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I love mobile rhythm games like Love Live School Idol Festival, Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage, and I-Chu. The idea of collecting character cards, building them up, and using those decks to ensure I’m strong enough to clear song stages has always been thrilling. Plus, Japanese idol music is pretty good. I-Chu: Chibi Edition seemed like exactly the type of game I’d want, since it is all that minus free-to-play nonsense. Except even though this is a single-purchase game, so much of those mobile trappings get in the way. Not to mention, the translation is shockingly awkward.

Etoile Vie School is a school for young men of varying ages to attend to become idols. They train in different courses to ideally become strong performers. Where do we come in? We’re the producer who helps them on the way. Though that really means we collect character cards to form teams, use those decks to earn points as we play through rhythm-game songs, and read extremely short visual novel chapters that go over their journey to stardom. 

Basically, here’s how the gameplay loop goes. You play through a song on easy with your crew of five “talents” recruited from the gacha. (These cards can be combined or leveled up to become stronger.) After beating certain songs, you can read through a handful of story chapters. A new track then opens up, you beat it, and you can read more story chapters. 

Now, before we go further, know this isn’t an otome game. While your “avatar,” who acts as a producer, is a woman, there’s no romance here. All of the side stories that had those elements in the mobile game are absent in the I-Chu: Chibi Edition. I was incredibly disappointed to hear about that, so it’s best to know that before you pick it up. 

You’re, as far as I’ve seen, locked into the “easy” difficulty to unlock more of the story in I-Chu: Chibi Edition. Which you need to advance to unlock more of the gacha banners. The easy versions of songs are honestly too safe sometimes, and I’ve yet to not get a full combo on one. Especially since all of the virtual “friends” you can select for assistance have maxed out parties.

Though honestly, skipping the story might not be a bad idea. The localization is bad. There are so many awkward phrases here and strange word choices. The punctuation and spacing between letters is incorrect at times. It isn’t as bad as what happened with The Villainess is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom, but there are times when it feels close. Which is weird, as I’ve found PQube translations to typically be rather solid. 

I was also disappointed by how much unlocking there is for a console version of a mobile game. At this point, someone is paying $30 for I-Chu: Chibi Edition. At the very least, all of the songs should be available immediately in the free-play section, so you can jump right into any tracks you enjoy. But no. They’re not. You need to go through the story to unlock them. Similarly, not all the gacha banners are available either. Again, you need to unlock them. 

Speaking of which, I have a lot of issues with how the gacha is handled in I Chu: Chibi Edition in general. The odds seem as bad as they would be in a mobile game. After five hours of playing, I only have one LE card, and it is for Li Chaoyang. You’d think that, given this is completely offline and pulled from the mobile version, the rate could be increased so I’m not swamped with Rs and RRs. It’d be nice to see LEs more often.  

Which is all a shame, since the rhythm game portion of I-Chu: Chibi Edition is quite fun. Once you do start unlocking a substantial number of tracks — let’s say around 10-20 — you’ll start finding favorites! I felt a lot of them were catchy, and the vocalists performing them all seemed pretty talented. The Normal and Hard difficulties start to feel enjoyable, and Maniac can be genuinely challenging. 

I like the idea of I-Chu: Chibi Edition, as having a one-purchase version of a mobile game that grants you to access to almost everything is appealing. However, the way it forces you to unlock everything, the awkward localization, and the still frustrating gacha system hold it back. The music is good! The rhythm game element is pretty solid! Once you get some decent cards, you can make some strong teams! It’s just all of the other stuff surrounding it bogs it down.

I-Chu: Chibi Edition will be available for the Nintendo Switch on October 3, 2024.  

The post Review: I-Chu: Chibi Edition Is Bogged Down by Its Mobile Roots appeared first on Siliconera.

Each season of anime there is ideally that one show that grips you and never lets go. Fortunately, the Spring 2024 anime season continues this tradition with the most underrated series that more people need to give a chance: Bartender: Glass of God.

