Japanese Niche Games Deals & Discussion Thread 4.0

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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!

 
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That may be the case, I'm fairly new to this.  I've just heard that with a 256 the limit becomes how much the home screen will allow.

 
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I made my first regular type game purchase of the year.  Everything else is preorders.   Grabbed a pal copy of Hardcore Mecha off ebay.  I really love the demo of it and gave the demo a second play and still love it.

So far my outstanding preorders are Lodoss War, Trails from Zero, & Trails to Azure.   Not a bad year so far.  Azure will be 2023, so not counting it... I'm up to $132.10 total after Hardcore Mecha.  The preorders I had reward certs which brought it down $15 total.

I nearly caved on Akiba'S Trip (Switch)... it's $19.99 on amazon... but I know I won't actually play it.

 

 
I made my first regular type game purchase of the year. Everything else is preorders. Grabbed a pal copy of Hardcore Mecha off ebay. I really love the demo of it and gave the demo a second play and still love it.

So far my outstanding preorders are Lodoss War, Trails from Zero, & Trails to Azure. Not a bad year so far. Azure will be 2023, so not counting it... I'm up to $132.10 total after Hardcore Mecha. The preorders I had reward certs which brought it down $15 total.

I nearly caved on Akiba'S Trip (Switch)... it's $19.99 on amazon... but I know I won't actually play it.
I just don't like that beat em up musou whatever you want to call it gameplay in that one. If it was just anything else as I thought the world design and character customization looked cool.

preorder wise I have azure zero preordered as well as digimon survive and reverie, kirby and I think that's it. I should probably keep a word doc for my preorders instead of just throwing the names into the backlog list.

I dunno maybe give them rollerskates or something? or for amusement have one of the rotoms you ride and throw the balms from.

my copy of sophie 2 and monark both came today from target sale along with phoenix wright naruhodo chronicles. Just like nothing said "and that's where backlog babies come from". I forgot that it was the switch version of sophie 2 since ps4 didn't apply for the sale. Guess I need to pick up a copy of sophie 1 if I ever get around to meruru, eschatology ryza 1 and 2.

Still working on pokemon arceus. Just got past that terrible boss battle with jade electrode. That nearly made me drop the game because of how cheap it is. It'd be fine if we could move around like link and not slow pokemon trainer kid.

 
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I just don't like that beat em up musou whatever you want to call it gameplay in that one. If it was just anything else as I thought the world design and character customization looked cool.

...

I should probably keep a word doc for my preorders instead of just throwing the names into the backlog list.
What it gets compared to which caught my eye initially is Kenka Banco Badass Rumble (also originally a psp game). You get a city to explore and beat a lot of people up along the way. I loved every minute I spent with Kenka Banco (bought it on psn, played it on vita)... and if this wasn't stripping people... I'd likely have bought it. But I can't see myself playing this on the big screen with my wife and kids coming through the living room... even with my youngest being 17.

...

I keep a basic txt file which takes a few seconds to update. I did this for 2021 and it helped me considerably when I was narrowing my focus by playing/testing nearly every game I own. I've avoided many purchases this year thanks to that.

 
BTW here is a little review for nukige Namaiki Dark Elf Sisters ~Cocky Chicks Craving Creampies~. With that localized name it's pretty obvious it's a nukige and mainly there for the titillation. I usually like Waffle's fantasy nukiges like the Funbag Fantasy games, but this one is more bottom of the barrel nukige.

First of all the story has a half dark elf named Ober I believe who is looked down in his family by his Father and 3 sisters since he was born from his father's concubine. They treat him like a servant, but he loves them very much. A prophecy is said in town and Ober will be the one to bring the dark elves to prosperity in the future. This is his story, and it's generally very predictable. There is some comedy and of course some siblings looking down on him, but it plays out exactly how you see. There is one important choice in the whole thing, so this may as well be a kinetic novel. 5/10 for the story.

The characters are pretty one dimensional for the most part. Ober is a good guy who tries his best and his sisters all have personalities that focus on one or two things. The father is the more interesting character, but nothing amazing. Ober doesn't change much at all and the others do evolve, but I'll leave that if you want to play. Nothing too amazing here at all. 4/10

The music is kind of just average, and the sounds are also pretty average. The voice acting for the most part is excellent. I didn't really like one of the sister's voices (the one who is super strong), but it was decent stuff. I'd give it a 5/10 for the decent voices alone.

