Tag: games

Japanese-themed game reviews, just in time for Steam summer sale!

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I had initially planned to do separate entries about these games sometime in the near future, but since the Steam summer sale is live now I figured it would be best to share them with you all while you can snatch them up at big discounts! These games all feature Japanese (or Japanese-inspired) visuals and culture in one way or another so if you’re looking to inject a bit of wa into your gaming, keep reading!

(Fun note, these are also all on sale on the Nintendo Switch store so if that’s your platform you can totally snag these games on sale too.)

Mineko’s Night Market

Mineko's Night Market

I started playing Mineko’s  Night Market the day it was released a few years back. I was so excited by the adorable, almost picture-book graphics and the heavy emphasis on traditional Japanese art and craft. You play as Mineko, a young girl who moves to a rural town with her father. The main focus is learning about Nikko, the mysterious giant maneki-neko who is the mythical protector of the area. You end up helping him escape a shady government agency while things like ikebana, origami, and cooking delicious ramen to help the villagers. Once a week there is a night market where you can purchase rare items and products and participate in challenges to earn trophies and prizes.

At release, the game was very buggy and while it’s been vastly improved there are still issues so do keep that in mind. However, my main beef with this game is that parts of it are incredibly grindy. I know in this sort of game that’s the main challenge, but for example if you don’t collect enough flowers in one specific part you end up having to go through all the seasons again before you can progress in the story. So my biggest piece of advice would be to collect everything you possibly can. Even if you think you don’t need a particular resource any more, hoard it anyway. Learn from my mistake.

If you’re looking for a cozy, relaxing collection/resource grind kind of game with a charming storyline that feels like a love letter to Japanese tradition, you should definitely check out Mineko’s Night Market. If only one of her clothing choices was a proper kimono!

Mineko’s Night Market on Steam
Mineko’s Night Market on Nintendo Switch

Tohou Mystia’s Izakaya

Tohou Mystia's Izakaya

When I think of the Tohou Project, I generally think of overwhelming bullet-hell shooter games that are absolutely not up my alley; definitely not cozy resource management games. Tohou Mystia’s Izakaya, like a lot of other Tohou games, is a fan-made creation that turns the series on its head. You play as Mystia Lorelei, a nigh sparrow youkai, who is fulfilling her dream of turning a small food stand into a series of fully-fledged izakaya. The game is split into the daytime, where you collect resources and increase your bonds with the other youkai, and the nighttime, where you cook and serve customers to keep everyone as happy as possible. The artwork is charming retro-style pixel art and the gameplay is straightforward and simple, but the night/day mechanic keeps it from getting too repetitive.

This was on my wishlist for ages and I finally bit the bullet (ha, appropriate for a spinoff of a bullet-hell series) when the sale went live, which was actually the impetus for this post. I’m very glad I did, as it’s a great relaxing game and a little break from my currently bonkers work life.

Tohou Mystia’s Izakaya on Steam
Tohou Mystia’s Izakaya on Nintendo Switch

GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon

GetsuFumaDen: Undying MoonOne of these things is very much not like the others. While the first two games I’ve featured are adorable, resource-management and life-sim type games, GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon is a hack ‘n slash roguelike and not my typical sort of game at all. Frankly, I suck at it. But it’s so absolutely visually stunning that I keep playing, and had to include it in this list. The art style is lifted straight out of traditional woodblock prints. I especially love the home base and Shrine Maiden designs, because of course I do, but a lot of the enemies (the first boss especially) give off very strong Kuniyoshi’s Sōma no furu-dairi vibes. The gameplay is straightforward and not overly complicated, but the roguelike element is particularly frustrating to me. If you’re like me and prefer comfy, cozy, casual games then this might not be on your to-play list, but if you love traditional Japanese woodblock prints and enjoy a challenging but ultimately rewarding game, I definitely recommend giving it a try! I haven’t given up and will keep trying to play for a while now, but I suspect in the end I will just watch Keith play it so I can ogle the gorgeous visuals without losing my mind.

GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon on Steam
GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon on Nintendo Switch

Happy Gaming!

Kimono Outfit Inspiration Generator!

