The Caligula Effect: Overdose Heading West In 2019

NIS America has announced during Anime Expo 2018 that The Caligula Effect: Overdose, an enhanced version of 2017’s The Caligula Effect for the PlayStation Vita, will be coming to the West in 2019.

In all honesty, the fact that The Caligula Effect has even reached this point is quite remarkable. The premise itself was rather interesting, as it tells the tale of a group of people who are living an ideal life in a virtual reality program, but soon come to learn that everything around them is a lie and decide to work together in order to escape (sound familiar?). The issue, however, was that the game as a whole was a cluttered mess that set out to do too much and wound up succeeding in only a fraction of those endeavors.

So to see The Caligula Effect, a game that received, at best, a tepid response on the Vita, receive an enhanced version that is set to arrive on three of the biggest platforms at the moment — PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC — is stunning.

As for some of the new features that will be coming in Overdose? Here’s NIS America with a quick rundown:

• An Overdose of New Features – The Caligula Effect: Overdose boasts enhanced visuals and gameplay! Explore new scenarios, endings, and the “Forbidden Musician Route” while escaping the virtual world of Mobius.
• The New Faces of Kishimai High – Play as the newly added female protagonist! Plus, meet two new members of the Go-Home Club, who each have their own new Ostinato Musician to face.
• Use the Imaginary Chain! – Turn-based battle meets exhilarating action in this refined JRPG battle system! Develop a flawless strategy after using the Imaginary Chain to predict what your enemies will do next!
• Unite and Escape – Sometimes, it’s hard to go at it alone. Befriend over 500 other students in this imaginary paradise to improve your skills in battle and ultimately return to reality.

Here’s to hoping that developer Aquria’s second stab at this ambitious JRPG pans out.

The Caligula Effect: Overdose is due out for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC in 2019.

Check out the announcement trailer below: