McDonald’s has managed the difficult task of "mixing friend groups together" to release a series of Happy Meal toys that are Sanrio mascot characters dressed up as Yu-Gi-Oh monsters. You’ll be able to get them for a limited time, but stores in the USA are missing a particular doll.

Here is a commercial for the McDonald’s Yu-Gi-Oh and Sanrio Happy Meal toys:

It shows the Sanrio mascots and the Yu-Gi-Oh monsters hanging out on separate sides of the park. But when a kid grabs a Happy Meal box and starts skipping down the road with it, we see how she inadvertently shakes up their world and cause them to combine. The official Yu-Gi-Oh X (Twitter) account credits Guillaume Huin, a senior marketing director at McDonald’s, for the commercial.

The combination for Sanrio and Yu-Gi-Oh monsters are:

• Badtz-Maru x Red-Eyes Black Dragon
• Chococat x The Winged Dragon of Ra
• Cinnamoroll x Blue-Eyes White Dragon
• Hello Kitty x Dark Magician
• Keroppi x Kuriboh
• Kuromi x Slifer the Sky Dragon
• My Melody x Dark Magician Girl
• Pochacco x Time Wizard
• Pompompurin x Exodia the Forbidden One
• Tuxedosam: Obelisk the Tormentor

The Yu-Gi-Oh monsters that are part of this crossover all played important roles in the original Duel Monsters cartoons. Over the years, they've been featured in different kinds of goods, such as model kits or figures. As a note, other countries like Japan and Taiwan were able to get these toys earlier this year. Their selection featured the Badtz-Maru wearing the Red-Eyes Black Dragon doll though. So it's unclear why the McDonald's in the United States won't offer that one.

You can get Happy Meal toys of Sanrio mascots wearing Yu-Gi-Oh monster outfits for a limited time from McDonald’s.

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A new manga trailer for Jujutsu Kaisen has been released, paying tribute to the series' characters as the story nears its conclusion. The video, available on the official Shonen Jump YouTube channel, features a mix of iconic scenes and heartwarming moments from the manga. 

You can view the official trailer video below:

The trailer, presented as an edited motion comic, culminates in a face-off between Sukuna and Itadori Yuuji, highlighting the dramatic stakes the series has taken on as it approaches it's final five chapters. In addition to the manga trailer, Shueisha announced they are offering 245 chapters of Jujutsu Kaisen for free on the Jump+ app and Zeblack platform. This initiative allows readers to relive key moments or catch up on the series as it heads towards its conclusion.

This trailer follows a similar style to a previous teaser released for the third season of the anime, which focused on the Culling Game arc. That teaser used stylized manga animation and video editing to give a preview of the upcoming anime adaptation of the arc.

With only five chapters left until the finale, the trailer serves as a poignant reminder of the journey the characters have been on and the challenges that still lie ahead.

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Nobuo Uematsu, the renowned composer behind iconic video game music such as the Final Fantasy series, will hold a special concert event titled "Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW" in Tokyo. The performances are scheduled for October 5-6, 2024, at Otemachi Mitsui Hall, and tickets are now on sale to the general public. Uematsu will be joined by his band "con TIKI".

View the announcement video below:

The concert will feature a mix of Uematsu's classic game compositions, including tracks from Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X, as well as original works. Attendees can expect to hear pieces like "Melodies of Life" and "Isn't it wonderful," alongside newer compositions from his latest projects.

In addition to the musical performances, the event will offer special opportunities including a limited-edition commemorative sticker and a chance to meet con TIKI members including Nobuo Uematsu during a post-show handshake session. There will also be a lottery for photo opportunities with the band.

Uematsu previously appeared on The First Take alongside vocalist Loren Allred, where they performed the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth theme song, “No Promises to Keep.” Uematsu played the piano while Allred, performing in character as Aerith, provided the vocals.

Tickets are available through Lawson Ticket, Ticket Pia, and e-plus.

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2K and Firaxis have revealed more information about Sid Meier's Civilization VII at gamescom 2024. After first publishing a teaser trailer at Summer Game Fest 2024, the companies revealed the release date and gameplay details for the new game at the European gaming event.

A new trailer for Civilization VII appeared first during the gamescom 2024 Opening Night Live stream. It showed a quick montage of in-engine footage, including buildings from various civilizations and units from different ages. The main highlight of this trailer was the release date announcement.

The new game will be available on February 11, 2025. While prior entries used to appear first on PCs with consoles like Nintendo Switch getting them later on, this trailer's ending segment hints that Civilization VII will be available simultaneously on not only PCs but also the PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox platforms.

Soon after that, Firaxis held an official gameplay showcase stream dedicated to the game on the series' official YouTube channel. The new game will have civilizations tied to each of the three different eras, and the leader character the player chooses is no longer tied to their original civilization.

For example, while Hatshepsut is originally related to Egypt, the player can choose to have her lead the Aksum civilization instead in the Antiquity Age. As the game progresses in age, the player will have to choose a different civilization for Hatshepsut to lead, such as Songhai or Mongolia in the Exploration Age, and Buganda in the Modern Age.

2K has also updated the game's Steam page with additional bonus editions that provide both in-game content at launch and post-launch DLC that 2K will release in the future. People who have pre-purchased any edition of the game—including the standard version before release—can get the native American civilization Shawnee and Tecumseh as a playable leader.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII will be available for PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One on February 11, 2025.

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Anycolor announced that the Nijisanji Japan Vtuber Naruse Naru will graduate on August 31, 2024. He debuted in VOIZ back in June 2018, meaning he was with the company for over six years.

Here is the official Anycolor notice about Naruse Naru deciding to graduate. While he will depart from the company on August 31, 2024, fan letters will be accepted until September 30, 2024. Also, as is customary for a Nijisanji Vtuber graduation, we will see the social media account close once he does graduate and videos could be archived. 

Naruse Naru also took to social media to talk about his decision to graduate from Nijisanji. In his statement, he noted that he will still be a part of Vsaikyo 2024. That is the yearly Vtuber Apex Legends tournament. Naru is part of the D.D. Dogs alongside Nijisanji’s Harusaki Air, Cover Holostars Vtuber Rikka, and FENNEL’s Miki "Pinotr" Tsurumaki. That is being held August 24, 2024. 

Most recently, Naru has been playing Apex Legends during streams. He was known for playing games primarily. However, he would also occasionally perform covers of songs as well.

Naruse Naru will graduate from Nijisanji on on August 31, 2024, and he will still be in Vsaikyo 2024.

