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To celebrate National Cat Day in Japan on February 22, Atlus started a new poll to select the most popular cat character from a variety of the games. 17 feline characters have been chosen as examples, and the deadline for voting is February 24, 2025.

Anyone can participate in the poll regardless of region. To vote for the most popular Atlus cat, all people need to do is like the X (formerly Twitter) post featuring their cat of choice on the Atlus social media . Multiple votes are allowed, and people are also free to vote for any other Atlus cat character other than the 17 selected, by adding their own vote alongside the hastag #アトラスねこの日総選挙 (which translates to Atlus Cat Day General Election) in their post.

Here is the list of pre-selected 17 cat characters for the Atlus poll:

• Morgana from Persona 5
• Maneki Neko (Lucky Cat Statue) from Persona 2
• Helios from Persona 2
• Lieutenant General Zula from Persona 2
• Plateau from Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Neko Shogun from the Shin Megami Tensei series
• Cait Sith from the Shin Megami Tensei series
• Nekomata from the Shin Megami Tensei series
• Senri from the Shin Megami Tensei series
• Ose from the Shin Megami Tensei series
• Flauros from the Shin Megami Tensei series
• Byakko from the Shin Megami Tensei series
• Schrödinger from the Digital Devil Saga series
• Gouto-Douji from the Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha series
• Great Lynx from the Etrian Odyssey series
• Fluffy (Shippo in Japanese) from 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
• Socrates from Odin Sphere

You can also see the characters here:

In other related news for cat lovers and Atlus fans, Good Smile Company recently started taking orders for a figure of Morgana based on his appearance in Persona 5 Tactica, and the deadline for pre-order is March 5, 2025.

The post Atlus Starts Poll for Most Popular Game Cat appeared first on Siliconera.

Odin Sphere and 13 Sentinels developer Vanillaware celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022, but this year will see the launches of a commemorative Vanillaware art book and merchandise. Pre-orders for the celebratory goods are now open, via the Japanese online retailer Ebten. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

The main item in the 20th Anniversary celebration is the Vanillaware Official Art Book -Assortment of VANILLA-. The book can be pre-ordered on this page, with an expected release date of June 30, 2023. The book will cost 13,200 Yen (about $96 USD). Pre-orders on Ebten will include several additional items, including a B3-sized wall scroll, a tote bag featuring Vanilla Boy, the studio mascot, key chains featuring the logos used by the studio, and a laser-engraved "3D crystal" that shows Vanilla boy. No previews of the included material in the Vanillaware art book are available on the store page at the moment.

Besides the Vanillaware art book, dozens more items are available as part of Ebten's Vanillaware 20th Anniversary offering.

One set includes framed reproductions of key illustrations from various Vanillaware titles. The illustrations on offer include the designs used as box art for games like Muramasa: The Demon Blade, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Dragon's Crown, Odin Sphere, GrimGrimoire, Grand Knights History, and Princess Crown, which technically predates the Vanillware name. Even Vanillaware's lesser-known DS-based life sim, Kumatanchi, has a print up for order. 13 Sentinels character designer Yukiko Hirai also created a special 20th anniversary picture for the occasion.

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Each framed print costs 33,000 Yen (about $240 USD), and is expected to ship by August 2023.

Other items include tote bags, acrylic standees, soundtracks, and other goods based on Vanillaware games. The main selection is listed on this page, but here's a gallery of some of the more notable items.

[gallery size="medium" ids="954327,954328,954329,954330,954331,954332" link="file"]

The Vanillaware art book and other 20th anniversary goods are available via retailer Ebten. The studio's games are available on various platforms. The newest game, GrimGrimoire OnceMore, arrives on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5 on April 4, 2023. A playable demo is available now.

The post Vanillaware Art Book and Merchandise Sold for 20th Anniversary appeared first on Siliconera.

The first release in the efforts to build a spiritual successor to Suikoden, spinoff Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, is out this week. What games have been the best spiritual successors? Why? Here are our picks.

