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Professor Layton and the Curious Village HD for Mobile Review
Professor Layton and the Curious Village recently received an HD port for iOS/Android, making the game that started the world-famous series more accessible than ever. Unfortunately, it seems to have...
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Final Fantasy VII JRPGJuly Giveaway
Have you never played Final Fantasy VII, one of the most famous JRPGs of all time? Or has the remake hype got you itching to replay this classic game? To celebrate JRPGJuly, I’m giving away a Final...
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August 2019 Community Game-Along: Fighting Games
To celebrate Evo 2019, this month’s Community Game-Along is all about fighting games! Fighting games can have a steep learning curve, but they’re a whole lot of fun! As with every monthly Community...
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Madfest Brisbane 2019 Recap
If you’ve been listening to the Pixel x Pixel podcast (and if you’re not, you should!), you’ll know that I’ve frequently lamented the fact that I haven’t been to a geek convention in a long time....
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September 2019 Community Game-Along: Sports Games
In some places, September means the start of the new school year, but here at Chic Pixel, it means it’s time for another Community Game-Along! This month, we’re doing another suggestion from the Chic...
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October 2019 Community Game-Along: Horror Games
It’s that spooky time of year once again! If you’re looking to get in the Halloween spirit, October’s Community Game-Along theme will do the trick. This month, we’re celebrating all things that go...
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November 2019 Community Game-Along: Visual Novels
It’s another new month, and another new Community Game-Along theme! This month, we’re celebrating all kinds of visual novels. Join in the event by playing a visual novel and sharing your impressions...
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December 2019 Community Game-Along: Puzzle Games
We’re finishing the 2019 Community Game-Along schedule with a bang with our final theme of the year: puzzle games! I love how puzzle games can be really great for stress and anxiety, and I know the...
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Chic Pixel’s Decade in Review
As we inch closer and closer to January 1st, 2020, everyone is not only reflecting on the last year, but the whole decade. Instead of rounding up my favorite games, anime, or other media, I thought...
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Interview with Eric Roth, Conductor of New World: Intimate Music from FINAL...
Not all conductors who work who go on tour with famous singers such as Weird Al Yankovitch see video game music as something worthy of performing in concert halls, but Eric Roth certainly does. After...
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The Best Nintendo Switch Games for Japanese Learners
The Nintendo Switch is region free, which means it’s easier than ever to play Japanese games to help with your language study! But while importing the games may be easy, deciding what titles are...
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Animal Crossing Creator Code and QR Code Roundup
Back when Animal Crossing: New Leaf had just come out in Japan, I made it my hobby to browse Pixiv and other sites looking for adorable QR code designs to deck out my villager and town. Now that...
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Togainu no Chi ~Lost Blood~ Review
It’s time to review yet another JAST Blue boys’ love (BL) visual novel localization! After being thoroughly engrossed by Sweet Pool (there are still scenes that remain vivid in my mind a year later),...
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First Impressions: Heave Ho
Heave Ho, a couch co-op multiplayer game for Nintendo Switch and PC/Mac developed by Le Cartel Studio, has been on my radar since it came out mid last year, especially after watching the hilarious...
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First Impressions: Eternal Hope – Prologue
When I heard the upcoming platformer Eternal Hope by Brazilian developer Doublehit Games was inspired in part by the works of Studio Ghibli, it immediately caught my interest. The game is scheduled to...
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Room No. 9 Review
2020 has been a great year for boys’ love (BL) game localizations so far. First, we had Togainu no Chi ~Lost Blood~ from JAST Blue, and now MangaGamer is following with Room No. 9. Room No. 9 is...
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Genki Covert Dock Review
The ability to play the Nintendo Switch in both handheld mode and docked means it’s my go-to console to bring when traveling, visiting friends, or when I’m called in for last-minute entertainment at a...
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Hello, I am a Witch and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion! Review
Here it is, my very first light novel review! You may have guessed as much from the trademark surprisingly long light novel title, Hello, I am a Witch and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion!...
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The Wonderful 101 Remastered Review
The Wonderful 101 is among the company of Pikmin 3 as one of a handful of Wii U games that actually attempted to utilize the gamepad in different ways. That made them seem like they couldn’t be...
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Hello Kitty, Copyright, and My New-ish Co-written Paper
It’s been a while since I just wrote a blog post that wasn’t a review! The news that Hello Kitty was appointed as the Copyright PR Ambassador of Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs seemed like the...
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Monster Hunter Illustrations 3 Review
If there’s one thing I like nearly as much as playing Monster Hunter, it’s looking at the series’ amazing art! The Monster Hunter Illustrations books are gorgeous artbooks for people like me who can’t...
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Handheld Console Enamel Pin – 2D Boys Machine Kickstarter
It’s been a while since I just wrote something, but I just had to share this adorable pin Kickstarter by the super cool chottomatte.nini aka Gabs from Instagram! The design is for anyone who wants to...
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DRAMAtical Murder Review
DRAMAtical Murder may very well be the most well-known BL (boys’ love) game in Japan – it’s even inspired an anime adaptation and stage play! The third game from developer Nitro+CHiRAL, DRAMAtical...
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Café Enchanté Review
Café Enchanté is the latest in a growing list of otome game localizations for the Nintendo Switch by Aksys Games, and right off the bat, it had me hook, line, and sinker. Coffee? Check. Monster boys?...
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Tokyo Onmyoji BL Game and My Dear Frankenstein Localizations Announced
Moonchime Studios announced today that they are localizing two new Japanese indie games for PC, the 18+ BL title Tokyo Onmyoji -The Tale of Rei Tengenjibashi- (Japanese title 東京陰陽師) and the point and...
