Square Enix is bringing back 4 of the Kingdom Hearts metallic keyblade keychains. Pre-orders for the keychains are now open from the Square Enix online eStore, and they are expected to release in Japan on September 28, 2024.

Each keychain costs 2,090 yen (or approximately $13.97.) The 4 keyblades that are being restocked are Sora’s signature Kingdom Key, Oathkeeper, Fenrir from KH2, and Flame Liberator, also known as Bond of the Blaze, which is Axel/Lea’s keyblade as it appeared in KH3D and KH3.

You can check out the Kingdom Hearts metal keyblade keychains in more detail here:

As a reminder, back in May 2023 Square Enix released a similar line of keychains inspired by keyblades from the KH series which included Two Become One, the χ-blade, and Bond of Flame, the alternate version of Axel’s keyblade that Sora can obtain in KH2.

The Kingdom Hearts metallic keyblade keychains cost 2,090 yen each (~$13.97,) they will release in Japan on September 28, 2024, and are now available for pre-order from the Square Enix eStore. The Kingdom Hearts series is readily available for the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch via cloud streaming, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

The post Metal Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Keychains Returning appeared first on Siliconera.

Neos revealed that it will release Shin-chan: Shiro and the Coal Town for Nintendo Switch and PC in the West on October 24, 2024. The latter will be available on Steam, and the company has also set up a webpage for the game on the platform.

Shiro and the Coal Town is an adventure game where the player will control Shinnosuke "Shin-chan" Nohara as he goes back and forth between a real-world rural village and a mysterious steampunk-themed Coal Town. The game will also have many mini-games ranging from fishing in the village to trolley races in the Coal Town.

The Switch version of the game will support subtitles in Japanese, English, Spanish, and German with Japanese voiceovers. The PC release will add more subtitle and voiceover language options in Chinese, Cantonese, and Korean.

Neos first revealed the game at the Japanese version of the September 2023 Nintendo Direct with the Japanese title Crayon Shin-chan: Sumi no Machi to Shiro. The new English title is an almost direct translation of the original Japanese title.

The company released Shiro and the Coal Town first in Japan on the Switch on February 22, 2024. It later released the game in East Asia on May 2, 2024. Neos also discovered that the game's sales performance stayed in first place in South Korean rankings and second place in Taiwan in the first two weeks after release.

Shin-chan: Shiro and the Coal Town will be available digitally for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on October 24, 2024.

The post Shin-chan: Shiro and the Coal Town Will Appear in October appeared first on Siliconera.

Do you know how long people have been asking for Ace Attorney Investigations 2 to be released in English and show up worldwide? I’m pretty sure since February 4, 2011, one day after it launched on the DS in Japan. It only got worse when Capcom did release a mobile port in Japan in 2017, but then only released the original Ace Attorney Investigations Android and iOS port everywhere. But Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is remedying that injustice, and after playing through some early cases I think it will be a welcome prospect for players. 

Both of the games in the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection star prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. They’re also a part of the canon timeline for the Ace Attorney series in general, taking place after Trials and Tribulation. (The first game is immediately after, and the second immediately follows the events of the first.) In each one, Edgeworth may feel a bit more like a detective than lawyer, as he’ll first investigate a scene after a crime, then go through a phase where people and suspects are confronted. The sequel also introduces a Mind Chess element that involves a timed minigame where you talk with your opponent to learn details and eventually beat them to get critical testimony.

When going through the first Ace Attorney Investigations, it was a pleasant homecoming. I really appreciated that spin-off when it first released worldwide, and the remastered graphics, new character sprite, and work put in to bring it to the Switch all made my initial case come together well. I especially liked the history feature, as it is a quality of life option I appreciate in other visual novel and adventure games. Considering what Edgeworth is dealing with here, it’s really helpful to be able to look back. 

As for my experiences with the first episode of Ace Attorney Investigations 2, I can’t express how pleased I was in the initial moments. The consistency with the localization honestly made it feel as though nothing changed and as if there hadn’t been any gap between global releases. The nature of the cases also fit in well, especially with the first picking up with an international incident that ties into the original game.

