Samantha Lienhard

Yomawari 3 Has Been Announced!

Dec 152021

It’s time for another sequel announcement I’ve been hoping for, this time in the horror genre!

Ever since I finished the Yomawari games, I’ve been hoping NIS would make another.

And now, Yomawari 3 has been officially announced.

Yomawari: Night Alone and Yomawari: Midnight Shadows feel very different from one another in some respects. The first focuses more on exploration, putting you in the town at night to search for clues and find the next place to visit, while the second is more linear and also more story-driven.

You can check out my thoughts on Yomawari: Night Alone here, but I don’t think I ever covered Midnight Shadows on my blog. I enjoyed both of them, though, so I’m thrilled we’re getting a third.

(This time I will be prepared for the tutorial to do something horrible.)

The short teaser trailer doesn’t show much, but its style looks in line with the previous games.

The third Yomawari game will be out on April 21 in Japan for the Switch and PS4. No localization has been announced yet, so I’ll go into every potential NISA announcement with the hopes that it will be this until it’s finally revealed.

Are you interested in Yomawari 3?

But When Will We Get a Rhythm Thief Sequel?

Video games 4 Responses » Tagged with: rhythm thief

Dec 132021

2021 has been the year of niche games I love getting unexpected sequels, to the point where I haven’t even been able to play them all.

On top of all of the sequels that came out this year, Bayonetta 3 and Alan Wake 2 are on the horizon, as well.

But you know what’s one game that still needs a sequel? Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure.

It’s been five years since I played and reviewed this unusual rhythm game (and nine years since it came out), a game I always describe as being similar to Professor Layton in structure, except with rhythm games instead of puzzles.

I’m not the world’s biggest fan of rhythm games, but Rhythm Thief pulled me in with its cast of characters and entertaining story. But as I griped about five years ago, it ends on an overt sequel hook, yet no sequel is anywhere in sight.

Rhythm Thief was published by Sega, but it was developed by a company called Xeen. I wasn’t familiar with the name, but Xeen is still around, since they developed last year’s Trials of Mana remake, as well as a mobile game and an arcade game this year. So it seems there’s nothing that would prevent a Rhythm Thief sequel from being made.

I’m not the only one still waiting for this sequel. In fact, I found a blog devoted to counting the days until a sequel is made, so that person clearly wants a sequel even more than I do.

So in this time of niche games getting sequels… how about it, Sega? Sequel? Maybe a Switch port of the original to test the waters? Here’s hoping we can eventually see a second game in this series.

Would you play a Rhythm Thief sequel?

Alan Wake II Announced (and it’s Survival Horror)

Video games 3 Responses » Tagged with: alan wake, alan wake 2

Dec 102021

My hopes and predictions for the Game Awards did not come true at all, but the night did have one big announcement I didn’t expect.

Alan Wake II is real, officially announced for 2023.

It didn’t come entirely out of nowhere. There were rumors of an Alan Wake sequel in development, and the Alan Wake remaster together with Control’s AWE expansion made it seem likely Remedy planned to do more with it, but the announcement still was a welcome surprise.

Not only that, but Alan Wake II will actually be a survival horror game.

Sometimes Alan Wake is described as horror, and it certainly has its creepy aspects, but it plays more like an action game than a horror game. I believe it’s officially considered a thriller. Alan Wake II, however, has been described as “Remedy’s first-ever survival horror game.”

While the trailer doesn’t reveal a lot, it references Mr. Scratch with the quote “Your friends will meet him when you’re gone” visible on a sign (and that might even be him in the stinger at the end). The cancelled Alan Wake 2 prototype video released in 2015 revealed that Mr. Scratch was a big part of the sequel plans, so he might still be a major threat.

It will be interesting to see what they do with the survival horror genre. The spin-off/sequel American Nightmare was more focused on action, and now the full sequel has gone in the other direction into horror.

(Judging by the trailer’s rating, it might also get a M rating instead of T like the original.)

I’ve been waiting for an Alan Wake sequel ever since I finished the first game. Of course, now I have to wait until 2023 – but that should give me time to finally play Control and its DLC! Alan Wake II has been announced for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via the Epic Games Store, so the 2023 release window should also give me enough time to actually get a PS5.

Are you looking forward to Alan Wake II?

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