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The original Survival Kids on the Game Boy Color didn’t play around. I should know, as I beat it repeatedly in hopes of getting the best ending. There’s nothing like being a teenager and spending dozens of hours on a game to watch your avatar die on a makeshift raft because you didn’t prepare enough food for your  attempt to sail home. Survival Kids is one of the few original Switch 2 games debuting alongside the new console as Konami and Unity’s revival of the IP. While it is fine and clearly designed to be a kid-friendly game for actual children enamored by games like Raft with Tomb Raider mystique, it bears no resemblance to the past Survival Kids or Lost in Blue series.

While the original Survival Kids and Lost in Blue games involved children and teens in extraordinary situations attempting to survive and find a way home, Unity and Konami took a far different approach. This isn’t a pure survival sim with adventure elements and choices that matter. The kid, or kids if you are playing with a group, found a treasure map. They willingly headed out to the island chain represented there. The raft broke apart. After rebuilding it on the first island and going through the tutorial, it’s off to go island hopping, completing relatively simple puzzles to progress through areas, search for treasure, and find the Harmony Stones to let you return home. 

This time around, realism is abandoned for an idealized fantasy. I could absolutely see Square Enix going with a similar kind of premise for something like “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Kids.” These one to four pre-teens found a map, built a sea-worthy vessel, found islands on the back of giant turtle-like beings called Whurtles, somehow uncovered ruins nobody else saw before, and are also going to undo a supernatural storm. I do think it is very good for smaller children, as it plays in the types of fantasies they might have and can be empowering. However, it’s not all that entertaining or good at engaging an older audience.

Gameplay is also incredibly simple in Survival Kids and, while there is crafting and food creation, it’s nowhere near as complex or critical as in games like the original or ensuing Lost in Blue installments. In those games, you needed to eat and stay hydrated to survive, crafting meant experimenting, item maintenance could be an issue due to durability, and actions strongly influenced if you died or how the story ended. Here, eating means greater strength when engaging in tasks or stamina for climbing, and you can cap that out at 10 easily and be fine. Food prep? Toss a bunch of fruits in a pot, no need for recipes, and you’re fine. Actual item or structure creation? Again, just toss logs, stones, or gathered materials into the right place and you’re good. Platforming? Literally not an issue or challenge. 

Survival Kids is an incredibly easy Switch 2 game, and it is all very surface level. While there are optional collectibles on islands, I felt no reason to go back to it. If you do falter when making jumps, as I had the Pro Controller battery die during one section, it’s absolutely fine. If your stamina does run out, food is so plentiful and the campsite hubs are always nearby, so it is easy to get a snack. If not, you’ll just be slower than usual. The crafting and switch toggling puzzles aren’t difficult. If you can find the pieces you need and get them to the place, you tend to be fine. Also, it’s executed in a way in which there are no complicated controls or need to manage any inventory. Again, all of this is fine for the intended audience, and young enough children will probably dig it. But people of any age more experienced with games will very likely get bored. It’s so repetitive.

Probably the main selling point is that this Konami and Unity Survival Kids game does act as a showcase for each Switch 2 multiplayer options. I did play with another person with split-screen local multiplayer and briefly online. In each case, it was absolutely fine. Since this is a game that could honestly be played alone or with others, cooperation didn’t feel super critical. It wasn’t like there was scaling difficulty or an of the actions were so taxing that I really needed assistance. It was more that things got done faster with another person. Local worked great. Online ended up being totally fine too. I didn’t get to test out GameShare, the most interesting option that involves other local people playing on their own Switch 2 systems while I shared the game. 

Survival Kids feels really generic on the Switch 2, and it features none of the personality of the Lost in Blue series. I think I might have enjoyed it more had it not been burdened by that pedigree. Had Konami and Unity released this as, say, “Treasure Kids: Search for Harmony Stones,” I think I’d maybe appreciated it more. I’d go in understanding it is a new IP made for kids who like the idea of survival games or puzzle adventures, but might not be ready for titles with greater challenges and in-game consequences. But here, we go in expecting a certain type of storytelling and adventure, then wind up with a repetitious, uncomplicated routine.

Survival Kids is available for the Switch 2.

