I'm really liking the looks of SWERY's The Good Life, too--despite its rather rough first trailer

You may have heard elsewhere that the incomparable Japanese game designer known as both SWERY and Swery65 is working on another title.

The unveiling of that game caused a bit of a stir thanks to the fact that it seems a world away from SWERY's best-known work, the cult favorite Deadly Premonition.

Actually, calling it a "world away" from Deadly Premonition may be a bit hyperbolic, as the two games share a couple of similarities. I'll get to those in a minute. For now, let's chat about SWERY's new joint, The Good Life. According to the description of the game on its Fig campaign page, it's going to be a "debt-repayment life-simulation RPG."

Sounds kind of like Animal Crossing, don't you think? That's the first thing that popped into my mind, at least--especially after I read that The Good Life's protagonist, Naomi, can take on part-time jobs--like bartending at a pub, delivering milk and shearing sheep--to help her accomplish the above-mentioned task.

That's just the tip of the iceberg as far as The Good Life's content is concerned, though. In addition to its Animal Crossing-inspired side jobs, the game will allow players to snap photos for cash, task them with solving a Professor Layton-ish murder mystery and require them to keep tabs on Naomi's stamina (which she can replenish by eating food, drinking beverages and even sleeping).



Another aspect of The Good Life that calls to mind Nintendo's world-conquering life sim is how customizable it's aiming to be. Not only will you be able to alter Naomi's appearance in the finished product, but you'll be able to change the look of her feline form, too.

Oh, wait, I forgot to tell you Naomi turns into a cat at night, as do Rainy Woods' quirky, Deadly Premonition-esque residents? Well, she does, and they do. Apparently this can help Naomi get to know, and develop relationships with, her fellow townspeople.

All of the above has me keenly interested in The Good Life's just-launched fundraising campaign. That's not to say I've chipped in myself. The trailer above is more than a little rough (although I love the game's low-poly aesthetic) and I can't say I'm a fan of its current reward tiers.

Add in the fact that it's currently only being made for PC and PS4--a Switch stretch goal has been promised, but no one seems to know how much money has to be raised before that version gets the green light--and it should be easy to understand why I've yet to back this intriguing title.

Are any of you also keeping an eye on The Good Life's Fig campaign? If so, why is that--and what would prompt you to contribute to it (if you haven't done so already)?

Nice Package! (Mizzurna Falls, PlayStation)

I've been obsessed with Mizzurna Falls since I first read an article about it on the now-defunct Eastern Mind blog a number of years ago.

You might think it piqued my interest because it's often described as being something of a precursor to the 2010 cult classic, Deadly Premonition. In reality, the thing that initially attracted me to Mizzurna Falls, which released in Japan (and only in Japan) in 1998, was its captivating cover art.



There's just something about its wintry landscape, and the illuminated town that's nestled among its shadowy mountains and trees, that made me want to own and play this game.

I also was drawn to its odd title and even odder subtitle (the latter being "Country of the Woods and Repose"). And then, of course, I couldn't help but find the Twin Peaks-esque story--that focuses on the mystery of a missing girl--and open-world gameplay alluring.

Another intriguing aspect of Mizzurna Falls: it was developed and published by Human Entertainment, the same company that gave the world the classic survival-horror title, Clock Tower.



Not that the two games are at all alike. Oh, Mizzurna Falls has an unsettling air about it, but I wouldn't say it ever even approaches the terrifying heights of Clock Tower.

Given the above, it shouldn't be too surprising to hear this game's instruction manual is a bit quirky. My favorite spread is the one highlighted above, which details the titular town's map.

I also like the pages near the end of Mizzurna Falls' manual, which offer up English and Japanese lyrics to the title's theme song.

For some dumb reason, I failed to take a photo of the Mizzurna Falls game disc when I snapped the others showcased here. I'd take one now, but I didn't bring the CD with me when I left Seattle early this year. (It's currently in storage--and won't be reunited with me until sometime this summer.)

I can tell you that you're not missing a whole lot. The disc basically depicts the same scene printed on the Mizzurna Falls manual cover--only in black and white rather than in color.

