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Studio Trigger burst onto the anime scene in 2013 with Kill la Kill, an original series well-received by both fans and critics for its creative subversion of genre tropes, lovable characters, well-composed soundtrack, and gorgeously animated over-the-top battles. Trigger has not quite managed to capture that same type of magic since then, but the studio’s theatrical debut, Promare, comes close. Though it suffers from some pacing issues from prolonged world-building in Act 1, Promare finishes strong with a well-structured story, creative humor, gorgeous animation, and wonderfully powerful gay energy.

Promare’s story begins 30 years after the emergence of a mutation that causes random people of all ages from around the world to suddenly manifest pyrokinetic abilities. In the modern day, these people are called the Burnish, and they are ostracized and discriminated against by the rest of the non-mutant population. Most of the populace wrongly believe that every Burnish belongs to a terrorist organization called Mad Burnish, a group responsible for several aggressive actions in metropolitan areas. Two groups are formed to combat the fire-wielding mutants: the militaristic Freeze Force that arrest Mad Burnish members and take them away to a secret prison, and the firefighting Burning Rescue team that respond to Burnish-created disasters and save civilians. Promare follows Galo Thymos, the newest member of Burning Rescue, who’s first major assignment puts him into direct conflict with Mad Burnish’s leader, Lio Fotia.

Ultimately, Promare doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to its story. It’s a tale that’s been seen countless times before–mutants, aliens, or animals are used as a stand-in for a group that faces racial prejudice, sexism, or some other form of discrimination. The movie establishes early on that not all Burnish are terrorists, but the news and police exploit the underlying feelings of hatred and fear among the populace so that the government can lock up any discovered Burnish without encountering resistance. This part of the world-building is done well, with an early scene in a pizza shop perfectly encapsulating the type of world Galo lives in.

Promare loses itself in the nitty-gritty of the fantastical lore of the Burnish and their creation, though. There are too many scenes at the start of the movie where one character reminds another of what they both already know in order for the audience to get caught up. The inclusion of this near-nonstop blatant exposition in Act 1 is especially puzzling as much of it can be inferred in other scenes. Having a scene devoted to explaining the creation of Burning Rescue and its role in combating the Burnish, for example, isn’t necessary when the movie opens on a scene of the team fighting a fire and rescuing civilians. We see what they do; we don’t need to be told.

Inversely, not enough is done to flesh out Galo’s fellow Burning Rescue members. Save for their shared agreement that discriminating against the Burnish is bad, few get much characterization beyond receiving names. They have cool character designs and each seems to have a pretty fun personality, but their respective motivations aren’t explored. Many of the villains suffer a similar fate, with only a few getting minor last-minute development. Given Studio Trigger’s incredible track record of fleshing out major side characters and antagonists (just look at Kill la Kill’s Honnouji Academy Elite Four or SSSS.Gridman’s Akane), it’s unfortunate Promare has such a weak cast outside of Galo and Lio. The movie does try to do something with its female lead, Aina, but her arc ultimately just ends up contradicting itself. After expressing a wish to be seen by others as more than just the younger sister to a brilliant scientist, Aina’s only true contribution to Promare’s plot is being the heroes’ connection to her older sibling. Despite Galo’s insistence in Act 1 that “You’re you, Aina,” the rest of the movie proves that just isn’t the case. Aina is a means to an end to move the story along.

Promare’s strength lies in the evolving dynamic between Galo and Lio, whose opposing life histories and motivations put them at odds with each other the second they meet. As opposed to a single meeting where one comes out on top and imparts a singular vision of wisdom in how the loser should live their life (which would be typical for the genre), Promare sees Galo and Lio encounter each other several times over the course of the movie’s runtime. Prior to each meeting, both men are presented with some form of evidence that challenges their worldview and forces them to adjust their priorities in life and moral code. The movie’s plot doesn’t demand one transform into a completely different person or even agree on a shared philosophy. Instead, both Galo and Lio share a respect for the other person’s point of view, and this respect culminates into far more by the film’s end. Neither one outright admits romantic feelings for the other, but their decision to embrace and accept each other–both physically and in regards to their differing moral code–is inarguably and delightfully gay. It’s an incredibly fulfilling connection to see develop.

If nothing else, Promare is proof that Studio Trigger can make good anime movies, not just series.

