This game will place the player in the role of Nozomi, who has a younger sister named Hikari. The latter has been studying at a college in the Nagano prefecture, but she has not been in touch around the time news broke out that another student from the same college was murdered. As an armchair detective, Nozomi will have to scour two sites in the fictional internet—the search engine Glome and the social media platform Z—for clues about Hikari’s whereabouts.

One of the promotional images for this game hints that it is also coming to Xbox Series X|S. However, Zakuzaku sent the press release to numerous Japanese outlets—namely Gamer, Famitsu, and DenFamiNico Gamer—and all of them only mention Switch, PS5, and Steam as the release platforms. The game’s release for the Xbox platform is therefore not confirmed yet.

RD’s Remote Deduction will be available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam in 2026. A new playable demo build of the game, featuring the Glome website, will appear at BitSummit PUNCH in Kyoto’s Miyako Messe on May 22-24, 2026.

The post Kamaitachi no Yoru Creator Working on RD’s Remote Deduction appeared first on Siliconera.

While the Petit Planet Stardrift Test beta is ending, HoYoVerse did explain two ways to preserve “memories” of the experience. One involved Nalo’s memories. It noted that if you go to the Cafe Untamed Feedback Survey and take it, Nalo will remember. This is optional, so someone who does want to start fresh in 1.0 can by opting to not take it. 

The other event is called Share Your Planet Memories. This runs until March 25, 2026. To take part, a person must go to HoYoLab and create a post either with a written record of the beta or a screenshot. Then, use the #Stardrift Test Check-In hashtag. This earns someone a Oumuamua profile background.

We still don’t know when 1.0 of Petit Planet will launch. It’s possible news could come around Summer Game Fest 2026 or the 2026 Tokyo Game Show. 

Petit Planet is in development for the PC and mobile devices, and HoYoVerse’s Stardrift Test beta will end on May 25, 2026.

The post Petit Planet Stardrift Beta Test Ends Next Week appeared first on Siliconera.

Though this is a Yoshi game, things kick off when Bowser Jr finds an odd book in his father’s library. After reading about some creatures in it, he heads off in his Clown Car in search of one of them. However, this leads to him inadvertently getting sucked into it, the vehicle crashing, and the Yoshis all finding the book left behind. It’s then that the book wakes up and  introduces itself as Mister Encyclopedia. (Mr. E for short.) It explains that it chronicles different creatures in its pages, but can’t actually read itself. Since that information is gone, it asks if the Yoshis would like to read through and investigate the creatures it chronicled to recover the discoveries.

Rather than a typical stage and world structure, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book adopts a structure that ties in with the book theme. Each chapter is associated with a different biome, and the levels are entries for each entity. We use Mr. E’s monocle as a magnifying glass to read, then teleport into, the book to get firsthand experience with the characters inside. Some are friendly! Others don’t seem to pay the Yoshi much mind. (You can choose which color character you control, so it isn’t always Super Mario staple Yoshi.) There are hostile ones too! Rather than the goal being to get through an entire stage, it’s to trigger certain reactions or happen upon different discoveries via interactions with the beings in the book to fill up the article associated with each one. 

It’s that experimentation that makes Yoshi and the Mysterious Book so fascinating, since the ways of acquiring information aren’t always obvious. Yes, Yoshi licking the folks he encounter is always one of the first things on the to-do list, as are things like trying to pop them on the back for a ride or ground pound them. But other situations can involve leading characters somewhere, forcing them into certain encounters, pairing them up with other established creatures, and going through certain situations. These gives you entries that can be worth a certain number of stars and fill up their section, with said stars being put toward the hallmarks needed to unlock new Chapters in the Table of Contents so you can learn and unlock more. Getting the three-star discovery in an area unlocks a portal to hop out, but you can also head to the in-game menu and choose to leave it at any time. 

What ends up making it feel even more special is the way in which Yoshi and the Mysterious Book grows. There’s a lot of depth to it. In each Chapter biome, there will typically be one or two creatures immediately accessible. Others won’t show up until you start to chronicle those other characters. Once they do appear, their emergence might add more encounters or options to existing stages, making it worth revisiting those locations for more details. There are constant excuses to pop back and revisit. And, since there is a hint system tied to stars we’ve collected and a living ink blot creature that nudges you toward beings you should revisit for new insights that open up additional things, it also feels like it is impossible to get lost or overlook anything truly important. 