The post Review: Survival Kids Switch 2 Doesn’t Feel Like Lost in Blue appeared first on Siliconera.

Typically in a nonogram game like Picross, completing the puzzle and seeing the finished image is all the reward we get for being diligent enough to figure things out. Albune’s Squeakross: Home Squeak Home does that, of course, but there’s a little something else to act as an incentive. Here, every solved situation adds to a catalog of customization elements for a cute little mouse’s home. It really makes the game feel special, as well as provides a reason to get through puzzles as quickly as possible.

In Squeakross: Home Squeak Home, every player is a mouse. We just moved into a new home. It’s empty at the moment. However, it won’t take too long to make that hole in the wall a comfortable place to live. That’s because every puzzle we solve provides us with a new type of furniture or decorative element to enhance our living space. What follows is a nonogram puzzle game like the Jupiter Picross series that gradually gets more difficult and offers more unique furnishings as rewards for challenging ourselves.

The impression I get from Squeakross: Home Squeak Home is that it is designed to encourage completion compared to other nonogram games like Jupiter’s Picross. Now, I always do finish every Jupiter entry I pick up. However, I play them at a more leisurely pace. Two or three puzzles before bed to wind down and relax. Maybe it’ll take me a full month, or even two if its a busy time of year, to gradually beat a game. The nature of Albune’s title makes each puzzle an item in essentially a catalog of items. So if you want more to do, you need to skip around and fill out puzzles.

Said puzzles are, well, standard nonograms, as Squeakross: Home Squeak Home doesn’t reinvent the wheel. A grid is placed before you. Numbers across the top and left side note how many squares need to be filled in to complete the puzzle, as well as how many are in a row. You need to use logic to do so. In a nod to this being a game filled rodents, boxes are filled in with cheese. You can also use notation to mark suspected spots with a “O” and definitively note a space shouldn’t be filled by placing an “X.” The hints at the top will use different colors to note if lines are done, could be filled in, or are almost done save for a missing “X.” 

After finishing a puzzle, you get the piece of furniture in your mouse’s room. In there, you can direct your mouse to go ahead and interact with anything you placed. You can also complete Nini’s Challenge for variants of items that look different and add more options. There’s quite a bit of diversity and even some themes that come up, and you get multiple rooms to decorate. Likewise, you can customize your mouse's appearance, changing how they look and what they wear. The character's personality and tendencies can even change. So it can almost feel a bit like a customizable pet you care for.

The thing that gets me is, while the puzzles are fun to complete in Squeakross: Home Squeak Home, when completed they don’t always look like the furniture items or accessories they unlike like ones found in Picross games. They’ll usually be somewhat close! However, right from the very start, I saw completed designs that didn’t make sense. This happens right away with a cardboard box on the first page, as well as with a cabinet. The pile of books? It does not look anything like a stack of novels. The basic nightstand? No clue how that turned into that! So while the game is fun and we are supposed to use logic, I felt like I couldn’t also rely on my knowledge of what, say, a dresser would look like to finish that. This doesn’t apply to every puzzle, of course, but it’s often enough that it irked me.

While I feel like the Jupiter nonograms in Picross feature some better executed puzzles and final designs, Squeakross: Home Squeak Home offers a fresh take on a nonogram game. The character and home customization really provide an incentive to solve puzzles. The quality of life features and controls work well, so you could easily play with a controller. It’s a cute approach to a classic puzzle genre with plentiful play incentives.

Squeakross: Home Squeak Home is available on the Switch and PC, and a demo is available on Steam.

The post Review: Squeakross Is a Rewarding Picross-like Game appeared first on Siliconera.

In 2024, Sanrio and Starblink started a Paper Parade event in Hello Kitty Island Adventure right about when Pride Month began, and now the 2025 installment kicked off on June 13, 2025. It will run until July 3, 2025, and we’ll see both new and returning items to mark the occasion.

As is common for these types of seasonal events in Hello Kitty Island Adventure, you need to head to the Seaside Resort. There will be quests there to kick off Paper Parade. Everything happens in the hub area where all of the shops appear. The idea is to get Paper Crafts from characters for a Paper Parade Float. All of the items appear with a rainbow pattern, and there will also be papercraft kinds of furniture.

