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Happinet announced a new line of capsule toys featuring cat figures from the indie game Stray. These gacha toys will be available starting in November 2024 at capsule toy stores nationwide in Japan for 500 yen (~$3.30) each.

The collection captures the various poses of the game's feline protagonist, including the cat walking, sitting, and stretching/yawning. In each one, the character has the signature pack on as well.

You can view the official announcement post below, which included a look at the four items someone could possibly get.

In addition to the cat figures, the lineup will also include the cat's companion B-12 as a keychain. This partnership is a key part of the game's narrative. These Stray cat figures, along with the B-12 keychain, will be available randomly. That means you won't know which one you'll get when you pull on the machine.

Stray received several nominations at the 2023 Game Developers Choice Awards, including Best Debut, Best Audio, Best Design, Best Visual Art, and Game of the Year. A Switch version is also in development. However, there's no release date for it yet.

Stray is available on the PS4, PS5, and PC, the cat figures will appear in Japan in November 2024, and the game will also come to the Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

The post Stray Cat Figures Arrive in November appeared first on Siliconera.

Happinet opened its TGS 2023 website and revealed that it will have one of the largest presences at the physical event. The company will set up four booths at different locations within the Makuhari Messe venue. Its Main Booth in Hall 6 will feature over forty games, ranging from Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes and Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.

Happinet will also include a few Sony IPs in its booths as another highlight. PlayStation VR2 demos of games like Gran Turismo 7 will be available at its Main Booth. Happinet will also sell merchandise based on Doko Demo Issyo characters, such as Toro and Kuro. Sony Interactive Entertainment used to set up its own large booth in prior years, but it will only have a focus on the Indie Game Area at Tokyo Game Show 2023.

Here is the full list of titles that Happinet will feature in its TGS 2023 booth:

Hall 2 (Family Game Park) 1e5n4s

• Gigantosaurus the Game
• Party Party Time
• Paw Patrol World
• Minna de Kuukiyomi - CoroCoro Comic Ver.

Hall 7 (Main Booth) 384aq

• Egret II mini Arcade Memories Vol. 2
• Aogiri High School x Minna de Kuukiyomi
• Atomic Heart: Annihilation Instinct
• Amakano ~Second Season~
• Utakata no Uchronia
• PLAY! ~It doesn't matter if you win or lose~ (Esports-themed movie)
• HHG: Hyper Highspeed Genius Ragnarok
• Espgaluda II
• FZ: Formation Z
• Kamikaze Lassplanes
• Kamibako - Mythology of Cube -
• The Fox Awaits Me HANA
• Gimmick! Special Edition
• World of Horror
• Gran Turismo 7 (PlayStation VR2)
• Yohane the Parhelion: Blaze in the Deepblue
• Gensei Suikoden Plus
• Gensou Skydrift
• Koumajou Remilia II: Stranger's Requiem
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
• Some Some Convenience Store
• Sanabi
• Shogun Showdown
• Stray
• Quit Today
• Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragon
• Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution
• Daymare 1994: Sandcastle
• Densha de GO! Plug & Play 2 San'yo Shinkansen-hen EX
• DoDonPachi Resurrection
• Trip World DX
• Needy Streamer Overload
• A Street Cat's Tale 2: Out side is dangerous
• partout 2: The Lost Artist
• Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
• Petit Petit Petit (PPP)
• Princess Maker 2: Regeneration
• Bokura no Keshigomu Otoshi 3 + Special Set
• Meet Your Maker
• Minna de Kuukiyomi - CoroCoro Comic Ver.
• Mushihimesama
• Motesolo: No Girlfriend Since Birth
• Lies of P
• Rabi-Ribi Platinum Edition
• Radiant Silvergun
• WiZmans World ReTry
• ONE.

