New Games 919

Sidekicks are cool – and optional

Also, apologizing is one of several ways you can turn an enemy into a friend – even to the point that certain characters can be convinced to follow you around and (theoretically) watch your back. True, they have an irritating tendency to run slowly, thereby forcing you to wait for them, and their usefulness in battle is questionable – the game’s one-guy-attacks-at-a-time combat system also extends to your partners, meaning they’ll only fight your enemy’s allies. Some of them will also leave when it gets too late, so you might need to keep a second partner in mind for any late-night ramblings.

However, there are a whole lot of them to discover and recruit, and they range from interesting – such as a spear-toting widow and a vengeance-seeking swordswoman who you’ll have to convince not to murder you – to weird, including a ghost and a cat. Also, having them along enables you to participate in some of the game’s more lucrative minigames, which include catching a sword between your hands and making mochi.

Speaking of which…