Tag Archives: NIS America

Village in the Shade (Honogurashi no Niwa) Is Out Now in Japan — English Version Coming Fall 2026

Nippon Ichi Software’s hand-painted farming sim with a dark edge — Honogurashi no Niwa (ほの暮しの庭) — went live in Japan today, 30 July 2026, on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. If you’ve been following its reveal in Japanese game media, the wait is finally over. For Singapore fans, the good news is that NIS America has already confirmed the game will reach the West as Village in the Shade this fall, so a localised release is not far off.

Village in the Shade — village scene with hand-painted art style
Image courtesy of Nippon Ichi Software

What Is Village in the Shade?

Village in the Shade is set in Kagatsu, a remote Japanese mountain village. You arrive as a wandering stranger, the villagers take you in, and in exchange you work the land — growing crops, tending livestock, hunting, fishing, and crafting furniture to decorate your home. So far, so cosy. But Kagatsu runs on eight strict rules, and the game does not let you forget them.

The studio behind the game is NIS Team Yomawari, the same internal team at Nippon Ichi Software responsible for the Yomawari survival horror series. That pedigree shows in the game’s unsettling undercurrent: the art style is warm and hand-painted, the village festivals feel nostalgic, but the rules make clear that something is very wrong after dark.

Village in the Shade – Announcement Trailer | PS5 Games — via PlayStation on YouTube

Follow the Rules — Or Else

Kagatsu’s village rules are central to the experience. Three of the most prominent, as confirmed by Nippon Ichi Software, are:

  • Don’t talk to strangers.
  • Don’t leave the village.
  • Don’t go out at night.

The game does not spell out what happens if you break them. That ambiguity is intentional — it creates a slow-burn tension running beneath every harvest and every chat with a neighbour. If the horror edge is not what you are looking for, Nippon Ichi also confirmed a Safe Livelihood Mode that removes the frightening elements so you can enjoy the farming sim loop on its own terms.

Village in the Shade — farming and crop cultivation
Image courtesy of Nippon Ichi Software

Farming, Crafting, and Village Life

Outside of the mystery, the game’s life-sim loop looks substantial. Players can:

  • Cultivate crops and tend fields across the seasons
  • Raise livestock including chickens, cows, and horses, and process goods like cheese
  • Hunt and fish to supplement the village pantry
  • Craft furniture and decorative items to personalise your home and garden
  • Build relationships with the cast of villagers through helping them and joining festivals

The hand-painted visual style — which 4Gamer.net (Japanese) highlighted in its launch coverage today — gives the game a watercolour feel that sets it apart from the pixel-art norm in the farming-sim genre.

Village in the Shade — character and environment art
Image courtesy of Nippon Ichi Software

When Does Village in the Shade Come to Singapore?

NIS America announced in March 2026 that Village in the Shade will release in English for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and PC (Steam) in Fall 2026. No exact date or SGD pricing has been confirmed yet.

If you want to play before the English release, the Japanese version launched today on Steam under the Village in the Shade Steam page — the game interface is currently in Japanese, so keep that in mind. A physical edition for Japan is also available. The English eShop and PlayStation Store listings are expected when NIS America sets the western launch date.

Village in the Shade — night atmosphere and village setting
Image courtesy of Nippon Ichi Software

Japanese Pricing and Editions

In Japan, Honogurashi no Niwa is priced at ¥9,020 for the standard edition and ¥12,100 for the Deluxe Edition which adds a digital art book. For the western release, NIS America has announced a Limited Edition at US$89.99, which includes a copy of the game, a collector’s box, art book, original soundtrack, acrylic block, and a set of metal pins — par for the course for NIS America’s premium physical releases.

Stay tuned to our Game News section for the confirmed Singapore release date and local pricing when NIS America makes the announcement.

Disgaea Mayhem Launches Tomorrow on Switch 2, PS5 and PC — The Series Goes Action RPG

Nippon Ichi Software is doing something it has never done in 23 years of Disgaea: putting down the grid. Disgaea Mayhem, the franchise’s first action RPG spin-off, launches on 23 July 2026 on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam — and Singapore players can grab it tonight when the eShop and Steam unlock.

What Is Disgaea Mayhem?

Developed by Nippon Ichi Software and published internationally by NIS America, Disgaea Mayhem trades the series’ beloved grid-based tactical battles for fast-paced, third-person action combat. You play as N.A., a veteran mercenary with a serious sweet tooth, summoned by Overlord Princess Tichelle to help her recover stolen flan from across the Superlative Netherworld.