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A re-release version of Sanctuary, an artbook to celebrate 40 years’ worth of artwork from Inomata Mutsumi, will come out on August 21, 2024. The book will be available via Amazon and will cost 4070 JPY ($27.80). [Thanks, Famitsu!]

The book contains 256 pages and over 2000 pieces of work from various genres that Inomata worked on in her lifetime. This includes anime, games, novels, and magazines. It serves as a chronicle that looks back on her career, which heavily focuses on designs for sci-fi and fantasy characters.

Inomata Mutsumi died on March 10, 2024, though the news broke on March 18, 2024. Her career started in 1979 and lasted until she died. She was known for her work on the Tales series, including Destiny, Graces, Hearts, Innocence, Xillia, Berseria, and Zestiria. She also worked on the animation for Urusei Yatsura and City Hunter, as well as designed for the My-HiME and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED franchise. Her art style included the usage of watercolors, and her characters tended to have large eyes and slender figures, making them look like they came from a shojo manga.

Sanctuary, which collects artwork from Inomata Mutsumi over the past 40 years in a single artbook, will come out on August 21, 2024.

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Ever since The Sims 4 came out in 2014 (oh my goodness...), I’ve been adamant that The Sims 2 and 3 remain the superior titles in the series, especially once you start using core mods to improve performance or quality of life. For those who want to get their life simulation fix but The Sims 4 is broken or too boring, I highly suggest playing The Sims 3 instead!

Those who know anything about The Sims 3 may know that Electronic Arts and Maxis did not optimize this game very well. There are a lot of reasons for this. One reason is that it’s an open-world 32-bit game. This can lead to your files bloating up and causing the game to crash to desktop. The Sims 3 is also notorious in that the game does not naturally cap your FPS, which can overheat your graphics card if you’re not careful. Some of these mods are not mere recommendations. They’re straight up essential for the overall health of your computer.

Though not a mod, I recommend using MATY’s FPS Limiter and 3Booter. This will help to keep your frame rate at the game’s default 30. If you’re like me and you’re using a NVIDIA graphics card, you can also go into your control panel and cap The Sims 3’s frame rate at 30 through there.

Here are some of the best mods for The Sims 3 in 2024

• NRaas Master Controller
  NRaas’s entire library of mods is fantastic, but I have a few that I recommend for even people who aren’t too keen on installing mods. Master Controller is exactly as it says on the tin. With this mod, you can control virtually everything in your town, from relationships to careers to ages. It’s a handy tool for little accidents (oops, my Sim is wearing a raincoat at her garden wedding) to more heavy-duty tasks (I need to reset every single object and sim in my neighborhood).
• NRaas Story Progression
  As mentioned earlier, The Sims 3 has an open world for its neighborhood, which means that things can happen in inactive households completely out of your control. You can turn this off if you want, but for those who don’t mind letting Sims live out their own little virtual lives, I recommend Story Progression from NRaas. This replaces EA’s slow and stagnant Story Progression, preventing your neighborhood from devolving into a ghost town over time.
• NRaas Overwatch
  ESSENTIAL MOD; YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD DOWNLOAD THIS FOR YOUR COMPUTER. Overwatch goes through your neighborhood at an interval you set to clean up things like deserted cars. In general, you can think of Overwatch as a garbage truck that throws away junk files which can cause bloating down the line.
• NRaas Error Trap
  ESSENTIAL MOD; YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD DOWNLOAD THIS FOR YOUR COMPUTER. Error Trap is, like Overwatch, a mod that’s for keeping your save file as clean as possible. It catches and corrects data corruption errors that can prevent you from loading up a save. Think of it as insurance. Under ideal circumstances, you won’t need it. But when you need it, man, you’ll be glad to have this thing in your folders.

• Simpishly's More Traits for All Ages
  If you raise a Sim in-game, you’re forced to only pick from limited pools of traits in the earlier life stages, which can get boring after a while. Enabling traits for all ages can lead to some wacky Sims like a toddler who’s Flirty and has Commitment Issues. But if you don’t mind that, this is a great mod for more varied Sims.
• LazyDuchess Smooth Patch
  As a note, the LazyDuchess Smooth Patch does not work with some NRaas mods if you’re using 2.x versions. I recommend using a 1.x build if you want to use it with, say, Master Controller. Smooth Patch alters some of the script in the game to make the game run faster. For example, it’ll load hairs and outfits in CAS as you scroll through rather than making you wait for the game to pull everything out.
• LazyDuchess Lot population
  This is a personal pet peeve, but I don’t like going to a community lot to scope out a joint, only for everyone to be elsewhere in town. In The Sims 2, the game will populate lots after you arrive. However, the open world concept works against that since, again, Sims have their own lives. The Lot Population mod pushes Sims to lots your active Sim is at so you won’t be partying alone. It can also add walkbys like in The Sims 2, making your neighborhood feel more alive.
• Retuned Attraction
  The attraction system in The Sims 3 is ridiculous and can cause more trouble than it’s worth. With this mod, the attraction system is more sane and logical, as well as less indiscriminate. It will also prevent Sims from continuously harassing you for dates or sending you random stuff in the mail.

• OMSP, S3DT
  For people who like to build and decorate fancy houses, OMSP and S3DT are both absolutely essential. OMSP allows you to create more space on surfaces for clutter. This can include beds and sofas (so you can put blankets and cushions), or mini-fridges (if you want to put a radio or something on top). S3DT gives you a lot of freedom when it comes to moving things around a lot, as well as lets you change the height and angle of objects. If you only care about gameplay, these aren't necessary.
• Ghost Reaction Remover
  This is fantastic for people who play legacy style like I do, as you’ll naturally end up with a lot of ghosts in your house. If you’re annoyed by Sims constantly stopping what they’re doing to go “Ew, you’re getting ectoplasm all over the floor, Great-Great-Grandpa,” then this mod can curb that behavior. Other reaction removers from this maker include mods to curb relation loss from the Emperor of Evil and stop sims from freaking out over Bonehilda.
• Children Can mods
  The Children Can series of mods is fantastic for people who want to give their Sim kids more freedom and independence, as well as get them started in life. With this mod, Sim kids will be able to do laundry, make sculptures, call services, and more. It’s really handy for people who are doing challenges like, again, the legacy challenge or the 100 Baby Challenge, since it’ll make playing with kids more fun.
• NeuroBlazer Random Genetics
  I highly recommend the Random Genetics mod for people who want more varied faces around town or in your Sims. However, NeuroBlazer seems to have removed this mod and they’re not hosting it anymore. Fortunately, there is a backup (this link will directly download the file to your computer).

