Japanese Niche Games Deals & Discussion Thread 4.0

shivan128

CAGiversary!
Feedback
163 (100%)
Welcome to the Japanese niche games deals and discussion thread!  Feel free to talk about local and import Japanese games here.  Our goal is to maintain a thread dedicated to active deals on niche games including RPGs, Visual Novels (VN), Shoot'em ups (Shmups), Musou, etc.  Also maintained are pre-orders for standard, limited and collector's edition games with key release dates provided.

I've wikified the thread to make it more friendly and open to others that can actively update with important information. You can find the wiki post directly below this one.

NOTE:  Please, leave the censorship discussion away from this thread.  It's common for japanese games to have questionable content outside of the country.  We want to keep discussions to the game itself and not about cultural/societal tolerance.

A message from Thorbahn:

Our CAG Japanese Niche Games Thread also has a community on PS4, where you can interact and game with other members of the thread.

Our moderators are: Draekon, Las_Hole, and Waffleswanton

You can basically friend any of our members, or any moderator, and you will be able to request to join the community under "Communities friends are in" tab, and a mod will approve your request.

You can also leave your PSN ID in the thread, saying you want to join, and we can invite you directly as well.

As always, have fun and enjoy your stay!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Grabbed $20 copies of Fire Emblem Engage and Star Ocean Second Story R for switch at a Walmart store on Saturday. I visited four stores just to get out of the house and relive the old days of game hunting since who knows how many more years we even have of games being stocked in stores like this. I was glad to see not all the good deals for games I wanted were cleared out. I didn't bother looking at anything for other systems as switch alone is plenty for me to focus on. I wanted to also find a copy of Nier Automata for switch, as it was reduced to $10 at all stores I visited, but no copies left on the shelf. :( Still, I'm pretty happy with what I got. Star Ocean Second was the last copy between all the stores i visited. Felt like hitting the jackpot considering I was nearly a week late to all these price drops. I had been contemplating FE Engage since it was $40 at most stores, but it wasn't even a second thought to get a copy for $20.

Dunno what it's like for you guys but around me, store game sections are barren... there's basically 2 rows dedicated to all gaming software, and 1/2 of that is filled with headphones or controllers, and some accessories. Actual game space is mostly empty slots outside of some of the most common/major releases.
 
The XBox stuff, we already knew that was getting dialed back if not eliminated at walmart. So far the PS & Nintendo stuff is hanging on here, though the shelves are thinning some. It has been stated elsewhere that Walmart will eventually be cutting all console games from stores. Once Walmart is out, that'll just mean I buy all my games online as long as there are physical games... as I can't see Gamestop winning my confidence back and locally there is nothing else that would have new releases. Though to be fair, looking at all of my purchases for the last few years ... I had to dig back to 2021 to find where I bought a physical game in an actual store. So, maybe this isn't as big a deal as I want it to be... though I did love to go on a game hunt. Getting out and visiting a lot of different stores in a couple county radius was pretty fun since living in a more rural part of the country meant a lot less competition for the kind of games I enjoyed. Of course times have changed some, but still, not enough that I was blocked from finding a good deal this time around.
 
I'm loving Star Ocean 6. I'm 70% through the story so far. Everything from the graphics, music, characters, battle system & traversal are great. SO6 & SO2R are neck and neck as my favorite. Will chime back in after I finish.
 

How's everyone feeling about this one? I watched the stream today and while I think it looks absolutely beautiful, I'm a little apprehensive about the emphasis on the possible time limit. I know it's essentially fantasy Persona, but I was hoping it wouldn't have a lot of its "pass the time" mechanics. And, traveling taking in-game days reminds me a lot of the earlier Atelier games and their strict time limits. Also, the story seems like it'll be a bit cliched but also batshit at the same time. However, I'm really digging the Xenoblade-style world/exploration, the battle system, the music, and the art design. Will definitely get it at launch.

Also, pre-orders for the standard and $150 collector's edition are live on Gamestop: https://www.gamestop.com/search/?q=metaphor&lang=default&start=0&sz=20

metaphor-refantazio-release-date-collectors-edition-revealed-01.png

$150 is a little much, considering the 35th anniversary art book and OST are digital only. I wish this game had a launch edition steelbook like SMTV/Vengeance had. So, I'll have to really consider which version to get.
 
Even though it is heavily inspired by Persona, Metaphor will be the first original RPG I will play in like 2 years. Very excited.
 
