The smartphone game Dark Tales ~Mirror and Mad Princess~ was officially released on April 11, and the popular singer and talent Kyary Pamyu Pamyu performed the theme song for the title.

The dark RPG tells a tale of the loss of childlike innocence and was pre-downloaded over 1 million times. The theme song, Magical Mirror, was written and composed by Yasutaka Nakata.

Fans of the genre won’t want to miss out on this mysterious mobile title!

Japanese indie game label Yokaze will exhibit many anticipated upcoming titles at the 2023 Taipei Game Show. The event will be held in Taiwan from February 2 until February 5, 2023.

ghostpia

ghostpia’s visuals mix warm, delicate art that would be fit for an illustrated children’s book with glitch and noise effects, for a strangely nostalgic visual novel vibe. The story takes place in a snowy town where immortal “ghosts” live. When Sayoko, a girl who doesn’t belong, meets Yoru, a newcomer to town, her world begins to change. Her thoughts begin to drift outside of the town, and certain events bring her back to a lost friendship. Filled with mystery and a bit of violence, this title is being touted as a movie you can read on PC.

Developer: Chosuido
Release Date: 2023
Platform: Nintendo Switch™/Steam, etc.
Website: https://ghostpia.xyz/

Recolit

Recolit is a pixel art mystery adventure game where players explore a strange town by following trails of light. After your spaceship crash lands in a mysterious place, you’ll have to help the residents of the town as you explore and progress through the story.

Developer: Image Labo
Release Date: 2023
Platform: Steam/itch.io (Others planned)
Website: https://image-labo.com/recolit/

Kitsune: The Journey of Adashino

Kitsune: The Journey of Adashino is a 3D adventure game set in a mysterious version of Japan. One day, a fox girl and her frog friend find themselves on a mysterious island shrouded by darkness but for a few floating lights. Torii gates, food stall lanterns, and neon signs give light and color to the island. Something is lurking in the shadows, inching ever closer. Kitsune can use light to temporarily blind these demons, giving her enough time to find safe routes and hiding places. Be sure to enjoy this curious tale when it releases in the future!

Developer: Rias
Release Date: TBD
Platform: Nintendo Switch™/Steam (Others planned)
Website: https://www.foxandfrog.net/

The card game SCOUT, designed by Kei Kajino and developed overseas by Oink Games, was nominated for the Spiel des Jahres Award in Germany on May 23, 2022. The yearly award is given to a card or board game and is known as the highest honor in the world of tabletop games. This is the second time in seven years that a Japanese-designed game has been nominated.

The Spiel des Jahres Award has been given out each year since 1979. There are three categories: Game of the Year, Kids’ Game of the Year, and Complex Game of the Year. Three board or card games are nominated from among those released in Germany in the previous year, and one is awarded the grand prize. The last Japanese game to be nominated was Machi Koro, a board game that has become extremely popular among Western audiences. The grand prize winner will be announced on July 16.

What is SCOUT?

You have suddenly been appointed as the leader of a circus. Using the members of your circus you must put together a show that will beat out your rivals. Everyone on your team has a specific role. To fill in the gaps on your team, try to scout members away from other circus groups! With the addition of just one extra person you may set off an incredible chain reaction that helps you create a show that no other circus will be able to surpass. Will you battle with your current members? Or will you wait it out and try to recruit different ones?

You will feel amazing when you make the right choices in this speedy card game!

A new version has just been released for players purchasing the game from outside of Japan. In Japan, the original version was released by One More Game.

Initial D The Arcade is the tenth game in the Initial D series. Released in February 2021, one particular song from the title has struck a chord with fans. After a long wait, SCRAMBLE EYES by MOTSU vs A-One, has finally been released on streaming services starting May 25!

SCRAMBLE EYES is a fast-paced track blended with sharp vocals and engaging rap. The speedy song is perfect for Initial D, bringing to mind being behind the wheel and driving at top speed. Fans have called the song addictive, and even those who aren’t a fan of the game have been applauding the track across social media. 

MOTSU and A-One have both provided comments following the song’s release.

MOTSU

The name SCRAMBLE EYES was inspired by the bright headlights plowing through the darkness during a particular stage in Initial D The Arcade.

I’d be so happy if the listeners could get the same tingling sensation I felt when I met A-One for the first time.

A-One

I’m so thankful to be able to create music for Initial D, a series that brought me so much joy as a child.

And collaborating with MOTSU? I absolutely adore him, so I put all of my energy into this track.

If you work hard and don’t back down, your dreams will come true.

But one of my dreams hasn’t come true yet–playing this song live!

MOTSU, let’s do it someday!