The one thing I did notice as I went through Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is that the new HD sprites really felt like a marked difference. I attribute this, in part, to the fact that even the original DS game used the more refined type of portraits for characters and, regardless of whether you select the HD or pixel art sprites before choosing a game or loading a save file, everything else features the remastered backgrounds, portraits, and texts. So while having the pixel art sprites is a fun bit of nostalgia, I found they felt rather out of place when actually going through the cases. 

After going through the initial cases in Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, I think everyone who has been waiting years for a chance to play this missing Edgeworth game will be pleased with how Capcom chose to honor these spin-offs. I’m not done with my new journey to bring the truth to light, and I’m already impressed with how well it’s been handled. Especially considering how the HD sprites and remastered elements look so far.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection will come to the PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and PC on September 6, 2024. 

The post Preview: Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Deserves Attention appeared first on Siliconera.

The SteamWorld series of games has been an exploration of disparate genres, with the team always careful about returning to ideas. But it does happen! Like Dig 2 before it, SteamWorld Heist II seeks to iterate upon the original’s mechanics with years of hindsight and extra development expertise.

Heist II moves from the first game’s space setting to an ocean one, with players navigating the world in a submarine. Functionally, these are very similar! So it feels a lot like the original. Instead of the menu-based approach of its predecessor, this entry takes a Mario + Rabbids approach, using an adventure overworld with light exploration and naval skirmishes.

This scheme is designed to break up the tactical combat with world-building, and the team at Thunderful tried hard to make it fun to explore the map even if the rewards aren’t always particularly consequential. You’ll find secret passages. You’ll encounter little narrative moments. The water effects as the sub zips around are satisfying. There’s even a diving mechanic that doesn’t really get explored until the late game but serves to give the world dimension.

But the primary attraction of SteamWorld Heist II is definitely the combat missions. In a lot of ways, they’re reminiscent of the first: areas composed of rooms and doors that are regularly re-used and configured, with a variety of obstacles and enemies to aim weapons through. We can forgive a lot of the iterative nature, though, given its role as a sequel and the way this system is distinct from all major tactical alternatives. It’s accurate enough to call it “2D XCOM,” but the 2D part of that does fundamentally set it apart in both presentation and tactics.

The combat is, more than anything, about action economy and finding tricks to take out more enemies at once and keep your head above water against enemy waves. Sidearms and grenades, along with class-specific abilities, allow you to attack more than once in a turn. Weapons with a large blast radius can hit more foes if placed right. Unlockable abilities can cause attacks to not end your turn or give you extra movement to reach objectives faster. This focus, again, feels a lot like Mario + Rabbids! Which is definitely a good thing. We found ourselves emptying our cupboard of extras each turn before finally using the characters’ primary weapons on whatever was left alive.

There are multiple difficulty options in the game and you can change on the fly if needed, but if you’re having trouble with a particular stage, you can also grind for job levels and equipment. This isn’t a huge change to your power or capability, often just giving you slightly more survivability or one more skill. But that can be the difference between staying on top of enemy waves and finding yourself underwater.

The world is broken up into regions, which largely function as the game’s chapters and each feature a bar for resting, shops and narrative moments. Each party member can fight once before resting, which means you’ll eventually be able to fight a few times before returning, but that does build up over the game. Missions earn “renown,” a currency you cash in when you rest for rewards. If you’re able to use the whole team and do a lot in the same day, you’ll be able to redeem for the higher-value rewards. These aren’t necessary, but they’re usually quite nice to have. You also unlock a special passive reward for completing everything in a region. Again, not necessary, but you’ll want them and they’re not too tough to do.

You recruit new party members at these bars, each with the ability to learn any class, but carrying personal skills that could lean them toward particular strategies. You have some player freedom to recruit in different orders, eventually unlocking all ten, but with some choice of who you need first and who you can wait for until later when you have space in the crew. They’ll have little quips during missions to make them feel like a part of the story, but they’re mostly there to support protagonist Captain Leeway through his journey while he largely doesn’t participate in fights himself.

Heist II is, in a technical sense, a very smooth experience, which makes sense for a sequel to a game formulated to work within 3DS specs that’s releasing on all active platforms regardless of capability. We did review the game on PC, for what that’s worth, but it’s the sort of game that doesn’t feel like it’s trying anything that would trip up low-spec devices.