Also, the story seems like it'll be a bit cliched but also batshit at the same time. However, I'm really digging the Xenoblade-style world/exploration, the battle system, the music, and the art design. Will definitely get it at launch.

That looks like something Kenji Eno (Dreamcast - D2, Warp) would have come up with if he were still alive as a continuation of the D series. I was a big fan of that guys work and I'm not even into horror.
 
ICYMI: ININ is having a Spring sale on Amazon and a ton of Japanese game are included:

Taito Egret II Mini - Limited Blue Edition - Mini Arcade Machine 159.99

Taito EGRET Ⅱ Mini - Paddle and Trackball Game Expansion Set 99.99

Taito EGRET Ⅱ Mini - Control Panel 79.99

Taito EGRET Ⅱ mini - Control Pad 29.99

Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey Collector’s Edition - [PEGI] (PlayStation 5) 49.99

Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey Collector’s Edition - [PEGI] (PlayStation 4) 49.99

Cotton Fantasy Collector's Edition - [PEGI] (PlayStation 4) 89.99

Cotton Fantasy Collector's Edition - [PEGI] (Nintendo Switch) 89.99

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World Collector's Edition - [PEGI] (PlayStation 4) 59.99

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World Collector's Edition - [PEGI] (Nintendo Switch) 59.99

Taito Milestones Collector's Edition - Nintendo Switch - [PEGI] - LIMITED 79.99

ConnecTank Limited Edition - Nintendo Switch 19.99

ConnecTank Noble Limited Edition - Nintendo Switch 39.99

Wonder Boy - Asha in Monster World - Nintendo Switch 19.99

Wonder Boy - Asha In Monster World - PlayStation 4 Edition 19.99

Dariusburst: Another Chronicle Ex+ - Nintendo Switch 19.99

Dariusburst: Another Chronicle Ex+ - PlayStation 4 19.99

Cotton Reboot! - Nintendo Switch 19.99

Cotton Reboot! - PlayStation 4 19.99

80 Days & Overboard! Nintendo Switch 19.99

Cotton Fantasy - PlayStation 4 19.99

Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef -- PlayStation 4 14.99

Jitsu Squad - PlayStation 5 14.99

Jitsu Squad - Nintendo Switch 17.99

Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! -- Nintendo Switch 29.99

Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle +Hell – Deluxe Edition - PlayStation 4 14.99

Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle +Hell – Deluxe Edition - Nintendo Switch 17.99

RayStorm X RayCrisis HD Collection -- Nintendo Switch 29.99

Taito Milestones 2 -- Nintendo Switch 29.99

Bud Spencer & Terence Hill - Slaps and Beans 2 -- Nintendo Switch 24.99

Wonder Boy Collection - Nintendo Switch 19.99

Space Invaders Forever Special Edition -- Nintendo Switch 27.99

Root Double -Before Crime After Days- Xtend Edition - Nintendo Switch 21.99

Star Renegades - Nintendo Switch 17.99

Star Renegades - PlayStation 4 14.99

Boulder Dash Ultimate Collection - Nintendo Switch 17.99

Space Invaders Forever - PlayStation 4 14.99
 
Some good finds, mind posting any of the others that you thought stood out? Or how do you browse by sale items, I can’t figure that out, other than going through everything.
 
Some good finds, mind posting any of the others that you thought stood out? Or how do you browse by sale items, I can’t figure that out, other than going through everything.
I was just looking around the site and noticed some games were discounted. A lot of their play exclusive games are on sale. They have 1 copy of Dark Rose Valkyrie PS4 USA for $11.99. I guess the fastest way to search is to go to the console of your choice and search cheapest, but that's still a lot to go through.
 
A bit tired of those generic looking roguelikes. Interesting on the rating but my excitement is pretty low for that one. I'll still likely end up buying it since I like roguelikes.
 
Indiegala often has adult 18+ bundles generally with alright looking visual novels and RPGMaker games. I generally don't post them as they're DRM free and I don't know many that get excited about RPGMaker games/some smaller visual novels. Their current bundle includes The Alchemist of Ars Magna which is a Ninetail game and their RPGs are not just RPGMaker fare. I've played quite a few hours of this one and recommend it enough although the price for the bundle is now $8.49.

