So… Brandish: The Dark Revenant will be available via PlayStation®Store in North America this January, for sure. Probably super-early in January, too! An exact date, as well as information on additional releases in other regions, will be announced at a future time (in other words, TBA).

As a show of thanks to you all for your patience, here are some expert-level tips and tricks to help you survive your trek through the ancient ruins of Vittoria (though if you think you’re hardcore enough to figure these things out on your own, I’d advise you to stop reading now!).

- Makeshift Iron Balls

Although you can kiiiiind of tell by sight alone when there’s a weak floor in front of you that’s ready to give way, you’ll only know for certain by dropping an Iron Ball in front of you and seeing if it falls through. If you’ve run out of Iron Balls, however, there is another way: try dropping any other item from your inventory. Whether it be a sword, a potion or a magic spell, if there’s a hole in front of you, the game will tell you, “You can’t drop it here.” It’s not quite as convenient (since unlike Iron Balls, this method won’t actually open the hole, nor will it mark the hole on your map), but it can save you a lot of money in the long run.

- Killing That Which Cannot Die

As you progress through the game, you’ll encounter undead foes – enemies who will collapse before you, but then rise again after only a short while has passed. There is a way, however, to keep them down for good! During your travels, you’ll amass a hefty stock of life-giving H.Potions and magic-restoring M.Potions… but you’ll also amass identical-looking H.Poisons and M.Poisons, which reduce your life or magic points when consumed. These items are seemingly useless, existing solely to trick you… except that M.Poison can also be used as undead bane! Simply drop an M.Poison bottle on the body of a recently-slain undead foe, and as long as that M.Poison remains undisturbed, that particular enemy will never bother you again.

- Taking From the Not-So-Needy

This one is probably fairly obvious, but you know how in most RPGs, it’s generally advisable to talk to NPCs more than once? Well, in Brandish, most of the NPCs you encounter outside of shops are going to be dead. But it’s still probably a good idea to “talk” to them more than once…

- Gambling From the Get-Go

If you just can’t wait to gamble, there’s actually a casino you can get to within the first five minutes of play, but it’s very well hidden. I won’t outright tell you how to get to it, but here’s a hint: if you find a hole in the floor that drops you down to a lower level, try examining it not just from afar, but while you’re falling as well…

- Winning Cheaply (But Still Winning!)

Most bosses in Brandish don’t seal off the door you came in from, like in so many other RPGs, so you can actually leave in the middle of the fight. And if you do so, the enemy will not follow, leaving you free to rest, use items or magic, equip new armaments, change out your quick slots, etc., then return to the battle at your convenience. All damage you’ve done will remain, so there’s not really any downside to doing this – and if you don’t tell, we won’t either!

And finally, some general advice:

Invest in Fire, Heal and Warp magic as soon as you possibly can. Fire is pretty much your de facto attack spell; Heal magic will become a major part of your gameplay strategy once you have it, virtually replacing H.Potions altogether; and Warp… well, that one’s just a huge time-saver!

So say goodbye to the Brandish-less days of 2014, and welcome in the Brandish-ful era of 2015 and beyond. A new year dawns, and we’re going to start it off right for you guys!

-Tom