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New Japanese indie localization group Nyu Media are really bringing out the big guns today. Three bits of notable news hitting the internet tonight – a playable demo of the third eXceed game, a release date for the eXceed trilogy pack, and the unveiling and dating of Cherry Tree High Comedy Club, a cartoony life/management sim. And it’s all happening sooner than you might have expected. After the break, gameplay trailers and more info.
So, the first look at Cherry Tree High Comedy Club comes via that trailer above. Clearly aimed at a more casual market, it looks to be equal parts RPG and management game, with you picking and choosing what to do with your protagonists day, and who to hang out with in your free time. Shades of the school-life segments from the recent Persona games, perhaps. It’ll be interesting to see how that kind of gameplay holds up to a western audience. The game is due on the 29th of this month on Steam and all other major digital download platforms, and is priced at $8.
On a significantly more hardcore note, the eXceed trilogy pack – three shmups for $10 – is due to launch next week just before Cherry Tree High. The bundle should be hitting all the major digital retailers come the 23rd. Also, a playable demo of the third and most polished game in the trilogy has just been released. Give it a spin and see how the gameplay sits with you. It’s not going to change the world, but it’s a very solid and fairly good-looking vertically scrolling shooter, and as part of a package it’s pretty good value.
It’s interesting to see the rapid growth of the Japanese indie scene into western distribution channels – Nyu Media in particular having a little bit of additional muscle on their side thanks to a distribution deal with Capcom. I can’t help but wonder how well English-language games are doing over the other side of the pond, though. I’ve also heard rumblings that there’s another big player snapping up licensing deals among the Japanese indie scene, so things might get rather competitive this year. I do hope so – there’s already enough untranslated games to go around for quite a few years.