Waifu Atelier Bundle (NSFW 18+)

The Alchemist of Ars Magna
Atelier Agnes
HAITENAI RPG
Reincarnated in the Demon World!
Welcome to Albion!
Re: Collector
Selobus Fantasy
 
Last edited:
Finally finished the Star Ocean series after starting from the first game 7 months ago. The Divine Force was really good. Hopefully the series keeps improving on that games foundation. Very solid series overall and I look forward to what comes in the future. I had fun with all of the games, but I'll list them in order of best to least liked.

1. Star Ocean: The Second Story R (Great overall in all categories)
2. Star Ocean: The Divine Force (Best graphics & gameplay)
3. Star Ocean: First Departure R (Great story, world & characters)
4. Star Ocean: The Last Hope (Great battle system. All characters were fun to play as)
5. Star Ocean: Integrity & Faithlessness ( 7 party battles were great, I liked the shorter length, Emmerson was a great character)
6. Star Ocean: Till The End of Time ( Great story, plot twist & battle system. Needs a remake with QOL fixes badly)

Going to play Stellar Blade since it releases today, but clearing the backlog has been fun. Ys 9 is next.
 
Some good finds, mind posting any of the others that you thought stood out? Or how do you browse by sale items, I can’t figure that out, other than going through everything.
I am struggling to search through everything as well but I want to find more games. This included the new paper Mario game coming out in May.
 
A precaution for Play-Asia if including pre-orders in orders for those who don't know is that pre-orders will only ship once EVERY item is in stock, so it's good to put pre-order stuff that's coming out around the same month timespan or so. There is a chance things will sell out waiting for the pre-orders, so it's a risk. I still pre-order all the time and just try to keep it around the same month span or so. I'm thinking of getting the 3 for $100 especially since some newer games are included and decently priced. Also since I know this will interest people on this thread, they have a 5 for $100 dollars for plushies and 3 for $60 for apparel as well. This is all valid until May 6th.
 
I went through all 31 pages of Switch games in that PA sale... walking away with nothing. I think my current strategy for buying games is working out pretty well, even though today I just crossed the $400 line (for the year) by a couple dollars after re-upping my Switch Online Family plan for another year.
 
Last edited:

Digital only in the west, of course. I'm sort of interested in getting these since I never had them on Vita, only PC, and having them portably would be nice. Did anyone play ReVerse, the PS5 remake of Re;Birth1? Wondering if it would worth grabbing that and then the other 2 on Switch if it's significantly better than the Vita version.
I did play ReVerse on PS5. I like it because of the option to have so many of the characters, mostly, but the PC version of Re;Birth 1 (I've only played the Vita version) also did a lot of that.

Apart from that the only real difference is the fishing minigame, visuals, and the 'Arrange mode'. When you start a game you can pick original, which follows the same flow and story of Re;Birth 1, or arrange, which is still the same story but more like a NG+ kinda (But you can do it on your first run) with a bunch of tweaks, listed here:

Consider looking up True Ending requirements perhaps (this should be the same in Re;Birth 1 though, too). I can't remember exactly what it was, but I had missed something from one chapter prior by the time I looked it up and had to do NG+ to go through again and get it. NG+ is pretty fast if you skip dialog and are already leveled up though, so it isn't a huge deal if you miss it, just an annoyance.
 
So I recently went through all the NES romhacks on romhacking.net looking for interesting stuff, and one of the things I found was a level and graphics hack for Nuts & Milk which reflavored it as a sequel to arcade Donkey Kong with 50 all new levels. Nuts & Milk is a single screen platformer involving collecting items and climbing ladders, so cute idea, right?

I played several levels before I noticed that Pauline (who only actually shows up after you finish collecting her stuff) is buck naked and being physically held by DK. I want to stress that everything else is completely normal.

Just… why, though?
 
So I recently went through all the NES romhacks on romhacking.net looking for interesting stuff, and one of the things I found was a level and graphics hack for Nuts & Milk which reflavored it as a sequel to arcade Donkey Kong with 50 all new levels. Nuts & Milk is a single screen platformer involving collecting items and climbing ladders, so cute idea, right?

I played several levels before I noticed that Pauline (who only actually shows up after you finish collecting her stuff) is buck naked and being physically held by DK. I want to stress that everything else is completely normal.

Just… why, though?
I mean most rom hacks loved to make the games more adult adding either foul language, blood and/or nudity. I'm guessing they added that in to make it cooler I guess.
 
There is a lot of visual novel news and a few releases as well.

Pageratta & Kemco released Horrific Zanatorium. This one has a virus affecting the main character which causes delusions and hallucinations. It is really short and surprisingly released on consoles as well. It released on PS4/5, Switch and Xbox. This is a strange release, but I may add that order to my Saga Emerald game purchase.