While nearly two decades old, Haunting Ground remains my favorite spiritual successor. Anyone who has even remotely had a brush with the Clock Tower series will see that Haunting Ground takes some of the best concepts and builds upon them in fantastic ways. It even shares similar music cues! And features the protagonist running from a series of stalkers. But what Haunting Ground has one up on Clock Tower is Hewie, an adorable German shepherd that serves as the player's companion.

Outside of being an incredible psychological horror title, Haunting Ground expands upon some of Clock Tower's best mechanics and general Italian-horror-inspired weirdness to create a title worthy of being the successor to a previously iconic series. — Kazuma

While Haunting Ground was definitely my first thought for best spiritual successor, I'm actually an even bigger fan of another horror game: Siren. The original Siren was a spiritual successor to Silent Hill. What made Siren more appealing to me personally was that it told its story through the views of multiple protagonists instead of just one.

This helped to weave a complicated plot and make you emotionally invested after spending so much time navigating Hanuda as these characters. Due to the larger cast, there is also more character-driven drama. This lends itself to the game being that much more memorable than Silent Hill. (And then just like what happened with Silent Hill, those Americans RUINED Siren with the PS3 remake). — Stephanie

I have to go with Odin Sphere. See, before it existed, Vanillaware's George Kamitani made a game called Princess Crown. It is also an elaborate, lavish, 2D, side-scrolling action game relying on combos to defeat foes. It follows multiple characters too! There are four scenarios following different important characters. Once you beat those? The fifth "ending" one unlocks. Sound familiar?

Sadly, Princess Crown never ended up localized. Which is especially unfortunate, as a PS4 port appeared in Japan alongside 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim! (Are you going to localize and finally release this piece of history worldwide, Atlus? Huh?) — Jenni

Too much time has ed since the last Armored Core came out, and former From Software member Kenichiro Tsukuda went to Marvelous and created Daemon X Machina to fill the gap. I'd say it's not only a spiritual successor to Armored Core, but also a general celebration of the mecha and military genres.

Daemon X Machina combined Armored Core's mech action and customization with a soundtrack made by Bandai Namco's Ace Combat composers. It also featured characters and mechs designed by Yusuke Kozaki and Macross' Shoji Kawamori, respectively. To top it all, the Japanese cast list included the voice actors of Amuro Ray and Char Aznable from the Gundam series. It's truly a match made in heaven. — Kite

What do you think are the best spiritual successors? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter! And read our other handy roundtables for more thoughts from the Siliconera team.

The post The Best Spiritual Successors appeared first on Siliconera.

Flare announced two Odin Sphere Leifthrasir figures, with one being a rerun of Gwendolyn and the other a new model based on Oswald. Gwendolyn will return first in April 2022. Oswald will follow in May 2022. Gwendolyn will cost 17,050円 (~$155), while Oswald will be 19,580円 (~$179). [Thanks, Dengeki Hobby Web!]

Both the Gwendolyn and Oswald Odin Sphere Leifthrasir figures are non-scale, static characters. Each of them has notable accessories with them. He will be about ten inches tall, while she’ll be just over nine and a half inches.

In the case of Gwendolyn, she’s wearing the dress she married after marrying Oswald. She has the Ring Titrel on her finger. An optional part allows her to have one of the blue birds approach her. One of her skirts can also be removed, so she can be displayed with the hoop skirt shown. This figure originally appeared in Japan back in January 2019.

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As for Oswald, he’s in his standard Shadow Knight armor. He’s wielding Belderiver, his signature weapon.

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These are two of many Flare Odin Sphere figures. For example, it has a Maury’s Catering Service line that pairs the chef with figures of Gwendolyn, Mercedes, and Velvet.

The Odin Sphere Leifthrasir Gwendolyn and Oswald figures will appear in Japan in April 2022 and May 2022, respectively. Odin Sphere is available on the PS2 worldwide, while Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is available on the PS3, PS4, and Vita.

The post Flare Reveals Odin Sphere Gwendolyn and Oswald Figures appeared first on Siliconera.