Here’s the trailer for this year’s Hello Kitty Island Adventure event happening during Pride month. Some of the items we’re seeing did show up in the past, such as some of the clothing and items like Parade Wings, decorative arches, and paper boxes. There are also a number of new items, like a bed, dresser, mirror, chair, and new clothing items.

The last event marked the return of Under the Sea in May 2025. 

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available for the Switch, PC, and iOS devices via Apple Arcade, and the Paper Parade event is live during Pride month until July 3, 2025. 

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Mister Donut announced that new donuts inspired by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will go on sale in Japan starting from early July 2025. Additionally, Mister Donut’s original donut flavors will feature packaging inspired by Disney characters and motifs.

The collaboration will be available in all Mister Donut stores in Japan, as well as via the misdo net order mobile app. So far, Mister Donut has only revealed the key art for the promotion, as well as the Mickey Mouse donut and its packaging. More information about the rest of the collaboration will appear in early July 2025 ahead.

The Mickey Mouse donut appears to be based on the classic logo and features two donut holes as the ears, both of which are covered in chocolate as well as the top part of the donut. Meanwhile, the bottom part is covered in some sort of red condiment, mimicking the red shorts that Mickey Mouse wears in his classic design.

You can check out the Mickey Mouse donut and Disney collaboration key art here:

The Mister Donut Disney collaboration will appear in all stores throughout Japan from early July 2025. More information will appear shortly before the start of the promotion.

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The Boy Scouts in Japan announced the organization will start a Pokemon Trainer Program, and the official site for it is now open. Children will complete missions that aim to improve skills like teamwork, observation, and first aid, with each activity having a Pokemon theming to them.

A few of the ways in which the Pokemon Trainer Program will work already came up. Examples of activities include looking for Tinkatuff’s hammer, climbing a hill to rescue a stranded Pokemon, and scavenging for edible nuts or berries to feed a hungry Morpeko. These are all important skills for children to learn if they’re ever stranded or encounter someone who needs help while they’re outside.

As a note, though the Boy Scouts are organizing this program, the gender of the child does not matter. Girls can also participate if they want. This program is for children who are around ten years old. However, the accepted age may differ depending on which prefecture you sign up in. The starting date, as well as how many applicants the program will accept, differs between prefectures as well.

Details for specific prefectures are available on the official website for the Boy Scouts Pokemon Trainer program. The newest entry in the Pokemon game franchise will be Pokemon Legends: Z-A, which will come out on October 16, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.

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Good Smile Company opened pre-orders for the Goddess of Victory: NIKKE Nendoroid a day after it confirmed future figures in the line will be Scarlet: Black Shadow and Soda. Red Hood will show up in Japan in December 2025, followed by a US release in Q2 2026. She’ll cost ￥7,900/$56.99. There are no release windows for Scarlet: Black Shadow and Soda yet. 

Red Hood is a notable and influential heroine in NIKKE, so much so that there’s even a Rapi alt inspired by her. She comes with three face plates. She’s smiling in one, is blushing with an even wider smile in another, and is shouting in the third. She comes with her Wolfsbane sniper rifle, as well as some effect parts to make it look like she’s using it. She also has a cassette she can hold. 

Here’s a closer look at that Nendoroid. 

As for the two new designs, those came up during the Nendoroid FUNS June 2025 showcase. Since Scarlet: Black Shadow and Soda are still early in development, only concept art for both NIKKE characters appeared. These were in the Nendoroid style though, so we do have some idea of how they will look.

Here’s that teaser image Good Smile Company shared with us:

The Goddess of Victory: NIKKE Red Hood Nendoroid will debut in December 2025 in Japan and worldwide in Q2 2026, and pre-orders for the figure end on July 30, 2025. The Scarlet: Black Shadow and Soda ones are in development. NIKKE is available on the PC and mobile devices.

The post NIKKE Red Hood Nendoroid Appears Ahead of Other Figures appeared first on Siliconera.

Warner Bros Discovery finally announced the US streaming date for the Kamikaze Douga anime Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League on its HBO Max service. On July 3, 2025, the movie will debut on the service. Anyone who subscribes will be able to watch it. It was already available to buy, with Blu-ray and DVD options available.

