Bandai Namco shared a free costume for Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream, and it is based on an outfit worn by SAO theme song singer ReoNa. All female characters can now get a One-Man Concert Birth 2024 outfit, which is called Dark Otherworldly Singer, to wear if someone uses the code Birt-h202-4. 

The official announcement on social media offered an idea of what to expect. It showed what Yuna would look like if she wore the outfit. It is an entirely black outfit with a jacket over a dress and boots. The back of the jacket reads, “Hello, UNHAPPY. ReoNa.”

ReoNa and her music are quite closely tied to the Sword Art Online series, with tracks being used as opening and ending themes for the anime and games up through SAO Fractured Daydream. The latest one is “Our Song,” which was used as the opening theme for this game. Here’s how that sounds:

Some of her other recent songs used in SAO shows or games include “Anima” and “Forget-Me-Not.” She also appeared as a character in Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris.

Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream is available on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam.

The post Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream ReoNa Costume Code Shared appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix announced it added a FFXIV Adventurer’s Supply Kit to the Final Fantasy XIV Online Store, and it provides a quick way to get items like one Menphina’s Earring and 99 Aetheryte Tickets. The bundle is an account-wide one that works with all of your characters, and it costs $9.99.

Normally, Aetheryte Tickets can be paid for or earned in-game in FFXIV. So, for example, you can trade Allied Seals or Centurio Seals for them if you are a part of a Grand Company. This pack gives you 99, allowing for quick teleports on demand. 

As for the Menphina’s Earring, originally they were a bonus for certain Final Fantasy XIV purchases, such as the Xbox Series X version of the game or the FFXIV Endwalker expansion. This marks the first opportunity to get the earrings outside of that. When equipped by a character under level 80, you get 30% more experience than usual. 

The other items in the FFXIV Adventurer’s Supply Kit bundle involve cosmetics. You can change your appearance with the one included Fantasia. If you use Ballroom Etiquette: Improper Praise #4, you can learn the Cheer On: Bright emote. That was previously only available in a 6.4 event. The Rising Red Moon Parasol is also a part of it.

Here’s how the emote looks:

Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the Adventurer’s Supply Kit is now sold in the FFXIV Online Store.

The post FFXIV Adventurer’s Supply Kit Has Menphina’s Earring, 99 Aetheryte Tickets appeared first on Siliconera.

PM Studios announced it will be in charge of the Black Myth: Wukong physical copies, and that people who pick them up at retail will get the Deluxe Edition DLC for the game. There’s no release window for them yet, beyond “soon.” 

People will be able to find the Black Myth: Wukong Deluxe Edition physical copies worldwide. PM Studios confirmed it will be sold in Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. It seems Asian and African countries are left out of the rollout. The online storefront for the publisher will also sell it, though there is no listing for it yet. So far, VGP is the only store with a product page live at time of writing.

The Black Myth: Wukong Deluxe Edition comes with some extra equipment and a copy of the soundtrack. So you can put the Destined One in armor inspired by Folk Opera, thanks to the included four-piece set. The Wind Chimes curio included lets you move faster than normal. You can also choose to wield the Bronzecloud Staff, which makes it 2% more likely you’ll land a critical hit.

While the price and release date weren’t shared, the cover art was. It features the Destined One. Here’s how that will look:

Black Myth: Wukong was well-received at launch. For example, the player count on Steam alone passed two million people. Game Science also teased that it is working on an expansion.

Black Myth: Wukong is available for the PS5 and PC, and a physical copy is heading to retail stores worldwide.

The post Black Myth: Wukong Physical Copies Head to Retail appeared first on Siliconera.

As a developer that often worked on Mega Man games, we often see Inti Creates create original titles that are clearly inspired by them. In the case of Card-en-Ciel, we have a game that has a Mega Man Battle Network approach when it comes to aesthetics and gameplay. However, while it may look familiar and feels inspired by the other title, it lacks its charm of the other series.

