For the media savvy, there’s a strong chance of familiarity with Luo Guanzhong’s fourteenth-century historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Thanks to Koei-Tecmo’s prolific Dynasty Warriors franchise, John Woo’s 2008 film, Red Cliff, and ...

Not long ago, message boards were proclaiming that the death of the Japanese role-playing game was imminent. Stagnancy seemed to be the genre’s unassailable final boss, and developers had run out of creativity-restoring potions. But ...

Often it’s the attractive full-screen images known as CGs (for Computer Graphics) which attracts an audience toward a visual novel. But arguably, it’s the narrative that faces a tougher job- with exposition and dialog tasked ...

Following an agonizing eight year, two console generation hiatus, historical simulation Romance of the Three Kingdoms returns, shepherding in a selection of new releases. If a recreation of Luo Guanzhong essential text isn’t your thing, ...

Unquestionably, Full Mojo Rampage is a game with a myriad of moving parts. On a rudimentary level, the circle-strafing protagonist launches an unrelenting flurry of projectiles at skeletons, snakes, and bomb-carrying foes. In another way, ...

What is the concept? Following The Fruit of Grisaia’s (Gurizaia no Kajitsu) 2011 release in Japan, Sekai Project mounted a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising nearly half a million dollars to fund an English localization for ...

Here’s the irony surrounding a discussion of Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma- revealing even the slightest detail threatens to diminish the experience. So, if you were a fan of 2009’s Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors or ...

From Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE, and the physical release of Grand Kingdom, role-playing fans have a number of reasons to be excited. And if that trio of temptations doesn’t interest ...

Japanese role-playing games are often criticized for not offering enough innovation. According to detractors, most new efforts do little more than recycle well-established plots and play mechanics.  But spend a few hours with either the ...

What is the concept? When Clannad was originally released in 2004, the visual novel resonated with quite a few Japanese readers. Although identifying with a standoffish delinquent might seem like a lofty hurdle, the storyline ...