While we could tell from the very start that The Emperor’s Caretaker manga would eventually involve a romance between Linhua, one of the caretakers for the series’ child emperor and his regent Souren. However, Ichiha Hiiragi and Aya Shouoto’s story initially prioritized establishing life in the palace, Linhua’s role, and professional relationships. It’s only in the third volume that things start to actually get into different types of obligations that come from the jobs people have or their positions in families. As a result, we’re finally getting the lovey-dovey moments suggested and teased as these other elements play out.

Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for volume 3 of The Emperor’s Caretaker manga below.

What I love about The Emperor’s Caretaker volume 3 is that, while this is the point in the manga when it gets to the romance elements, it still is focusing on folks’ personal, professional, and familial obligations. Linhua and Souren are getting their moment toward the end. However, in the lead-up we are seeing how even though he’s a child, Emperor Zhiyou can be called upon to rule a kingdom and see what happens with the Li family chancellor. We also get another glimpse at what life is like for Linhua as a daughter of the Liu family and how that familiar obligation influences her life and future.

In the case of Emperor Zhiyou, the example is an especially trying and pivotal moment. Throughout the volumes, we’ve seen him start to connect to his brother Souren finally, thanks to Linhua’s influence. They’ve build up a real relationship, and that’s highlighted as this volume begins. But because of Chancellor Li’s actions throughout the three volumes, it hit a point where there need to be repercussions for his actions. And while the man is clearly a villain, he’s always been kind to Zhiyou and acted like something of a grandfather to him. So we witness a small child going through more of his royal training, then being forced to act against someone he likely loves. It’s striking. Especially since we also see Rui, said chancellor’s son and a person Linhua’s father considered as a politically advantageous marriage candidate for the her for the Liu, debate against doing what’s right and filial piety. 

Obligations to family and expected roles in society play a big part in Linhua’s storyline. From the start of her series, Linhua’s father has been trying to get her married off. It’s how she even ended up as Emperor Zhiyou’s caretaker in the first place. With what happened to the Li family and Rui possibly jumping in power, we’re seeing him see an opportunity. Which means she’s concerned about leaving a job she loves for a marriage she’s forced into. It’s especially interesting to see how, at this point in the story, we’re getting to see her on the verge of possibly taking steps toward everything she could want.

Things are really in motion in The Emperor’s Caretaker volume 3, as the manga is establishing a challenge to the comfortable position Linhua holds, a possible future with Souren, and an emperor who is gradually growing up and developing as a ruler. While I don’t think we’ll see Zhiyou become a major force by the end of the series, seeing him preside over a ruling her feels like foreshadowing. So does Linhua and Souren making a commitment and hints that, while the two probably have a future together, other obligations might pose challenges along the way.

Volume 3 of The Emperor’s Caretaker is available now, and Square Enix will release volume 4 of the manga on September 9, 2025.

The post The Emperor’s Caretaker Volume 3 Gets Into Obligations and Love appeared first on Siliconera.

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With this latest survey, we hope to get your insights about the site and things you like to check out online. That means answering a handful of questions about topics that matter to you. If you could please spare 5-10 minutes of your time, we’d really appreciate it! And in the end, your responses could really make a difference!

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If you’ve ever played one of Bandai Namco’s Dragon Ball games, you know the company consistently supports them. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 came out almost 10 years ago. It got an add-on based on the Dragon Ball Daima new spin-off anime back in May 2025 and Future Saga updates in 2024. It’s totally plausible and even expected for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot to get its own Daima DLC five years after that installment’s debut and, after some initial time spent with it, it seems 

For those familiar with Dragon Ball Daima, I feel like the add-on starts off by quickly getting us introduced to the spin-off’s new characters and shuttled off to the Demon Realm where the story takes place. If you didn’t watch that show, it’s pretty good at quickly and concisely getting you started. As a quick summary, new Supreme Demon King Gomah got the Dragon Balls. He wished Goku and his allies would become kids. He took Earth’s Guardian Dende. The bad news for Gomah is that Goku was still super powerful as a kid. He and Supreme Kai Shin (also turned into a child) end up going into the Demon Realm with new allies Panzy (was a child even before the wish) and Glorio (the only “adult”) to save Dende and show Gomah what for. 

I really appreciated how quickly things get going. Which is a necessity here, since the whole point of the add-on is to get access to this new space, its original quests and characters, and the adventure tied to it. I experienced only the first parts. It’s a pretty solid introduction to this new story. I think that will bode especially well for newcomers, since the banter between existing characters like Goku and Shin works well, and this add-on maintains the same relationship I enjoyed between him and Glorio and Panzy for the parts I went through. I don’t feel like someone new to this story would feel left out. 

There are also marked design decisions present to make the Daima Demon Realm feel different than other places we’ve been in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. CyberConnect 2 made it look different, naturally. We’re also forced to explore it all on foot. This makes it feel like a more traditional type of open-world experience, and I also felt it encouraged me to do a little more exploring and investigating since I couldn’t just fly up and check out everything from above. Also, seeing his crew around him, running alongside as you explore areas, is just a nice touch and makes it feel a bit more like the newest anime.

This decision also changes combat. Since this is a child version of Goku, our moveset is a bit different. He’s still going to use ki, but I appreciated the enhanced focus on using his Power Pole. It genuinely reminded me of watching the original Dragon Ball anime after school as a kid. The inability to fly comes up in fights as well. This means different types of evasive maneuvers or pursual tactics need to be employed to dodge or get in close for attacks. 

The first part of the Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Daima DLC seems like it could be a really worthwhile adventure. The brief segment I sampled seemed surprisingly large. It added a new type of gameplay experience that remained true to the source material. It could also serve as a good introduction to that storyline for folks who didn’t catch the series yet. I’m excited to see more. Especially since CyberConnect 2 made sure we get introduced to and comfortable with the new world so swiftly.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available on the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the first part of the Daima DLC debuts on July 17, 2025. The second part of the add-on’s story will arrive in 2026. The Dragon Ball Daima anime is streaming on Crunchyroll.

The post Preview: Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Daima DLC Seems Impressive appeared first on Siliconera.

The Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop series are a staple that kids worldwide grew up with if they had access to Nintendo systems. From the original game on the DS in 2005, released worldwide, to five later 3DS entries that didn’t make it outside of Japan, they showed up as handheld minigame staples. Tamagotchi Plaza is a revival of of the series appearing worldwide and, while it does fill an early launch niche for the Switch 2, I can’t help but feel like this installment is lacking. 