Seven weapon classes are available — swords, spears, axes, fists, guns, bows, and staffs — each with its own distinct combo strings. The star mechanic is Magichange, which lets you transform Battle Buddy demons into powered-up weapons mid-fight, layering a distinctly Disgaea flavour onto what might otherwise be a straightforward Musou brawler.

Disgaea Mayhem – Release Date Announcement Trailer — via NIS America on YouTube

The Magichange System and Weapon Variety

For long-time fans, the Magichange system makes a satisfying return in a new form — transforming your Battle Buddy demons into powered-up weapons on the fly effectively triples your combat options and keeps fights from feeling repetitive even across an eight-hour story. Each of the seven weapon classes plays differently enough that there is genuine reason to experiment.

The game also retains two of Disgaea’s most beloved progression systems: the Item World, a procedurally generated dungeon inside every piece of gear you want to upgrade, and the Assembly (here the Dark Chocolate Assembly), which lets you pass bills to unlock passive bonuses. If you have ever lost a weekend inside Disgaea’s grinding loop, Mayhem will pull you right back in.

Disgaea Mayhem action combat with multiple enemies
Image courtesy of Nippon Ichi Software

What Critics Are Saying Before Launch

Reviews broke ahead of the Western launch and have been broadly positive. Final Weapon awarded it 3.5 out of 5, writing that “the weapon variety between all seven classes feels good enough to make you want to try them all” and calling it “a fun new Disgaea action RPG spin-off with Musou-like gameplay qualities.” Nintendo Life similarly found it a solid spin-off that successfully adapts Disgaea’s core systems to action gameplay.

Common caveats across reviews: the main story wraps up in roughly eight hours, the lock-on system only targets boss enemies rather than regular foes (which can affect accuracy in busy fights), and the Switch 2 Performance Mode shows some visual softening versus the PS5 version. At US$59.99 on consoles, it is a premium price for a focused spin-off — though the Item World grind will easily double or triple that story runtime for anyone who leans into it.

Disgaea Mayhem Item World dungeon
Image courtesy of Nippon Ichi Software
Disgaea Mayhem – Demo Trailer — via NIS America on YouTube

How to Get Disgaea Mayhem in Singapore

Disgaea Mayhem is available digitally from 23 July on the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, and Steam. The game originally launched in Japan in January 2026; this Western release includes the full English localisation from NIS America.

Singapore players on Switch 2 can grab it from the Singapore eShop; PS5 owners will find it on the local PlayStation Store. Steam pricing in SGD will appear at checkout. A free demo was available ahead of launch — check your storefront if you missed it, as it may still be live at launch time.

If you have never tried Disgaea before, Mayhem is a surprisingly accessible entry point — the action format removes the learning curve of the grid-based system while still delivering the character writing and progression loops that have kept the series alive for over two decades. Check out more game news for what else is landing on Switch 2 and PS5 this month.

Disgaea Mayhem character art and Netherworld
Image courtesy of Nippon Ichi Software
Disgaea Mayhem battle scene
Image courtesy of Nippon Ichi Software

Prinny Party: Going Overboard! — November 12 in Japan

The adorable — and chronically explodable — Prinny penguin is finally getting its own party game, and Nippon Ichi Software dropped the full reveal today. Prinny Party: Going Overboard! lands in Japan on 12 November 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. NIS America has confirmed a Western localisation is in the works, though a release date is yet to be announced.

Prinny Party: Going Overboard! key art featuring the Prinny and Disgaea characters
Image courtesy of NIS America / Nippon Ichi Software

What Is Prinny Party: Going Overboard?

Known in Japan as プリニーすごろく (Prinny Sugoroku), the game is NIS’s take on the board-game party genre — think Mario Party crossed with Dokapon Kingdom, filtered through the anarchic energy of Disgaea. Up to four players roll dice, move around a sprawling board, earn experience points, purchase equipment, and build facilities like armories and hospitals that rivals can drop into — for a fee, naturally.

The cooperative twist is very Nippon Ichi: when a boss spawns on the board, players can team up to bring it down — but only the one who lands the final blow gets the credit. Expect alliances to collapse at the worst possible moment. On top of that, the game features an Assembly system that lets you pass bills granting yourself special advantages, or just making everyone else’s day considerably worse.