The graphics are great. The character designs other than Ober (who looks awkward and misshapen) are solid enough. The character art is pretty good for the most part. I thought every character looked distinct and well drawn. All the CGS are usually drawn well too. This is the best part of the game. 8/10

So really this devolves down to being a somewhat unentertaining nukige. There are some kinks, but most are relatively minor. Really below the standard of the Fantasy Funbag games. I got through it very quickly (likely 5 or 6 hours at most). The story got fun and silly at times, but it just wasn't very rewarding and was very predictable after a point.  I didn't really care for this and it's very overpriced likely because of the company. Pass on this one unless you're really desperate for some dark elf action. 5/10

Also mentioning JAST USA (NSFW) has a Moe March sale going on. Lots of their games are on sales and some have new lows.

 
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The physical version of Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition for Switch will be releasing in Asia on April 26, 2022. Pre-orders should be opening soon

Chrono-Cross-Radical-Dreamers-Switch-physical-656x369.jpg


https://nintendoeverything.com/chrono-cross-getting-physical-release-on-switch-in-asia-with-english-support/

 
Cool, but I wish it was on PS4 also for the physical. I usually collect S-E Asian English releases on it.

 
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Does anyone who is playing Rune Factory 5 have an opinion on how well ( or poorly) the game runs on nsw? Trying to decide if i want to grab the Earthmate edition before it disappears and if i should consider that my play copy or just a collectible.
 
Sophie 2 is mostly about letting Sophie get to connect with a younger version of her (recently deceased) grandmother and her alchemy mentor Plachta. The pair get separated after being sucked into a world where time doesn't flow normally and Sophie enlists their younger versions help to find her present day Plachta.

The areas are just as large as Ryza 2 but there are weather changing stones to change the landscape instead of climbing, crawling, or swimming (before Ryza characters wore short skirts and had modeled underwear) Mysterious alchemy is about fitting in puzzle pieces instead of traversing a skill tree and requires a bit more thought to max out items.

It's $49.99 right now at Best Buy

 
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The physical version of Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition for Switch will be releasing in Asia on April 26, 2022. Pre-orders should be opening soon

Chrono-Cross-Radical-Dreamers-Switch-physical-656x369.jpg


https://nintendoeverything.com/chrono-cross-getting-physical-release-on-switch-in-asia-with-english-support/
FYI, listing is up. Got my copy in. NDEAL seems to save 5% and the only code I got to work.

https://www.play-asia.com/chrono-cross-the-radical-dreamers-edition-english/13/70fai1

Fingers still crossed a PS4 release happens but doubtful.

 
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Does anyone who is playing Rune Factory 5 have an opinion on how well ( or poorly) the game runs on nsw? Trying to decide if i want to grab the Earthmate edition before it disappears and if i should consider that my play copy or just a collectible.
It has already pretty much disappeared. Out at Best Buy, Amazon, Target, GameStop, & Walmart. Only XSeed themselves have some still. Must’ve printed a ton less than Story of Seasons Olive Town because that LE is still around.

 
Got my copy of Hardcore Mecha (switch, pal) last week and gave it some time this weekend. The start of it is exactly the same as the demo. Not sure if the demo had a control scheme diagram before it starts... but the retail version does. So, having studied the controller a bit more I was able to easily defeat the intro boss and then defeat the first regular level boss (even though he wins anyway) and get S rank on both levels. I'm really looking forward to playing through this whole game. I'm typically not a fan of super deformed mechs... but somehow it works well in this as you do have humans shooting you and during those moments you feel pretty big. Definitely try the demo out if curious.

Does anyone who is playing Rune Factory 5 have an opinion on how well ( or poorly) the game runs on nsw? Trying to decide if i want to grab the Earthmate edition before it disappears and if i should consider that my play copy or just a collectible.
My oldest son is playing it. He says by default the dynamic resolution in the settings will be enabled which reduces the visuals slightly for better performance. This causes some pop-in, but if you can overlook that it's a very charming game and he's enjoying it. But it's not some visual masterpiece like Xenoblade 2 or BOTW but it's fun crafting and there's so much to do. Just don't disable the dynamic resolution and it's very playable. He's typically a 144hz, 1440p visuals pc gamer... so if he's enjoying something on switch despite it's limits, then it's likely pretty solid. He mostly has played this in handheld mode .. though says it plays the same docked.

 
One Piece Odyssey, a new RPG from Bamco, announced for PS4/PS5/Xbox Series X/PC:

https://www.gematsu.com/2022/03/rpg-one-piece-odyssey-announced-for-ps5-xbox-series-ps4-and-pc

https://youtu.be/tWgE9fnyy1g

Kind of looks beautiful, will definitely give it a try. I haven't read the One Piece manga since I was much younger, but I loved it to pieces (lol) and always think about buying it again (then I remember it's 100+ volumes long with no signs of stopping). Anyway, ILCA, the guys who helped develop Dragon Quest XI, are working on this, so that's a great sign. Music composed by Motoi Sakuraba, hopefully he doesn't phone this OST in the way he phoned in the one for Tales of Arise.