• Brntwaffles environment mods
  Pretty much all of Tumblr user brntwaffles’s default replacement mods (whether environment or genetics) are really good! They make the game really pretty and it looks even better if you install Reshade. My personal recommendations from brntwaffles for eyes are the MS93 and Sarhra default replacements. I also really like their Perfect Day and Dream Dimension lighting mods.
• Twinsimming mods
  Twinswimming’s mods are great for adding flavor to your game. I recommend basically all of them. Some of them can make your game more difficult, such as Pest Control and Utilities adding new things you have to watch out for. Their best mods are Growing Pains and the Level Up! mods, in my opinion.
• Velocitygrass No Automatic Memories
  ESSENTIAL MOD; YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD DOWNLOAD THIS FOR YOUR COMPUTER. As mentioned in the beginning, memories can really bloat your save file, causing the eventual corruption of your neighborhood and mess with your computer. Even if you turn off notifications, the game still accumulates memories, including from inactive families. This mod completely removes the feature.
• Icarusallsorts's User-Directed Scolding
  If you don’t have kids in your game, this might be a non-issue. But Generations added a mechanic that lets parents scold and ground their kids when they do something bad. On paper, that sounds really neat. In practice, it’s freakishly annoying. This mod gives you more control over how your sim punishes their kid without turning it into unnecessary drama.

• Ultimate Careers
  The Ultimate Careers mod is a very intensive mod that overhauls how careers work in this game. This makes them a lot more similar to how professions work rather than just pushing your Sims to go to a rabbit hole where you can’t peek in on them. Fortunately, you don’t have to micromanage as much as you do with a profession, so it’s friendly for players with large families too.
• TheSweetSimmer mods
  TheSweetSimmer makes a lot of mods that focus on pregnancy interactions and toddlers, making them more fun to play with. It also frees up your teen or adult Sims, since children and toddlers will be able to perform acts that would usually require an older Sim's help. This is mostly useful for people who play families, but it might incentivize YA and Adult sim players to have a kid or two.
• Moar Interactions
  This is one of those mods that add things you’d figure would have been in the base game. It’s great for group meetings and parties, as you can do so much more with other sims around town.
• PhoebeJaySims Social Clubs Mod
  PhoebeJaySims, like TheSweetSimmer and Twinsimming, has a lot of really cool mods. My favorite of them is the Social Clubs mod. This lets you create a club, but without the objectives that are in The Sims 4 clubs. Clubs with this mod are more chill and are a great way for you to set up regular meetings and playdates, or add a layer of storytelling to your neighborhood.

The Sims 3 is readily available on the Windows PC.

The post Best Mods For The Sims 3 in 2024 appeared first on Siliconera.

The official Kingdom Hearts soundtracks for HD 2.5 ReMIX, Birth by Sleep, 358/2 Days, Dream Drop Distance, and HD 1.5 ReMIX are now available via the Square Enix Store. Each comes as a three CD set except for HD 2.5 ReMIX, which contains four CD's.

There are four soundtracks in total, including music from across seven games in the franchise. The music is created by composers such as Tsuyoshi Sekito, Yoko Shimomura, and Takeharu Ishimoto. Each is a re-release of products that originally debuted between 2011 and 2014, while the Birth by Sleep & 358/2 Days CD set also includes some extra music from the Japanese exclusive Birth by Sleep FINAL MIX release. The soundtracks for Birth by Sleep & 358/2 Days, Dream Drop Distance, and HD 1.5 ReMIX are available for $30.99 each, while the one for HD 2.5 ReMIX costs $42.99. Each is expected to ship sometime in September 2024.

Back in July 2024, Square Enix showed off some new hair clips themed around Halloween Town from Kingdom Hearts II. More recently, the company also announced the return of 4 metallic keychains shaped like the series' signature Keyblades.

The original soundtracks for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, Birth by Sleep, 358/2 Days, Dream Drop Distance, and HD 1.5 ReMIX are now available via the Square Enix online store. Each product is expected to release sometime in September, 2024.

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Good Smile Company announced seven Rebuild of Evangelion Huggy Good Smile figures of Asuka, Kaworu, Mari, Rei, and Shinji. These will cost ￥1,800/$10.99 each, and will debut in February 2025 in Japan and Q3 2025 worldwide.

While there are seven figures in this collection, two of them are alternate versions. All of them feature Asuka, Kaworu, Mari, Rei, and Shinji in their plugsuits. The bonus Asuka one is her Eye Patch Version one, while the extra Rei is a Long Hair Version. Each one is about two and a half inches tall, which is 65mm. You can adjust the position of the arms. However, the other parts can’t be moved. The extra magnet is in the back of the head, should someone want to display it on a magnetic surface.

Here’s the Japanese announcement, which also shows how the Huggy Good Smile Evangelion figures of Asuka, Kaworu, Mari, Rei, and Shinji can be posed on shelves or displayed on magnetic surfaces like fridges.

We also have a better idea of each one looks, as Good Smile Company shared individual photos of each character.

The Huggy Good Smile Rebuild of Evangelion figures of Asuka, Kaworu, Mari, Rei, and Shinji will come to Japan in February 2025, followed by a global release in Q3 2025. Pre-orders close on September 18, 2024. People can catch the Evangelion anime on Netflix, and the Rebuild of Evangelion films are on Amazon.

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Nintendo has announced the opening date for the Nintendo Museum while launching its official website. People will be able to visit the new museum starting from October 2, 2024.

This opening date announcement followed the Nintendo Direct stream that exclusively featured the museum earlier on the same day. Nintendo first revealed the date in that program. The whole museum will also have English language support for foreign visitors who are not well-versed in Japanese.

This museum will not only feature a collection of Nintendo's consoles and game products, including the Hanafuda flower cards that the company made shortly after it was established in 1889. The facility will also have interactive physical games and workshops based on the company's creations, ranging from digital Hanafuda and Karuta games to a Super Mario-themed shooting gallery. The Hatena Burger cafe and the Bonus Stage merchandise shop will complete the facility.

Nintendo will restrict access to the museum with a limited number of tickets. People who want to visit the museum must first have a Nintendo Account that they also use on the Switch. Most of the tickets will be available via a lottery drawing, but Nintendo will also open sales for the remaining tickets if there are cancellations.

People with other nationalities other than Japan can also purchase tickets for the museum, but they can only pay with credit cards. The museum's staff will also only accept passports to confirm the identities of foreign nationals.

