“Next stop, Hyrule!” – This Week in Games

Welcome back, everyone! As you read this, it’s Zelda Day in America. No doubt everyone is gonna be going absolutely crazy delving into the hotly anticipated sequel to Breath of the Wild, which itself has become the metric by which all open world games and Nintendo Switch titles are measured. We’ll talk more about this later; for now, we’ve got news to cover! So, let’s dive in!

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Final Fantasy XVI Banned in Saudi Arabia

It might raise some hairs to hear it, but it’s not that uncommon for games to still get banned worldwide for their content. Social mores and rating boards vary across the globe, after all. But with how high-profile Final Fantasy XVI is, it’s still impressive to think that it would ever be banned. But such is the case: the latest installment of Square Enix‘s beloved RPG series won’t be available in Saudi Arabia upon release this summer.

So, why the banning? Well, a quick glimpse at their statement on Twitter reveals that the game has been prohibited for sale in Saudi Arabia given “the publisher’s unwillingness to make the necessary modifications.” And…that’s all she wrote, as it were! Saudi Arabia’s Public Authority for Media hasn’t really put out any further statement on the matter, and Square Enix has also (at the time of writing) refused to comment on the matter. So your guess is as good as anyone else’s.

There have been rumors that this is due to an alleged intimate sex scene involving gay characters in Final Fantasy XVI; while many are reporting this as fact, there is no hard confirmation on this being the case, only the word of some leaker. We here at This Week in Gaming are of the opinion that a rumor and three dollars can buy you a cup of coffee in New York; while we won’t tell anyone to not believe it, we won’t be putting any weight onto the matter until the game comes out. After all, there are only about nineteen different Disney movies featuring “the first gay character in a Disney movie,” all of which only feature blink-and-you-miss-it appearances intended to be scrubbed out in certain territories anyway.

The ESRB does point to there being some amount of sexual innuendo in Final Fantasy XVI, citing certain scenes where a character “[caresses] and [straddles] a man in bed.” The trailers have already hinted at people boning (and from what we’ve seen, it’s been between heterosexual partners). Square Enix has gone on the record that they’re hoping for a “Game of Thrones“-esque tone with this new Final Fantasy, which has never sat well with me considering there’s a way to make that work that I don’t really trust many writers to achieve. “Being like Game of Thrones” just feels like a license to be an edgelord, in my eyes.

I’m also rather sore about Yoshi-P’s refusal to add any kind of ethnic diversity to Final Fantasy XVI because it’s “historically unrealistic” for their fantasy game with giant magic crystals to have people of color. But hey, maybe they do have some LGBT sex scenes? It’d be nice if they weren’t exploitative or used to demonstrate how decadent and depraved a villain is.

At any rate, we’ll know when we know—and we’ll know when Final Fantasy XVI releases on June 22 on the PS5.

It’s a good time to be a Mega Man fan! With CAPCOM‘s Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection having sold over a million copies in under a month (seriously, they can’t keep those copies on GameStop shelves for love or money!), folks have been feeling some hope towards the esteemed Blue Bomber that we haven’t seen in a while. CAPCOM is feeding into this hope, sharing with us the promo art for Mega Man‘s upcoming 35th anniversary. It’s pretty snazzy!

The artwork comes to us from Hideki Ishikawa, who’s been a fan-favorite artist for Mega Man since he first collaborated with CAPCOM for Mega Man 7 (Ishikawa is now an independent artist). He’s done plenty of work for the series, and his work is about as iconic for it as you can get, kinda like Tatsuya Yoshikawa for Breath of Fire or Yoshitaka Amano‘s logos for the Final Fantasy games.

There’s also news about some anniversary-themed goodies that’ll be sold at Animate starting July 1 in honor of Mega Man‘s 35th birthday, which includes cute goodies as clear file holders, badges, stickers, and acrylic stands. But a lot of eagle-eyed fans have noticed certain details about the anniversary art. For starters: no Model ZX from the Mega Man ZX games, and no Over-1 from Mega Man ×over. Over-1, I can understand—×over isn’t exactly anyone’s favorite Mega Man title. But ZX’s omission hurts. What gives, man? Leave out Volnutt, why don’t ya… But the real detail that has people abuzz is X’s design in the artwork.

As many have noticed (and as confirmed by Ishikawa himself), X is using his look from Mega Man X8, under orders from CAPCOM. But particularly eagle-eyed viewers have noticed… that’s not X’s helmet from X8—that was his original helmet from Mega Man X. The gem on his forehead is smaller, and the “earmuffs” don’t have an “X”-shape in them, opting for red circles instead. Ishikawa, of all people, would know what X’s armor—and helmet—would look like. If CAPCOM is getting in touch with him to draw X in his X8 design, they’d give him the design documents for it. So why does X have a different helmet…?

