Looking Longingly Towards The Rising Sun

In any more westerly gamer’s collection, there will doubtless be plenty of titles from the glorious land of Nippon. Since almost the start of video game history, we’ve been wowed by Japanese titles, and we’ve even seen entire console generations go by where the main onus has been the competition between two Japanese companies with the infamous rivalry between Nintendo and Sega. However, some top titles from Japan have been conspicuous by their absence from our shores, never seeing a western release. The HPP team takes a look at ten top titles that sorely deserve to be localized in our part of the world.

Shibai Michi

Now here was a game truly ahead of its time. A niche PS2 party game, Shibai Michi takes tropes from Japanese shows, movies, and manga and allows players to provide the voices. High school sweethearts confessing their love for one another on a rooftop, a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law arguing over a recipe, a Romeo and Juliet balcony drama, and more tired scenes are available to choose from.

Although players are encouraged to follow a script (and graded on their accuracy), it’s all too easy to go off the rails with a buddy and love of improv. If you are finding yourself short player 2, the CPU will be able to voice one of the two characters on screen (player’s choice!). Although a microphone is required, it appears to have been originally included with purchase.

For those interested, here’s a fan-translated video of a V-Tuber playing by herself; for two guys having way too much fun, here’s a non-translated video.

• Heather Johnson-Yu

Dunamis15

If the Zero Escape series proved anything, it’s that the world is eager for more suspenseful time loop games. This is why I believe the Suspense-fiction Adventure series games — Dunamis15 and Disorder6 — should eventually make their way west (in an official capacity). After all, they’re brought to us by the same team that has given us the niche yet notable hits Chaos Head Noah and Stein’s Gate, so there’s clearly reason to suspect there will be another warm reception to these titles. 

Set on an isolated island off the coast of Tokyo, Dunamis15 follows several high school protagonists split across a series of chapters. All is well for this special school for clones until an experiment suddenly goes awry one fateful day. In order to survive, the students will have to make some tough choices, and the player will have to figure out the correct path in this time-looping game to see things through to the end.

Although there hasn’t truly been so much as a whisper on the wind in terms of bringing this series west, I’m still holding out hope that one of my favorite newfound genres will see yet another officially translated title come our way.

• Heather Johnson-Yu

Kowloon’s Gate

I know I speak for many people when I say there’s a certain morbid fascination with the gone but not forgotten Kowloon Walled City. And while plenty of popular games are reminiscent of — or have drawn inspiration from — the infamous city, such as Final Fantasy VII, Shenmue II, and the more recent Stray, few actually take place within its cramped and cavernous walls.

There is one Japanese cult classic that does attempt to peel back the concrete curtain to reveal a dark and dangerous story within. Titled Kowloon’s Gate, this PlayStation game released on February 28, 1997 — mere months before Hong Kong’s Handover from the UK back to China after the end of the island’s 99 year lease. A timely release, indeed!

The events of Kowloon’s Gate are set in motion on June 22, 1997, when the Kowloon Walled City — completely demolished 3 years prior — emerges from the Yim Realm and returns to the Yang Realm. In order to correct this massive imbalance of Yin-Yang energy, The Hong Kong Supreme Feng Shui Conference has sent you, a Feng Shui practitioner, to explore the re-emerged city, locate the Four Symbols, and prevent untold calamity and chaos.

Although there are many things that make Kowloon’s Gate so unique, such as allowing players to explore a relatively modern anarchic city that no longer exists, what particularly interests me is its deep roots in Eastern spirituality at an exciting yet turbulent turning point in history. Kowloon’s Gate isn’t told through the lens of modern developers blessed by 20/20 hindsight vision; instead, what unfurls on-screen will resonate with players who remember the trepidation and uncertainty of the Y2K era — when long-gone seers like Nostradamus were regarded with far less skepticism and the fear of technology failing us in cataclysmic ways was palpably omnipresent. 

Although there’s sadly no sign of Kowloon’s Gate coming west any time soon, there’s some hope for reviving the series yet. A long awaited (albeit Japanese only) sequel, Kowloon’s Rhizome: A Day of the Fire, was announced in 2019 with an initial release date of 2020; however, even after a robust crowdfunding campaign, the game’s launch was pushed back to 2021, and has since then seemingly gone silent. At least we got a cool trailer out of it?

• Heather Johnson-Yu

Boku no Natsuyasumi

With the rising popularity of — and demand for — cozy games ever-increasing, it’s honestly surprising to me that the Boku no Natsuyasumi series has never truly made its way west… yet. Translated as “My Summer Vacation,” Boku no Natsuyasumi follows a young boy in a countryside setting as he explores the surrounding area, catches bugs, fishes, flies kites, hangs out with other children, and more.