SteamWorld Heist II takes the things that worked in the original Heist and, well, gives players more of them. It’s well-considered in so many ways, making sure you’ll have a good time exploring its ideas for as long as it holds you. It ain’t exciting or revolutionary, really, but it sure is fun.

SteamWorld Heist II launches August 8, 2024 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

The post Review: SteamWorld Heist II Aims to Please appeared first on Siliconera.

Kotobukiya will re-run the ARTFX figure of Kasumi Yoshizawa in her Phantom Thieves outfit in Persona 5 Royal. Pre-orders are open until September 24, 2024.

The figure costs 17,380 JPY ($128.20) and will ship out some time in February 2025. As a note, you’ll be able to buy the figure even after the pre-order period ends. However, there will no longer be a guarantee that you’ll be able to get it, since Kotobukiya will cut off orders after a certain amount. Incidentally, AmiAmi (which usually sells Kotobukiya items) has closed off its orders for this figure.

The scale figure of Kasumi Yoshizawa as she appears in Persona 5 Royal has a dynamic pose on a corridor with roses along the edges. She’s also holding a gymnastics ribbon in one hand and her mask in the other. The figure originally came out in November 2020 and at the time, it was available for 17,380 JPY. Her pose makes it look like she’s running, while looking off to the side, which is actually a direct parallel to the ARTFX Persona 5 Joker figure.

Persona 5 Royal is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. The ARTFX figure of Kasumi Yoshizawa from Persona 5 Royal is open for pre-order until September 24, 2024 and then it’ll come out in February 2025.

The post Kotobukiya to Sell Persona 5 Royal Kasumi Figure Again appeared first on Siliconera.

With two otome visual novels to read through and a veritable army of potential boyfriends to romance, Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom feels like it’s worth every penny. Despite its age, Otomate's consistent art style (for better or for worse) and the relatively sharp visuals keep this historical tale modern.

When I was a kid, I knew about Hakuoki in passing. My friend played it and came to school crying about Okita. Another friend watched the show and came out of it talking about how Okita is pretty great. So all I knew about Hakuouki prior to playing this on the Switch was that apparently, Okita is popular (hardly a surprise). So you can imagine my surprise when I learned that not only is Hijikata the actual canon love interest, but the story features vampires?! It was a huge shock to me, and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. I’d spent sixteen years of my life thinking Hakuoki is a normal piece of historical fiction, only for it to be a historical fantasy otome instead.

Hakuoki covers the tale of Chizuru Yukimura, who's looking for her father, who is a missing doctor. (As a note, you can change her name if you want, but I recommend just keeping it so voiced lines don’t cut off.) Chizuru is a normal girl, outside of the fact that she can heal abnormally fast. She visits Kyoto while disguising herself as a male. However, she ends up getting into trouble with the notorious Shinsengumi when she sees something she shouldn’t have: Shinsengumi warriors losing control at the sight of blood and going berserk. In order to make sure she doesn’t blab about this to people, they force her to live with them. In time, they accept her as one of their own.

If you’re familiar with even a little bit of 18th to 19th century Japan and its politics, then you’ll be able to recognize a lot of the story beats when it focuses on the social and political climate surrounding the Shinsengumi. At times, the sheer level of detail the game gives about the group's history can clash with the more fantastical elements. The priorities just felt unbalanced. It started getting better later, but in the earlier chapters of the first game it almost felt like they were two separate stories that became one during development even originally. Some of the characters are new additions added in the Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms releases. Not everyone meshed well together at first. It’s very obvious who’s new and who isn’t, because new characters just seem to randomly appear before disappearing for large stretches of the story. 

As a whole, the localization is good. But when there were errors, they were usually ones that really stuck out. Iba’s introduction scene, for example, made a deep impression on me for reasons other than Mamoru Miyano. I had to re-read lines so many times to make sure my eyes and brain were working alright, especially since playing the game was the first thing I did that morning. When explaining the Water of Life (the serum that turns people into Furies), the doctor notes that the Chinese call it “xindn.” There is no such word. Most likely, they meant “xiandan,” if we’re using the Mandarin pronunciation.

I know that there is a lot of text to go through. I can’t even count how many times I thought to myself that I don’t envy the localizers for the workload and large amount of historical terms. But it’s precisely because the rest of the game reads well that these slip-ups become a lot more jarring.