Hall 9 (Indie Game Corner) 2p5e59

• Stray
• partout 2: The Lost Artist

Hall 10 (Merchandise Corner) 6n1x4k

• Aogiri High School x Minna de Kuukiyomi
• Needy Streamer Overload
• Doko Demo Issyo
• MementoMori

Happinet also shared a map for its massive Main Booth at Hall 7. It will have dedicated sections for Eiyuden Chronicle, Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Lies of P, Sanabi, Princess Maker 2: Regeneration, the otome game Utakata no Uchronia, the Aogiri High School x Minna de Kuukiyomi collaboration, the PLAY! esports movie, Inti Creates' new game Yohane the Parhelion, and Needy Streamer Overload's OMGkawaiiAngel.

The Happinet TGS 2023 Main Booth will also have specific areas grouped for Superdeluxe Games and Inti Creates' other titles, Touhou Project entries, indie games, retro titles, games for kids, CERO Z-rated titles, and PlayStation VR2 demos.

Tokyo Game Show 2023 will take place at Makuhari Messe in Japan on September 21-24, 2023.

The post Happinet TGS 2023 Booth Will Include Eiyuden Chronicle and Neptunia appeared first on Siliconera.

TGS 2022 will have a large booth with demos of many games courtesy of Happinet. The company has updated its Tokyo Game Show webpage with details for the 2022 edition. While the company has two official live stream slots, it will be known more for its lion's share of game demos at its physical booth.

Happinet has two live streams scheduled on the Tokyo Game Show 2022 official channel. The first one on Saturday, September 17, 2022, will have Gorgeous—a Japanese celebrity known for his pirate-like attire—introduce Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories, Little Witch Nobeta, and NeverAwake. The second stream on Sunday, September 18, 2022, will be dedicated to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.

However, Happinet's main highlight will be its physical booth at Makuhari Messe. It will include demos of more than thirty games from various publishers that work with the company. Some of the highlights include Monochrome Mobius—the new entry in the Utawarerumono series, Inti Creates' Azure Striker Gunvolt 3, PlatinumGames' Sol Cresta, Needy Streamer Overload, and the Hololive VTuber Minato Aqua's visual novel Aquarium.

Here's the full title lineup that is available on Happinet's TGS 2022 webpage as of this writing:

• Akai Katana Shin
• Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale
• Aquarium
• Away
• Azure Striker Gunvolt 3
• Bokura no Fantasy Quest
• Bokura no Keshigomu Otoshi Shingakki
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
• Cardfight!! Vanguard: Dear Days
• Egret II Mini
• Evil Dead: The Game
• Fortress S
• Gensei Suikoden (A tiger-themed RPG with different kanji letters from the more famous Suikoden series)
• Get Me Out, Please
• Gungrave G.O.R.E
• Imu Meito: Hatenaki Rasen
• KonoSuba: The Cursed Labyrinth and the Lost Adventurers
• Koumajou Remilia: Scarlet Symphony
• Little Witch Nobeta
• Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories
• Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten
• Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
• Needy Streamer Overload
• NeverAwake
• New Prince of Tennis: Let's Go!! ~Daily Life~ from RisingBeat
• Omori
• Psychic 5: Eternal
• R-Type Final 2
• Sainan Tantei Saiga
• Sixtar Gate: Startrail
• SnowBros. Nick & Tom Special
• Sol Cresta: Dramatic Edition
• Soulstice: Deluxe Edition
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
• Tetris Effect Connected
• The Binding of Issac: Repentance

Tokyo Game Show 2022 will run on September 15-18, 2022.

The post Happinet TGS 2022 Booth Will Include Monochrome Mobius Demo appeared first on Siliconera.

2020 strategy RPG Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is coming to PC soon. Publisher Happinet announced that the game will have a global launch on PC via Steam, with a live date of May 11, 2022. The PC edition will also have some additional features to sweeten the pot for new PC players and console players looking to double-dip.

