Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido released earlier this month! We say that because E3 makes June a busy time, and also because, if early reports are accurate, not a lot of players picked it up. This is not new for developer indieszero, making its decades-long mission delivering interesting, quirky games that may slip your notice! Let’s look at the team’s history and break down what you may have missed.
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Sometimes, first-party Nintendo games do not manage to get a worldwide release. Sakura Momoko no Ukiuki Carnival is one of those games. An adventure game with input from Sakura Momoko, the mangaka behind Chibi Maruko-chan, Shigeru Miyamoto, Indieszero and Nintendo, it tasked people with throwing a carnival using the power of the internet. It was unquestionably charming and odd, offering an aesthetic not often seen in the medium. It is also to the rest of the world’s detriment that it never appeared outside of Japan.
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Kirby’s been on a lot of extracurricular outings, but at heart, the pink puffball is still most at home in the side-scrolling world of running and jumping. So which should you play? Read on for our recommendations!
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Sakura Momoko no Ukiuki Carnival is an unusual Game Boy Advance game. Players end up being befriended by a carnival fairy, which means they are required to join the committee, convince residents of Colortown to attend and wake the eight guardian gods so they will decorate their respective boroughs. What is interesting is that even though this was a game made in 2002, it understood how important the internet is in connecting with people. Players can only progress when they participate in the “real” and “virtual” worlds present within the game.
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The Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime series is pretty great. It might be difficult for people outside of Japan to understand, because we have sadly only seen one game localized. Only the second installment, which appeared on the Nintendo DS in 2005 in Japan and 2006 in other regions, came and showed us the joy of careening around a world as a slime, goorabbing allies and enemies as you go. But, when placed alongside its contemporaries, it is easy to see the sense of progression and how a good thing gets even greater over the years.
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Otome games are only just starting to find their place worldwide, but these dating sims for women have been around for quite some time in Japan. If you start enjoying these titles, you will eventually find yourself hearing about Ruby Party. You may even hear laments about how no Ruby Party games have been localized yet! Who is this developer? Why should you care about its titles? Let’s learn a little more about this studio!
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Sometimes, RPG series people love are lost to the sands of time. The developers that made them go out of business, other companies decide they are not profitable and age leads to them not getting a digital rerelease via a platform like the Virtual Console. Lufia is one of these series. But, while it is difficult to accumulate a complete collection of these games and get into them now, it is not impossible and many installments are worth your time.
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Think about how you have made friends in your daily life. Or how you have found new coworkers at your company. Bonds develop over time. Sometimes, because of applications. Things proceed quite differently in real life than they do in games, as a JRPG can suddenly pair you with partners willing to die for your avatar moments after meeting. There are exceptions to this, with Phantasy Star II being among the most notable. This game handles recruitment in a different way, one which makes a lot more sense.
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Whenever people talk about RPG series they would like to see make a comeback, Suikoden is often among the titles named. This Konami turn-based series is known for its massive character rosters, underdog stories where a newly form army challenges and triumphs against an established, opposing force and overarching storylines and concepts. It might be a little daunting, attempting to determine how to get into such a series. Well, we’re here to help you get into Suikoden!
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