It’s the big live one! If you didn’t catch us live and in full color on Twitch, you can view the unedited recording here. Or if audio podcasts are still your thing, listen on! But even live, it’s the same old Pixel x Pixel you know and love. Marcus has started going through the WarioWare series as part of his Checking the Score column, tries and fails to play an online game with a friend, and he shocks everyone by picking up an anime series to watch. Meanwhile, Anne regales the tale of her All Aksys stream appearance and how she is now an artiste. Plus, we hear what news our viewers are most interested in, and answer a question from the live chat!
24:00 – Media Minutes: Back 4 Blood, Cooking with Paris, Paranoia Agent, It, Highlander, Speed, Phone Booth, Genshin Impact 1:04:00 – Notable News:Sony acquires Crunchyroll, Seven Seas licenses 3 danmei novels by MXTX, Touken Ranbu Musou announced, El Shaddai coming to PC September 1
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
The All Aksys stream this past Friday was chock full of exciting news for otome game fans! Aksys Games was kind enough to invite me to record a segment about the games to air during the stream, so I’ve been sitting on this news for a little while now… I could hardly contain myself! Anyway, if you missed the livestream, Aksys announced that they will be localizing four additional Otomate games, bringing their upcoming otome lineup to seven!
The new titles announced are Lover Pretend, Paradigm Paradox, Kimi wa yukima ni koinegau, and Piofiore: Episodio 1926, the sequel to Piofiore: Fated Memories. Plus, the upcoming three previously-announced otome games, Olympia Soirée, Dairoku: Agents of Sakuratani, and Variable Barricade each now have a special Aksys store bonus soundtrack CD version available for preorder for an additional $10. Olympia Soirée is coming out very soon on September 9, so there’s not long to wait for more otome game goodness!
If you’d like to watch the recording of my appearance on the All Aksys stream and learn more about the titles, you can do so below! I’d recommend checking out the trailers over on the Aksys Games YouTube channel first so you can visualize the titles as Sami and I chat about them.
Since I already did a pretty summary of each title in the video, I’ll refrain from doing the complete overview again here. But since I didn’t really share my personal thoughts on the stream, I’d say I’m most excited for Lover Pretend, since it looks like a really fun romcom with gorgeous art and bright colors. Plus, it has Tomoaki Maeno, who plays Lupin in Code: Realize along with a lot of other great characters! Visual-Novel.Info has a great overview of the VAs in each announced title plus other otome/joseimuke roles they’ve had if you’d like more info (the site is in German but can be translated at the top left).
Paradigm Paradox also looks amazing because of the magical girl theme and the gender-bending aspect: each of the eight guys transforms into a magical girl! I don’t think that’s something I’ve seen in an otome game before (though as soon as I post this someone will probably remind me of one I’m forgetting) and I’m really excited to see how it plays out in the game. KimiYuki also looks great, though it’s a more series story and a historical setting, which is not always my favorite. But it has a killer voice actor cast and great art by the artist behind Clock Zero, so it’s shaping up to be really good, as well!
Of course, Piofiore: Episodio 1926 is a wonderful announcement for all of the fans of the first game. I haven’t played beyond the common route yet, so I need to get on it ASAP! What title are you looking forward to most? Let me know in the comments!
Idea Factory International, the international branch of Otomate’s parent company Idea Factory, recently had a summer event stream where they announced not one, but two otome game localizations, and teased a third! Cupid Parasite was announced fall 2021 release (for those in the Northern Hemisphere), and a Birushana Senki: Genpei Hika Musou localization was confirmed without a release window specified.
This news is especially exciting as it marks IFI’s return to otome game localization! While Idea Factory is Otomate’s parent company, IFI hasn’t published any English otome games in quite a while. Previously, they took over the Hakuoki series from Aksys Games and put out Amnesia: Memories on PC and PSP, but there’s been nothing from them since then. And personally, Cupid Parasite is an otome game I’ve had on my wishlist for a while, so I’ll definitely be picking it up when it comes out! In fact, there’s even a limited edition available to preorder, though the contents haven’t been revealed yet.
