We’ve reached the end of the most successful JRPG July to date! It was wonderful to see everyone’s contributions, so even though I ultimately didn’t have time to do weekly roundups as originally intended, I wanted to make sure to take the time to highlight as many as possible to thank those who participated this year. If you haven’t caught up on week one yet, be sure to check that out before reading on. But for now, I’m going to get right to it, because there’s a lot to cover in this post!
I can’t believe how many participants there’ve been in JRPG July so far this year! As such, I thought it would be the perfect time to bring back my weekly roundup posts to highlight some of the games people have been playing, as well as the various podcast/let’s play/blog post contributions we’ve had. It’s still early in the month, so if you’d still like to join in the fun, head over to my original announcement post to get all the details!
July is nearly upon us, and that means it’s time to start picking out games for JRPGS July! Created as part of my monthly Community Game-Alongs, JRPG July has proved to be the most popular theme by far. I’m excited to see what everyone plays throughout the month!
But first, allow me to explain the rules: to participate in JRPG July, simply play a JRPG. That’s it! But to get the most out of the festivities, share your experiences and connect with other participants by tagging your posts with #JRPGJuly on social media. You don’t have to stop there, though – why not share a blog post, podcast, or gameplay video, too? The goal is to get as many people playing and enjoying JRPGs as possible, so do spread the word!
Since July is often a slow release month, this is a great time to knock off some games in your backlog, but there are also a lot of great JRPGs that have recently come out or will be coming out in July. Below are a few you might want to check out, but you can also head to the 2014 and 2015 JRPG July posts for more recommendations!
Hello June! Sadly, we’re now halfway through the Community Game-Along themes for 2016, but the good news is we still have lots of good themes left! For June, we’ll be doing a slightly different theme, as suggested by @BadoorSNK: media tie-in games!
Media tie-in games are often shunned as cheap cash grabs, but this month we’re going to celebrate some of the good ones! And maybe laugh at the bad ones? Either way, it’s going to be a blast!
Wait, it’s May already?! Where has the time gone? We need to get crackin’ on these Metroidvania games!
That’s right, the May Community Game-Along theme is Metroidvania games! I’m really excited for #MetroidvaniaMay to make a comeback, as it was one of the first themes once I started these events back in 2014. Since this post is coming a bit late this month, I’ll cut right to the chase: if you’d like to participate, all you have to do is play any game that qualifies as a “Metroidvania” title (and believe me, there is a lot of debate on what is and what isn’t). Be sure to share your experiences in thoughts using #MetroidvaniaMay so all the other participants can join in the fun!
If you need a few ideas, check out my original Metroidvania May post, or try one of these titles:
Bob’s Magical Chainsaw: A Lumberjack’s Tale (Browser) – Chic Pixel Plus’ very own Sarah O’Donnell helped make this free browser-based game last month for low rez jam, and since it has light Metroidvania mechanics, it’s perfect for this month’s Game-Along! If you’d like to hear a little about the process of making the game, she talks all about it on episode 43 of Chic Pixel Plus.
Salt and Sanctuary (PlayStation 4) – If you want to play a timely new release, Salt and Sanctuary just came out for PS4 this past March and has received praise for basically being a 2D Dark Souls game with Castlevania elements. It certainly has the dark vibe down!
Rabi-Rabi (PC) – Perhaps you prefer your Metroidvania with a dash of moe and bullet hell shooter? Then look no further than Rabi-Rabi! It also packs a good bang for your buck with loads of content and a hefty difficulty for true Metroidvania savants.
Valdis Story: Abyssal City (PC, Mac) – It’s always great to see a Kickstarter success story, and Valdis Story: Abyssal City is exactly that! Unfortunately I can’t say much else about this action platformer with RPG and Metroidvania elements, but from what I’ve heard, it’s considered one of the best recent releases in the genre!
What will you be playing for Metroidvania May? Share your picks and suggestions in the comments!
We’re already three days into April, which means we’re well into the Yuzo Koshiro Community Game-Along! After the Yoko Shimomura theme back in December, I wanted to make sure to feature another video game composer, and who better than the man of Ys, Streets of Rage, and Etrian Odyssey fame?! Though I can’t take full credit for the idea – Nitro of the MDisk Playlist podcast had me on to discuss Yuzo Koshiro a couple weeks back, prompting me to tie in April’s Community Game-Along theme. Be sure to give the episode a listen for an awesome overview of his impressive career!
It’s finally time for the 3rd annual Monster Hunter Community Game-Along! I originally dedicated a month to Monster Hunter and the various hunting games the series has inspired back in 2014 for its 10th anniversary, but now it’s become a mainstay of my Community Game-Alongs together with JRPG July. If you’re not a fan of Monster Hunter, never fear, as any hunting-like game is eligible for this month’s theme. So grab your title of choice, and let’s get hunting!
If you’re on social media, you can share your experiences with your chosen title or recommend games to other participants using #MonMonth. I’m always following along, so you just might get featured!
Aside from the obvious Monster Hunter games, there are a handful of other titles from Freedom Wars to Bloodborne that would count for this month’s theme. You can head over to my original MonMonth post for some suggestions, but here are a couple more recent picks that you might like to try!
Final Fantasy Explorers (3DS) – This is the Monster Hunter game for Final Fantasy fans! While it takes a lot of inspiration from Monster Hunter, it doesn’t have nearly as steep a learning curve, making it a great first foray into this style of game. Plus, you can dress your character up like iconic Final Fantasy characters! Since this was recently released, it should still be getting a lot of action online.
Toukiden Kiwami (PS4, Vita) – The sequel to Toukiden: The Age of Demons, Kiwami is a great pick if Japanese folklore-inspired monsters are more up your alley. It’s about as close as we’ll get to playing a current-gen Monster Hunter game on a home console for the time being, too. Luckily, it’s a very solid hunting game from the Dynasty Warriors crew.
As for me, I’m going to finally attempt to play MonHan Nikki: Poka Poka Airou Mura DX, a cute Monster Hunter spinoff game for the 3DS featuring the adorable cat critters known as felynes. Let’s see if I actually find time to dedicate to it!