Tamagotchi Planet Prince Tamahiko abducts the player from Earth in Tamagotchi Plaza for a very important mission. His Tamahiko Town is competing to be the host of Tamagotchi Fest. It’s a bit run-down, with shops not really catering to and pleasing visitors as they did in the past. To help bring the event home and help bring peace to Gotchi King (who is a giant egg) and his family, you need to revitalize the shops via playing minigames tied to them to properly serve customers and upgrade them. You can also upgrade parts of the town square to make the town more appealing.

There are 15 shops in the Switch 2 version of Tamagotchi Plaza, with five locked away until you essentially perfect other shops. Given we have ten right away and three of these extra shops are combination ones that combine elements from two existing experiences, not getting immediate access isn’t too bad. I will say that I wish Hyde and NicoLabo made the two Switch 2 exclusive Sushi and Shuriken Shops available immediately. Given they’re tied to a paid Upgrade Pack and might be the reason someone picks one version over the other, it feels like there shouldn’t be any additional gatekeeping. Also, I found the Sushi Shop is one of the most clever and best paced inclusions, and hated that I needed to spend so much time even getting it.

While Tamagotchi Plaza is a minigame collection, it doesn’t exactly function how ones you might expect would work. Aside from the Switch 2 Sushi Shop and Shuriken Shop, which both use mouse controls either for assembling and surving sushi or tossing shuriken at targets, these don’t feel very gimmicky. There’s no overuse of motion controls. There aren’t guaranteed multiplayer experiences. If anything, many of them feel like they should all use touch-screen controls like the DS Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop series or mouse controls. Like the Dentist Shop involves selecting the tool, then using the joystick and A button to brush, drill to drill, tweezers to pull out bugs, and fill them. The Manga Shop means fulfilling requests to create two panel stories customers request. Galette Shop involves looking at the crepe ingredients and making orders. There are a lot of shops that involve selecting items from menus, possibly moving or arranging them, and hoping you did the right things.

I say hoping, because there are no instructions for shops. Once you visit one for the first time, it “reopens.” You’re then thrust into assisting customers. Some situations are very self-explanatory. The Night Pool has you wait for a visitor to request an item or drink. You make it or get it in the menu, then hand it to them. The Rap Battle is a brief rhythm game. The Personal Trainer minigame is something of a button masher that involves going at the speed the customer needs by checking responses. The Tailor means matching parts and patterns to the example. But some of these do involve some nuance, like the Eyewear Shop or Dentist. And the Manga Shop will straight up have a customer ask for a manga featuring ________ character, but there are no labels on any of the possible images! So good luck if you can’t recognize Gozarutchi or Violetchi on sight! 

A lack of tutorials and instruction is a common theme throughout Tamagotchi Plaza. You’re told in the beginning you can swap your chosen partner at any time. The game never tells you how. If you don’t go to places like the Committee Room or investigate, you might not realize you can customize areas and develop the town square. It’s also a bit user friendly in other ways, as you need to walk to every shop. No clicking a location on a map and immediately being able to head into that minigame!

Tamagotchi Plaza also suffers from the past Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop issue of the quality of the minigames widely varying. Manga Shop is a novel idea, but can take far too long to complete a request for the amount of money you get. The Night Pool is more boring than entertaining. Dentist is probably one of my favorites, but that’s because it doesn’t deviate much from the original. Rap Battle has potential, but it’s incredibly short and the actual raps both aren’t that clever and don’t really involve any “battling.” You can get gotchi currency to upgrade elements, but none of the customization items feel all that exciting. It can feel more tedious than entertaining, and I feel like adjustments to minigame execution, some design changes to improve pacing, and more motivation to take part could have helped.

It isn’t necessarily that Tamagotchi Plaza is bad, as I do think it could be fun for kids or someone who really loves Bandai Namco’s virtual pet line. There are just some awkward decisions made that make it a little uncomfortable to play at times. And even if you do overcome that and work things out, it can feel like there’s not too much to do. Especially since you can’t even bring it out as “the early Switch 2 multiplayer minigame collection” due to how few games actually involve more than one person. For the right person, it could be fine, but it caters to a very specialized (and probably forgiving) audience.

Tamagotchi Plaza is available on the Switch and Switch 2. 

The post Review: I Wish There Was More to Tamagotchi Plaza appeared first on Siliconera.

The Switch 2 launch included the return of a Square Enix JRPG series, with the company reviving Bravely Default: Flying Fairy for an HD Remaster. It marked the return of a 13-year-old classic and added range to the new console’s library. To learn more about this welcome return, Siliconera spoke with Producers Tomoya Asano and Naofumi Matsushita about the project.

Jenni Lada: When did Square Enix decide it would return to Bravely Default for an HD remaster? 

Tomoya Asano: Around spring 2022, the team members discussed what would be the best way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the series and show our appreciation to all our fans who have supported us. Masashi Takahashi, who was the assistant producer for the original version, even pressed us on this, saying, “It's the 10th anniversary, you know!” (laughs) We considered various directions, like making a new game or a remake or remaster, but we decided, “Let's make the first Bravely Default game easily playable for today's gaming environment.” So, I consulted Matsushita-san, saying, “Matsushita-san, we only have six months until the 10th anniversary. Do you think we can pull it off?” Of course, there was no way we could. (laughs)

Naofumi Matsushita: Just as we were having that discussion, it was announced that the Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS would be closing in March 2023. I was tasked with handling this occurrence for the title, and we received an overwhelming response not only from players in Japan, but also from overseas, with many saying, “Please don't close it yet. We want to use the online features.” I was deeply moved to learn that there were so many passionate fans who still wanted to play the game. I thought it would be wonderful to release a title that would bring joy to these fans, so even though we couldn't make it in time for the 10th anniversary (laughs), we renewed our determination to create a remastered version.

What made the company decide to choose the Switch 2 as the platform for Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster? 

Asano: As we were adjusting the development schedule, it just so happened to coincide with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, so we were fortunate with this good timing.

What kinds of challenges did you face when turning the 3DS StreetPass elements into ones that would be tied to online interactions? 

Matsushita: From the initial planning stage, we had the concepts of “don’t change the game experience” and “improve playability” in mind, so replacing “StreetPass” with “Passing Souls” within the towns was a top priority, and we spent a lot of time discussing and adjusting this in the early stages of development.

Since Bravely Default II already had a similar online system in place, there wasn’t a large hurdle to implementation in itself. However, after implementation, adjusting the frequency of other players appearing in the towns, how they appear and disappear, and organizing and integrating the information obtained, were somewhat more challenging.

Did you consider adding any extra content to Norende as part of the development process? 

