Visual Novel News:
PQube have made a number of announcements in the first PQube Asia showcase, with several visual novel announcements and updates. In regard to release date updates, they announced the following: Genso Manege is scheduled for release on 31st January 2025, Him, The Smile & Bloom is scheduled for release in February 2025, and BUSTAFELLOWS Season 2 scheduled for release in 2025.
In new title announcements, KEMCO’s Death Match Love Comedy is coming to Steam, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4|5 and Xbox in 2025.
First year Kei Yagi is about to receive a love confession from not one, but two classmates, when he suddenly explodes! Although this initial incident was an illusion, he discovers that due to a mysterious curse put upon him, the next time he receives a confession of love he will truly explode and die! Enjoy your time in this hybrid, high school fantasy / romantic slapstick comedy visual novel, where you need to push away the affection thrown your way, lest you instantly explode all the while trying to break the strange curse put upon you.
PQube have also announced the upcoming release of Iwakura Aria from MAGES. It it scheduled to come to Steam and Nintendo Switch in 2025.
After the war Japan experiences rapid economic growth, and in the cracks of society one girl gets left behind. With no future to look forward to, she grasps onto a thread of hope, a possibility of a new life, as the maid to the Iwakura household. However, the Iwakura family holds its own secrets, most connected to its heir Aria, and Ichiko finds herself sucked into another world contained within that mansion. In the midst of people’s hopes and expectations, Aria and Ichiko have lost sight of their true selves. To whom do the lives of these girls – who continue to play the roles they are given – belong? In order to take back control of their own lives, courage and willpower are needed, and the fateful meeting between them may just be the key to unlocking their hidden strength. This is the story of one summer in 1966 that shaped the future of the Iwakura family, and their new maid.
Shiravune have announced that Sacrifice Villains, initially released as a 2022 visual novel by Clockup has been delayed from 2024 to 2025, but that it now has a release date. Sacrifice Villains is now due to release on the 21st January, 2025.
Ever since the day the SUPERVILLAINS appeared, CRIME has been the king of the streets of SCUM CITY– But in the center of this hive of evil sits a paradise, and its name is JUSTOPIAN WARD. Standing opposed to the dastardly villains, the SUPERHEROES built this autonomous safe zone as a thriving base of VIRTUE amidst the CHAOS around them. Its FOUNDER–its MAYOR–its CHAMPION–is none other than JUSTOPIA himself, the ultimate hero, the bane of the countless villains he has brought to account for their innumerable sins. As the creator and chairman of the HERO SOCIETY, Justopia also commands the other heroes in their tireless efforts to wipe crime from the face of the city and bring peace to the world at large. Yet the conniving VILLAINS grow stronger and stronger, and the HEROES find themselves wallopped rather than wallopping… and some of their number pledge themselves to the darkness in acts of foulest BETRAYAL! To whom should Justopia turn for help, if not to the ASYLUM? This rehabilitative institution brings villains to the light, and who should be fit to lead it–if not YOU? Capture S-rank Villains and turn them into heroes as quickly and efficiently as you can. It’s up to you to reform these filthy scumbags–and set their powers back to work for the cause of JUSTICE!
Shiravune have announced the release date of The Shell Part III: Paradiso (also known as Kara no Shoujo – The Last Episode/Kara no Shoujo – Part 3). The finale of the Kara no Shoujo series will release on Steam and other storefronts on January 22nd, 2025. If you’ve not yet read the first two titles, you can find out more about them here.
The year is Showa 33—or 1958, by the new calendar. It is an especially cold January, and amid the dour gray snow, a funeral is being held. A portrait of a girl’s face sits there draped in snow, looking almost embarrassed and a little lonely… The imprisoned painter Shinzo Mamiya died a scant few weeks after the Blessed Congregation’s crimes came to light. Detective Reiji Tokisaka has been recruited by his old friend Maris Stella to help sort through the man’s belongings, but instead they find an unknown work in his studio: a one-winged angel with no arms. The work, which they name Exile Of Paradise, is as beautiful as it is sinister—and it resembles his infamous masterpiece Girl In Shell. A few more days later, a woman’s corpse is found, modified in the manner depicted in Exile. She is identified as having formerly worked with Tomoyuki Masaki. There may be no one left who can cut the chain of obsession that began with Girl In Shell—nobody but one small girl.