In the movie Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League, Batman, Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin, and Robin face an entirely new threat stemming from the events of the previous anime film Batman Ninja. The Yakuza League is invading, with characters from the alternate period like a new take on Joker, his girlfriend Harin (Harley Quinn), Kuraku (Superman), Daiana (Wonder Woman), Bari (The Flash), and Zeshika (Green Lantern). 

Here’s a trailer that offers an idea of what to expect. It sets the stage for the conflict and disappearance of their home world’s Justice League, as well as shows the of the Yakuza League. The first half shows the English dub, and at the 2:10 mark the trailer is shown with the original Japanese voice acting.

Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League is available worldwide, and the anime will begin streaming on the HBO Max service on July 3, 2025. 

The post Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League Anime Will Be Streaming on Max appeared first on Siliconera.

Aksys took to social media to confirm the release date for its next otome game Illusion of Itehari, and the English localization of Utakata no Uchronia will debut on September 18, 2025. Both Amazon and the company are already taking pre-orders for the title. However, only Aksys is selling a $59.99 edition that includes the soundtrack. 

We actually learned Aksys picked up Utakata no Uchronia almost exactly a year ago, as it ended up being one of the Switch otome games the company shared at Anime Expo 2024. Shortly after, it confirmed the English name would be Illusion of Itehari. This is another example of the company branching out with localizations, as this title is a Broccoli and TIS Creation one. 

The game takes its name from the town in which its heroine lives. Itehari is a rich, lavish city in the sky. Hinagiku lived her whole life there. However, she always wanted to leave it and see the rest of the world, and she gets the chance to learn the truth about it and everythinga fter an encounter with a mysterious man named Yashiro. Naturally, he’s one of five possible love interests for her. 

The Amazon product page shared some additional screenshots of Hinagiku with characters like Yashiro, Awayuki, Tobari, Tsuyukusa, and Yori. Here’s how those CGs look:

The last Aksys otome game to appear was 7’scarlet. That ended up being a Switch version of a title it previously worked on. 

Illusion of Itehari is headed to the Nintendo Switch worldwide, and its release date is September 18, 2025. 

The post Next Aksys Otome Illusion of Itehari Debuts in September appeared first on Siliconera.

Nihon Falcom and GungHo released matching Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter trailers highlighting the English voice actors for stars Estelle and Joshua. Each video offers examples of cinematic scenes and notable lines, and there are a few times when we see each character attack. Both appeared after the Japanese YouTube did the same. 

First, here’s the Estelle English Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter trailer. She’s voiced by Stephanie Sheh. She’s reprising her role from past games, and we most recently heard her play the character in Trails into Reverie. She appeared as Maria Robotnik in Sonic x Shadow Generations and Lacus Clyne in Gundam SEED Freedom recently too.

Here’s the Japanese version of that video. Tomoyo Takayanagi is her voice actress in that language.

Next, here’s the Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Joshua trailer highlighting Johnny Yong Bosch as his English voice actor. Like Sheh, he’s reprising a role he’s played since Trails of Cold Steel IV. Other recent parts he played include Ichigo Kurosaki in Bleach Rebirth of Souls and Vash in Trigun Stampede. 

And here’s the Japanese trailer highlighting Natsumi Fujiwara’s performance as Joshua. 

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter will come to the Switch, PS5, and PC on September 19, 2025. Standard and collector’s editions will be available. However, in the case of the Bracer Edition, the game will be shipped ahead of the bonus items, as those won’t appear until sometime between November and December 2025. 

The post See Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Estelle and Joshua English Trailers appeared first on Siliconera.

Now that Nekopara After: La Vraie Famille, the latest entry in the Neko Works visual novel series about catgirls, is available via Sekai Project, Hololive Fuwamoco Vtubers Fuwawa and Mococo Abyssgard announced they sing the ending theme song. It’s called “Side by Side,” and it is both on streaming services and YouTube.

“Side by Side” is created by Aiobahn +81 and Kris Roche, as the Hololive Fuwamoco Vtubers only provided the vocals for the track. The music video also only showcases characters like Chocola and Vanilla, as Fuwawa and Mococo don’t appear in it. However, the official cover for the song’s single does show the two performers in the same maid outfits Chocola and Vanilla wear when working at Patisserie La Soleil. 