Steam
PSN
VNDB (NSFW)

Shiravune have released Amazing Grace -What color is your attribute?- from Cabbage Soft & Dramatic Create. I mentioned this one before but this one takes place around Christmas and a tragedy occurs. Yune rewinds time to the beginning of Advent and sees if there is a way to prevent this catastrophe. It has an 18+ patch. There is a 30% launch discount. It is also on other storefronts like JAST USA and Mangagamer.

Steam
JAST USA (NSFW)
Mangagamer (NSFW)
VNDB (NSFW)
18+ Patch (NSFW)

Shiravune also released The Shell Part II: Purgatorio. There is a 20% launch discount. There is also an 18+ patch.

Steam
18+ Patch (NSFW)

Shiravune will release Mashiroiro Symphony HD and Mashiroiro Symphony: Sana Edition release on May 2. These will have 18+ patches I'm pretty sure. I still have a Nendoroid of Sana somewhere (it's in a box in storage).

Steam Mashiroiro Symphony
Steam Sana

Nekonyan is releasing Aoi Tori on April 30th from Purple Software. This one has a doctor who has a special ability to bring bliss from a touch and he is the doctor in all girls school. This sensation is boosted when the touch is sexual in nature. He never leaves the school, but one day a hundred year old vampire joins the school and he may find out more about this power. Purple Software games are a bit weird and sometimes are quite good (Hapymaher), and sometimes leave many story strands hanging (Chrono Clock). I'll get it and see. It's up for pre-order and may or may not be on Steam (currently in review).

JAST USA (NSFW)
VNDB (NSFW)

For all you BL lovers JAST Blue has released Paradise from PIL/SLASH. This one has the MC winning a lottery to go to an island. He expects girls, but the island is full of nothing but guys. He and others start making friends, but suspicions are around and evil starts coming out. It has a launch discount and an 18+ patch for the Steam release.

JAST USA (NSFW)
Steam
18+ Patch (NSFW)
VNDB (NSFW)

Harmonia HD Full Edition is out as well from Key. This is a classic kinetic novel and now looks nicer.

Steam
VNDB (NSFW)

Denpasoft will release Kuri Kuri Click! ~My Summer Vacation!~ on May 1st. This is an interactive nukige about massaging a girl. I think that's the gimmick with this series with each game having one girl.

Steam (NSFW)
VNDB (NSFW)

Kagura Games will release Yoru ga Kuru! -Square of the Moon- Remastered. This is a an Alicesoft RPG, which generally are good, involved, and usually a little graphic. This one is about light hunters and supernatural suspense. This should have an 18+ patch when it comes out.

Steam
VNDB (NSFW)

Zombie Police: Christmas Dancing with Police Zombies is coming eventually to Steam. This is a new game from Kanou Kiichi who worked on Higurashi console & mobile games and Silent Hill The Short Message.

Steam
VNDB (NSFW)

A new fan translation is out for Gin'iro, Haruka from tone work's by the group Daybreak Translations. This is done by the same people who did Hoshi Ori Yume Mirai, which was quite a good game. This one takes place during winter and is a story about love in the main character's third year.

Patch
VNDB (NSFW)

JAST USA has a golden week sale until May 10th. If anyone has questions I can answer if I've played it.

JAST USA Sale (NSFW)
 
Last edited:
I mean most rom hacks loved to make the games more adult adding either foul language, blood and/or nudity. I'm guessing they added that in to make it cooler I guess.

If it were just a general crude graphics hack or something, sure. But this guy made 50 new levels, and while I’ve only played six of them so far, that’s the only thing I’ve seen that isn’t completely normal. It’s baffling.
 
I wonder if THIS is the Play-Asia Golden Week sale, or if they'll have another sale starting next week...tempted to just wait and see before I actually hit up the 3 for 100 sale.
 
I did play ReVerse on PS5. I like it because of the option to have so many of the characters, mostly, but the PC version of Re;Birth 1 (I've only played the Vita version) also did a lot of that.

