Here it is! Nearly 9,000 words on the history of SaGa’s initial reception abroad, the cultural context surrounding Unlimited SaGa, how Unlimited upends normative game design, and a brief rumination on the game's possible future: ogrerun.com/2026/02/24/u...

I greatly enjoyed Cadensia’s previous writing on the first Paranormasight especially for the way it grounds discussions of the game within the different subgenres of Japanese mystery, history, and adventure games. Which is to say that I also highly recommend this new article on the second game.

This film (and its star, playing a dashing criminal named Heliotrope Harry) was the subject of a poem by a female Japanese film fan who went by the name of MIZUHO, published in a magazine in 1929!: "Clive Brook At night on the street the flowers I buy are heliotropes..." (continued in thread)

My article on USaGa is now finished and undergoing final edits. For March’s Patreon post, I will be reviewing Hiroki Azuma’s Japan’s Database Animals. I’ve been particularly thinking about how the book (and by extension Azuma) is foregrounded as a study of otaku which is not entirely correct.

Having just finished the last route, I’ve also just learned an English patch for the entire game seems almost complete. Previously, I believe only the first route had been translated: github.com/OldCorpo/Xen...

Xenon: Mugen no Shitai (C's Ware, 1994)

As Mad Angler Press comes up on its 300th upload, we are taking the time to look over some upcoming releases. Through a lot of hunting, I was able to source one of the earliest Gundam TTRPGs, 'Sieg Zion'. Developed by the Osaka Prefecture University War Game Club, this is the original printing.

was gonna do an essay next week, but I finished my subs so nuts to it Next Friday...another short documentary translated! This time it'll be Ise-Shima, the directorial debut from Mr. Godzilla himself, Ishiro Honda!

My article on USaGa is now finished and undergoing final edits. For March’s Patreon post, I will be reviewing Hiroki Azuma’s Japan’s Database Animals. I’ve been particularly thinking about how the book (and by extension Azuma) is foregrounded as a study of otaku which is not entirely correct.

In the new Paranormasight, the television-obsessed Sato mentions a "two-hour suspense drama" she's really into. I wonder if she is referencing a real Japanese TV series called Tuesday Suspense Theater (火曜サスペンス劇場), which premiered in 1981 and was very popular from what I understand.

At long last, I'm very pleased to announce that Second Revue, one of the earliest Zeta Gundam doujinshis I've ever located, has finally been archived in full 4K/HD. This is an exceedingly rare work that serves as an artbook. To view the pages, visit the links below!

[Official TL] Wayblazer Dämmerung is out The latest RPG from eushully, it's the first time their game is getting an official TL Set in the world of Kamidori. Quest through a sprawling world and unravel corruption to revitalize the kingdom What If? DLC is also available

Love and war. Friendship and death. Cats and samurai. The only game to have won the Seiun award. Come and read all about the stealth sequel to Elemental Gearbolt: ogrerun.com/2025/11/29/g...

This is a real shame. Monochrome Echoes ~white~ was one of my favorite games of last year. I found its gameplay loop to be highly addicting, and a few small tweaks to the Quester formula further demonstrated just how much potential there is here.

This week we have a rare King's Field interview from 2001 with FromSoftware producer Shinichiro Nishida! Taken from the Verdite Trilogy Perfect Guide, it covers the development of the first three PlayStation games. shmuplations.com/kingsfield/

This is a real shame. Monochrome Echoes ~white~ was one of my favorite games of last year. I found its gameplay loop to be highly addicting, and a few small tweaks to the Quester formula further demonstrated just how much potential there is here.

i’ll be participating in Adult Analysis Anthology for the first time with an interview on @speedynoelle.bsky.social, the esteemed visual novel video essayist. fund it and other essays if you can :-) bsky.app/profile/bpbi...

My Valentimes Day gift to you is デジタルデビルストーリー 女神転生 [Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei] by Aya Nishitani, published by AMJuju in 1986. Please enjoy. Scan provided anonymously. archive.org/details/Digi...

RABBIT & STEEL: Extra Mode is now out!! This is a free content update to Rabbit & Steel! If you already have the game, just download the update and you're set to go! If you *don't* have the game yet, it's currently 50% off on Steam, so now is a great time to pick it up!

Love and war. Friendship and death. Cats and samurai. The only game to have won the Seiun award. Come and read all about the stealth sequel to Elemental Gearbolt: ogrerun.com/2025/11/29/g...

For Valentine's, please enjoy the romantic jazz tones of Gunparade March's "sexy atmosphere" mechanic.

In a separate post, I also translate some commentary from Shoji Masuda who ruminates on his works being considered "phantom masterpieces." Also free to read: www.patreon.com/posts/150531...

This month's Patreon post: I translate a review of Oreshika which provides some insight into the game's initial reception. Free to read: www.patreon.com/posts/150325...

New translation! I’m happy to release proper manmade subtitles for a gorgeous piece of scientific filmmaking by one of Japan’s great documentary directors, Sumiko Haneda…The Cabbage Butterfly! Come to learn about butterflies, leave with daydreams of the world. Give it a watch!

From New York's Metrograph theater's programming book of the month. An excellent series on Japanese cinema during the lost decade.