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Feel like playing with kimono coordinations, but aren’t sure where to start? Use this to generate ideas, and use as few or as many as you like! I made it to keep myself from going bonkers at work earlier today, and figured it would be fun to share it.

It will generate two sets of data. Traditional will give you a few simple options to work from, and Adventurous may result in some really out-there looks. You don’t have to use everything it suggests, but it would be fun to try getting them all into one coordination! If this results in any really cool (or really ridiculous) combinations and you put them together, I’d love to see them.

(Best viewed on a full screen, parts may overflow or be cut off on mobile apps)

Washitsu Games!

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As I’ve mentioned recently I love miniatures, and you guys know how much I love silly dress-up games. Somehow though, I never thought to combine the two until recently. I know there are things like Animal Crossing and Second Life that allow you to customise your own spaces, but those require a fair bit of investment of time and effort. I was looking for more casual alternatives so I went searching for online games to decorate traditional Japanese-style rooms and I was not disappointed!

sakuraSakura House Decoration Game - This is the most immersive of the ones I've found. You can decorate four rooms: living room, kitchen, bedroom, and an exterior courtyard. There's not a huge selection of furniture, but there's enough to make a cute little vignette in each room, or you can choose to do what I've done here and make a studio-style one-room house. There are also a few kimono-clad female figures you can put in the rooms, but their outfits are not particularly accurate and they don't interact with the room in any way. Personally, I think the empty rooms are much cuter.
tatamiJapanese Tatami Room - Pretty much what it says on the tin! There's one room with a fixed structural layout (door, window, cabinet nook, and tokonoma) and you can choose all the finishes and surfaces, and then add in accents of seating, tables, and accessories. Not a huge selection, but still fun and relaxing.
exterior-designer-japanese-gardenExterior Designer - Japanese Garden - This one actually an exterior-only game. You can choose from a set selection of backgrounds, middle-grounds, foregrounds, paths, and bridges to combine into a cohesive and beautiful garden. There's not a ton of options, but it's very relaxing to play with.
Home Sweet HomeHome Sweet Home by Big Blue Bubble - I debated whether or not to include this one, due to the difficulty installing and running it, but it's pretty enough that I decided to go for it. I mentioned popular sandbox/decor games like The Sims and Second Life already, but this game is a bit of a hidden gem. There's no social aspect, no interaction, it really is all about the decorating aspect. There's a thin semblance of plot, essentially you're a designer and have to renovate rooms for clients, meeting their needs and wants. For every success you have, you unlock items and rooms in your own house that you can decorate to your heart's desire. There's a wide selection of far east Asian-inspired items and essentially no rules. Unfortunately, this game is quite old, and can be finicky on newer machines. It's available for purchase in the above link, and can also be torrented. I don't usually condone that sort of thing, but the game is old, finicky to run, and no longer has any support system.

I do apologise for the lack of content lately – it’s just been so infernally hot here in Montreal that I haven’t had the energy to undress and redress the mannequin, or even to scan a few of the books I’ve got lined up for review. Things are finally starting to cool down and I’ve got a bunch of pretty new things to show you guys, so hopefully we’ll be back to normal soon!

ねこあつめ – Neko Atsume!

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Ok, so this post is only very loosely related to kimono, but I thought it was worth sharing! You may have heard of the mobile app called ねこあつめ (Neko Atsume), as it’s gone a bit viral recently. It’s very adorable, and very easy. All you have to do is make sure your kitties have food and toys, and they will come visit your garden, sometimes leaving you little trinkets or currency. You only have to check it a couple of times a day, and it’s more of a cute diversion than an actual game.

The main reason I’m posting, though, is that a few of the rare kitties available wear kimono!

neko_samurai_cropThis guy's name is Osamurai-san. You can try to coax him into your garden by putting out the Sakura Zabuton or the High Quality Log.
maroThis is Maromayu-san, and he wears traditional Heian era garb. He'll come visit if you put out the Mari Ball item, and sashimi for food.

And once you’ve expanded your garden, you can also buy a very pretty little Japanese garden theme for it:

Neko Atsume garden

You can download Neko Atsume for free for iOS here and Android here. There is a great English-language tutorial available here, and another handy guide here on MeoWoof!