Visual Novel News:
Shiravune have kept up the rapid fire of visual novel releases, with their announcement of Ninki Seiyuu: How to Make a Pop Voice Actress. It’s coming out on October 8th at 10AM JST.
It will only be coming to Johren at release, with no confirmed Steam release. It was mentioned that they’re hopeful for one, but Johren is the only certain way to purchase at the moment.
Spooktober’s 3rd Annual Visual Novel Jam has now closed for submissions. This is a project where visual novel creators are tasked to complete a spooky or Halloween themed visual novel. These are then voted on and awarded a prize.
If you’d like to try some of these out, you can find them here.
In more Original English Language Visual Novel news, Into the Hoop has released after succeeding with it’s Kickstarter back in 2018. The Welcome to Chichester series has also continued, with the recent release of Welcome To… Chichester 2 – Part II : No Extra Regrets For The Future.
Event News:
As noted in our previous news update, EGX 2021 is soon. For those unfamiliar, it’s typically the biggest game expo in the UK – though downsizing is expected this year due to safety concerns.
Make sure to follow our Twitter if you’d like updates as we explore the event.
Gaming News:
It’s finally the Fall season, and with it comes yet another year of announcements from the Tokyo Game Show. There were quite a few big announcements, so here’s the rundown:
After its initial reveal during this year’s E3, Square-Enix gave us more information about their new action RPG, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin in the form of a new trailer. Along with a second demo, which is now available for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, we finally have a release date for the game: March 18th, 2022!
Capcom’s Monster Hunter series is getting another port to the PC. Monster Hunter Rise was originally a Nintendo Switch exclusive, but it’ll also be releasing on PC via Steam on January 12th, 2022. Not only will it contain the original game, but it also offers 4K resolution options, uncapped framerates, and ultrawide 21:9 display support.
The spiritual successor to the cult classic SUIKODEN, Eiyuden Chronicle got a recent update for the 2D action RPG spinoff, named Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising. 5 minutes of new gameplay footage was revealed, giving players a glimpse into what this new title will both look and play like.
One of the most popular entries in the Atelier series is getting a sequel! Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is a sequel to the 2015 original, and we got an announcement trailer, giving us our first look at the game. Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream will release on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on February 25nd, 2022.
Two new trailers were released for the next installments in the Pokemon series. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl‘s trailer focused on some of the fourth generation’s unique features, such as PokeTech and making Poffins for your Pokemon. Pokemon Legends Arceus’s trailer revealed various new characters called Wardens and powerful Pokemon that will act as boss battles: the Noble Pokemon.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl release exclusively on Nintendo Switch on November 19th.
Pokemon Legends Arceus releases exclusively on Nintendo Switch on January 28th, 2022.
The long-awaited fifth entry in the Shin Megami Tensei is just over a month away! The game will not only be getting localized in the west, but it will also receive a full English dub, with a recent trailer revealing the cast for some of the key characters who’ll appear in the game.
Shin Megami Tensei V will launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch on November 12th.
Anime News:
To celebrate the success of the first part of Free -the Final Stroke- in Japanese theatres, Kyoto Animation posted the first ten minutes of the film for free on their YouTube channel.
The second part of Free -the Final Stroke- releases in Japanese theatres on April 22nd, 2022.
On the topic of anime films, another one is releasing soon, and it’s coming to the west! My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission has revealed the date when the film will be coming to theatres: October 29th. The film will be released in the United States, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, with ticket pre-sales now being available.
The anime film news keeps on coming! Sword Art Online The Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night has also been confirmed to be coming to the west this Winter thanks to Funimation and Aniplex. The film will release in the United States and Canada on December 3rd, Australia and New Zealand on December 9th, and Latin America, United Kingdom, and Ireland at a later date.
Announced back in January, Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie‘s anime adaptation just got a bunch of updates. Based on a romantic comedy manga from Keigo Maki, the anime series got its first key visual, some of the cast members and staff behind the project were announced, and a premiere date was confirmed for April 2022.
While the EDENS ZERO anime adaptation is still going strong, the staff of the series recently shared some sad news. The series episode director, Yūshi Suzuki has passed away. Along with EDEN ZERO (pictured below), they played a role as a key animator and worked on storyboards for series such as Fairy Tail, Space Brothers, and STAR DRIVER. Rest in peace, Yūshi Suzuki.
Sadly, the unfortunate news doesn’t stop there. Takao Saito, the mangaka best known for creating Golgo 13 passed away due to pancreatic cancer. Originally published in 1968, Golgo 13 recently received a Guinness World Record for the longest-running single manga series, with 201 volumes currently published. It is also the second highest-selling manga series of all time, even surpassing the hugely popular Dragon Ball series. Even with his passing, Saito Productions will be continuing the series to continue Takao Saito’s legacy. Rest in peace, Takao Saito.
Upcoming News:
Super Monkey Ball is back and in a big way! Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania celebrates the franchise’s 20th anniversary and boasts hundreds of courses, plenty of multiplayer mini-games, and a wide variety of playable characters, including some SEGA guest stars.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania arrives for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on October 5th.
Nineteen years after the last original 2D game in the franchise, the successor to 2002’s Metroid Fusion is at long last ready to be released! Metroid Dread is the fifth entry in the main Metroid series and takes place on planet ZDR. Take on the role of gaming’s most famous bounty hunter, Samus Aran, and discover the many secrets and passageways the planet has in store for her.
Metroid Dread launches exclusively on Nintendo Switch on October 8th.
Those looking for a puzzle game fix, look no further than the most popular puzzle game in an all-new form. After the success of Tetris Effect‘s release on the PlayStation 4, it has been released on a number of other platforms, with it finally arriving on Nintendo Switch this week.
Tetris Effect: Connected releases for Nintendo Switch on October 8th.
An anime/gaming aficionado, experienced content creator and lovable goofball. Name a game genre and Seamus has likely played it… yes, even that one. Follow him @TrueStorySeamus
