The Japanese Games Proving a Point on Each Gaming Device

Japan has been a stronghold for high quality and inventive games for a very long time now.

13:21 23 May 2018

Unsurprisingly, their games do very well across the whole world, with many fans wishing that some of the Japan-exclusive games would be released worldwide.

Of all of the many games that come out of Japan every year, some make their way to the very peaks of the industry, regardless of what device they’re on. In the 12 months, a game on each type of gaming device has been able to make waves for all the right reasons.

Console: Single player games still going strong

A common perception that’s growing across the gaming industry like a plague is that single player games are no longer wanted by the fans. One of the leading preachers of this is Electronic Arts – a company which makes a remarkable percentage of its profit from microtransactions and other live services. They see online multiplayer games as becoming so popular that singleplayer games become obsolete. EA even shut down Visceral Games because the Star Wars game that they were making was a story-based linear adventure that didn’t offer the billion dollars a year server-based service that FIFA Ultimate Team does.

Luckily, Japan pulled an absolute winner out of the bag to return everyone’s faith in gaming. Monster Hunter World is still one of the biggest games of the year in Japan and worldwide. What makes it so innovative is that provides a full single-player game that can also be played in a multiplayer format.

In the Capcom creation, players’ activities are centered at base camps dotted around the vast map. At these camps, players upgrade, collect missions, complete biological research missions, eat, buy materials, organize their items, and more. After that, they embark on a quest. It is at this point that the singleplayer game can become a multiplayer game, where the player can join or host a party to embark on the chosen quest. The mechanics of the game stay the same, but with more players, more resources can be gathered in the time frame.

It just goes to show that, with a little innovation, a game can appeal to fans of single player games and multiplayer games.

Online: Adapting to the trends of the new world

One of the overwhelming stories of the last year or so has been the rise of cryptocurrency – particularly Bitcoin. Given the distrust of the general public in banks and governments these days, the idea of a decentralized currency network was always going to intrigue. Now, the cryptocurrency-revolution is in full swing. Not only does its creation come out of Japan, but some of the latest gaming innovations have as well.

Satoshi Nakamoto is claimed to be the name of the Japanese person or group who created Bitcoin and kicked off this crypto-craze. Sure, the space between Bitcoin’s inception and the crypto-boom was many years, but it all originated in Japan. Many have jumped on the cryptocurrency bandwagon in recent years, as has one of the most popular forms of gaming services has too.

When it comes to online gaming genres, few can compare to the draw and global appeal of the online casino gaming sites. Take Bitcasino, for example; it is filled with many gaming options, from slots to live roulette. It’s this wide variety that makes it so popular. Now, as you may infer from the name, players can use cryptocurrency at the online casino. This innovation opens to some of the internet’s most enthusiastic users as, naturally, playing for cryptocurrency is very appealing.

Handheld: Evolving the franchise, but keeping core values

When a franchise runs for a long time, it can be difficult for the developers to both appease their existing fans while also reaching out to the new, emerging demographic. But, if there’s one thing that Japanese game developers know exactly how to do, it’s to evolve and achieve longevity.

Despite its November release, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon managed to climb to the very top of the 2017 sales list in Japan, recording nearly 2.2 million to round out the financial year. Its global release went down very well as well, appealing to its existing fan base and new players.

The game builds on the story and land presented in Sun and Moon while also throwing in many new Pokémon and features. The gameplay itself is still akin to the classic games which fans of the originals loved – battling and catching monsters, earning gym badges, defeating the team that’s trying to ruin the world, and capture the legendary beast. Another way in which the games have been able to enchant old fans once again is with the Alola forms of classic Pokemon.

Now, though, the game features vastly improved graphics, more gameplay options, many side elements, and some online features. This ability to create a game that is familiar and yet new and improved is how the core Pokémon games manage to stay on top all over the world.

Mobile: Originators of a genre

If you’re into gaming in any way, you will have most certainly heard of the increasingly dominant Battle Royale genre of games. Titles like Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds have risen to the peak of the Western gaming world by utilizing this idea of gaming. But, as some will know, Battle Royale originates from Japan.

Koushun Takami originated the idea in his dystopian novel Battle Royale. That then spawned the 2000 film adaptation of the same name, and then a sequel. The idea is simple: all versus all in a vast arena until only one remains. Fortnite and PUBG are the most publicised games in the West but, a different game has become immensely popular in Japan.

Knives Out is a massively multiplayer battle royale mobile game which has taken Japan by storm. It has even overtaken Pokémon Go in the mobile game rankings. The game features a massive 100 people on a gigantic map in each game. As the nation is the originator of the genre and has experienced its fair share of Battle Royale productions across many forms of media, it could be assumed that they would flock to the best Battle Royale game on mobile.

There is always a lot going on in the world of gaming; be it on mobile, handheld, online, or console. But, if there’s one thing that’s for sure, it’s that Japanese continue to defy what appears to be becoming expected elsewhere by creating high-quality, exciting gaming opportunities.