‘Tales Of Besaria’, ‘One Piece: Burning Blood’ And More Get Western Releases

Bandai Namco revealed that five more Japanese releases are coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in the west in 2016. That’s in addition to two previously announced PlayStation 4 titles coming next year.

The PlayStation 4 and Steam get the bulk of the benefit, followed by the PS Vita and Xbox One. Fans of JRPGs and fighting games can look forward to an all new Tales adventure, God Eater, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Mobile Suit Gundam, and a One Piece game that showcases Gear Fourth Luffy’s destructive power.

Tales of Beseria is headed to North America and Europe for the PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam. It’s unique from other Tales games in that it features a single female protagonist versus an entire party of characters.

Players will take on the role of Velvet in Tales of Berseria. She was a gentle young woman who has given over to anger and hate following a traumatic event that imbued her left hand with a special ability, according to Bandai Namco’s press release. Her journey will take her to a “wide range of breathtaking environments as she travels the world. Along her journey, Velvet will meet a whole cast of characters, including a young boy named Laphicet. If Velvet is the embodiment of ‘darkness,’ then Laphicet is created in the image of ‘light’ and will be an important ally to Velvet.”

Two God Eater titles are headed to the PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and PC. God Eater: Resurrection and God Eater 2: Rage Burst will both be released in the summer of 2016 for all three platforms.

The games are set in 2050 when lifeforms called Oracle Cells have begun consuming the Earth by transforming into giant monsters known as Aragami.

“Humanity’s last hope for survival now rests in the hands of individual elite Aragami hunters known as ‘God Eaters’. These fearless God Eaters take-on Aragami in spectacular battles using recently developed weapons known as God Arcs,” Bandai Namco announced in the press release.

The PS Vita will get more action in 2016 with the release of Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs-Force. The game adds large-scale team battles in both single player and local multiplayer matches. Players can use either third-person or an overhead tactical view to control teams of six Mobile Suits along with a single battleship.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven is the lone PlayStation 4 exclusive title. The two-versus-two 3D action-brawler will give players the ability to select from over 50 characters divided into specialized fighting styles. It also includes a “brand new original story supervised by Hirohiko Araki, the creator of the original manga series.”

The developer pedigree is already solid for this latest JoJo adventure. Cyberonnect2’s development history includes the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm.

Finally, One Piece: Burning Blood will hit the PlayStation, Xbox One, PS Vita, and Steam in the west for 2016. The three-versus-three fighting game comes with a Gear Fourth Luffy DLC pack for PS4 and Xbox One pre-orders. Meanwhile, a Marineford Edition will be exclusive to the PS4 and include a copy of the game, two exclusive figurines (Whitebeard and his grave), plus an official art book.

These announcements are in addition to other titles announced for 2016 during the PlayStation Experience event earlier in December. Banda Namco revealed Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom and Ace Combat 7 were both announced as PlayStation 4 exclusives.

Western fans of JRPGs and action games should be excited for this lineup of releases from Bandai Namco. The current generation of consoles has been light, but the publisher is demonstrating a commitment to localizing its titles on both consoles and PC.

What do you think of Bandai Namco’s lineup for 2016? Sound off in the comments below.

[Image via Bandai Namco]