Happinet also ed a trailer for the PC edition of Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VCMYy9cBjM

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is the sequel to the 1998 PS1 title Brigandine: The Legend of Forensa. Rather than a character-based tactical title in the vein of Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem, Brigandine zooms things out to a more strategic level of play. Players are given control over one of several nations, and train units to defend their borders or go on campaigns of conquest. Its gameplay mechanics will be familiar to players of the Civilization franchise. The PC edition includes a new Creative Mode that unlocks after a player's first completion of the game. Creative Mode is a more freeform take on the game, allowing players to pick and choose a number of options according to their preferences before beginning a new campaign. Things like power balances, starting knights, and event he affiliation of each base on the map can be altered. The PC edition also adds a New Game+ option to carry over their items, and includes the Titans of the Iron Front update, which adds new monsters, AI difficulty scaling, and customization options.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia's story involves the six nations of Runersia in a struggle for power. Five of the six countries bear a titular Brigandine: A magically empowered relic of war. The rulers of each faction and their loyal rune knights must enter the fray to determine which nation will unite the continent under their banner. The story was written by Kenji Terada, who wrote the scenarios for Final Fantasy I, Final Fantasy II, and Final Fantasy III.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia launches for PC on May 11, 2022. It is currently available on Nintendo Switch and PS4. Check out Siliconera's official review of the game.

The post Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia PC Releases in May 2022 appeared first on Siliconera.

Entertainment company Happinet has announced that the Shin Megami Tensei Pop-up Store in HMV & Books Shibuya will open next month in Japan. [Thanks, 4Gamer.]

The Shin Megami Tensei Pop-up Store will open from December 1, 2020, to December 20, 2020, at the HMV & Books Shibuya 5F. In addition to brand-new original goods made for the pop-up store, fans will get to purchase or pre-order high-quality accessories and goods. The store will also have jewelry from the DDS (Digital Devil Selection).

Here's a look at some of the original Shin Megami Tensei goods you'll find at the shop:

[gallery ids="861799,861798,861797,861796,861795,861794" link="file"]

• Demon Fusion Cerberus Hoodie for 8,000 yen plus tax
• Wisdom God Thoth's Leather Book Cover for 3,000 yen plus tax.
• Hee Ho Print Round Pouches for 1,500 yen plus tax each
• 5-piece Metal Charm Set based on SMT icons for 4,000 yen plus tax

Here are some Tokyo Game Show 2020 items that will also be available at the pop-up store:

[gallery columns="2" size="medium" ids="861793,861792,861807,861806,861805,861804" link="file"]

• Long T-Shirt for 6,800 yen plus tax
• Decarabia T-Shirt for 5,000 yen plus tax
• Jack Frost/Black Frost Masks for 1,200 yen plus tax each
• Jack Frost/Black Frost Eye Masks for 1,300 yen plus tax each

Lastly, here's a look at some of the aforementioned Digital Devil Selection goods:

The Jack Frost Denim Plush will go for 5,980 yen.

This Black Frost Ring costs 25,800 yen plus tax.

The Demi-fiend Ring is another item on the pricier side at 22,800 yen plus tax.

The Shin Megami Tensei Pop-up Store in HMV & Books Shibuya will open on December 1, 2020. You can find more information at the official website.

The post Shin Megami Tensei Pop-up Store Will Open in Japan in December 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

The Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia PlayStation 4 version was announced earlier in September 2020. As with the Nintendo Switch release, Limited Run Games will be handling physical copies. The Brigandine PS4 standard and Collector’s Edition pre-orders will open on October 9, 2020.

There’s a $25 price difference between the two, to for the collector’s edition’s extra items. A standard copy will be $49.99 and only give people a retail copy with manual. The limited edition version adds on a physical copy of the soundtrack, a double-sided poster, and a Gustava Emblem enamel pin. It will cost $74.99.

