Pokemon Colors with Gamer Travels Japan, KASHIDO, Princess Peach Showtime Final Thoughts

[00:00:00] Welcome to Tokyo Game Life, a Tokyo based video game podcast focusing on Nintendo and gaming

[00:00:13] culture in Japan's capital.

[00:00:15] Your host Mono here to bring you a slice of gaming life from Tokyo.

[00:00:19] Today's feature is about the interactive augmented reality experience, Pokemon Colors.

[00:00:24] Mixing projection mapping with exercise activities is a unique Pokemon exhibition

[00:00:29] that's unlike anything else.

[00:00:31] Returning guest Vincent from Gamer Travels Japan joins me as we chat about bicycling to see

[00:00:35] Charizard, fishing up Pokemon and shaking trees to find that ever elusive Snorlax.

[00:00:41] In the games I chat about the Japanese sweets themed Kashi-Do and give some final thoughts

[00:00:45] on Princess Peach Showtime.

[00:00:48] Let's start with Vincent from Gamer Travels Japan and Pokemon Colors.

[00:00:58] Today's feature is about the interactive exhibit Pokemon Colors.

[00:01:01] Part playground, part extrasensory experience, part light show.

[00:01:05] It's a vivid Pokemon branded event that's popped up a few times here in Japan.

[00:01:09] Joining me to chat all about this unique exhibit is a special guest.

[00:01:12] So guest please introduce yourself.

[00:01:14] Hi I'm Vincent Ong.

[00:01:16] I'm Gamer Carvels Japan on Instagram.

[00:01:19] So I'm a personal shopper for Filipinos here who want to buy games in Tokyo and

[00:01:26] one of the main goals of my page is just like Tokyo Game Life, help gamers travel in

[00:01:32] Tokyo or around Japan.

[00:01:34] And I'm actually here to talk a bit about Pokemon Colors because I did shoot some video

[00:01:39] but I was too lazy to make it.

[00:01:41] I think it's something worth sharing I think with a lot of gamers.

[00:01:46] Thanks for joining me yet again.

[00:01:48] You appeared on the Monster Hunter Cafe episode, the Pokemon Cafe episode and this

[00:01:52] time we've got no food to talk about.

[00:01:54] But go ahead and lay the foundation.

[00:01:56] What is Pokemon Colors?

[00:01:58] OK, so Pokemon Colors at first I really didn't know what it was about.

[00:02:02] I saw you know as a tourist you just plan your events as you go near the date of

[00:02:09] you actually traveling there.

[00:02:11] You actually look at websites and events that are actually happening.

[00:02:15] And one of that I stumbled upon was Pokemon Colors.

[00:02:19] And all I could imagine it was it looked like an interactive event with colors.

[00:02:24] But I was more intrigued by the design because it had silhouettes of Pokemon.

[00:02:30] You know, it had this really, I guess you could say adult looking, artsy looking way

[00:02:37] of portraying Pokemon which really caught my eye.

[00:02:39] So I really didn't expect what is going to happen until I went there.

[00:02:43] And when I went there I realized how much Pokemon is really forward thinking in public

[00:02:51] relations and world domination.

[00:02:53] Because this is Pokemon Colors is a way to teach kids how to exercise.

[00:02:58] There are interactive elements that get kids moving.

[00:03:01] It helps people who are naysayers of Pokemon or video games in general.

[00:03:05] And they say, oh, the Pokemon company is out to get your money and make you lazy,

[00:03:10] right? Or make you fatter as we talked about the Pokemon Cafe, right?

[00:03:14] Or just be a consumerist and buy stuff.

[00:03:17] And this is actually an activity to get kids to actually move around and be active.

[00:03:21] You know, how would you describe the overall aesthetic of Pokemon Colors?

[00:03:25] Well, Pokemon Colors is it's a small, you can say theme park.

[00:03:30] It's basically a room with interactive arcade games around it.

[00:03:35] So one is you're on a bike and there's a screen in front of you.

[00:03:39] And when you pedal, the screen actually gates color and more Pokemon go around there.

[00:03:45] And so as you can imagine, other arcade games are around coloring your world through activity.

[00:03:52] So one was shaking an actual tree.

[00:03:54] The fruits will come out of the screen, you know, and the goal is for the Snorex to come.

[00:04:00] And one of the interesting things is it's very Japanese because it's all about team effort.

[00:04:06] Right? All of the games, as I remember, are all about everyone trying to make the world color together.

[00:04:13] Yeah, I'm not really sure how to describe what it actually looks like.

[00:04:16] It kind of reminds me of an iPhone background, the way it mixes the colors.

[00:04:20] And there are a lot of 3D models and these very stark colorful blocks

[00:04:24] that kind of feel like the 8-bit graphics turned into 3D.

[00:04:27] Did the look of the graphics remind you of anything?

[00:04:29] I think it looks graphics.

[00:04:31] Yeah, remind me of a very iPhone, very.

[00:04:34] Yeah. But it's again, a step forward of wanting to see

[00:04:41] well, Pokemon in 3D and, you know, a life-size Pokemon in 3D is different.

[00:04:47] And one of the games that I really did like was you have to hit the ball into the screen.

[00:04:54] And there are blocks there.

[00:04:56] And as you knock off the blocks, you start seeing more Pokemon appear in the screen as well.

[00:05:03] I think as an adult, I was actually more worried because it's designed for kids

[00:05:07] that I might destroy.

[00:05:12] But it's pretty sturdy.

[00:05:16] Right. Unlike the Pokemon Cafe, I have been to this one.

[00:05:19] The first event was in Ginza in 2021, but it has since expanded to other parts of Japan.

[00:05:25] The most recent being in August of 2023 in Yokohama, which you went to.

[00:05:29] And it was created in cooperation with One10,

[00:05:32] which is a Japanese design firm and event planning organization.