Studio Trigger’s sense of style can be felt throughout Promare. Characters move about with the same comedic exaggeration of Kill la Kill, and though the movie utilizes similar mech designs and weapons from Darling in the Franxx and SSSS.Gridman, the ever-escalating, explosively-charged battles and fight choreography are all unashamedly similar to Kill la Kill. In battle, characters shout out the names of each action beforehand, and the fight momentarily freezes so the announcement can also be written out in giant block letters to enunciate just how epic the next attack or transformation is about to be. And, as is Trigger’s way, a few of these names are either a funny pun or reference to some aspect of Japanese culture or storytelling trope. Some are hit-or-miss, but a few are absolutely hilarious.

Promare does do a bit more with its style though, seamlessly blending together traditional 2D animation and 3D CG to pull off movements and attacks that are more extravagant than Studio Trigger has been able to achieve before. As a result, fights are massive spectacles with both sides striving for larger displays of strength. Each person visually grows stronger as battles continue and the attack names get longer and incorporate larger, flashier animations. Promare is gorgeous, with every battle better than the last–both in terms of the stakes and the excellent blend of different animation styles. The final battle in particular is epic to watch unfold, with several jokes sprinkled throughout the fight to break up the action into digestible chunks.

Most of Promare’s humor comes through Galo, as his hotheaded stubbornness and gung-ho attitude cause him to speak or act up before thinking things through. He’s lovingly called an idiot by his friends and constantly getting into some sort of misadventure or another. The jokes keep Promare feeling lively from start to finish, even when the story delves into more morbid territory. Promare is clearly meant to be a good time, and it succeeds largely because its plot never takes itself too seriously.

All of Promare is amplified through its musical soundtrack, which was created by Kill la Kill composer Hiroyuki Sawano. Somber melodies in the moments before a battle flame into explosive percussion as the fight begins, eventually crescendoing at the final blow. It’s some of Sawano’s best work, as each track reverberates with a controlled ferocity that matches the action of the movie’s conflict.

Promare’s plot does stumble, most notably when it comes to how it builds its world and fleshes out the main cast, but it takes enough cues from what made Kill la Kill such a hit to then go out and tell its own take on why discrimination is bad and why everyone should learn to love their fellow person. Galo’s origin story of becoming a firefighting superhero is framed with over-the-top action pieces, comedy, and well-timed pieces of music, and though he delivers an incredible finishing blow in the epic final battle, it’s his evolving rivalry with Lio that gives the movie its satisfying ending. If nothing else, Promare is proof that Studio Trigger can make good anime movies, not just series.

Atlus has been rolling out teasers in the lead-up to Persona 5 Royal, the definitive version of the original RPG. It’s going to include a ton of content and significant overhauls to the story, much of which has been shown off in trailers and the “Morgana Report.” The latest teaser to drop is a video revealing new events around the character Ann Takamaki, and further showcases how this new version is putting more emphasis on its cast.

The first thing you’ll see is one of the all-new partner attacks; this time it’s between Ann and Morgana. They find themselves in a flower field as Ann is flattered by Morgana’s offering of roses. By the end of the trailer you see how it all brutally ends–Ann rains down on enemies with her submachine guns while Morgana tosses a bomb to finish them off. It seems that P5R is leaning into its wacky side, especially considering the partner attack with Ryuji and Yusuke (think the silliest heat moves from Yakuza with a hint of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure).

As for social events, you get a glimpse of how Ann’s best friend Shiho Suzui gets brought back into the mix. In the original game, she didn’t really get any screen time following the tragic events at Shujin Academy. However, you get to see her, Ann, and Joker hanging out in the underground mall in fresh new outfits on January 4, which would be fairly late in the game. According to fan translation (via Harry Type-C), Ann is talking up how Shiho was a star on the school’s volleyball team.

Ann has other new scenes as well; she leads a school clean-up project at Inokashira Park and shows students how to properly recycle trashed umbrellas. There’s also a scenario in which Ann and Joker have a talk in what appears to be her room (she’s got a lot of shoes). She seems to be wearing a letterman jacket over a proper Shujin uniform, which she’s never worn before.

As if Persona 5 wasn’t anime enough.

