Japan Archives - Page 3 of 4

Weekly Game Music: Bird’s Eye (Senko no Ronde DUO)

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Taro Omiya

New week, new music. This week’s music is a futuristic composition, Bird’s Eye, that sounds like it’s only a step away from spaghetti western. This strange hybrid of music genre by Yasuhisa Watanabe is conveniently in a game that also combines two unlikely gameplay: Senko no Ronde DUO.

Senko no Ronde DUO describes a future where the human race now lives beyond Earth. The Aria Federation, the space army of sorts, learns of an evil plot: someone is trying to obtain their best superweapon! The Federation immediately commands eight mech pilots to hunt and destroy this terrorist.

Senko no Rondo DUO is a 2-player mech fighter where both characters navigate on a single plane. Hits are dealt not through fists and feets, but through laser guns. And LOTS of them. Each character’s super-power practically turns them into a bullet-hell boss, switching the game from a 2-player shoot’em up to a bullet-dodging exercise.

Senko no Rondo DUO was released for Xbox 360 in Japan in 2010. No US or European release has been made.

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Weekly Game Music: Main Theme (Ni No Kuni: The Wrath of The White Witch)

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Taro Omiya

New week, new music. I’ve never expected to post any Joe Hisashi’s music — an infamous Japanese movie composer — yet here we are. Level-5’s collaboration with the legendary animators, Studio Ghibli, is nothing short of amazing. Ni No Kuni: The Wrath of The White Witch’s Main Theme is one epic music to be remembered for ages.

Ni No Kuni begins immediately with a tragedy: 13-year-old Oliver’s mother dies while rescuing her son. Oliver’s never-ending tears gives him a second chance, however. His treasured doll suddenly comes to life, and reveals that Oliver could revive his mother by traveling into a magical world, the Ni No Kuni. Oliver immediately accepts, and the duo goes treading through the new parallel universe.

Ni No Kuni is a JRPG that’s a bit like Pokemon. Oliver and his party members can collect a few monsters to aid them in battle. Each real-time battle takes placed in a flat arena (a lot like the Tales series), where the player can control one party member or monster, while the others are computer controlled. Up to 3 party members and 3 monsters can be used in each battle, accounting for some hectic action.

Ni No Kuni: The Wrath of The White Witch was released on the PS3 in 2013.

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Weekly Game Music: Mind Mapping (Beatmania IIDX 16: Empress)

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Taro Omiya

New week, new music. Continuing the techno trend, here’s Mind Mapping by Ryutaro Nakahata (hey, another Taro). It comes from a popular Japanese arcade game, Beatmania IIDX 16: Empress.

Beatmania IIDX 16 EMPRESS simulates a DJ deck using 5 buttons and a disk. Much like any rhythm game, the object is to hit the right button when the “notes” hit the bottom of the screen. The arcade was released in 2008 in Japan. It was later ported to the Playstation 2 in 2009.

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Weekly Game Music: The Gensokyo The Gods Loved (Touhou: Mountain of Faith)

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Taro Omiya

New week, new music. Since I’ve already posted Cave Story before, it’s only natural that I post about another game series created by one amazing Japanese man: the Touhou project by Junya Ota. Here’s a remix of The Gensokyo The Gods Lovedfrom Touhou: Mountain of Faith. It’s yet another trance from the infamous zts.

Touhou: Mountain of Faith begins when Reimu Hakurei, the Hakurei shrine’s miko (Japanese shrine maiden), is informed by mysterious authority that the shrine must be closed. Asking why, the figure claims the shrine lacks faith from its local citizens of Gensokyo. Confused, Reimu informs her magician friend, Marisa Kirisame, addressing the terrible consequences of closing the shrine. Marisa, noting that something smells fishy, convinces Reimu to investigate on this authority.

Touhou: Mountain of Faith is a top-down shooter, much like the old arcades. Unlike those arcades, however, ships and aliens are replaced with magical girls, fairies, gods and Japanese monsters. Most important, however, is how this series defines the aptly-named sub-genre, bullet hell. The game literally tests your pattern recognition of screens and screens of lasers.

Touhou: Mountain of Faith was released on the PC in 2007.

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Weekly Game Music: Caravan for 2 Pianos (Flyable Heart)

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Taro Omiya

New week, new music. I know I’m a week late, but forgive me on this one: I was moving. In any case, here’s a fun piano tune, Caravan for 2 Pianos from a Japan-only erotic visual novel, Flyable Heart. The playful composition by Ryo Mizutsuki sets the tone for this comical adventure

Flyable Heart protagonist, Syo Katsuragi, successfully transfers to a highly-prestigious high school, Ōtoriryōran Academy. Little does he suspect that a generic Japanese harem adventure awaits him! Upon entering, Syo is unfortunately (or fortunately) tossed into the girls dormitory, as the boys dormitory is crowded. Even worse (or better), his roommate is a robot. To make the best out of this unexpected (or expected) situation, he consults with the academy’s student council and Ryōran association. Which consists mostly of girls (go figure).

As with any visual novel, Flyable Heart plays a lot like a choose-you-own adventure books. The majority of the game is about reading through a story, occasionally interjected by a few choices one can take to veer the outcome. There isn’t much else to it, actually.

Flyable Heart was released on the PC in 2009.
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Strange Free Games: Katawa Shoujo

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Taro Omiya

Warning! I am about to introduce a Japanese-style erotic visual novel, better known as eroge. While this game does offer an option to turn off the adult portions, be well aware that this is made for a far more mature audience. And by “mature,” I mean emotionally.

New week, new game. This week is about Katawa Shoujo, a visual novel from the members of 4chan, no less. As a love simulator, this game has one simple twist: every girl you can date is handicapped. While I’m sure many of you will find the origins of this game uneasy, I can affirm that the subject matter is handled very delicately. By the end of it, it’ll make you realize the truth behind a frequently told but rarely understood point: the difference between a normal person and a disabled one is only skin deep.

Katawa Shoujo is playable at their own website.

You play as Hisao Naoki, who one day collapses from a sudden heart attack. Upon recovery, he learns he has a fatal condition called arrhythmia: a disorder that causes the heart to react erratically. Forced to stay in the dreadful hospital for months, he’s finally given a decision one day to move to the Yamaku boarding high school, an educational school specialized in tending students with medical conditions. In an attempt to start life anew again, Hisao agrees, and ventures into the high school for disabled students. Little does he expect a huge emotional roller-coaster when trying to make friends in this initially-peculiar high school.

As the genre “visual novel” implies, Katawa Shoujo reads a lot like a choose-your-own-adventure novels. The majority of the game is devoted to characterizations and observations, but occasionally the game gives you a few branching choices that determines how the story progresses. While that seems like a chore at first, several features in the game helps alleviate the hours-long text. First there’s an auto-mode that automatically clicks through the text for you at an adjustable pace. For the really impatient, there’s the skip-mode that fast-forwards to the next multiple-choice question.
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