Between Mega Man‘s 30th and 35th anniversary, only one proper mainline Mega Man title was released—2018’s Mega Man 11. The rest have been either entry in the Legacy Collection series, from the classic games all up to the recent Battle Network collection, and the mobile game Mega Man X DiVE. While fans of the Blue Bomber have definitely eaten up all of the recent collections, folks are still badly hurt by the Mega Man Legends 3 fiasco, and while Mega Man 11 was well-received it didn’t quite stop Mega Man fans from feeling a bit of hurt. People are scared to hope. Who wants to have their hopes, er, “Dash”-ed again?

But also, random inconsistencies in art are not nothing—remember, I don’t trade in rumors and “leaks,” so if I’m bringing scuttlebutt to people’s attention it’s for good reason. Recall that back in 2017, the second Mega Man Classic Legacy Collection featured a hitherto-unseen piece of art featuring Mega Man with a brick-based design—this went on to be the confirmed design for Mega Man when equipped with the Block Dropper weapon in Mega Man 11, which released the very next year.

There’s a track record for CAPCOM being very intentional with their art pieces. So if people are catching onto some kind of incongruousness with X’s look… it’s not unlikely it’s a deliberate decision and not fans nit-picking design elements. I’m not gonna say “Maybe there’s a Mega Man X9 in the works?!”. I already know Boktai is never coming back. I’ve made my peace with Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja being forgotten even by Yoshida-On, the man who drew her. Maybe I’m a little tired of hope dying on the vine.

…Still…

hololive Two-fer: VTubers Get Fan-Made Fighting Game (And It’s Pretty Good!), Plus Mobile Game Collab

So. VTubers! More and more, we’re seeing them make cameo appearances in video games. From Korone lending her voice in Sonic Frontiers to VShojo’s one-two punch of Nyatasha Nyanners and Kson appearing in the Like A Dragon games, more and more video games are taking advantage of the popularity of VTubers. The video game collaborations continue with hololive being slated for a collab with Valkyrie Connect.

This isn’t the first time Valkyrie Connect has collaborated with hololive, but they’ve chosen a new line-up of talent to take the stage this time. For starters, the Japanese talents Houshou Marie, a pirate, and Nanashi Mumei, the owl-like Guardian of Humanity, are confirmed for appearing. But the collab also features two talents from Hololive’s Japanese and American branches: black-market “fixer” Sakamata Chloe and the Subways-loving Warden of Time, Ouro Kronii.

The collab starts this May 17; players can earn the four hololive talents for free, which they’ll be displayed with unique art made for the game itself. There’s also a giveaway going on for players of the English version of the game: until the collab officially goes live, players can participate in a raffle for a HEADWOLF Wpad2 tablet.

Our other bit of hololive news was the surprise release of a hololive fan game made last week. And…it was a fighting game! Now, fighting games can come in two flavors (if you want to be reductive for the same of a joke): they can be big-budget affairs trying desperately to be an “esport” with more monetization than features, or they can be meme-laden affairs loaded with scrimblos and made by a pair of teenagers that somehow feature intensely-tight combo systems, deep mechanics, and some of the best damn netcode this side of GGPO. And Idol Showdown is the latter: a fighting game made by hololive fans, distributed for free on Steam, featuring roll-back netcode (which is tragically not something you can take for granted with a fighting game, even today). And here’s the kicker: like many other meme’d-up fighting games like Fight of Animals, it’s an absolute blast. At least, according to those who’ve played it.

Everything about Idol Showdown is damned solid. Graphically, sure, it’s a bit stiff-looking. They can’t all be Street Fighter III: Third Strike. But everything else really shows off the two years of work Besto Game Team put into it. All of the talents are represented by their actual logos, their voice clips are lifted from their streams (they must’ve been spoiled for choices when it came to Korone’s screams), and the controls are accessible for newcomers without the game itself being watered down for expert players, and there are a wealth of game modes for people to unlock goodies or experience hololive in-jokes.

Understandably, the roster is fairly limited, but you’ve got your bases covered: it mostly consists of the more popular talents from hololive, with Aki Rosenthal, Ayame Nakiri, Botan Shishiro, Fubuki Shirakame, Korone Inugami, Sora Tokino, and Suisei Hochimachi in the starting line-up. If you’re bummed because your favorite didn’t make it in, don’t worry: plenty of others appear in other fun places in the game, like Amelia Watson and Kiara Takanashi. Also, Besto has confirmed that another three characters are in the works as free DLC to come in the next few months.