The PlayStation 2 classic Odin Sphere is known for a lot of things, like being one of the most notable of developer Vanillaware's early releases and championing a lavish, singularly stylish 2D aesthetic. It's also known for delicious food, and now you too can bring that energy into the physical realm with a new set of figures from Flare. The sets depict a feature from Odin Sphere Leifthrasir, the PS4 and Vita enhanced remasters of the original games. The figure sets are up for preorder, according to an announcement on Twitter, with an expected delivery window of February 2021:

https://twitter.com/FLARE_WEB/status/1338687127140253698

The full figure sets comes in three varieties, each with a different Odin Sphere character as a customer. The characters are the game's female leads: The swan-winged Valkyrie Gwendolyn, the fairy princess Mercedes, and the mysterious witch Velvet. All three options include Maury, the Pooka chef, and his Traveling Restaurant, an interdimensional eatery that can be summoned by ringing a special bell. When summoned in Odin Sphere, Maury cooks dishes that can convey all manner of stat boosts and beneficial combat effects. The Traveling Restaurant set also includes a table, stool, cooking tools, Maury's backpack and bell, and various dishes modeled after their in-game artwork. The dishes include Egg on Toast, Napple Sorbet, Herb-Roasted Shrimp, Lamb Steak, Cream Stew, Vichyssoise, an Omelet, Pancakes, and a Ginger Biscuit. There are even ingredient items, like a Jug of Milk, a Lobster, and a selection of Odin Sphere's walking Mandragora creatures: The Onionne, Carroteer, Cubsbane, Turny, and Habaneristo.

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Unfortunately for wallets everywhere, the full set of Flare's Odin Sphere figures won't come cheap. The asking price is 26,000 yen (about $250). Thankfully for more cash-strapped fans, the individua Gwendolyn, Mercedes, and Velvet figures (and their chairs) will also be sold individually for 7,000 yen (about $67) each. Someone looking to get everything on offer could theoretically order a single full set, and then buy the remaining two characters separately, so as not to wind up with duplicate kitchen sets. Then the three Odin Sphere girls could have a nice meal together at the ultimate pop-up dining experience.

Flare's Odin Sphere Maury figures are available to pre-order from the official website and at retail locations in Japan until December 23, 2020. Their expected delivery date should fall in February 2021. Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is immediately available on the PS4 and Vita and includes a playable version of the original version of Odin Sphere as part of the package.

The post Flare’s Odin Sphere Figure Sets Call Maury for a Tasty Meal appeared first on Siliconera.

Atlus are holding a Black Friday sale on a number of their games. The highlight of the sale is Shin Megami Tensei IV, which will be available for $29.99 (that’s $20 off) from November 28th to December 3rd. The game’s DLC is on sale, too, with each piece of DLC under $2.

Other games being discounted are on PlayStation platforms. Here are the discounts you can avail on that front from now until December 3rd:

Dragon’s Crown (PS3) – Down from $49.99 to $29.99

Dragon’s Crown (PSV) – Down from $39.99 to $29.99

Persona 4 Arena (PS3) – Down from $29.99 to $14.99

Persona 4 Arena: Ultimate Edition (PS3) – Down from $44.99 $22.99

Trine 2 (PS3) – Down from $14.99 to $4.99

Odin Sphere (PSN) – Down from $9.99 to $4.99

Stella Deus (PSN) – Down from $9.99 to $4.99

Demon’s Souls (PS3) – Down from $19.99 to $13.39

Game of Thrones (PS3) – Down from $19.99 to $4.99

Zeno Clash II – Down from $14.99 to $4.99

The Cursed Crusade (PS3) – Down from $19.99 to $9.99

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes (PS3) – Down from $29.99 to $19.99

God Mode - Down from $9.99 to $2.99

Droplitz – Down from $4.99 to $0.99

RIPD: The Game – Down from $9.99 to $2.99

The post Atlus Holding Black Friday Sale On SMTIV, Dragon’s Crown And More appeared first on Siliconera.

Dragon’s Crown isn’t the first Vanillaware project Atlus will be involved in. Some may recall that they also published Odin Sphere (above) on the PlayStation 2, a fact that they pointed out in their press release about Dragon’s Crown. Also mentioned was an interesting tidbit about Odin Sphere’s worldwide sales.