[00:05:35] And looking at their other events, they all do seem to be somewhat similar

[00:05:39] in terms of how they look. There's a lot of projection mapping.

[00:05:42] They also worked on the UI UX for a Momotaro Dintetsu browser game.

[00:05:46] So that's another gaming connection.

[00:05:48] But this type of event where there's a lot of lights and sort of AR elements

[00:05:53] seem to be pretty popular in Japan. Why do you think that is?

[00:05:57] I think for Tokyo and it brings to mind what you said about what the theme was

[00:06:02] actually just popped in my head that this reminds me of Pokemon trying to be like

[00:06:07] Team Lab. Right.

[00:06:09] Team Lab is one of the most popular interactive theme parks in Japan.

[00:06:13] And they just opened actually right this month.

[00:06:17] And I think it's practically because of Tokyo or one of the interesting things

[00:06:22] about when people think about Japan, they think about the future

[00:06:26] and Tokyo particularly is trying to lead that.

[00:06:30] Right. It's not all the time in Japan.

[00:06:32] Right. They're they're still fax machines.

[00:06:35] Yeah. Or I saw pay phones in some areas of Tokyo.

[00:06:40] When you think of Japan, you think about technology robots.

[00:06:43] And I think the public company is very smart in seeing that they can make

[00:06:48] one their own team lab experience.

[00:06:51] Right. They've collaborated with another famous theme park as well.

[00:06:55] So this is their little step of having a theme park experience slowly.

[00:07:00] And I think second, this interactive element, particularly this

[00:07:04] is to get people moving as well.

[00:07:07] Right. I guess to get more active.

[00:07:10] And but I think it's just part of Japanese culture to walk around

[00:07:13] right and to enjoy nature.

[00:07:15] And this really ties into nature.

[00:07:18] This thing between technology and nature.

[00:07:21] Right. Yeah.

[00:07:22] So I think that's where the maybe the semac that comes out

[00:07:26] and it clearly fits the Pokemon brand in this case.

[00:07:30] Yeah. And I think these are I don't know how to describe a projection mapping

[00:07:33] or AR visual experiences, they are very popular in Japan.

[00:07:37] I've been to four different ones.

[00:07:38] I've been to of course, yeah, team lab.

[00:07:40] I've been to Pokemon colors.

[00:07:42] I went to a Van Gogh one.

[00:07:43] I went to one that was hosted by Samsung.

[00:07:46] Actually, I went to another one at a zoo.

[00:07:48] So it's a very popular trend.

[00:07:50] And I think it's really appealing because it's very Instagramable.

[00:07:53] It's great for photographs.

[00:07:55] So going back to Pokemon colors, the first one was in Ginza in late 2021.

[00:07:59] And I found the event online and a lot of the marketing for it was pretty vague

[00:08:04] because it's kind of a hard thing to explain.

[00:08:06] We're trying our best now, but it is kind of hard to explain

[00:08:09] unless you're actually there.

[00:08:10] But you can imagine all the walls are these projection mapping

[00:08:14] or these images projected onto the walls.

[00:08:18] But they have interactive elements with them as well.

[00:08:20] So you can affect what's on the wall.

[00:08:22] And when I went to the venue, I was pretty surprised about what it actually was

[00:08:25] and all the activities they had.

[00:08:27] So we've talked about a few of them, but let's run through our favorite activities.

[00:08:31] What was the one standout activity for you?

[00:08:34] I think I mentioned the knocking out the blocks on the screen

[00:08:38] and actually make it go, you know, anything that really was fun to watch.

[00:08:43] And the other one was right.

[00:08:44] I think there's the witches really shows the thematic of is the silhouette.

[00:08:49] So it's basically Pokemon silhouettes.

[00:08:51] So there are small iPad size screens where you can touch the silhouette of Pokemon

[00:08:58] and it flies around.

[00:09:00] So I had that more because of the aesthetic.

[00:09:02] I think that's what drew me into the event was the silhouette aesthetic.

[00:09:07] It looked a bit more mature, which is fascinating as an event really for kids.

[00:09:13] Yeah, it is kind of a weird mix

[00:09:14] because it is a kid's playground in terms of what you're doing.

[00:09:18] But the overall aesthetic and the way it looks definitely feels more adult oriented

[00:09:23] or a bit more abstract and artistic than you would expect.

[00:09:27] Yeah, for me, I think my favorite activity was the bicycle one

[00:09:30] where you peddle for a few minutes and then you watch a screen that tracks your progress.

[00:09:34] And at the end, the big Charizard flies out.

[00:09:36] So you've got to get your camera ready to take a picture of Charizard.

[00:09:39] You don't have a whole lot of time.

[00:09:41] I don't because you can't record it.

[00:09:43] You can't pedal and take a picture.

[00:09:45] Oh, yeah.

[00:09:46] I had my wife there, so she was on Charizard duty when I was peddling.

[00:09:49] So I was very lucky.

[00:09:51] And one thing about the activities is that they all are pretty active and hands on.

[00:09:56] You don't just walk around and take pictures at photo spots.

[00:09:59] What did you think about them gamifying this overall experience?

[00:10:03] I think it's again, strengthening the Pokemon brand.

[00:10:07] And that's why a lot of people don't get that Pokemon

[00:10:11] is more than just a game now.

[00:10:13] And I have to talk about also being as a personal shopper is

[00:10:16] you realize how much merchandise comes in the Pokemon every month.

[00:10:20] It is it's not just the game, as much of people complain

[00:10:24] about the graphics of the game.

[00:10:27] Right. Why is it not up to, you know, to other AAA titles?

[00:10:33] It's because the Pokemon company does need the game at the same time.

[00:10:37] They don't need the game because they've been doing things that expand their world.