Here are the ticket prices for the Nintendo Museum, which are grouped by age:

• Ages 0-5: Free
• Ages 6-11: 1,100 yen (~$7.55)
• Ages 12-17: 2,200 yen (~$15.10)
• Ages 18 or more: 3,300 yen (~$22.65)

The Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, Japan, will be accessible to the public on October 2, 2024.

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On August 20, 2024, FromSoftware announced that the Prime Video anthology show Secret Level will feature an all new story set in one of the universes of Armored Core. The series, being developed by the same creative team as Love, Death & Robots, will feature 15 shorts from various video games.

Armored Core joins a list of many other famous games to appear in installments in Secret Level, including Mega Man, Dungeons & Dragons, Warhammer 40,000 and Pac-Man. The tweet announcing this FromSoftware game's involvement also showed off a mech racing across an icy wasteland and a picture of a human character who resembles actor Keanu Reeves.

You can see the official tweet here:

This isn't the first time the Armored Core property has gone beyond the video games. Numerous model kits have been made of famous Cores from the series. A novel called Armored Core: Brave New World appeared in Japan.

Blur Studio, the production company behind Love, Death & Robots and Secret Level previously did work on films like James Cameron's Avatar, created trailers for Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Knight, and redid the cutscenes for the Master Chief Collection version of Halo 2.

Secret Level will be streaming on Amazon Prime Video on December 10, 2024, and the Armored Core episode will be a part of the show.

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During GamesCom 2024, Netflix Games officially announced Squid Game: Unleashed, a new mobile multiplayer battle royale inspired by viral Korean show Squid Game. The title places players to a brutal competition, during which they must outlast their opponents in a series of deadly challenges both familiar from the original series and new. While a specific release date has not yet been announced, the game is expected to launch "soon."

You can watch the official announcement trailer from gamescom 2024 below:

Squid Game: Unleashed will feature ragdoll physics and cartoon violence, adding an exaggerated twist to the gameplay based on the deadly series. Players will compete in online multiplayer matches, navigating through various twisted contests based on the original show’s deadly games, as well as new games inspired by classic childhood activities.

This release comes as part of Netflix's broader push into gaming, which includes the formation of its first in-house game studio in Helsinki, Finland, led by former Zynga and EA executive Marko Lastikka. Netflix has been expanding its game library, which includes titles like Before Your Eyes and Into the Breach.

Squid Game: Unleashed is set to be released on mobile platforms through the Netflix Mobile App. The first season of Squid Game is on the service now, with season 2 debuting on December 26, 2024. The reality show based on the property is also on Netflix.

The post Squid Game Mobile Game Announced by Netflix appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix released a Chrissy Costanza music video for the FFXIV “Give It All” Arcadion Raid song, as well as shared the official English lyrics for the track. The song debuted alongside the 7.01 Dawntrail Raid AAC Light-heavyweight Tier.

In FFXIV, you hear the song “Give It All” during AAC Light-heavyweight M4. The Orchestrion Roll for the track is also a basic rarity reward from a Treasure Coffer from the fight. The idea is that Wicked Thunder is “performing” the track. In reality, it is a The Primals song with Costanza providing the vocals. Previously, the company shared the track following its release. However, now the additional video and lyrics are also available.

Here are the full, official “Give It All” FFXIV Arcadion Raid song lyrics:

Tonight our city bleeds red, blue, and green 
As I walk in the dark unseen 

Yet like the grey the sky is draped in 
The colors in my heart have faded 

Gone 
They're gone 
They're gone 
All gone 

A girl looks to the stars and dares to dream 
On the world she'd make her mark, it seemed 

This phantom in my mirror starin' back 
I realize that girl is 

Gone 
She's gone 
She's gone 
I'm gone 

Climbed every mountain, made it to the top 
I had it all, or so I thought 
Traded tomorrow for a lie 
And found the price too high 

The clock is ticking counting down to naught 
I'm outta time but it won't stop 
I'll bet my life before it's lost 
That final line I'll cross 

There ain't no going back 
No going back 
No going back 
No 

What light's left here inside 
I'll suffocate 
If that's what it takes, oh 

And those who look to cast me aside 
or turn their backs and leave me to die 

You can try, can try, come try, 
But I will survive 

No going back 
No going back 
Won't ever 
(no) Never again, no 

Ain't no going back 
No going back 
No coming back from the edge 

Look in my eyes, yeah I know you understand 
(somebody help, my misery's taking me) 
I've made up my mind, now there ain't no going back 
(somebody help, I'm losing what's left of me) 
I've made up my mind, now my heart's demanding 
I'm ready to fight til there's one left standing 
Tonight, lightning'll strike, thunder will fall 
(and) You're gonna give it all 

To me 
To me 
To me 
To me, I gotta believe 
You'll set 
Me free

Tonight my circle finally comes complete 
One last step from the dark, I breathe 

The music's swellin', crowd is chantin' 
And for this moment fear's an after-thought
It's gone
It's gone 
All gone 

I look out to the crowd and there I see 
A thousand little girls--all me 

I've turned the tables, yeah I'm fightin' back 
I'll bring the lightnin', now it's 

On 
It's on 
It's on 
You're gone 

Climbed every mountain, made it to the top 
I had it all, or so I thought 
Traded tomorrow for a lie 
And found the price too high 

The clock is ticking counting down to naught 
I'm outta time but it won't stop 
I'll bet my life before it's lost 
That final line I'll cross 

There ain't no going back 
No going back 
No going back 
No 

What light's left here inside 
I'll suffocate 
If that's what it takes, oh 

And those who look to cast me aside 
or turn their backs and leave me to die 

You can try, can try, come try, 
But I will survive 

No going back 
No going back 
Won't ever 
(no) Never again, no 

Ain't no going back 
No going back 
No coming back from the edge, no more 

Next, here’s the “Give It All” music video from YouTube, which features gameplay footage from FFXIV, Solution Nine, and the Arcadion Raid. Note there are spoilers for all the AAC Light-heavyweight Tier fights in the video below, and not just the Wicked Thunder one.

Both standard and Savage versions of the AAC Light-heavyweight Tier Arcadion fight are available in the game. The more difficult version of the Raid debuted at the end of July 2024 in patch 7.05.

Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the Arcadian Raid series are part of the Dawntrail patches.

The post See the FFXIV ‘Give It All’ Arcadion Raid Song Lyrics, Music Video appeared first on Siliconera.

A release date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has been announced. The game will be released for PC and Xbox Series X/S on December 9, 2024, plus a PS5 release in 2025.