Matsushita: Since it was already planned to fully develop the map of Norende Village from the start, we felt confident about its volume based on feedback from fans of the original game and didn't consider adding to this. However, we did make some adjustments to the rewards given when it was unlocked to balance the gameplay.

Which Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster quality of life change did you consider most important and your priority for the Switch 2 release and why? 

Matsushita: Rather than deciding the priority features from the start and implementing them, our approach was to bring in features that would be convenient for people playing for the second or third time, drawing from the entire series, and we gradually implemented these features as the specifications were finalized as part of the UI revamp process. This ranged from small details like recommended character level displays in dungeons and implementation of Sets, to larger features, like double playback speed when autoplay is enabled, once the events were getting finalized. We all played and assessed the feel of the game before implementing features. The development studio, Cattle Call, is very passionate about the original game, so we were happy to receive many enthusiastic suggestions from them as well. 

Although we were nearing the end of development, we were able to add features such as a ‘Heal All’ button and a tent feature with adventurers in dungeons (albeit at a high price). This was only possible thanks to everyone’s proactive cooperation, so I was personally very moved.

The new additions for the Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster are minigames involving Switch 2 Joy-Con 2 mouse controls. How did the team come up with the ideas and concepts for both? 

Matsushita: When it comes to Bravely Default, one of its main selling points is its use of various features of the hardware, so if we were going to release it on new hardware, I wanted to include something unique to it. Cattle Call, who oversaw developing the remastered version, was also very enthusiastic, so we decided, “Let's try making something that uses the mouse controls.”

Asano: As creators, it's fun to be able to create something using new features on new hardware. I think everyone is eager to experience what it's like to use a mouse with both hands, so I'm glad we were able to include these minigames at launch.

Matsushita: We came up with many ideas for minigames with Cattle Call, but we decided that rather than just increasing the number of minigames, we would focus on making more substantial minigames, which led to the two minigames included in this release. The rhythm game “Luxencheer Rhythm Catch” was one we quickly decided on. A rhythm game using both hands for mouse control seemed like a unique experience, and we thought the gameplay would be easy to grasp from the screen.

We created “Ringabel's Panic Cruise” with the concept of making a game using double mouse controls that was unlike anything else out there.

Ringabel’s Panic Cruise reminds me a lot of the Japanese train simulations. Did you look to any of those types of games when developing this minigame? 

Matsushita: Actually, we had been developing the game based on the previously mentioned concept from the very beginning, so there were no specific titles we referenced for the airship. Initially, we tried displaying a mock cockpit in the foreground while controlling the airship itself from an objective viewpoint, similar to the main game. However, after experimenting with various approaches to enhance the sense of controlling the airship, we felt that a first-person perspective would be more suitable, and after some trial and error, we settled on the current design.

From the desire to add more movable mechanics to the cockpit or create more confusion through the controls, ideas like orders, radios and levers emerged, leading to the name of that minigame. Ringabel always has a tough job; thank you for your hard work. 

Oh, one thing that could be considered somewhat having a reference was the shield mechanics in the Default Mode during boss encounters. Based on my experience working as an Assistant Producer on Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors, I thought it would be fun to incorporate a shield mechanic using dual mouse controls. Rather than implementing it exactly as it was in Swords, since this is an airship, I decided to add visuals for the shields and make them combine to form a reflect shield, drawing inspiration from Dragon Quest Swords to create a look, gameplay, and feel unique to this game. We thought, “if there's a Default Mode, we need a Brave Mode, too!” which led to the introduction of the cannon mechanic.

Since planning and development were already well underway, I later asked Asano, “Can we have shields and cannons coming out of the airship?!” He replied, “If it's interesting, you can do whatever you want.” I remember being very happy to hear that.

Hearing that, the designers also got amped up and drew some great artwork (laughs). The mechanics are actually positioned differently for the Eschalot and the Grandship, and we deliberately had different artists draw the cockpit and cannons to give them a different look and feel. We hope you'll take a close look at all the details.

What would you like to do next with the Bravely series, now that Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster helped reintroduce it to new audiences? 

Matsushita: Unfortunately, at this time, we have no news to share regarding plans for new titles in the Bravely series. My apologies. For those who enjoyed this game, although there is no direct connection, Bravely Default II is also available on Nintendo Switch, so we hope you will give it a try.

If you enjoyed this Bravely Default title, which is a cornerstone of the Asano team, we hope you will also take an interest in other works by the team. While you explore our past works, we hope to continue exploring new possibilities for the future.

Your feedback is a great source of motivation for us, so we sincerely appreciate your continued support.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is available on the Switch 2 worldwide.

The post Interview: Developing Bravely Default HD Remaster for Switch 2 appeared first on Siliconera.

After playing both Islanders and Islanders: New Shores, I can’t help but think the former almost feels like a tech demo for the latter. It felt like a very pleasant strategic simulation about placing elements and buildings in situations that led to optimal point totals and moving forward. However, in almost every way Islanders: New Shores offersmore, introducing elements that make each run feel both strategic and roguelike. At the same time, the game maintains its a low-pressure, enjoyable atmosphere.

Each Islanders: New Shores run that doesn’t involve either a free play situation or loading up a past save from a traditional run to play around with it follows the same sense of progression. You come to an empty island in the ocean. You place different elements, such as resources like hops, seaweed farms, or fields and the buildings tied to them, buildings commonly associated with crafting, more religious ones like a mountain temple or a shaman, or city elements like a town center, homes, mansions, markets, and circuses. Depending on how you place them, there can be different reactions and you can earn (or lose) points. The updated UI makes it very easy to see how buildings and items affect each other, and it clearly shows the sphere of influence and point changes for each placement. To keep playing, you need to constantly fill an ever-growing circle to hit new point tiers. You also need to reach certain hallmarks to move onto new islands in each run. 

All of that should sound familiar, as it builds on concepts from the original Islanders, but Islanders: New Shores expands on the formula in every way. For example, there are far more buildings this time around. Some of these are more special items that might only start showing up in a run if you select them as a Boon or direction after completing an island and moving on to the next. Cliff houses are one example, as they are the standard versions of homes that can be built on vertical landmasses and ruin elements. An aviary with pigeons that continues to accumulate points between islands is another. So is a sort of pyre, with the points you get for the flame’s placement being tied to things like city structures. It makes it feel a lot more strategic, as some elements like the mountain-top temple, shaman, parks, fountains, and jewelers pretty much require you to think ahead and know “okay, this will come if I select this upgrade pack of new buildings after I get enough points to level up this island.” There are even different cosmetic options for some buildings, which is fun when you’re in the free-build mode.