[00:10:41] And so maybe kids don't even now they have Pokemon sleep, right?

[00:10:46] So now kids don't even need to play the main game to understand what Pokemon is.

[00:10:50] And now this is another way to get kids.

[00:10:53] It builds a core memory.

[00:10:55] If I was a kid, then I think doing this activity will be something

[00:10:59] I'll remember as a kid because it is very interactive.

[00:11:02] Yeah, if you have the other activities they have there,

[00:11:04] there's a fishing one where you have something that kind of resembles

[00:11:08] an old school fishing controller and then you can fish up Pokemon.

[00:11:11] I got a Cloister, which I imagine would be really hard to fish up in real life.

[00:11:15] And another one, the one you said it was your favorite.

[00:11:18] It was also the Geens event where it has a big

[00:11:21] outcrop, a playpen of all these plastic balls,

[00:11:24] and you just kind of throw the balls at the wall

[00:11:26] and you're trying to catch the Pokemon or maybe hit the Pokemon.

[00:11:29] I don't know if they're actually caught or not.

[00:11:30] But you're just throwing the balls at the Pokemon on the wall,

[00:11:33] which is pretty fun because like you said earlier,

[00:11:36] it's kind of black and white at first, but then it gets more colorful

[00:11:39] and more Pokemon up here.

[00:11:41] I am a bit suspicious about the accuracy

[00:11:43] because sometimes you're throwing it right at the Pokemon

[00:11:46] and it doesn't register, but sometimes it's a bit more lenient.

[00:11:49] So how much you're affecting it is a bit, I don't know,

[00:11:53] not 100 percent accurate, but that's part of the appeal.

[00:11:56] You don't really care if it's super accurate or not.

[00:11:58] You just want to throw the ball.

[00:12:00] You know what I mean? It is for kids after all.

[00:12:02] I think I wanted to say also that it is going to be quite packed.

[00:12:05] When was it in Ginza?

[00:12:07] In 2021. Summer as well.

[00:12:09] Late winter, I want to say late 2021.

[00:12:12] So kind of the pandemic was still in the pandemic,

[00:12:15] but a bit tapering off of it.

[00:12:17] Oh, OK, because I went there summer, which is August.

[00:12:20] Right. So it doesn't necessarily have a fixed date when all of it.

[00:12:25] But it is successful when I was there.

[00:12:27] It was packed with kids and you think that you will not get

[00:12:30] to actually try all the activities, but you do eventually.

[00:12:34] But there's a long line between getting from activity one to activity two.

[00:12:40] You need to be patient.

[00:12:41] Another activity we didn't mention.

[00:12:43] I think we talked about a little bit, but there's the huge.

[00:12:46] It looks like a punching bag, but you shake it

[00:12:49] and it's supposed to shake a tree on the wall.

[00:12:51] How would you describe it?

[00:12:52] I guess a pole, a fat pole that you can actually shake,

[00:12:57] which actually mimics a tree trunk, right?

[00:12:59] And then you shake it.

[00:13:00] And then the idea is to, I guess, get Snorlax to come out,

[00:13:05] which is what I was motivated to.

[00:13:07] Yeah, of course. Yeah.

[00:13:09] Let's talk about the merch.

[00:13:11] What kind of Pokemon colors, merch items are there?

[00:13:13] I was trying to hoard as much as I want, but it was pricey again

[00:13:17] because it is an exclusive event.

[00:13:20] But I do like the aesthetic.

[00:13:22] So I do have the postcards.

[00:13:25] I have a set of postcards of the Pokemon silhouettes.

[00:13:29] So you have the starters, I remember, and like a cherries are one.

[00:13:33] But I know there's six and they're key chains again.

[00:13:37] So again, it doesn't look too cutesy, right?

[00:13:40] Right. From afar, it doesn't look that you're you actually

[00:13:44] you're a Pokemon fan, right?

[00:13:46] It actually it looks aesthetically pleasing.

[00:13:49] I remember people wanting the jacket as well

[00:13:52] of the Pokemon colors.

[00:13:54] So they have the logo is a Pokeball, right?

[00:13:57] But it's a bit glossy, 3D glossy,

[00:14:01] yeah, prismatic color.

[00:14:03] Yeah, a lot of the merch they sell there again,

[00:14:05] it kind of seems oriented towards adults, even though

[00:14:08] the actual event is a kid's playground.

[00:14:10] But all the merch they sell is, I guess, for mom and dad

[00:14:13] or the older Pokemon fans.

[00:14:14] So they have t-shirts, they have, of course, clear files.

[00:14:17] They have iPhone cases and things like that, all with the Pokemon colors.

[00:14:21] Aesthetic, there's nothing like plushies or anything really kid focused.

[00:14:25] So it is kind of unusual where pretty much all the items

[00:14:28] are something that kind of only adults would use.

[00:14:30] I don't know if a kid would actually like some of the merch here,

[00:14:33] but the older people do.

[00:14:35] What kind of merch would you have like to see at Pokemon Colors?

[00:14:38] I guess he said like there are no plushies.

[00:14:42] But it'd be nice to have a Pokemon plush

[00:14:45] in the silhouette or a pillow, right?

[00:14:47] I'm not sure if they had it.

[00:14:49] And one of the things that actually I like now

[00:14:52] merchandise is like this eye mask.

[00:14:55] Oh, I think that would work well, all right?

[00:14:58] Because it's a glossy, prismatic look

[00:15:02] if they actually had that as well.

[00:15:05] Is there any sort of themed event or activity you think Pokemon is missing out on?

[00:15:09] If you could host any type of Pokemon event, what would it be?

[00:15:12] I think Pokemon event at the moment.

[00:15:16] That's a very good question.

[00:15:19] I think now is there any Pokemon concert?

[00:15:25] I think not really.