Also, Dusk Diver 2 coming to the West for PS4/PS5/Switch:

https://www.gematsu.com/2022/03/dusk-diver-2-for-ps5-ps4-and-switch-coming-west-this-summer

Does anyone know if copies of the Switch version of the first Dusk Diver's special edition is still around anywhere? I missed it and fear it's gone for good.

 
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It has already pretty much disappeared. Out at Best Buy, Amazon, Target, GameStop, & Walmart. Only XSeed themselves have some still. Must’ve printed a ton less than Story of Seasons Olive Town because that LE is still around.
Amazon has some Rune Factory 5 Earthmate Editions in stock at the moment, if anyone is looking:

https://www.amazon.com/Rune-Factory-5-Earthmate-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B09HVGB8CW/ref=pd_sbs_7/142-4123961-0469943?pd_rd_w=8pKIU&pf_rd_p=cd718a0c-f7e0-41b6-9f23-6496d85d1998&pf_rd_r=5VBMHKNJAT9JQVS1CJPV&pd_rd_r=519919f2-613e-42ae-9f3d-dd0ac996f648&pd_rd_wg=Uy4Nb&pd_rd_i=B09HVGB8CW&th=1

I don't see Dusk Diver Switch Day One editions really anywhere other than eBay/Mercari for about $50+ though :(

 
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They were out for me this morning...they are my last choice for anything LE anyway since their packing is so atrocious. I just got a King Dedede amiibo from them in a box, but instead of laying it in a position where the packaging would not be damaged, they put it in upright and creased the card.

 
They were out for me this morning...they are my last choice for anything LE anyway since their packing is so atrocious. I just got a King Dedede amiibo from them in a box, but instead of laying it in a position where the packaging would not be damaged, they put it in upright and creased the card.
Yeah I got my Rune Factory 4 Archival Edition from them in one of those large bubble mailers completely crushed. Not sure how Xseed store packages their special editions, but I'd probably roll the ball with them instead.

 
Some folks have been saying that choosing the "this is a gift" option at checkout sometimes gets them better packaging. I've yet to try it though.
 
Some folks have been saying that choosing the "this is a gift" option at checkout sometimes gets them better packaging. I've yet to try it though.
If they don't give me a button for "ship in amazon packaging," then i will on every item add a gift receipt message politely asking them to use amazon packaging. Doesn't always work,but has a few times for me.

Ultimately the best decision is to skip amazon entirely if you care about the condition if the outer box. Still remember the time amz shipped my Corrin p2 amiibo loose inside a large box that also contained a 24 pack of canned drinks. I get best results from bby instore pickup or gamestop shipping (with ce's at release).
 
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Yeah I'd go with Xseed as well if possible, even if there is a shipping cost. Amazon will trash it and then sell it again until they find someone that doesn't care, I'd assume. Probably why it came back in stock? :p

I ordered something gift wrapped I really cared about from Amazon once to specifically avoid it lol. It was the Neptunia Re;Birth 1 LE, I paid for gift wrapping thinking it would be extra padding and I attempted to make the note say "PLEASE SHIP ME IN A BOX". It still came in a bubble mailer I think, but it didn't get dented!

That sucks about VGP, but thanks for the heads up. I just ordered a few things over the weekend, guess I had good timing for once.

 
I figured 128GB was enough for my 3DS. It can only have so many apps installed at a time anyway.
This was likely a good choice. I recently "cracked" the four 3DS models I own, as well as my brother's original 3DS. I went with 256 GB micro SD cards, but it was probably overkill. The 3DS's installed title limit is 300. After dropping that number of titles on these units, I had only filled up around 100 - 110 GB. If you are keeping your installs even remotely reasonable, a 128 GB card should be sufficient. The only way I could see you breaking that limit is by exclusively installing all of the very largest games for the platform, 300 strong.

I do strongly recommend picking up a used 3DS for anyone who doesn't have one. The cracking process can be a bit tedious and technical. But the functionality you can get from it is staggering. One of my favorite things that I've been able to take advantage of is installing fan-translated patches for a handful of Japan-only released games. I finally got to play the second Miles Edgeworth Investigations on DS hardware thanks to this.