Persona 5 Royal launches exclusively for PlayStation 4 in Japan on October 31, 2019 and sometime in 2020 in the West. For all things P5R, be sure to read (or watch) our analysis of the first full reveal trailer, breakdown of all the new information that followed, or details on the new playable character Kasumi Yoshizawa.

When the PS Plus games lineup for July 2019 was announced, PES 2019 was listed as one of the free PS4 games for the month. However, this was later changed, with Detroit: Become Human replacing the soccer game at the last minute. Now, Konami has responded to questions about the news by stating it was Sony’s decision.

In a short statement, a Konami spokesperson told GameSpot: “This decision was made by Sony and so please make an inquiry to Sony.”

In its own statement, Sony admitted it had taken the decision itself but declined to elaborate: “We have decided to make a change to the PS Plus games lineup this month, and will be offering Detroit: Become Human Digital Deluxe Edition instead of PES 2019. This was a decision we decided to make as a company, and we apologize for any inconvenience.”

European PES brand manager Lennart Bobzien, meanwhile, told GameSpot on the day of the change that it was not planned and had taken Konami by surprise: “I cannot really tell you what happened because I just found out today, in the morning when I opened my laptop. I can’t really explain.”

PES 2019’s successor is on the way later this year. It’s officially titled eFootball: PES 2020–see why PES has changed its name here–and will include Manchester United as a licensed team. It won’t, however, feature any women’s teams.

PES 2020 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on September 10. A demo version, which includes online and offline match types as well as the game’s edit mode, will launch on July 30. Stay tuned to GameSpot for a full PES 2020 gameplay preview.

The Legendary Pokemon Mewtwo is returning to Pokemon Go soon, and this time it’ll have a different look. To coincide with the Japanese release of Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution, a CG remake of the first Pokemon movie, Armored Mewtwo is making its debut in Raid Battles next week, but it’ll only be available for a limited time.

Armored Mewtwo will begin appearing in five-star Raids at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST on July 10 (the same day the current Legendary, Groudon, is scheduled to leave the game), and it’ll be available until July 31. It’s unclear whether or not this version of Mewtwo will boast different stats, but this will mark the first time it has appeared in this armored form in any Pokemon game.

You’ll be able to transfer Pokemon you’ve captured in Go to the upcoming Pokemon Home cloud service when it launches next year, allowing you to store all your Pokemon in one place. That will presumably apply to Armored Mewtwo as well, so you don’t want to miss your chance to add it to your collection. Niantic will also be adding some new Mewtwo items to Pokemon Go’s in-game Style Shop next week. You can take a look at Armored Mewtwo in the trailer below.

As previously mentioned, Groudon is currently appearing in five-star Raid Battles, as is its Shiny form. Groudon and its Pokemon Sapphire counterpart, Kyogre, are also two of the Legendaries you can possibly encounter through July’s new Field Research tasks. Meanwhile, a lot of new Shiny Pokemon are currently available in the game. Shiny male Nidoran has debuted to coincide the Pokemon Go Fest event in Dortmund, Germany, and Shiny Alolan forms are available to celebrate Pokemon Go’s third anniversary.

The next Pokemon Go Community Day event is scheduled for July 21. The featured Pokemon this month will be Mudkip, the Water-type starter from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. If you manage to evolve a Mudkip into its final form, Swampert, up to an hour after the Community Day ends, it’ll learn a special event-exclusive move. You’ll also earn triple the usual amount of XP for capturing Pokemon during this month’s Community Day.

Meanwhile, the next mainline Pokemon games, Pokemon Sword and Shield, are coming to Nintendo Switch on November 15. The pair take place in the Galar region, a brand-new setting that’s home to a variety of returning and new Gen 8 Pokemon. However, unlike most past titles, Sword and Shield won’t support every Pokemon–a controversial decision that has prompted the series’ producer to issue a statement about the drama. For more on the titles, be sure to check out our Pokemon Sword and Shield release date and pre-order guide.

Loneliness exists on a broad spectrum that isn’t always synonymous with simply being alone. It’s a state of mind, an overwhelming feeling of isolation that can still affect a person even if they’re surrounded by loved ones and friends. Sea of Solitude understands this all too well. Its opening cutscene begins with a poignant musing: “I have family. I have friends… And yet here I am, feeling lonely. Again.” Sea of Solitude is a game about loneliness that’s very personal for the 12-strong team at German developer Jo-Mei Games, and it shows. It tackles the subject matter with a deft touch, exploring the myriad ways these feelings of isolation, sadness, and anger can impact people’s lives in a refreshingly authentic way, using the backdrop of a puzzle-platformer to tell its story.

