Shiawase_Rina Posted October 27, 2022 Share Posted October 27, 2022 Aksys had a big announcement stream on October 20th giving updates on games that will be released in 2023, as well as some new announcements! I'll list the new announcements first and then cover the updates. Tengoku Struggle -Strayside- to come west in 2024 Quote From the team that created Olympia Soiree comes Tengoku Struggle: Strayside, a comedic battle fantasy set in a place where the living and the dead mingle, and sinners are pitted against each other in eternal battle. Rin Enma, adopted daughter of the king of the underworld, has been tasked with tracking down and recapturing a group of escaped sinners. Accompanying her on her journey are four reformed sinners hand-picked by her father. Will Rin succeed in her mission… and will she discover love? The biggest surprise about this was how early it was announced. 2024 is still a ways off after all. But Tengoku Struggle was bound to be localized. It fits the vibe, has a familiar team working on it, and might even be better received in the west than in Japan (the game was criticized to be too vulgar in Japan but western players liked that aspect of it). I think I will probably get the game too assuming the game doesn't Spoiler force you to go see unavoidable rape attempts like in Olympia Soiree. Record of Agarest War to come to Switch in March 2023 Quote The cult classic returns! An epic strategy RPG featuring over 100 hours of gameplay (not including side / bonus missions), the fate of Agarest is in your hands, as well as your reputation with the ladies. Choose a bride at the end of your adventure and give birth to the playable hero of the next generation. Perfect collaborative attacks by positioning your forces on the battlefield and wait for the right moment to string together massive combo attacks using multiple party members, both in melee and ranged attacks. I don't know much about this series but if my life allowed me to play a 100 hours RPG then I would probably play this. I really like multi-generational stuff and I like romancing women every now and then too. Norn9: Var Commons will come to Switch in March 2023 Quote About Players will be tasked with unraveling a vast mystery that will test the very limits of time and space! Disoriented, you find yourself aboard a mysterious aircraft with twelve other young individuals. Possessing fantastical powers that defy logic and elude reason, each passenger represents an arcane piece in an unknowable puzzle. What is the purpose of their journey? What is their destination? Prepare yourself. Join the voyage to reveal the truth! Key Features Prestigious Pedigree! – Legendary maestro Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy series) weaves soul swaying compositions and sweeping musical overtures to build a sonic world unlike anything heard before. Famed artist Akiba Minoru (Pokemon the Movie) provides expansive landscapes and awe inspiring visuals. Content Packed and Feature Rich! – Over 50 hours of gameplay, branching story path, and multiple endings ensure a deep and engrossing gaming experience. Complete all routes to reveal the truth! Re-live your favorite moments with gallery mode! Explore mini-games, collect points to unlock bonus illustrations and much more! [From Aksys Games] From vndb: Within an old-fashioned town, much like the Meiji and Taisho Era, there exists a giant globe that floats in midair. This is the ‘ship’ called ‘Norn’. The inside is set like a small town with parks, etc. The story takes place a little in the future. Guided by one particular song, young elementary kid, Suzuhara Sorata is warped through a time skip to an unfamiliar place much like the Meiji and Taisho eras from his textbooks. In this world, he meets 3 young ladies and 9 young men, and joins them on a journey aboard the mysterious ‘Norn’ ship in the sky. The game features 3 protagonists you can choose with each 3 heroes. All characters are voiced. [Edited from konnistique's Tumblr] This game came previously west on the Vita and I'm kinda surprised that after all this time it broke the Vita-Jail. This is an ambitious Sci-fi Otome game with 9 routes and 3 female protagonists. I personally liked that we got 3 fully voiced protagonists and the overarching story was quite interesting. It really suffered from having too many route, however. It would've been better to cut 3 routes and then invest more time and resources in the remaining 6 routes. Norn9 was also written by the same writer as Even if Tempest and it got an anime adaption back in 2016. Norn9: Last Era (fandisc) is coming to Switch around Summer 2023 Quote A fandisc of Norn9 which contains three different story parts: 1) Concerto –Kyousoukyoku– Sun Concerto Even though it’s not a special day, the morning that welcomes you and your boyfriend is filled with the greatest happiness. Nothing could possibly change this specialness. This is a story written about you and your beloved boyfriend’s day-to-day life. Moonlight Concerto A problem that arises between you and your sweetheart after becoming a couple… This has something to do with his past. This is a story about fastening the traces of the past, present and future together. 2) Fuga –Tonsoukyoku– The meaning of that kiss and embrace on that day… The feelings he had hidden in the innermost depths of his heart had unveiled. This is the original story told from his perspective. 