Sakura Momoko no Ukiuki Carnival recognizes the value of online interactions

By Jenni Lada // 4.18.186.8.18

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 shows the importance of a good foundation

By Jenni Lada // 4.16.184.17.18

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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What’s up with Ruby Party?

By Jenni Lada // 1.22.181.31.18

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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What do you need to know about Lufia?

By Jenni Lada // 1.8.182.26.18

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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Phantasy Star II’s recruitment process actually made sense

By Jenni Lada // 12.7.1712.3.17

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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A beginner’s guide to Mario RPGs

By Graham Russell // 10.26.1710.26.17

Like your Mario games with a bit more story and progression? You’re not alone! Here’s our guide to the many permutations of Mario RPGs, from the SNES days to now.

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What should people know about Suikoden?

By Jenni Lada // 8.7.1710.2.17

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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A beginner’s guide to Bokujou Monogatari: the best Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons games to play

By Jenni Lada // 7.17.178.21.17

The Story of Seasons series has reached quite a hallmark in regions outside of Japan this year. It has celebrated its 20th birthday! With the Bokujou Monogatari split happening in 2014, with Marvelous deciding to have XSEED work on localizations of future entries while Natsume retained the “Harvest Moon” name and began using it on a line of original games, it may be difficult to follow the course of the series. We’re here to help you figure out which farming simulations might be right for you.

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A beginner’s guide to Fire Emblem

By Graham Russell // 5.22.176.8.18

With the release of Fire Emblem Echoes and Fire Emblem Heroes, and Warriors on the way, this year has given Fire Emblem its time to shine. So where do you start if you want to get into the series? What’s the next step if you enjoy Heroes, and where do you go after that? We’re here to help you answer those questions.