Longtime hololive fans will also be pleased to know that everyone’s favorite dragon (and arch-rival to VShojo’s Kson in the battle for Kiryu Kazuma’s heart) Kiryu Coco is also in this game. With Coco having been such a beloved figure and being responsible for much of hololive’s big push into the U.S., it’s heartwarming to see her back.

It might not be as polished or as detailed as Street Fighter 6, but Idol Showdown has been a phenomenal appetizer for fighting game fans as they await CAPCOM‘s big release. And hey, you literally can’t beat the price. VTuber fans, fighting game fans: don’t miss out.

VShojo Vtubers To Collaborate with SMITE

Let’s keep up the “VTuber” topics for a second. This one was a surprise and for a lot of reasons. As mentioned earlier, VShojo (an American VTuber agency, with a branch in Japan) has managed a few cameos by now; Nyatasha Nyanners in Like A Dragon: Ishin and Kson’s upcoming appearance as a hostess in the upcoming Like A Dragon game were covered on this column before. But it looks like VShojo managed another cameo! Teaming up with the world-religion-themed MOBA, SMITE, VShojo’s own talents are set to appear as skins for a variety of playable characters starting this upcoming May 16th!

So, let’s break it down: IronMouse, the self-identified “Satan” from Puerto Rico, will be a skin for Persephone. Pink cat/cosmic horror Nyanners trades in her sword cane for Serqet’s claws. The lich BSApricot (or “Froot”, as she’s more commonly known) finally manages to pull herself away from Apex Legends for long enough to carry Izanami’s twin axes. The yakuza Kson slots into Nemesis’ role, complete with her own katana. Veibae is in as Nu Wa, and the sakura-wolf Silvervale brings in a blossoming lance to play as Skadi.

These skins are wildly comprehensive, including voiced lines from each of the streamers themselves and even unique animations. IronMouse replaces Persephone’s skeletons with heart-riddled skeletons in fancy suits (a cute nod to her friendship with renowned “fancy boy”, CDawgVA); Froot’s axes have her phylactery Terry’s eyes embedded in the blades; Silver’s spear not only has a cherry blossom motif but she even replaces Skadi’s wolf with her own pet wolf, Daiya… it’s cute to look at the few animations and pick out all of the tiny references. Being that one of my favorite VTubers is from VShojo, it’s nice seeing how well they incorporated each girl’s “shtick”.

Now, there is some consternation among some fans concerning the collab, one that even SMITE’s team has acknowledged: half of the talents in this collab aren’t with VShojo anymore. Just a few weeks back, VShojo fans were dealt the announcement that Silvervale and Veibae wouldn’t be renewing their contracts with VShojo. Just a few days later, fans were shocked again to discover that Nyanners would follow suit and return to being an indie. There was also a cloud of controversy surrounding the ordeal, as Silvervale’s departure followed controversy back in February following her decision to stream Hogwarts Legacy, which led to the streamer being doxxed and receiving death threats.

My understanding is that these kinds of deals take a very long time to come to fruition. Chances are that planning for this collab could have happened any time from a year ago or even more. Just the red tape of getting the likeness rights for the streamers could have taken months to resolve before any artist sat down to render so much as a dot. It’s likely that regardless of how sudden the departures were or considering how long the models were in development, SMITE decided that it would have been a bigger loss to not use the skins. As mentioned earlier, SMITE has acknowledged that many of the talents are no longer associated with VShojo and has stepped up to framing it as a last hurrah, considering Silvervale and Nyanners were both founding members of VShojo.

Considering my favorite VTuber is in the collab somewhere and I’m an absolute mark (as I write this, I have both a desk mat and an “ergonomic” mousepad of them on my desk), you know I’ll be downloading SMITE just to get their skin. Kudos to the streamers at VShojo, and all the best to the ones who’ve decided to move on in their lives. I’ll flash their colors on the RGB lights in my room in their honor.

A lot of people forget that Nintendo doesn’t really own GAME FREAK; much like how it used to be between Disney and Pixar, GAME FREAK and Nintendo have a cozy partnership involving the Pokémon games and their distribution. GAME FREAK is still free to make other games and release them wherever they want, like with Giga Wrecker. Heck, one of their earlier hits was Pulseman, which was released on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. They don’t flex their freedom terribly often, with many of their diversion appearing on Nintendo consoles anyway such as Harmoknight or Drill Dozer. But they definitely turned heads earlier this week when they announced their partnership with Private Division for a new game!

Private Division, best known for The Outer Worlds and Kerbal Space Program, seem like an odd studio to work alongside GAME FREAK, but both studios are known for their eclectic blends of genres in their titles. So far, we don’t know anything about their upcoming game—it doesn’t even have a confirmed title yet. So far, it’s only named “Project Bloom.” We’ve only got that one bit of concept art, but so far it’s looking like it’s heavily inspired by traditional Japanese mythology. So worst case scenario, we get Okami without the wolves. With any luck, Private Division can help GAME FREAK learn a bit more about developing on other platforms, while GAME FREAK can teach Private Division some about the more aesthetic side of things. We’ll keep you posted on this project!