Disgaea characters on a board game island square in Prinny Party: Going Overboard!
Image courtesy of Nippon Ichi Software

The World of Prinny Party

The game board spans multiple visually distinct biomes — frozen tundra, volcanic wastelands, lush grasslands, desert ruins, and open seas — all rendered in the chibi art style Disgaea fans will recognise immediately. Several Disgaea-universe characters appear alongside the flagship blue Prinny, who shows up briefcase in hand and ready to catch hands, as ever.

The full game board map of Prinny Party: Going Overboard! showing diverse biome regions
Image courtesy of Nippon Ichi Software

Nippon Ichi Software described the game as packed with “hachiyamecha” (ハチャメチャ — wildly chaotic) experiences that go well beyond a typical board game, promising surprises that will flip players’ expectations of the sugoroku format. The full reveal took place today on the official 日本一チャンネル YouTube livestream (Japanese).

Full reveal stream — 【ゆるっと日本一2】第2回 プロジェクトネーム「プリニーすごろく」紹介 — via 日本一チャンネル on YouTube

Platforms, Price, and When Singapore Fans Can Play

Concept art of the Prinny mascot holding a flag in Prinny Party: Going Overboard!
Image courtesy of Nippon Ichi Software

Japan pricing is set at ¥6,980 (¥7,678 with tax) across all platforms — no Switch 2 premium has been confirmed yet. No SGD pricing or Asia release date has been announced.

The good news: both the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 are region-free, so Singapore fans who want to play from day one can import the Japanese version when it drops on 12 November 2026. The PS5 physical edition will run on any region’s console too, though digital buyers will need a Japanese PlayStation Network account. As for a global release, NIS America is handling Western publishing and has confirmed a date is coming — so an English version covering Singapore and Southeast Asia should follow, even if the timing is not pinned down yet.

R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos Is Out Now — The 16-Year Wait Is Over

R-Type fans, the wait is finally, genuinely over. R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos, the Unreal Engine 5 remake of both PSP strategy entries, launched today, 18 June 2026, in the West on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Published by NIS America, this is the first time either Tactics game has appeared on current-generation hardware — and critically, the first time R-Type Tactics II has ever been released in English.

R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos – Release Date Announcement Trailer — via NIS America on YouTube

Sixteen Years in the Making

R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate originally launched on the PSP in Japan in 2009 but never made it West. Developer Irem shut down its consumer games division not long after, and the sequel quietly became one of strategy gaming’s most notable localisation gaps. Granzella — the studio formed by former Irem staff — brought the franchise back with this full remake collection, and NIS America stepped in as Western publisher to finally close the English gap seventeen years on.

Both games have been rebuilt from scratch in Unreal Engine 5, far removed from the original PSP releases. The collection adds a brand-new post-game storyline on top of the original campaigns, meaning there is fresh content even for players who imported the Japanese version earlier this year.

What Is in the Collection?

The two games in the set share the R-Type universe’s distinctive aesthetic — humanity’s Space Corps versus the biomechanical Bydo empire — but play out as turn-based tactical strategy rather than the shoot-’em-up series it spun off from. Each campaign offers hundreds of ship units to deploy, branching mission structures, and the ability to play as both the Space Corps and the Bydo across separate playthrough perspectives.

  • R-Type Tactics I — remake of the 2007 PSP original, now in English with UE5 visuals
  • R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate — the 2009 sequel, in English for the first time anywhere
  • New post-game campaign — an entirely original storyline added for this Cosmos release

Platforms and Where to Get It in Singapore

The game is out today on all major platforms available in Singapore: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store). A Limited Edition physical bundle — including a 2-disc soundtrack, conceptual art cards, and two acrylic stands (Rwf-9A Arrow Head and Bwf-1Dα Bydo System Alpha) — is priced at USD 79.99 via the NIS America Online Store. Standard digital pricing is available directly on each platform’s store. Note the Limited Edition for Xbox Series X|S is no longer offered; that version is digital-only.

Japan, Asia, and Korea players have been able to play since 12 March 2026 — so today’s Western launch fills in the last major release territory gap.

Last Words

R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos is a genuine occasion for strategy fans: a beautifully remastered pair of games that most Western players never got to experience properly, now on every current platform. For Singapore players with a PS5, Switch 2, or a capable PC, there is no excuse not to check it out — especially if you have ever bounced off the original shoot-’em-up series and wondered what the franchise looks like as a tactics game. It looks like this. Check out our Game News section for more launch coverage this week.