I also didn’t expect the narrative to be woven in so well, considering this does feel more like an adventure where the goal is to learn about creatures. It is woven into everything in a natural way. At the same time, when Yoshi does encounter Bowser Jr and Kamek the execution provides opportunities to learn more about the character that is the “star” of that Yoshi and the Mysterious Book level. It’s not only advancing the story. It’s introducing a new puzzle and chance to learn. 

Another thing I loved is how the way it is all handled means you can unlock so much so early on, allowing you to approach the additional Chapters in the way you’d like. Now, when I went into it, I decided I want to max out as much of the first biome and its critters as I could. As a result, but the time I was done, I had actually unlocked the second, third, and fourth due to the number of stars accumulated. So I could then hop around and prioritize investigating creatures I found most interesting or cutest, which felt like a really fun and unexpected way to play. 

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is not only an unusual platformer, its experimental nature can make it feel like an entirely new type of experience. I’m delighted by the idea of popping in and out of levels to investigate new finds about creatures and learning about what to expect from them based on an array of interactions. Especially since each case feels quite different from the other, turning every character into a puzzle to solve. It feels like a casual, relaxed sort of safari. 

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book will come to the Switch 2 on May 21, 2026. 

The post Review: Yoshi and the Mysterious Book Encourages Experimentation and Exploration appeared first on Siliconera.

The official Japanese trailer offers an example of how it looks. People will take photos of peoples’ faces or uses ones on their camera roll. This will then be used in a WarioWare style minigame that is only a few seconds long and involves using a touch screen to achieve a result. For example, one instance in the video involved eating corn, and another getting critters off of a person’s face. Another minigame involved unwrapping two people who’d been covered in bandages like a mummy, with only their eyes visible. Even some of the sound effects bear similarities to WarioWare ones.

Here’s the full Japanese trailer.

The last entry in the WarioWare series was Move It, which appeared on the Switch. That entry’s minigames involved motion controls, as the name suggested. Prior to that, WarioWare: Get It Together’s gimmick involved multiplayer, with up to two people in the campaign and four otherwise each using a Joy-Con to pick a character and play through the microgames. 

Pictonico will come to Android and iOS devices on May 28, 2026. 

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Over the past few years, Square Enix has been replacing the old Final Fantasy XI servers with newer and stronger ones. Fujito explains that the newer servers allow for virtualization, which makes them easier to maintain. Instead of physically restarting the server, they can just run a process for that.

Fujito adds that these server replacements are for letting the game continue service, rather than so that the team can add more content without overloading them. If they wish to update the servers to further develop the game, they would need to make proper plans to do so. Currently, even though the servers have been virtualized, they’re still the same as before, so they’re simply maintaining the systems and programs.

At the end of the interview, Fujito floated the possibility of new developments to the game once he secures more resources. Since there hasn’t been any new story since the Voracious Resurgence, he would like to do something about that. However, the people he needs are working on other projects, and so he would have to wait until they’re free. At the same time, he is asking engineers to look at the middleware for resource management, so once they’re done with that, they can make new cutscenes again. Right now, they’re laying the groundwork for more potential content.

Final Fantasy XI is readily available on the Windows PC.

The post Final Fantasy XI Server Replacements, Story Teased appeared first on Siliconera.

Most of The Shorekeeper’s accessories involve the butterflies she’s known for. We only get two face plates with her. One features a rather blank and neutral expression, while her eyes are closed in the other. Her Stellar Symphony Rectifier, which itself resembles a butterfly and is her signature weapon, is included. So are two blue butterflies with their own stands that can be posed around her.

Here’s how she looks:

The Shorekeeper ended up being a rather popular Wuthering Waves character following her release, leading to multiple figures of her. One of the last ones was a standard scale figure. It debuted back in 2025. There are also a number of acrylic standees of her. Orders direct through the company will come with a special illustration, but we don’t know what that will look like yet.

The Wuthering Waves The Shorekeeper Nendoroid will show up in Japan in October 2026, and we’ll see the figure appear worldwide in Q2 2027. The game is available on the PS5, PC, and mobile devices. 

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Two types of PlayStation Plus subscriptions are affected by this price increase. The first is the one-month option. That currently costs $9.99 / €8.99 / £6.99, and that will go up to $10.99 / €9.99 / £7.99. The three-month one is also going up, with the cost there going from $24.99 USD / €24.99 EUR / £19.99 to $27.99 / €27.99 / £21.99. If someone is subscribed now, they will still have access to the original lower price unless they live in India or Turkey.

When bringing up why prices are changing, Sony only cited “ongoing market conditions.” It didn’t explain if this is due to costs on their end going up regarding games and promotions. Currently, costs of items in the tech area are going up due to RAM shortages caused by AI and data centers, lingering tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, and issues tied to the Iran War. 