Another roguelike element I love comes up as you accrue enough points to head to a new, fresh island in a run. There will be certain milestones as you wait to reach that point that allows you to choose between one of two kinds of rewards. These can grant you buffs, such as a structure will be smaller in size than usual for easier placement or won’t trigger negative points from being too close to a similar type of structure, buildings, immediate level ups, and other bonuses that make it easier to reach the level up and point milestones to progress. 

Once you do head to a new island in the same run, you also get to make another choice. You can always choose between two options, with each one offering two guaranteed changes. These tend to each offer a different type of biome for the new area and a new structure unlock. So if you want to move away from fishing and seaweed farm-based runs, you can choose one where water is replaced by lava. You can opt for the “fantasy” islands, which can offer bonuses for basically activating certain ruins. It adds more control to everything, which I love. 

And if it goes awry, it genuinely feels like it is no big deal. You can save an island in any point during your run to access in the free-build mode. (It’s also possible to start fresh there.) Free-build offers no restriction or limits dictated by points. Winning just means getting to build more, so needing to stop means you get to start fresh. 

The only downside I found is that RNG played a big part in exactly how well you might do in Islanders: New Shores. With your first two islands in a run during the campaign, you’re practically guaranteed to succeed and be able to continue on. However by the third one in pretty much every run, I noticed that the odds of failure were higher both due to higher point requirements and smaller landmasses. Granted, the more you play, the more accustomed you’ll get to these kinds of curveballs, but it might disappoint someone who played the original and was more accustomed to its gentler nature. 

Islanders: New Shores is, in every way, an improvement from the original Islanders. I found myself continually coming back to it due to the Boons, new array of buildings, and ability to select my “path” in each run. I would sometimes, instead of stepping away after a run, instead save and then immediately go into the free-play sandbox to add more to the island that tripped me up to make it look exactly how I wanted. It’s an incredibly pleasant strategy game. 

Islanders: New Shores will be available on the Switch, Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC on July 10, 2025. 

The post Review: Islanders: New Shores Is a Big Upgrade appeared first on Siliconera.

The two latest HyperMegaTech! Super Pocket releases take about as different an aesthetic sensibility as possible! One’s all black with subtle gold accents and seeks to imitate the premium feel of its inspiration in a budget package. The other is exceedingly bright and feels like it’s ready for a day at the beach. That said, the game libraries of the two appeal to the same audience of ‘90s arcade die-hards.

Super Pocket: NeoGeo Edition

You’d likely expect to find a lot of fighting games on the SNK version, and you’d be… half right? Three of the 14 games fit that description, which may feel a bit low for the company, but they’re fairly well-chosen: Fatal Fury Special, Samurai Shodown II and The Last Blade. These seem chosen to be as representative and enjoyable as possible while keeping licensing costs down? There’s no King of Fighters, but there’s some stuff to enjoy. (Especially on the Super Pocket, which has no way to support multiplayer.)

As an MVS fan without a heck of a lot of fighting skills, it’s nice to see the rest of the platform’s library get representation. The platform’s next-best genres are scrolling shooters and beat-’em-ups, so they’re here too. Alpha Mission II, Last Resort and Blazing Star are here for shmupsters. Punchy players can enjoy Mutation Nation, Sengoku 3, and a game with one of the best subtitles in history, King of the Monsters 2: The Next Thing. Living in the middle are the run-and-gun games: Metal Slug X, Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad and Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy.

Rounding out the collection are isometric racer Over Top and future sport title Soccer Brawl. The latter isn’t exactly one of the MVS’ strongest sports entries, but we suppose it’s included because it drew inspiration from Europe’s extremely janky but inexplicably popular cyber-athletics trend.

It’s a decent selection of games, and the slick black look works well both on its own and as a neutral-looking model if you’re just looking as an Evercade player. (It remains unfortunate where some of this money goes given SNK’s current ownership. I guess that’s just us, though! We like human rights and living journalists, we’re quirky like that.)

Super Pocket: Data East Edition

This Super Pocket model’s marketing shots and box art don’t quite match. Instead of the muted pumpkin orange and periwinkle those images depict, the unit itself features more of a sunshine yellow and bright sky blue. Frankly, the actual color makes a lot more sense! It’s fun and a good fit for summer.

The Data East Edition’s included library does include a few ‘80s highlights from the company, but smartly focuses mostly on its ‘90s era. After all, BurgerTime, Karate Champ, Lock ‘n’ Chase, Breakthru, Burnin’ Rubber, B-Wings and Peter Pepper’s Ice Cream Factory are fine enough? But the later releases are designed with longer play sessions in mind, which fits the Super Pocket best.

Data East was also a practitioner of the beat-’em-up arts, with Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja, Spinmaster and Crude Buster making this collection. It also did a lot of work in the arcade platforming space! The two Joe & Mac games may be known by a larger audience, and they’re joined by Super BurgerTime, Edward Randy and Tumblepop.

The two Dark Seal games are a fun addition. They’re essentially isometric Gauntlet, with a bit more about the fighting and depth to make it feel like the connective tissue between that game and the later Dungeons & Dragons arcade titles. It also feels like the developers enjoyed the bit of world-building they got to do in the margins? Regardless, they’re still a lot of fun to play.

Our favorite game of the bunch is Chain Reaction, perhaps more popularly known as Magical Drop. It’s an all-time puzzle classic, and exactly the sort of thing you’d want in your pocket. We’d love an Evercade cartridge that focuses on the genre, making any Super Pocket into something that could fill that need! For now, this isn’t too bad.

The two latest additions to the HyperMegaTech! Super Pocket line are out now. They join the previous models, featuring Capcom, Taito, Technos and Atari. For more on the handhelds’ cartridge ecosystem, check out our Evercade archive.

The post Super Pocket Data East and SNK Editions Are Quality Additions appeared first on Siliconera.

After years of waiting, Cygames has finally localized Umamusume: Pretty Derby for an English audience and ported it onto Steam. With an updated UI that makes playing in full screen a comfortable experience, it feels like the ideal way to experience the world of umamusume racing.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby takes place in a world where horses don't exist. Instead, we have umamusume, horse girls who take on the names and legacies of real life race horses. Stronger and faster than the average human, these umamusume love racing and running, and the various story modes revolve around these races, which are also based on real life racing seasons. There’s no main story, per se. Rather, there are story arcs that focus on an umamusume or group. For example, the first story revolves around Mejiro McQueen, whereas the second one’s about Rice Shower.