 
I didn’t pickup Rune Factory 5, because I was expecting a complete edition later like 4. Was that a faulty assumption?
Yes. There hasn't been a complete edition in a while. The RF4 DLC was free, maybe still is, but it's not complete on cart.

Also letting everyone know that Sekai Project/Denpasoft have a huge sale right now till the 31st I believe. On Steam you have a lot of their Key visual novels and others, and Denpasoft has a bunch of everything. Great time to get these games.

Steam

Denpasoft (NSFW)

Also Cafe Stella was released by NekoNyansoft. There is a 1st week discount until April 1st. I also linked the 18+ patch for the Steam version. It's also available on Mangagamer, JAST USA store and others if you don't want it on Steam.

Steam

Neko Nyan Steam 18+ Patch (NSFW)

 
Are you looking for new or used?
Doesn't matter to me, it can be used as long as it's complete and in good shape. Looking on ebay, I see there are some used copies around $50, but I was just wondering if sealed copies were still out there. It's not really urgent, I have way too many games to play as it is lol

 
I just pre-ordered Saga scarlet grace and chrono cross asia english! Been waiting to play saga since it came out on vita but it never had a physical english version

 
It's close to my b-day so likely making the Play-Asia order with Chrono Cross, Loopers and Pirate whatever Switch game. Which codes still work?

 
Has anyone bought the [Asia] releases with the age ratings on them?

There are the ones where the boxes are completely in English, but I'm worried the ones with the age ratings are not. Specifically, whether the text on the spines are in English. I'm not sure if I want to pay the premium for Romancing SaGa 2 and SaGa Scarlet Grace if the titles won't match the other two SaGa games.

Here's a couple examples btw: 


 
Has anyone bought the [Asia] releases with the age ratings on them?

There are the ones where the boxes are completely in English, but I'm worried the ones with the age ratings are not. Specifically, whether the text on the spines are in English. I'm not sure if I want to pay the premium for Romancing SaGa 2 and SaGa Scarlet Grace if the titles won't match the other two SaGa games.

Here's a couple examples btw:

I'm not an expert on this but I think, just because the cover is in English doesn't mean it's English packaging.When you only see the front, yeah, the game's name is in English but doesn't mean all the text and stuff on the back are in English. If you look at Grandia, you can see Asian text on the front (top right side). If it was an English cover, I'd think everything would be in English.

I think PA specifically calls out English packaging, like this: https://www.play-asia.com/final-fantasy-vii-final-fantasy-viii-remastered-twin-pack-multi/13/70cs9p . Like it'll say English "cover" or "package" or something.

 
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I don't think I've ever gotten an Asian-English copy with non-English writing on the spine, but I can't check for sure. If it has English subs, like the Loopers I'm going to buy, that will be full Japanese all over the box including the spine. Also currently playing Café Stella. Not the most amazing game, but I've gotten some laughs, the voice acting is aight, and the overall story is also just OK. I've gone through a pretty weak route so far though and I have at least one more of that level I think. So far for the games I've played of theirs I'd rate them.

 
DRACU-RIOT! > Sanoba Witch > Noble ☆ Works > Senren * Banka > RIDDLE JOKER = Café Stella to Shinigami no Chou
 
I'd recommend it near the last of their games for sure. I hope Dracu-Riot! releases someday, as it deserves a full localized release.
 
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The Collector's Edition for double the price seems a bit hefty if you already get the soundtrack in the regular edition, but the photo of the box does look neat. I thought it was a Switch version at first glance.

Andro Dunos 2 is another late release 3DS title presumably coming soon ('Q2 2022')

https://www.vgnysoft.com/product-page/andro-dunos-2-nintendo-3ds

Also available from PixelHeart (EU site, but US copies available both PixelHeart and VGNYSoft are listed as publishers):

https://www.pixelheart.eu/en/produit/andro-dunos-2-3ds-us/

There it mentions there will be 6,000 copies total

It will also be available on Switch, though:

https://www.vgnysoft.com/product-page/andro-dunos-2-nintendo-switch?utm_campaign=9419d70c-9ab7-454a-be46-0a2fa0225bed&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=1f1390ba-f091-4e8d-a88e-fb4ed8b37eac

I first saw it on Videogameplus.ca - their description says if you're a US customer please order from VGNYSoft as they're only getting some shared from VGNYSoft themselves.

 
I'm not an expert on this but I think, just because the cover is in English doesn't mean it's English packaging.When you only see the front, yeah, the game's name is in English but doesn't mean all the text and stuff on the back are in English. If you look at Grandia, you can see Asian text on the front (top right side). If it was an English cover, I'd think everything would be in English.