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MARS RED: Edge of the Nightmare Review
MARS RED is a multimedia vampire narrative set in Taisho Era Japan originally conceived as a stage play by Bun-O Fujisawa performed in 2015. The story focuses on a secret vampire military unit of...
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Japan Envy: Super Mario x Parco Collaboration Item Fair
The Japanese shopping center chain Parco is teaming up with Nintendo for a massive Super Mario collaboration! First, around 60 stores are participating in the Item Collaboration Fair, which starts on...
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International Game Jam: GAMERella Global 2021
If you’ve frequented Chic Pixel before, you know I’m all about more inclusive video games – whether it’s the games themselves or the community surrounding them. That’s why I was super excited when...
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NEKOPARA – Catboys Paradise Review
Neko Works, creators of the popular NEKOPARA series of visual novels about cute catgirls in cafes, made more than a few catboy fans very excited and then extremely disappointed back in 2019 when they...
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Cupid Parasite and Birushana Senki English Localizations Announced
Idea Factory International, the international branch of Otomate’s parent company Idea Factory, recently had a summer event stream where they announced not one, but two otome game localizations, and...
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All Aksys Event Brings 4 Now Otome Game Localization Announcements
The All Aksys stream this past Friday was chock full of exciting news for otome game fans! Aksys Games was kind enough to invite me to record a segment about the games to air during the stream, so...
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My Dear Frankenstein Review
My Dear Frankenstein is the latest English localization from Moonchime Studios, arriving just in time for spooky season. Developed by Japanese indie team Number7, this point-and-click adventure visual...
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Olympia Soirée Review
Olympia Soirée is the latest in Aksys Games’ lineup of localized otome games from Japanese publisher Otomate, and it comes with an extremely high pedigree. Featuring art from acclaimed otome game...
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First Impressions: Cupid Parasite
Idea Factory International’s first otome game localization in years, Cupid Parasite, is out today in North America, and Europe on November 5! This romantic comedy otome game is full of vibrant colors...
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Garage: Bad Dream Adventure Review
It’s not often I pick up a game based solely on a tweet, or find myself so enthralled by a game that I need to review it just to see more people talking about it, but here we are! Garage: Bad Dream...
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Interview with UNICO: AWAKENING Writer Samuel Sattin
The classic Osamu Tezuka manga Unico, originally published in Sanrio’s shojo manga magazine Lyrica in the 1970s, is being reimagined as a full-color manga titled UNICO: AWAKENING (ユニコ: 目覚めのおはなし)! The...
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Princess Tutu 20th Anniversary Frühlingsfest Event Recap
The Princess Tutu anime recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and held a fan event called the spring festival, aka Frühlingsfest! I believe this was the first Princess Tutu event available to be...
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Touken Ranbu Warriors Review
A lot of properties have gotten the Warriors treatment, from The Legend of Zelda to One Piece, but Touken Ranbu might be one of the best-suited series for the Warriors format from the premise alone....
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Perfect Gold: The Alchemy of Happiness Review
The magic academy-themed yuri visual novel Perfect Gold: The Alchemy of Happiness is the third game by the Philippines-based indie studio YangYang Mobile, and the Nintendo Switch and iOS/Android ports...
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Aksys Game Localization Announcements – Anime Expo 2022
Aksys Games hosted a panel today at Anime Expo, and while unfortunately it wasn’t live streamed, a ton of game localization announcements were made! Of course, there were a few otome titles that I’m...
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SMASH! Con 2022 Recap
After two years of cancellations due to COVID-19, SMASH! Sydney Manga and Anime Show was finally held once again this past July – just in time for its 15th anniversary! SMASH! is a non-profit,...
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Takumi Alley Event Report
One of the great benefits of moving to Orange County is that I get to finally experience all the cool local events I kept seeing online when I lived in Australia! One such event is Takumi Alley, a...
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Japan Envy: Shibanban x Capcom
Capcom has just announced its latest line of collab merchandise, and it’s with the adorable shiba line Shibaban by illustrator Yasuteru Ogoshi! There are five main designs from four of Capcom’s iconic...
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Norn9: Var Commons Interview, Giveaway, and Launch Stream!
Norn9: Var Commons releases for Nintendo Switch on March 30th, and I couldn’t be more excited! Of course, a localized otome game release is always cause for celebration, but this time I’m extra...
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MD Paper 15th Anniversary Pop-up at M.Lovewell
If you have an interest in Japanese stationery, you’ve likely heard of Midori, a paper products company founded in 1950. They produce everything from stickers to letter sets, and are well known for...
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The Girl That Can’t Get a Girlfriend Manga Review
When you’re a butch lesbian that’s attracted to other butch lesbians, it can be hard enough to find a girlfriend, but for Meiri Hiranishi, an awkward otaku college student with no dating experience,...
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Tako Knows Picture Book Kickstarter
Naoshi, the sand artist I recently met at Takumi Alley, has just launched a Kickstarter campaign for a picture book called Tako Knows! Follow the short but endearing life of Tako, a tako (the Japanese...
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Takarazuka Revue: Casino Royale -My Name’s Bond- Livestream Review
The Takarazuka Revue, Japan’s all-female theater troupe, has been historically difficult to access for foreigners. While they have performed around the world since the troupe’s first performance in...
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Pixel x Pixel’s 31 Days of Horror
Anything can happen on Halloween, and this year at Chic Pixel, I’m joining in the 31 days of horror movie challenge! Well, since Marcus and I will be doing it together, it’s technically a Pixel x...
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Rolife Dark Castle DIY Dollhouse Box Theater Review
As a fan of crafting and cute DIYs, I have been amassing a small collection of wooden Rolife dioramas. But though adorable, they seemed rather intimidating, so I never actually tried to put one...
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