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You play as Kay, a young woman who inhabits a world where lonely people are transformed into monsters. Kay is a monster herself, so she’s desperately trying to find out why this happened and how can she can return to her human form. The rest of the narrative spirals out from this core concept, forcing Kay to confront her past and her relationships with the people around her. Loneliness affects different people in different ways; a lonely child who’s struggling to make friends at school has different needs than someone going through a breakup or someone who’s just moved to another country where they don’t know anyone, for example. Sea of Solitude shines an introspective light on the various ways loneliness can affect people, doing so through Kay’s interactions with other characters and the monsters that reside in this world, whether they’re antagonistic or seeking help.

The voice acting in these moments is uneven amongst the small cast of characters, however, the consistent writing is a strong point throughout. Conversations feel very raw and are oftentimes uncomfortable, yet Sea of Solitude manages to sprinkle in moments of levity to offset the otherwise bleak subject matter. The ending lacks closure in a very realistic and human way, but the story’s profound throughline of self-discovery and healing naturally reaches an empowering conclusion.

The story’s profound throughline of self-discovery and healing naturally reaches an empowering conclusion

Each aspect of Sea of Solitude has some kind of underlying meaning, and these are frequently conveyed through the use of both literal and figurative metaphors. The sea is one of the more blatant allegories at its disposal, as the entirety of the game takes place upon the undulating waves of a flooded city. Being alone on a small boat is inherently isolating; you just have to imagine the terrifying feeling of being marooned or adrift at sea, far away from civilization in an unpredictable environment that can deviate from being calm to violent at the drop of a hat. Kay uses this small vessel to traverse the flooded streets of the Berlin-inspired city, utilizing some basic platforming to get around when on dry land. Her interactions with the various monsters that populate the city are the catalyst for everything that follows. There’s a familiarity to each monster’s design, with the vast majority of them being reminiscent of specific animals, albeit in a fantastical way. Each one shares a mutual feature in the form of jet black fur and unsettling red eyes, but they’re often human at their core, transformed into monsters due to their disparate struggles with loneliness and anguish.

You spend much of the game coaxing the human side out of these ghoulish beasts by confronting Kay’s own past and dispelling the corruption that’s seeped into the city. Corrupted areas are bleak and coated in muted shades of grey and black, with the night sky lashed by swirling winds and torrential rain. Removing the corruption in an area by finding and inhaling it into Kay’s backpack introduces light to the world, revealing the incandescent vitality of the sun and turning the sea as blue as the sky. The stark contrast between night and day accentuates the daytime’s beauty, while the painterly art style–not to mention the nautical theme–can’t help but bring to mind the vivid aesthetic of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. It’s in these moments that the “Solitude” of the game’s title is captured, presenting the positive side of being alone.

Dispersing the corruption is a task fraught with danger, however, and not just for Kay’s mental well-being. Some of the monsters are aggressive and will attack on sight. Death isn’t really an obstacle, as you’re immediately placed back right where you left off, but Sea of Solitude does manage to wring moments of tension out of these interactions. The problem is that, despite a brief three-hour playtime, it introduces new mechanics every few chapters and then drags them out until they’re nothing short of monotonous. There are numerous occasions where you have to lure spectral children into light by running close enough to aggro them, for lack of a better term, before dashing away. It’s all relatively straightforward, which isn’t a bad thing on its own, but the act of playing Sea of Solitude is never particularly engaging and mostly consists of dull mechanics that far outstay their welcome.

The story, and the way it confronts a universal but often misunderstood part of life, is Sea of Solitude’s biggest draw. The gameplay is passable at best and tedious at its worst, but this is still a journey worth experiencing because of the way Jo-Mei Games has managed to weave a heartbreaking tale out of genuine characters and believable grief. Kay wants to know why she turned into a monster, and this is the driving force behind the whole game. What could have triggered it and why are these monsters so intrinsically linked? Despite some missteps along the way, Sea of Solitude is difficult to put down until you can answer those questions for yourself.