Okay. So, a staple in shojo manga series is to eventually introduce some sort of love triangle conflict. The goal is to add a little drama to possibly add a “will they or won’t they” element to the story. Does it get annoying? Absolutely! Especially when it’s dragged out. Volume 4 of The Small-Animallike Lady is Adored by the Ice Prince manga continues that type of plot line from the third one, but Hisui doesn’t drag the situation out and instead introduces the mature and realistic approach of Lily and Prince William actually talking to work it out.

Editor’s Note: There will be some spoilers for volume 4 of The Small-Animallike Lady is Adored by the Ice Prince manga below.

 The conflict in the third volume of The Small-Animallike Lady is Adored by the Ice Prince manga stemmed from a visit by the princess of the kingdom of Belluno, Marianne. She came to the kingdom of Zavanni for a visit and, throughout much of that installment monopolized Prince William’s time so his fiance Liliana was left to her own devices. When secretly exploring outside of the palace in disguise with guards, Lily ran into the two of them together, with Marianne hanging on Will’s arm. This led to mistaken impressions of the situation, which carried over to the initial issue in this volume. However, instead of dragging it out, things are handled in an actually mature manner.

While the outset of this volume offers are first view of the situation from Marianne’s perspective, confirming she did come to the country to drive a wedge and become Will’s new fiance as some suspected and Lily assumed after seeing them together, it quickly gets into practical advice and proper communication. When Will is lamenting Lily’s behavior and anger, his guard and even Princess Marianne both say he needs to talk to her. Though it is awkward between the engaged couple when they do come together in the next scene, both of them don’t drag out this mistaken situation. Will apologizes and explains, as does Lily. (Though she does freak out a bit momentarily thinking his apology is because he intends to break their own engagement.)

As a result, we get to see how productive conversations between a couple we know love each other works out. The two of them explain themselves. The set a time for another date, which shows their commitment to each other. Then when they go out, which also involves scouting a location for a school Lily wants to build for children in the city, they’re completely focused on the task and each other.

What’s interesting, however, is volume 4 of the The Small-Animallike Lady is Adored by the Ice Prince manga also shows how communication helps the situation between Lily and Princess Marianne too. After the “crisis” is over, it still seems the foreign royal isn’t entirely giving up on her plan, since she at the time sees it as the only recourse to aid her own country during a salinity crisis. When the two of them get a chance to properly talk upon the opening of the finished school and classroom, it leads to new revelations between them and a possible positive relationship.

Which is great, as it all comes back to The Small-Animallike Lady is Adored by the Ice Prince being a shojo manga that focuses on positivity. It’s sweet! It’s funny! The leads generally care for and respect each other! Now with this volume, we see they handle issues responsibly and with clear communication. It’s lovely to see.

Volumes 1-4 of The Small-Animallike Lady is Adored by the Ice Prince are available now, and Yen Press will release volume 5 of the manga on July 28, 2026.

The post The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince Shows Communication Matters appeared first on Siliconera.

Death Howl is one of those unique strategic roguelikes that someone could play for 15 minutes for five hours straight, and it means the Switch version couldn’t come soon enough. I thoroughly enjoyed this brutal game when I played it on the PC. But there’s something about the nature of it that makes the gameplay loop and narrative beats feel highlighted so well here.

As a quick refresher, Death Howl is a strategic roguelike with a nearly monochromatic kinds of color palettes and melancholy story. Based on Scandinavian folklore, we follow a grieving mother named Ro searching the other side for her dead son Olvi who was stolen away from her. This means traversing different areas, facing all sorts of entities and beasts with abilities she gathers. 

The narrative is fantastic. There are so many themes running through it. Revenge is a critical one, since there’s a central stag figure associated with her son’s death and apparent abduction. Not to mention she’s angry with Death itself over the loss. Coming to terms with the situation is another, since this is a journey about grief and clearly she’s going through the bargaining and depression stages while also being angry about everything and denying that this is a situation that can’t be undone. But there’s also this veil of uncertainty over everything. Due to the use of symbolism and design choices, Ro is an unreliable narrator and there are gaps in our knowledge as players. Which means part of the motivation that keeps us going is to finally know the truth of it all. Having the game on the Switch makes it easy to keep going so we can absorb the information and take in what possible truths could be hinted at as we play.

The Switch also makes for a good way to appreciate the art direction in Death Howl in the same way that the Steam Deck and other handheld gaming PCs do. This is a strategy game with sprite-based designs, an isometric perspective of the board, and limited color palettes for each region. Actual spirit designs play with shading and color options to depict details that wouldn’t otherwise be possible with the limitations. When there are effects from actions and spell usage, we see intricate animations. While it is possible to view these and take away the excellence, I feel like having it in handheld mode where you could really take a moment to look closer at details.

It also helps that the Switch port is a great version of Death Howl. Given how text-heavy it is for cards and combat, the color and font choices make it clear even when the lettering is little. It’s almost always clear and legible. Pair that with the great controller-based scheme carried over from the PC release, and it is quite comfortable to play.