[00:15:27] I'm sure they've had it before, but I think that's we're talking about their world

[00:15:31] domination. It seems they've gotten a lot of places, but not Pokemon music.

[00:15:37] Which they're slowly doing, right?

[00:15:39] They're actually I think they got Ed Sheeran for the end of Pokemon Scarlet.

[00:15:44] Yeah, so to get into really J-pop, right?

[00:15:51] I think that would kind of seal their world domination

[00:15:55] because as we're talking, they're actually veering towards theme parks.

[00:16:00] They have the merch down.

[00:16:01] They have the anime already, right?

[00:16:04] To actually have a Pokemon concert with action

[00:16:07] if they're getting all these superstar artists.

[00:16:10] And that would actually make them rule the world.

[00:16:14] Yeah, Pokemon colors is a time limited event.

[00:16:16] So it's not happening as we're speaking.

[00:16:18] So it's hard to say when will happen again.

[00:16:21] But I'm sure it will because they've done it a few times over the years

[00:16:24] and it seems to be fairly popular.

[00:16:25] So I wouldn't be surprised if in 2024 it pops up yet again.

[00:16:29] What kind of advice would you give to somebody who visits

[00:16:31] Pokemon colors for the first time?

[00:16:34] Don't worry again about actually lining up

[00:16:36] because there's enough time to go around and see all the activities.

[00:16:41] Second, as an adult, I think we can post this right in your posts.

[00:16:45] Or is the actual merchandise really cool?

[00:16:48] So save some money because you can't actually come back.

[00:16:51] Right? Once you leave Pokemon colors, you can re-enter.

[00:16:56] Right.

[00:16:57] That's why it's so hard to leave

[00:16:58] because I buy this or not buy this, right?

[00:17:02] Yeah.

[00:17:03] I think it's make sure you have enough money

[00:17:05] to check their Twitter account and actually check what merchandise and the prices.

[00:17:11] So be prepared, I guess, because you can't actually return.

[00:17:15] And these are items you can't even find in the Pokemon store.

[00:17:19] Yeah, that's something very unique about it.

[00:17:21] And I think it's definitely for Pokemon fans.

[00:17:23] It is a very fun activity, especially for kids.

[00:17:26] But if you're an adult, there's definitely stuff there

[00:17:28] that you would find interesting because there's not really a whole lot

[00:17:31] of other events that like it.

[00:17:32] And it's a totally different look for Pokemon.

[00:17:35] And yeah, very unorthodox compared to what you would expect for a Pokemon event.

[00:17:40] Yeah.

[00:17:40] I think compared to other events is that it's difficult to get to

[00:17:45] because you see that's why we want to talk about this

[00:17:48] because everyone talks about the Pokemon Center and Pokemon Cafe online.

[00:17:53] Right? Yes.

[00:17:54] A lot of content on that.

[00:17:55] But there's not enough content

[00:17:57] about the other stuff Pokemon company does.

[00:18:00] I still need to go to the museum.

[00:18:03] The Pokemon, they have a museum collaboration, right?

[00:18:06] Are you talking to the fossil museum?

[00:18:07] Yeah, the fossil museum.

[00:18:08] Oh yeah. I want to go to that one as well.

[00:18:10] Yes.

[00:18:11] So it's so you can actually get a picture with the archeologist

[00:18:15] in the Indiana Jones hat, right?

[00:18:17] So I think for Pokemon fans, we need to share

[00:18:20] there are stuff beyond what you see online.

[00:18:23] And just look, I guess, follow the Pokemon Twitter account, right?

[00:18:28] For these Japan exclusive events that they don't know

[00:18:31] and really broadcast about.

[00:18:33] Right. I think people should know about.

[00:18:35] All right, I think we touched on all the important parts of Pokemon colors.

[00:18:38] So Gamer Travels Japan, where can people find you?

[00:18:41] OK, so you can find me at Gamer Travels Japan on Instagram.

[00:18:45] And I guess I'll be back in Japan this May.

[00:18:49] If you have something that you'd like for me to find, just let me know.

[00:18:53] This will motivate me to make my own content

[00:18:55] about Pokemon colors as well.

[00:18:57] Great. And the links to everything are in the podcast description.

[00:19:00] So listeners, check it out.

[00:19:02] Gamer Travels Japan once again, thanks for joining me.

[00:19:04] Thank you. See you.

[00:19:12] First game I want to talk about is one I doubt many people have heard of,

[00:19:15] Kashi-Do from Kadokawa.

[00:19:17] I think most Western gamers know Kadokawa as the guys who own from soft.

[00:19:21] But they are a huge publishing and multimedia company here in Japan.

[00:19:24] They even have their own sort of mini theme park right outside of Tokyo,

[00:19:27] Kadokawa Cultural Park.

[00:19:29] It has a gigantic artistically designed library, museums, restaurants,

[00:19:33] shops, a fountain, a sculpture forest and yes,

[00:19:36] even some very, very small, out of the ring decorations in one of the restaurants.

[00:19:40] The whole complex is quite awesome, but not very video game related.

[00:19:44] So I didn't think about covering it.

[00:19:45] But Kadokawa does publish quite a few games,

[00:19:48] but it is an assortment of random titles like The Legend of Heroes Games,

[00:19:52] Yume Nikki, Langrisser One and Two, and of course,

[00:19:55] Unko Curry, which has the English title, Full of Crap.

[00:19:59] Kashi-Do is only their third game they've ever brought over to the West on the switch.

[00:20:04] But once you play the game,

[00:20:05] you can kind of understand that it was probably an easy game to publish themselves.

[00:20:09] Oh, and as for the developer, it's Ad Globe Inc.,

[00:20:13] which is a tech company that offers a lot of different services,

[00:20:15] including game development.