“Deru Deru! Zelda no Densetsu!” New Tears of the Kingdom Commercial Continues Series Tradition of Quality, Also Tugs At The Heart-strings

The Legend of Zelda is lucky to have such a murderer’s row of phenomenal commercials for their games, from the ill-advised rap recorded in the U.S. for the NES original to the phenomenal music video recorded for A Link to the Past on Super Famicom/Super Nintendo (which even earned a reprisal for its sequel, the 3DS’s A Link Between Worlds). I could go on about badass Zelda commercials, like the evocative commercials made for the Oracle games on GameBoy Color to the moody urban fantasy-esque takes for the GameBoy Advance port of Link to the Past. There was also the heart-wrenching viral marketing campaign Nintendo made for Majora’s Mask, featuring the apocalyptic broadcasts from “Radio Zelda”.

But no doubt, one of the most beloved commercials was the trailer made for Ocarina of Time‘s 3DS port. Featuring the late, great Robin Williams and his daughter Zelda, so named for the Legend of Zelda series, the trailer features a heartfelt monologue from the late Williams as he talks about his boundless love for his daughter—and the timeless love people have for Ocarina of Time. It wasn’t the only time Nintendo brought the father-daughter duo together to hawk a Zelda game—they’d done it for Skyward Sword later that same year. But Williams calling both his daughter and the famed Princess of Hyrule “magical” still brings tears to my eyes. It’s very seldom we get a commercial for such an esteemed franchise that so perfectly captures both the love the audience has for the game and the profound impact the game leaves on people’s lives.

But Nintendo is definitely trying, as far as the new commercial for Tears of the Kingdom is concerned.

Yeah, maybe this commercial is putting the cart before the horse a little, and it’s been criticized as feeling more like a commercial for antidepressants than a video game. But the little narrative it tells is special. Here’s a guy who’s feeling worn out. He’s got a good life, and he evidently has a partner that cares about him. He comes home, and all of those troubles melt away through him figuring out the Fuse mechanic in Tears of the Kingdom and exploring Hyrule. For a moment, he doesn’t have to worry about the drudgery at work; he can escape into a world of magic. The key is him being on the bus later. He looks up and realizes that maybe his real world is magic, too.

There’s much to do about games as just a distraction or as a means of escapism—and that’s very true. But games also have the power to bring people together and change the way we see the world. Think of all the countless people who’ve fallen in love or even gotten married to people they’ve met via MMOs. Think of all the passionate creatives who were inspired by old RPGs like Secret of Mana. Think of all the many talented cosplayers who’ve put hours into re-creating the outfits of their beloved favorites—or just the countless hours we’ve all spent in some fictional world, just walking and enjoying the sights.

We’ve all been there: the best part of playing a Zelda game is roaming around. Not delving into the temples, not chasing after specific goals—just roaming around, riding Epona, whacking baddies, and visiting your favorite locals. It’s fishing at the local spot, it’s admiring the attendant at the Bombchu Bowling Alley, and it’s helping Anju get her cuccos back in their pen. And even if we can’t zip around on hookshots in real life, I’d like to think that a good adventure in a good game is enough to make us appreciate the magic in the world around us. The Legend of Zelda was inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto exploring caves near his home in rural Kyoto; there’s plenty of that wonder still for us to discover in the real world.

Tears of the Kingdom should be out today. I look forward to hearing everyone’s stories about their adventures in Hyrule. Don’t worry about me, I’ll catch up.

Let’s wrap up with some quick tidbits:

That’ll do it for this week. I’d like to wish the best of luck to folks braving Tears of the Kingdom! We’ve all waited a long time for this game and I really am looking forward to all of the fun stories folks will have to tell about it. Give it a go for old Robin; we all know he’d be first in line to make tracks in it if he were still with us. Don’t be afraid to share your love of gaming with folks around you, you never know how much it might stick with someone. Even at my job, it’s amusing how many people are interested in hearing about the stuff I get to do and cover. Remember Kazuki Takahashi: games aren’t just about winning, they’re about bringing people together. That’s why we’re all here, after all. Be good to each other, I’ll see you in seven.

This Week In Games! is written from idyllic Portland by Jean-Karlo Lemus. When not collaborating with AnimeNewsNetwork, Jean-Karlo can be found playing JRPGs, eating popcorn, watching v-tubers and tokusatsu, and trying as hard as he can to be as inconspicuous as possible on his Twitter @mouse_inhouse.