Apart from that the only real difference is the fishing minigame, visuals, and the 'Arrange mode'. When you start a game you can pick original, which follows the same flow and story of Re;Birth 1, or arrange, which is still the same story but more like a NG+ kinda (But you can do it on your first run) with a bunch of tweaks, listed here:

Consider looking up True Ending requirements perhaps (this should be the same in Re;Birth 1 though, too). I can't remember exactly what it was, but I had missed something from one chapter prior by the time I looked it up and had to do NG+ to go through again and get it. NG+ is pretty fast if you skip dialog and are already leveled up though, so it isn't a huge deal if you miss it, just an annoyance.
Thanks for the deets! I'm leaning toward getting the Switch port of Re;Birth1 if that's all that's new in the PS5 version. Considering how dialogue-heavy these games are, it'd be nice to not be tethered to the TV (and I can put something on in the background lol).
 
A precaution for Play-Asia if including pre-orders in orders for those who don't know is that pre-orders will only ship once EVERY item is in stock, so it's good to put pre-order stuff that's coming out around the same month timespan or so. There is a chance things will sell out waiting for the pre-orders, so it's a risk. I still pre-order all the time and just try to keep it around the same month span or so. I'm thinking of getting the 3 for $100 especially since some newer games are included and decently priced. Also since I know this will interest people on this thread, they have a 5 for $100 dollars for plushies and 3 for $60 for apparel as well. This is all valid until May 6th.
I separated my buys into two purchases when I placed my order originally.

One of the on-hand games, another for those pre-orders, which are in a two month window.

Good looking out.
 

Tritity Trigger and Silent Hope Day 1 editions were $19.99 during the sale earlier this month on the Xseed website.. and no tax. But some of the other games in this sale on amazon are the same price.

Amazon overcharged unicorn overlord (s) $65+ . It's oop item. MSRP $59.99

Glad I grabbed a copy from BB when this was $39.99. Figured it was just obscure enough that maybe it wouldn't get a continual restock.

While not in stock at the moment, over on gamefly it's listing the keep it price as $49.99 as I don't think they've done it's first major drop yet or liquidated off that first batch of copies. So you might want to consider that option and you can setup an email notification for when it does go in stock. I'd imagine it'll follow the pattern of other new releases and drop to $34.99.
 
My expectation is that Unicorn Overlord future prints will almost certainly be available - if not directly to retailers then through VGP or the like.

Honestly shocking to see a SegAtlus release actually sell out... so many of them in the past 3-4 years have hit pretty hefty discounts.
 
It's very plausible Unicorn Overlord will come back in stock somewhere... but it's sometimes really hard to predict this stuff with a new IP and is the demand real or is it artificial due to hype and the price drop to $40 and the game selling out at many retailers. They could restock and the copies just end up sitting around and I'm sure that has to be part of the decision making. That said, I think the game is under 4GB, so it would make sense to produce more since it uses one of the cheaper carts.

For those that didn't get it, I hope it comes back in stock. I don't really care if it ends up worth more or less than I paid.
 
Unicorn Overlord... switch... I was at a local walmart during my lunch today and looked through the games to see if there was anything I missed and I noticed a regular white pricetag for this game at $30. Not saying you'll have better luck, but that's the lowest I've seen it priced. If there is a restock, keep an eye on walmart.
 
Help me out here guys: for the pre-order bonus DLC codes for Final Fantasy Remake 1st Class Edition, Square eventually just released those to everyone right? I know they released those stupid Butterfinger promo DLCs to every but can't remember if they did the same for the 1st Class Ed preorder DLC.

I'm glad I got my Unicron Overlord from GameStop; last copy (yea, yea, "not new") but for $35, I wasn't going to complain.
Unicorn Overlord... switch... I was at a local walmart during my lunch today and looked through the games to see if there was anything I missed and I noticed a regular white pricetag for this game at $30. Not saying you'll have better luck, but that's the lowest I've seen it priced. If there is a restock, keep an eye on walmart.

This is why I just end up buying games full price... I never realize something is on sale and it seems like as soon as something is on sale, they can just disappear. So rather than risk overpaying on eBay (like I did for a ton of PS4 releases before VGP started doing regular Koei-Temco reprints), I just buy them full price most of the time.

Of course, that's not always the case (Star Ocean 2nd NS was a recent case of that not being the case).
 
Help me out here guys: for the pre-order bonus DLC codes for Final Fantasy Remake 1st Class Edition, Square eventually just released those to everyone right? I know they released those stupid Butterfinger promo DLCs to every but can't remember if they did the same for the 1st Class Ed preorder DLC.
If it's the cactuar summon, then no I don't think it was ever made available separately. At least I know that I still don't have it and I preordered the deluxe version.
 
bread's done
Back
Top