Interview by Matt S. Atelier Firis: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey is going to be a very different game to the Atelier games that you’ve played in the past. At a rate of almost one game per year over the series’ 19-year history, fans have grown accustomed to what…
Read MoreInterview by Matt S. Goichi Suda is a bit of a hero to many on the DDNet team. His unwavering commitment to games that are transgressive and creative, even to the detriment of their critical rating, is noble, and the fact he’s managed to build up a major Japanese development…
Read MoreInterview by Matt S. Root Letter might just be the most “Japanese” visual novel to find an English localisation. Sure, Danganronpa and Steins;Gate offered the Japanese sense of the surreal, the abstract, and the odd, but Root Letter promises to be more that; it’s going to offer players a very…
Read MoreInterview by Matt S. Koei Tecmo has very big plans for the Toukiden franchise. A rarity for the prolific developer/ publisher, it is a new IP that isn’t being produced in collaboration and under license with a different IP holder, and the company sees that as a significant opportunity. “It…
Read MoreInterview by Matt S. God Wars: Future Past is going to be one of the most important tactical JRPGs that you’ll ever play. Not because it’s going to do anything particularly innovative with the way it plays – because it’s explicitly aiming to be as traditional as the genre comes…
Read MoreRetro Reflections by Nick H. Recently, I was reflecting back on Phantasy Star II, a game that was very memorable to me despite some of its shortcomings. I would go so far as to say that at the time of its release, it was one of the best JRPGs out…
Read MoreGame theory by Harvard L. Goichi Suda is a bit of a hero to many on the DDNet team. His unwavering commitment to games that are transgressive and creative, even to the detriment of their critical rating, is noble, and the fact he’s managed to build up a major Japanese…
Read MoreRetro reflections by Nick H. One of the really cool things my dad did for me as a kid was rent me a new NES game just about every weekend. It was a cheap way to play a lot of different games, and I’d get them finished, too, as video…
Read MoreTourism by Matt S. Japan can be exhausting. The energy of the city, as well as the sheer number of things to do, means that often, even when you’re out for a relaxing day in a beautiful area like Hakone, you find yourself walking… and walking… and walking. A quick…
Read MoreTourism by Matt S. Over the weekend I went along to the Hatsune Miku Magical Mirai 2016 concert and exhibition and OH MY GOD I FELL IN LOVE WITH HER ALL OVER AGAIN. I won’t retread what I wrote in my piece on the concert last year. Please do read…
Read More