In case you’re wondering, this means the PS4 collector’s edition is pretty much identical to the Switch one. (You know, barring the whole one coming with a Switch cartridge and the other a PS4 disc.) The Switch standard and LE versions were also $49.99 and $74.99, with the latter including the same soundtrack CD, poster, and pin.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is immediately available for the Nintendo Switch. It will come to the PlayStation 4 worldwide on December 10, 2020. The Brigandine PS4 Collector’s Edition will be available to order between October 9-November 8, 2020 at Limited Run Games and is expected to ship between January-February 2021.

The post Brigandine PS4 Collector’s Edition Includes Its Soundtrack appeared first on Siliconera.

A Brigandine PS4 game is on the way. Essentially, more people are going to get to play a tactical game that already appeared on the Nintendo Switch earlier this year. On December 10, 2020, everyone worldwide can hop into Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia. Also, the PS4 version will be PlayStation 5 compatible.

Like the Switch version, Limited Run Games will handle the physical release. People will be able to order copies between October 9-November 8, 2020, though an exact release window for retail copies wasn’t announced. It is an open pre-order though, so you don’t have to worry about it selling out.

The base game will be the same on the PS4. As in the Switch version, you will pick a nation to side with and go through its campaign. You’ll then manage their success as you attempt to defeat any foe that stands in your way.

Here’s the Brigandine PS4 announcement trailer, in case you want a better idea of how it’ll look.

In addition to the PS4 version, a Switch update is also coming. This will include what Happinet is calling “major updates and improvements based on community .” However, exact details haven’t been announced for the patch, which will arrive around the launch of the PS4 port.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is immediately available on the Nintendo Switch. (There’s even a demo.) The PlayStation 4 version will arrive on December 10, 2020.

The post Brigandine PS4 Version Will Appear Worldwide in December appeared first on Siliconera.

Hey! Brigandine is back!

Statistically speaking, there aren’t many of you who have actually played a Brigandine game, so it’s probably tough to share the enthusiasm. Released for the original PlayStation, Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena is a fantasy turn-based strategy game with an enthusiastic following. It was held back by its limited Atlus print run in the West, and the lack of a localization for its reworked Grand Edition that most praise as the best way to play it.

Still, if Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia seems like a kind of game you’d want to play, you might want to ramp up your hype. It’s not the sort of game that’s welcoming to all kinds of players, but it’s rewarding to those who really want to dive deep into tactical conquest.

In Brigandine, you take control of one nation on a continent full of them, training knights and summoning creatures as you invade and defend strongholds. It’s a little bit of Risk, a little bit of Culdcept and a heaping helping of Heroes of Might & Magic. It’s inherently thinky, but it gives you that time to think.

The resulting mixture ends up feeling a lot like a single-player game of Sid Meier’s Civilization. You’ll plan out all your individual actions and judging opponents’ strengths, and you’ll do it over dozens of hours each campaign. Our plays were straightforward marches without a lot of time spent training, and they still topped 30 hours each. Once you get going, you can probably play some battles in downtime or while multitasking like the Switch is so suited to handle. Most of the time, though, Brigandine demands your attention.

Getting started in Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia might take some work. There’s a tutorial option in the menu that does its best, and it tries to explain itself as it goes along. This... only partially works, though. To get comfortable with the game’s systems and menus, you really need to learn through failure. (In many ways, the game’s demo isn’t long enough to let you do that, and that may have led to some frustrated players.) Our recommendation: play your first campaign on Easy, and bail and start over once you’ve gotten the hang of things. Still, a big reason strategy games have seen a rise in popularity is through better onboarding, and Runersia simply doesn’t do that.

Many of your most consequential decisions are made on the overworld map. You’ll move troops, summon using accrued mana and send spare knights out on quests for reinforcements and equipment. These activities are most useful in the early game, when you need more knights to expand the border you can defend, and in the very late portion, when it’s tougher to find ways to strengthen your main armies. If you keep your pedal to the metal like we did in our 30-hour runs, you’ll often expand faster than you can recruit. That means fewer free units to do these things. The more you crank up the difficulty, the more the AI will hold you back. That’ll give you more of these opportunities and a greater appreciation of their usefulness at the same time.