The meat of the game centers on raising your umamusume in Career Mode, and then setting her either on your team for daily races, PVP, and events. Career Mode’s story focuses on you, a Trainer at the highly competitive Tracen Academy, helping your trainee through their three years at school. Each career takes three in-game years (72 turns), with set goals that differ between each umamusume. Some want to reach a certain number of fans within a time limit, while others have goals tied to specific races.

The thing about Umamususume: Pretty Derby is that it's a game that hinges on luck. Even if you’ve gathered the best support cards and sparks for your particular girl, RNG can really mess you up. One unsuccessful training session, even if it had a low failure rate, can set you back three whole turns to restore your umamusume to full health. Not doing so can cost a race, which can then snowball into a failed career. The unpredictability of Career Mode is frustrating, admittedly. However, I don’t really mind it as much as I might have before. The newest scenario on the Japanese server makes it so ridiculously easy to raise everybody that it’s nice to actually put in the work again.

Unless you’ve played it yourself or seen clips of it, it can be hard to understand the appeal of Umamusume. “Horse girls based on real life race horses race and then perform a concert afterwards” sounds pretty nuts. If you enjoy sports manga, you'll probably enjoy the stories, as they’re very focused on themes of hard work, friendship, and such. The horse races are very exciting to watch, too. Everything—from the sound design, cinematography, and sheer adrenaline of watching your girl dart past her rivals to get to the finish line first—really pulls you in.

Like with Granblue Fantasy, the in-house localization team did fantastic with Umamusume: Pretty Derby. It’s a good mix of localization and translation that makes for a comfortable reading experience. I’m also a huge fan of how the Steam version splits up the screen compared to the DMM version. It's actually full screen, and it's easy to reference information like the log or my support deck.

The one thing I'm on the fence about is the accelerated schedule. On one hand, it'll be nice to get umamusume that the Japanese server has had for years instead of having to wait for their debut. On the other, we don't have as much time to save between banners compared to when the Asian servers launched these characters or support cards.

The positive about this, though, is that the concept of "limited characters" doesn't really exist in Umamusume: Pretty Derby. I pulled the New Year Kitasan Black during summer, for example. Even if a banner comes and goes, you still have a chance (albeit a lower one) to get who you want. So there's no FOMO or anything like that. You can jump in at any time and not lament about missing a limited character you wanted.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby has been blowing up on social media lately, so people who didn’t know about it before might have seen what the gameplay is like through screenshots or videos. The heavy RNG and long career mode might be a turn-off for some, but I still urge people to try it out, especially while we’re still receiving daily log-in bonuses for the global launch. It’s definitely a game you have to experience to understand what all the hype is about.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby is readily available on the Windows PC and mobile devices.

The post Review: Umamusume: Pretty Derby on Steam Makes the Game Even Better appeared first on Siliconera.

One of the most-hyped new anime series on Crunchyroll for the Summer 2025 season is the Gachiakuta adaptation. The series is a pretty well established one, as it’s been running in Japan since February 2022. It’s also one of those sorts of underdog stories about a young man who gains the ability to face overwhelming monsters, fight back against fate, and get revenge for being framed for murder. Basically, it checks all the shonen series boxes, and the manga looks gorgeous (and often gory) while doing it. Now that I’ve seen the first episodes, I feel like that fanfare might be deserved, and this adaptation maintains the series’ dark and gritty nature.

Gachiakuta starts by establishing the nature of the series. There’s what appears to be a modern city, and talk of how items treated well develop souls. It then asks what happens to trash treated poorly and abandoned. After a child’s toy breaks, a mother tosses it out. Narration explains that not only are items treated poorly and abandoned as trash, but people are too. This sets up a situation in which items are tossed away. It’s then we see a Trash Raider watched the latest dismissals of trash into chutes in the city below. A young man is going through it when armed personnel find and shoot at him.

It’s a powerful type of message to begin with, accompanied by frantic music and interesting set pieces that establishes how there’s a goal to be clean. People talk down about trash raids and the “tribefolk” who also inhabit this home. Said folks live beyond the wall in a cramped, packed, slum district, and rumor is those people’s descendants were criminals who were cast out. It’s then that we see Rudo is a young man who lives beyond the wall and is a member of the “tribefolk.” He’s fixed the plush the woman and girl abandoned and is chastised by his friend Chiwa for causing trouble, as well as warned about the consequences. Rudo explains it’s a means of earning money, in addition to preserving things that may need a second chance. Even here though, he’s criticized by people around him.

It really sets up Rudo not only as an underdog, but a good person. He cares about Chiwa and the items he finds. He picked up one of these for her, rather than sell it. He wants to help repay his foster father Regto, who took him in and raised him. He’s smart and skilled, capable of executing the trash raids. There’s the suggestion that he’s smart and talented enough to do more. There’s also a sense of mystery surrounding him, since his injured hands bear unusual black marks and are painful when he doesn’t wear his gloves.

The first episode is really fantastic at setting up who he is before the other shoe drops. Once Rudo is framed for murder, the worst happens. He’s dropped into the Pit, then immediately faced with a monster made of trash. (The design of these Trash Beasts are incredible!) Yet because of being as skilled as he was above, he manages to hold his own until another individual with unexpected abilities steps in to assist. Enjin explains he’s a Cleaner. What follows is what seems to be a possibility for Rudo to accomplish his goals and find truth. However, it’s also at that point that things get incredibly dark, so it’s important to know there will be blood and gore going into it.

Bones makes a strong first impression with the Gachiakuta anime adaptation. Much of the style seems to be preserved. It hints at Rudo’s mystery, strength, and circumstances in a short amount of time. It doesn’t hold back, just as the original series doesn’t. Also, based on the initial imagery of the first trash beasts and city and Pit set pieces, it seems the ambiance and critical design elements will be maintained as well. It could prove to be the major shonen series of the Summer 2025 anime season on Crunchyroll.

The Gachiakuta anime is streaming on Crunchyroll, and a new episode appears every Sunday going forward. The manga is handled by Kodansha outside Japan.

The post The Gachiakuta Anime Seems Worth the Hype appeared first on Siliconera.

My Dress-Up Darling combines cosplay and a celebration of talents for a series that promotes acceptance and showcases the start of a healthy relationship. (It also featured quite a bit of fanservice!) The first season could be stunning, thanks to gorgeous animation from Cloverworks and a storyline that could be touching and sometimes even hilarious. After seeing the start of season 2 of My Dress-Up Darling, it seems this will yet again be one of the must-watch Crunchyroll shows this season.

