Notes from Japan

Hi! Allow me to introduce myself.  I’m Tom and I’ve been invited to write a guest blog (or two) for Ghostlight covering some of the latest news from Japan on game developers, their up-coming games and other releases! Just as a disclaimer, I think I should point out that this blog is not indicative of Ghostlight’s plans to publish the games mentioned, so please don’t get too excited :)  The guys at Ghostlight and I, just thought it would be great to share upcoming news from some of your favourite Japanese companies, and as a huge fan of JRPGs in particular, I’ve been asked to test the water with you all with this first blog.  I’m sure a lot of you are doing your own research into Japanese gaming already, but if there’s interest from everyone, I’m sure that we could make this a regular and more detailed news feature to keep you up to date on all things JRPG related.  Please feel free to give feedback and let me know if there are any specific things you’d like me to investigate in the future!

Ok, let’s get started!

As many of you may already know, the production for the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei IV on 3DS is well under way, with the uncut second trailer having been posted on YouTube back in October last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qk8V3VcGKk

As a little background to the game itself, the world of SMT IV is set in 1492 in the pseudo-medieval realm of East Mikado in the land of Kanto, where those of age must take the Gauntlet Ritual to test their worth as Samurai. The Gauntlet itself contains the Demon Summoning Program, a concept those familiar with the SMT series will doubtless remember. Our hero, a recent recruit to the Samurai, is tasked with exterminating demons.  Atlus have made a few further exciting announcements already about the amazing designs of new demons in the game and the plans to drop random battles.  This looks like being another excellent offering from Atlus and definitely one to watch, so I’ll be following any and all updates on this title very closely.

In other news, the Persona 3 and Persona 4 official ‘Vocal Sound Selection’ album is now available on iTunes, featuring the memorable Burn My Dread, among other Persona favourites.

https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/id573792971

Be sure to also check out the Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena Soundtrack and the P3 & P4 Battle Theme Collection!  Definitely recommended :)

https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/id551530654

https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/p3-p4-batorutemakorekushon/id576966934

Those who enjoyed Fate/EXTRA on PSP, which Ghostlight published last year, may be excited to know that the sequel to Type-Moon’s debut RPG, Fate/Extra CCC, is due for release early this year.  Fans of the Fate series are sure to know the identity of the confirmed new playable character, the arrogant King of Heroes, Gilgamesh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=efI9Xj8obSw

As well as some quirky changes of wardrobe for the servant characters, there have been some changes to the established character Sakura Matou, featuring three very different character designs with unique features.

Those of you who have been keeping track of developments at Type-Moon may also recognise the newly introduced Karna, who was first established as a potential character for the upcoming light novel Fate Apocrypha, which is to be published later this month:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lRz6cbrxb_k

Fate/Extra CCC has a recently announced release date of March 28^th this year so let’s hope the European version isn’t too far behind it.

Those unfamiliar with the world of the Fate series may be interested to know that the Vita port of Fate/Stay Night Realta Nua has been released.  Featuring new animation sequences by studio Ufotable, this visual novel tells the original story around which the world of Fate/EXTRA is based.

Falcom Hot News:

Falcom has announced a joint project with Seikaisha and 4gamer to ‘breathe new life’ into their famous Ys series.  As of the 14th of December, the new novel ‘Ys Tribute’ is now on sale, recreating the original series in written form.  For you Japanese speakers out there, a preview version of the novel is available for reading on Seikaisha's special website:

https://sai-zen-sen.jp/sa/falcom-novelize/ys/

That’s all for now, but tune in next time for more news from established and up-and-coming developers in Japan! 

Ross will be back next week with some Ghostlight news, but until then you can follow Ghostlight on our Twitter and Facebook pages, our Youtube Channel and our  Google + account.

*Please note this article was originally written in December 2012.  We’ll try and make sure they’re a little more up to date in the future :)~ Ross