In a world filled with VR full-dive games that people jump into, there are incidents that require accomplished hackers and detectives to solve. After getting an urgent message from someone working alongside a Rust Tactics VR game development team named Ancie, Neon the Gaming Chair Detective finds himself dealing with corruption and data tied to many different games. There involve abnormalities, bugs, characters from other titles are appearing where they shouldn’t, and Muses are buffing certain enemies with their songs. It’s up to us to work alongside Neon and Ancie to set things right in dungeons based on certain other “games” invading Rust Tactics. 

The thing is, Inti Creates isn’t great at telling a story in Card-en-Ciel or making its world appealing, something Capcom excelled at when it came to the Mega Man Battle Network games. When we go through the story dungeons based on full-dive games, each one looks practically identical. The structure of square rooms connected by brief “bridges” gets incredibly repetitive, especially considering the similar Mega Man titles managed to inject so much personality into the “net” we’d visit as MegaMan.EXE. When you enter an area inspired by an in-game series, there are no outward or immediately recognizable distinctions. Just the same blocks. Even the enemies you fight aren’t only drawn from that “title,” as instead Inti Creates pulls from its actual game library and original ones created for Card-en-Ciel. 

While this can make the idea of going through Card-en-Ciel dungeons a little boring, I feel the turn-based, deck-building gameplay actually improves upon the Mega Man Battle Network formula. When you’re dealt cards or pick them up after fights and while exploring, you’ll find they either deal HP or break damage to opponents. HP damage wears the enemy down and defeats them. Break damage affects the attack meter, keeping them from being able to take action against you and weakening their defense against HP attacks. Each round, you start with three points, and cards can require between 0-3 points to use. 

All cards are also used for movement to evade attacks or move so you can target enemies. Icons on each one show if they’ll move Neon up, down, left, or right. So you need to get out of ranged of the telegraphed attack under your feet that happens in X number of turns, you need to play one of your cards to move instead of taking the action shown on it.

While those are the three basic uses for cards, there are other factors to consider. Some are yellow. If you see the opponent’s timer counting down to show they are about to attack, you can play that card to counter and take action during that turn. Cards can have additional effects that add buffs, cause clones to appear, create 0-cost cards that deal damage and break damage, ensure cards of the same type get a boost, or affect future turns. 

There are also Muses to content with as you play Card-en-Ciel. You tend to start with one available when you enter a dungeon, with additional ones found in fights on floors. Once you collect one, you can trigger their buffs in battle by meeting requirements. So you may need to play the same card twice in a row, which means ensuring your deck is stacked with duplicates of a certain type. Another Muse might require you to play a three-cost card or for there to be exactly five cards in your hand after taking an action. Likewise, enemies can have Muses on their sides too, providing them buffs and adding junk cards to your hand that could force movement or affect your deck. 

It’s really quite clever, and I loved whenever I’d see a cameo from a returning Inti Creates game character in Card-en-Ciel. For example, Azure Striker Gunvolt and Gal Gun folks are here! But at the same time, since the story isn’t really compelling or well-executed, the cards and enemies based on “original” characters aren’t very appealing. In many cases, it feels like they’re excuses to insert some extra fanservice. But since we don’t know who they are until this title, it rings a bit hollow and doesn’t have the same appeal as it would if it involved actually recognizable people. Though personally, I also found the Muse and Ancie fanservice a bit overdone here. Others might enjoy it! But it was so out of place in the roguelike that it struck me as being more odd than appealing.

Once a fight is over, you will see certain options available in the “node” where you fought. You can choose to recover some HP. You can enhance one of the cards in your deck. It is also possible to station one of the characters in the cards you have, removing them from your deck in the process, for buffs. There can also be random events triggered after a fight is done that affects your cards and deck. Not to mention if you avoid fights for too long or make certain choices in those events, your Memory Gauge goes up and inflicts negative effects in fights until you battle enough to reduce it.