The release date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was announced alongside a new trailer led by Troy Baker. The ubiquitous voice actor will be portraying the famous archaeologist in the game. In the trailer, we got to see snippets of gameplay, including the combat making use of brawling, shooting and Indy's iconic whip. Some puzzle gameplay was also shown off, including the use of photgraphy to help solve these challenges.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was first announced in a teaser by developer MachineGames in 2021. The game initally appeared to be an Xbox exclusive following Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda, and since been shown off in Xbox presentations such as the January 2024 Developer Direct and Xbox Games Showcase in June 2024. It is the latest of a long line of Indiana Jones games, from LucasArts point-and-click adventures in the 1980s to the Lego Indiana Jones games of more recent years.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will release on Xbox Series X/S and PC on December 9, 2024. It will also release on PS5 in Spring 2025.

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During GamesCom 2024, HoYoVerse released a new trailer for Honkai: Star Rail, teasing new character Feixiao and the upcoming Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works collaboration. More details on both will appear closer to the release date.

You can watch the Honkai: Star Rail GamesCom trailer here:

It’s also available in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

The trailer starts with Guinaifen describing Feixiao’s exploits on the battlefield, though she can’t really remember everything. Feixiao actually appears to defeat a borisin about to attack, but she’s just asking for directions. Then, the trailer temporarily shifts to an anime style to show Pom-Pom, Caelus, March, and Dan Heng on the Astral Express. They hear a kind of explosion noise and though you can’t see who appeared on the train, it’s most likely to be EMIYA between his voice and the line he says.

The Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works collaboration event will come out some time in Summer 2025. At this point in time, we don’t know if the crossover will only be skins, or if we will actually get a playable character like how Aloy appeared in Genshin Impact. As for Feixiao, she will be a 5-star Wind Hunt character. Before her debut though, we have her subordinate Jiaoqiu coming out in the second phase of Version 2.4. He’ll be a 5-star Fire Nihility who specializes in a unique DoT.

Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. Feixiao will appear as a playable character in Honkai: Star Rail Versioin 2.5.

The post Honkai: Star Rail GamesCom Trailer Teases Feixiao and UBW appeared first on Siliconera.

Toei Animation has announced on Twitter that the 3DCG anime Girls Band Cry will be getting an official release in English. North America will be the first region to receive the show. The tweet also featured a new trailer, complete with official English subtitles and showing off the main players.

The North American release will be available on digital storefronts on August 13, 2024. All 13 episodes will be available to purchase in digital form from storefronts like Fandango at Home and Prime Video. However, there are no announcements to whether or not Girls Band Cry will be available on streaming services or if it will be made available in any physical disc editions.

Girls Band Cry was originally aired in Japan in April, 2024. Until now, there had been no signs of official translations being sent to other regions. You can watch the official trailer for the North American release here:

In addition to the Girls Band Cry announcement, Toei Animation has also confirmed the release of the newest Dragon Ball show: Dragon Ball Daima for the 40th anniversary of the series. Toei Animation also celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Digimon Adventure on August 1, 2024 with a special music video for "Butter-Fly," the main opening theme of the show.

Girls Band Cry will be available for purchase on Prime Video, Fandango, Microsoft Store, and Hoopla on August 13, 2024.

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The highly anticipated season 2 of Kaiju No. 8 has been officially announced, with a release set for 2025. The announcement was made via the official Kaiju No. 8 Twitter account, featuring a promotional video (PV) that showcases scenes from the first season and confirms an upcoming continuation of the series.

You can view the announcement post below:

In addition to the second season, the PV also revealed that a new original episode titled Hoshina's Day-off is in production. This episode will likely explore the daily life of vice-captain Soshiro Hoshina. Furthermore, a compilation of the first season is also being produced, allowing newcomers to relive key moments from the initial episodes before diving into the new season.

Kaiju no 8’s anime is Based on Naoya Matsumoto’s manga serialized in Shonen Jump, it follows a man named Kafka with the ability to transform into a Kaiju. The anime’s first season began airing in April 2024 and concluded on July 13th 2024.

In related news, Akatsuki Games and Toho announced Kaiju No 8: The Game, a free-to-play adaptation of the anime and manga for mobile devices and PCs. The release date has yet to be announced. The Kaiju No 8 anime is currently available on Crunchyroll, and the manga is handled outside Japan by Viz Media.

The post Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 Announced for 2025 appeared first on Siliconera.

Another Puella Magi Madoka Magica staple is confirmed as a playable Magia Exedra character, as we’ll be able to be Homura Akemi in the game as well. A first trailer appeared for her. Keep in mind though, it does involve some Madoka Magica Homura spoilers if you aren’t familiar with the anime and past games.

Editor’s Note: There are some Homura Akemi Puella Magi Madoka Magica spoilers in the Magia Exedra trailer below.

The latest Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra trailer is more about establishing the character and showing one major attack than showing off a lot of her gameplay. It begins with Homura inside of a Witch’s Labyrinth. She asserts, “I can do it on my own, and I’ll do it over and over.” From there, we get to see an animation that looks like her summoning an attack in the series. She brings out a major rocket launcher, which she crouches on, that shoots an unseen opponent. All of the text references her actions in the original anime for the sake of Madoka.

The video then shows Homura’s official art and voice actress for the game. Chiwa Saito will play her in Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra. She also played her in the anime, games like Madoka Magica: Magia Record, and in other game crossovers involving the series. People may also recognize her as the voice of Jean in Genshin Impact, Changli in Wuthering Waves, Elaine in Trails Through Daybreak, Tamamo no Mae in the Fate/ series, and Aoi in Danganronpa.

While we’ve seen screenshots of Madoka Magica characters like Homura Akemi, Sayaka Miki, Kyoko Sakura, and Mami Tomoe in parties before, Aniplex only confirmed Madoka Kaname and Iroha Tamaki in official trailers so far.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra will be available on the PC via Steam and mobile devices.

The post Homura Akemi Is Playable in Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra appeared first on Siliconera.

A 1/7 scale figure of Anby Demarra from Zenless Zone Zero is open for pre-orders in Japan. It will come out in July 2025.

The Zenless Zone Zero Anby Demarra figure is from Apex, which had worked on multiple figures for HoYoVerse games in the past. It costs 22,400 JPY, which is approximately $153.90.  AmiAmi has warned that the shipping costs may be on the pricier side for this figure, as it’s quite big and heavy.

Anby is looking like she’s ready for battle in this figure. She’s got a hand on her sword and her other one outstretched. Her expression is her usual neutral one. Apex seems to have put a lot of care into the sculpting, between all the details of her outfit and the way her skirt billows around her thighs. The stand for the figure looks like a film reel, with the welcome slogan for New Eridu on it.