The prevalence of terms specific to Japanese history can be confusing if you're not paying attention or if you're unfamiliar with the subject. I found myself going through the glossary multiple times because I couldn't remember certain allegiances. The story goes through the Shinsengumi history quite quickly, so sometimes it can be hard to follow. It definitely feels like Otomate aimed it at Japanese people who already learned about all of this in school.

Something about Hakuoki that I liked was that the story and characters took center stage in this otome game, rather than the romance. It’s hard for me to self-insert myself in the protagonist a lot of times in these otome games. I couldn’t connect with Chizuru at all and because she's a self-insert, she wasn't always the most interesting character to observe from an outsider's perspective. Maybe at the time of the game's original release, she was a breath of fresh air. Despite her overly considerate personality and her attempts to help even in situations where she can't help at all, she does take a proactive stance in the story. However, you could say that about tons of other otome game protagonists too. When I translated Winter's Wish: Spirits of Edo, I had a positive opinion of Suzuno precisely because of this personality type.

Despite Chizuru becoming the blueprint, rather than the exception, I enjoyed the plot and the characters nonetheless. I genuinely wanted characters like Harada, Heisuke, and Iba to get a happy ending. For the sheer amount of boys there are, the writing does a good job of giving them plenty of characterization and development beyond their basic tropes or shticks. To be frank, I didn’t finish all the routes in the game yet, but I'm excited to go back in and see what other interesting stories I still have to discover.

For both positive and negative reasons, Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom is a classic otome. The quality of the story and the characters are really good, and I can understand why people loved it. But playing it in 2024 after so many other otome games (and from Otomate to boot), it’s hard for me to see what made Hakuoki the special juggernaut it was at the time. Is it good? Oh yeah, if you’re big into otome or historical fantasy games. It’s great that you get both the Edo and Kyoto arcs in one convenient package without having to pay for two games like in certain releases. This is a game that stands very well on its own. But those curious about the legendary reputation of Hakuoki may come out of it scratching their head.

Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom is readily available on the Nintendo Switch.

The post Review: Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom Stands Tall appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix has released a new line of Dragon Quest bath bombs called the "Slime Colorful Collection." These bath bombs, shaped like the slimes from the Dragon Quest series, dissolve in water to reveal included collectible figures. The "Slime Colorful Collection" bath bombs can be purchased through the Square Enix e-Store.

The collection includes eight different types of figures, each with a distinct soda scent. For collectors, a box set containing all 12 bath bombs is also available. The individual bath bombs are priced at 550 yen each (approximately $4 USD), while the box set is priced at 6,600 yen (approximately $44 USD).

You can view the official announcement post below:

In related news, a series of events in Japan are set to feature the Dragon Quest III HD-2D remake. Following its reveal at the June 2024 Nintendo Direct, Square Enix is holding the Dragon Quest Carnival in Yokohama, from July 20, 2024, to August 18, 2024. Additionally, the Nijigen no Mori amusement park on Awaji Island has extended its Dragon Quest Island attraction event until today July 31, 2024, to celebrate the remake. 

The HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest III will be available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC simultaneously worldwide on November 14, 2024.

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Nippon Columbia has released the original soundtrack for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in Japan. This extensive 9-CD set includes a total of 344 tracks, featuring the game's background music and sound effects. The release offers both a standard edition and a limited first edition.

You can view the official announcement post below:

The standard edition provides all 344 tracks spread across the 9 CDs, capturing the game's rich and immersive audio experience. The limited first edition offers additional exclusive content, including a Master Sword-shaped USB drive containing 15 high-resolution tracks.

This soundtrack release follows The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom winning multiple prestigious awards at the Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2023, including Game of the Year and Best Action-Adventure Game. The development team also won the MVC award for best game developer or studio. 

In related news, a line of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom men's t-shirts was released at Uniqlo stores in Japan on April 26, 2024. These shirts feature characters and motifs from the game and are available both online and in physical stores.

The soundtrack is available to purchase via the Nintendo Japan store. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is currently available for the Nintendo Switch.