As Card-en-Ciel is a roguelike, there are elements that put you in a better position for future runs if you win. You can forge Wild Cards, which give you a chance to do better in a pinch during a fight. When recuperating with Ancie after a run, you can put points into determining if rarer cards come up, Neon’s HP goes up, Treasure Chests show up after battle, or other benefits come up. There are also different difficulties to choose from when heading in, which can help with players’ experiences. 

Though to be honest, I didn’t get much out of the PvP mode. This feature unlocks after a few runs. It offers a daily dungeon with leaderboards or an opportunity to face others. The daily dungeon is fine, but I got nothing out of the fights against others and would just… rather go through the base dungeons on different difficulties instead. 

I enjoyed Inti Creates’ approach to gameplay in Card-en-Ciel and appreciate how it built on the tactical deck-building found in the Mega Man Battle Network series. While it looks similar, it feels like its own thing. That’s great! Unfortunately, the actual story surrounding Neon and Ancie’s adventure is pretty weak and not handled well, and there’s no personality to any of the dungeons we explore. It’s a case where there’s some good gameplay we can sink our teeth into, but the style isn’t quite there even with colorful characters and some fun cameos. It can be entertaining, but lacks Mega Man Battle Network's charm.

Card-en-Ciel will come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on October 24, 2024, and a demo is available on the PC via Steam and Switch. 

The post Review: Solid Card-en-Ciel Card Lacks Mega Man Battle Network Charm appeared first on Siliconera.

Even though Renji Abarai was one of the first confirmed Bleach Rebirth of Souls playable characters, Bandai Namco didn’t share a character trailer for him until now. We now can see what the 6th division lieutenant is capable of if we choose him as a fighter in the game.

Appropriately enough, Renji faces off against 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki in his character trailer. He wields his Zanpakuto Zabimaru both in his standard and awakened state. Things begin with his Sweep signature move, which features his sword extending like a whip. From there, we see two Spiritual Pressure Moves. One is the Tsumuji Kaze attack, and the other is the Oath of the Soul buff.

Here’s the full character trailer showing how Renji will work in the game.

Here’s the full list of all of the Bleach Rebirth of Souls characters who got their own trailers before Renji Abarai did.

• Byakuya Kuchiki
• Gin Ichimaru
• Ichigo Kurosaki
• Ichigo Kurosaki (Bankai)
• Kaname Tosen
• Kenpachi Zaraki
• Kisuke Urahara
• Rangiku Matsumoto
• Rukia Kuchiki
• Soi Fon (Sui-Feng)
• Toushiro Hitsugaya
• Ulquiorra Cifer
• Uryu Ishida
• Yasutora “Chad” Sado
• Yoruichi Shihoin

Bleach Rebirth of Souls will come to the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC in early 2025. The Bleach anime, including Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, are streaming on on Disney+ and Hulu. Viz Media handles the manga series outside of Japan.

The post Bleach Rebirth of Souls Renji Abarai Trailer Finally Appears appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix announced its upcoming manga and book lineup at the 2024 New York Comic Con, and they include the Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdric and Hololive Holoearth Chronicles Side:E Yamato Phantasia manga series. Both will launch in 2025. They are joined by five other books and manga that will appear in 2025 and 2026. 

The Holoearth Chronicles Side:E Yamato Phantasia manga, which stars Hololive Vtubers Ookami Mio and Shirakami Fubuki. It started running back in 2021, and it appeared in both Japanese and English when it did. This isn’t about the actual Vtubers and their adventures. Rather, it is based on an alternate reality in which the two have unique abilities which they use to save Yamato, often against enemies inspired by other Vtubers like Nakiri Ayame. That first volume will launch in August 2025. 

The first volume of the Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdric manga will follow that in September 2025. The series originally debuted in Japan in 1991. There, it was known by the name Dragon Quest Saga: Emblem of Roto. It is a sequel to Dragon Quest III and follows Prince Arus. The series follows his journey to face a new demon lord.