Oh, well, the gameplay embedded on that disc is what's important, right? And Mizzurna Falls' exploration-heavy gameplay is--or at least seems to be, I've only played a small portion of it so far--pretty special.



I'll try to share some more detailed impressions of Mizzurna Falls once I get my hands on its CD again in a month or two. At that time, I'll also scan its instruction manual and share the resulting images in a future installment of my "Manual Stimulation" series.

In the meantime, I'd highly recommend reading the Eastern Mind blog post I linked to earlier. It's more than a review; it offers up all sorts of background information and in-depth analysis that help explain why Mizzurna Falls is so impressive--especially for a 19-year-old game.

See also: previous 'Nice Package!' posts about The Adventure of Puppet Princess, Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, Ore no Shikabane o Koete Yuke and PoPoLoCrois Monogatari.

The Interactive Canvas

Sydney's Matt Sainsbury, who has been known to comment here from time to time (as "Matt S"), recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for a book, The Interactive Canvas, that will "champion the idea that games have artistic merit, and interview the people that make them."

I'm a big believer that "games are art," as folks like to say, and I'm guessing a lot of you are, too, so I thought I'd use this post to spread word about the project.



Sainsbury's goal is to raise $60,000 by Feb. 6, by the way, so if you've got cash to spare you might want to consider spending some of it on this project within the next 25 or so days.

To read more about Sainbury's vision for The Interactive Canvas--which hopefully will include interviews with Braid's Jonathan Blow and Deadly Premonition's Hidetaka Suehiro (aka SWERY65), among others--or to pledge a bit of money to the campaign, check out kickstarter.com.

Five games I have to get back to (and hopefully finish) in 2014

I started a lot of games in the last year or two (or three) that I've yet to finish, but the five below are the ones I most want to get back to and "beat" in 2014.

Deadly Premonition (Xbox 360)--It's going to be very interesting to see if I actually go back to playing this one. Although I loved the bizarro story when I started playing it many moons ago, I wasn't so enamored with some of the gameplay (anything resembling a battle scene, basically). Still, I'd really like to finish it someday--if only so I can say I did it.

EarthBound (SNES)--I know, I know--it's wronger than wrong that I've yet to "beat" this legendary RPG. (I've tried three times now, if memory serves.) The thing is, I've loved every second I've played of it during each of my attempts--but something's always distracted me before I could complete it. Hopefully I can avoid that when I go back to my most recently created save file in early 2014.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (DS)--This situation surrounding this game is a bit strange, as the only thing I have to do is beat its final boss. I've actually battled it a number of times already, and even made it as far as its third (and final, I think) form, but I faltered each and every time. So, I'm going to make another run at it next year--probably after bolstering my party a bit (or a lot).

Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)--Another crying shame, right? I can't remember how many hours I put into this title before being pulled away by Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but I know it wasn't close to enough. Hopefully I can give it the attention it obviously deserves at some point during 2014.

Opoona (Wii)--I bought this unique, Dragon Quest-esque RPG with the best of intentions earlier this year, but only made it an hour or so in before walking away for some reason or another. I found the first 60 minutes to be pretty enjoyable, though, so I'll definitely do my best to further explore it in the next 12 months.

Are there any games you guys and gals started in 2013 (or before) and would like to finish next year? Let me know which ones in the comments section below.

Bye-bye, backlog

My blogging friend and podcasting cohort, Anne (aka apricotsushi), recently mentioned on Twitter that her husband challenged her to pick one game from her backlog each month this year and play it through to completion.

Considering the depressing size of my own gaming backlog, I thought it might be wise of me to do something similar over the next 12 months.

So, between now and the end of 2013 I'm going to choose one of my many woefully overlooked games and play it for an entire month. If I'm able to "beat" any or all of these games, great, but if not, that's OK, too.

As of now, here are the games I'm considering tackling as I work my way through this so-called challenge: Chulip (PS2), Corpse Party (PSP), Deadly Premonition (Xbox 360), Dewy's Adventure (Wii), Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (DS), Half-Minute Hero (PSP), Inazuma Eleven (DS), Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits (DS), Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (3DS), Romancing SaGa (PS2), Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube) and, finally, Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii).