Please enjoy this track and really feel the speed and excitement as you race towards your goals!

In 2023, an anime adaptation of MF Ghost, the sequel to Initial D, is scheduled to premiere. The series takes place in the 2020s, when self-driving cars are normal Japan, and focuses on Kanata Livington, a Japanese driver who goes back to Japan after graduating at the top of his class at a racing school in England.

ARMA BIANCA, an online store specializing in original goods, is now taking orders for limited-time collaboration items between Touhou Project and One Night Werewolf!

Lineup

One Night Werewolf Collaboration – Pixel Art Ver.

Acrylic Stand

Preorder Purchase Bonus

Acrylic Keychain

Preorder Purchase Bonus

Pin

Preorder Purchase Bonus

T-Shirt

Hoodie

Clear Folder

Mug

Pen

One Night Werewolf is a card game where players take on the role of a Villager, a Werewolf, or a number of special characters with unique abilities. The goal is to figure out who the Werewolves are and to kill at least one in order to win!

The Touhou characters featured in the collaboration include Reimu Hakurei, Marisa Kirisame, Cirno, Youmu Konpaku, Sakuya Izayoi, Satori Komeiji, Koishi Komeiji, Remilia Scarlet, Flandre Scarlet, and Kagerou Imaizumi. 

POLARIS, the story game label started by NOMEETS, will get a second installment titled ‘Inside Blue’ this summer. Preorders will open at Spring Game Market 2022 on April 23 and April 24, 2022.

POLARIS is a story game label launched in the winter of 2021. Players become characters in the story, sometimes cooperating and sometimes betraying each other to arrive at their own unique endings. An incredibly immersive experience, the first work ‘RED LINE’ sold 400 units at Winter Game Market 2021, gaining tons of positive reviews. The title has over 300 different endings and a unique design like no other title before.

The second title ‘Inside Blue’ follows a group of high school students trying to solve a summer murder mystery in a small town. This is a massive change from ‘RED LINE,’ which was set in a world filled with humans and vampires in conflict. By interacting with townspeople, attending summer festivals, and enjoying vacation, how will you solve this bizarre and terrifying mystery? 

Swiss luxury watch brand Hublot and top Japanese artist Takashi Murakami have released two pieces of digital NFT artwork inspired by Hublot’s ‘Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami’ watches shown at the international watch exhibition ‘Watches & Wonders.’

These pieces of digital artwork were inspired by the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black watch and the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow Watch. Both items were released in 2021 and marked the first collaboration between Hublot and a Japanese artist. These two watches were released in quantities of 200 and 100 pieces, respectively, and both sold out in only a few days.

The collaboration includes two pieces of digital artwork featuring smiling flowers, a symbolic theme of Murakami’s work and the Superflat art movement. There are 216 digital art pieces inspired by the All Black watch and 108 pieces inspired by the Sapphire Rainbow watch. These NFTs are primarily intended for current owners of the two limited-edition watches. Current watch owners must apply for the NFT between April 1 and April 25.

But don’t worry: these NFTs will also be available to the public in limited quantities in May 2022!

To commemorate the 4th anniversary of the popular smartphone game Azur Lane, the fashion shopping site ZOZOTOWN has launched a limited apparel collaboration exclusive on their website. The Azur Lane Black Collection will be available until March 18, 2022.

Azur Lane is a side-scrolling shoot ‘em up RPG set in an alternate timeline of World War II. Using cute female characters based on warships to battle, the game is popular with players of all ages. 

Items at a Glance

ZOZOTOWN × Azur Lane Hoodie

ZOZOTOWN × Azur Lane T-shirt

ZOZOTOWN × Azur Lane Acrylic Stand

ZOZOTOWN × Azur Lane Character Blanket

ZOZOTOWN × Azur Lane Tapestry

Bonus – Original Pin

Lottery Prize: Super Large 50cm Acrylic Stand (Not for Sale)

The Azur Lane Black Collection features seven popular characters from the game–Friedrich der Große, Vittorio Veneto, Belfast, Bremerton, Atago, Ajax, and Unicorn. The illustrations were provided by Modare, Yatsuha, and Rag Miwano and were created exclusively for the collection. In addition to apparel, fans can also pick up acrylic stands, blankets, tapestries, and more.

For every item purchased, customers will receive one original pin. A large acrylic stand will be given away to seven lucky winners, so good luck!

Ready to put your thinking caps on? Gather your best friends and head to Matsudo City in Chiba (about 40 minutes from Tokyo Station) for the real puzzle-solving game ‘The Little Wizard and Monsters ~Enter the Costume Contest, ya hear?~, taking place from December 4, 2021, until March 27, 2022. During the event, guests will have to search for clues in the area around Yabashira Station on the Shin Keisei Line, as well as the 21st Century Forest and Square Park. 

