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
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!
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- Mineko’s Bedroom
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- Mysterious Neko…
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- The Shrine
Mineko’s Night Market on Steam
Mineko’s Night Market on Nintendo Switch
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.
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- Mystia
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- The shrine
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- Inventory
Tohou Mystia’s Izakaya on Steam
Tohou Mystia’s Izakaya on Nintendo Switch
GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon
One 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.
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- Your home
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- Limbo
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- Me about to die
GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon on Steam
GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon on Nintendo Switch
Happy Gaming!
Bebe Taian
CHOKO Blog
Gion Kobu