.hack//G.U. Last Recode launches in North America on November 3

Bandai Namco has announced that .hack//G.U. Last Recode will release in North America on November 3 for PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam. The publisher also posted a new trailer recapping the three remastered episodes (Rebirth, Reminisce, Redemption) as well as a tease of the brand new 4th episode, titled 'Reconnection'.

Randy Le - Brand Manager at Bandai Namco - went to PlayStation Blog to give a quick overview of the series up to this point, as well as detail some of the new additions found in this collection. You can also see some of these enhancements in the above trailer.

.hack//G.U. Last Recode includes a Cheat Mode, separate from the normal gameplay mode, which gives all characters max stats for those who just want to experience the story. However, even the standard gameplay mode has been tweaked to offer a streamlined experience, including increased EXP gain and the ability to Retry after falling in battle. Here are the details as posted on PlayStation Blog.

Hack-Last-Record_CheatMode.jpg

For those of you have played the series and would simply like to re-experience the story, we’d like to introduce “Cheat Mode,” a new mode that maxes out your stats to allow for speedier battles.

Gameplay Features and Improvements

Additional gameplay features and tweaks have also been added:

  • Increased Moving Speed – Characters will be able to move faster outside of battles for easier exploration
  • Power Up – Damage done to enemies have increased to improve the pace of battle
  • Reduction of Stun Time – Another improvement to the pace of battle, the amount of stun time has been reduced for quicker battle response and attacks
  • Increase in Exp. Points – Level up quicker with increased experience points after each battle
  • Retry Mode – In the original games, after players were defeated in battle, they would have to return to title screen to restart from the last checkpoint, players will now be allowed to try the same battle again without having to begin all over again
  • And much more…

You can find a set of screenshots here and details on the new 4th episode 'Reconnection' here.