Anby is the poster girl for Zenless Zone Zero (in that her face is on the icon like Paimon in Genshin Impact and March 7th for Honkai: Star Rail). When you start the game, you can get a copy of her for free. She’s a member of the Cunning Hares along with Billy Kid and Nicole. Though she’s usually very stoic and quiet, she has a bit of a silly side. For example, she sometimes conflates movies with reality.

Zenless Zone Zero is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. The Zenless Zone Zero Anby figure will come out in July 2025.

The post Zenless Zone Zero Anby Figure Will Come Out in July 2025 appeared first on Siliconera.

Massive Monster and Devolver Digital announced The Pilgrim Pack, which is a new piece of DLC for Cult of the Lamb with additional Follower forms and unique quests. It’ll come out on August 12, 2024 alongside the new update.

The Pilgrim Pack will be a bit different from what people expect from Cult of the Lamb. It’ll be an interactive digital comic, through which you can access new secret quests, Follower forms, outfits, and accessories.

You can check out the Cult of the Lamb new DLC trailer below:

Instead of playing as a cult leader like you do in the main game, it seems like the Pilgrim story will focus on Followers instead. You’ll be helping Jalala and Rinor journeying in search of a new home, only for dangerous cultists to stalk them in hopes of sacrificing them to their gods. As The Pilgrim Pack will include two unique Follower quests, it’s likely that you’ll be able to further explore Jalala and Rinor’s stories outside of the comic as well.

As a reminder, The Pilgrim Pack will be paid DLC. It will come out on the same date as the Unholy Alliance free update, but if you want to experience it, you’ll need to pay some money. The Pilgrim Pack will cost $6.99 on PC and $8.99 on consoles.

Cult of the Lamb is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. The Pilgrim Pack will appear in Cult of the Lamb on August 12, 2024, and it will not be part of the free Unholy Alliance update.

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Kadokawa announced that the official NieR Reincarnation art book will come out on November 28, 2024, instead of its expected launch date. The Ebten DX pack, as well as the bonus version of the art book exclusive to Ebten, will also be delayed until November 28, 2024.

When the book comes out later this year, there will be over sixty more pages than the original estimate. In total, the NieR Reincarnation art book will contain 528 pages, as opposed to 464. The price will remain the same at 4,950 JPY ($34.35). Kadokawa apologized for the delay, but promised to aim for more satisfying content in the final product.

The Ebten DX pack will cost 9,350 JPY ($64.90) and contains multiple pieces of merchandise along with the art boo. You’ll be able to get an F3 canvas board, a set of calendar postcards, an acrylic keyholder, and an A6 illustration card. This illustration card is also the exclusive bonus that comes with the art book if you purchase it from Ebten.

The NieR Reincarnation art book was supposed to come out on August 28, 2024 to commemorate the end of the game’s service. Inside of the book, there will be stills and images from the game, as well as behind-the-scenes notes on the design process. NieR Re[in]carnation ended service on April 29, 2024 after around three years.

NieR Reincarnation was available on mobile devices, but you can no longer download it. The art book for NieR Reincarnation will come out in Japan on November 28, 2024.

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The latest PC farming and life sim is now available to play, as Fields of Mistria launched on early access. To go along with that, there’s a launch trailer highlighting what people can expect from the title. In addition, many of the available songs from the Fields of Mistria soundtrack ended up shared online.

Here’s the Fields of Mistria early access launch trailer. It begins with general farming footage. People can watch as someone tends crops. From there, we get to meet some of the people living in the nearby village. Hayden shows up first, alongside some of the animals you can buy from them. From there, portraits of 10 of the 12 marriage candidates show up. Two remain as secret silhouettes in the video. After that, we see what it’s like to explore the mines and the enemies inside one. Collecting elements for the town museum come up as well. Early access will last for a year, new content will be added as time goes on, and the team says it currently doesn’t expect the price to change from $13.99.

Here’s the full Fields of Mistria gameplay footage:

In addition to the launch trailer, 52 songs off of the Fields of Mistria soundtrack are now available on the official YouTube channel for the game. They’re composed by Hidehito Ikumo. Here’s the full list of the tracks released so far: 

• “Adeline’s Theme: The Smell of Drying Ink”
• “Aquifer Echo”
• “Backwater Bathhouse”
• “Balor’s Theme: Fair Weather”
• “Behind the Forge”
• “Blazing Hearth”
• “Blue Skies Will Return”
• “Caldarus' Theme: The Sleeping Dragon”
• “Celine’s Theme: Flower in Bloom”
• “Close Your Eyes”
• “Crows in a Clear Sky”
• “Crystal Condensation”
• “Dig Deeper”
• “Dragonsworn”
• “Eiland’s Theme: Roots Intertwined”
• “Fall: Changing Winds”
• “Fall: Dance of the Leaves”
• “Fresh Snow”
• “Glimmering Spring” 
• “Glowing Hearth”
• “Hayden’s Theme: Roll Up Your Sleeves!”
• “Juniper’s Theme: Something’s Brewing”
• “Let’s Get to Work”
• “Let’s Go for a Walk”
• “Lumber and Sawdust”
• “Main Theme”
• “March’s Theme: What Do You Want?”
• “Market Day”
• “Memory Rain”
• “Moonlight Through My Window”
• “Please Take a Seat”
• “Potatoes are Half Off Today”
• “Prepare to Descend”
• “Quenched Earth”
• “Quiet Winter”
• “Reina’s Theme: Wild Berry Pie”
• “Rest a While”
• “Revitalization”
• “Rising Tide”
• “Ryis’ Theme: Birdsong”
• “The Seal”
• “Spring Festival”
• “Spring: Tenacious Sprout”
• “Summer: Gathering Clouds”
• “Summer: Lens Flare”
• “Summer: Shaking Off a Summer Storm”
• “Summer: Village Life”
• “Sunlight Through My Window”
• “Unearthed”
• “Valen’s Theme: Cactus Bloom”
• “Wake Up, Little Seed”
• “Winter: The World Glitters”

Fields of Mistria is now in early access for Windows PC.

The post Fields of Mistria Early Access Launch Trailer and Soundtrack Appear appeared first on Siliconera.

Game Source Entertainment announced that it will set up a booth at Gamescom 2024. Five games will appear at the booth, including Dance Dance Revolution Classic Mini. That means Gamescom 2024 visitors will be able to check the DDR Classic Mini first-hand ahead of its release in late September 2024.