Here is the full list of the other Square Enix manga series and books revealed at NYCC 2024.

• Bride of the Death God Volume 1 - September 2025
• Exquisite Blood: The Heretic Onmyoji Volume 1 - August 2025
• Mechanical Buddy Universe Volume 1 - September 2025
• Mechanical Buddy Universe 1.0 Volume 1 - January 2026
• Soul Eater: Soul Art Encore art book - October 2025

The Square Enix NYCC 2024 manga announcements will start appearing in August 2025.

The post Square Enix Picks Up Dragon Quest, Hololive Holoearth Manga appeared first on Siliconera.

Poncle announced a second Vampire Survivors crossover with Konami, this time being the Ode to Castlevania DLC. It will debut on Halloween 2024, adding characters and the largest map so far. It will be on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices for $3.99 on October 31, 2024.

As this is a Castlevania add-on with no vampires, it means other iconic characters from the series will be playable instead. Poncle confirmed over 20 will be available. It noted that many of them will be from the Belmont and Belnades families. 

So far, the following folks are all confirmed.

• Charlotte Aulin
• Eric Lecarde
• Maria Renard
• John Morris
• Jonathan Morris
• Richter Belmont
• Shanoa
• Simon Belmont
• Sonia Belmont
• Sypha Belnades
• Trevor Belmont
• Yoko Belnades

Poncle confirmed over 40 weapons for the crossover too. Alucard’s Shield, Spear, and Sword will all be present. Eight different kinds of whips will appear, building on the one in the base game. The announcement also confirmed Glyphs, elemental magic, and projectiles will show up. 

Here’s the animated announcement trailer, which showed many of the characters we’ll get to use when the add-on appears. It also hints at Soma Cruz and Alucard’s inclusions. 

As a reminder, the Vampire Survivors Konami crossover prior to the Castlevania DLC involved Contra. Characters and stages from that game showed up in the Operation Guns add-on.

Vampire Survivors is available for the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices, and its Ode to Castlevania DLC launches on October 31, 2024. 

The post Vampire Survivors Ode to Castlevania DLC Adds No Vampires appeared first on Siliconera.

We’re pleased to announce that Siliconera will be offer its own free email newsletter. Every week, you can get one installment of Siliconera Speaks Up in your inbox to catch up with all the gaming news, reviews, and features you might have missed during the week. 

What can you expect? Good question! Primarily, this will be a way to help you catch up with something important you might have missed. We’ll curate a list of our most popular articles of the week, so you won’t miss out on major announcements and news stories. Did a big game drop? Links to our reviews will be there in case you want more insight into the title before making the plunge. 

Each week, there will also be an exclusive feature found only in our newsletter for subscribers. So if you sign up for the Siliconera Speaks Up newsletter, you’ll get an extra article to read in your email that won’t appear anywhere else. 

Finally, at the end of every newsletter we’ll name a few games (or game updates) coming up in the next few days. That way, you’ll never miss out on a possible title.

Here’s how you sign up:

Our first issue is coming soon, and we’re looking forward to providing easier access to news and articles soon!

The post Sign Up for the Free Siliconera Speaks Up Newsletter appeared first on Siliconera.

I was excited when Yen Press announced it picked up the manhwa series Finding Camellia, because the initial description made it sound empowering. It suggested it followed a young woman who was stolen from her mother as a child by her father’s wife and forced to grow up and live as a young man as an additional heir as she took back her power and become her true self again. However, at least in the initial volume, Camellia being such a passive character that is often relegated to the background kept me from enjoying the story.

Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for volume 1 of the Finding Camellia manhwa below. 

Finding Camellia begins with Camellia’s abduction to turn her into “Camellius.” Her mother Laura was a maid in the house of her father, Marquis Gilliard Bale, who ended up in some sort of relationship with him and pregnant. The Marquis’ legitimate child Kieran suffers from an illness that only seems to grow worse. In fact, Laura fled the house with “Lia” when an incident made it seem like she was responsible for Kieran getting worse. So Gilliard’s wife Anastasia hunted down Laura and Camellia, abducted the girl, and because Gilliard considered a young woman useless, chopped off the child’s hair to raise her as a younger son named Camellius. 