[00:20:17] They're basically just a company you hire to actually program your game

[00:20:20] and they don't seem to have any notable resume,

[00:20:23] mostly just support work on mobile games.

[00:20:25] I just randomly stumbled across Kashi-Do and the key art instantly grabbed me.

[00:20:29] It showcases some wagashi, a Japanese sweets

[00:20:31] and art from the classic shoujo mangaka, Yumiko Igarashi.

[00:20:35] I'm a sweet tooth in general, but I specifically am a huge fan of wagashi

[00:20:40] and even going further than that, Nettikiri,

[00:20:42] which are the elaborately sculpted sweets made from red or white bean paste

[00:20:46] that mimic something from nature.

[00:20:48] When you say wagashi, Nettikiri is what pops into most people's heads.

[00:20:51] And I used to actually study Japanese tea ceremony before the pandemic

[00:20:55] and serving wagashi with the tea is a major component.

[00:20:58] You have to think carefully about what type of sweet you serve

[00:21:01] and if it fits the theme of the ceremony.

[00:21:04] And machi and wagashi, this is peak Japan living.

[00:21:07] It really doesn't get better than that combo.

[00:21:10] So a game focused on wagashi, even on a very service level, has my attention.

[00:21:14] Now, this is actually based on a board game.

[00:21:16] Kotakawa published in twenty twenty two.

[00:21:18] So yes, it is technically just a digital adaptation of the board game,

[00:21:22] which helps you understand why Kotakawa just hired some random company

[00:21:25] to program the game because all the rules, art and design were already in place.

[00:21:30] Gaming has a long history of adapting board games,

[00:21:32] but it is a difficult thing to pull off correctly.

[00:21:35] You could just be as straightforward as possible

[00:21:36] and just make it a digital version of the board game.

[00:21:39] You could also add some quality of life changes

[00:21:41] you could only get from a video game or add some extra challenges

[00:21:44] and modes to make it a bit more single player focused.

[00:21:47] For most of these adaptations, I believe the crux of whether or not it's good

[00:21:51] relies on the quality of the actual board game,

[00:21:53] but it is something that you could easily mess up.

[00:21:56] Kashi, though, they didn't mess it up,

[00:21:57] but it is a very bare minimum adaptation of the board game.

[00:22:01] You can play local multiplayer with three others or played the CPU

[00:22:05] and there's only one difficulty, no special modes,

[00:22:07] unless you count the credits as the mode.

[00:22:09] Thus, your enjoyment of the game relies on how much you just like playing

[00:22:13] the base game against your friends or the CPUs over and over again.

[00:22:17] I should probably explain the rules,

[00:22:18] but that's always the worst part of playing a board game, right?

[00:22:21] Anytime you go to a board game meetup

[00:22:23] and someone is just going on and on about the rules, everyone is thinking,

[00:22:26] listen, I'll just learn by playing.

[00:22:28] There's actually a chain of board game cafes in Tokyo called Jelly Jelly Cafe.

[00:22:33] I've been there a few times, both solo and with my wife.

[00:22:36] It's fun because you just play a flat fee

[00:22:38] and you can play as many board games as you'd like.

[00:22:40] But when you join a group of hardcore board gamers,

[00:22:43] you just kind of pray that you know what you're doing.

[00:22:45] Though one time I went with my wife

[00:22:46] and we had to join this other guy because if you don't reserve a table

[00:22:49] ahead of time, you had to play with the other groups.

[00:22:51] So it was this guy who was kind of an antsy college student, my wife and I.

[00:22:55] We played a few games and my wife,

[00:22:57] who has probably never played a board game outside of the game of life,

[00:23:01] completely smoked him.

[00:23:02] She barely knew the rules, but persevered through sheer beginner's luck.

[00:23:05] It was amazing.

[00:23:07] Though I don't know if you'll ace Kashi-Do the first few rounds

[00:23:10] through pure beginner's luck.

[00:23:13] The game has you move tiles on a four by four grid, 16 tiles, four colors each

[00:23:17] around the grid are chips that you can get by matching tiles to that row or column.

[00:23:22] So let's say a row as a reward has a chip with three yellow

[00:23:25] in order to get that chip,

[00:23:27] you need to end your turn with three yellow tiles on that row.

[00:23:30] The chips go towards your point total,

[00:23:32] but you can also use the chips to give you an advantage on your move.

[00:23:35] This is one of the more interesting elements of the game

[00:23:37] as sometimes you don't necessarily go for what chip grants you the most points,

[00:23:40] but instead your collecting abilities that you can use to give you an advantage,

[00:23:44] especially later on in the game.

[00:23:46] For example, you can only normally swap tiles once per turn.

[00:23:49] But if you use a red chip, it can give you two more swaps.

[00:23:52] Yellow chips give you the ability to take multiple chips per round.

[00:23:56] Green chips let you lower the requirement for taking chips

[00:23:59] like you can now take a three green chip when only two greener in a row.

[00:24:03] And finally, blue chips don't do anything, but they grant you double points.

[00:24:06] The real meat of the game's strategic element is trying to figure out

[00:24:09] which chips you should grab and then using them at key moments in the game.

[00:24:13] It does somewhat lead towards hoarding them to the end.

[00:24:15] Those last few rounds, all the chips have been taken.

[00:24:18] So you just have rows and columns that have harder conditions

[00:24:21] to grab a chip like four red in the same column.

[00:24:24] Seems impossible.

[00:24:25] But if you saved up red, you can move more than you can also combo

[00:24:28] that into green to grab a four red chip when there are actually

[00:24:31] only two red on the row.

[00:24:32] So don't just blow your chips early on as a game.

[00:24:35] The core fundamentals are easy to understand, but require a good deal of strategy.

[00:24:39] The chip layout is random each time, so each game feels unique.

