This year’s Anime Expo has been especially exciting for BL (boys’ love) game fans. So far, there have been English localization announcements for not one, but five BL games! JAST Blue, JAST USA’s BL label, will be localizing Nitro+CHiRAL’s entire library, including their upcoming release Slow Damage. Meanwhile, MangaGamer has announced they will be localizing Luckydog1, a BL game about members of the mafia.
At the beginning of March, I took the plunge and started a Patreon for Chic Pixel and my other creative endeavors, and I’ve already passed two of my goals! I can’t believe it – I wouldn’t have been able to do it without your help! Since it’s nearing the end of the month, the first pledges will be going through soon, so I wanted to share a breakdown of exactly what you’ll get if you’d like to support Chic Pixel with a monthly pledge. If you’ve been on the fence, now’s the time!
Did you tune in to the 15 minute Nintendo Direct dedicated entirely to the long-awaited Animal Crossing mobile game that aired yesterday? The game, titled Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, was finally unveiled, with a worldwide release slated for late November. However, it turns out that Australians get to play the game early! It’s already available to download on both the Google Play Store and iOS App Store in Australia, so I jumped on the opportunity to try out the game. (Pokémon Go was also released in Australia and Japan before other territories, so it seems like we’re a popular spot to test out apps before their worldwide release)
Check out the above video to see a little over 10 minutes of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp in action! I share my current campsite, visiting villagers, all the different areas you can explore in the game, and more! My first impression from the Nintendo Direct was that the game seemed way more involved than I had previously assumed an Animal Crossing mobile game would be, and so far the game itself is living up to that.
As you may know, I’m a huge fan of Animal Crossing and even purchased the Japanese limited edition Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS XL back in 2012 so I could play the game before it came out in English! While Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is not a completely fleshed-out Animal Crossing game in that some of the customization is stripped away (you can’t make your own clothing or decor patterns at this point in time, for example), but it’s dripping with the same adorable charm.
What do you think of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp so far? Does it look like it’s going to live up to a proper Animal Crossing release, or will it fall prey to microtransactions? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Every once in a while I like to do a short survey to see what you all most enjoy about Chic Pixel, and what areas I could improve in. This really helps me decide what kind of content to focus on, so please take a couple of minutes to complete the survey!
The survey consists of 3 multiple choice questions about what kind of content you like best and what you would like to see more of, along with a space for you to send me more detailed thoughts/suggestions. Thank you in advance!
To celebrate the end of JRPGJuly Community Game-Along, you can get 25% off all items in my TeePublic curator store, Chic Pixel Picks, until the end of the month! Just use code “JRPGJuly” at checkout or follow this link and the discount will automatically be applied! I’ve added a ton of fun JRPG designs, such as the ones in the image above, to my JRPG album. Here are a few more of my favorites:
Aksys Games continues to be a huge supporter of otome game English releases with not one but four new game announcements at Anime Expo! In 2018, Aksys Games will release 7’scarlet, Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly, Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk, and Code: Realize ~Bouquet of Rainbows~. In addition, Aksys named a release date for one of their previous otome game announcements, Bad Apple Wars, which will be launching in North America on September 29th in both regular and limited editions.
Author Tom Lintern has a unique way of approaching his Kickstarter campaigns: instead of looking to fund an entire book in one go, he’s been publishing his sci-fi fantasy epic Girrion Book 1: The Chrysalis and the Stone graphic novel issue by issue. Last year, I covered Girrion‘s issue 4 and 5 Kickstarter. Now, Tom is up to issue 7, and it’s fully funded with 5 days to go!
Girrion tells the story of Jarra, a factory worker who dreams of bigger things. When his city is attacked, he’s thrust in the middle of a war… which is probably not the best way to get out of your boring day job! If you like sweeping sci-fi adventures, check out the first 12 pages of Girrion issue 1 over at the official website!
If you’re interested in contributing to the Kickstarter but are worried about how you’ll catch up to issue 7, never fear! For $14, you can grab PDFs of all 7 issues, or $58 for printed versions (the print bundle also includes PDFs, pencil work PDFs for issues 4-7, and a desktop wallpaper). Or, if you’d like to show your support and just get a taste of what Girrion has to offer, you can get a PDF of the first issue for only $2! For more backer reward options, be sure to check out the Kickstarter page.
Since Tom has extensive experience publishing Girrion with the help of Kickstarter, you can rest easy knowing rewards will be delivered promptly and professionally. At the time of this post, there are only 5 days left to back the Kickstarter, so don’t delay!