Things begin with the desperation Camellia clearly feels. She’s desperate to see her mother again and keeps asking. However, she’s only 12. She passively takes part in lessons. She’s put forward and forced to learn to fire a gun. We watch as Anastasia and Gilliard talk about her being a stopgap in case Kieran doesn’t get better, even after he’s sent away for the sake of possibly improving by living in another region. Her servant Betty lies to her about “her ladyship” being honorable and allowing her to return to Laura if she does what she says. Lord Claude Ihar, Kieran’s friend and another noble, intimidates and teases her. She’s berated and abused for an accident that occurs when she’s forced to try shooting.

So throughout the first 169 pages of the manhwa, I felt completely let down by the first volume of Finding Camellia. We don’t get to see any inner monologue from Camellia explaining how she’s going to fight back. There’s no passion or fire on her part. It’s like she’s a doll tossed around from scene to scene. acting as a plot device for other people. I suppose I could see some reasoning for it. It certainly establishes a tragic backstory for her. Maybe even the goal on Jin Soye’s part was to leave people frustrated and angry on her behalf. 

But the thing is, I expected things to get better once I hit page 170 and the timeskip to a 16-year-old Camellia/Camellius. She’s about to be shipped away to an academy in the city to study. Except the initial sentiments about this instead has her lamenting not hearing from her brother Kieran or Lord Claude in the past few years. It is only at page 192 that we see any sort of outrage or passion on Camellia’s part. It’s the first hint that she might actually do anything for her own sake and strike back. Yet a few pages later, in interactions with Eddie, Camellia’s father Gilliard, Prince Wade, and Lord Claude, we’re right back to her being at the whims of others again.

I can only hope that Finding Camellia picks up in later volumes, because Camellia doesn’t get to take charge at any point in the story so far. It feels like other people are constantly making decisions for her and pushing her around, with none of her actions actually decided for herself. The lack of agency is annoying and even infuriating, and I think I’d find it difficult to continue reading if things don’t change by the second volume.

Volume 1 of the Finding Camellia manhwa is available now, and Yen Press will release volume 2 on December 10, 2024. 

The post I Wish Camillia Wasn’t so Passive in the Finding Camellia Manhwa appeared first on Siliconera.

When you find a manga about new stepsister and stepbrother who are the same age living together, odds are it seems like it’d be romantic in nature somehow. While volume 1 of Days with My Stepsister does tease that possibility, with even Yen Press’ official description for the manga suggests it the new relationship could involve “simple admiration, familial love, or something more.” However, what makes this series appealing is watching teenagers who grew up with trauma due to their family life learning to recover and reach out to others again.

Editor’s note: There will be spoilers for volume 1 of the Days with My Stepsister manga below.

In the case of new stepsiblings Yuuta Asamura and Saki Ayase, each one is dealing with trauma and unresolved issues that come from their home lives prior to the start of their story and interactions with other people. As we’re initially seeing things from Yuuta’s perspective, his are more obvious. His parents constantly fought. His mother cheated on his father, resulting in their divorce. Throughout the entirety of the first volume of the manga, his mother is absent. So must so, she doesn’t have a name. There are suggestions she was verbally abusive. 

As such, we see a number of ways in which Yuuta adjusted his life and personality to avoid those sorts of situation and that kind of trauma again. In addition to deciding to avoid women and romantic interactions, it seems he avoids people in general. We really only see one friend of his, with Yuuta mentioning he doesn’t have many. Is he protecting himself? Absolutely. Is it healthy? No. 