Still, in of pure hours played, the focus is on battle. Each fight is limited to 12 turns, but that doesn’t end up feeling very short. The first few rounds have armies marching from the edge of the map toward each other. This can be tactically interesting, in of formation and angle of approach. Still, though, it feels long. Maps that cut off, say, four rows on each edge would probably offer similar strategic opportunities and save a few minutes each time.

There are good touches here, though. Invading from different sides leads to different approaches, and marching through the mountains rather than the open plains means different speeds and creature advantages. You can try a pincer attack by invading with troops from different sides. (Or you can, you know, not split the party.) Nations have home-team advantages, with access to units favored in their dominant terrain. You can stock up from bases as you’re invading, but those will be weak, unleveled units.

The marketing of Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia has made a big deal out of its writing, especially its feat of coaxing Final Fantasy scribe Kenji Terada out of games industry retirement. It is, however, not particularly good at conveying its narrative. Scenes pop up at the beginning and end, as well as when leaders level up or you capture a lot of bases. Still, there’s nothing about these that can meaningfully convey information about what’s happened, since... what’s happened is entirely variable. Is the leader a war hero, or did you just leave them at the capital for safety? The story can’t say. And the story can’t really do much to change the battlefield, either, so you’re generally not missing anything important when you skip it.

A strategy game is only as good as its usability, and The Legend of Runersia’s to-a-fault focus on aesthetics and interesting color palettes sometimes gets in the way of that. There are options to color-code units on the battlefield and zoom in to get a better view, but having to do any of that just to get a base understanding of things is a flaw. Things could be clearer, but the game regularly makes art choices instead.

Each campaign tries to pivot to an endgame of sorts. It’s easy to see how this would happen: often the final fights are a given, as you have the resources of 90 percent of the continent, and it’s anticlimactic. We won’t get into the story elements of it, but we really wish it felt more integrated into gameplay and less like an afterthought. Still, if you’re looking for a true challenge at the end with the armies you’ve built up, it does its best to offer that.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia prides itself on its simultaneous release, but it does so without the care and polish you’d hope to see on the English side. There are translation errors, including in ability descriptions that affect play. Does this magic spell hit all enemies in range, or just one? This stuff is important, and the game lies to you sometimes. Oh, and the whole thing uses a typeface that straight-up doesn’t fit with that all-too-important aesthetic, opting instead for one that’s awkwardly default. These are easily fixed. Maybe they will be? Who knows.

The Switch is a great platform for games to dip into for a bit when you have a few minutes, but Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia isn’t one of them. It’s a commitment. A rewarding one, perhaps! But it asks players to stick around and learn, stick around and strategize, stick around and grind through dozens of battle maps. It’s more of a hobby than a diversion, but players looking for just that will find a game that gels well with their sensibilities.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is available June 25, 2020 on the Nintendo Switch eShop. A physical release was available through Limited Run Games.

The post Review: Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia Gives the Strategy Franchise a Second Chance appeared first on Siliconera.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia, out June 25, 2020 on the Nintendo Switch eShop, is the return of a little-known PlayStation strategy series with a distinct appeal. We asked the game's producer, Happinet's Kazuhiro Igarashi, about what it's like to bring back a niche classic and how the gameplay translates to today's strategy landscape.

Graham Russell, Siliconera: Could you tell our readers a bit about yourself and your work in games?

Kazuhiro Igarashi, Happinet: I'm the producer and game designer for Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia. I was in charge of the game design, plot and flavor text. First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the Western fans who played the first Brigandine game released over 20 years ago. We've created another game that will draw you in and make you forget the age of time. We really hope you'll enjoy it!

The Brigandine series has been dormant for decades. Why is it coming back now? What makes this the right time for the franchise to return?