The post Tears of the Kingdom Soundtrack released in Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

A Persona art book book is on the way, as Udon is publishing the Atlus and Shigenori Soejima Persona 5 + Persona 5 Royal: Official Design Works outside Japan. Pre-orders are now already open on Amazon ahead of its November 26, 2024, with the hardcover book costing $73.40.

As the title notes, this art book covers both Persona 5 and the updated Royal release. The product listing noted that concept art and other types of illustrations of characters, enemies, and other game elements will be present. There will also be an interview with Soejima, the character designer for the entry. 

Here’s how the English cover art will look for this Official Design Works art book will look:

Udon’s been behind a number of Persona 5 book releases. It released three Persona 5: Mementos Mission manga volumes. It also handled the localization and publication duties for Persona 5: Comic a la Carte outside Japan. Its been behind some merchandise like pin sets too. Other entries in the series’ manga lines also are handled by the company, such as ones based on Persona 3 and 4.

The Persona 5 + Persona 5 Royal: Official Design Works art book will launch on November 26, 2024, according to the Amazon listing. Persona 5 is on the PS3 and PS4, while Royal is on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.

The post Udon Persona 5 + Persona 5 Royal: Official Design Works Art Book Orders Open appeared first on Siliconera.

In most dating sim games I’ve played, I’m used to a slow burn, “will they, won’t they” romance, with the eventual love confession and relationship being the final reward of the game. With The Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You however, the game starts you after you’re already in a relationship. This is an interesting approach to dating sims, as it’s not often that you get to actually witness your protagonist and romance option learning the steps to make the relationship succeed.

The game takes place six months after the school festival where protagonist Futaro Uesugi confessed his love to one of the Nakano sisters. Futaro, his sister Raiha, and the five Nakano sisters Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki take a final trip to Okinawa together to celebrate the sisters graduating high school. In game, the player selects the character that Futaro confesses to at the festival during the very beginning. In practical terms, this means you're choosing the route for your current playthrough from the start, instead of locking it during gameplay. The main strength of this method is the number of unique routes and scenarios available with each of the five Nakano girls as Futaro’s girlfriend.

By making the most appropriate dialogue choices for your partner, you obtain “Futaro Points.” Depending on the number of points obtained by the end, you can get a Normal or Good Ending for each girl, and after watching any of the endings for the five girls you unlock a final "All Route." Because of how The Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You works and the position it takes in the overarching narrative of the series, this game feels as a sort of epilogue, with the beginning of the game —the confession— acting as what would be the ending for any other dating sim game. Since this game was localized and released alongside The Quintessential Quintuplets: Memories of a Quintessential Summer it fits nicely as a sequel to it.

Perhaps the most interesting factor of starting with the confession is that the game jumps straight into developing the relationship, with the focus of the stories present being Futaro and his partner learning to coexist in this new partnership. However, this also means that you need to have a familiarity with the series prior to playing the game, or you might be choosing a romance path with no context other than how the character looks and the vibe you get from them. At the same time, the game really seems to want the player to consider playing each confession route and eventually get to the "All Route." In a way, this game feels like a "what if" scenario for the original manga and anime series, which in itself is a creative way of writing more material for the fun and well fleshed out cast of characters.

The five Nakano sisters are really fun characters, and together they form quite a formidable and hectic team. It’s always fun seeing the sisters on sync and seeing Futaro struggle to keep up with their antics. Considering that they are the main cast of characters you will be interacting I appreciate that they’re more than one note characters and you get to see different sides of them in different routes. I chose Miku as my first route and I was quite happy to see how her experience with relationship expectations, anxiety, and communication was handled.

I realy enjoyed Futaro as a protagonist. I think that having the main point of view character have a marked personality is a great choice, as it makes it feel more about the romance between the two characters, rather than have him be as a stand in for the player. Futaro is very outspoken and his personality allowed me to enjoy the characters bouncing off of each other. He's also a dork and really endearing at that. The only caveat I have about him is that, after the tutorial, Futaro’s voice actor stops voicing lines. I would have much rather have him continue to speak, like it happens with the rest of the cast of characters.

While The Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You is a follow-up to Memories of a Quintessential Summer, the game doesn't contain the stat management and tutoring elements of the latter. While this makes sense due to the game taking place during a holiday trip, this also means that this game is mechanically less interesting than its predecessor and a more straightforward visual novel. At the same time, if you play them in a row, Five Memories Spent With You can be a rewarding experience as an epilogue and a window into the future of Futaro and the Nakano sisters.

