Visual Novel News:
Sisters: The Last Day of Summer launches today. Check our our review and walkthrough/guide for it.
A fully-animated visual novel about a boy who wakes up in an unknown house with two beautiful sisters, their mother, and an unspoken truth.
The crowdfunding project for Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien’s rerelease (also known as Rumbling Hearts) is now planned to release with both Japanese and English support in mid-July according to a backer-only update. Originally the English support was due to be included in a later update.
The game will initially only be available to backers, with plans to put it on sale at an unstated later date.
This is explicitly advertised as an all-ages version and no announcement has been made regarding an adult patch. There has been some community speculation that they may be unable to mention it, based on this post by Bamboo of Overdrive and other speculation based on the removal of the Muv Luv patch that it may not ever be made available. It has also been stated that the Hotaru/Slave ending will not be included in the Steam version, with a post saying that the Japanese version will have it available post-release. It will also be included on the Japanese-only DVD version.
Find the Crowdfunding Page Here
Dora-ConCafe, the first title from Cuteuphoria, has been announced. The Japanese version will be released first, but when we reached out to the developer, they confirmed that an English version is in production.
Not much is currently known about the story, but it is described as combining the strongest dragon girl , a concept cafe, and a romantic comedy. The scenario is by Andou Kotatsu, who has worked on many visual novels including Angelic☆Chaos RE-BOOT! (Tenshi☆Souzou RE-BOOT!) and the character design and main art is by Ko~cha who worked on Suzukuri Dungeon: Karin in the Mountain, among other titles.
Studio Elan announced two new visual novels at OffKai Expo, a vtuber convention in California.
A Tithe in Blood (pictured below) is described as a dark yuri visual novel, about a quiet university student who discovers blood magic in the depths of her grief. Stepping into a world she little understands, Honoka finds unexpected love, and inadvertantly sets in motion a deadly series of events. It’s directed & written by Suriko (Twofold, Katawa Shoujo) with character art by Kobuta (Please Be Happy).
Rainbow Valley is a visual novel made in collaboration with Izzzyzzz, a YouTuber who covers older Internet stories and Y2K nostalgia. The synopsis is: Fleeing a life that you couldn’t bear, you sought to find a purpose in the mountains. The cold winds called to you and promised adventure. Scraping together your life savings, you flew to a cold, distant place. But adventure has a price. Now you find yourself in a small mountain town as the villagers prepare for the looming winter festival. You will meet three girls, each stranger than the last, and over the course of 7 days you will discover that not all is as it seems in Rainbow Valley.
Aniplex have announced the release date for Hookah Haze as 11th July, 2024. It will be released simultaneously on Steam and the Nintendo Switch. It has a listed price of 1,980 yen (approx. 12.60 USD),
A demo is planned to be made available on the release day which includes a story separate to the one in the main game.
It’s the year 2xxx. The inexperienced Toru Sumiki lands a job managing Hookah Haze, a new hookah lounge on the outskirts of Akihabara, where they meet three eccentric girls. The story unfolds as the girls gradually open up to them, connecting through their fondness for hookah…
Shiravune have announced the release date of An Aunt After My Own Heart (Boku Iro Ni Somaru Oba) from the developer DarkOne! They described this visual novel as a “multi-choice, single ending visual novel that focuses on the relationship between nephew and aunt, as they explore the complexities and joys of life, and what it means to be family”. The release date has not yet been announced.
An Aunt After My Own Heart will be released on 14th June, 2024 on platforms including JAST USA. It has been confirmed that there will be no Steam release as they were unable to come to an understanding with the platform.
The protagonist, Keisuke Shinozaki, returns alone to his grandparents’ house to stay for summer break. There, he is greeted by his mother’s (much) younger sister, Yuuka. Ever since he was little, the protagonist had always adored on his kind, smart, and beautiful aunt. However, it was quite the shock to learn that she was now engaged… In “Longing and Guilty Pleasure”, the protagonist confesses his feelings to his aunt, unwilling to hand her over to anyone else. In “Regret and Lust”, the now-older protagonist decides to steal her back, in spite of the blessing he’d given to her marriage years earlier. These two stories follow the transforming relationship between nephew and aunt.