Handhelds are a good fit for roguelike games, and the artistic direction, narrative, and gameplay of Death Howl make it feel especially strong on the Switch. It’s a great port that plays well on the system. The nature of the storyline makes it a perfect game to play in a darkened room. Since the gameplay encourages deck experimentation and strategic decisions, you can really get cozy and experience it. It feels exceptionally at home here.

Death Howl is available on the Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. 

The post Death Howl’s Gameplay and Narrative Help It Fit on Switch appeared first on Siliconera.

When I first played Starsand Island, it was early in development, not all the different types of professions were ready, and the build felt like a work in progress. Now that the game is properly in early access, it feels far more cohesive. Yes, not everything is there yet and I can’t live my virtual life to the fullest. Some balancing definitely needs to be done. But it does feel more pulled together and ready to go than it originally did. 

As a quick refresher, Starsand Island is about moving to a rural community your character is already loosely connected to in order to start a new life. Previously, they’d only visited due to their grandpa living there. Now they inherited the home and, after a friend named Solara helps them settle in, they work on becoming part of the community.

The biggest change I noticed between my initial Starsand Island experience and this return to the early access build is that there’s substantially more here. The Crafting, Exploration, Farming, Fishing, and Ranching professions feel much more fleshed out than before, with especially farming and fishing offering more variety in terms of yields, ranching adding more animal husbandry options, and many more recipes available when it comes to making things. These feel pretty full right now, though admittedly I haven’t completed any of the professions at this point. All of these seem advanced enough that I suspect I wouldn’t miss too much in 1.0 if I try and go ahead and do as much as possible now.  

Some professions did really hook me in now in this build. Especially with the Farming and Ranching lines. It seems very easy to get settled, and the range of crops and animal is great right now. There are hybrids possible, if you spend enough time playing, and greenhouses are already present. Like getting to Expert Rancher and accessing the alpaca and ostrich are helpful for the extra eggs, feathers, and wool, not to mention riding them is quite cute. And the DNA element to it is helpful for breeding purposes, should someone focus on that lifestyle. However, I will note that exploration’s combat does seem to still need work. While bows are present as a weapon, adding a nice ranged option, there’s still not much there. We could use more enemies, as well as mechanics like dodging.

While the profession changes in Starsand Island probably the first and most obvious area to get a glow-up in early access, the relationship element feels pretty good right now too. This applies to both animals and people. The pet system reminds me a bit of Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, in that you aren’t just buying a new buddy. I mean, yes, Woof and Wow Pets does offer them. But we also adopt wild animals by befriending them and reaching basically three hearts. This means you’re going to need to work to get the fox or squirrel to be a friend. 

As for the human relationship element, it does feel pretty fleshed out even now in Starsand Island. There’s a decent number of love interests at 15 total (8 bachelorettes and 7 bachelors). These feature voice acting, though there’s not much yet, and there are more appearances in quests and interactions with folks that made me want to give gifts and check in daily. In some cases though, I felt like some of the folks were just pretty faces. There isn’t enough to them yet to make them lovable. However, it does seem like that could change. The team stated there will be more to the dating system come April 2026. I would like and hope to see marriage and kids in the endgame too. 

However, I will say some stuff doesn’t feel completely balanced or 100% set yet. This is an issue acknowledged on the Steam product page and in the roadmap. I would like a little better performance when really racing through on mounts or on an item like a skateboard. Some character models could be adjusted a little. Getting your house and land built up does take a lot of time, and it doesn’t feel like it’s quite designed for us to get to the point of a massive complex with a home we could have a romance option move into yet. I do wonder if we might see rebalancing progression and development updates, since the crafting part does feel stronger than the pre-launch build I played and the team did mention that’s in the roadmap.

Starsand Island is essentially coming along, with the early access version showing a lot of progress from the initial build I played. There’s a lot more to every profession in the game, though exploration could use a bit more additions and adjusting. Romance is starting to seem more viable, and pet adoption is enjoyable. Some rebalancing would be great, but the foundation for the 1.0 version later this year seems pretty stable.

Starsand Island is in early access on the PC and Xbox Series X on February 11, 2026, and a full launch that also includes Switch 2 and PS5 versions is set for Summer 2026.

The post Preview: Starsand Island Is Built on a Solid Foundation appeared first on Siliconera.

Viz Media announced its new Fall 2026 manga and book acquisitions, and among them are Beastars mangaka Paru Itagaki’s Witching Hour and manga versions of The Apothecary Diaries light novel and anime and The Amazing Digital Circus web series. It also confirmed it will publish the biography Nobuo Uematsu: On the Record. 

In the cases of The Apothecary Diaries and The Amazing Digital Circus manga adaptations, both are taking work from the original authors and productions. They each have new mangakas assisting in telling the tales for these adaptations. In the case of The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao’s Notes on the Inner Palace, Touko Shino’s character designs from the original light novel are still used, but Minoji Kurata is the mangaka. For The Amazing Digital Circus, Sakura is listed as the artist.

Here’s the full list of new Viz Media manga and book reveals. All of them have Fall 2026 release windows, but there are no exact dates for any of the releases.

