Check Out Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit as Part of Steam Next Fest!

Philadelphia, PA – Feb. 21, 2025 – Starting today, AVGN fans can now get an exclusive sneak peek of the upcoming Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit. Indie developer and publisher Retroware is thrilled to announce that the demo for the highly anticipated game is now live on Steam as part of Steam Next Fest.

Developed by Programancer, known for his work on Prison City and The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest, the Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit’s Steam Next Fest demo features two levels to fight your way through, teeming with signature Nerd humor and Mega Man-inspired gameplay. In the demo, players will guide the Nerd through the Graveyard and Soda Factory stages, where they’ll navigate a variety of deadly hazards and face off against iconic enemies from throughout the Nerd's history.

To celebrate its release, the game’s publisher Retroware has put together a trailer offering never-before-seen footage of the two levels featured in the Steam Next Fest demo. Watch as a pixelated James Rolfe blasts his way through hordes of heavily armed endoskeletons, Frankenstein’s monsters, severed hands, and death itself before going toe-to-toe with familiar foes inspired by the AVGN’s greatest rivals. 

The full version of Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit will launch on NES, PC, and all major consoles in Q2 2025. The PC and console versions—highlighted by the Steam demo—are being crafted by the talented Programancer, while the NES version is being handled by Pittsburgh-based developer and publisher Mega Cat Studios. The Steam version of The Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit is available to wishlist today. 

Physical versions of The Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit will be available to pre-order exclusively from Limited Run Games, with different editions to be announced soon. 

About Retroware:

"We’re all about modern retro games. We develop, publish, make merch, and run arcades. Bringing you retro experiences with modern conveniences."

About Mega Cat Studios:

Founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mega Cat Studios strives to deliver unforgettable experiences for gamers of all generations. With their hearts firmly planted in the 1990s and eyes set on the future, they combine a passion for crafting new retro classics with a commitment to delivering compelling current-gen content.

Article by: Susan N.

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Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town Releasing on Steam October 24th!

October 3, 2024. Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo - Neos Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, Chair of the Board: Masashi Ikeda), a subsidiary of Tecmira Holdings, Inc., is proud to announce the release of "Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town" on Steam for worldwide distribution and on Nintendo Switch in Western markets on October 24, 2024 at a price of 29.99 USD/EUR and 39.99 USD/EUR respectively. The title will be on sale on Steam for 26.99 USD/EUR from the launch until November 7, 2024. The game was released in Japan and Asia earlier this year and won the Visual Arts Excellence Award at the CEDEC AWARDS 2024.

A bundle sale will be held on both platforms from the start of sales until November 7, during which time this title and “Shin chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation -The Endless Seven-Day Journey-,” which marks the 3rd anniversary of its release, will be available for purchase at a discounted price of 39.99 USD/EUR on Steam and 49.99 USD/EUR on Nintendo Switch. Additionally, the price of this previous Shin chan title on Steam will be revised from 39.99 USD, 49.99 EUR to 29.99 USD/EUR, matching the price of “Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town.”

In addition, in partnership with U.S. game publisher Limited Run Games, the game will also be released in a physical version for Nintendo Switch in the U.S. and Europe. This edition will be available for pre-order at LRG's official online store for a limited time this fall.

Experience a New Adventure in the World of Shin chan

In “Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town,” Shin chan and the Nohara family visit the town of Akita. The game depicts Shin chan's daily life as he and Shiro experience various things while travelling between the two worlds of reality and a mysterious town. The game can be enjoyed by people of all ages and genders, from "Crayon Shin chan" fans to video game fans who want to experience a full-fledged story.

The Nohara Family Goes to Akita Prefecture!

Hiroshi is sent on a sudden business trip to his native Akita. The Nohara family arrives in a small village near Hiroshi's parents' home and rents a traditional Japanese farmhouse. Nestled in this tranquil rural landscape, they begin their carefree and quiet life in the countryside. Shinnosuke's grandfather, Ginnosuke, teaches him the secrets of countryside games such as bug catching and fishing. In the evenings, everyone enjoys sitting around the sunken hearth to savour delicious Akita dishes. In the village, Shinnosuke interacts with farmers and makes new friends. Every day, he enjoys his life to the fullest until…

Shinnosuke Follows After a Soot-Covered Shiro

 

One morning, Shiro shows up at the house, covered in soot. As a confused Shinnosuke looks on, Shiro suddenly runs away…! Shinnosuke chases after Shiro, and he notices a mysterious train he’s never seen before. Shinnosuke follows after Shiro and accidentally boards this train.

Welcome to Coal Town

The mysterious train stops in a lively and prosperous town that seems to have been frozen in time since the Showa era. In this town, called Coal Town, energetic working class people go about their daily lives. After meeting a mysterious young girl, Shinnosuke becomes friends with these people. And so begins Shinnosuke’s newest adventure…!

Shin chan’s mysterious daily life begins, as he travels between the two worlds: the village in Akita and Coal Town

STEAM version details:

Target countries: More than 70 countries worldwide.