The 21st Century Forest and Square Park and Yabashira Station are both very familiar to those in their 20s and 30s who love pop culture, and this event was planned in the hopes that people would learn more about the area. While attempting to solve the puzzle, guests will find plenty of very Instagrammable spots and locations perfect for cherry blossom viewing as well!

NetEase’s multiplayer horror game Identity V is currently holding a crossover event with the anime series Death Note. Running until June 27, fans of the series can look forward to seeing some familiar faces in thrilling mind battles.

Death Note is a manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata which was serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump from 2003-2006. The manga has over 30 million copies in circulation. Its anime adaptation aired from 2006-2007. The story tells of a notebook called the Death Note where if you write someone’s name in it they die. It is one of the most well-known series both in Japan and overseas. One of the aspects of the series that draws people in most are the mind battles between its two intellectual protagonists; Light Yagami and L.

Ryuk is a Shinigami, or Death God, and is the one who drops his Death Note into the human world which is eventually found by the protagonist Light Yagami. He did this on on purpose because he was bored one day and wanted to see what would happen if a human had a Death Note. In the game, he will pursue the Survivors.

Light Yagami, the protagonist of Death Note, finds the notebook one day and after discovering its secrets, decides to rid the world of criminals and people he deems villains under the guise of Kira. He will try to escape the Hunters in the game.

L is the second main character of Death Note. Known as the world’s greatest detective, he is tasked with trying to discover why so many people are dying randomly in Japan and who this mysterious Kira is. He will fight against the Hunters.

Misa Amane is a fashion model and supporter of Kira. She also has her own Death Note and eventually becomes the Second Kira. In the game she will take on the role of an engineer and use her skills to make changes to the Manor.

A range of accessories, character actions, furniture, and more themed on Death Note are also rolling out as part of the crossover. Items include apples which are Ryuk’s favourite, Misa’s Death Note, Light’s pen, L’s handcuffs, and more.

Discover all kinds of mysterious during the event

The game is littered with mysterious to be discover and solved. Players can complete daily sign-ins to receive rewards such as Crossover Essence, collecting clues with L by participating in matches, and much more.

©大場つぐみ・小畑健／集英社・ＶＡＰ・マッドハウス・ＮＴＶ・Ｄ．Ｎ．ドリームパートナーズ

Japanese electronics giant Casio has announced its second collaboration with The Pokémon Company to release a Pikachu design watch as part of its BABY-G shock-resistant line of wristwatches. The Pikachu BA-110PKC watch will drop worldwide via G-SHOCK’s official website on February 5, 2021.

The watch comes as part of BABY-G’s 25th anniversary celebrations as Pikachu is number 025 in the Pokédex. It features classic Generation I inspired artwork of Pokémon’s leading mascot.

BA-110PKC | ¥19,800 (Tax Included)

Casio describes the watch: “This second collaboration is an analog-digital watch with an outdoor theme, representing the active image of the BABY-G brand. The entire BA-110PKC band showcases a camouflage pattern and female Pikachu with a heart-shaped tail. The Pikachu design is infused with subtle details like the silhouette of the pink tail on the strap keeper and the Pikachu image etched on the case back. The hour and minute hands also evoke the face of Pikachu, a playful touch that will delight the wearer whenever they check the time.”

The watch is boxed with a Poké Ball inside which Trainers will find their trusty new Pikachu watch companion.

© 2021 Pokémon. ©1995-2021 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.
Pokémon, ポケットモンスター, and ポケモン are registered trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and GAME FREAK inc.

Citizen Watch brand wicca released a new emerald green wristwatch to commemorate the release of the new anime film Sailor Moon Eternal. The item was released exclusively on PREMICO’s online shop in Japan on January 6, 2021, with a limited stock of just 3,000.

Wicca x Sailor Moon Eternal Special Collab Watch | ¥29,800 (Before Tax)

The watch features intricate nods to the film such as a crescent moon at the 12-o’-clock mark with a rhinestone, Pegasus and white wings on the bottom half, an emerald blue round face, the Crystal Carillon on the 6-o’-clock mark, and more.

The mesh strap is pink and gold to complete the a beautiful and feminine appearance. And since only 3,000 have been made, each watch also has its own Edition Number engraved into it. The watches are packaged in special gold leaf box with a Swarovski® crystal on it.

©武内直子・PNP／劇場版「美少女戦士セーラームーンEternal」製作委員会

Swarovski® is a registered trademark of SwarovskiAG.