Visual Arts had announced the release of Holy Undead (Holy Undead ~Himote de Bocchi no Shirei Jutsushi ga, Seijo ni Tensei Shite Otomodachi o Fuyashimasu~) for a December 20th, 2024 release both physically in Japan and on Steam. It did have a Steam page, which has since been delisted. Visual Arts have not made a statement at the time of writing about the situation.
The demo is still available on their website. While the website is only in Japanese, the demo includes English and other languages.
An undead-loving necromancer is reincarnated as a saint!? By chance, the necromancer Frankel is reborn as Yurishia, a girl with the incredible qualities of a saint. Today, too, she ignores the expectations of those around her and forges ahead on her path to collecting undead.
Gaming News:
In case you happened to miss this year’s Game Awards presentation, we got a ton of new announcements to close out the year! There’s a lot here, so let’s get started:
Classic Ninja Gaiden is back! From Koei Tecmo and Dotemu, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound returns the series to its 2D roots, so expect an easy-to-learn but hard-to-master platformer, but now in a gorgeous pixel art style unlike anything we’ve seen from the franchise.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound launches for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC in Summer 2025.
Watch the announcement trailer for Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
From the director of Deus Ex and Thief: Deadly Shadows, Warren Spector’s latest game looks very similar to his past work, but with a new twist! Thick as Thieves is a multiplayer stealth game where you take on the role of a thief in the 1910s where you plan out your heist to steal valuable items. The twist is you’re not alone, as other players are doing the same thing and can impede your progress, so it’s every thief for themselves!
Thick as Thieves will be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2026.
Watch the announcement trailer for Thick as Thieves
I’m sure you’re all familiar with the classic gaming mascot, Pac-Man, but you’ve never seen him like this before! Shadow Labyrinth is an all-new take on the franchise, turning a charming arcade game into a gritty action platformer where you explore a mysterious planet and try to survive.
Shadow Labyrinth releases for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC in 2025.
Watch the announcement trailer for Shadow Labyrinth
We now know the next big project from CD Projekt RED and it’s one many people have been waiting for! The Witcher IV was officially announced at the event in the form of a beautiful cinematic trailer! While we got no gameplay footage, we know that players will now be taking on the role of Ciri, who is now the protagonist of this new installment.
The Witcher IV is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. No release window was announced at this time.
Watch the announcement trailer for The Witcher IV
After the huge expansion to Elden Ring released earlier this year, we certainly weren’t expecting a new standalone game, but that’s exactly what we’re getting! FromSoftware’s next game is Elden Ring Nightreign, a multiplayer cooperative game set in the Elden Ring universe. If you want to try the game out ahead of release, there will be a closed network test in February, with registration opening on January 10th, 2025.
Elden Ring Nightreign launches for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC in 2025.
Watch the announcement trailer for Elden Ring Nightreign
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will no longer be a PlayStation 5 exclusive early next year! The game is finally coming to PC and you can get a discount on the game if you pre-order it ahead of its release.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth‘s PC port will be released on January 23rd, 2025.
Watch the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth PC port trailer
From the creator of Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian, Fumito Ueda’s new game was announced at this year’s Game Awards! His team at genDesign published a short teaser for the new title, but we don’t even have a title for it; just a short teaser that seems to have sci-fi themes.
Fumito Ueda’s new game will be coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. No release window was announced.
Watch the teaser trailer for Fumito Ueda’s new game
After its announcement earlier this year, we now have our first look at the next installment in the Borderlands franchise! Borderlands 4 got its first gameplay trailer and revealed the main antagonist of the game: The Timekeeper. The game is set on the planet of Kairos and it’s up to you and a group of friends to loot the planet and take on outrageous enemies that call this planet home.
Borderlands 4 launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2025.
Watch the trailer for Borderlands 4
Tekken is no stranger to guest characters and Tekken 8 just got its first one! Clive from Final Fantasy XVI is the final character for the first season pass and will also be coming with a new stage called Phoenix Gate. If you have the Playable Character Year 1 Pass, you can get three days of earlier access to Clive ahead of his full release.
Clive arrives in Tekken 8 on December 19th.
