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!

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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!

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Can you believe it’s been two years since I started doing Community Game-Alongs here at Chic Pixel? I certainly can’t! What began as a month dedicated to celebrating Nihon Falcom games has evolved into a fun event where every month of the year is designated a new video game-related theme, and I’m so excited to continue it into 2016.

If you’re new to the Community Game-Along, fundamentally it’s very simple: all you have to do is play at least one game that fits the theme of the month. Try a title you’ve never played before, revisit an old favorite, or share your experiences with others… As long as it fits the theme, how you choose to join in is up to you! For those that like to plan ahead, I’ve compiled a full list of the themes for 2016:

January – Dating Sims
February – Fishing games (suggested by @_Kimimi!)
March – Monster Hunter-likes
April – Yuzo Koshiro (composer)
May – Metroidvania
June – Media tie-in games (suggested by @BadoorSNK!)
July – JRPGs
August – PlatinumGames
September – Strategy games
October – Horror games
November – Erotic (R18+/adult content) games
December – Hudson Soft games

I hope to see lots of you participating over the course of the year!