• Albus Changes the World manga volume 1
• The Amazing Digital Circus manga volume 1
• And Then There Were None manga volume 1
• The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao’s Notes on the Inner Palace manga volume 1
• Black Torch Complete Box Set
• Call of the Night: Paradise Arc manga
• Dorohedoro Illustrations: Mud and Sludge art book
• Heroes, with Interiors manga
• Horror Picture Book: A Bad Book by Miyuki Miyabe with Hisanori Yoshida art
• Horror Picture Book: Is It There or Not by Natsuhiko Kyogoku with Naoko Machida art
• Horror Picture Book: Looking at Me book by Soshichi Tonari with Junji Ito art
• Jujutsu Kaisen Complete Box Set with double-sided poster
• Kiki's Delivery Service: The Official Cookbook
• My Hero Academia Box Set 2 with double-sided poster and booklet
• My Hero Academia: Ultra Artworks art book
• Nobuo Uematsu: On the Record biography
• One Piece manga volume 91-111 box set with One Piece Card Game play mat
• Sakamoto Days: Assassin’s Blues manga
• The Seaside Where Dragon Boys Dwell manga volume 1
• Shiba Inu Rooms manga volume 1
• Sound of a Blink manga volume 1
• The Studio Ghibli Chronicles book
• Takumi: A Little Japanese Bakery cookbook
• Witching Hour manga volume 1
• Yakuza vs. Cat manga volume 1
• Yona of the Dawn 3-in-1 Edition manga volume 1

The post Viz Manga Pick-ups Include Apothecary Diaries, Witching Hour, and Amazing Digital Circus appeared first on Siliconera.

Infiniteloop teased the next DLC character for the application Desktop Mate on social media, and it looks like Sanrio mascot Hello Kitty is on the way. There’s no release date for the add-on yet. The image also didn’t show how she’ll look in-app when hanging out on our desktops. 

The image is vague. It shows a silhouette of Hello Kitty sitting against a white and grey-striped background, so there’s no screenshot from Desktop Mate used. At the top is the Sanrio trademark, helping to confirm that this is her. Across the front is the text “coming soon.” This statement appears in Japanese and English, just like all past add-on reveals, so the DLC will show up everywhere.

Here’s the official teaser image.

This comes after multiple Vocaloids appeared in Desktop Mate. In December 2025, Kagamine Rin and Len showed up. Those were sold separately, but have special interactions if both are owned. More versions of Hatsune Miku showed up after that. Both Snow Miku 2026 and JR Tower versions launched. The official roadmap on Steam only shows two more “coming soon” spots.

Desktop Mate is available on Steam, and Hello Kitty will be the next DLC character to be added to the application.

The post Hello Kitty Desktop Mate DLC Teased appeared first on Siliconera.

The Wow Stuff First Edition Pikachu Puppetronic by RealFX toy launched on the UK Pokemon Center storefront and immediately sold out. The £89.99 pre-orders only opened in that region at the moment and are expected to ship in Spring 2026 there. The North American and Japanese storefronts are not showing listings at the moment. Note that this only applies to just one version of the item, as a wider release is planned.

All versions of the Pikachu Puppetronic by RealFX toy will behave the same way, regardless of the edition. Touching its head, nose, and stomach can cause different reactions, with the character able to make noises, move its ears, blink its eyes, open and close its mouth, and light up the red cheeks. The product page noted “more than 120 sounds and actions.” There’s also a trailer showing its behavior, though the one on The Official Pokemon YouTube channel is region-locked.

The only difference between the First Edition version of the toy from the Pokemon Center and ones that will appear after involves altered additions that show it was one of the first to market. The box will have a “First Edition” badge on it to show it was purchased via The Pokemon Center. Inside the box is a certificate of authenticity. However, the certificate doesn’t mention a number to show how many of this release were produced and which “one” you got.

This Pikachu toy did show up at the 2026 Toy Fair in New York City, so there is other footage of it online in case you can’t see the region-locked trailer. For example, the KirbyGCN17 YouTube Short before showed someone demonstrating it at the event.

The Pikachu Puppetronic by RealFX toy will release in 2026, with the Pokemon Center UK First Edition one releasing in Spring 2026. We might learn more about the worldwide release during the Pokemon Day Pokemon Presents on February 27, 2026.

The post First Edition Pikachu Puppetronic by RealFX Sells Out in UK appeared first on Siliconera.

Parade announced that, at the end of February 2026, Chiikawa Sanrio plush of characters from the anime and manga dressed as mascots like Hello Kitty will appear. There will be three varieties. They will appear in actual arcades as prizes in Japan and in many online crane games. There’s no word on if we’ll see them eventually everywhere. 

While three characters appear in this Chiikawa Sanrio lineup, they only feature two of the main characters from the series. Chiikawa is present, wearing a hood that looks like My Melody’s. Hachiware is there too with a Hello Kitty ribbon on the left ear. However, the third is the side character Kuri-Manju in a full Hangyodon costume. All of them are just under a foot tall at 11 inches (30cm).