In the case of Saki, it isn’t as immediately obvious that she’s suffering from similar issues. However, after the first meeting and an agreement to respectfully coexist, but not expect anything from each other, it becomes obvious she’s dealing with similar problems. After all, her reactions to simple kindnesses like assistance unpacking, a tub being refilled for her. Once school starts, we see that there’s not only the hurt caused from her own past family life with an absent father who cheated on her mother and a mother who had to be constantly working to support them affected her deeply. 

That, paired with people making negative assumptions about Saki based on her appearance, leads to her being in a situation similar to Yuuta at the outset. She also doesn’t expect anything from anyone and seems detached. She’s learned from experiences with her family and with strangers that misjudge her that it might not be possible to connect with others. So, like Yuuta, she strives for independence. 

Being forced into a situation in which they learn to connect and consider another person feels like it could be healing for them. They go in expecting nothing from each other. However, they immediately start showing each other common consideration. They agree to avoid each other at school and pretend they aren’t related, but talk in secret. When Saki is looking for a well-paying, part-time job and mentions it to Yuuta, he immediately starts helping her find a solution. Already, in a single volume and short span of time, the two are gradually growing and helping each other start to recover by forming a more positive relationship built on mutual respect and understanding.

I mean, those following the Days with My Stepsister light novel will know where the manga is heading and what will happen between Yuuta and Saki. Still, the progression and character development keeps this from feeling like a contrived situation. What’s happening her feels more meaningful. The characters aren’t just typical teenagers or enamored with the situation. This really is about growth and a possible genuine relationship.

Volume 1 of Days with My Stepsister is now available, and Yen Press will release volume 2 on January 21, 2025. The anime is streaming on Crunchyroll. Yen Press also published the light novel outside Japan.

The post Days With My Stepsister Manga Starts With Teenagers Recovering From Trauma appeared first on Siliconera.

Moss and Moss: Book II remain these constant VR staples, even years after the original 2018 release. We see both entries show up on new platforms, years after their launch. After all, both only just made their PS5 debut in 2023. Most recently, alongside the Meta Quest 3S launch, both games ended up getting additional improvements and updates in September 2024. After going back and playing them after said update, it’s easy to understand why.

Part of it is the premise of both Moss and Book II. These aren’t VR games that attempt to put you firsthand in the experience of a massive adventure game or action-RPG, though the scope is admirable. You’re a person who follows alongside a mouse named Quill and assists her as she first attempts to save her immediate home in the first entry, then save the world of Moss as a whole in the second. 

As such an assistant, it means there is a lot more freedom to explore and handle puzzles. After all, we’re trusting and replying upon Quill, our partner, to help with some of the lifting. So we aren’t necessarily going through actions or activities that could result in motion sickness or unpleasant effects. We’re allowed a little more freedom with our actions and don’t need to worry about demanding precision, since we’re assisting in puzzle solving and progression.

This leeway allows for range of approachability and accessibility that not every VR game offers, which works in favor of Moss and Book II. The genre is one that is generally very well accepted on the platform, since adventure games do generally allow players more time to react and puzzles are welcoming to anyone. It not demanding many sudden movements or major activity means someone new to VR or gaming in general could easily get adjusted. Since we’re working alongside a heroine who can provide us insight and hints, but who isn’t holding our hands as we go through it, it’s also a comfortable way to ease into the experience and allow for more character and storytelling.

It also helps that Polyarc does continue to improve the Moss and Book II experiences. The most recent update alongside the Meta Quest 3S launch is a perfect example. It features both visual updates and fan-requested features. As I played the original games before, heading back and being able to completely turn off combat was quite a boon. Not that it is bad, as I appreciate how it is handled, but it is another good option both in terms of accessibility and approachability. It allows someone to return and, as a result of that stressor being removed, be able to appreciate other elements of the games. Plus the additional visual improvements mean that it does keep looking crisper, better, and more in line with what we expect from VR games as technology improves. 

Moss and Moss: Book II always feel like they remain relevant VR games, and a few hours spent with each reveal why. The nature of both adventures show how welcoming they are to both newcomers to gaming in general or VR headsets. The fact that Polyarc also keeps considering what players might want and updating it goes even further to ensure they remain staples even six years after the original’s debut.

