In 2025, Final Fantasy IX, one my all-time favorite games, celebrated its 25th anniversary. Luckily for me, I just so happened to be in Tokyo when a special exhibition commemorating that occasion was being held! From development materials that had never been displayed before to exclusive merch, it was definitely a dream come true for a fan of the game. Read on for my full recap!
In honor of Silent Hill f‘s release last month, Konami hosted a limited-time popup for fans to experience food, props, and decorations inspired by the game in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA. The event, called A Taste of Ebisugaoka, ran from September 27 to October 19, 2025, and while I didn’t plan to make a special trip to Little Tokyo for it, I happened to be in the area for a concert, so I took the opportunity to swing by!
If there was anything that could get me to brush the dust off of this blog, it would be a Katamari Damacy collaboration cafe. Running from July 25 to September 2 at TOKYO PARADE goods & cafe in Shibuya PARCO, it is exactly the kind of thing that makes me wish I could just hop on a train and go – thus making it the ideal subject for a Japan Envy post!
To my knowledge, there has never been a Katamari Damacy collab cafe since the game originally came out for PlayStation 2 in 2004. We’ve already passed the 20 year anniversary, so what’s the special occasion? I’m not sure, but I’m sure not complaining!
Capcom has just announced its latest line of collab merchandise, and it’s with the adorable shiba line Shibaban by illustrator Yasuteru Ogoshi! There are five main designs from four of Capcom’s iconic game series, Okami (Amaterasu and Oki), Monster Hunter (Palamute), Mega Man (Rush), and Resident Evil (Cerberus). The Shibanban shiba looks absolutely adorable in … Read moreJapan Envy: Shibanban x Capcom
Aksys Games hosted a panel today at Anime Expo, and while unfortunately it wasn’t live streamed, a ton of game localization announcements were made! Of course, there were a few otome titles that I’m especially excited for, but there are a number of other awesome titles too. Read on for the full list!
Read moreAksys Game Localization Announcements – Anime Expo 2022
It’s not often I pick up a game based solely on a tweet, or find myself so enthralled by a game that I need to review it just to see more people talking about it, but here we are! Garage: Bad Dream Adventure came out on iOS and Android for the first time in English on December 16, 2021, and despite being an obscure Japanese video game with a unique, unsettling vibe, I’d never heard about it before my Twitter friend @furnuss posted about the release. (Update: As of July 2022, it is also available on PC!)
Immediately intrigued, I read up on the original game from 1999 and its journey to finally being released in English and knew I had to check it out. Since there seems to be very little talk about this exciting release, I had to share the news and my thoughts after fully completing the game!
My Dear Frankenstein is the latest English localization from Moonchime Studios, arriving just in time for spooky season. Developed by Japanese indie team Number7, this point-and-click adventure visual novel features a gothic tale inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and is available for PC and Mac as a digital download for $4.99 USD. If you’re looking for an atmospheric adventure game that deals with some dark themes without scares, this quaint game is the perfect Halloween romp.