The first episode of My Dress-Up Darling season 2 begins in a really fun way, as it highlights the thing that brought Wakana Gojo and Marin Kitagawa together: cosplay. Instead of beginning with the two of them and what’s next for the duo, we’re watching an episode of We're the Tsukiyono Company. That’s the original series within a series that stars Arisa Izayoi, a character Marin wants to cosplay as during the series. We’re seeing the two bond over the show, which they’re both enjoying, and it’s establishing the same sort of enjoyable pattern we came to expect from the first part of the series. 

I also love these first five minutes since it quickly and perfectly establishes who Wakana and Marin are as characters. Marin is enthusiastic! She loves fanservice, series, and characters, and she’s excited to share it and talk about her ideas with Wakana. She’s not ashamed to be so delighted by all of this. Even though Wakana doesn’t get it initially, he’s not judging her. He appreciates her excitement. Once she talks about some concepts and ideals being eternally popular and appreciated, it clicks for him. He ties it in with his own experiences and talent for doll making. And because of her passion and his own, he agrees to start working on designs immediately.

This first episode also doesn’t hesitating in establishing their relationship in a fun way too, also ensuring things pick up where they left off. During this whole opening scene, Marin is eating Pocky. She asks if he wants one. Wakana agrees, and she teases him by offering it like a kiss. It shows that she’s already starting to be comfortable with how she feels about him. At the same time, it shows he’s developed feelings for her as well, and is easily flustered by the action as a result.

The rest of the episode sort of prioritizes the balance between their cosplay passions and relationship. We see both of them are at a point where they are aware of feelings. They’re comfortable working together. They enjoy each other’s company. But they also are still working on completely comfortable and accepting of everything. It’s really a fantastic first episode for establishing what we’re coming from in the first season, setting up the second, and hinting at the sort of relationship and cosplay challenges the two will face going forward.

Episode. 1 of My Dress-Up Darling season 2 is handled so well and is one of the better first episodes of a second season of a show I’ve seen. It acts as a great transition between two parts of a series. It sets up the two leads well, with characterizations that establish who they are and both acting and animations that define them in short periods of time. The new challenges, both in terms of Marin and Wakana’s new outfit and their budding potential relationship, are presented well. It seems like the start of another strong adaptation.

My Dress-Up Darling seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Crunchyroll, and Square Enix handles the manga outside Japan. 

The post My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Starts Out Strong appeared first on Siliconera.

Split Fiction ended up being a critical darling from the It Takes Two and A Way Out developer Hazelight Studios when it debuted early in 2025, and it made its Nintendo debut when the Switch launched on June 5, 2025. It’s enjoyable on every platform. Clearly, it’s a win for everyone with the new system. After multiple sessions playing it, it’s a fine showcase title for the system to highlight the power of the system, online capabilities, and GameChat functionality.

That Split Fiction works on the Switch 2 is impressive. It’s a constant split-screen multiplayer title that could be taxing due to the level of activity on-screen at once, the detailed environments, and potential constant online interaction. The original Switch wouldn’t have done it justice on its own. But here we are, with consistent frame rates and solid performance. 

I found myself impressed with the online capabilities of Split Fiction on the Switch 2 too. Connecting to another person happens rather swiftly. There are frequent save points, which help with tricky encounters or an unfortunate incident when online falters. The experience felt quite stable the majority of the time, with no noticeable lag. I even tried it in Handheld mode, so I wasn’t relying on the power of the game when docked and, while that does make the on-screen images even smaller, it still worked perfectly. 

Split Fiction is a fantastic example of showing how well the Switch 2 GameChat feature can work too. This is a game which involves a lot of communication between players. You need to constantly touch base with one another to find solutions, work out timing for actions, and cooperate to both successfully complete objectives. Like one boss might require one person to snatch the weapon away, then the other to grab that weapon to attack. Or people might need to throw switches to work out timing so both can progress. The way the system isolates the player’s voices to ensure they are crisp and easily heard, then handles chat so there are no disruptions and no lag so you’re constantly in perfect sync with one another.

There are a few things I’m not a fan of in Split Fiction on the Switch 2. The first is that needing to make an EA account to play online, even if you’re not going with cross-play and both people own the game on the system, is frustrating. I get the need in certain situations and at least it is a one-and-done setup situation.  

Another issue is that service interruptions seem pretty frequent. In one session that lasted about three hours, this happened twice. Both of us had stable internet connections. The situations weren’t dire in-game. But all of a sudden everything cut out. GameChat wasn’t affected, so it wasn’t on Nintendo’s end. At least we were immediately to jump in almost exactly where we left off each time, thanks to the save system and opportunities that let us hop right into our roles again. 

Split Fiction really feels like it prioritizes that one-on-one, working together experience that can be so enjoyable on consoles, and putting it on the Switch 2 shows how capable this new console is. It’s capable of something impossible on the original Switch! It’s utilizing GameChat in a really helpful way! It’s giving us a chance to accomplish goals together in a challenging environment that still doesn’t feel too punishing. It’s a strong game to help bolster a solid launch library. 

Split Fiction is available for the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. 

The post Split Fiction Fills a Gap on the Switch 2 appeared first on Siliconera.

Nova Hearts is such a fun idea for a game. Superheroes! Love! Feeling like you’re getting to be Sailor Moon finding your Tuxedo Mask! The problem is that while the visual novel mechanics well and it can sometimes be funny, the actual romance isn’t all that great and the turn-based RPG-style battles are the absolute worst. It’s such that I found myself wishing it was a more straightforward VN with no combat and maybe even no romance due to how awkward some relationship elements turn out.

Luce is back in her hometown of Vermillion after terrible experiences at college. A situation happened regarding performance in a class, nothing went as she hoped, and she’s in recovery mode at her mom’s. Except she doesn’t really get a chance. Her childhood friend Will and CJ, who they went to school with as kids, stop by and she’s soon headed to a party planned and executed by the guy behind her first kiss, Sasha. Except while there, strange monsters appear. Luce and CJ transform into super sentai, discover after the fact that Will possesses the same powers, and decide to protect the town as Luck, Chaos, and Wish. 

In general, I really appreciate the execution in Nova Hearts. The story is told through visual novel-style cutscenes and moments in which Luce is in her room texting people on her phone. Relationships develop as a result of responses, with an astrology app letting you see if you’re close to being friends or possible lovers with other individuals. Sometimes, these segments can be quite clever!