Cupid Parasite follows a top bridal advisor for a company that specializes in finding the perfect match for their clients, but the secret to her success is that she’s actually the goddess of love, Cupid! She’s been tasked to find love for the company’s five most difficult clients, so she comes up with a plan to host a reality sharehouse-style TV show starring the five men.
I love the vibrant art in this game, which is done by Café Enchanté artist Yuuya. The scenario writer is Ririka Yoshimura, who also worked on Café Enchanté and the very well-regarded Ken ga Kimi. In terms of voice actors, if you enjoyed Shiraishi in Collar X Malice or Nicola in Piofiore, you’ll be pleased to know that their voice actor, Makoto Furukawa, plays the role of Allan Melville! Not only that, but Allan is an incubus who works in a luxury pillow store… No, I’m not making this up!
Other notable voice actors include KENN, voice of Shelby Snail (yup), who you probably know from at least half a dozen other anime and video games. He features as Limbo in the recent English otome game release Bustafellows, and plays Urianger in Final Fantasy XIV. Junya Enoki plays the fashion designer Ryuki F Keisaiin – you might know him from OZMAFIA!! as Hansel or Yuji from Jujitsu Kaisen. I could go on, but then we’d be here all day!
As for Birushana Senki, I’ll admit I haven’t followed that one as closely due to the fact that I’m not always that keen on historical dramas, but I know a lot of folks who have very good things to say about it, and the art is certainly gorgeous! This one takes place during the Heian period and features a heroine who is raised as a man to fight in the Genpei War after her father is killed.
Makoto Furukawa also features in Birushana as Minamoto no Yorimoto, and if you’ve played NEKOPARA – Catboys Paradise, you’ll recognise Sage’s VA Yuichiro Umehara as Benkei Musashibo! Taira no Shigehara is played by frequent otome game and anime voice actor Jun Fukuyama, who is also Mozu in Bustafellows, Tokiwa in the upcoming Aksys Games otome game Dairoku: Agents of Sakuratani, and perhaps most famously, Lelouch in Code Geass.
As for that final, mystery game… Who can say? I’d love to hear your guesses in the comments! I’m still holding out hope that Otomate will give Moujuutsukai to Oujisama a second chance after its failed Kickstarter a few years back, but I’m not counting on it…
Sady, after an eight-year run, the PS Vita’s life has come to an end. As of this week, consoles have officially stopped being produced in Japan, well after units (and games!) became hard to find on shelves overseas.
Perhaps you’re like me and loved the PS Vita for its extensive range of otome games, even in English. Or, maybe you’ve been on the fence about getting a PS Vita and want to know if it’s worth the purchase just for the English otome games available. To help you on your quest, no matter what it may be, I’ve compiled a list of all English PS Vita otome games, both physical and digital!
Marcus is building an arcade machine! Anne is teaching the future generation how to sing Disney songs in Japanese! An old multiplayer shooter, and a new one! Nintendo Direct news! It’s a whole new episode of Pixel x Pixel!
20:00 – Media Minutes: Night in the Woods, Russian Doll, Apex Legends, Left 4 Dead, Steam Prison (Marcus’ review), Steins;Gate Elite 53:00 – Notable Nintendo News: Nintendo Direct discussion (Rune Factory 4 and 5, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and more!)
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from AlphabetPlanet by Hiroki Kikuta
To celebrate the dating sim Community Game-Along, I’ve teamed up with MangaGamer to give away one digital copy of their upcoming otome game, Steam Prison! This exciting steampunk romance comes out on PC just in time for Valentine’s Day, and you could be one of the first to play on release day!
Just enter using the widget below. Be sure to check back every day to complete daily entries for more chances to win!
The giveaway closes on February 14th at 4:05 pm PST (7:05 pm EST) and is open worldwide. One winner will receive a code for Steam Realize redeemable on Steam. The winner will be randomly selected and contacted via email shortly after the giveaway ends so you can start playing as soon as possible. Good luck!
February 1st has meant exactly one thing here at Chic Pixel: It’s the start of the dating sim Community Game-Along! Get in the romantic spirit for Valentine’s Day or just because romance games are awesome by playing a dating sim anytime this month to participate!