[00:24:42] As for the aforementioned wagashi, all the game pieces look like round

[00:24:46] glass tiles with wagashi inside them.

[00:24:48] They look absolutely amazing.

[00:24:50] I can definitely see the appeal of owning it as a physical board game.

[00:24:54] What's great is that while all the colors share a similar wagashi theme,

[00:24:57] each individual piece is different.

[00:24:59] So the red has rabbit shaped wagashi, but each tile has a unique wagashi inside of it.

[00:25:04] Now, what I like this game, if they replaced wagashi with anything else,

[00:25:08] I mean, maybe not as much.

[00:25:10] The theme is really just up my alley, which I think is a big part

[00:25:12] of making a successful board game.

[00:25:15] There are some big marks against it, though, for one, no difficulty levels.

[00:25:18] I suppose if you get really good at the game, you could probably just clean house.

[00:25:22] I'm not there yet.

[00:25:22] I've only won a few times, but even something like clubhouse games

[00:25:26] has multiple difficulty levels you can unlock, which encourages you to keep playing.

[00:25:30] Also, the rules are actually somewhat vague and poorly translated.

[00:25:34] It does not get into the intricacies of strategy and outright misstate some stuff.

[00:25:38] For example, if you want a two green ship on a row, you need to green tiles.

[00:25:42] But the rules make it seem like they need to be touching each other,

[00:25:45] which is absolutely not the case.

[00:25:47] You can have green red blue green on a row and still get that two green tile.

[00:25:52] This was a mechanic I was horribly confused about playing the game

[00:25:54] because I didn't understand why the computer could take certain pieces.

[00:25:59] The UI is also a little clunky and the game doesn't explain

[00:26:01] well how you can actually use the chips.

[00:26:03] You need to use a red chip before you move.

[00:26:05] Then after you end a turn, you're granted an opportunity to use a yellow chip,

[00:26:08] then a green chip.

[00:26:10] This is something the rules do not touch on, but it's vital for victory.

[00:26:13] If very much as a bare bones digital version of a pretty neat board game

[00:26:16] with great theming, I don't know realistically how long

[00:26:19] you would hold your attention unless you just really get into it

[00:26:21] or have a board game group.

[00:26:23] But it's only $13 on the e shop

[00:26:25] and it will probably go on sale sooner than later.

[00:26:27] So if it at least sounded interesting, it might be worth a pickup.

[00:26:30] Otherwise, it's not going to change your world.

[00:26:32] But the wagashi does look amazing.

[00:26:34] The other game I've been playing, I finished Princess Peach Showtime.

[00:26:38] I cleared it in about five hours to nine hours and 59 minutes,

[00:26:41] only Nintendo knows my true play time.

[00:26:43] I talked about the game on the last episode of the podcast,

[00:26:46] but here are my final thoughts on Good Feel's swing at a Princess Peach game.

[00:26:50] The game honestly surpassed my expectations.

[00:26:53] I didn't expect a whole lot since I was wondering if I would just be bored

[00:26:56] since it seemed aimed at very, very young gamers.

[00:26:59] But Showtime is just completely overflowing with creativity and charm.

[00:27:03] It's not a buy the numbers game at all.

[00:27:05] Instead, it's surprisingly ambitious,

[00:27:07] albeit one that is still very, very simple and straightforward.

[00:27:10] The game focuses more on gameplay variety and spectacular set pieces

[00:27:13] over Twitch platforming or intense action.

[00:27:16] Last episode, I said the spectacle wasn't up to Kirby level.

[00:27:18] But after clearing it, there are definitely some awesome stages

[00:27:21] that ramp up the excitement.

[00:27:22] You race trains, have a big Kaiju battle, escape and exploding airship,

[00:27:26] thwart a terrorist attack.

[00:27:28] Peach can do it all.

[00:27:29] I don't see Mario doing this.

[00:27:31] He gets a star and then he's out.

[00:27:34] And the stage gimmick and costume changes allow the devs to put Peach

[00:27:36] in a lot of strange situations you wouldn't find Mario in.

[00:27:40] They basically turn Peach into some sort of even simpler version of Kirby.

[00:27:43] But all the abilities are quite fun to use,

[00:27:44] even though there's not a lot of depth to each one.

[00:27:48] I will say it was very smart to not just have all the costumes

[00:27:50] be different attacks, having some that aren't focused on combat at all

[00:27:54] keeps the game from feeling stale or too action focused.

[00:27:56] But honestly, I do lean towards the big action set pieces over the mini game

[00:27:59] focused stages. All right.

[00:28:01] Ultimate costume ranking one kung fu, two ninja, three cowgirl,

[00:28:07] four patissier, five superhero, six detective, seven dashing thief,

[00:28:13] eight figure skater, nine mermaid, ten swordfighter.

[00:28:17] None of them are bad, though.

[00:28:18] I would rank swordfighter the lowest since it is by far

[00:28:20] the most basic, especially compared to all the other combat ones.

[00:28:24] But it's mostly just the tutorial costume that teaches players

[00:28:26] the mechanics of the game, so I can't hate on it.

[00:28:29] Plus, Peach looks really stylish in her musketeer outfit.

[00:28:32] Showtime is the game that needs to be made to put Peach back

[00:28:34] in the main character spotlight.

[00:28:36] Something kids who have never played a real game before can try out.

[00:28:39] It's not punishing even if you die, just lose some coins.

[00:28:42] And the mechanics are really easy to grasp.

[00:28:45] The main complaint people will have with the game, though,

[00:28:46] is just that it's very, very easy with no real depth

[00:28:49] to the mechanics and limited flexibility in how you tackle a stage.

[00:28:53] There's no real exploration or notable challenging segments.

[00:28:55] It does just feel like you are going along for the ride.