Full disclosure: as some of you are likely aware, I've already started a few of these games (namely, Corpse Party, Deadly Premonition, Dewy's Adventure and Xenoblade Chronicles). None of them were played for more than a few hours, though, so I think it's OK to include them here.

Also, know that the list above is not in any way set in stone. Well, other than Chulip, which I've already decided will be the game I'll tackle this month. OK, so Corpse Party, Deadly Premonition and Xenoblade Chronicles should be considered "sure bets," too, but the rest are just possibilities at the moment. (For instance, already I'm thinking of replacing, say, Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits with another PS2 title I've been meaning to play for ages, La Pucelle: Tactics.)

I'm not yet sure how I'll update all of you in regards to my progress, by the way. Maybe I should try to publish weekly blog posts (titled something like, "Bye-Bye Backlog Diary Entry #1: Chulip") to keep myself in check?

Five games I have to get back to (and hopefully finish) in 2013

Well, it's that time of year again. No, not the time of year when I bore you with posts dedicated to my favorite games that were released in the last 12 months (that doesn't happen until next week). Rather, it's the time of year when I grouse about all the games I failed to complete during that same time frame.

The five games (some of which were released in 2012 and some of which were released earlier) that are causing the most grousing at the moment:

1. Corpse Party (PSP)--Why did I stop playing this digital-only title after thoroughly enjoying its introduction? To be completely honest: I got stuck. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem for me, but for some dumb reason I was stubborn this time around and refused to turn to a walkthrough to get myself out of the situation. As you probably can imagine, I only put up with that for so long before moving on to something more enticing. I swear, though, that I'll return to Corpse Party sometime soon--especially since the sequel is set to hit PSN anytime now.

2. Deadly Premonition (Xbox 360)--You might think I gave up on this quirky adventure for the same reason as the one stated above, but that actually wasn't the case. Instead, I walked away from Deadly Premonition early in the year because I just couldn't take any more of the combat scenes it was throwing at me. That said, I didn't intend to stop playing the game for good; I just wanted to take a bit of a breather. So, expect me to tackle this Hidetaka "SWERY" Suehiro-designed title with renewed vigor sometime in 2013.

3. Kirby Mass Attack (DS)--I honestly have no idea why I stopped playing this one just a few hours into it. I'm guessing another game caught my attention and wooed me away from it--although for the life of my I can't come up with which game accomplished that feat. Anyway, much like Deadly Premonition, I quite liked what I'd experienced of Kirby Mass Attack's unique gameplay and charming (as always) graphics before the game inexplicably fell by the wayside, so I think it's a fair bet that I'll pick it up again sooner rather than later.

4. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)--Some of you are sure to be shocked to hear that I moved on from this game before seeing its end credits. Well, prepare to be shocked even more: Not only haven't I finished it, but I only conquered a few of its worlds before turning my attention to Mario Kart 7. What was it about this particular Mario adventure that left me feeling a bit cold? I'm not entirely sure, although I think the tiny levels that I recall encountering had something to do with it. I've since been told to stick with the game, though, so that's what I plan on doing as soon as my 3DS backlog dwindles at least a bit.

5. Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)--Here's another headscratcher--or at least it is to me. The reason: I loved the hell out of this open-world RPG before it dropped off my radar. This time, though, I have a valid reason for walking away from a game I was thoroughly enjoying beforehand. Basically, I went on vacation--and when I returned, I was swamped with work and ... well, I'm sure you can imagine what happened next. Considering my jaw was regularly planted on my chest while I worked through the first 10 or so hours of Xenoblade Chronicles, I don't think it'll take much arm twisting to convince me to go back to it at some point in the next 12 months.

How about you gals and guys? Are there any games that you failed to finish in the last year or so that you'd like to wrap up in 2013?

Who needs Thanksgiving leftovers when you've got a new episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever?

OK, go ahead and enjoy those Thanksgiving leftovers, too. (Assuming you even have them, of course.) I don't think it would be a terrible idea to wash them down with a cold, refreshing glass of The Nichiest Podcast Ever, though, do you?