I found the localization to be pretty spotty. Some sentences can read a bit awkward and too literal, and at times I heard some voice lines in Japanese that didn’t match the translated English lines. In addition, the UI for the PC version of the game is a mixed bag. Considering that the game is a visual novel I played with mouse and keyboard. However, the game will sometimes show controller prompts even when playing with mouse and keyboard. Additionally, the mouse cursor will disappear when using the arrow keys, which the game seems very intent being used.

Furthermore, I wasn’t able to make my controller work with the game when I tried, which left me a bit puzzled. I eventually got around the odd control scheme, but not after tampering with it for a bit. The text formatting quirks also remain from the previous game Five Memories Spent With You. While the UI elements can get a pass, the localization problems remained throughout my playthrough and tainted my experience with the game a bit.

The Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You is a nice cherry on top of the cake for fans of the series. It is very rewarding being able to play a Quintessential Quintuplets story that focuses on seeing the relationship between Futaro and the chosen Nakano sister flourish. While the game doesn’t present original mechanics or ideas like its predecessor does, there is a lot to enjoy here, and a lot of content and attention given to each character.

The Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You is available for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC via Steam.

The post Review: Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You Feels Like a Sweet Epilogue appeared first on Siliconera.

Koei Tecmo and Gust released new information about Fairy Tail 2, including new story elements that take place after the Alvarez Empire Arc events in the manga. New images taken from these new events have been released through social media.

The game will mainly focus on the manga’s Alvarez Empire Arc, with players taking control of Natsu and his friends as they take on Emperor Zeref and the Spriggan 12. Fairy Tail 2 will also feature a new story, The Key to the Unknown, which takes place after the events of the main arc from the manga. This story is an original creation for the game, although few details are available about it at the time of writing.

Fairy Tail 2 was announced during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct, where it was confirmed to be releasing for the Switch in late 2024. Releases for PC, PS4 and PS5 were also announced. It will act as a sequel to the 2020 Fairy Tail game, which mainly focused on the Grand Magic Games and Eclipse arcs of the anime and manga.

The game will feature real-time battles built around three-character parties. Characters will be able to combine their abilities to unleash devastating attacks, the effects of which will change based on the combination.

Fairy Tail 2 will come out on the PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC in Winter 2024. The anime is streaming on Crunchyroll. Kodansha handles the manga.

The post Fairy Tale 2 Game Adds an Epilogue After Alvarez Empire Arc appeared first on Siliconera.

The latest Deltarune Chapter 3, 4, and 5 update is live, and it primarily focuses on how work on Chapter 4 is going and the road to the release of Chapter 3 & 4. Toby Fox noted in the July 2024 newsletter that three people completed the “unfinished Chapter 4” and some of the development tasks involve adjusting four battles, working on two cutscenes, and polishing a bit.

In the update, Fox noted that the goal is to have a simultaneous worldwide release on both consoles and PCs for the third and fourth parts. He also noted those two together are longer than the first and second ones. As for Chapter 5 of Deltarune, Fox noted initial work on bullet patterns and maps started.

Toby Fox also released a “Quests to Release Chapter 3 & 4” page that offers a more detailed explanation of the current Deltarune progress as the team works toward getting to Chapter 5. It goes over how YoYoGames made a new Gamemaker function just for this title called game_change and the challenges of being the test case first. Then it talks about getting the console versions of the game prepared. (The first two chapters appeared on the Switch and PS4.) The Japanese localization work will start after that. Finally, they’ll deal with bugs, getting a rating, and the last bits of preparation for release.

Deltarune Chapter 3 & 4 are in development for consoles and the PC. 

The post Toby Fox Shooting for Deltarune Chapter 3 & 4 Simultaneous Console, PC Launch appeared first on Siliconera.

While the 2024 Paris Olympics are still ongoing, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario and their friends will not be participating. The Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series no longer continue, as the International Olympic Committee (or IOC) has elected to pursue other partnerships. (Thanks, Eurogamer!)

This is the first time in almost twenty years that a Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games title will not be released to coincide with the Olympic Games. Instead, the IOC has elected to partner with Esports and NFTs.