This also comes after PS5 and PlayStation Portal prices went up again. Sony increased those costs at the beginning of April 2026. When that happened, it blamed “continued pressures in the global economic landscape.”

PlayStation Plus one-month and three-month subscriptions will cost more starting on May 20, 2026 worldwide.

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A tentative schedule for the showcase is set, since it won’t only feature announcements regarding future updates for Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy. When the presentation starts, it will first focus on the final round of a beta test tournament. About two hours later at 2am PT/5am ET/6pm JST, the actual updates will appear. Producer Naoya Matsumoto will be present for this portion and discuss things to come.

Here’s the placeholder for the Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy first official update broadcast.

The only upcoming event we’re aware of for Dissidia Duellum is a Final Fantasy Record Keeper one. That shows up at the end of May 2026 and only involves new Abilities. The last characters added were Rikku from FFX and Clive from FFXVI. This presentation could provide a roadmap for future updates regarding more characters. It might also go over plans to remedy certain issues. For example, one problem the game had lately had to do with Bursts and Abilities triggering when facing bosses.

Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy is available for mobile devices, and the first presentation going over game updates will air in Japan on May 23, 2026.

The post Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy Update Arrives This Week appeared first on Siliconera.

Namco Legendary Mountains follows the same principles as Suika Game, but with the element of 3D as in Fruit Mountain. Different icons from the company’s series’ appear in clear bubbles. We toss them at a black plate from different angles, and we can also move around the edges of it to shoot from different positions. If we combine like items, they merge to create a new, bigger one. Using the official trailer as an example, tossing two Pac-Man items at each other will cause them to combine and become Taizo Hori from Dig Dug. If two Taizos hit each other, they become Mappy the mouse. 

Here’s the official trailer that shows exactly how the process works. It also confirms appearances of items from Druaga and Xevious.

This is one of many takes on this particular type of puzzle game from Bexide. Fruit Mountain was first in March 2024. It was followed by a Hololive Vtuber variant called Hololive Treasure Mountain. A multiplayer version called Fruit Mountain Party showed up in April 2026.

Namco Legendary Mountains will come to the Switch, Switch 2, and PC worldwide in Summer 2026.

The post Next Bexide Mountain Game Is Namco Legendary Mountains appeared first on Siliconera.

These FFVII Ever Crisis wallpapers are divided into two types, with some being replicas of the in-game home screen backgrounds of Aerith, Cloud, and Tifa in their dresses and some being original ones of official art of them. The home screen ones are divided into two parts. One of them features Aerith and Tifa together in their Gorgeous Dress and Elegant Dress (Mature Dress), respectfully. The other features Cloud in  the Classic Dress we’d earn from the Chocobo Sam sidequests in FFVII Remake. The mobile versions of the wallpapers feature them each alone and then all together.

Here’s how those wallpapers look:

Square Enix hasn’t suggested what the next event or crossover could be in FFVII Ever Crisis. The company brought back the FFXIII items in April 2026. Before that, it continued the ongoing Dirge of Cerberus storyline with its second part, so we could see the third portion of that start in the near future.

Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis is available on PCs and mobile devices, and FFVII Remake is available on the Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. The Corneo Cup: Open Bridal Audition event ends in FFVII Ever Crisis on May 27, 2026. 

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To start, someone needs to enter the email tied to their Sega Account. They’ll then be emailed a code that grants them access to the survey and continue. The first questions in the Persona 3 Reload localization survey are fairly typical and ask where someone played the game, which translation they used, how far they got in the JRPG, if they enjoyed the game, and which elements they did and didn’t enjoy.

It’s once you get to the seventh question of the Persona 3 Reload localization survey that Atlus actually asks what you thought about the translation. It starts by asking if things sounded natural and was grammatically correct and then if the tone was correct. After that, a question comes up asking if people sounded like they were “in-character.” The follow-ups to that ask if certain characters were handled especially well or poorly, and we’re able to select as many options as are applicable. This includes major and minor characters, and there is a write-in section. After asking about characters and dialogue, we’re asked our opinion about the menus and UI. The final few questions are all write-in ones where we can cite specific situations we liked and didn’t like, as well as leave feedback on other Atlus games. 

We’ll see Persona 3 Reload in another game soon. An event featuring protagonist Makoto and other characters will show up in Persona 5: The Phantom X worldwide. 

Persona 3 Reload is on the Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. 

The post Persona 3 Reload Localization Survey Asks About Its Translation appeared first on Siliconera.

