Hello to all my fellow magic enthusiasts,
I’m William Loubier, the Head of Marketing at CharacterBank Inc., and today I have the distinct pleasure of introducing RUINSMAGUS.CharacterBank is a relatively new company, only being founded in March 2019, and is based in the beautiful ancient capital of Japan, Kyoto.
Remix Update: Bringing English Voice Acting to the Ruins
When CharacterBank first started development for RUINSMAGUS, we had this core idea of designing a VR game around magic and action. After several prototypes, we settled on the dungeon crawling, JRPG-style game that you know and love. One of the critical focuses of CharacterBank is to create unique experiences that players can get lost in.
We spent a considerable amount of time on the world design, building something cohesive. With a VR title, it’s important to design something wholly; the little details add a lot, and if something doesn’t fit in the game’s world it can be extremely obvious to the user. In a lot of ways, RUINSMAGUS is an atmospheric game – one we are hoping that you will enjoy exploring and getting lost in as you uncover the larger mystery of the Ruins and Grand Amnis.
The newest update for RUINSMAGUS, now available on the VIVE XR Elite, is called the “Remix Update” (available from version 1.2). This update contains two main components – the first is an updated Ruins. The second is English VO. The update is available free to all players of RUINSMAGUS. The Remix Update improves the overall experience of RUINSMAGUS and makes it even easier for new players to explore the rich world of Grand Amnis.
The Ruins Remix created unique layouts and challenges. When we were first developing RUINSMAGUS, the team was incredibly small. At the start of development, RUINSMAGUS only had 3 staff. By the time 1.0 was released, CharacterBank had grown to over ten members. Nearly a year after RUINSMAGUS was released, the studio has now tripled in size. With the increase in staff, we realized our original ambition for RUINSMAGUS.
On my first day at CharacterBank, Shuto Mikami, the CEO of CharacterBank asked me if players outside of Japan prefer subtitles or dubbed content. In Japan, it’s not uncommon for Western movies to be released with both options with dubs being only slightly more available. I explained that in the West, there is a split among players with some players having a strong preference for one or the other. From this conversation, we decided to produce the English VO and release it as a free update.
We were fortunate enough to work directly with Cristina Vee, a talented voice actress and director on casting and recording. Cristina Vee herself voices the wonderful Reese Seption, one of the first characters you will encounter in Grand Amnis. We also worked with Bang Zoom, a recording studio based in California. As much as possible, I wanted to ensure a certain quality with the recording which meant re-writing the dialogue (sometimes during recording!) in order to ensure each line was natural and fit the world. Even if you don’t prefer an English dub, I hope you check out the English voiceover at least once! We also improved the English translation overall for this update, in order to improve the experience.
4 Tips For Every Spell Caster
Before I head off to explore the Ruins, I’d like to provide some quick advice before you embark on your adventure in Grand Amnis.
The first is to find a comfortable space to play! RUINSMAGUS takes an average of 7-10 hours to complete. Compared to other VR games that are focused on single-player experiences, RUINSMAGUS is entirely filled with content.
Secondly, be sure to visit the shop and stock up on items before venturing into the Ruins. You never know what or who you will encounter so it’s best to be prepared!
Third, get used to parrying. RUINSMAGUS core gameplay mechanic is “push and pull”. Players will need to utilize every tool that is available to them in order to defeat the enemies in front of them. The game is quite fast-paced and is something that is only possible in VR.
Lastly, don’t forget to use your Ult (Ultimate Attack). Ults are vital to your success in the Ruins as they can help take down big foes quickly. You’ll unlock them early in the story, but just like your Skill Magic and Charge Magic, they can be swapped out as you unlock new types of magic.
With these four tips, I’m sure you will be ready for your journey to the Ruins and Grand Amnis. Be sure to check it out on the Viveport store and let us know what you think on our Twitter, Discord, or by leaving a review on the store! We look forward to hearing your thoughts on RUINSMAGUS. I hope you continue to enjoy the VR experiences we create as we continue to push XR forward!
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