This series is actually the second anime adaptation of the original manga from 2004-2011, following the original 2006 anime. However, as you might be able to see, that first anime adaptation happened right in the middle of the manga’s serialization. As a result, this series gets the chance to provide a complete and definitive adaptation of the story.

Though I never checked out the first anime series, I feel like I don’t have to now. This new series from studio Liber already grasped me in its clutches. From the moment the first monologue from bartender Sasakura begins, followed by the immediate transition into the extraordinary opening theme song from Takaya Kawasaki, I knew this was something special.

At the time I started Bartender: Glass of God, there were four episodes available. Needless to say, I binged all of them in one sitting. To be clear, I wasn’t planning to do that and probably shouldn't have, since I had other series to check out. This is because the anime series has a simple, but effective premise. It involves almost episodic storylines every episode about someone who the main character encounters and serves drinks to that evening.

In some ways, it feels like the bartending version of Restaurant to Another World,. That’s great for me, since it is one of my favorite anime series of all time. (At least, the first season is.) It follows a similar format during which every episode follows a character and their current conflict. It then introduces an alcoholic beverage that is relevant or helps the person in some way.

This may sound boring at a glance. However, Bartender: Glass of God keeps the viewer engaged with a mix of features. For one, the animation in this series is some of the most stunning this season. Since the show features few locations, it allows the studio to hone in on incredible detail in every scene. From the way the ice glistens to the rich color of every drink, you can see the talent of the artists involved.

In addition, the cast is terrific, and they pair well with its great writing. Sasakura has the right mix of aloof genius alongside lovable protagonist. He is helped along by other solid characters, such as Miwa and her constant (failing) shtick to recruit Sasakura to work at her grandfather’s hotel.

While Bartender: Glass of God has a lot in common with a series like Restaurant to Another World, it stands out because of how it handles its cast. The characters Sasakura helps each episode aren’t just there for show and a bit of emotional pathos. They are almost all recurring characters that show up episode after episode.

Every person in the cast feels like a tiny, intricate piece of the overarching puzzle of the storyline. While I can’t quite see the full picture of where the series is going, I don’t have to. Each episode of Bartender: Glass of God is as gripping as the last. This is even true whether or not you care about the actual drinks being served. And that is coming from someone like me, who doesn’t really drink alcohol. It is one of the only series in this Spring 2024 anime season that I can’t wait to keep watching. If you’re looking for something a bit slower with more attention to detail, this is the series to watch.

Bartender: Glass of God is available to stream right now on Crunchyroll.

The post Bartender: Glass of God Is the Most Underrated Spring 2024 Anime appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai revealed a teaser image for Ride Kamens, which will be a new free-to-play game themed after the Kamen Rider series for mobile devices.

The teaser image shows a handsome man dressed like a Kamen Rider who will be the new game's main character. But while Kamen Riders are usually known with helmets that wholly cover their heads, this character's hair and mouth are completely exposed, with the partially transparent visor also showing one of his eyes. The teaser also comes with a Japanese catchphrase that translates to "A hero has an unknown mask/face."

Bandai also announced the key staff for Ride Kamens, and some of them have been involved for a long time with the Kamen Rider series. Yuya Takahashi, who fully wrote Kamen Rider Ex-Aid and Geats, will create this game's main story and world setting with supervision from Toei's Naomi Takebe, who was also the producer of multiple series shows since 2001's Kamen Rider Agito.

The new game's development studio will be Liber Entertainment, which also used to be involved with the PSP version of One Piece: Romance Dawn and the mobile version of Square Enix's Million Arthur. The character designs will be done by Hiroko Utsumi, who previously worked on the anime shows Free! and SK8 the Infinity.

Ride Kamens will be available as a free-to-play title on iOS and Android mobile devices.

The post Ride Kamens Will Depict Kamen Riders as Handsome Guys appeared first on Siliconera.