Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories out today in a weird twist of fate

NIS America is celebrating the launch of the latest entry into the long-running Disaster Report series. The launch circumstances could not have been more ironic, seeing how the world is grappling with the effects of an actual pandemic currently. Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is out now on PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Check out the launch trailer here!

The Disaster Report franchise is an interesting beast. The quirky series somehow managed to combine real-life catastrophes with the Japan-typic humor we’ve come to love from games like Yakuza. On one hand, situations that are a very real threat, on the other hand, nonsensical out-of-place comedy. But series developer Granzella achieved to marry both in a fascinating product.

When a massive earthquake strikes the city you’re visiting, you find yourself at the epicenter of a chaotic and catastrophic crisis. It’s up to you to rise above the calamity, gather your thoughts and your fellow survivors, and outlast the disaster. Aftershocks, fires, collapsing buildings and debris, and unstable ground are but a few of the threats you’ll face in these nightmarish circumstances. What will you do when every passing second and every snap decision could spell the difference between life and death?

But while the Yakuza franchise has broken out of the niche into mainstream success, the Disaster Report games are thoroughly hidden gems. With the most recent entry being over a decade old, Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories has its work cut out for it. But unlike previous games, DR4 is launching across a wide selection of platforms. In fact, only Xbox One users are left in the dust, which shouldn’t be that of a hit since the Xbox platform was never really a place where distinctively Japanese games saw huge success.

With the world currently under various quarantine laws to battle the Coronavirus pandemic, Disaster Report 4 is releasing to an eerily fitting timeframe. Maybe the similarities to many people’s real-life situations are going to make the series more relevant. And the relentless boredom by the quarantine ought to lead gamers to try out otherwise overlooked games.