Text languages: Japanese, English, Spanish, German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean

Audio languages: Japanese, Chinese, Cantonese, Korean

Text and audio can be selected at startup,

Nintendo Switch Western (digital) version details:

Target countries: More than 40 countries worldwide.

Text languages: Japanese, English, Spanish, German.

Audio language: Japanese.

Links of interest:

• Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2699820/
• Official website: https://game.neoscorp.jp/shinchan_coaltown/index_en.html
• Official X (former Twitter): https://twitter.com/shinchan_summer

©USUI YOSHITO/FUTABASHA,SHIN-EI,TV ASAHI,ADK ©Neos Corporation

About Neos Corporation

Neos Corporation is a Japanese game development company that has been in operation since April 19, 2004. The company has released a number of titles over the years, including popular games such as "Shin chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation: The Endless Seven-Day Journey" and more recently "Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town".

About Tecmira Holdings

Founded in 2004 as a content services provider for flip phones, our company has expanded with technological advancements, including smartphones, AI, and IoT. We now operate in three locations in Japan and three overseas. As an IT corporate group, we excel in content, software, and hardware development. Our mission is to continuously grow and explore new possibilities, creating a brighter future. As "TECMIRA," we leverage our refined "Technology" and "Creativity" to work together to help our society to improve.

Article by: Susan N.

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Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia - PS4 Review

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia by developer Matrix Software and publisher Limited Run Games—Sony PlayStation 4 review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is a dense strategy / RPG hybrid that successfully pulls together a lot of different elements into a cohesive, entertaining package. It reminds me of some of my favorite older strategy games, while having plenty of modern sensibility. The end result is the kind of deep, enjoyable tactics game I needed for the holidays.

The strategy / RPG genre is one of my most guilty pleasures. These are the types of games I would play over and over again when I was younger. Warsong / Langrisser, Shining Force, Dark Wizard, Master of Monsters and Dragon Force were all games I would tackle in different ways for a variety of reasons. In linear titles like Warsong I simply wanted to try different leader classes or a unique set of tactics on a particularly interest map to see if I could do better the next time. In Shing Force or Dark Wizard I was perhaps looking for some secret item or area I missed the first time around. Master of Monsters had all of these really cool creature evolutions I just wanted to see through.

Most of these games were a bit light on story, though a few like Dragon Force or Dark Wizard would give you a different narrative, thin though it may be, based on whom you selected as your starting ruler. Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia has all of these elements, including a rather meaty story for each kingdom to boot. Each nation has its own motivations for going to war, whether it’s to try and maintain the current rulership, a fiefdom looking for true freedom and more. This creates a sort of unreliable narration however, as the story is heavily slanted to justify your chosen kingdom’s actions. As you progress each kingdom, they fill out a glossary / codex that puts the different pieces together and rather cleverly weaves together the true, overarching narrative of the land. Given that this is an area that was often rather threadbare in my older gaming days, I greatly appreciated how well this aspect of the game was handled.

Beyond the story, there is a great deal to balance. Each season is broken up into three phrases. The first is the busiest as it is the organization phase. During this you send people onto quests, you assign monsters to heroes, summon new monsters (which cost mana to create and to maintain, further continuing that balancing act of balance), moving units from one zone to another and so on. It would be a stretch to compare this to the governing / development stage found in heavy 4X strategy games, but it’s where most of the management happens. The next phase is the most lightweight, where you declare your attack on another adjacent zone. The third and final stage to a season is the actual combat. I found myself only doing one or two in a given season, though higher levels of difficulty come with not only more challenging opponents but also a tighter window for total victory. If you go that route, multiple coordinated seasonal attacks become more important, where as conversely if you go the easiest difficult, there is no time limit at all to win.

Quests are important, as they yield items and can find you new heroes to lead your monster units, but the most important aspect of the game is its hex-style, turn-based combat. It feels like something right out of those classic strategy titles I mentioned before, with a lot of RNG dice rolling in the background that weighs type of attack, range, terrain and more into calculating hits and damage. More powerful monsters have a higher cost, and each general only has so many points available. What this means is you can pile on a bunch of weaker, 20 cost creatures or maybe one or two high cost 100 point creatures. Generally the best teams have a combination of thumpers, range and support abilities while the heroes themselves are often the most powerful – but also significant if they fall – units on the battlefield.

There was very little actually ‘new’ to how combat plays out – but it was easy to pick up and battles certainly require a great deal of thought. If you happen to have a powerful dragon on your team, they may be able to do substantial damage to several enemies without being countered, but their magic is limited and they can usually only unleash that a couple of times or so per battle. Sometimes you can accidentally hit enemies if you are not careful. Get the right unit in the right environment, and they can be very challenging to actually land a shot on. There was almost a ‘comfort food’ type of feeling for me, because I am so familiar with the genre over the years, but even though I picked it up easily enough – the combat can still be challenging if you don’t pause to think through your strategy.

Progression is pretty solid here, with plenty of the usual RPG elements to keep you feeling as though you are progressing. You gain items, experience, levels and characters can evolve into better classes / units when hitting specific levels / criteria. For me, this was particularly entertaining and kept me wanting just one or two more battles.