Here’s how all three of these plush will look. One of the photos Parade shared shows the Chiikawa My Melody one being held, to offer a sense of scale.

We’ve seen this kind of crossover happen before. Gray Parka Service featured a similar plush collection that included six characters from the series dressed as Sanrio mascots. Those launched in Japan in December 2025. Chiikawa was My Melody, Hachiware was Hello Kitty, and Kuri-Manju was Hangyodon for that line too.

The Chiikawa Sanrio plush will appear in Japanese arcades at the end of February 2026, Kodansha handles the manga, and the anime isn’t streaming on any platforms in North America at the moment. Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island will air in Japan in 2026. 

The post Chiikawa Sanrio Crossover Plush Reference Hello Kitty, Hachiware appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix shared a special PV video on YouTube that ended with the phrase “NieR: Automata to be continued.” This suggests we could see a new NieR: Automata project, though the vagueness means it is uncertain if it could be related to the anime adaptation, a game, or book. Additional statements also confirmed current sales figures for that game and NieR Replicant. 

First, here’s the “NieR: Automata to be continued” announcement video suggesting a new project like a game or other form of media is in the works. It’s specifically designed to honor the fact that this game passed 10 million units sold physically and digitally worldwide. That applies to the Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions of the game. At the 5:48 mark of the PV, the screen scrambles and the ominous text suggesting more is in development shows up.

Square Enix also shared new key art on social media honoring the sales milestone. That features 2B at the forefront, with 9S right behind her and A2 at the back.

As for the new sales figure update for NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139, that wasn’t accompanied by a special video. Square Enix just took to social media to share the update. It’s now at two million copies sold worldwide digitally and physically. That takes into account the PS4, Xbox One, and PC copies.

There is a piece of art shared to commemorate that, however.

NieR: Automata is available on the Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC, the anime is on Crunchyroll, and Square Enix’s books division handled a number of spin-off books worldwide.

The post Square Enix Video Says ‘NieR: Automata to Be Continued’ appeared first on Siliconera.

Some Pokemon Day 2026 reveals appeared ahead of the actual event on February 27, 2026, and it involves Switch releases of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen and a Pokemon Presents showcase stream. The presentation will air first at 6am PT/9am ET/3pm CET, and the digital GBA games will show up on the eShop after.

In the case of the Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Switch releases, there are a few details about these versions. They will be $19.99 each, and the eShop pages for both are live. These will be the exact JRPGs we remember. However, if you want different languages, like English, French, or Spanish, those will be separate purchases instead of an option you select from a menu in-game. (Italian and Japanese aren’t available in the North American eShop.) The Sevii Islands will be present in-game. If you want to battle or trade other people, it is only going to be possible via local multiplayer, and there is no Pokemon Home support at launch. They are both confirmed Switch 2 compatible.

Here’s the official trailer:

As for the Pokemon Presents 2026, there are fewer details about that. We know the time and date. We know it will be on Twitch and YouTube. Presumably, these two Switch versions of the GBA JRPGs will also appear in a spot during it as a reminder of their release after the stream as well.

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen will come to the Switch and be playable on the Switch 2 on February 27, 2026, and they are also available on the GBA. 

The post Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen and Pokemon Presents Dated appeared first on Siliconera.

Whenever a major update arrives in Honkai: Star Rail, it always brings with it tons of new additions and gameplay features, and 4.0 is no exception. However, it seems like this version is building up with its first patch, and that we might see the real major benefits and changes once 4.1 and 4.2 arrive. Keep in mind, 4.0 is still a big deal! Especially when it comes to Sparxie and Cosmicon Collective. But I get the impression we’ll see the full weight of Planarcadia’s Trailblaze Missions and Elation’s power once we get more into it.

With the new Planarcadia Trailblaze Missions in Honkai: Star Rail 4.0, it reminds me more of the early Xianzhou Luofu and Penacony storylines than something like Jarilo-VI and Amphoreus. We’re welcome guests to the planet, with Sparkle acting as a host. It’s a very bright space that feels modern, with lots of games and activities. Now, there is the setting for something more and growing stakes, since there is the Phantasmoon Games competition. The winner gets to meet Aha and wield the power of an Aeon for a minute. Given Trailblazer, Sunday, Sparxie, and Silver Wolf are all competing, there’s a lot of potential for how this all could go.

However, I’m more excited about 4.0 for another reason. That’s because Himiko is tied to Planarcadia. We’ve seen recent versions with members of the Astral Express tied to areas including eventual revelations about the characters. Dan Heng came up during the 1.0 Xianzhou Luofu storyline. March 7th ended up featured in 3.0 at Amphoreus. This feels like Himiko’s turn, and I’m excited by the initial teasers and hints we get so far.

One of the best parts of Honkai: Star Rail 4.0 is the new Elation path, though I think most people won’t get to really appreciate it until Sparxie’s banner arrives on March 3, 2026. The new path might feel a bit like the DOTs in Nihility characters or Remembrance Memosprites since Aha could chime in for additional effects and you want to set things up for Punchlines and Elation DMG. It’s most evident with Sparxie, who I got to test out, since her Boom! Sparxicle's Poppin Skill enhances her Basic into Bloom! Winner Takes All for an attack with splash AOE damage and makes her Skill briefly Engagement Farming for a DMG multiplayer and more Punchline points. She can do big numbers even without Yao Guang, especially if Sparkle is on the same time, though she is best when paired with her fellow Elation character. 