“Vanillaware is a developer beloved for their tremendous visual talent and extraordinary attention to detail,” read a statement from Shinichi Suzuki, President and CEO of Index Digital Media, Inc., Atlus’ parent company. “Our previous collaboration with them, Odin Sphere, went on to sell over 350,000 units worldwide, entering the prestigious PlayStation Greatest Hits library.  While much work remains, we believe this collaboration will be well worth the wait.”

350,000 worldwide sounds like a pretty good number for a Vanillaware title. Of course, that was during the 2007-2008 period and the games market is a different place now. We look forward to seeing how Dragon’s Crown performs, when all is said and done.

The post Atlus Share Worldwide Sales For Odin Sphere appeared first on Siliconera.

Sony started re-releasing PlayStation 2 games as digital s in North America last month. The surprise announcement came with five titles: Ring of Red, Maximo: Ghosts to Glory, GrimGrimoire, God Hand, and Odin Sphere.

Out of those five releases, Odin Sphere was the top selling title. Vanillaware's game was number 15 on the top 20 selling games from October 2011 sales chart. That's two slots under Final Fantasy VII and four above God Hand, the only other PS2 classic on the list.

Bloodrayne, Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland, Stuntman Ignition, and Full Spectrum Warrior were newly added this month. PlayStation 2 classics are $9.99 each on the PlayStation Store.

The post Odin Sphere Is The Best Selling PS2 Classic appeared first on Siliconera.

While these PlayStation 2 Classics do not have any extra features like trophies or enhanced graphics, PS2 Classics just $9.99 each. That's the same price as the PsOne version of Chrono Trigger, which also came out today.

Odin Sphere, GrimGrimoire, Ring of Red, Maximo: Ghosts to Glory, and God Hand are available on PlayStation Network now. They're either or regret missing in digital form.

The post Emulated PS2 Classics, Like Ring Of Red And Odin Sphere, Are Just $10 appeared first on Siliconera.

Sony is putting niche third-party titles like Odin Sphere, GrimGrimoire, Maximo: Ghosts to Glory, Ring of Red, and God Hand in their own section titled "rare classic games."

The post Odin Sphere, God Hand, And GrimGrimore Coming To PS3 As PSN Donwloads appeared first on Siliconera.

Atlus may be dabbling with Norse mythology again. In Japan, they filed a trademark for Gungnir, the name of Odin’s spear, for use with video games.

The post Atlus + Gungnir = New Norse Game? appeared first on Siliconera.

You don't even have to play Princess Crown to witness the profound effect the Sega Saturn (and Playstation Portable) title has had on its spiritual successor Odin Sphere. While the games tend to have different feels while playing (for example: Princess Crown can feel more like an RPG with fighting elements, and Odin Sphere feels like a side-scroller with RPG elements), the two have a shared foundation and vision that make both games memorable classics.

The opening of Princess Crown should be familiar to Odin Sphere fans, as it once again features a little girl preparing for storytime with her cat. Only in Princess Crown, a grandmother is also present and picking up the cat brings up an extras menu with picture gallery. The books chronicle the stories of main character Gradriel, and extra side stories of Edward, Portgus and Prosperina. This mechanic is repeated in Odin Sphere. In fact, Princess Crown and Odin Sphere also share "epilogue" books that unlock after everything is completed. The last 'book' in each game shares the official ending.

Princess Crown also featuring multiple characters with intertwining storylines, just like Odin Sphere. Except in Princess Crown, young Queen Gradriel is clearly the main character, and the brief excursions into Edward, Portgus and Prosperina's stories are created only to compliment the main storyline. They aren't intended to be full fledged adventures. Odin Sphere improves on this foundation by allowing each playable character to be the star of an extensive story.

Both Princess Crown and Odin Sphere feature recurring characters. The secondary characters Edward, Portgus and Prosperina all appear during Gradriel's main story as either assistants or antagonists. So when you finally unlock their separate stories, you'll get to experience the same events through opposing eyes or go through an extra, small quest. It is interesting to see how this concept was expanded and developed in Odin Sphere, so each character became a main character rather than focusing on one and having the others just as a bonus.