More Visual Novel News
- Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch has been announced for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5, releasing on 22nd August, 2024
- JAST USA will be the English publisher for Uberich: Advent Sinners
- Seven Days will be released on the Nintendo Switch on 6th June, 2024
- Shinjuku Soumei has released on Steam. Initial community reviews indicate that the translation is extremely poor.
Gaming News:
We’re very close to the Summer Game Fest and the many announcements and reveals it’s sure to bring. Despite this, Sony decided to get the ball rolling first and hosted a PlayStation State of Play to announce some new games and updates on already announced titles. Here are the highlights:
Koei Tecmo and Omega Force’s long-running action series is coming to modern consoles and in a big way! Dynasty Warriors: Origins is the latest entry in this massive series and it looks like the scale of the amount of opponents to hack-and-slash has grown exponentially. You play as a nameless hero, but outside of a release window, not much is known about this new game.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2025.
Watch the announcement trailer for Dynasty Warriors: Origins
After numerous trailers, we finally have a release date for the remake of Silent Hill 2! This classic PS2 survival horror game is being updated for modern platforms, which you can see in this latest trailer that showcases some of the story and gameplay sequences.
The Silent Hill 2 remake releases for PlayStation 5 and Steam on October 8th.
Watch the release date trailer for the Silent Hill 2 remake
After being announced during last year’s Game Awards, we now have our first look at gameplay for the latest entry in Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise! We don’t know too much about Monster Hunter Wilds, but this new trailer showcases some of the environments and beasts players will be tackling, along with a small hint at the game’s narrative.
Monster Hunter Wilds launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2025.
Watch the trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds
To wrap up the State of Play presentation, we got the announcement for a brand new game starring the adorable PlayStation robot, Astro Bot! Titled Astro Bot, this new game sees the titular character run and jump across many new worlds and taking on gigantic bosses in this charming platformer.
Astro Bot releases exclusively for PlayStation 5 on September 6th.
Watch the announcement trailer for Astro Bot
We got a brand new trailer for the highly anticipated Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero! This trailer focused on the characters who are known for fusing into a single powerful combatant, which includes fan favorite fusion characters Vegito and Gogeta. The end of the trailer also teased that the game will be at this year’s Summer Game Fest.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. No release window has been announced at this time.
Watch the Fused Warriors trailer for Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
Nintendo isn’t slowing down with their collaboration with LEGO, as another famous franchise is getting the plastic block treatment! The Legend of Zelda is getting a LEGO set themed around The Great Deku Tree. What’s neat is that it’s a 2-in-1 set that allows you to create either the Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild version of the Great Deku Tree, which also includes mini-figures from both games.
The Great Deku Tree 2-in-1 LEGO set releases on September 1st.
Anime News:
If you’re an anime fan, you’re very likely familiar with the classic sci-fi film adaptation of the Ghost in the Shell manga. If you’re a fan of the franchise, you’ll be thrilled to hear that the series is getting a brand-new TV anime series! Not too much is known about this new adaptation, but we do know that it’ll be produced by Science SARU, who is well known for animating Devilman Crybaby and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken.
The new Ghost in the Shell anime adaptation is set to premiere in 2026.
Watch the teaser trailer for the new Ghost in the Shell anime adaptation
Based on the Shonen Jump series of the same name, Sakamoto Days is finally getting an anime adaptation! This comedy series follows the life of Sakamoto; an assassin who has long since retired and now runs a small shop with his family. The anime adaptation is being handled by TMS Entertainment and was announced in the form of a trailer.
The Sakamoto Days anime adaptation premieres in January 2025.
Watch the announcement trailer for the Sakamoto Days anime adaptation
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