The thing is, Yao Guang herself isn’t as exciting or useful without Sparxie. Her Decalight Unveils All Skill’s zone is best for Elation stat boosting, which only applies to Sparxie at the moment. While her Hexagram of Feathered Fortune is a more generic one that helps get Aha acting again and boosting Punchline, due to it helping all-type Res Pen for the party, she’s ideally a buffer for a type of team that probably won’t be possible until 4.2 or 4.3. I’m a bit surprised she’s the first banner for Honkai: Star Rail 4.0, in fact, given the focus Sparxie/Sparkle has in the story and the general usefulness of the other character.  

What I especially liked about the 4.0 update for Honkai: Star Rail is the Cosmicon Collective card game, which feels like the equivalent of Genius Invokation in Genshin Impact. It’s of course its own beast, with elements like weather influencing matches to offer boosts, and us using Prismatic Dice and collected character cards to fight matches. It’s standard TCG fare in many ways, with attack level determining dice selected and used, defense level determining your defense based on rolls, and us knowing how many D6s and D4s would be used and if a Prismatic Die could be used. We roll dice, select which ones to use to determine damage dealt and defenses set. It goes really quickly, and there being the “Cosmicon, Roll On” event around at launch helps make it more inviting.

The fact that Yao Guang won’t probably be all that exciting until her rerun aside, it feels like HoYoVerse is building something with Honkai: Star Rail 4.0. Planarcadia’s plot is leaving all sorts of threads to follow and hints of things to come, even though the initial quests are more about getting acquainted with the premise. Sparxie feels like a great example of what Elation could be capable of with the right supports. Cosmicon Collective is a lot of fun. It’s like we’re at the foundation now, and I’m excited for what’s next.

Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the 4.0 update is live now.

The post Excitement Is Building in Honkai: Star Rail 4.0  appeared first on Siliconera.

Good Smile Company opened orders for the new Sunrise Pop Jujutsu Kaisen blind box plush pendants that are about the same size as Pop Mart’s Labubu and feature characters from the Culling Game arc. It will be ￥2,156 (~$14) for a single blind box with a random accessory inside or ￥8,624 (~$55.70) for a set of all four. These will ship in June 2026, and Good Smile Company will ship worldwide.

Actual photo examples of the plush pendants aren’t available yet. Only concept art of the four designs appeared. Yuji Itadori, Yuta Okkotsu, Choso, and Naoya Zenin are all options. As this is inspired by the later parts of the series, Yuji will feature two scars on his face. The Yuta one will also include a sword. All of them will feature a keyring at the top, for displaying them on bags, which features the logo for the series on the fabric portion.

Here’s the concept art for the four options.

These aren’t the only plush pendants based on the series. The other one features characters from the flashback Gojo’s Past Arc in cat costumes, with Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, Shoko Ieiri, Kento Nanami, Yu Haibara, and Toji Fushigoro as options. There is a secret character in that batch, which is Gojo with no sunglasses. 

The new Jujutsu Kaisen Sunrise Pop character plush pendants from Good Smile Company will ship in June 2026, and pre-orders close on March 18, 2026. Viz Media handles the manga, while the anime is streaming on Crunchyroll. 

The post New Jujutsu Kaisen Plush Pendants Include Yuji and Choso appeared first on Siliconera.

Even a Replica can Fall in Love is a essentially a manga about a doppleganger or tulpa situation, pairing existential questioning with romantic connotations. While happy, perhaps even joyful and loving, moments can appear, they’re always tinged with trauma and the specter of what could happen if an individual disappears. As a result, it can feel like the situations involving Sunao Aikawa, her replica Second (that eventually goes by Nao), and their classmate Shuuya Sanada are always a moment away from tearing at your heartstrings in the first volume of this series.

Editor’s Note: There will be some minor spoilers for the first volume of the Even a Replica can Fall in Love manga below.

The story begins with a brief explanation and refresher. Sunao has been able to summon up a replica of herself since she was a child, ever since she first did so this tulpa could make up with her friend Ritsuko for her after a fight. When she does, that entity has all of her memories up to that moment. Sunao only calls her “Second” and does nothing for her quality of life or benefit despite the double needing to eat and sleep. She even doesn’t believe Second has feelings. And so her replica doesn’t get to sleep in a bed, have breakfast, keep any money, or basically own anything. 

This replica eventually refers to herself as Nao, and she considers her whole life to be in service to the person who spawned her. While Sunao’s actions suggest she’s nothing and Nao seems to have internalized that, she clearly is her own individual with her own personality. But even though she may want to do things, like create her own novels or enjoy certain activities, she feels she isn’t able to. Especially since Sunao could decide to be rid of her and make her not exist with no notice. So right away, it’s really sad to see this vivacious young woman who does enjoy life and have her own sense of self consider herself to be… nothing. 