When it comes to traveling, the Princess Crown world map closely resembles the Odin Sphere level maps. In Odin Sphere, there's a large world map, and players chose an area, which they then explore. Each segment of an area is circular, with exits to visit. Princess Crown is more like a side-scrolling RPG (like the Valkyrie Profile games). The world map bears a strong map to the Odin Sphere level maps, with different areas connected by yellow lines. Each segment (a town/forest/cavern) is a straight line with an exit and entrance, and different sections or floors that can be explored (again, similar to Valkyrie Profile dungeons and towns).

The item gathering and mixing in Princess Crown is also identical to that in Odin Sphere. Both games have your items stored in bags (one of which is active at a time). You can purchase bigger bags to carry more items. When you wish to use an item in battle, the item wheel (also found in Odin Sphere) pops up and you choose what you wish to use.

Princess Crown also has fruit appear on trees in the background, which can be eaten, and has the farming aspect found in Odin Sphere. The only difference in Princess Crown is that plants just take a few moments to grow, where in Odin Sphere enemy spirits needed to be present for plants to absorb.

Cooking appears in both games as well. In Princess Crown, characters can cook on their own. You use spices, pans, pots and flavoring to create cooked foods or soups while traveling in areas or in towns. You can also bring ingredients to restaurants in towns to have food made for your characters in Princess Crown, a concept that returns in the Pooka Village in Odin Sphere. You don't need to collect recipes to create food in Princess Crown like in Odin Sphere - you just need to have the correct items.

The concept of alchemy, where you mix various items to create potions, is also present in Princess Crown, though it is implemented in a way similar to the Odin Sphere Pooka Village restaurants. You collect the ingredients needed for each potion, then take it to a potion shop in any town to have the shopkeeper make your potion for you. The ability to create potions in the field makes Odin Sphere a bit easier.

The Princess Crown graphics also feature a striking similarity to other Vanillaware titles. In fact, Gradriel bears a ing resemblence to Odin Sphere's Gwendolyn. Both titles feature incredibly detailed characters. Each one looks, behaves and moves in a unique manner. Both titles also share vivid backgrounds that almost have as much personality as the characters. So strong attention to detail and design becomes a recurring theme throughout each game.

Battle in Princess Crown is 'somewhat' similar to Odin Sphere. Instead of a set number of enemies appearing on each stage that must be wiped out, they pop up in 'random encounter' fashion. The hero or heroine then faces off in a battle against that character that is reminiscent of a fighting game. This concept has been refined in Odin Sphere, as all enemies appear at one time to be eliminated - making the game a bit more challenging.

The "POW" meter in Odin Sphere also is present in Princess Crown. You have to gauge your actions to ensure you don't overextend your character. There is also leveling up in both games. Princess Crown has all fields increase based on battle experience, though hit points can be increased by one point at a time by eating grilled foods. Odin Sphere adds an extra bit of strategy by having hit points level up by eating and weapons level up by absorbing fallen enemies.

It is interesting to actually experience playing both games, as you can see how one earlier title impacts another. Plus, you get to see just how the wonderful elements of Odin Sphere came to be, and re-experience a classic game. An original copy of the Sega Saturn Princess Crown may be quite a hot commodity now, but the PSP port of Princess Crown is still available in Japan, and a budget-priced 'best' title that can be played without any knowledge of Japanese.

Images Courtesy of Atlus.

The post A Vanillaware Retrospective: Exploring Princess Crown’s Effect On Odin Sphere appeared first on Siliconera.

The post Odin Sphere: More than just a pretty picture appeared first on Siliconera.

I’ve been lucky enough to play Odin Sphere a few weeks before the game is officially released in North America and so far it’s been fantastic. When you start Odin Sphere you’re in a library where a little girl reads books with each character’s story. The first book available is “Valkyrie” where you play as Gwendolyn, Odin’s daughter. After her battle hardened older sister, Griselda, is killed in Gwendolyn tries to fill her shoes and gain the respect from her father she desires.