[00:28:58] Every challenge just has one thing you've got to do,

[00:29:00] and you just do it with minimal thought.

[00:29:02] I think this is why I quite like the detective outfit,

[00:29:04] because there are some puzzles that do require a bit of thinking.

[00:29:07] Nothing crazy, but the puzzles are pretty different

[00:29:09] and have a fun theming around them.

[00:29:12] The main challenging aspect comes from the collectibles.

[00:29:15] In pure good feel fashion, there's about a billion of them.

[00:29:18] Mostly just stars you find in the stage,

[00:29:20] but there's also some costumes you can earn as well.

[00:29:22] Many of them are quite well hidden.

[00:29:24] I think there are only a few stages

[00:29:25] where I got all the collectibles the first time through.

[00:29:28] And since the game is so short,

[00:29:29] this is the main impetuous to keep playing it after the credits roll.

[00:29:33] There's even a new unlockable after you beat the game,

[00:29:35] just in case you tried to 100% it beforehand.

[00:29:38] Good feel always has something up their sleeves

[00:29:40] to stretch out the length of the game.

[00:29:42] Honestly, I didn't really bother with the collectible aspect.

[00:29:45] In a Mario game, of course, I tried to 100% it

[00:29:47] because it's fairly manageable and it's just fun to replay levels.

[00:29:50] But in good feel games, you've got to really have that special lobe

[00:29:53] in your brain that makes you want to collect every single little thing.

[00:29:56] Me, I'm one and done.

[00:29:58] But maybe I may play through some of the more spectacular stages again

[00:30:01] one day if I get in a peachy mood.

[00:30:03] If the game does well, Peach now has her own franchise.

[00:30:07] It is a little sad that it's obviously below Super Mario

[00:30:09] and Luigi's Mansion in quality, but hey, it's game one.

[00:30:13] I think there's a lot of potential for future games down the line.

[00:30:16] The costume gimmick is good, so let's keep that.

[00:30:18] But maybe give Peach more abilities again, closer to something like Kirby.

[00:30:22] I understand them not wanting to make it too hard or complex,

[00:30:25] but if you make Peach powerful enough, kids can just brute force

[00:30:28] their way through stages while experienced gamers can experiment more

[00:30:31] and appreciate some of the more richer mechanics.

[00:30:34] I would also love to see co-op throw Daisy or Rosalina in here

[00:30:38] and maybe lean a bit more into the non combat stages.

[00:30:41] I think this area has the most room for growth

[00:30:43] in terms of new ideas they could introduce.

[00:30:45] A possible Peach Showtime series has way more room for creativity

[00:30:49] as opposed to a craft Yoshi game, for example.

[00:30:52] Like what are they going to add to the next Yoshi game

[00:30:54] that will get people excited?

[00:30:56] Though hey, maybe Yoshi and Peach can team up.

[00:30:58] I'm trying to think if Peach is ever ridden Yoshi and honestly,

[00:31:02] no, maybe Yoshi is not in Super Mario Brothers 2.

[00:31:06] She's captured in world Yoshi isn't in 3D land.

[00:31:09] Peach isn't playable in any of the new games.

[00:31:12] I guess Peach can ride Yoshi and wonder,

[00:31:14] but that's another character and not like a power up.

[00:31:17] So in short, make a Yoshi cross Peach game

[00:31:20] and also throw Kirby in there. Why not?

[00:31:23] Now, while I had a nice time with Princess Peach Showtime,

[00:31:26] it is hard to automatically recommend.

[00:31:28] I mean, it's a $60 game that's about five to ten hours max.

[00:31:31] But if you want a more chill experience

[00:31:33] after playing some massive game or you really like Peach

[00:31:36] or you're buying it for a young child,

[00:31:38] Showtime has a lot to offer and gets me excited

[00:31:40] about the potential future of the franchise.

[00:31:43] Honestly, I would much rather have Goodfield work on a sequel

[00:31:45] to this game over a new Yoshi game

[00:31:48] or just do the team up. Nothing stopping them.

[00:31:50] That's it for games now for the news.

[00:31:59] No Nintendo Direct just yet,

[00:32:00] but we do have some Nintendo news to chat about.

[00:32:03] Nintendo finally released some details

[00:32:04] on the upcoming Inless Ocean Luminous.

[00:32:07] The flow of the game seems to be you diving into somewhat randomly

[00:32:09] generated oceans where you explore, observe fish

[00:32:12] and find treasures.

[00:32:14] Doing so will increase your diver rank,

[00:32:16] which unlocks new things to do and see.

[00:32:18] You can also go online with other divers

[00:32:20] and there are even special online missions to take part in.

[00:32:23] Though it does seem very simple on the surface,

[00:32:25] there seems to be a lot of content in the game.

[00:32:27] At least 578 fish, a lot of different biomes

[00:32:31] like underwater temples, sunken ships, glaciers and so on.

[00:32:35] You can take pictures of the fish and yes, even selfies.

[00:32:38] How many people can say they have a selfie

[00:32:39] with the great white shark?

[00:32:41] There also seem to be a lot of rare treasures,

[00:32:43] but the treasures mostly just seem to be gleaming dots

[00:32:45] that you interact with and then show the JPEG of what you got.

[00:32:48] I would vastly prefer if the treasures were 3D objects

[00:32:51] on the map that you can actually see a lot Pikmin,

[00:32:53] but maybe it's integrated well into the game. Let's see.

[00:32:56] I'm pretty excited for the game.

[00:32:58] It'll be my first Inless Ocean title,

[00:32:59] and it seems like they are really packing it in

[00:33:01] with a lot of things to do and see.

[00:33:03] The randomly generated oceans with the seed you can share

[00:33:06] is straight out of a roguelike,

[00:33:07] which is an interesting take on the game.