The weird thing is that the narrative and characterizations in Nova Hearts are at their most awkward and worst whenever romance is involved. Rather than actually getting to know people and see relationships develop naturally through conversations, such as in some life sims, JRPGs, and Japanese-made otome games, the execution here makes me feel like Lightbulb Crew is in a rush to immediately make things happen. Before you even get to know a person, you can essentially have Luce leering and awkwardly hitting on people. Sometimes the dialogue selections for them come across as such a cringe pickup line that I actually avoided making that choice in-game because it felt inappropriate to say to someone I’d just met. (This happens with Basile, as an example.) 

I felt like it got in the way of the plot too. Yes, we know going into it that Nova Hearts will feature dating sim elements and an opportunity to romance characters. But instead of that coming up as a complement to a story exploring what’s happening in Vermillion, why Luce, CJ, and Will gained powers, and stopping it, it feels like it forces its way into the forefront of everything. Luce just got back to town and very obviously going through a thing, so maybe the first thing her longtime friend shouldn’t be doing is encouraging her to find a hook up at a party? Childhood friend Sacha comes up? Talk about how not only he was Luce’s first kiss, but Will was dating him too. Learning combo moves? One of them is associated with a “romantic” rope-tying class. There is nothing wrong with being sex positive, but the way in which Shoreline Games wrote it makes every relationship come across as incredibly superficial, even with folks Luce is talking to on a regular basis. If I’m going to virtually flirt with someone and shoot for an ending with them, I should at least know who they are as a person. 

While the direction “dating” takes doesn’t exactly make the Nova Hearts romance options incredibly appealing, the turn-based combat system is one of the slowest and worst I’ve encountered. A set number of battles come up as part of the story during certain events. The general enemy designs are repeated throughout each “chapter,” with the boss featuring the only novel design. You’re forced to trudge through fights, selecting from only a handful of commands, though in my experience the only worthwhile options are anything with AOE to hopefully end things as quickly as possible. Even the most basic enemies feel like a slog and potentially a challenge since there’s no real “leveling up.” Your party members remain at a stagnant HP. Attacks will always do a fraction of damage to any opponent. Some of the bosses will involve pretty unfair attacks. It isn’t fun. You aren’t even getting to level up individual abilities in the “fitness” app at a brisk pace, since those will tend to require a minimum of 500 points. Combo attacks mean more waiting, since you need to try and sync up attack timing, and those can be helpful! But you’re limited to four equipped at a time instead of just… I don’t know… allowing me to use any combo I please in a game where combat crawls and a boss fight can be completely unfair at times?

I don’t think the Switch is the ideal platform for Nova Hearts either, as there are a number of technical issues. The biggest issue I encountered involved loading. There are substantial loading times between getting into the game, getting to the text message menu in Luce’s room between story segments and fights, and between fights and story segments again. If you aren’t spending an absurdly long time waiting to get through a battle, then you’re dealing with unexpectedly long loads to get to or from them. 

On the Switch, some bugs come up during those Nova Hearts fights too. During the first boss fight, an instance came up in which Wish fell during the fight to an attack from that foe. When she did, that opponent just… disappeared. Chaos and Luck attacked the enemy as usual, beating the character on their next turns, and then the effect animation for the one falling showed up where the person should have been. When I’d check the Power Up app during a fight to check enemy attacks or set ally combos, it’d often say “Power Name Very Long” instead of an actual opponent’s attack when in the enemy section, which was pretty weird. 

The concept behind Nova Hearts is good and I like some story elements, but I’m not a fan of its romance and hate its combat. The relationships come across as awkward and superficial, with the script never really providing reasons why I should want Luce to end up with anyone besides “they’re hot.” The combat crawls along, is unenjoyable, and doesn’t feel fair sometimes. Top it all off with some issues with the Switch version, and I’d say it’s best to look to other dating sims on the system.

Nova Hearts is available for the Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. 

The post Review: Nova Hearts Romance Interrupted by Tedious Fights appeared first on Siliconera.

I like the NieR: Automata Stellar Blade crossover. The outfits looked great. The commonalities between the two series’ themes, characters, and atmospheres ensured it work. Now that I experienced the Stellar Blade Goddess of Victory: NIKKE DLC though, I like like it’s a stronger addition. It is very much geared toward people who love both Shift Up titles, as you might expect, but the execution blends things together better than I expected. 

To start, I appreciate how everything gets started. Eve meets Scarlet and Volt in the Wasteland. Even if you aren’t familiar with Scarlet and NIKKE, this introduction establishes her awareness and skill, since can see Eve’s sword right away. It sets up the series of side missions involving robots and the theft of their items. There’s an excuse for Volt to be a vendor for the items inspired by NIKKE characters in Stellar Blade. There’s not too much exposition, so it’s more of an “if you know, you know” situation, but the set-up is sound.

Once you get into these missions, the gameplay style shifts to actual Goddess of Victory: NIKKE experiences in Stellar Blade. Eve hides behind cover, just as the NIKKEs do. You shoot down opponents. Your assault builds up a Burst gauge for a major hit like the NIKKE Burst skills. It’s really fun to see that style of gameplay in this setting, and it still works and fits in with what we know about Eve and her abilities. 

The costumes are also especially well-suited to the situation. Eve can dress as Alice, Anis, Dorothy, Modernia, Rapi, and Scarlet. Given this crossover involves a game from the same developer, they’re intimately familiar with the designs. It also means a more realistic look at each outfit after seeing the live 2D types of looks before. It’s a best of both worlds situation, honestly. People who like Stellar Blade only get more costumes for Eve that generally look cute and fit the sci-fi theme. Those who love Goddess of Victory: NIKKE as well see all of these outfits in a new way for the first time. I like Dorothy’s Elegant Dress and Alice’s Cooling Suit as they don’t look a lot like anything else in Stellar Blade right now, but do fit right into the game perfectly.

The crowning jewel of the crossover DLC ended up being a fight I really found fun because it happened after I’d perfectly learned how to dodge and parry in Stellar Blade. Once you complete all the missions Scarlet assigned Eve, she requests a “lesson.” She’ll be added to the Boss Challenge. This takes you to the Moonlit Valley to face her and take part in the lesson. It’s a fast-paced fight that involves trying your best not to be hit while also trading blows. Trying to stagger her is ideal, since that can also give you a moment to back away to get space and heal. It does end up feeling like a fight between sword masters, which I appreciated.

The Goddess of Victory: NIKKE Stellar Blade DLC is such a well-executed addition. It really pulls in so many elements from Shift Up’s mobile game. Scarlet ends up being a perfect spokesperson for the title, especially given her own background with the sword. It feels like a lovingly handled pairing of two titles that do share quite a bit in common.