Igarashi: Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena was released 22 years ago in 1998 by E3 Staff, a subsidiary of Happinet. This also happened to be the year I began working at Happinet. I was very proud of the work done on Forsena and hoped to one day the development team. Unfortunately, the E3 Staff team was disbanded before my dream became a reality. I spent some time working in marketing, and about 10 years ago, we were finally able to reopen the game development department! We spent a few years gaining experience as game developers and decided to revive the Brigandine franchise with a new game.

Naturally, we considered the route of doing a remake of the first game, but that would have had its own challenges. Nojima, the producer for the first game, and Matsui, who was in charge of monster designs and the Iscalio scenario, were both d with Happinet. Neither still worked in game creation, and the director was no longer with the company. Therefore, rather than attempting a remake without all of the original creators present, we decided to go with a completely new team and game that would nevertheless inherit the unique Brigandine identity.

Western audiences haven’t had much of an opportunity to play a Brigandine game, with the first game’s limited print run and the well-regarded Grand Edition never seeing international release. Is the West ready for The Legend of Runersia? What about the game has been adjusted to for this new player base?

Igarashi: For Runersia, releasing the English and Japanese editions simultaneously was our top priority. In addition to the planning required to achieve this, we also put considerations into ensuring that the official website had an English option and that updates would be in both languages at the same time.

While we were extremely happy to reveal Runersia during the Japanese Nintendo Direct, it was unfortunately not picked up for broadcast in North America, as we would have loved to have shared our excitement with the Western audience too. So we’re sharing as much as we can in these interviews.

How much was creating an experience faithful to the original Brigandine a priority?

Igarashi: It was key that, at its core, Runersia had the feel of what made the original so enjoyable. If we changed too much, there would be no point in giving it the Brigandine IP, and that Brigandine-ness is what would make it unique among other games currently on the market.

While the original team was unavailable, the wonderful creators who took part in bringing Runersia to life are a very talented team with background in excellent RPGs such as Final Fantasy, Xenoblade and Disgaea. We have Kenji Terada writing the script, Raita Kazama on art and character design and music from Tenpei Sato, who also worked on Brigandine: Grand Edition. I’m proud of what we’ve created together on this t project between Happinet and Matrix.

The Legend of Runersia has a heavy application of aesthetic and atmosphere. Were there concerns in development that this approach could make the game harder to parse and play? How did you decide when looks or playability should come first?

Igarashi: We didn't think a focus on aesthetics would make the game harder to play.

What was it like to work with Kenji Terada?

Igarashi: We worked together on this for a long time, and it was really enjoyable! I was already a fan of Kenji Terada's work to begin with. I was lucky enough that when we first met, I was able to explain Brigandine to him and express my desire for him to take part and write fantasy for games again.

Terada has an original drawing of Astro Boy in the studio from when he worked with Osamu Tezuka early in his career, and we had countless meetings sitting on the sofa set underneath it. It took many hours, but when we finished the script for Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia, he said that I was the only one who could inspire him to work so hard, and that he enjoyed it. To this I replied that I also had fun and was sad we were finished, and that I was honored to have worked with him. Finishing our work with a smile moved me, and I had even more respect for him than when we had first met.
Terada truly is a wonderful script writer.

What was the team’s goal in the creation of this new world and cast of characters? How much did these nations’ tactical capabilities influence their knights’ personalities?

Igarashi: Each of the six nations has their own ideology and history, and it's up to the player to choose which one they want to be. Who exactly is the main character? Which nations are in the right, and which are in the wrong? That's all up to the player. It's not just the rulers; each knight's true character is up for interpretation as well. Our goal was to create a diverse world like that.

There's a lot of potential diversity in play style. For example, if you are playing as the Norzaleo Kingdom and avoid direct with the Republic of Guimoule, they will grow in power until the ruler Eliza Uzala changes classes in an event and takes an even greater role. However, if another person plays as the Mana Saleesia Theocracy and quells Guimoule early on, Eliza Uzala will meet a completely different fate.