The tone of the actual stories in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE can vary, depending on the nature of enemies, situations, and special events, but Outpost: Off-Duty Tales will focus on calmer, happier moments. This is based on the initial piece of key art, description, and title of the first episode. Shift Up specifically mentioned it will look at “everyday moments” and show what it would be like on a “relaxing day.”

The debut episode of this Goddess of Victory: NIKKE anime style project will be “The Counters – First Time at the Outpost.” That refers to the squad that consists of Anis, Neon, Rapi, and Shifty. The key art for the series shows, from left to right, Neon, Rapi, and Anis with Modernia, who is sitting facing away from the viewer. 

Here’s how that Goddess of Victory: NIKKE animated short key art looks:

Most recently, Shift Up celebrated Goddess of Victory: NIKKE’s 3.5th anniversary. That led to a new SSR alt for Anis. The company also teased that it is preparing for the 4th anniversary.

Goddess of Victory: NIKKE is available for the PC and mobile devices. 

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Three main characters from the Witch on the Holy Night movie were shown during the presentation. The first one is Aoko, who will be voiced by Haruka Tomatsu.

The second character shown is Soujyuro, who will have Yusuke Kobayashi as his voice actor.

The third and last character shown in this stage is Alice, who will have Kana Hanazawa as her voice actress.

Haruka Tomatsu and Yusuke Kobayashi also took part in the presentation event. The two helped promote more features for the movie, including the sales of the MoviTicke cards. On the following day, Haruka Tomatsu also briefly worked as the chief of JR Tokushima Station, where she attended the first train launch ceremony and then provided in-station announcements with Aoko’s voiceover.

The movie has been undergoing production for over four years. The companies previously published the first two teaser trailers in late 2021 and late 2023. The movie has since received a release window set in the year 2026.

The Witch on the Holy Night movie will appear in theaters across Japan in 2026.

The post New Witch on the Holy Night Movie Character Art Revealed appeared first on Siliconera.

Jenni Lada: You’re working on a new animated series called Hollow-Heart! What inspired you to create the series and how long has it been in development?

Goldbullet: When I was younger I was a massive fan of Let’s Plays on YouTube! Titles like Ao Oni and Yume Nikki always managed to catch my eye in terms of early traditional 2D-based indie horror. As I grew older, I began to appreciate how vast and interchangeable the elements of survival horror games could be within the genre while still keeping things fresh and distinct. Ever since the official release of HOLOSTARS EN’s first visual novel, Doppelgänger, that was where my motivation went into full-drive. I began to storyboard these elements before I debuted within HOLOSTARS EN myself! In other words, it’s been in the works since 2023.

What is Hollow-Heart going to be about and how long will the series be?

Goldbullet: Hollow-Heart will be an episodic animated horror series that takes place within a completely different timeline from our existing canon lore. An alternate universe in which the members of HOLOSTARS EN will succumb to horrific scenarios. Most characters will act differently from their canon counterparts. I believe this distinction will allow the viewers to see how each of the boys will react in different dangerous situations they find themselves in. It will be five episodes long, so I hope everybody looks forward to some lore-intensive story writing blended with B movie-style visuals.

Do you plan to explore more animation and visual novel projects moving forward?

Goldbullet: Yes. When I started developing Hollow-Heart, I realized what I was capable of. What I’m looking forward to the most is seeing what experiences I can gain from producing this series. Particularly, I’m navigating what it’s like to manage a project, and I want to hone my writing and art skills while at it as well. Moving forward, I hope to be able to pursue future projects more smoothly than now.

So far, you’ve shared ten chibi sprites of HOLOSTARS EN members who’ll be in the title. How elaborate will animations be for the project?

Goldbullet: Hollow-Heart will take on the appearance of an horror RPG, and you can expect the animations to be somewhat similar to an early 2000s game. There are some more fleshed out animations and sprites… I’m still working on the finer details for how the combat animations will work! No spoilers! Apologies, but you will have to wait to see how things play out.

You mentioned before that it will be inspired by horror games. Did any particular titles act as inspiration or reference points for you? Did you play any titles when researching how you might want this to look?

Goldbullet: I am a massive Resident Evil fan so that’s where the majority of my stylistic influences for this project come from! Other games like Dead Space, Silent Hill, Amnesia, and Outlast also inspired me! Danganronpa’s visual novel elements have lent me inspiration on designing user interfaces and visual clarity.

Will fellow HOLOSTARS EN VTubers appear as voice actors in Hollow-Heart?

Goldbullet: We shall see! Right now, you can expect most of us to put in our vocal talents to the test within the horror atmosphere! I’ll be making sure to give them the correct direction, especially in this spooky setting.

