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Atlus announces Dokapon Journey, delays
Last year, developer Sting announced two new games in their Dokapon board game/RPG series: Dokapon Kingdom for Wii and PS2 and Dokapon Journey! for DS. Atlus picked up Kingdom and released it in October, seemingly leaving the DS game behind. Apparently, Wii and PS2 owners bought a sufficient number of copies of Dokapon Kingdom, because Atlus has announced that they're localizing Dokapon Journey, for release on April 14 -- just as Amazon.ca "predicted"!In another press release, Atlus announced delays for some of their upcoming handheld games. The mindblowingly awesome-looking Tokyo Beat Down is now coming out March 31st, The Dark Spire is scheduled for April 14th, and Steal Princess is out April 21st. We don't mind having all the Atlus releases spaced out a bit, really.%Gallery-20125%
Win Dokapon and more in exchange for your dignity
It's (sort of nearing) that time of year again, when cosplayers can pretend to be relatively normal people. Halloween brings with it the Atlus-O-Weenie costume contest! The beloved niche game developer/publisher wants you to dress up like an Atlus character for a chance at the fabulous prizes pictured above, including swag like signed Trauma Center, Persona 4 and Growlanser memorabilia, a copy of Dokapon Kingdom, and a "Large hardback promotional poster of an Atlus title of your choice."You'll be able to submit pictures from October 1 through November 3. Last year, the entries were entirely Persona-related. Surely a Wii Fanboy reader can buck the trend with, say, a Bonk or a Willy the Rockin' Kat!
E308: Dokapon Kingdom trailer is a delight
Atlus sure knows how to make a trailer exciting -- you can forget needing that cup of coffee after watching this.While our interest was only mildly piqued before by the adorable-looking boardgame-meets-RPG known as Dokapon Kingdom, this video really managed to put the title on our radar, nearing the "Do Want" list. As for destroying friendships? That's fine by us. We never really liked those people we called "friends" anyway. Atlus also promises an enriching single-person experience, too, in case you've already burned those briges long ago without developer Sting's help.Dokapon Kingdom should be hitting American shores on October 14th, retailing at $40. %Gallery-20121%
Dokapon treasure hunters may find real gold
Dokapon Kingdom is all about acquiring as much money as possible before the end of the game. Sting is cleverly extending Dokapon's pecuniary theme into the game's promotion by offering buyers money. Specifically, gold coins. The Dokatto Kinka! Present Campaign (Thudding Gold Coin Present Campaign) offers gold coins to people who respond to a survey on Sting's mobile phone site. Three Doka-fans who answer the survey between July 31 and September 30, will be awarded 100,000 yen ($953) worth of gold. We don't expect Atlus to hand out gold coins with the American version of Dokapon Kingdom, but maybe we can get a poster of some gold coins!
Atlus hates friendship, announces Dokapon Kingdom
Last week, Atlus sent out a cryptic, humorous "apology" letter from "Player 4," asking forgiveness in advance for humiliating other players in some unannounced game. As it turns out, the teaser was for a localized version of Sting's Dokapon Kingdom, announced today for Wii and PS2. Dokapon Kingdom is a four-player board game/RPG that emphasizes shifting alliances and betrayals between its players, being dubbed a "friendship-destroying party game."The Dokapon Kingdom website features wallpaper, a description of the game's story (in which monsters attack and heroes vie to save the kingdom and earn money from the king), and introductions to three of Dokapon's venal characters.Dokapon is scheduled for an October 14th release, for $40. After the post break, we've got a trailer and a larger version of the image used in the boxart.%Gallery-20121%
Atlus apologizes in advance for an upcoming game
Atlus sent out this cryptic note of apology in an email yesterday. The note, from "Player 4," asks Player 1's forgiveness for infractions ranging from "Changing your name to Buttface," "Convincing players 2 and 3 to gang up on you," and "Sending a Robo-Assassin to terminate you." The image in the email links out to a teaser page that promises a new game announcement this Tuesday at 10 AM Pacific.NeoGAF's duckroll suspects that the game in question is Sting's Dokapon Journey, which just happens to be a multiplayer RPG-style game that includes name-changing options. It could also be the Wii Dokapon Kingdom game. Our guess? Both. We'd like to apologize for hiding the full apology card after the post break, and then compelling you to click. It was either that or putting a really tall image on the front page and apologizing for that.%Gallery-20125%
Take a trip to Dokapon Kingdom
Usually our irrational love for hybrid games is sated on the DS, but not the Wii. In the instance of Dokapon Kingdom, though, gamers (with Japanese or modded Wiis, at least) can experience a quirky mix on Nintendo's non-portable system, too.So, what particular combination does Dokapon consist of, you ask? Simply enough, this title is a board-game meets RPG. From what we can tell, the Wii version is actually a port of the PS2 game that was released last November, but it's probably safe for us to assume that most of you never played it the first time around. Should you be interested, the game releases in Japan this June. If you don't have a Wii capable of playing Japanese games and are worried that Datel's Freeloader might not work, though, you can look into the non-port DS version of Dokapon instead.In any case, we've made a gallery of Dokapon Kingdom for your viewing pleasure (aren't we just the greatest?), and also posted some Famitsu screens that can be seen beyond the break.%Gallery-20121%
Dokapon Journey! Make Friends and Fight and View Screenshots!
Though Dokapon's title immediately invites comparisons to similarly named releases, like Patapon, Pokemon, Goemon, or any other Something-mon games, this board-game/RPG hybrid has little to do with pocket monsters, rhythm tactics, or mystical ninjas. As you can see from the the new batch of screenshots we've dropped into the gallery below, however, Dokapon's art direction is just as cute as its superficial contemporaries.Developer Sting has launched its official Japanese site for Dokapon Journey! Nakayoku Kenkashite (Make Friends and Fight!), posting previews of the game's RPG-styled combat, board-game movement, and adorable sprites. Will this have a chance in hell of ever seeing an English localization? Maybe! Atlus had no argument against publishing Sting's two previous handheld SRPGs, Riviera and Yggdra Union, in the states. Dokapon Journey! could be next on the list!Expect Dokapon Journey! to ship to stores in Japan this June 27th.See also: Take a trip to Dokapon Kingdom (Wii)%Gallery-20125%[Via GAME Watch]
The best board game/RPG hybrid you've never heard of
Dokapon games seem to alternate between two different genres: dungeon crawlers mixed with Pokemon-style combat, like the Dokapon Game Boy Advance game released in the U.S., and board games mixed with Pokemon-style combat, like this new DS game, Dokapon Journey! Nakayoku Kenkashite (Make Friends and Fight!)Players compete against each other to defeat monsters around the town and earn money. They can also fight one another and steal their junk in what has been hilariously labeled a "friendship-destroying game."New additions for the DS game include extremely silly minigame-based money-earning methods, including scratch-off lottery tickets and some kind of exercycle game.
