Sadly, JRPG July must come to an end, but luckily I’ve got another great Community Game-Along theme lined up for August! While many months are themed around game genres, I also like to mix in specific game developers from time to time, as well. This time around, August is all about PlatinumGames!
Kyoukai no Shirayuki was my most anticipated game of the year, so I’m really excited to finally share it with you! As a dark otome game loosely based on aspects of Snow White with art by Kinako (Gatchaman Crowds), it ticks all the boxes for me. But since I can be incredibly slow to actually finish things, I thought it would be fun to share my first impressions of the game after finishing Saji Kakeya’s route!
Level-5 announced that it is venturing into the realm of otome games with Otome Yūsha, or Otome Hero, slated to release on iOS and Android this winter! The game is being builded as an otome RPG, with players will take on the role of a female hero accompanied by 24 male warriors of various fantasy races known as “slayers.” It is planned to be the beginning of a cross-media franchise, which will include books and an anime! 
According to the official website, players can choose three slayers to go into battle, and while battles will be automated, you will be able to support the slayers with items and skills. By choosing a favorite character, you will also be able to read through their story, which of course involves some romance!
Perhaps the biggest draw of Otome Hero for otome game fans is that the character designs are all done by Kurahana Chinatsu, who is most famous for her work Uta no Prince-sama. You can see her designs in action in the official trailer, featuring animation by A-1 Pictures (which also worked on the Uta no Prince-sama anime):
While the game has only been announced for Japan so far, Level-5 has submitted trademarks for both Otomé HERO and Otmé HERO in Europe, suggesting an English release may be in the future. Here’s hoping!
Long time no OyatsuBox! Unfortunately due to a postal mixup I didn’t receive May’s box, but I’m back for my regular monthly OyatsuBox reviews! July may be nearly over, but today I’m going to be reviewing June’s awesome box, which included OyatsuBox’s first ever drink. Read on to see what kinds of Japanese snacks, candy, and other goodies await for monthly OyatsuBox subscribers!
In honor of JRPG July I wanted to take the opportunity to spotlight Long Gone Days, a dystopian Japanese-inspired RPG currently on Indiegogo. Currently in development for Windows, Mac, and Linux, Long Gone Days is billed as a character-driven RPG with visual novel elements, and it features gorgeous pixel art and anime-style illustrations!
One of the most interesting aspects of this war-themed RPG is the language barriers posed by encountering soldiers of different backgrounds, meaning you’ll need to use characters with interpreting skills to be able to understand certain conversations. How cool is that?!
To see the game in action, head to its Itch.io page to download the demo. If you decide to help Long Gone Days reach its funding goal, you can gain a digital copy of the game when it’s completed for just $12. However, this early bird special is only available to the first 200 backers, so don’t delay!
Makeup isn’t usually my wheelhouse, but the new custom eyeshadow palette feature on Shu Uemura’s Japanese website, My Color Atelier, was too cute not to check out. Simply plug in an image of your choice and it will spit out four complementary Shu Uemura eyeshadows, making it great for whipping up some unique looks!
After seeing a lot of anime and manga-inspired palettes being shared on Twitter with the official hashtag #shuカラーホリック, I was inspired to try my own. Since Cardcaptor Sakura already has some of the cutest illustrations around and I’m in full Sakura fervor thanks to the gorgeous 20th anniversary figure, I figured it would be a perfect candidate for the My Color Atelier. Let’s see how they turned out!
I don’t normally advocate for people to sign video game-related petitions, because frankly they’re often rather silly requests, but Tei Kamiya’s Change.org petition to have Kenka Bancho Otome localized is not only a worthy cause, it’s also not entirely impossible. Developer Spike Chunsoft has mentioned on multiple occasions that they will consider localizing the game if there’s enough interest, so it’s time to make our voices heard!