There are over 100 Rune Knights, each with their own tactical abilities and settings. When nations are viewed as groups of these knights, they all have their own features. For example, you could have nations with many knights who are strong attackers, or have a good balance of knights belonging to different classes, or nations led by knights with a few specific strong stats, or perhaps nations populated with young low-level knights who have great potential.

Which is your favorite nation to play? Why?

Igarashi: That's a very difficult question. Since I built up the nations and rulers of this world from the ground up, they are all special to me. If my daughter were to ask me, "Do people prefer peace or war?" I am certain I would answer peace. But if she were to then ask why I make war simulation games, or why FPS games are so popular, my answer would need further explanation. When you take into consideration evolution and biology, the question becomes even more complicated.

The world of strategy games has changed drastically in the time since the last Brigandine game, both mechanically and in wider acceptance and accessibility. Did you look to other strategy franchises for inspiration during development? What games were influential to the team?

Igarashi: I won't name any specific titles, but I've played many games since I first encountered a hex-based strategy game in the 1980s. As a player myself, I experienced the birth and decline of country conquest games like Brigandine, and saw how the trend for strategy games changed from turn-based to real-time. There are quite a few strategy game fans on the development team as well.

Even with tutorials and difficulty settings, there’s a lot going on in Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia. It can be intimidating to figure out how things work. How much work went into lowering the barrier for new players?

Igarashi: If you were to compare chess and bowling, which do you think is easier for someone who doesn't know the rules to pick up? I think strategy games are the type where you need to have at least a rough idea of the basics before you can start. Since this game isn't structured like a traditional JRPG with a linear story following a single protagonist, we didn't include a hands-on tutorial that plays out along with the main game. At the first organization phase, the player is given full control. Inserting a tutorial here delays the player from this control and possibly frustrates them. To resolve this problem, we created a tutorial mode that's separate from the main mode.

Is Challenge Mode intended as the long-term option for those who want to keep playing the game? Are there other elements that keep the game interesting and varied past the initial campaign?

Igarashi: I'm confident that once you get into the game, you'll be able to enjoy it for many hours. While it will depend on the player, we estimate that it would take around 30 hours to complete the main mode. When you take into that there are six nations to choose from, that makes for a total of 180 hours. Additionally, even if you keep playing one nation over and over again, game progression changes every new playthrough no matter what difficulty you choose. There are always new things to discover, which will add to your enjoyment. This alone should be enough to satisfy most players, but we have also added Challenge Mode to lengthen the game's playability.

As you progress through the main mode, a number of story events will take place along the way. This adds a collection element to the game settings under Records. Story events, battle conversations, battle records and data on the knights and monsters are all collected here, for a total of over 700 items.

That being said, some interesting surprises may pop up in the second half of the continental conquest. We haven’t shared this with Japanese media yet so you won’t find any more detail out there, but keep your eyes peeled!

What is it about Nintendo Switch that makes it the right fit for Brigandine? What challenges did you have in bringing the game to the platform, and does The Legend of Runersia take advantage of any of the console’s special features?

Igarashi: Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia has enough content to fill many hours of gameplay. To that end, I think the portability of the Switch will broaden the range of styles in which people play.

The graphics and specifications were decided after extensive testing during development. The battles in Brigandine utilize troops consisting of one Rune Knight and up to six monsters. Each side in the battle is allowed six troops, which equals a total of 42 units. This meant we had to maximize the hardware's full potential to ensure 42 units of 3D models could be displayed comfortably on the battle map at the same time. For this, Nintendo's Japan headquarters provided a lot of during the early days of the development process. They were wonderful partners who always offered with the goal of improving the game's quality.

Thanks to Kazuhiro Igarashi for taking the time to talk with us. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia releases on the Nintendo Switch eShop on June 25, 2020. The game's also getting a physical release through Limited Run Games. Check back soon for our full look at the game.

The post Brigandine Interview: Producer Kazuhiro Igarashi on Reviving a PS1 Strategy Gem appeared first on Siliconera.

