Sometimes company acquisitions make a lot of sense, and other times they leave me scratching my head a bit.
Aquaplus, the developer behind the Utawarerumono series (among others, like the ToHeart remake that came out in June) has been sold by its parent company and acquired by Yuke’s.
Yuke’s is a developer most famous for… the WWE series and a few Earth Defense Force games.
Not exactly the first match I’d pick for a developer of visual novel strategy RPGs.
(Then again, their most recently announced game is Full Metal Schoolgirl, so maybe it’s not such a surprise after all that they’re interested in branching out in directions Aquaplus could help them with.)
Meanwhile, I had completely forgotten about the Monochrome Mobius sequel that was announced last year. I wonder if it’s still set for 2025 and if this acquisition will have any effect on it. Of course, I still need to catch up on the series myself.
What do you think this will mean for future Aquaplus games?
There was a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase yesterday, and while it wasn’t the most thrilling Direct, it started off on a great note for me.
(Not as great as if it had been Ace Attorney, but maybe next time.)
When the first trailer began, I spent a few seconds thinking, “It would be neat if this was actually a new Monster Hunter Stories” before realizing it really was.
I enjoyed the first Monster Hunter Stories, and I was pretty excited for Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. It’s one of those games that I would have played at launch if not for it coming out shortly before The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and NEO The World Ends With You, which kept me busy.
As a result, I still haven’t played it, but I keep intending to.
I didn’t expect a third entry this soon (if ever), but Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection has been announced for 2026, and it looks fantastic.
That was the high point of the Direct for me.
Despite starting off so well, I found myself uninterested for most of the Direct. I know the new Katamari game is a big deal for fans, but I never got into that series. Ports of Persona 3 Reload and Yakuza Kiwami 2 are neat, but I already have them on other platforms.
It didn’t catch my attention again until Square Enix showed up to announce two games. The first was a new HD-2D action RPG called The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. It has a demo, so I might give it a try.
The second was a new entry in the Octopath Traveler series, Octopath Traveler 0. It looks like this one is based on the mobile game, but reimagined as a full console game.
I’ve never gotten into the Octopath Traveler games, mainly because of the lack of party interactions, but maybe I’ll give the series another try someday.
So there we go. For me, the Partner Showcase was pretty much “Monster Hunter Stories 3 and a couple other games.” It’s one of the weaker Directs we’ve had recently, but I’m thrilled about that announcement at least.
I now have until sometime in 2026 to play Monster Hunter Stories 2. It’ll get done… surely.
What announcements from the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase did you enjoy the most?
The next big game project I’m working on, the action RPG Nezori, is currently seeking funds through Kickstarter!
Nezori is from Visualnoveler, the same developer as Eternal Radiance, although this one has a simpler story and a more lighthearted tone.
It follows a fox girl on a quest to find the legendary hot springs guarded by the warlike wolf girls who stand in her path.
I’m the writer for it, so I can’t wait for people to check it out.
It’s in development now for PC, PlayStation 5, and Switch, and there’s a demo available on Steam so you can check out the start of the first chapter.
The game is pretty far along in development already, and meeting the campaign goal will ensure we can make it a good, polished experience. If we reach the first stretch goal, we’ll also be able to add voice acting!
So check out the Nezori Kickstarter campaign and let us know if you have any questions. What do you think of Nezori?
Sometimes company acquisitions make a lot of sense, and other times they leave me scratching my head a bit.