Here's Fuwamoco performing the Nekopara After song "Side by Side" for its official music video.

While this song for the game was a surprise, we already knew what the opening theme would be for Nekopara After. Ceui performed the song “Contrail” for the visual novel.

It’s been a pretty big day for Nekopara game news. We also learned more about Nekopara Sekai Connect. That’s the mobile spin-off inspired by the series. Most importantly, we know it will debut in 2026. It’s the replacement for Nekoparaiten.

Nekopara After: La Vraie Famille is available now on PCs, though it isn’t on Steam just yet.

The post Hololive Vtubers Fuwamoco Sing Nekopara After Song appeared first on Siliconera.

Koei Tecmo and Gust confirmed we’ll see Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist and the White Guardian this fall on the Switch, PS5, and PC, as it set a release date. The official site confirmed it will debut on September 26, 2025. Pre-orders are open, and there’s a digital early purchase bonus for getting it by October 9, 2025. There are also two new trailers looking at the game.

Everyone in Hallfein disappeared, and nobody really knew what happened. However, Rias Eidreise and Slade Clauslyter are going to find out. The two grew up there and return at the same time once people are allowed to return to the area. Rias is the alchemist this time around, while Slade can use a Geist Core that lets them go to alternate dimensions to aid in their investigations.

Here’s the trailer that highlights the Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist and the White Guardian story, shows off gameplay, and shared its release date for the Switch, PS5, and PC versions appearing worldwide.

There is also a version of this trailer in which Gust head and producer for this title Junzo Hosoi and development producer Yasunori Sakuda both offered commentary on what happens in it.

As for the early purchase bonus, it gives us two costumes and a pack of items. These are basically active looks for exercising for the two leads. Slade can wear Fresh Trainer and Rias can wear ion Runner. The Adventuring Charm Set in the bundle gives us a Training Charm that boosts XP earn and a Victor’s Charm that boosts SP we get.

Here’s how the costumes look: 

As a reminder, this game did have ties to Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy and the Polar Night Liberator. That appeared on PCs and mobile devices. However, it is no longer available, as Koei Tecmo shut the global version down back in March 2025.

The Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist and the White Guardian will appear on the Switch, PS5, and PC worldwide and on the PS4 in Japan, and the release date is September 26, 2025. 

The post Atelier Resleriana Switch, PS5, and PC Game Release Date Set appeared first on Siliconera.

Good Smile Company has shared details about Nekopara Sekai Connect. The company will release the new game worldwide for PC and mobile devices in 2026.

The Japanese official website and the repurposed English social media confirm that this title is replacing Yostar's Nekoparaiten. Yostar will still help promote this new game, but Good Smile Company and Neko Works will be the ones taking primary production roles.

The story of Nekopara Sekai Connect will focus on the global catgirl popularity contest festival. Recurring series characters from Patisserie La Soleil, such as Chocola and Vanilla, will still appear here. However, the game will also feature more characters from various catgirl academies around the world.

Good Smile Company revealed the catgirls d with each academy:

• Sakuragaoka Catgirl Academy (Japan-themed): Mikan, Yuzuha, and Sakura
• Jinhua Felidae Institute (Asia-themed): Lamut, Mamelo, and Fengli
• Gertrude Catgirl Institute (Europe-themed): Cannelé, Sorbet, and Sablé
• Great Catgirl Institute of Bastet (Africa-themed): Ackee, Palmyra, and Akhduth
• Nekos Youth Academy (North America-themed): Lycorice, Donut, and Muffin

The company also published an official trailer for Nekopara Sekai Connect on its Japanese YouTube channel. It features the theme song "Cute Domination," which is sung by Shigure's voice actress, M-A-O.

In addition, the company slipped in another announcement to remake the existing Nekopara visual novels as Nekopara Love Project for iOS and Android mobile devices. All six titles from Vol.0 to Extra will gradually release from Summer 2025 with an all-new voice cast.