Watch the Clive trailer for Tekken 8
On the topic of fighting games, SEGA put its hat into the ring and officially announced a brand new entry in the Virtua Fighter series! This new title is being developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku, who are best known for the Like a Dragon series. Other than that, we have no news on which platforms it will be released on or when the full game will be released.
Watch the new Virtua Fighter project announcement
But that wasn’t all! Ryu Ga Gotoku also announced another game they’re currently working on titled Project Century! While we got a brief look at gameplay and that the game will be set in 1915 Japan, not much is known about this new title.
Watch the announcement trailer for Project Century
Yet another long-dormant franchise is coming back and it’s one from Capcom! Onimusha: Way of the Sword is the newest entry in the franchise and brings with it the action swordplay fans of the franchise are very familiar with.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2026.
Watch the announcement trailer for Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Announced earlier this year, the new action RPG from Nexon’s Dungeon Fighter universe got a cinematic trailer for the Game Awards! The First Berserker: Khazan‘s new trailer didn’t feature gameplay, but highlighted the dark and gritty tone the game is going for. If you want to try it before you buy it, the game will be getting a free demo on January 16th, 2025.
The First Berserker: Khazan releases for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC on March 27th, 2025.
Watch the Game Awards trailer for The First Berserker: Khazan
But that wasn’t all for the Dungeon Fighter franchise, as we got a new game announcement right afterward! Dungeon & Fighter: ARAD was announced at the event and looks to be inspired by the likes of Genshin Impact, as it will be an open-world action RPG with a cel-shaded art style.
Dungeon & Fighter: ARAD is coming to consoles, PC, and mobile. No release window was announced at this time.
Watch the announcement trailer for Dungeon & Fighter: ARAD
Sonic the Hedgehog and friends are jumping back into automobiles for the franchise’s next game! Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds got a short teaser trailer showing Shadow the Hedgehog driving a car into a strange portal, but we’ve got nothing else to work from as of now.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds arrives for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. No release window was announced at this time.
Watch the teaser trailer for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
It wasn’t just Onimusha that Capcom is bringing back, but another popular IP from the 2000s is getting an all-new game! In a short animated teaser trailer, it was revealed that we’re getting a sequel to Okami and it’s being helmed by the original game’s director, Hideki Kamiya!
The Okami Sequel currently has no details on platforms or release date.
Watch the teaser trailer for the Okami Sequel
To close out the Game Award announcements, we received our first details on Naughty Dog’s next game! Titled Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, this new sci-fi game has been in development since 2020 and is being directed by Neil Druckmann; the director of The Last of Us franchise. You’ll be taking on the role of Jordan A. Mun and her journey of being stranded on a planet named Sempiria with the hopes of getting off the planet.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is coming to PlayStation 5. No release window was announced at this time.
Watch the announcement trailer for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
It wasn’t just the Game Awards last week, as we got some more news to cover:
A surprising collaboration between the most successful video game franchise and one of the most beloved stop-motion animation studios is taking place! Pokémon and Aardman, best known for Wallace & Gromit are working on a new project together, which was announced with a short animation of a Pokeball. Any other details about the project are currently unknown.
The Pokémon and Aardman collaboration is set to release in 2027.
Watch the teaser trailer for the Pokémon and Aardman collaboration
With the launch of Donkey Kong Country at Universal Studios Japan, it only made sense for us to get a reminder of a remaster that’ll be releasing next year starring gaming’s most famous primate! Donkey Kong Country Returns HD got an overview trailer last week and confirms that this new version will include a lower difficulty level if you find the game too challenging.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch on January 16th, 2025.
Watch the overview trailer for Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
Fans of Idea Factory’s games, brace yourselves for this one. The previously announced Nintendo Switch ports of the Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth games and Death end re;Quest: Code Z are no longer releasing in the West! Originally planned for release this May, it was delayed indefinitely and now will no longer be coming, with Idea Factory stating that the content in these games doesn’t comply with Nintendo’s guidelines.
Anime News:
It’s hard to believe it, but the One Punch Man anime adaptation will be turning 10 years old next year! A special promo video was released for the anniversary and we finally have confirmation that the highly anticipated third season will premiere in 2025!
Watch the One Punch Man 10th anniversary promo video
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