Dance Dance Revolution Classic Mini was originally revealed to mark the series' 25th anniversary in 2023. It will contain tracks from the first three major releases of the long-running arcade rhythm game series.

Zuiki has also opened public pre-orders for the mini console in April 2024, and the company will formally release it on September 27, 2024. While Zuiki's own store can only ship items domestically, the product is also available to order on web stores outside Japan, such as Playasia, PNP Games, and VideoGamesPlus.

DDR Classic Mini will not be the only title Game Source Entertainment will bring to Gamescom 2024. The company will also feature demos of Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade, the rogue-lite deckbuilding battle game Lost in Fantaland, the boys-love romance game Voice Love on Air, and the horror survival game Suffocate.

Gamescom 2024 will take place at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany, on August 21-25, 2024.

The post Game Source Will Bring DDR Classic Mini to Gamescom 2024 appeared first on Siliconera.

A new timed event for Zenless Zone Zero focused on unique coffee bonuses called Coffee Sorcery: Tuning is about to begin. HoYoVerse noted it will involve bonuses for drinking special event coffee in-game between August 7-12, 2024.

Two new coffee varieties will be available from Coff Cafe during the Zenless Zone Zero event, each of which will offer special bonuses. Ginseng Americano will allow players to obtain double Drive Disc rewards during Routine Cleanup missions. Meanwhile, Mint Espresso will award double Plating Agent drops in Combat Simulation missions. Due to the rewards on offer, the event will only be open for players who have unlocked the Routine Cleanup missions. As with all coffees in the game, only one coffee can be purchased a day, and its effects will last the whole day.

The "Coffee Sorcery: Tuning" event will run almost up until the release of the first major update for Zenless Zone Zero. The 1.1 Update will release on August 14, 2024 and feature new Agents Jane Doe, Qingyi and Seth Lowell. These Agents will feature heavily in a new storyline featuring the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team.

Zenless Zone Zero is out now for PC, PS5 and mobile devices. The "Coffee Sorcery: Tuning" event will run from August 7-12, 2024.

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Bandai Namco is releasing Bleach Rebirth of Souls character trailers to highlight different fighters’ gameplay styles, and Byakuya Kuchiki is the latest one to appear. This marks the second time a video focused on him, as he starred alongside Ichigo Kurosaki in a general gameplay video at the end of July 2024.

The video begins with an introduction to who Byakuya Kuchiki is. In addition to being Rukia’s brother and Renji Aburai’s superior, he’s head of the Kuchiki family and Sixth Division. His Zanpakuto is Senbonzakura. After showing him off, more specific attacks are highlighted. He uses Senbonzakura Seal & Release as his Signature Move, and it has two forms to it that swap when used. His Spiritual Pressure moves are Release: Senbonzakura/Seal: Senbonzakura and a That Won’t Touch Me counterattack. His Awakening involves Bankai: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi being unleashed.

Here's the full Bleach Rebirth of Souls Byakuya trailer: 

We’re now at four Bleach Rebirth of Souls character trailers total. The first three provided us an opportunity to see Ichigo, Rukia, and Uryu Ishida fight. Other characters confirmed so far who haven’t shown up in videos are Renji and Yasutora “Chad” Sado.

Bleach Rebirth of Souls is in development for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. The Bleach anime, including Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Viz Media handles the manga.

The post Byakuya Stars in a Bleach Rebirth of Souls Character Trailer appeared first on Siliconera.

A new event focused on trashcan photography will appear in Honkai: Star Rail, and it is called The Self-Accomplishment of a Trashcan Photographer. It will run August 7-19, 2024, and HoYoVerse revealed the unlock requirements.

The event will take place across multiple stages in Honkai: Star Rail, and players must use their photography skills to capture trashcan pictures. The trashcans are special ones added for the event, with three varieties making appearances within the crowds. Bronze trashcans will award someone 100 Capture Points, silver 150, and gold 200, with the gold offering a bonus for capturing its special poses. These Capture Points can then be used to obtain rewards, including up to 500 Stellar Jades and leveling items.

To take part in the trashcan photography event, Honkai: Star Rail players need to be at least Trailblaze Level 21 and are recommended to have completed the mission "Penacony – Tales from the Golden Age”. The mission will be offered by a trainee doctor from Penacony hanging out in Starskiff Haven on the Xianzhou Luofu.

This is the latest timed event added as part of the Honkai: Star Rail 2.4 update. It will run alongside another timed event, Saga of Primaveral Blade: Swordsage Saga, which stars March 7th. This event is currently ongoing until August 9, 2024.

Honkai: Star Rail is out now for PC, PS5 and mobile devices. The "Self-Accomplishment of a Trashcan Photographer" event will run from August 7-19, 2024.

The post Honkai: Star Rail Trashcan Photography Event Begins Soon appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai Namco revealed new merchandise based on the Tales of the Rays finale illustration. The company has also opened orders for the items on Asobistore for a limited time.

This merchandise collection will primarily focus on the chibi illustrations of characters from the Tales Of series, such as Tales of Destiny's Stahn Aileron and Tales of Vesperia's Yuri Lowell. It will also feature the normal illustrations of the mobile game's original protagonists Ickx and Mileena.

Here is the list of new merchandise featured on Asobistore, along with the prices in Japanese yen:

• Tin badge - ¥700 for a random item
• Acrylic character clip - ¥880
• Tales of the Rays acrylic logo - ¥900
• Custom character acrylic keychain - ¥2,000
• Hanging tapestry - ¥3,900

Tales of the Rays was available worldwide on Android and iOS mobile devices. While the global release disappeared abruptly in 2018, Bandai Namco formally shut down the 2017 online-exclusive game in Japan on July 23, 2024. Those who had played the Japanese version can still download the offline archive version until October 22, 2024.

The Tales of the Rays finale merchandise is available to purchase on Asobistore until September 9, 2024. Bandai Namco will ship the finished items inside Japan in early November 2024.

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Mages revealed more details about the upcoming Rent-A-Girlfriend adventure game for consoles, including its release date. The visual novel will have the subtitle The Horizon and the Girlfriend in the Swimsuit, and the company will release it for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on November 28, 2024.

The company initially revealed the title in July 2024. It revealed new details on the visual novel on August 5, 2024, as promised. Mages has yet to provide new in-game screenshots, but it did reveal the game's story synopsis.

The player will assume the role of the series protagonist Kazuya Kinoshita, who is working part-time at a beach house in Enoshima Island in order to gather funds to produce a movie that stars Chizuru Mizuhara. During the seven-day stay, Kazuya can interact with not only Chizuru but also Mami, Ruka, Sumi, and Mini.

