Tag Archives: Idea Factory

short;Play: Moero Crystal H

In the mood for a great dungeon crawler filled to the brim with gorgeous monster girls? You should definitely check out Moero Crystal H from Idea Factory and Compile Heart, then, especially since eastasiasoft has worked so hard to bring this title to English speakers.

I absolutely adore this game, as you’ll know if you’ve read my review over at Nintendo Life, but since I was under a lot of time pressure to get the review out for an embargo, I wanted to spend some more time with it after getting that post up! This video will give you a look at the game in action, and you can expect some more in-depth articles on the game in the near future.

In the meantime, enjoy this episode of short;Play below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more!

The MoeGamer 2019 Awards: Developer of the Decade

The MoeGamer Awards are a series of β€œalternative” awards I’ve devised in collaboration with the community to celebrate the sorts of things that never get celebrated in end-of-year roundups!Β Find out more here β€” and feel free to leave a suggestion on that post if you have any good ideas! We’re out of time for this year, but leave a suggestion anyway and I might use it next year!

–

In the five-and-a-bit years since MoeGamer has been a thing — and, indeed, pretty much since the beginning of the decade, when I chose to specialise my gaming in the things I personally found interesting rather than that which was critically well-received by the mainstream — I’ve come across a lot of wonderful developers.

Some of these are new companies just getting started; some have undergone radical changes since their formation; some have a long and fascinating history. Some have put out just a few games that are worthy of note; others have been incredibly prolific. All of them are worthy of respect and attention; a disappointing number of them don’t get either of those things!

When I think back over the decade just gone by, one developer in particular stands out as not only being an absolutely defining influence on my modern gaming tastes and approach to exploring media in general, but also as being a group of passionate individuals who are more than happy to learn new lessons from each and every title they ship in the name of gradual, constant improvement. And that’s why they’re my choice for Developer of the Decade.

And the winner is…

Continue reading The MoeGamer 2019 Awards: Developer of the Decade

The MoeGamer Podcast: Episode 33 – The End of the Year Show

It’s the last-but-one day of the year, so what better way to round it off than to enjoy a couple of hours of chilled conversation between me and my good buddy Chris Caskie of MrGilderPixels?

The MoeGamer Podcast is available in several places. You canΒ subscribe to my channel on YouTubeΒ to stay up to date with both the video versions of the podcast and my weekly videos (including the Atari A to Z retro gaming series); you canΒ follow on SoundcloudΒ for the audio-only version of the podcast; you canΒ subscribe via RSSΒ to get the audio-only version of the podcast in your favourite podcast app; or you canΒ subscribe via iTunesΒ andΒ listen on Spotify. Please do at least one of these if you can; it really helps us out!

Or you can just hit the jump to watch or listen to today’s episode right here on MoeGamer.

Continue reading The MoeGamer Podcast: Episode 33 – The End of the Year Show

Waifu Wednesday: Amayo Sato

It’s not something I see people talk about a whole lot, but I get the impression the fantasy of having a sibling you don’t already have — particularly an older sister — is quite a popular one among certain portions of the population.

I’m not even talking about a sexual fantasy here; I’m simply referring to the idea that some people seem to find the idea of having an older sister quite pleasant. And yes, I’m one of those people.

We’re certainly well-catered to when it comes to Japanese popular media, at least, with a whole host of charmingΒ onee-chansΒ out there just waiting to take care of us. The most recent I’ve encountered? Amayo Sato fromΒ Gun Gun Pixies.

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Amayo Sato

Gun Gun Pixies: Tiny Girls, Huge Hearts

This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
<< First | < Previous | Next > | Latest >>


One thing I always like to see is when developers get a bit experimental.

Idea Factory and Compile Heart have always been good at this, and their numerous experiments over the last ten years or so have really allowed them to hone their craft, showing marked improvements from their earlier PS3 titles up until today. And when you partner up with an ensemble like Shade, who, as we’ve already seen, are certainly not averse to doing things a bit differently from the norm, the results can be very interesting indeed.

One such result isΒ Gun Gun Pixies.Β So let’s take a closer look at what’s going on with this unusual game.

Continue reading Gun Gun Pixies: Tiny Girls, Huge Hearts

Death end re;Quest: Down the Rabbit Hole

This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
<< First | < Previous


Death end re;Quest, in keeping with the rest of Compile Heart’s Galapagos RPG project, is an ambitious and rather unusual affair from a narrative perspective.

The setup for the game is pureΒ isekai,Β but almost immediately after actually starting the game for the first time, you’ll come to realise that there’s much more going on here — a really interesting blend of genres and styles that makes good use of its medium to tell a story and raise some intriguing questions.

Let’s take a closer look.

Continue reading Death end re;Quest: Down the Rabbit Hole

Waifu Wednesday: Lucil Filarete

Death end re;Quest’s cast, like many other Compile Heart ensembles, is designed in such a way that pretty much everyone will find someone who appeals to them.

If you’re the type who likes the kind of girl who speaks in a wispy, seemingly emotionless, far-off voice, then you’ll probably get along with Lucil Filarete. If you like petite elf girls with honkin’ great boobies, you’ll probably also get along with Lucil Filarete.

In short, she’s a very appealing character for many, many reasons!

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Lucil Filarete

Waifu Wednesday: Clea Glaive

Everyone’s sure to have a favourite from among Death end re;Quest’s all-female cast. And I imagine a popular choice will be Clea.

A great example of how the game sets and subverts expectation with regard to character tropes, Clea might initially seem like your common-or-garden ohohoho-ingΒ ojou-sama, but over time it becomes abundantly clear that there’s more than meets the eye here.

Let’s take a closer look!

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Clea Glaive

Death end re;Quest: The Art of Fighting

This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
<< First | < Previous | Next > | Latest >>


One of the things Compile Heart’s Galapagos RPG project has been keen to do ever since its inception is experiment with mechanics, particularly when it comes to combat.

Death end re;QuestΒ is an excellent example of this, featuring several layers of mechanics that keep things consistently interesting as you play through the main story and the optional side content. It’s also one of Compile Heart’s better balanced games to date, featuring a smooth incline in challenge factor rather than sudden, unexpected spikes.

Let’s take a closer look at how it all works.

Continue reading Death end re;Quest: The Art of Fighting

Waifu Wednesday: Shina Ninomiya

One of the more interesting things about Death end re;Quest, as we’ll discuss in more depth when we talk about its story in detail, is its dual-perspective narrative.

The “real world” unfolds from the perspective of main male protagonist Arata Mizunashi, while the “game” side of things is the domain of trapped director and lead heroine Shina Ninomiya, who initially has absolutely no recollection of how she found herself in a virtual reality game so realistic it’s difficult to distinguish from “reality”.

Shina is an excellent lead for the “in-game” side of things, for reasons that will become apparent shortly. Let’s take a closer look!

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Shina Ninomiya