Odin Sphere is a throwback to the 8 bit/16 bit era where everything takes place on a linear battlefield. Gwendolyn can attack her enemies (goblin, frogs and little bear cubs that wear messenger bags) with a four hit combo, a swift aerial strike and a sweeping move that breaks through a guarding enemy. To prevent players from button mashing their way through fights Odin Sphere adds in a POW meter. Every time you swipe your spear a bar of energy is drained from the POW meter and if it empties out Gwendolyn cannot attack or move until it refills. You’re penalized heavily for letting the POW meter run out, which encourages players to connect their attacks and occasionally retreat to let the POW meter refill. A faster way to fill up the POW meter is to pick up glowing Phozons that enemies leave when they are defeated. By holding R1 Gwendolyn will draw Phozons from fallen enemies, but while you are absorbing Phozons Gwendolyn is defenseless. Phozons serve another purpose, they act as energy for special skills. Gwendolyn’s first skill summons a moving cyclone that hits a group of enemies. It’s great for crowd control because it stuns enemies for a brief second, which leaves them vulnerable to a sweeping attack.

Like other 16-bit games Odin Sphere has larger than life boss fights. One of the first bosses Gwendolyn meets is a dragon that throws huge junk balls at her. You can fight the dragon head on, but you’ll probably have a hard time beating it that way since it has the tendency to eat Gwendolyn if she is too close. Instead it’s a better idea to take advantage of the circular battlefield. While Odin Sphere is in 2D the battlefields loop and in the top right portion of the screen you can see Gwendolyn’s place and what enemies are up ahead. If Gwendolyn runs around the whole field she will end up behind the dragon, a perfect place to strike  without having to worry about getting hit until the dragon turns around. After beating the dragon or eliminating all of the enemies in a field you get a letter grade and are awarded with a treasure chest full of items. The kinds of items you earn depend on how fast you complete the area and how little damage Gwendolyn takes. This system can get sort of punishing if you're barely making the grade. You won't have a surplus of healing items and you'll find yourself with a shallow pocketbook.

Items like hot cross buns and lamb chops recover Gwendolyn’s HP and they also boost her HP experience. So every time you eat a mulberry you’re slightly closer to getting a permanent HP boost. While you can earn healing items from chests and they are available to buy at stores, you can grow them by planting seeds. When you plant a mulberry seed into the ground it automatically draws nearby Phozons. After absorbing five Phozons two mulberries pop out for Gwendolyn to eat. Odin Sphere limits Gwendolyn to a meager sixteen items in her inventory and that includes accessories that are equipped.  Gwendolyn can meld her items together to make alchemy material, numbered vials that are used to make potions when she mixes them with various mandragoras. Alchemy is pretty essential, it’s the only way to make sure you have a healthy supply of useful items like napalm to throw on boss monsters and antidotes to cure Gwendolyn from poison (it seems like almost every monster in the second stage inflicts poison….).

Odin Sphere is proving itself to be an engaging title on top of being one of the best looking games on the Playstation 2. I can’t wait to unlock more of the characters and see how the stories come together, but that will have to wait until later. Crow asked about the game’s load times and I don’t know if I can give a fair answer since my PS2 is pretty old. However, each time you go it a new area there is a loading screen where Gwendolyn runs past a story book and then there is a little more waiting before enemies appear on screen. We're going to have more hands on Odin Sphere coverage soon so keep your eyes out for it.

The post Stepping into Odin Sphere appeared first on Siliconera.

In just one week (two for North America) Odin Sphere is going to be on store shelves. Contrary to popular belief Odin Sphere is a 2D action game, similar to Final Fight but with RPG elements and this video demonstrates how the game plays. After you defeat your enemies they release glowing pink psyphers that you can use to do special attacks like summoning a huge cyclone. I got a copy of Odin Sphere yesterday, so we’re going to have some hands on Odin Sphere coverage soon. If you have questions about Odin Sphere, post them in the comments and I’ll try to answer them.

[youtube]F_rhPHsxJPk[/youtube] 

The post Watch: Odin Sphere gameplay footage appeared first on Siliconera.