Thread of indie vns I think are killer and you should check out

"Dear me, I was..." has officially released on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Android and iOS! 🎨 In celebration of this multi-platform launch, Art Director Taisuke Kanasaki has created a new illustration! ❄️ Witness the story woven in a life interconnected with others. ✨ #Dearme_Iwas

This month's Patreon post: I translate a review of Oreshika which provides some insight into the game's initial reception. Free to read: www.patreon.com/posts/150325...

That’s Code Age finished. While interesting as an exploration of the post-merger Square Enix, especially of a title with so little discussion, the game itself never achieves the same level of experimentation as SaGa or the tighter design of even SE’s weaker action titles of the era like Musashi.

Coming this Friday: English subtitles for legendary documentary filmmaker Sumiko Haneda's gorgeous short, The Cabbage Butterfly! It's stunning work, a masterpiece of form that unlocks quietly profound meditations on our world through the scientific process Get excited!

Each magazine had about a three-year run, almost exactly 10 years apart (Dual Magazine ’82-‘85, Mecha Press ‘92-‘95). Japan was 5-10 years behind the US getting into board wargaming and RPGs, but the US was 10 years behind Japan with anime wargames and RPGs.

IT'S COMING! I'm stoked to announce the upcoming English translation patch for the PS1 Lovecraft-inspired horror RPG "Ningyo no rakuin", now named "The Curse of Ogaeritō"! ETA? When It's Done™ (soon!) Stay tuned for more updates! #NingyoNoRakuin #FanTranslation #PS1 #Retrogaming

My patience has paid off as I've now come to understand the game's underlying systems, including the flow of combat, the leveling mechanics, and mutation. Indeed, your character does grow faster and stronger by continuously absorbing enemies.

Oops I'm running a game jam! Make an RPG using pre-made maps; figure out how to give it your own spin without changing any of the tiles. Feel free to join in on the fun! itch.io/jam/cookie-c...

I've slowly been working on series of article tracing the history of Heavy Gear, the VOTOMS-influenced tabletop game that arrived in 1995 and still exists today. The game's origins lay with a couple of early anime magazines, Protoculture Addicts and Mecha Press. www.zimmerit.moe/protoculture...

Tokyo Babylon (Clamp, 1990 – 1993)

Tokyo Babylon (Clamp, 1990 – 1993)

I’ve become deeply curious about another black-sheep Square title of the time, one that Kawazu also worked on, Code Age Commanders, a game I kept finding for bargain bin prices. Why is this game so cheap? It seems that Square attempted a wholly new I.P. with a relatively fresh team

"Floating higher and higher. It's a wonderful feeling." This month, I'll be writing about one of my favorite games of all time: the divisive, the messy, the experimental Unlimited SaGa! Akitoshi Kawazu's no holds barred love letter to tabletop game design and his refusal to adhere to the norm!

The National Diet Library is exploring the possibility of extending its Digitized Transmission Service for Individuals (DCTI) to those residing outside of Japan. To understand potential demand, the NDL and CULCON have created a survey. Deadline for responses 3/31! forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

UnknDoomer from old-games.ru has been doing a series of interviews with game collectors around the world. This week he spoke with guys from Taiwan & Tunisia. While it's stiff, it's an interesting look at the struggles of being a dev/collector in poorer parts of the world: medium.com/@unkndoomer/...

"Floating higher and higher. It's a wonderful feeling." This month, I'll be writing about one of my favorite games of all time: the divisive, the messy, the experimental Unlimited SaGa! Akitoshi Kawazu's no holds barred love letter to tabletop game design and his refusal to adhere to the norm!

This is an ad for Sound Novel Tsukuru 2, a tool for making games similar to Chunsoft's sound novels. Ryukishi07 actually attempted to make his own novel game using this software on the Sega Saturn. This experience began the domino effect that eventually led to him creating Higurashi years later.

Starting the year off with the second part in my series comparing the original and WotL translations of Final Fantasy Tactics! In this section, I cover the beginning of chapter 1 through to the post-battle cutscene at Dorter Slums. Hope you enjoy! annacairistiona.wordpress.com/2026/01/28/f...

interactive adventure game Dear me, I was... launches on February 12 for Nintendo Switch, PC Steam, iOS, and Android following its Nintendo Switch 2 debut last year: https://www.rpgsite.net/news/19463-dear-me-i-was-pc-steam-mobile-ios-android-switch-release-date

"I wanted my next game to be entirely my own." NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD creator nyalra on starting his own game company and pursuing 90s eroge legacy automaton-media.com/en/interview...

New article! I write at length on Namco’s highly underrated RPG, 7: Molmorth no Kihetai (2000), a fairy-tale RPG whose sheen of innocence belies a darker narrative. Released during a critical moment of transition for Namco, 7 seems to have been forgotten by history: ogrerun.com/2026/01/08/7...

Months ago BKing lost his Youtube channel, meaning we lost access to dozens of high-quality Chinese documentaries on game developers, all subtitled in English. He's re-uploading them on Patreon, free to watch & with subtitles - here's my favorite, about Heluo Studio: www.patreon.com/posts/he-luo...