

* Your dependable partner, Tart
Using Enchant skills, you can instantly swap the fighting style of the spirit who fights alongside you, Tart.

Enchant Light: Makes him less sturdy, but allows him to fly and excel at support healing.

Enchant Fire: Lets him take the brunt of enemy attacks, protecting you with nimble moves and a solid defense.

Each time you obtain a Heart Fragment holding a lost memory, you will awaken to a new power…

* A myriad of skills, items, and ways to dress up
As demonstrated in the screenshots, this game is abundant with exchangeable pieces of clothing, as well as status effect overlays. Equipment will break when it gets worn down, so always consider what you should be wearing at any given time.

If you obtain multiples of the same piece of equipment, that equipment’s Mastery (and value) goes up. Unlike more punishing roguelikes of yesteryear, the Mastery you earn is permanent across all instances of that equipment, so that progress won’t be lost even if you lose the equipment.

In fact, if you re-obtain a piece of equipment you lost to a defeat, you’ll get a big boost to its Mastery. So when you fall in battle, consider it a chance to reclaim your lost belongings stronger than before and take your revenge.

New Features in the International Version

* Seamless Language Switching
You can instantly swap between Japanese and English at any time during the game by pressing the @ key or L3 Button (can be changed). If you’re keen to do language study by playing a game, or just find yourself wondering “how would they say this in another language?”, it’s yours with the press of a button.
(* Existing battle log text will not be retroactively affected by language switching.)
The English translation was provided by vgperson. From scenes packed with emotion to humorous wordplay in item descriptions, may you enjoy the intricacies of each translation.

* Arcade Mode
A mode separate from the main game, where you advance through a dungeon you can’t bring anything into, and aim for a high score. You can also link your main game save data to control characters other than the protagonist.
Features four stages, including stages for two guest characters: Iris from Soaring Machinariae, and Astrake from Reality Minds.

* Bonus Playable Characters
Iris from Soaring Machinariae and Astrake from Reality Minds can played as, or made into allies, in Arcade Mode.

Iris boasts overwhelmingly powerful three-stage combos, during which adjacent foes can’t act. The third hit depends on her current Core, so it’s important to change it out to suit the situation. Stopping the combo early at the second hit, utilizing the fact she can strike up to 4 times before engaging combat, can also be an effective strategy.

Like in RealityMinds, Astrake can activate a variety of chain skills by combining component skills. Strong followups and a well-balanced lineup of skills makes for a highly adaptable fighter. Be sure to use both the normal and charge variations of the pre-emptive strike for maximum effectiveness.

The Future of the Series

This game, Absented Age: Squarebound, is the first part of the larger Absented Age series. Though this first part can be considered a complete story in its own right, there remain elements yet to appear in this game (such as assist summons and real-world embodiment actions), as well as unexplained mysteries.

I plan to make updates to the game based on players’ feedback while also developing the next game in the series, Absented Age: Ghostbound (tentative title). I’m prepared to improve anything that might be improved upon in this game, so I would appreciate anyone contacting me on my Twitter or elsewhere with their opinions.

I hope this game can reach as many people as possible.