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Creepy Japanese title Nanashi no Game phones in a sequel (in Japan)
Call us masochists, but we were really looking forward to the stateside release of Japanese horror title Nanashi no Game, or its sequel, Nanashi no Game Me (trailer above) for the DS. Neither of these made the trip -- evil spirits are afraid of flying, we assume -- and now there is one more Nanashi no Game title we can feel left out on, Nanashi no Appli, out today for iOS devices in Japan.Nanashi no Appli follows the same story as its predecessors, Andriasang reports, where you play as someone who downloads a cursed RPG, which gives you one week (whisper: seven days) to complete it before you die. Nanashi no Appli features Twitter connectivity, a virtual OS that decomposes as the game progresses, and 3D sound, so you never know exactly where those disembodied voices are coming from.An Android version will be released in February, also in Japan. Maybe it's better that way.
Square Enix's 'Game with No Name' broken up for DSiWare
The sequel to Square Enix's retrogaming/horror game Nanashi no Game (The Game with No Name) features a "cursed" platform game, an 8-bit sidescroller with creepy axes everywhere. That game-within-a-game is being brought to DSiWare in Japan on the 9th as Saikyouyoko Square Action Vol. 1 Noroi No game Chi and Vol. 2 Noroi No Game Dake (Extreme Misfortune Side Square Action Vol. 1 Cursed Game: Blood and Vol. 2 Cursed Game: Prison).Also broken up for DSiWare: Face Training, the game that introduced the camera to the DS. It's being sold in single exercises for 500 DSi Points each, as Kyou kara Hajimeru Facening Kao Toremini (Start Today Facening Face Training Mini). Also there's more mahjong, but when isn't there.
Nanashi no Game 2 trailer will creep you out
There's a decent chance you've never heard of the Square Enix DS title, Nanashi no Game (roughly: The Game with No Name), as it was never released outside of Japan. Essentially, it's The Ring in video game form. In the original Nanashi no Game, the player was introduced to a cursed role-playing game that killed its players within seven days if they failed to complete it. Thus, the game was split into sections of first-person exploration in 3D and sections that were styled after 8-bit role-playing games of yore (Dragon Quest, most notably).Now, a year later, Square Enix is getting ready to unleash the sequel, Nanashi no Game Me (The Game with No Name: The Eye), which includes not only a cursed RPG, but a cursed platformer as well (who's developing these cursed games, anyway?). You can check out a trailer for the game (courtesy of Famitsu) above. You can also find some more info on the game at Siliconera. We have no idea if the sequel will make its way out of Japan, but we definitely hope so.
iTunes invaded by cursed game's soundtrack
The Japanese iTunes Music Store is haunted -- by a five-track EP. Specifically, the Nanashi no Game Sound EP, a collection of music from Square Enix's DS horror game Nanashi no Game, about a student who gets caught up playing an 8-bit RPG that kills its players.The collection sells for 600 yen ($5.60) is only available through the Music Store, and only in Japan. Should Square Enix decide to release the game in the U.S. (an announcement whose absence at E3 was felt), the tracks will no doubt show up on our iTunes store as well. Square Enix has several Final Fantasy soundtracks available on iTunes.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/30-7/6
The most recent Japanese charts showed us that musical instruments have more legs than horses, as Band Brothers DX jumped up into the first place spot. Meanwhie, Nanashi no Game made its debut in the top ten, but only sold a total of 30,000 copies. Hardware sales were also interesting, as the DS stubbornly held onto the second spot: PSP: 56,439 (2,442) Nintendo DS: 47,455 (1,429) Wii: 44,525 (3,955) PlayStation 3: 14,359 (3,614) PlayStation 2: 11,768 ( 4,095) Xbox 360: 4,776 (328) With the Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G craze finally starting to quiet a bit, we don't think it will be too long before the PSP dips closer to DS sales (as long as Nintendo's handheld can maintain its own momentum). Enough about the future, though -- it's all about the now. So, go on and see how software fared last week in Japan by clicking past the break.
