Expected a Japanese answer to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but got a visual novel with gameplay - Qliphah in Providence's Shadow released on Steam and consoles
Qliphah in Providence's Shadow offered not quite the gameplay that buyers wanted to see.
Many know Arc System Works for fighting game franchises like Guilty Gear, River City, or Under Night, but sometimes the company releases and creates projects in other genres. This month, Qliphah in Providence's Shadow was released on PC via Steam and consoles.
The new title was created by Arc System Works in collaboration with UnitePlus studio. The developers position their project as a tactical role-playing game with counterattacks on a timeline.
Events unfold in Tokyo after the “World Collapse” — a catastrophe where reality is blurred, and grotesque creatures called “Aberrations” roam the streets. The main character, Rena Hizuki, an investigator from the Metropolitan Police Department, finds the second main character — a young man named Souma Hoshigama. It turns out that he is in a “semi-turned” state, so the police decided to take him into custody, and now he participates in investigations and fights alongside Rena.
The developers, when promoting the game, noted that Qliphah in Providence's Shadow uses an “innovative system”:
The combat screen displays a timeline-like gauge showing enemy attack times and skill types. The screen can be slowed down or paused at any time, displaying various tactical information such as enemy attack predictions and skill cooldown status, allowing for deep strategic planning. With these unique systems, you can perform tactical maneuvers such as counterattacking enemy attacks or activating buffs during pauses in their onslaught to strengthen your team.
The first reviews of Qliphah in Providence's Shadow on Steam are “mostly negative” — buyers expected a different game. The mention of counterattack possibilities led many players to think of gameplay in the style of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. However, in reality, it turned out that in this project, the entire story is presented in a visual novel format, and there is no open world — you need to select key points on the global map, and after confirming your choice, a dialogue will start or a battle will begin.
The Qliphah in Providence's Shadow page on Steam is available at the following link. The game has no Russian localization; voice acting is only in Japanese.
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