Things start to change when a classmate named Shuuya Sanada returns after an injury kept him out of school for a while recovering. He shows an interest in Nao on the days when she’s filling in for Sunao. He even joins the literature club she’s in, becoming its third member. She’s clearly fascinated with him and even feels bad that she never visited him in the hospital. So much so that we see she’s starting to want to see him and get excited about the prospect.

That, of course, is in jeopardy after Sunao returns to school. She criticizes Nao for her actions toward Shuuya and tells her to watch out. To the point where Nao tries to pass it off to him as her being temperamental some days and saying he should only talk to her when she has her hair up. And after a critical couple events in the volume, we see Sunao isn’t above “punishing” her replica by sending her away. So just when we see Nao getting to live and enjoy things a bit, she’s reminded of her nature. 

But there are hints of another side to it all too. The fact that Sunao is so readily and often relying on a replica is a serious sign of depression. She’s avoiding life and staying in her room, in bed, instead of getting out and facing things. During one of her altercations with her second, we get hints that this sort of life is damaging to her and not making her mental health situation any better. 

Even a Replica can Fall in Love feels like a manga and series designed to constantly make you feel sorry for its characters and hope for the best for them. Nao is a second and replica, and it seems her self esteem is so low that she can’t even dare to imagine actually living her own life. Sunao seems incredibly depressed, and she’s using her double and even abusing her to avoid life. Shuuya seems perplexed and interested in Nao, but perhaps like he’s treated poorly by Sunao on days when she actually shows up. It’s the start of a potentially tragic love story. 

Volume 1 of Even a Replica can Fall in Love is available via Yen Press, and volume 2 of the manga will appear on June 23, 2026. The company also handles the original light novel adaptation. An anime version is in development and expected to debut in 2026. 

The post Even a Replica Can Fall in Love Manga Is Heartbreaking  appeared first on Siliconera.

We enjoyed Fairy Tail: Dungeons when the roguelike launched on the PC in 2024, but somehow the deckbuilder game is even better on the Switch in 2026. Part of this is a universal thing. Ginolabo kept working on the manga and anime-inspired adventure. The new update is massive, free, and everywhere. But the console accessibility combined with Switch 2 compatibility somehow helps make it even more appealing. 

As a refresher, Fairy Tail: Dungeons features an original story. Gates to an underground labyrinth are appearing below guild halls, with people falling into them and disappearing. In the case of Fairy Tail, it’s Gildarts Clive is gone, and Natsu and Happy get sucked in when they’re investigating. They meet Labi, who appears to be another cat-shaped Exceed and is looking for his missing friend Arthur. Arthur is attempting to seal a dragon to protect everyone. So Natsu and other members of the guild will need to survive the ever-changing labyrinth and its dangers while holding Tome of Remembrance pieces to find out what’s going on. 

Part of the nature of the labyrinth is that characters lose their abilities when they enter and must regain magic via collecting cards, with Cana Alberona retaining her Magic Card ability and helping with that. You also pick Amulets when you go in, and can collect items to use in (or rarely out of) battles. Labi’s lantern can protect players for X number of moves on a floor so they can gather Lacrima to power up abilities in the skill tree, explore spaces, face enemies, buy from merchants, rest to do things like regain health or enchant cards, and prepare for the boss fight when turns expire. Once you get past the base labyrinth, you unlock the labyrinth deaths with stricter requirements, Tomes are collected, and you need to prioritize character synergies with their different movesets. 

So first of all, Fairy Tail: Dungeons works flawlessly on the Switch. The sprite-based character designs really stand out on the screen and become the focus. The UI’s always been designed in such a way that it works and looks fine on a smaller screen. It’s also an ideal pick-up-and-play game for a quick run or two, which helps. It suits the nature of the system in every respect, which is appreciated. But most importantly is the fact that it is appearing alongside the major January 2026 update that added content both in the main campaign and post-game. 

Said major element is huge. People who are just getting the game or didn’t beat it yet could choose a Casual Mode to ease into it if they’re having trouble and unlock Gildarts, Laxus, and Mirajane for the party and runs. There are over 170 Magic Cards for new strategies, so you can build on what you’re doing, and can enhance ones if you keep getting doubles beyond the existing Enhancements at campsites. For more experienced players, there are Labyrinth and Grand Clash new difficulties and Gajeel and Juvia in the post-game. There are more references to the original manga and anime via new bosses and Hiro Mashima’s past works like Rave Master. (I happened upon the August battle form addition myself.)It’s a lot in a good way. The pixel art is especially impeccable for the new characters and opponents.

It’s a situation in which Fairy Tail: Dungeons started out as a solid roguelike when it launched, and the Switch port appearing alongside and with all the additions in the free update makes the game even better. Pretty much every major character we could want is playable now. There’s even more endgame content, for those of us who are near the end or almost through it. People just getting started have new elements that will bolster what was already there. Plus it fits so well on Nintendo’s system. It’s just great.

Fairy Tail: Dungeons is available for the Switch and PC. 