The Brigandine Switch game is about to launch worldwide on June 25, 2020. But, given that Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena was the only entry to appear outside Japan and that was in 1998, people might wonder what things are all about. Well, the Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia demo will be available on the Nintendo eShop worldwide. (Editor’s note: It isn’t available yet.) Everyone can check things out by going through a tutorial and a trial.

The Brigandine Switch demo’s tutorial is designed to help people learn the nuances of the game. While combat might be familiar to people who have played strategic turn-based games before, it also walks people through its more unique elements like invading and occupying enemy bases.

As for the other portion, the Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia demo also lets people go through an Easy mode Trial with Prince Rubino from Norzaleo Kingdom. While the demo will say it will last for three seasons, it actually will let people play until Rubino’s forces have occupied seven bases or you have played through 10 seasons. You can save, but that will not carry over to the full game.

There’s also a new Brigandine Switch gameplay video. You can see what you’ll be in for when you take to the battlefield below.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia will come to the Nintendo Switch worldwide on June 25, 2020, with the free demo available now. The Limited Run Games’ collector’s edition, which comes with a Gustava pin, soundtrack CD, and 18” x 24” poster, will be available to preorder between May 1 through June 7, 2020.

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Broccoli announced a four-month delay for its otome game Jack Jeanne by Tokyo Ghoul creator Sui Ishida.

The original release date for Jack Jeanne was August 5, 2020. The new Jack Jeanne release date is December 3, 2020. Broccoli said that prior to the delay, the creators worked hard, together with Sui Ishida and Shin Towada, towards its completion. However, everyone from the staff team decided that they wanted to deliver this title in flawless shape for the players.

Moreover, due to the current situation with COVID-19, Broccoli added that there's a possibility for another delay to Jack Jeanne's release date. For now, the creators will continue working hard and progressing through its development, and ask for your understanding.

Jack Jeanne is an opera-themed otome game for Nintendo Switch. Its story is written by Sui Ishida together with Shin Towada who worked on the Tokyo Ghoul light novels. The story follows an all-men's opera troupe called Tamasaka. The troupe runs the Univers Opera School, known for its performances and upbringing talent. Protagonist Saki Tachibana gave up on theater, but due to a certain event, she’s given special permission to attend Univers so long as she meets two conditions. The first condition is to star in the final play at the end of the first year. The second condition is for her to hide the fact that she is a woman.

Jack Jeanne will release for the Nintendo Switch in Japan on December 3, 2020.

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Happinet announced that its strategy game Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia will release for Switch worldwide on June 25, 2020. The publisher also shared a new gameplay trailer for the Matrix software-developed title.

Additionally, Limited Run Games will bring physical versions of Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia for Switch in North America. We can expect to hear more from Limited Run Games about the physical version of Brigandine later.

Check out the new gameplay trailer below:

In Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia, six countries in the Continent of Runersia have waged a war to conquer and unify the land under one nation. Players decide how their legend will unfold by selecting a country and creating their army of Rune Knights, exploring over 40 base locations and encountering over 100 unique knights and 50 types of monsters as they progress across Runersia.

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Broccoli and Happinet have released a new trailer for Jack Jeanne, their story-based visual novel and rhythm game. The game is exclusive to Nintendo Switch, and releases on August 5, 2020.

The title takes place in the boys-only Univers Opera Academy, where our female protagonist Kisa Tachibana is allowed to study at under two conditions - that she plays the main character role at the annual performance at the end of the school year, and that she must hide the fact that she's a woman. Together with the Quartz class of students, she must work to help the class win in their competitions against the other three classes, all while keeping her identity secret.

You can check out the trailer above. Previously, we reported on the possibility that the game might come overseas here.

Jack Jeanne will release for Nintendo Switch on August 5, 2020.

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Koei Tecmo just filed a bunch of Musou series-related trademarks in Japan that include an “Isekai Musou” and others that don’t seem to be directly related to any titles that we know of.

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