Akiba's Beat To Get Dual Audio Voiceover Option!

Published: October 17, 2016 7:00 PM /

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XSEED Games have announced today that Akiba's Beat, the upcoming JRPG from developer Acquire, will give fans dual-track audio options. The North American version of the game will include both the original Japanese voiceover and a voiceover featuring an English language cast selected by XSEED Games. The PlayStation 4 edition of the game will come with the option of both voiceovers on disc, though PS Vita players will have to download the Japanese voiceover separately.

The announcement of the dual audio options also came with confirmation of a pre-order bonus for the game. Participating retailers are offering a super-cute, 3.5", plushie of the game's mascot Pinkun:

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Akiba's Beat is a JRPG with a twist; to unlock its monster-filled dungeons, players will have to investigate a true-to-life recreation of Tokyo's famous Akihabara Ward (Akiba for short) and unravel the mysteries of its residents. You can read our first impressions of the game, at this year's E3, here. The game looks to differentiate itself from previous Acquire titles set in Akiba. To do so, they're using a real-time JRPG combat system, similar to the Tales games, layered with a brand new representation of Akiba, a day/night cycle, and a separation between the 'reality' of the district and the 'imagination' of the RPG style dungeons.

Acquire is aiming to make Akihabara ward the star of the game this time around. To increase players' immersion in the Akiba lifestyle, day to day activities will involve things like trading card collection or going to Idol concerts and buying CD's. These items will then translate to the battle system, be it special moves, or even background music - which also plays a part in battles.

The story reportedly stands alone from the previous two similarly-titled games - Akiba's Trip and it's sequel, as we covered in our report on the developer's Otakumode panel. Little has been revealed in terms of story detail just yet, but we know the player character will be involved in some kind of 'strange incident' while living his carefree NEET lifestyle. That presumably relates to his ability to enter the aforementioned dungeons, known as 'Delusionscapes', which come from the imaginations of Akiba's residents. Players will be tasked with investigating anything 'out of sync with reality' and eradicating it from the district.

Does having the option for the original Japanese voice acting make you more likely to pick up Akiba's Beat? How about that plushie? Let us know in the comments below.

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Dom Oleary Writer
| Former Staff Writer

I'm a dyed in the wool gamer of the now irrelevant (I'm told) generation-X. If I'm not gaming, you'll find me writing about games, writing my wonderful… More about Dom