Mages has also opened pre-orders for the upcoming Rent-A-Girlfriend game in Japan with various bonus benefits. In addition to regular physical copies, the company will offer a limited edition that includes an original soundtrack CD and four drama CDs. People who pre-order the game can also receive a small illustration based on one of the five heroines at random by the series creator Reiji Miyajima. Each store chain in Japan will also have a different bonus character item that comes with the physical copy.

Rent-A-Girlfriend: The Horizon and the Girlfriend in the Swimsuit will be available for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in Japan on November 28, 2024.

The post Rent-A-Girlfriend Console Game Release Date Set in November appeared first on Siliconera.

Back on July 10, 2024, Pocketpair announced on social media that Palworld Discord Shop animated avatar icon and profile cosmetic effects would be sold until July 24, 2024. On August 5, 2024, the company again took to social media to extend the run of the items in the official storefront until December 31, 2024. 

Here’s the announcement, which confirmed that the items will remain in the Discord Shop. It included official art of the Discord Wumpus mascot with the Pals Chillet, Cattiva, and Lamball. The reasoning for the extension is that fan demand showed a desire for the items to remain available for an extended period.

We ended up seeing nine Palworld avatar and profile items appear in the Discord Shop as part of the promotion. There’s also a Best Pals Forever Bundle that pairs the Wake Up profile design with Cattiva, Chikipi, and Lamball with the Chillet avatar cosmetic for $17.99. 

Here’s the list of all of the items in the storefront until the end of 2025. Some of them are inspired by the Sakurajima update that launched in June 2024, such as the cosmetic with Saya on it.

• Cattiva Avatar Icon Cosmetic: $9.99 ($7.99 with Nitro)
• Chillet Avatar Icon Cosmetic: $9.99 ($7.99 with Nitro)
• Depresso Avatar Icon Cosmetic: $9.99 ($7.99 with Nitro)
• Lamball Avatar Icon Cosmetic: $9.99 ($7.99 with Nitro)
• Pal Sphere Avatar Icon Cosmetic: $9.99 ($7.99 with Nitro)
• Saya Profile Cosmetic: $9.99 ($7.99 with Nitro)
• Selyne Avatar Icon Cosmetic: $9.99 ($7.99 with Nitro)
• Tocotoco Profile Cosmetic: $9.99 ($7.99 with Nitro)
• Wake Up Profile Cosmetic: $9.99 ($7.99 with Nitro)

Plush toys of characters like Cattiva, Chillet, and Depresso are also available now.

Palworld is available in early access for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. 

The post Palworld Discord Shop Avatar Icon and Profile Cosmetic Effects Extended appeared first on Siliconera.

Once you hit a certain age, life gets so busy. You tend to see it all. Work takes up more of your life than you’d expect. Arranging time to hang out with friends can get tougher. It’s part of why some probably seek out a cozy life sim or two, so they can at least virtually enjoy some downtime. With Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid, Millennium Kitchen and Toybox present an experience that perfectly recreates that summer vacation experience. It really is like you’re 10 again, life is new and fresh, you have total freedom, and only new, pleasant, positive experiences await you.

Satoru is a circus kid. I mean, not literally. His parents are letting him decide his own path. But the two of them are a part of a circus, and the three of them set up shop with coworkers at Yomogi Town for a show. While Satoru’s parents and crew work out some details related to the show and debt, he — and by extension the player — have the whole summer ahead of them to explore the town, meet the locals, engage in peaceful activities, take on challenges like bug catching, fishing, fundraising, solving mysteries, and summer homework. While there are recommended quests and you’ll eventually take on tasks that increase your stamina for climbing power, it’s up to you to do what makes you happy.

Almost immediately after getting into Natsu-Mon, a player is given the freedom to do whatever they’d like. After initially talking with your family, the owner of the Guesthouse Ashitaba where you’re staying, and fellow circus troupe members… you’re free. I ended up catching 10 bugs to boost my stamina by one, met the local kids and agreed to help them with their first mystery, then got home in time for dinner. After that, I met more of the people staying at Ashitaba, talked to the Shrine Dude, relit lanterns, then fell asleep. The next day, I took a look at my map to see who I hadn’t met yet, talked to more locals, and looked into doing some fishing to help the circus with some debt. 

You’re never gated off while playing Natsu-Mon, and it’s refreshing. I felt like as long as I kept being curious and exploring, I’d get to see new things, meet new people, and savor these delightful moments. Especially since it’s so easy to earn Stickers to increase the Stamina gauge for climbing and dashing via things like Big Adventures quests or Flatfoot Files with the Yomogi Town kids. And recounting said activities in the diary for summer school homework is a great way to keep track of everything you’ve done.

Which also ties in to another amazing thing about Natsu-Mon: the localization. I think it’s one of the most charming, cozy, funny, creative, and curious scripts in a Switch life sim. The lines Satoru has, including the choices you can make for his responses, are fantastic. The reactions of other characters are so personable and feel real. This is one of those games where you want to talk to every NPC, as well as do so as often as possible, so you can see what they’ll say next. I will definitely eventually replay it again, so I can relive certain moments, like the summer festival and see experience certain interactions again.

The only time Natsu-Mon doesn’t delight is that sometimes this life sim can feel more awkward than cozy. For example, you might occasionally happen upon a challenge or task that involves Satoru engaging in some light parkouring or platforming. Lighting the shrine lanterns is a perfect example. As good as the game is, it doesn’t lend itself well to precise jumping. It also can be so freeform that, before you find your bearings, you might not immediately know where to go and what to do. On the very first day, I found myself flummoxed when it came to figuring out how to actually go to bed. Especially since the game just warned that if I stayed up late, I would miss morning exercises! I also found myself wasting time the first day trying to find a way to fish, with it not happening for me until my second day began. Also, while bug catching does involve a helpful circle around potential catches within range, I sometimes didn’t feel like I was catching the critter I intended to if multiple ones were around. 

Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid launched at a time when I really needed it, and that made me appreciate this cozy life sim even more. The older we get, the rarer it is to enjoy weeks of freedom, discovery, and joy. I get so caught up in work, especially around summer events when there are events back-to-back. Millennium Kitchen and Toybox really captured the magic of a peaceful summer where you can live at your own pace. Everything is new and an adventure. It’s refreshing and rejuvenating.

Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid will be available for the Nintendo Switch and PC on August 6, 2024. A demo is available on the Switch.

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