Operation Backlog Completion 2026
Mar 272026
 

We’ve got a strange assortment of topics to talk about today, so let’s start with Stranger Than Heaven.

As we discussed on Monday, yesterday’s Xbox Partner Preview was announced as having “an in-depth look” at Stranger Than Heaven.

Well, it wasn’t quite an in-depth look.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when it turned out to be a single trailer along with the announcement that an actual deep dive will be coming on May 6 at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET. The trailer did explicitly confirm multiple eras, however, so that’s something new we learned.

In fact, it confirms 5 eras (1915, 1929, 1943, 1951, and 1965) and 5 cities, so it sounds like it will be a pretty big game. The 1965 shot in the trailer also clearly shows Kamurocho.

The trailer didn’t answer most of my questions, though, since I really want to know more about the story. I’m intrigued by what was shown, but hopefully the May 6 broadcast will show a lot more.

Moving on, this morning was the Blue Reflection broadcast announced last week, and although I didn’t watch it live, I woke up eager to find out what the news was.

(Actually, I woke up yesterday eager to see what the news was, too, because I misremembered it as being on the 26th, but anyway…)

There was a new announcement, although not a whole new game like I hoped. They announced Blue Reflection Quartet for the Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and PC, a collection that includes Blue Reflection and Blue Reflection: Second Light as well as a game version of Blue Reflection: Ray (the anime) that tells “the climactic arc of the anime” with 3D exploration in the Common and a console version of Blue Reflection: Sun (the mobile game) with the main story adapted alongside new characters stories.

It will be out on July 30, although it’s a digital-only release in the West.

Some additional information from the live stream and website, translated and summarized by fans on Reddit, includes the fact that the first game will be censored slightly compared to its original release, which is disappointing.

Still, I’m interested in the Ray and Sun content included in this collection, so I’ll probably get it eventually. In the meantime, I hope this collection is build-up to a full third game, and not a sign that the series is over.

Finally, let’s talk briefly about the Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream demo. The demo came out on Wednesday, so I downloaded it that evening and tried it out, and I had a blast. There isn’t much to do in the demo, only create 3 Miis and go through a few basic tasks with them, but I played it for the whole evening and woke up wishing there was more demo content. I’m already itching for the full release after that little taste. If you’re curious about Tomodachi Life, definitely try the demo.

April 16 can’t come fast enough. I’d better get to work on my backlog so Tomodachi Life doesn’t shove all my partly-completed games out of the way. At least it’s the sort of game best played in short bursts between other games (is what I could say more confidently if I hadn’t played the demo for literal hours despite its tiny amount of content).

So, how do you feel about Stranger Than Heaven, Blue Reflection Quartet, and the Tomodachi Life demo?

Mar 252026
 

NIS America has announced that the NIS farming game Hono Gurashi no Niwa will be released in the west this fall under the title Village in the Shade.

Now, you might be wondering why I’m so interested in this farming sim, of all games.

(After all, we could be talking about the new Tomodachi Life demo, but I decided this news was more important.)

Village in the Shade is from the same team that developed the Yomawari games, and while I don’t think it’s officially a Yomawari spin-off, it definitely has some overlap.

You begin a new life in a small, welcoming village, but there are certain rules you must follow… and strange beings might be encountered after midnight.

Interestingly, there’s also a “Peaceful Life Mode” if you just want to play the life sim part, where you can’t break the rules so nothing scary happens.

It sounds pretty neat, and as a Yomawari fan, I’m glad it’s coming west.

More details are available at the official website, and there’s also a limited edition available. (The Switch 2 version is sadly a key card.)

I might not be the world’s biggest farming sim fan, and I still haven’t even finished a Rune Factory game, but this game looks too interesting for me to ignore.

Are you planning to get Village in the Shade?

Mar 232026
 

There’s going to be an Xbox Partner Preview on March 26 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, and one of its featured games will be Stranger Than Heaven.

Stranger Than Heaven, in case you’ve forgotten, is the upcoming new game from RGG Studio originally revealed under the working title Project Century before being given its official title.

We’ve seen two trailers for it so far, one set in 1915 and one set in 1943.

Both have been scant on details, so there are a lot of different theories right now. Personally, I’m a fan of the theory that the protagonist is immortal and the game will follow him in different eras across 100 years (hence “Project Century”). Other people think it could actually be set in the Yakuza universe and be a prequel story leading up to the formation of the Tojo Clan.

(Then there are the Daidoji theories, but let’s not get into that.)

Well, between the Xbox Partner Showcase having “an in-depth look” at Stranger Than Heaven and an official Twitter account appearing for the game, it sounds like we should be getting a lot of answers soon. Even if the preview only takes a look at gameplay, it can’t be too much longer before we learn what the game is actually about.

All the controversy surrounding Kiwami 3 left me with negative feelings, so here’s hoping Stranger Than Heaven looks fantastic and lays any lingering fears to rest.

What do you think we’ll see from Stranger Than Heaven on Thursday?