The post Fairy Tail: Dungeons Is Fantastic on the Switch appeared first on Siliconera.

Back when the Switch 2 came out, I looked at some Snakebyte accessories that appeared at launch. They were fine. You know, standard bags and extra charging options. They weren’t exciting or colorful, but they were practical items for a system at an affordable price. Now that we’re a bit more into the thick of things, I’ve been using the Snakebyte Switch 2 Ergo Grip S2 for the Joy-Con 2 controllers and Gamepad Pro S2 controller and they’re a bit more exciting. Especially since I hit a point at which there are more multiplayer options or situations when I will play for hours at a time.

Both of these items are docked Switch 2 sorts of controller options. So if you’re playing in handheld mode primarily, these probably aren’t for you. That’s totally fine! I could see the Ergo Grip S2 maybe being helpful if you switch to tabletop mode for a while and want to use the Joy-Con 2 controllers like that instead of separated whiel playing the Switch 2. 

Speaking of which, the Ergo Grip S2 is the Snakebyte Switch 2 accessory I played with the most, since I always have my Joy-Con 2 controllers on-hand. But that’s primarily because of its usefulness for certain situations. It’s handy for if you’re going to play away from home and perhaps are taking the dock or plan to go with tabletop mode. It relies on the same sort of magnet system as the console to quickly pop them onto the grip. It has an over six foot long cable for charging purposes, in case you want to play while it is connected to a dock or charging cable. There are also gaps so you can see battery life indicator lights while using the grip, so you can tell if charging is needed. It’s comfortable and I sort of feel like a budget version of the $40 official Nintendo option, considering Snakebyte is selling it for $20.

Like that being Snakebyte’s budget option approach to one Nintendo Switch 2 peripheral, I kind of feel like the Gamepad Pro RGB S2 is a budget alternative in some ways for the official Pro Controller. That’s $89.99 after all, and this is $50. It isn’t an exact double, of course. There’s no HD Rumble 2 as an example, and it requires a Bluetooth dongle. It does feature two additional programmable back buttons, and there are locks on M1 and M2 to keep them from being triggered accidentally. Similar locks are present on the triggers. The RGB lighting is there, for those who like that type of thing. But I think the most valuable parts are the Hall Effect sensors on the joysticks and the fact it has its own firmware. Considering we saw third-party docks stop working on the Switch 2 after a firmware update, it’s reassuring. 

Basically, both the Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2 and Gamepad Pro RGB S2 are something of economy options for folks who might not want to pay for the official Nintendo Joy-Con 2 grip or Pro Controller. They might not have all the same features, especially in the case of the controller. But what is here is stable and strong, especially when they’re at least $20 cheaper. 

The Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2 and Gamepad Pro RGB S2 are available now. 

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While major Splatoon 3 updates are done, Splatfest events are still happening, and the recurring Frosty Fest one begins at 4pm PT/7pm ET on January 9, 2026. It will end on January 11, 2026. This marks the third Frosty Fest since the game’s debut in September 2022. 

While Splatoon 3 launched in 2022, the Frosty Fest Splatfest events didn’t start in game until the one that took place in January 2024. Each one features winter themes in Inkopolis and Splatsville, special decorations, holiday mysic, and different outfits for Shiver, Frye, Big Man, Callie, and Marie. The theme for the first one was “who do you spend the holidays with,” and the options were Friends (Shiver), Family (Frye), and Solo (Big man), with Team Solo winning. The 2025 event asked “what would make you happiest,” with the teams being Money (Shiver), Experiences (Frye), and Presents (Big Man). Team Presents won that year. 

The 2026 Frosty Fest is basically a rerun. The theme is “Who do you spend the holidays with” again. The teams are the same too. So you can choose Team Friends (Shiver), Team Family (Frye), and Team Solo (Big Man). 

Here's the official image for it:

Splatoon 3 is available for the Switch, with a Switch 2 update available, and the Frosty Fest Splatfest runs January 9-11, 2026. The next game in the series will be the Splatoon Raiders spin-off with the members of Deep Cut Shiver, Frye, and Big Man.

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Square Enix announced that the Final Fantasy XIV Online Store is now selling a replica of the costume Garnet, aka Dagger, wears in FFIX for FFXIV avatars called Humble Attire. You will need to pay real cash to get it, and it costs $12. It is available for any player character regardless of species or gender.

The Humble Attire bundle gives a player three pieces of clothing to use in-game. The Humble Overalls is a one-piece outfit with orange overalls over a white top. There are also red Humble Gloves and Humble Boots. These items can be dyed, and the official screenshots show how it looks in three different colors on a male Viera, female Lalafell, and female Miqote. As there is no hat or hood included, there are no issues with species races with large ears or manes like the Viera or Hrothgar. 

Here’s how the Humble Attire set looks in-game.

This comes after Toshiyuki Itahana said the costumes that Sphene wears in the FFXIV Dawntrail expansion are based on the outfits Garnet wears in FFIX. The artist noted the two the character wears are both based on the Dagger “white mage” style outfit and her standard look. 