DS releases for the week of June 30th
Anyone need a kidney? It's fresh! We need the money so we can keep up with all these vitally important DS games, and after this week, we'll know how to remove it cleanly. Trauma Center is just like real surgery, right? It's important that we learn, so we can get 1 vs. 100 (omg!) the moment it's released.Surgery may not be our thing, but we've got a handle on sarcasm. 1 vs. 100 AMF Bowling Pinbusters! Ducati Moto Journey to the Center of the Earth Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 Stagger past the break to see what's out in the rest of the world. %Gallery-20065%
New Nanashi trailer is creepier, awesomer
Once more we must subject ourselves to the horror of Nanashi No Game, which is gloriously portrayed in this new trailer. The RPG of death is back with a vengeance here, and the video shows off many in-game exploration scenes along with suitably creepy sound effects.The more media we see, the more we want it. The DS is hitting all the right chords with its continuous barrage of mystery, adventure and horror games, and this looks to be the most technically impressive and emotionally disturbing outing ever seen on a handheld console. Japanese gamers will be picking this up in just a few days on July 3rd, while American gamers cry silent tears and re-watch The Ring.%Gallery-21570%[Via GoNintendo]
See Nanashi no Game's fake RPG in action
Square Enix made a very smart move in the design of Nanashi no Game. The DS isn't exactly the best system for creating an immersive environment conducive to horror, so they've created a scenario in which the game system itself is, both inside the game and in real life, a frightening element. Most of the game puts you in a 3D environment, but the use of a "cursed" mock 8-bit RPG allows you to experience some of what the main character is supposed to be going through all by yourself. And that helps force you into the 3D game world, where you will find the RPG basically chasing you around. We have no idea how effective this design will be in the final game, but it totally works on video.%Gallery-21570%
Inside Nanashi no Game's game
Famitsu has blessed us with screenshots of Nanashi no Game's game within a game, a fictional cursed retro RPG that kills anyone who plays it. Of course, you (and your character) play the thing, otherwise there wouldn't be too much horror content. Horror movies (and games) just wouldn't work if the characters had any damn sense!The game is faithfully 8-bit until, randomly, it begins showing unexpected things -- in this screenshot, the screen has gone dark and the kanji for "death" has appeared in white. The cursed game also affects your character's real world: mysterious flower symbols appear on train doors, for example, as the 8-bit character looks toward a flower bed.
Nanashi no Game getting localized outside Japan?
Spencer over at Siliconera has stumbled onto something interesting. A trademark by Square Enix for "Last Hope," he deduced that the long line of Dragon Quest remakes has been depleted, so what else could this possibly be for? Well, he's wondering if it's not Nanashi no Game and we're hoping he's right.Of course, this could all just be completely and utterly wrong, so we won't place any kind of verdict (not that we're qualified to, anyway), but know that we're hoping this game gets a release here in the States. How about you all? What do you think?%Gallery-21570%
Nanashi no Game looking more and more like a creepy Hotel Dusk
Being an adventure title played with the DS held on its side, it's easy to draw a quick comparison between Square Enix's Nanashi no Game and Cing's Hotel Dusk, but this video walk through of the horror game's 3D halls further pronounces the similarities.Of course, just as Hotel Dusk had its "Take on Me" art direction, Nanashi no Game has its own gimmick -- you've stumbled across a cursed retro RPG (Hydlide?) that is said to kill whoever plays the game within a week. The Ring, much?Interestingly, Square Enix has taken care to take advantage of the DS's speakers to provide 3D sound, so you can actually hear audio cues that really sound like they're coming from behind you. Thus, it's recommended that you play Nanashi no Game with headphones.Bring a flashlight and a kitchen knife into the gallery below for the horror title's boxart, as well as screenshots from Nanashi no Game and its cursed RPG.%Gallery-21570%[Via Game Watch]
A closer, creepier look at Nanashi no Game
Square Enix's horror adventure game Nanashi no Game looks way interesting. We find the game (about a haunted game that kills people in seven days) so cool, in fact, that it's completely worth posting these direct-feed versions of what we saw in a much blurrier scan a couple of days back.The main game uses the layout seen here: a vertical Brain Age-style orientation, with the actual game view stretching across both screens. The use of first person is apparently a design decision, with the intention of making you feel like you have no idea what's behind you. It also uses some kind of 3D sound programming to be even more immersive.Nanashi no Game is about a student who becomes a sort of hero to his peers by bravely playing an old game that is supposedly cursed. When he goes home, he finds -- a portable copy of that same game! (scream) The title screen of this retrogame is even all glitched out for extra creepiness.
Nanashi no Game: Square Enix's new meta-horror game
The latest issue of Famitsu has screens and information about a new DS horror game from Square Enix. Nanashi no Game (Nameless Game) seems to try to convince players that they are in danger even as the characters are in danger.The concept is like The Ring, but on your DS: a cursed game kills everyone who plays it within seven days. It looks from the scans like your character plays this game; but somehow, so do you. There's a fake retro RPG that will no doubt begin dripping with insanity effects, and even a fake DS menu through which you'll receive creepy messages. We're not sure how the main game works, and how it interacts with all these little fourth-wall-breaking touches, but we're sure we'll find out soon. Square Enix is apparently releasing this in July.