Moss I and Moss: Book II are available on the PS VR and PS VR 2 for the PS4 and PS5, Meta Quest headsets, and other VR headsets via Steam. 

The post Moss I  and Book II Remain Solid VR Staples appeared first on Siliconera.

Yen Press announced that those waiting to read the new Haruhi Suzumiya light novel will be able to alongside Japanese readers. We already knew The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya will be a simulpub title, which means it will be released simultaneously in both English and Japanese, but now this pins down the publisher. It came up among other New York Comic Con 2024 reveals. 

The announcement went on to offer additional clarification about the process. This will only affect the English digital release of The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya, and not the physical copy of the light novel. The new story is set to debut in Japan on November 29, 2024. So someone will be able to go directly to Yen Press and look up the digital copy at launch to download it from the storefront that works best for them.

Here’s the official announcement Yen Press shared during NYCC 2024. It confirmed this installment will feature three stories starring the series’ characters. 

This tracks, as Yen Press handled both the manga and light novels in the past. The most recently published light novel was The Intuition of Haruhi Suzumiya, which released in 2021. It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen manga based on it, as one of the last ones was The Celebration of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Digital copies of The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya will appear in English via Yen Press on November 29, 2024.

The post The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya Novel Will Appear Simultaneously in English appeared first on Siliconera.

The Pokemon Company International announced that it is now possible to get a shiny Meloetta in Pokemon Home following the 3.2.2 update. However, it isn’t an unconditional giveaway. It is tied to Pokedex completion.

Here’s how it works. You need to have your copy of Pokemon Home synched up with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet on the Nintendo Switch. This is because you need to have the full Pokedex for the main game, which is the Paldea Pokedex, as well the ones from the Blueberry and Kitakami Pokedex ones from the two areas in the expansion pass. If you did that and confirmed it within Pokemon Home in “Games,” you get the Shiny Meloetta as a Mystery Gift. Once that is in your boxes, you could then move it to one of your games.

There’s also a screenshot showing the Shiny Meloetta in the Pokemon Home app. The Normal and Psychic type will be at level 50 when it arrives. The one shown in the screenshot has 170 HP, 82 attack, 162 special attack, 92 defense, 148 special defense, and 110 speed. The Modest nature boosts special attack at the cost of attack. Serene Grace also makes it more likely Meloetta’s attack effects will trigger. The character arrives knowing Echoed Voice, Psybeam, Relic Song, and Sing. So Serene Grace would affect Psybeam and Relic Song. 

Here’s how the character will look:

Pokemon Home is available on the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. It is compatible with games up through the latest Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Switch entries.

The post You Can Earn Shiny Meloetta in Pokemon Home Now appeared first on Siliconera.

When it comes to a personality test, it honestly might be better to think of it as a game or hypothetical, rather than a reliable determination of who you are as a person. (Especially if you’re just doing so online.) Refind Self: The Personality Test Game leans into that by basically giving you a light slice-of-life experience following a grieving android coming to terms with recent events while also going about their day and considering what to do next.

Within the “world” of Lizardry and Playism’s Refind Self: The Personality Test Game, you are taking a test designed to help someone recover and determine who they are by playing through said game about the android. You’re warned that you can only take so many actions while exploring and interacting before your “heart is full,” which will then result in an assessment based on what you did and decisions you made. From there, you’re tossed into the life of an android who’s just lost the Doctor who acted as a parent to them and go about your day.

While this is a personality test of sorts, I think it is better to think of Refind Self: The Personality Test Game as a life sim that might be different each time you play it. The first time you go into it blind is probably when you’ll both get the most and least accurate assessment of who you might be, since you’re given no guidance beyond “live.” There are no instructions. Provided you didn’t look up details online, you won’t know what to expect. Also, since you likely won’t turn streamer mode on, you’ll be making decisions naturally and not considering the fact that the game is actually keeping track of how long it takes you to do certain things as part of the determinations as well.