It isn't uncommon for costumes based on other Final Fantasy games to show up in the FFXIV Online Store for Warriors of Light. In the past, ones based on FFX and FFXIII leads showed up. Fantasian crossover costumes most recently appeared.

Final Fantasy XIV and Dawntrail are available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the FFIX Humble Attire Garnet costume is in the FFXIV Online Store now. 

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Dreams, the company behind collectibles like Sonny Angel and Smiski, announced it is teaming with Sanrio for a Hello Kitty and Friends Hippers peeking character figure line. These are items with an adhesive on their stomach that can be attached to electronics or household items to make the mascot look like they are peeking over the edge at a person. They will be sold in blind boxes for ¥1,430 (~$9) each, and they will appear in Japan on January 23, 2026. As other figures in the line from the company are sold worldwide via stores like Amazon, Kinokuniya, Miniso, or Teso, we should eventually see these everywhere.

There are seven characters in the Hippers Hello Kitty and Friends figure collection. As is common with blind boxes, with a purple version of Kuromi as a secret with lower rates of being acquired. (The odds of getting her weren’t announced ahead of launch.) Based on past Hippers releases, each one will be about two inches tall and feature sticky tape on their stomach that is pressed against a surface. 

Here’s a list of every character in this collection:

• Cinnamoroll
• Hello Kitty
• Kuromi (standard with black hood)
• Kuromi (secret with purple hood)
• My Melody
• Pochacco
• Pompompurin

Dreams and Sanrio also released a number of photos showing off each of the figures. Some of these show what the characters would look like in-use peeking at people on objects like picture frames or cell phones. There is also a photo showing what the adhesive looks like on the Hello Kitty version of the figure. The photo showing the box art and display also highlights what to expect when they appear in stores.

The Dreams Hello Kitty and Friends Hippers figures of six Sanrio characters will launch in Japan on January 23, 2026, and we should see them worldwide after.

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Twitch and Cover announced on social media it is now possible for everyone to use an emote based on the CEO of the Hololive and Holostars Vtuber company Motoaki “Yagoo” Tanigo. Access appeared the evening of January 8, 2026 worldwide. It is now possible for anyone logged into the platform to use it in chat. 

The Yagoo Twitch emote release first happened as a Hololive and Holostars Holoday Vtuber event on Twitch on November 20, 2025. That was the day a number of Cover performers from the English and Indonesian branches joined and all began streaming on Twitch. People who watched streams for set periods of time could earn three special emotes.

Only one of the three Yagoo Twitch emotes from the Hololive and Holostars event is now available for everyone. It’s the “Kingoo” design that features Motoaki Tanigo’s gold, smiling face. When the event happened, that was known as the “Kingoo” one. The other two were copper “Yagoo” and silver “Sadgoo” styles. To use the one now available, input :yagoo:.

Here's how it looks:

The Yagoo Twitch emote is now live for everyone on the platform, but the other two Holoday ones still are exclusive to people who earned them during the November 2025 event.

The post Twitch Emote of Hololive CEO Yagoo Returns appeared first on Siliconera.

We’re in the midst of the Street Fighter 6 Year 3 Character Pass DLC rollout, with Alex returning to the roster as the next add-on, and now we got a better look at him. Ahead of his “early Spring 2026” debut, Capcom shared a minute-and-a-half long trailer for him. This one is more about setting up his personality and showing his character design in the fighting game than highlighting gameplay, but it helps establish what to expect.

Like Luke, Alex is a character who was set up in sort of a “protagonist” role when he appeared in the Street Fighter series. He showed up in February 1997 in Street Fighter III. He’s known as a wrestler from America, and we see him in the midst of a match where he’s acting as the heel. 

Here’s the full video:

Alex is the third of four Year 3 Character Pass add-ons for Street Fighter 6, with the fourth piece being Ingrid in “late Spring 2026.” This season pass focused on bringing older characters back into the fold. He follows Sagat, who started this latest run back in August 2025, and C. Viper in October 2025.

Street Fighter 6 is available for the Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and Alex will appear as DLC in early Spring 2026.

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Nintendo added Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack GameCube app library for Switch 2 owners, and its soundtrack is now on the Nintendo Music app included with that higher tier of the subscription service. This is the first of the two Tellius games, as the second continued the story on the Wii in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. 

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is the sole GameCube entry in the series. It follows Ike and Soren of the Greil Mercenaries as the two work within Crimea, but King Ashnard of Daein invading the country, leaving its Princess Elincia as a fugitive attempting to get to Gallia. Upon the mercenary company encountering her, they get pulled into and lead the charge to unite people against Ashnard’s forces and restore peace. It’s notable for being the first game in the series with Laguz characters. Two versions are in the NSO app, with the US one altering some classes and having different difficulty. 

Here’s the Japanese trailer showing what you can expect from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance when playing it on a Switch 2.

With the original Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn appeared, it would be possible to bring your GameCube save file over to the Wii. This would allow things like stats and relationships to transfer over.

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is on the GameCube and is now available on the Switch 2 for Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers. Other additions to that library included Chibi Robo.

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