When will Episode 1 release? Can we expect more episodes after the initial launch?

Goldbullet: If all things go according to plan, Episode 1 should be expected to be released on Halloween of this year! A perfect month for a spooky series to make its debut. But, of course, as development time shifts based on pre-existing obligations, the date may change to be pushed back or even released earlier! I’m aiming to introduce the world of Hollow-Heart to our viewers around October 2026.

The chibi character art you’ve shared so far looks advanced for this stage of development. What does your artistic background look like?

Goldbullet: I have three art styles that I enjoy playing around with the most! Lineless, flat illustrations, and of course, chibi artwork! All three of these styles will be displayed proudly within the setting of Hollow-Heart and bring its vision into bloody fruition!

What kind of advice would you offer to people who are looking to create their own animatic series?

Goldbullet: If you ever have an idea and you always think about how cool something would be if you could create it, I find it important to storyboard any idea you get in your head, even if it’s a little strange or obtuse! I believe there is great significance in paying attention to every single thing you mind conjures.

But hey, if I’m allowed to be a little more broad, my simple advice is to just ignite that spark. Allow it to develop into a flame. You will find yourself very surprised at what you could create with your mind alone. To want to create is to be human. The power of creativity is something we all have, and it’s a beast that you must feed.

Speaking of Resident Evil, I saw that you revealed new accessories at the start of your Resident Evil marathon! Were your new accessories inspired by the franchise?

Goldbullet: Absolutely! Total badasses like Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy were the blueprint for those particular accessories! I originally wanted a giant bazooka, but… we can’t have everything we want! Unless…?

You’ll be celebrating your third anniversary as a VTuber this year! Do you have any big plans or things you’d like to accomplish in 2026?

Goldbullet: My plans are to deliver content that hasn’t been seen in this branch yet. Hollow-Heart being the biggest initiative to prove what I’m capable of! For my birthday, we got a big surprise. I can’t wait to see the reaction of my Bubbies!

Goldbullet can be found on social media, and he streams on YouTube.

The post Interview: Holostars Vtuber Goldbullet Discusses His Hollow-Heart Horror Series appeared first on Siliconera.

Editor’s Note: There will be a few mild spoilers for the first few chapters of volume 1 of the My Super-Cute Black Mage manga.

Both Aria and Jade are students at the Hardi-Quartz Academy, with her being the third-year prefect acting as a leader and guide for a group of first-years that includes him. As the series starts, he’s incredibly caustic. So much so that he’ll tell her that he’ll kill her, insult her, and go out of his way to be negative in every interaction. This is framed as being an attitude due to being descended from dangerous, villainous black mages. However, when she grabs his arm to drag him back to a lesson after he storms off from the group, she realizes she can hear his thoughts when she touches him. So even though he’s calling her a “stubborn hag,” he’s actually thinking, “You’re so cute.” So right away, an element that could get grating in this shojo manga is eased due to Takidon’s execution in My Super-Cute Black Mage.

This means there are two important pieces of information we’re given right away too. First is that people in Aria’s family can read minds as part of their magical gifts. Her mom had told her about this, but she figured it was all teasing and a joke. The second is that Jade is powerful and has that background, which affects everyone’s perception of him and seems to lead to some inherited strength and abilities. 

It also leads to both humorous and loaded situations in this shojo manga. The former ends up being handled quite well. Takidon uses this for full comedic effect. So yes, we’re seeing Jade act like a full emo, villainous rebel. He’s telling Aria that he’ll kill her. We see him purposely push her when walking past her. But because these situations also involve inadvertent physical contact when they happen, we also see that “I’ll kill you” doesn’t carry much weight when he’s actually thinking “I love you.” Or that the reason he bumped into her is because she wasn’t watching where she was going and would have stepped on a dangerous plant that would have stung her. 

But this also means concerns come up because of their closeness and general dangers that even magical students can be subject to. However, Jade’s lineage is an even greater threat to both him and Aria. Partially because other students stigmatize him. They see his behavior as him showing his true colors, rather than trying to put up a wall between people so they don’t get hurt or bullied as a result of associating with him. Not to mention that, later in the volume, the prejudice toward him leads to another major threat to the two leads.

Jade’s “act” and Aria’s powers in My Super-Cute Black Mage add twists to the shojo manga tsundere trope. Not only are we in on the secret and his feelings right away as readers, but the heroine is too. As a result, it leads to new storytelling and comedic opportunities and makes the character type feel fresh.

The first volume of the My Super-Cute Black Mage manga is available now, and Yen Press will release volume 2 on September 22, 2026. 

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