[00:33:09] Side order was a fascinating take on the genre,

[00:33:11] so I wonder if other devs associated with Nintendo

[00:33:14] are getting the roguelike bug.

[00:33:17] Anyways, Inless Ocean is about a month away

[00:33:19] and rest assured I will be talking a lot about it.

[00:33:21] Things are also ramping up at Universal Studios Japan

[00:33:24] with the Donkey Kong expansion.

[00:33:26] YouTuber LCA Studios recently posted a video

[00:33:29] of test rides of the Minecart ride

[00:33:31] that would be the big attraction in the section.

[00:33:33] The ride is supposedly quite innovative,

[00:33:35] and the main feature is that it has a false track.

[00:33:39] The track that it looks like you're riding on

[00:33:40] is just purely for appearance.

[00:33:42] Instead, it's attached to another mechanism on the side.

[00:33:45] This basically seems like you're going to jump over the track,

[00:33:47] but don't worry, you're safe.

[00:33:49] Probably.

[00:33:50] The video doesn't show the ride in detail,

[00:33:52] but you can see some glimpses of the false track

[00:33:54] in effect in a few shots.

[00:33:57] I like the Mario Kart ride,

[00:33:58] but this one has potential to be even more exciting

[00:34:00] if they pull it off.

[00:34:01] It looks like the DK part of Super Nintendo World

[00:34:03] in Japan is pretty much done.

[00:34:05] I've come across some rumors that

[00:34:06] USJ might get a ticket price increase in June,

[00:34:09] which has people speculating that the DK section

[00:34:12] would open around then or July.

[00:34:14] I don't think I can make it down there this year,

[00:34:15] but hopefully I can get someone who did attend

[00:34:17] to come on the podcast.

[00:34:18] And there's a bunch of new Nintendo merch,

[00:34:20] the biggest, of course, being an official

[00:34:22] Earthbound ruler from Homo Nichi Mother Project.

[00:34:25] The ruler is an iconic item in the series

[00:34:27] that does absolutely nothing,

[00:34:29] but you can own a real one made of bamboo

[00:34:32] from the Shiga Prefecture in Japan.

[00:34:34] It's also now on Homo Nichi Mother Projects

[00:34:36] official store.

[00:34:38] A toy and crew announced that this year

[00:34:39] they will have a lot of new mother merch and events.

[00:34:42] So far, we've gotten some interesting items,

[00:34:44] but nothing too crazy.

[00:34:45] I am always amazed about how much merch

[00:34:47] they can squeeze out of this very dormant series.

[00:34:50] Uniclo is also going to start carrying

[00:34:52] tiers of the kingdom themed shirts

[00:34:53] this month in Japan.

[00:34:55] The designs are pretty so so, to be honest.

[00:34:57] Uniclo gaming collabs used to be absolutely amazing.

[00:35:01] Just look at those early Metal Gear ones.

[00:35:03] But these days it's just promo art

[00:35:04] slapped on the shirt and it's way too minimalist.

[00:35:07] Not sure if I'll pick them up.

[00:35:08] I already own a tiers of the kingdom shirt

[00:35:11] and honestly, probably one is enough.

[00:35:13] Something I don't own though is a Likachan doll.

[00:35:17] But there will be a special Kirby themed

[00:35:19] Likachan doll in September.

[00:35:21] If you don't know who Likachan is,

[00:35:23] she's basically Japan's answer to Barbie,

[00:35:25] but she is much younger and more anime looking

[00:35:27] compared to, I guess, the quote unquote

[00:35:30] realistic Barbie.

[00:35:31] Last year there was a Mario themed Likachan doll

[00:35:33] and I do wonder if there'll be some more

[00:35:34] Nintendo collabs in the future.

[00:35:37] Metroid Likachan?

[00:35:38] Hmm?

[00:35:40] Finally, Sanne is releasing a plushie of Moss

[00:35:42] from Pikmin 4 in June.

[00:35:44] Looks nice just as expected from Sanne.

[00:35:47] I have to think that the Leafling plushies are next.

[00:35:49] Outside of the Bulb Orb, there are not a lot

[00:35:51] of enemy plushies, which is a gap they need to fill.

[00:35:54] Last bit of news, F-Zero Maximum Velocity

[00:35:57] was added to Nintendo Switch Online.

[00:35:59] This is the first GBA F-Zero game.

[00:36:01] There are actually three GBA F-Zero games,

[00:36:04] but the last one is Japan only.

[00:36:06] Like most people, I've only played the first one

[00:36:08] and supposedly that is the best one.

[00:36:11] It's developed by Indie Cube,

[00:36:12] one of their first projects with Nintendo.

[00:36:15] The sequels were developed by Suzak,

[00:36:16] a company that doesn't exist anymore,

[00:36:18] but they also developed Wario Master of Disguise.

[00:36:21] So you can now play three 16 bit

[00:36:24] looking F-Zero games on Switch.

[00:36:25] What more can you ask for?

[00:36:28] On that amazing note, let's wrap up.

[00:36:30] Thanks as always for listening.

[00:36:31] Be sure to like and subscribe to this podcast

[00:36:33] on your favorite app.

[00:36:34] Leave a five star review as well.

[00:36:35] It helps with visibility.

[00:36:37] The podcast is also available on YouTube,

[00:36:39] so like and subscribe there as well.

[00:36:41] Among Twitter, Threads, Blue Sky, Instagram,

[00:36:43] just search for Tokyo Game Life

[00:36:44] or find the links in the podcast description.

[00:36:47] If you like the podcast, be sure to share

[00:36:48] with your friends and on social media.

[00:36:51] If there's anything you want me to talk about or cover,

[00:36:53] don't be shy, just message me on Twitter.

[00:36:55] The next episode will be on April 21st.

[00:36:58] See you next time.

[00:36:59] Matadeh!