I think PA specifically calls out English packaging, like this: https://www.play-asia.com/final-fantasy-vii-final-fantasy-viii-remastered-twin-pack-multi/13/70cs9p . Like it'll say English "cover" or "package" or something.
That's a good point.

I looked around for some more examples of the Hong Kong/Taiwan releases. Most seem to be Chinese/English on the front and back, but the spines aren't consistent. The PS4 ver of Romancing SaGa 2 the front and back are bilingual, but the spine is in Chinese; River City Girls Switch, same thing except the spine is in English.

Fragrant Story looks interesting; reminds me of Black Sigil in the way it's very inspired by some old Square game. If it had 3D it'd be a no-brainer. I'll keep on eye on it, if for no other reason than it's a fully indie retail game.

 
What the heck happened to the two yo-kai blasters 3ds games?! They used to be rare and around $100 - $120 a month or two ago, and now I'm seeing $500 on eBay?!
 
What the heck happened to the two yo-kai blasters 3ds games?! They used to be rare and around $100 - $120 a month or two ago, and now I'm seeing $500 on eBay?!
It was a low print run and the announcement of the 3ds Eshop closing next year just drove FOMO through the roof.
Kind of crazy, I never really considered digital stores closing- figured it would be like Steam, always persisting, until Wii eShop and then you kind of realize there might be games you have that you can never access again. I think someone said with the Wii, you can still download your owned games but you can't buy new ones but with Sony's PS3/PSP stores, I think it's pretty much going to be end all... whenever it closes (which I can't remember if there's a set date).

 
Kind of crazy, I never really considered digital stores closing- figured it would be like Steam, always persisting, until Wii eShop and then you kind of realize there might be games you have that you can never access again. I think someone said with the Wii, you can still download your owned games but you can't buy new ones but with Sony's PS3/PSP stores, I think it's pretty much going to be end all... whenever it closes (which I can't remember if there's a set date).
I think the 3DS store was garbage anyway. Your purchases weren't even tied to an account, they were tied to the hardware.. which is decades behind MS and Sony. Personally that's why I never bought anything on it. I feel like it started to get better with switch but Nintendo hasn't quite caught up to everyone else when it comes to digital storefronts. I feel like support for the 3ds store was kind of doomed from the beginning because of that though
 
Sony already shut down their PS Mobile service several years ago. Fully shut down, as in I can't even access the games I paid for anymore (Not legally, in any case.)

I think the 3DS store was garbage anyway. Your purchases weren't even tied to an account, they were tied to the hardware.. which is decades behind MS and Sony.
That last part is debatable. Normally when a store closes you'd expect to still be able to access the games you've already purchased, or possibly make your own backups. In the case I just mentioned, Sony in their infinite wisdom decided that if you ever so much as remove your Vita memory card, you lose your PSM authentication and can't even play your games again until you connect to the network - which no longer exists.
3DS digital games were tied to the console, but Nintendo could still access and transfer that account whenever necessary.
 
Sony already shut down their PS Mobile service several years ago. Fully shut down, as in I can't even access the games I paid for anymore (Not legally, in any case.)

That last part is debatable. Normally when a store closes you'd expect to still be able to access the games you've already purchased, or possibly make your own backups. In the case I just mentioned, Sony in their infinite wisdom decided that if you ever so much as remove your Vita memory card, you lose your PSM authentication and can't even play your games again until you connect to the network - which no longer exists.
3DS digital games were tied to the console, but Nintendo could still access and transfer that account whenever necessary.
I do remember this actually. I traded in a original 3DS console to GS and just reset the console before trading it in since I just got a 3DS XL and figured I could just log in and get all my stuff back. When I tried to, I learned that wasn't the case. I called Nintendo and they were able to help me restore my account to my new console... though it was tricky. Beyond verifying my account details/logging into my account, they needed me to verify my last purchase (which was years ago so I didn't remember and had to guess a few times).

 
Wow I remember playing Rhapsody on PS1. It was one of my first JRPGs and I was hooked on the genre after playing. I still have my PS1 copy. It's too bad this is skipping the PS4, I might have considered picking it up otherwise. 

 
I always kind of meant to get around to Rhapsody as it ticked a few boxes of mine.   I could always play it other ways... but cool to see this coming to switch along with La Pucelle.

 
OMG La Pucelle, finally! And it's the PSP remake, choice! I've always wanted to play Rhapsody, so that's a great game to pair it with. I haven't picked up volume 2 Prinny Presents, but now I'm wondering if I should just to have all three on the shelf...

 
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