3) Fantasia –Gensoukyoku– What if the girls’ love had never blossomed? This is a “what if?” story written about a single scene from a certain trip… A certain incident that had occurred in the real world and the dream world causes chaos aboard Norn. The Norn members had all become small in the dream world. They thought Itsuki was behind this, but apparently, this wasn’t the case. “Even though we’ve become small… If it’s only in the dream world, it shouldn’t be an issue.” That’s what everybody thought… However, problems also gradually arose in the real world. Finally not being able to endure this situation, they all use Heishi and Itsuki’s abilities to gather together. [Translation of the official website's story summary.] We also get the first fandisc called Norn9: Last Era, which will be available for the first time in English! I heard that it does a good job supplementing the story of the main game and just makes the story better in general. Winter’s Wish: Spirits of Edo will release in Spring 2023 for the Switch Quote The first year of the Kyoho era. The land was ruled by the eighth shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune. In the city of Edo, incidents caused by monsters are becoming more and more frequent, and the townspeople are both uneasy and discontent. The Tokugawa shogunate established the “Oniwaban” to maintain public order and secretly crack down on the monsters. And so the seasons passed—to year 11 of the Kyoho era. A girl who possesses a special power was living in a village far from Edo. Wherever she sees a “black thread,” disaster is sure to follow. The villagers, disturbed, drove her away into the snow-covered recesses of the mountains. A young man who calls himself an Oniwaban appeared before her… This is the story of the encounter between a girl and “non-humans,” and finding love. [from Gematsu] Winter's wish seems to have been pushed back a bit. I remember it was supposed to release in around January but oh well. From reviews this game sounds like it's more suitable to newcomers of the genre than people who have already played many Otome games. I am interested in non-humans but I may wait for more reviews. Jack Jeanne will release around Summer 2023 Quote The game's story centers around protagonist Kisa Tachibana, a girl who had given up a career in theater. However she receives an invitation to attend the Univeil Drama School, an elite drama school for male actors, where students play female roles (referred to as "Jeanne" roles) in addition to male roles ("Jack" roles). However, to maintain her enrollment, she must land a starring role in the school's play at the end of the year, and also hide that she is a girl. [From ANN] Jack Jeanne is one of the Otome releases I am MOST looking forward to! It's the first otome game by Broccoli that gets localized! All other Otome games Aksys localizes are by Otomate. May it be a good sign for the future! It's also not a straight VN like most Otome games. It has Simulation and Rhythm gameplay. This game was also written and illustrated by Ishida Sui of Tokyo Ghoul fame! I assume that's why we're even getting the honor. Jack Jeanne will also get a Limited Edition. Radiant Tale will release around Summer 2023 Quote Today's customers at Rebel where Tifalia works, are a unique group of people who called themselves the CIRCUS. Their first performance was not a success. Tifalia forces to join as an assistant and producer after hearing "What is lacking in the current CIRCUS is mediocre like you!" She was worried all night wondering how she going on a journey, but with her family's words, she decided to participate. A crazy dragon that loves to tickle, a spikey clown that doesn't make you laugh, a water creature who doesn't want to use water magic, an acrobat who doesn't know how to entertain, a drunkard furball, an unmotivated leader, and an amateur producer who just joined. Will they be able to perform successfully in front of crowds? [from Play-Asia] Radiant Tale looks like a fluffy and fun breather for what's to come! I will definitely get it as fluffy fantasy Otome games are hard to come by in English. But I wonder if it really is as fluffy as I heard. Wouldn't be the first time that an Otome game baits people with a fluffy feeling only to backstab you. Virche Evermore: -ErroR:salvation- comes west around Fall 2023 Quote —This is a story headed towards eternal demise. A small country in Western Europe · Arpéchéle. The inhabitants of this country surrounded by the sea and the black flowers of disaster, Lycoris Noireige, are born bearing the “Curse of Death” that only lets them live until they are 23 years old. Arpéchéle, which bestows death upon everyone equally, became known as such: ―The country bewitched by the Grim Reaper. The short-lived citizens, lamenting their fate, fight against it. And after long years of research, they created a certain system. A system that allows them to extend their life only through memories and discard their body approaching death: ―“Memory Download”. Those who managed to live forever through the use of “Memory Download” came to be known as “Relivers” and continue fighting against their destined short lives. At the same time, there was a girl referred to as the “Grim Reaper” as everyone who got involved with her is unfortunate. When the girl lamenting her existence was about to end her own life, a mysterious man, who claimed to be the “Sentinel of Death”, appeared before her. Guided by the sentinel, the girl inevitably gets to confront the “Many Mysteries of Death” that haunt this country. All without knowing that― only despair awaits the fate of those bewitched by the Grim Reaper. [Adapted from official website] Shuuen no Virche got it's English title and people are a bit split on it. Some people say the Evermore make the game sound like a happy fairy tale or a Barbie movie. Others say that the Evermore sounds melancholic and bittersweet. I for one think it sounds melancholic and am quite confused where the others got the happy or Barbie-like vibes from. Maybe it's regional differences? Now Virche is also a big release many are looking forward to! It was written by the same person who also worked on the script for Code:Realize, Cafe Enchante and Variable Barricade. That's enough to get me interested, really. The premise sounds really edgy but I trust the writer to make it work somehow. There is also a fandisc coming in Japan which may heal some hearts that were broken by this game lol Virche will also get a Limited edition! Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II will come west around Fall 2023 Quote In the suburbs of Tokyo’s H City is a private institution called “Konoehara Academy,” which was established over 100 years ago. There were rumors that every 10 years, the dead would creep into the academy and spread a curse. Around the end of summer, some students of the academy died an inexplicable death in the academy garden… While a police investigation was unable to confirm the nature of the incident, many rumors spread among the students regarding their tragic death, such as “it was the work of the dead” and “they were summoned by spirits.” In order to regain a sense of composure within the academy, the chairman requested an investigation from the Kujou house, which has been involved in rituals since ancient times. A strange and sullen middle-aged man able to “examine” the supernatural, the head of the Kujou house begins an undercover investigation as a temporary teacher in order to determine the truth of the rumors. And to experience the terrible curse from the dead that has crept into the academy… [from Gematsu] Called Shinigami ~Shibito Magire~ in Japan, we (hopefully) get the last Spirit Hunter game next year in Fall! I really liked the other two games so this will be a Day 1 buy! I'm kinda sad that apparently it will be the last game of the series, but I guess all good things must come to an end. This was a lot of work! I hope this summary will be helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rannar99 Posted October 27, 2022 Share Posted October 27, 2022 I played Agarest War on my phone back in the day and found it underwhelming. On the other hand, I'm very interested in Death Mark II(prevous one and NG had their issues, but they were fun). Shiawase_Rina 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HataVNI Posted October 27, 2022 Share Posted October 27, 2022 I'm absolutely baffled, Rina. You're amazing! Consider this credited as part of the next VNTS post. We couldn't have done it remotely as good. Shiawase_Rina 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auntwitch Posted October 27, 2022 Share Posted October 27, 2022 So hyped for some of these. Radiant Tale looks so pretty, Virche Evermore seems like it'll have an interesting plot (Though I hear its pretty dark!!), and Jack Jeanne is something I've been hoping for since I heard about it being released in Japan. Come to me, otome games! Shiawase_Rina 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleshogun Posted October 28, 2022 Share Posted October 28, 2022 (edited) While I admit that I'm not interested with otome VN (Because my focus is more on regular VN and GL), I still can say that usually the female MC in there are quite good looking. That aside, it's still too bad that Aksys as the one who publish most of otome VNs is still not interested to do PC release and obviously there's no other way for otome fan who only own PC and not have Switch can play it, so hopefully sometimes Aksys interested to publish their otome VN on PC (Not just their Death Mark VN). Anyway at least Aksys give the good announcements for their fans, so let's see if both Nekonyan and JAST can do the same tomorrow. PS - While I'm initially impressed by Agarest War graphic, nowadays I did think that the graphic is out of date. That said, at least there's PC version if you prefer to play it on your PC, and that it's quite light for modern PC. For the generational gameplay, while on paper it sounds good in paper in that it can make some nice touching scenes, in practice it lead to repetitive gameplay in which there'll be a lot of MC change throughout the game (It really says a lot where Idea Factory did cut the generation into three in the sequel). Speaking of Idea Factory here, I'm still waiting for them to finally manage release Mary Skelter Finale for PC sometimes in the future. PPS - Forgot to comment on their new announcement Tengoku Struggle, and for now I can only say that the premise here is like Yu Yu Hakusho except with the spirit detective here is the stepdaughter of King Enma and obviously not looking like a baby. Edited October 28, 2022 by littleshogun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckery Posted October 30, 2022 Share Posted October 30, 2022 On 10/28/2022 at 3:30 AM, littleshogun said: PS - While I'm initially impressed by Agarest War graphic, nowadays I did think that the graphic is out of date. That said, at least there's PC version if you prefer to play it on your PC, and that it's quite light for modern PC. For the generational gameplay, while on paper it sounds good in paper in that it can make some nice touching scenes, in practice it lead to repetitive gameplay in which there'll be a lot of MC change throughout the game (It really says a lot where Idea Factory did cut the generation into three in the sequel). Speaking of Idea Factory here, I'm still waiting for them to finally manage release Mary Skelter Finale for PC sometimes in the future. If they end up bringing Agarest 2 to Switch, that needs a brand new PC port so they can use the North American version as a base instead of the European version Ghostlight did since they censored a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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