Stellar Blade is available on the PS5 and PC, as is its Goddess of Victory: NIKKE DLC pack. Goddess of Victory: NIKKE is on the PC and mobile devices.

The post The Stellar Blade Goddess of Victory: NIKKE DLC Gets so Detailed appeared first on Siliconera.

I’ve found Destruction characters in Honkai: Star Rail end up being my most reliable units. One of my favorite teams puts Blade and Jingliu with Jade and Luocha, and I love Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae even though he’s so SP-hungry. Now that I’ve spent time with Phainon, the power-creep feels even more real due to how strong his kit is and the focus on him becoming the “main character” during any Honkai: Star Rail fights.

Editor’s Note: There will be Honkai: Star Rail Phainon spoilers below.

Phainon pretty much served as the main character for the Amphoreus storyline in Honkai: Star Rail, and this is maintained in his role in a party. He’s designed to function as the star and is part of the Flame-Chase. I absolutely love this about him, and it reminds me of how good HoYoVerse is at incorporating story elements into character kits. It happened with Acheron as a Emanator of Nihility, due to her Ultimate pulling from debuffs afflicted on enemies, and the undying Blade’s retaliatory damage and self-healing mechanics come into play with his moveset. Phainon compiling Coreflames to build his Ultimate and his use of Titans bring up everything we know about Amphoreus and worked toward.

This means he is designed to be the “protagonist” in battle, and his Ultimate is tied to being recognized as such. You need Coreflames to use He Who Bears the World Must Burn. These are acquired by his using his skill or him being the target of single-character buffs and debuffs. While it can be a little more difficult to get the 12 needed from enemy debuffs, getting the buffs and skill uses is genuinely pretty easy. And since his Ultimate then does shift his state to make him the only character on the field using his Creation: Bloodthorn Ferry, Calamity: Soulscorch Edict, and Foundation: Stardeath Verdict Titan, it really showcases his power and authority in a fun (and devastating) way. 

Another thing I love about this concept is that it means Phainon ends up being an extraordinarily free-to-play friendly character. March 7th’s Hunt version, which is free, is an option as a support since her Skill would only target him. A Remembrance Trailblazer’s Mem could just target him, though the critical damage boost isn’t much help to Phainon. Lynx is a perfect free healer to use with him, since her HP buff will help build toward his Ultimate while healing him. Since he’s dealing all the damage and will often be the only one on the field, it doesn’t matter so much if your other characters are only four-stars or aren’t among the top-tier meta favorites.

The only downside I noticed in a Phainon team is he’s incredibly skill point-hungry, and so are strategies designed to help him use his Ultimate and get to his optimal form. Gallagher can be helpful, especially thanks to Special Brew. Bronya with her first Eidolon is ideal, since she’ll have a chance of refunding her SP from her Skill and her using that on Phainon gives him more turns and opportunities to use his Skill to build Coreflames. 

Essentially, Phainon is an ideal unit worth pulling for in Honkai: Star Rail. If you’re free-to-play and constantly saving up Stellar Jades and tickets, he’s worth spending on them due to his damage dealing and versatility with teammates. If you’re someone paying for bundles or an Express Supply Pass, he’s worth it since he’d pair well with other invaluable folks like Bronya or Sparkle. He’s really strong, with a kit that pulls from his lore and the current storyline in a fun way.

Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the Phainon banner is live in the game until July 23, 2025. 

The post Phainon Feels Designed to Be the Best Honkai: Star Rail DPS appeared first on Siliconera.

When I played Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, it ended up being on the original Switch. It’s a fantastic installment that does some cool stuff and feels much stronger than Rune Factory 5 did. (Frankly, I think it should have been considered Rune Factory 6.) Some issues regarding performance and balancing thoughts made me think it wasn’t quite at a masterpiece level yet. Since the Switch 2 launch, I fully transitioned over to continuing my adventures there and reloading an older save so I have a file where Subaru is a bachelor option for my avatar. Playing the game only there for so long now left me convinced Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is absolutely best enjoyed as a Switch 2 experience, and its upgrade pack is worth it. 

The most obvious reason for this involving performance. When I played Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma on the Switch, I felt everything was fine, but somehow the combat feels even more responsive on the Switch 2. The fact that I did go through the final fights and areas on the original system, then went to an older save to go through them again after taking steps to unlock Subaru, only helped showcase how much I missed out. I main dual blades as Kaguya. Yes, it could be that I was playing segments I already went through and mastered combat. Yet I can’t help feeling things were more responsive and the game ran better against these major opponents and hordes of enemies. In turn, I got better at responding to those attacks and retaliating. I found I would trigger dodge windows more frequently and be able to counter, even though I hadn’t unlocked nodes to increase windows in the skill tree. 

But there were also sections and animations that assured that no, in some ways this couldn’t be attributed to my “getting good” and Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma did feel that much better on the Switch 2. There are malevolent infestations in towns, the open field, and dungeon areas. Some of these with motions and animations attached to them, such as the red, fire-spitting flower or green, poison-fog plant, played out with an incredible amount of lag and at a lower frame rate depending on your distance from them and amount of action nearby. That’s gone on the Switch 2! All effects look and run perfectly. It’s fantastic.

Of course, there’s also notion that, in general, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma looks better on the Switch 2. It’s a really pretty game with some great character designs, and I appreciate the execution of some enemy appearances too. It looks absolutely fine on the original Switch. But I will say that the models for all allies and NPCs do look better here. It’s a crispness that really suits the vibrancy and tone of each village and region. 

Also, I have to say that I do like the Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma mouse controls in the Switch 2 version. I’m spending a lot more time in the postgame working on villages. Before, I just plopped things down as-needed to get points or boosts to stats for my avatar. Now I’m actually planning things out and engaging in more terraforming. That ability to pop off the Joy-Con 2 when I’m in Handheld mode, because of course that’s how I play Bokujou Monogatari games, quickly arrange a thing, then pop it back on to go back to traditional controls is fantastic. It’s well-suited for the experience. 

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a wonderful entry in the series that offers a lot, but I’m really surprised at just how much better it feels on the Switch 2. So much so that if I’d reviewed it on this platform, rather than the original Switch, I think it would have merited a higher score. The extra power of the console helps so much with regular exploration and combat. Also, once you hit a point at which you get more invested in designing each of the four villages, that extra control option is quite nice. It really showcases the difference between one generation and the next and value of the upgrade pack.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is available for the Switch, Switch 2, and PC.

The post Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Feels Best on Switch 2 appeared first on Siliconera.