Especially since this "take" (our fourth) includes chatter about a whole heap of niche-y gaming goodness. Cases in point: Anne (aka @apricotsushi) talks about the Animal Crossing-branded 3DS LL (XL elsewhere) she recently acquired, while shidoshi (@pikoeri) and I continue salivate over the pink-and-white XL that just hit (some) store shelves in North America.

We also confer on Style Savvy: Trendsetters, the slew of niche-y PSP games due to be released throughout North America between now and next summer, the Deadly Premonition Director's Cut that's set to come out (for PS3) this coming March, and the possibility that the wacky PS2 title, Chulip, may soon find its way onto PSN.

Oh, and we also blathered on for a bit about the recent launch of the Wii U. Are Anne and shidoshi planning to join me in picking up Nintendo's next console at some point in 2013, or are they going to give it a pass?

Check out this episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever (here) and you'll hear the answer to that question and also hear the three of us "cheerlead" in support of Dokuro (for Vita), Magical Whip: Wizards of Phantasmal Forest (DSiWare) and Persona 4 Golden (also for Vita).

Hunky Space Harrier

I don't know if any of you noticed, but buried within this post about Darwin Yamamoto's recent trip to Tokyo's retro-games shop, Super Potato, was a brief note about the New Yorker being a designer and illustrator.

Well, a good example of Yamamoto's abilities as an illustrator can be seen in his recent--and rather hunky--portrait of Sega's Space Harrier:

Go here to see an animated version of this portrait, by the way. (The static version, above, was taken from here.)

To see more such portraits of famous and not-so-famous game characters--including Jennifer from Rule of Rose, Vincent from Catherine and Francis York from Deadly Premonition--check out this Flickr set.

Which games are you playing this weekend?

Before this holiday weekend began, my plan was to play a trio of games I've been meaning to finish for quite some time: Deadly Premonition, Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light and Pokemon Black.

Instead, I've been playing a pair of old Famicom games, Chack'n Pop and Door Door (below), via emulation, as well as one other game I can't tell you about at the moment.

Door Door has some disgustingly adorable box art, doesn't it?

Actually, I could tell you about it, but I don't want to, as I'm saving its unveiling for a to-be-published-at-a-later-date post.

Anyway, those are the games I'm playing this holiday weekend. What are all of you playing (assuming, of course, you're playing games at all)?

You know which game-based food item I'd like to create/consume in real life? The fuchsia martini that appears in Bobble Bobble ...

... or maybe the strawberry-topped cake from the same game.

I doubt I'll be able to create my own recipes for either of those dishes anytime soon, though, so I'll just cross my fingers and hope that Daniella Zelli, proprietress of the Gourmet Gaming tumblog (gourmetgaming.co.uk), covers one or both of them at some point.

In case you've never been to Zelli's site before, it features recipes that attempt to bring game-based food items to life. Thus far, she's recreated the "amazing apple pie" from Fable II, the "golden brown pizza" from Dead Rising and Thomas' biscuit from Deadly Premonition, among others.

It appears that Zelli takes requests now and then, so maybe I should hit her up and ask if she'll consider tackling one or both of the Bubble Bobble-based food items I mentioned earlier in a future post?

(Via gamesetwatch.com and vidyaboi.blogspot.com)

The question is: Will I like Deadly Premonition as much as Frank Cifaldi did?

When 1up.com's Frank Cifaldi reviewed Ignition's Deadly Premonition early last year (read it here), he called the game a mixture of The Last Express, Resident Evil 4, Shenmue and Twin Peaks.

He also said, "a lot of the graphics would look right at home on the Dreamcast." Admittedly, most gamers would consider that to be a negative, but I'm such a big fan of Sega's consoles that it served to further pique my interest in this open-world survival-horror title.

Hoo boy, this is going to be a weird game, isn't it?

Anyway, after reading Cifaldi's review, and a few associated comments he made about the game on facebook and Twitter, I added Deadly Premonition to my "to buy" list--despite the fact that I didn't yet own an Xbox 360.

Well, I now own an Xbox 360, and soon I'll own Deadly Premonition, too, since I ordered a copy of the game late last week for about $15. While I wait for it to arrive, I think I'll waste my time listening to this chiptune take on the title's "whistle tune."

See also: 'If Frank Cifaldi says a game is good, it must be so'