Good Smile Company and Neko Works will publish Nekopara Sekai Connect worldwide in Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese for iOS, Android, and PC via Steam in Spring 2026. The game will also have a dedicated booth at Anime Expo in Los Angeles on July 3-6, 2025, and Comic Market 106 in Tokyo on August 16-17, 2025.

The post Nekopara Sekai Connect Mobile Game Details Shared appeared first on Siliconera.

The original Bravely Default and Bravely Second left me awestruck. The gameplay called to mind Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light and more classic entries in that series, and the story’s direction grabbed hold of me in a way that nearly felt unhealthy. I spent hours getting every job, exploring every sidequest, and building up my characters as stayed until the very end. 11 years later, even though I did all this before, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster triggered the same response on the Switch 2,  and this Square Enix game remains a fantastic JRPG.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster begins with Agnes Oblige calling out for help, asking for warriors of light for salvation as the world crumbles around her and she falls into the cracks. Across the world, we see shepherd Tiz Arrior tending his flock with his little brother Til when the Great Chasm swallows up their village of Norende, leaving him the only survivor. When he returns to the ruins, he finds the Wind Vestal Agnes and the Cryst-fairy Airy who are on a journey to awaken the four crystals of the world to save it. The two end up ed by an amnesiac named Ringabel, who holds a book called D’s Journal that sometimes seems to predict the future, and the Eternian defector Edea Lee who is disgusted by the behavior of the Sky Knights.

I’m not going to say anything more about the story. I don’t want to spoil anything. But it is great, the characters are fantastic, and it holds up over 10 years later.

Like Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a turn-based JRPG with a job system. As you defeat Asterisk holder bosses, you gain new roles for of your party to undertake. You can then, in turn, combine them by equipping a second command category and an ability that offers some sort of extra feature of buff or bonus. For example, you can make someone a Black Mage who also has the White Magic class of spells and equipped the Angelic Ward ability that might halve damage or a Ninja with Thief command and Raid ability that could increase everyone’s BP when a battle starts. 

Speaking of BP, that’s the element that sets Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster apart as a JRPG. You can either stock up on action points (Default), making a character defend against attacks in the process, or act up to four times in a single turn (Brave) by forgoing attacking the next three turns after that. Think of it as being both a strategic and quality of life gameplay element. In more standard encounters, you could direct all four characters to each use Brave four times in a row to attack (or create an “Auto” preset with that) to quickly grind for levels and job points to level up roles to get access to more abilities. That lets you wipe everything out in one turn. In the case of a boss fight or more difficult challenge, you could use Default to defend and stockpile turns or prepare for guards to drop, then respond with multiple attacks at once. You can gain greater control of a battle’s pace. I personally like to have one of my physical attackers (Edea or Tiz) Brave all at once, then have Agnes and Ringabel perform more nuanced attacks responding to situations ASAP. 

As in Final Fantasy or other Square Enix JRPG games, the adventure in Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster sends us around the world. There is the main campaign, as well as sidequest stories to follow. For the sake of clarity, Airy appears in the in-game menu to offer suggestions. There are party talk moments when the four discuss what’s going on or offer insight into the world. Campaign quest objectives are highlighted with orange markers, while sidequests use blue ones. The UI, redone for this release, is easy to parse. Not to mention the towns we visit are even more stunning in this version, thanks to enhanced textures that make the pop-up, fairytale designs really, well, pop. In general, every main character, major opponent, and enemy looks wonderful in HD with the updated models and textures. The opening movie and new voice acting is also wonderful and adds to the experience. 

The other changes to Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster on the Switch 2 feel like appropriate quality of life additions. While newcomers might not use the fast forward auto-play option as much, I it to using it a few times early on to see how it worked and get to a full party faster. It’s a great option! The 50% to 200% encounter rate is handy for grinding, and I love being able to have four possible presets for the auto-battle function that carries over when fights start. Because of the way I play, I didn’t need the “recommended level” for dungeons, but I expect that will be quite handy for others. I also think the way Souls appear every 24 hours in-town is helpful, since getting folks to help rebuild Norende or allies for attacks would be as easy as it was in the 3DS years. 