Boku no Natsuyasumi truly sets the scene for a picturesque summer vacation — the cicadas chirp, the birds sing, and tranquil waters flow — but what really nails it is all the low-stress/high-fun activities with the sense of urgency that only a child feeling the fleeting days of summer would feel. And with the camera angles set in such a way that makes the most out of the entire scene, it’s easy to feel like you’re on summer vacation too. Pure nostalgia!

The series first launched in Japan on the PS1 back in 2000 and has spanned several sequels — the most recent being the PS3 iteration released in 2009. Those itching to get a taste of what gameplay might be like can play the recently released Shin Chan version; those who want to see it for themselves can watch this English translated playthrough of the PS3 title.

• Heather Johnson-Yu

Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan

Fans of the pugilistic Yakuza series will know well the story of the stony-faced but warm-hearted former Yakuza Kazuma Kiryu and his adventures in punching his way through thousands of hoodlums (along with stints in taxi-driving, real estate management and every other job you can think of). The series is known in Japan as Ryu ga Gotoku (Like a Dragon), and though the series mainly takes place in modern-day Japan, Ryu ga Gotoku: Kenzan takes us all the way back to 1605. It casts Kazuma as a wandering samurai and much of the main cast of the series appear as analogous figures appropriate to the period.

Instead of using his fists, Kazuma here primarily uses swords, switching between different styles for one-handed, two-handed, and dual-blade swords. Taking the main character of such a beloved franchise and switching up the setting and era was certainly an interesting idea, but sadly Ryu ga Gotoku: Kenzan got lost in the shuffle when it came to a Western release. Though even the zombie-themed spinoff Yakuza: Dead Souls was localized, this samurai-focused entry was passed over. Perhaps Sega thought shooting zombies would resonate more with us westerners than a more contemplative journey of a warrior poet!

Luckily, Ryu ga Gotoku: Ishin (or Yakuza: Ishin), featuring Yakuza characters in the 1800s, has now come to western shores to much acclaim. Hopefully this bodes well that one day Kenzan will get its own well-deserved release as well.

• Jonathan Trussler

Kururin Squash!

It’s rare for a series published by Nintendo get multiple entries without significant presence outside Japan, but that has always been the case for the Kururin series. While the first title did get a PAL release, subsequent entries stayed Japan only, including this Gamecube entry which took the series into 3D.

That’s a real shame because like the rest of its series, Kururin Squash is a ton of fun. You navigate a duck in a helicopter through a variety of puzzle stages where you have to navigate past obstacles without touching anything. Making contact with those obstacles or the walls of a stage damages you and after only a few hits you’re dead. It’s a simple setup but one that served these games well for three entries which over time got more complex while still remaining pick up and play experiences almost anyone can have fun with. While this entry actually simplified things a bit from the second Game Boy Advance title in the series, it still retains that one more try gameplay that made the Kururin series so hard to put down.

Considering how much the Gamecube struggled to fill out its library at times, I’ll never understand why Nintendo chose to leave this one in Japan. The good news however, is that it’s a simple game to play and one you can still fully enjoy without needing to know Japanese, so players who are interested shouldn’t hesitate to check it out.

• Andrew Thornton

Policenauts

Hideo Kojima is well known for the Metal Gear Solid series and, more recently, for the mind-bending hiking simulator Death Stranding. Policenauts is – much like Kojima’s cyberpunk classic Snatcher – a fusion between anime-style visual novel, point n’ click adventure and rail shooter. It stars Jonathan Ingram, a police officer who partakes in a training program in outer space, but due to an accident he ends up drifting off into space, with his suit placing him in cryogenic suspension for 25 years. After being rescued, he becomes a private detective, and he’s met by his former wife, who remarried after he was presumed dead. When she is murdered, he travels to “Beyond”, a space station that’s a massive city in itself, to unravel the mystery of who killed her.

Jonathan quickly teams up with his now much older former partner Ed Brown, and the two have a great buddy-cop chemistry that mirrors the dynamic of Riggs and Martaugh in Lethal Weapon. It also mirrors those movies in how frequently Jonathan will have to deal with his problems with tense, explosive shootouts with a rogue’s gallery of bad guys. Also, in a thoroughly Kojima-esque bit of mischievous game design, female character’s breasts can be jiggled by clicking on them – not terribly politically correct!

