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The notable thing about the Death end re;Quest series of games is how easy it is to meet bad ends. Gruesomely. Repeatedly. Even if you think you’re maybe doing the right thing. It’s gory, to be certain, though it can make actually getting a character ending or the true one even more satisfying. Death end re;Quest: Code Z is a spin-off roguelike that… well, falters along the way. (It’s fine, I’d say it is not the best roguelike or representation of this series.) What I will say though is that it absolutely takes advantage of the Death End mechanic from the series and nature of the genre to attempt to do something different with the genre, though the violent nature and reliance on knowledge of the series and its characters both might dissuade many from playing.

So ideally, you’d think maybe Death end re;Quest: Code Z would be more accessible since it involves parallel universes, however it does still include the sorts of references and asides that might make for some barriers. Sayaka Hiwatari is a debugger on the game End to Odyssey with Shina Ninomiya, and she encounters something insidious while on the job. This means needing to head into the Strain Area dungeon and save or fight folks like Shina, Yurisa Yamamura, and Lucil Filarete. So you must stay alive and sane while searching for them, then getting out together while figuring out what Arata Mizunashi, another familiar face, is after.

Except since this is both Death end re;Quest, getting those bad endings in Death end re;Quest: Code Z is something we want to get, rather than avoid like we would in most roguelikes. This is because while on any difficulty other than Normal you lose what’s in your inventory and your levels, dying ends up being a way to make progress. Each death gets you a skill point if it is the first time you died that way. Which means keeping Sayaka’s sanity high enough to not affect her health and instead try and have an enemy, trap, or boss kill her is to your benefit. It’s an interesting concept, and perhaps one of the few things I found really unique about this spin-off.

It also feels like the Death Ends in Death end re;Quest: Code Z are designed to be a selling point due to the execution. These are handled in the same way as the mainline installments. So there will be unique descriptions explaining what happened. It becomes a “moment.” Someone who really loves the series for that reason might even find themselves searching for Death Ends repeatedly for completionist purposes. 

While I wish Death end re;Quest: Code Z was more fun to play or perhaps more welcoming to newcomers, I do appreciate the way it embraces and uses the Death End bad endings mechanic. This is a series in which it could be quite easy for characters to die. Dying happens a lot in roguelikes. Attempting to make a death in a roguelike less painful by tying it to the unique endings and character growth makes sense. The execution isn’t the best, but I can see what Compile Heart and Idea Factory were trying. 

Death end re;Quest: Code Z is available for the PS4 and PS5, and it will come to the PC via Steam later in 2025. 

The post Death end re;Quest: Code Z Revolves Around Bad Endings appeared first on Siliconera.

Idea Factory International shared the PS4 and PS5 release date for the horror JRPG Death end re;Quest: Code Z. It will be available digitally and physically, and there will be a $89.99/£84.99/€89.99 limited edition sold direct through the company’s online store. 

In addition to the game, the collector’s edition includes three other items. One is a padded mouse pad of the heroine Sayaka, which feature’s the game’s logo in the background. The other is the  Death end re;Quest: Code Z Official Art Book and Stories volume offering extra insight into the game’s development and its world. Finally, you get a CD of the official soundtrack. An IFI’s Online Store trading card for the game is included with purchases as well.

Here’s the Death end re;Quest: Code Z Limited Edition:

The opening movie for the third entry in the horror JRPG series is also online now.

As a reminder, Death end re;Quest Z isn’t appearing on as many platforms as expected, even though the PS4 and PS5 ones are appearing as planned. Initially, it was supposed to debut on the Nintendo Switch as well. However, that version ended up canceled in December 2024. Idea Factory International didn’t explain why plans changed. However, at the same time it also canceled the Switch versions of Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1, Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2 Sisters Generation, and Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3 V Generation. 

Death end re;Quest: Code Z will appear on the PS4 and PS5 outside Japan on May 13, 2025, and it is already available on the consoles in Japan.

The post Death end re;Quest: Code Z PS4 and PS5 Release Date Set appeared first on Siliconera.

Idea Factory International announced three Neptunia Re;Birth games and Death end re;Quest: Code Z won’t come to the Nintendo Switch in North America or Europe as originally planned, as all four titles are now canceled. It cited Nintendo Guidelines as being the issue for the games not appearing on the system as planned. All of the games appeared on the system in Japan in 2024.

Idea Factory International did not cite which elements of the Nintendo Guidelines the games Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1, Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2 Sisters Generation, Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3 V Generation, and Death end re;Quest: Code Z violate. The first and second Death end re;Quest games appear worldwide on the Switch eShop and are still available to purchase. We also saw multiple other Neptunia games appear on the system in 2024. Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution and Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters both appeared there. There is an age-gate on the website for the new Death end re;Quest game. 

This does perhaps explain a delay from earlier this year. All three Switch Neptunia Re;Birth games were supposed to debut in Europe on May 21, 2024. The day before launch, Idea Factory International said it wouldn’t happen. There was no explanation at the time.

It seems one Neptunia game isn’t hit by this. The official site for Neptunia Riders vs Dogoos still lists that as heading to the Switch worldwide. That debuts on January 28, 2025.

Death end re;Quest: Code Z will still come to the PS4 and PS5 in North America and Europe in 2025. 

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At Anime Expo 2024, Idea Factory International announced five games, with two being new otome titles and another being the latest Hyperdimension Neptunia spin-off. All of the games that appeared are heading to consoles.

There are two otome games among the Idea Factory International Anime Expo 2024 games. These are Battlefield Waltz and Temirana: The Lucky Princess and the Tragic Knights. Both will head to the Nintendo Switch.  In Battlefield Waltz, we follow a warrior-in-training named Ran and the five young men she meets at an academy for those who could become the best and strongest. Meanwhile, Temirana involves players helping the “Lucky Princess” as she finds love with one of the “Tragic Knights.”  

Here is the Vita trailer for Battlefield Waltz, as that’s where the game first appeared:

Meanwhile, here’s a Temirana trailer:

The new entries in Idea Factory International staples are Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos and Death end re;Quest: Code Z. The newest Hyperdimension Neptunia spin-off will show up on the Switch, PS4, and PS5 outside Japan. It involves racing motorcycles and the series’ classic Dogoos slime dog enemies. Death end re;Quest: Code Z is the third entry in the now trilogy, and it will also be on the Switch, PS4, and PS5. 

Here’s a Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos Japanese trailer:

You can see the Japanese Death end re;Quest: Code Z trailer below:

Finally, Touhou Spell Carnival will be on the Switch, PS4, and PS5 worldwide. It is a strategy game that still involves the bullet hell elements, as you’ll deploy and move the series’ classic characters on a grid, then use their bullets to attack. 

Here’s a Japanese trailer showing how it works:

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