While the two new minigames are fun enough, rebuilding Norende still feels like the most valuable optional activity. The souls you gather from towns from other players allow you to assign those “townsfolk” to unlocking and upgrading tasks in the fledgeling village following the devastation at the beginning of the game. This adds more to a shop, additional Special Moves, and sometimes bonuses for just stopping by. It’s great to load up folks on a task to bring the timing down to 15-30 minutes when you’re active, then spread them out when you’ll be sleeping or away for 12-24 hours. 

I will say that I sort of feel like the Luxencheer Rhythm Catch and Ringabel’s Panic Cruise minigames in
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster are better introductions to the Switch 2 Joy-Con mouse controls than Nintendo's Welcome Tour. In Ringabel’s Panic Cruise, you’re actually using the left and right controllers in mouse mode to steer the ship, perform certain controls to hit altitudes, manage folks’ requests, swat flies, and maintain speeds. It’s interesting and a great showcase of the new feature! Luxencheer Rhythm Catch is a more typical type of rhythm game, with the mouse controls tasking you with catching note indicators with the energy line between your two lightsticks or moving in time with the (ittedly great) songs from the game’s soundtrack. Both can be genuinely fun and show what the console can do.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a remarkable Switch 2 JRPG, and the core gameplay, mechanics, and story remain fresh and relevant. It looks beautiful and runs wonderfully on the Switch 2. I’d even say the new gameplay additions serve as a better introduction to mouse controls for the hardware than the actual tech demo minigame collection Nintendo created. Anyone who picks it up to go with their new system won’t be disappointed.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is available on the Switch 2. 

The post Review: Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Is a Joy to Play on Switch 2 appeared first on Siliconera.

Kagurabachi will go on a short hiatus and return in Issue 30. Issue 30 will come out in Japan on June 23, 2025. [Thanks, ryokutya2089!]

The last chapter of Kagurabachi to come out in the weekly magazine was Chapter 82. That one was in the June 9, 2025 issue of Weekly Shonen Jump. As for the reason behind the hiatus, it’s because mangaka Takeru Hokazono needs a break for health reasons. Though there aren’t any details or specifics, it’s likely not a serious ailment if he’s going to return at the end of the month.

Kagurabachi is a manga that started serialization in September 2023. It’s an action and fantasy series that follows Chihiro, the son of a famous swordsmith. Though he aspires to become a swordsmith in the future, his life takes a tragic turn after his father’s murder. With sword in hand, Chihiro embarks on a journey to take revenge on the killers. The manga is highly popular not only for its artwork and story, but also from Internet memes that circled around it on English social media. As of the time of writing, it’s the 9th most popular manga on Shueisha’s Mangaplus. It’s just behind Sakamoto Days and Spy x Family.

The Kagurabachi manga will go on hiatus until Issue 30 of Weekly Shonen Jump, which will come out on June 23, 2025.

The post Kagurabachi Manga to Go on Hiatus appeared first on Siliconera.

HoYoVerse released a new Genshin Impact anime style short for Skirk that looks at her backstory and hints at her origins before the events of the game. It also features a number of cameos that show her interactions with prominent of the cast before her debut as a playable unit.

Editor’s Note: The Genshin Impact anime short for Skirk features spoilers for the character. 6px22

The Genshin Impact Skirk anime style introduction begins with her being picked by Surtalogi: The Foul. He is sending her to Teyvat and notes that the Descenders to the world have “the power to reshape the fate of the world.” However, Sutralogi noted she is not one, since he brought her there, and as such is a “treser.” We then see her fall like a shooting star, with Fontaine characters like Furina and Neuvillette see her descent. 

As Surtalogi tells her to “walk his path” to find a way to defeat him, he also reminds Skirk that Teyvat isn’t her home. Segments after that hint she encountered Klee’s mom Alice, Dainsleif, and Childe (Tartaglia). We also see her numerous battles against various types of opponents. 

Here’s the full “Star Odyssey” short:

We do know what to expect from Skirk’s moveset once she debuts in-game. She’ll be a Cryo character who uses a sword to attack opponents. She’ll use The Foul’s attack for her Havoc: Warp Elemental Skill. Also, she doesn’t use Elemental Energy for her Havoc: Ruin Burst, instead it with or without Serpent’s Subtlety earned from her Skill. 

Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices. The 5.7 update arrives on June 18, 2025.

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