Policenauts is a truly brilliant blend of buddy-cop comedy and sci-fi mystery with an incredibly well-realized futuristic world. It’s a cinematic game showcasing Kojima at his absolute best. It never received a western release, arguably due to Snatcher not being a commercial success in the west and the difficulties of translating the story. Luckily, the amazing people at the Policenauts Translation Team made a complete English translation of the game in 2016, so even though it’s never been officially released due west, you can still enjoy this masterpiece.

• Jonathan Trussler

Bishoujo Sensei Sailor Moon: Another Story

Sailor Moon is one of those series that shaped me as a person. In fact, it was one of my first anime. I loved the characters and always wanted to see them in a game of some sort. Well, turns out I just grew up in the wrong country. There are several Sailor Moon games in Japan. However, of them all, there is one that stands out. Both in its uniqueness, and because it’s one of the earliest fan translated titles I can think of: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Another Story.

Another Story stands in a unique place as it’s the only RPG that was made featuring the series. The rest of the games being fighters or beat ‘em ups. Which is kinda hilarious in it’s own way. However, this sole RPG would be something of a love letter to the series. Not only would it feature a team of evil senshi, the Oppositio Senshi, it also has them resurrecting many of the series’ old enemies. Additionally, the game has a rather unique Link Tech system. Which allows you to create special attacks by combining two or three attacks together. This makes experimenting with different combinations of Senshi really fun. But, the coolest thing for me is that this was fan translated

Yep, this was one of the OG fan translations having been released back in 1999 by Bishoujo Senshi Translations. Keep in mind the game only came out in 1995. So, a four-year gap is not a bad turn around time for the fanbase to mobilize and get a working patch out there. And this is how I played the game in my youth. Honestly, I’d love to see an official re-release of this game so more people can enjoy it. It’s an awesome chapter in Sailor Moon’s history. Both for the characters and the fans.

• Benny Carillo

Valkyria Chronicles 3

Valkyria Chronicles was a really unique anime-styled Strategy RPG that was popular upon its release in 2008 on PlayStation 3. It told the story of a small nation caught up in a war between two rival great powers, being somewhat analogous to Word War II (albeit a much more magical, steampunky animefied WWII). It was original for having a gorgeous art style that often made it look like pencil drawings in motion, and its “Blitz” combat system, that mixed turn-based and real-time combat.

The sequel, Valkyria Chronicles 2 was released exclusively on the PlayStation Portable in 2010. Conspicuously, the next western release was Valkyria Chronicles 4 in 2018. Whatever happened to Valkyria Chronicles 3 though? Apparently, critical acclaim for the first two games was not matched with strong sales in the west, so Valkyria Chronicles 3, never got released outside of Japan.

It’s unfortunate as Valkyria Chronicles 3 really showed a different side to the series’ story. Unlike the first two titles, which followed upstanding members of the military, the game stars a group of prisoners called “The Nameless”. As part of their sentence, The Nameless are tasked with performing the dirty jobs the regular army won’t do, much like Marvel’s “Suicide Squad”. Cleverly, the storyline occurs during the events of the first game, allowing us to see a less rosy side of the events that take place. We can only hope one day Valkyria Chronicles 3 gets a western release so western fans can enjoy the complete storybook without such an important chapter missing.

• Jonathan Trussler

Treasure of the Rudra

Ok Square-Enix. We got Live a Live. One of the most unique RPGs you made. Not give us the other unique RPG you made. The one where you can write your own magic spells. I’m talking about Treasure of the Rudra.

While I’ve never played this one, it is one that’s been on my list since learning about it. The premise is kinda your typical SNES Squaresoft RPG. The world is going to end in 16 days and you have to stop it. So, what makes this game interesting aside from the magic? Well, it builds off Live a Live for one.

You see, Treasure of the Rudra lets you select from any of three characters (Sion, Surlent, and Riza) to start with. And you will need to play all three to finish the game. However, you’ll also find yourself running into the other characters on your quest. Meaning that as you play the game you’ll be able to see things from different perspectives. But, let’s talk about the magic system to close this bit out.

Treasure of the Rudra’s Magic system is pretty unique. Called Mantra’s in this game, you can pretty much write whatever spell you want using prefixes, suffixes, and syllables. This can add multi-targeting to a spell or just boost the power. It allows for the player to just experiment and have some fun. Plus, once you know the good combinations you can restart your game and see just how easy the previous bosses are with your new power. Honestly, this game sounds like a lot of fun and I’d love to see Square-Enix remake this one in the same style of Live a Live.

• Benny Carillo