The license for the Mario & Sonic games expired in 2020, with the IOC electing not to renew it. According to the Eurogamer interview with Lee Cocker, who worked on most of the Mario & Sonic entries, the decision was made to bring the interactive tie-ins more in control by the IOC.

The official tie-in game this year is a smartphone and PC exclusive called Olympics Go! Paris 2024, developed by nWay. The free to play title features 12 Olympic Sports and advertise NFTs for the Paris Olympics.

The last Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games title released in 2019 to coincide with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The first entry in the series appeared in 2007.

The post Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Series Ended over NFTs and Esports appeared first on Siliconera.

People won’t need to wait too long to work out with Vocaloids worldwide. Fitness Boxing feat Hatsune Miku will launch in English on September 5, 2024, with it and its songs fitting right into the beginning of the promised Fall 2024 launch window. 

Fitness Boxing feat Hatsune Miku is an exercise game, but it also has rhythm game elements since you are boxing in time to various songs. Hatsune Miku, Megurine Luka, and the Kagamine Rin and Len twins are all available as your trainers. There are also over 54 songs, though 30 of them being BGM tracks from the Fitness Boxing series proper. It will cost $49.99, and physical copies will be released.

As the game is already available in Japan, we do know the Vocaloid tracks that are available in the game so far. While this is a Miku game, many songs also feature Luka, Rin, and Len. Here’s the list:

• “8HIT”
• “Ai Dee”
• “Alien Alien”
• “Bitter Choco Decoration”
• “Bring it On”
• “Buriki no Dance”
• “Champion Road to True Love”
• “Double Lariat”
• “End of Hatsune Miku”
• “Fire Flower”
• “God-ish”
• “Hated by Life”
• “Just Be Friends”
• “Let's Mikusercise”
• “Lost One’s Weeping”
• “Love Song ni Shukuhai o”
• “Medic: A Doll”
• “Melancholic”
• “Melt”
• “Miku Miku ni Shiteageru”
• “Over Lit”
• “Po Pi Po”
• “Rise Up”
• “Romeo & Cinderella”
• “Telecaster B-Boy”
• “Shoujo Rei”
• “Tell Your World”
• “Teo”
• “The Vampire”
• “World’s End Dancehall” 

Of those songs, some of the entirely new tracks for Fitness Boxing feat Hatsune Miku are “Champion Road to True Love,” “Let's Mikusercise,” “Love Song ni Shukuhai o,” “Over Lit,” and “Rise Up.”

To go along with the Vocaloid theme, people can go with Fitness Boxing or Miku Exercise modes as they play. There are also special outfits inspired by the series for characters. Also, while Miku, Luka, Rin, and Len are the main draws, Evan and Lin also return for cameos from the main games.

Fitness Boxing feat Hatsune Miku is available on the Nintendo Switch in Japan and will appear in English on September 5, 2024.

The post Fitness Boxing feat Hatsune Miku Appears in English in September appeared first on Siliconera.

Good Smile Company has opened global pre-orders for its new figma of Ganondorf based on his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. People in the U.S. and Canada can place an order for the action figure on Good Smile Online Shop U.S. at $84.99. Those residing elsewhere worldwide can instead head to the company's Japanese international website, where the product is available at ￥14,800.

Despite being a non-scale figure, this Ganondorf action figure will still have a taller posture than the previously revealed Link figma at around 19cm (7.48in). The set will come with three swappable facial expression parts. It will also include equipable weapons like the Gloom Spear, the Gloom Sword with its scabbard, and the Demon King's Bow with its arrow.

Here are some of the sample images that show the new action figure's parts and poses:

A trailer showcasing the Ganondorf figma is also available to watch on Max Factory's YouTube channel:

Ganondorf will be the second figma from Tears of the Kingdom after the game's protagonist Link appeared first. Good Smile Company and Max Factory are also working on another figma that will feature Princess Zelda. The companies published an unpainted prototype of the heroine's figure at the June 2024 Smile Fest.

Good Smile Company will close the pre-order period for the figma of Ganondorf from the Nintendo Switch game The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on September 11, 2024. It will start shipping the finished action figures from Japan in June 2025 and North America in Q4 2025.

The post LOZ Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf Figma Pre-Orders Open appeared first on Siliconera.