Operation Backlog Completion 2026

New Shantae Game Set for 2027

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Jul 082026
 

Last October, WayForward confirmed a new Shantae game was in development during a Limited Run Games showcase.

There was no information about the next game beyond a picture of Shantae and Risky, but now we have another teaser.

At Anime Expo, WayForward revealed new art of Shantae along with a 2027 release window.

The 2027 release window is great, but I find the art even more interesting because of its implications. Instead of her usual hairstyle, Shantae has three braids that end in spiky balls that look like the Pike Ball weapon. Since past games in the series have had Shantae’s hair be her primary weapon, that suggests gameplay might be a little different… especially since the initial teaser also showed Shantae with a different hairstyle.

My guess is that abilities this time around will be tied to different hairstyles and this will effect both combat and traversal. That would be an interesting twist on the standard gameplay.

Either way, I’m excited to learn more! (This also reminds me that I need to play Risky Revolution, since I didn’t at launch.)

What are your hopes for the new Shantae game coming out in 2027?

Double Fine is Independent Again

 Video games  2 Responses »
Jul 062026
 

Double Fine is a game developer that we talk about most often because of Psychonauts and Psychonauts 2, both of which I love.

I’m not sure I ever wrote a review here of Psychonauts, but I did put it on my list of must-play games back in 2016.

Meanwhile, I found Psychonauts 2 to be a thoroughly enjoyable sequel.

Those aren’t the only Double Fine games I’ve played, but they’re the ones that mean the most to me. Anyway, there were some concerns recently that Double Fine was in danger of closure due to changes at Xbox. After previously being independent, Double Fine was bought by Microsoft in 2019.

Well, now they’re independent again, as announced today.

It’s much better news than them being closed, and I hope they’re able to get back on their feet after this and keep making great games.

What do you think about the news with Double Fine?

Illusion of Itehari and Olympia Soirée Fandiscs Announced for Localization

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Jul 032026
 

Anime Expo has begun, and we started off with some new otome announcements from Aksys!

Like in past years, Aksys didn’t live stream their Anime Expo panel, so I watched social media to wait for the announcements to be shared.

Aksys had two new otome fandisc localizations to announce. First up was Illusion of Itehari -trail-. This fandisc came out last July in Japan, so that’s a pretty fast turnaround for localization.

Second was Olympia Soirée -Catharsis- (which might actually be a sequel, rather than a fandisc), which came out last December, so that’s an even faster turnaround. They must be confident that there’s an audience for these fandiscs.

Both are set to be released sometime next year.

Now, I’m a little surprised those were the only otome announcements. I know it’s a niche genre and we shouldn’t expect a ton of news, but I thought they would at least localize one all-new game as well, instead of only fandiscs. I was waiting to see what the new title would be when I saw people saying the panel was over.

I haven’t played either Illusion of Itehari or Olympia Soirée yet, so while that does give me some more motivation to finally get around to them, there’s nothing here that has me screaming with excitement like there has been some years.

In non-otome news, Aksys also announced Cthulhu Mythos ADV Lunatic Whispers & The Isle Of Ubohoth, a bundle of two tabletop RPG-inspired adventure games that sound interesting… although I checked out the Steam pages for the originals and saw that Isle Of Ubohoth has a note about using AI for the backgrounds. So I’ll probably skip this one after all.

Anyway, I guess I’ll get working on my otome backlog. What are your thoughts on Aksys’s announcements?

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