Despite all of these good points, it is worth discussing some of the areas where Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia could rub someone the wrong way as well. Even having gone through the tutorial, I did not really fully understand some of what happened until later in the game. That makes sense given how much there is to do and how dense the content is, but that combined with the slow pacing and somewhat repetitive (almost grindy) nature of the gameplay will mean that Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is definitely not going to be for everyone. By the time I finished my first campaign, a little fatigue was starting to set in, as maps began to feel less and less varied (especially the forest ones where movement just felt really slow). Now, that being said, I was excited to kick off a new campaign with a new kingdom upon initial completion, but that repetition and fatigue set in again sooner on the second playthrough. I know I have more patience for these types of games and derive more replay value from them than a lot of people do, so my sneaking suspicion is that very few players will get through all of the campaigns and neatly knit together Runersia’s story any time soon.

Additionally, while the music and visuals are all fine, neither aspect of the presentation blew me away. Audio is not in English, so you’re left reading subtitles, the music was fitting but not particularly memorable and the art style is certainly nice of technically pretty simple (not much movement in the cutscenes to speak of, mostly still images and the battles are efficient but the units and environments are not what I would consider eye-catching either). The menus are well laid out however, and having a menu-driven game work well on a controller can be a tricky thing, but the dev team did a pretty solid job on that front.

Summary

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is an excellent strategy / RPG hybrid that recalls some of my favorite old school games of the genre, but benefits from some modern updates and solid storytelling. The presentation didn’t wow me, but the progression is rewarding and the combat meaty enough that I stayed engaged for dozens of hours. This was the perfect holiday gift for me (if not my spare time, which Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia soaked up a lot of).

Score: 8.5 / 10

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Rocket Panda Games Announces "Player's Choice: Round Start!" Campaign!

El Segundo, Calif. - October 29, 2020 – Rocket Panda Games today announced the "Player's Choice: Round Start!" campaign, a series of community polls for the upcoming 1-vs-1 2D anime fighter, Phantom Breaker Omnia. It will allow fans to vote for their favorite "Round Start" line from a set of 4 pre-determined lines via the official Rocket Panda Games Twitter account. Every character in the game (20) will have their own poll which will last for approximately 3 days each. The line with the most votes from each poll will be implemented as one of the characters' voiced "round start" lines in the actual game. The entire campaign will last until the beginning of December.

The first poll, features Mikoto [voiced by Erica Mendez (Retsuko in Aggretsuko, Ryuko Matoi in KILL la KILL)], who is the main protagonist of Phantom Breaker: Omnia. The first poll can be found here: https://bit.ly/3eee1WI

Community Poll #1 - Mikoto "Player's Choice: Round Start!" Candidates

Candidate #1: "Good--come and get it."

Candidate #2: "It's time for your coda…"

Candidate #3: "Can you match my tempo?"

Candidate #4: "Allegro!"

Fans can keep track of active polls and results on our website at https://bit.ly/3jxqMws

About Phantom Breaker: Omnia

Phantom Breaker: Omnia, is a massive update to Phantom Breaker: Extra, a 1-vs-1 2D anime fighter originally released by MAGES in 2013, will be coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam in 2021.

• Title: Phantom Breaker: Omnia

• Release: 2021

• Genre: 2D Fighting

• Developer: GameLoop | MAGES

• Publisher: Rocket Panda Games

• Platforms: [Digital] PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Steam (PC)

• [Physical] PlayStation 4 & Nintendo Switch in partnership with Limited Run Games

• Players: 1-2 [Local] 1-2 [Online]

About Rocket Panda Games

Yeah, we're new, but our team has been around the game industry block. We're gamers and we're fans, and we want the same things you do: cool games, more options, and a better gaming experience. We're in the business of fun!

Would you like to know more?

• Official Website: www.RocketPandaGames.com

• Official Facebook: facebook.com/RocketPandaGames

• Official Twitter: @RocketPandaEN

• Official YouTube: http://bit.ly/YouTube_RPG

• Official Discord: http://bit.ly/DiscordRPG

About MAGES

In a time of rapid technological development, MAGES strives to deliver fun and exciting experiences to audiences worldwide. With a strong focus on visual novels, MAGES has developed and published several well-received IPs including the Phantom Breaker series and Steins;Gate in its native country of Japan.

About Limited Run Games

Limited Run Games is a Raleigh-based publisher founded in 2015 that focuses on preserving games in a physical format. Publishing over 300 games in its lifetime and winning awards for its bespoke Collector’s Editions, Limited Run is the gold standard in bringing digital-only games to physical form for casual fans and collectors alike. Visit limitedrungames.com for the latest offerings, or follow the brand on your social media platform of choice for all LRG-related updates: @limitedrungames.

Article by: Susan N.

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Lost Sea - PS4 Review

The famed Bermuda Triangle where airplanes have mysteriously vanished over the years is one of the best ideas for the location of a Roguelike. Coming from EastAsiaSoft, the makers of Rainbow Moon, Lost Sea picks one of several stranded survivors that’s plane has crashed and joins in with others from various islands to make it out of this accursed region shrouded in mystery and monsters.

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