The world of  Refind Self: The Personality Test Game is a homey and relatively peaceful one. After heading down from the hill, you can visit with other human and robotic inhabitants of the village. It is possible to investigate things, collect items, and shop. You’ll learn about possible tasks or activities, which you can take part in. So in a way, it really does feel like it could be an assessment of who you are. After all, there are a lot of choices as to what you might do.

As such, I found the second and third runs of Refind Self: The Personality Test Game were more satisfying than the first. During the second, I had a better idea of where everything was an knew what I hadn’t gotten around to the first time. So I had more of an idea what to expect and perhaps even felt like I enjoyed it more since I better understood what was possible. But in the third, I actually started working toward some of the potential “objectives” or activities that really feels like you’re supposed to be pushing yourself toward a certain way to get something done. Also, the more you play, the more you unlock and know about the game.

The execution also makes doing so something of a pleasure. Playism noted a playthrough can last about an hour, but it might even be shorter than that depending on what you do. It’s easy to go through and fun to explore. Not to mention it’s quite a pretty diversion, with fantastic spritework and a subdued color scheme that matches the tone of the experience perfectly. I ended up taking to playing it either between other games or before heading to bed each night to relax. I eventually felt like I wanted to go out of my way to earn personalities I hadn’t seen yet, just to get feedback on that mindset, get a look at the fun outfits, and see how to trigger that result.

Refind Self: The Personality Test Game may not be the best at accurately assessing who you are, but it is absolutely entertaining. I really liked the relax atmosphere and presentation. Plus, its length encourages you to return and see what you might discover and unlock next. It’s an enjoyable way to briefly spend some time thinking about your actions.

Refind Self: The Personality Test Game is available on the Nintendo Switch, PC and mobile devices.

The post Review: Refind Self: The Personality Test Game Is a Fascinating Time Sink appeared first on Siliconera.

As part of the Dragon Ball Daima New York Comic Con 2024 reveals, Toei Animation revealed two English voice actors and 12 more Japanese ones for the anime. There are also two new videos showing the opening and ending credits and theme songs without any text.

The two English voice actors for Dragon Ball Daima are the ones for main characters Goku (Mini) and Glorio. Stephanie Nadolny will return to play Goku. In the past, she’s been tasked with playing him and Gohan in appearances when they were babies, kids, or teenagers. Glorio is voiced by Aaron Dismuke, who most recently played Masachika Kuze in Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian and Elan Ceres in Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. 

As for the Japanese voice actors for Dragon Ball Daima, here are all the other confirmed cast members:

• Bulma (Mini) - Mai Nakahara
• Chichi (Mini) - Ai Kakuma
• Dende (Mini) - Erina Goto
• Kamesennin (Mini) - Nobuaki Kanemitsu
• Kibito (Mini) - Yusuke Handa
• Krillin (Mini) - Aki Kanada
• Majin Buu (Mini) - Shiho Amuro
• Mr. Popo (Mini) - Kimiko Saito
• Mr. Satan (Mini) - Toru Sakurai
• Piccolo (Mini) - Tomohiro Yamaguchi
• Trunks (Mini) - Tsubasa Yonaga
• Vegeta (Mini) - Yudai Mino

Here’s the Dragon Ball Daima anime opening theme song “Jaka Jaka” and its animation.

And this is the credit-less Dragon Ball Daima ending theme “Nakama.” 

These aren’t the only announcements related to the series coming out of NYCC 2024. Bandai Namco also shared that three ongoing games based on the series will get DLC based on Dragon Ball Daima. There are no release dates yet, but we’ll see characters and elements from the anime appear in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.

Dragon Ball Daima is streaming on Crunchyroll, and the English dub of the anime will debut in US and Canadian theaters on November 10-12, 2024.

The post Meet More Dragon Ball Daima English and Japanese Voice Actors appeared first on Siliconera.