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Monday, 17 June 2024 16:30

Best Underrated Manga You Should Read

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Although the world's most popular manga are worth checking out, these underrated gems are still worth a read.

During today's Nintendo Direct, developer Mistwalker announced that its popular RPG Fantasian would be making the leap to Switch later this year in an enhanced version called Fantasian Neo Dimension. The title arrived as an Apple Arcade exclusive in 2021 and currently holds an 80 out of 100 on reviews aggregate site Metacritic. It also won the award for Mobile game of the Year at the 25th Annual DICE Awards. 

Mistwalker was founded in 2004 by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, who produced Fantasian. The studio frequently collaborates with longtime Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, who also worked on Fantasian as the composer. To date, Mistwalker has released multiple critically acclaimed games, including Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and The Last Story.

Fantasian uses similar turn-based design conventions as were found in many of the most classic Final Fantasy games. The title also implements several quality-of-life modernizations, such as the ability to skip random encounters with enemy types you've already defeated until they choose to fight them all at once. Despite being a mobile title, Fantasian's ties to Apple Arcade means it does not include any microtransactions or paid DLC.

Fantasian Neo Dimension arrives on Nintendo Switch this holiday season.

Disney Illusion Island was one of our favorite platformers from last year, thanks to its charming visuals, engaging combat-free design, and toe-tapping soundtrack. If you haven't checked it out yet, today is a great day to do so, thanks to the free update that adds a brand-new chapter of gameplay.

Mystery In Monoth sees Mickey and friends lend a helping hand to Monoth's greatest detective, the trench coat-clad Dash Dolphin. In addition to what appears to be new levels packed with platforming challenges, players will get to experience some mystery-solving as well by collecting clues and evidence and connecting them using a classic bulletin board with thumbtacks and red string.

You can return to the land of Monoth to snoop and sleuth when the Mystery In Monoth update drops later today.

Today’s Nintendo Direct brought news of the welcome return of Donkey Kong to Switch. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is headed for release on January 16, 2025.

The new version looked great in its reveal trailer today, which showed off DK and his little buddy, Diddy Kong, making their way through a slew of jungle-themed environments, collecting bananas, popping barrels, and even riding Rambi the Rhinoceros.

The new remaster is set to include 80 levels, which means it will also have all the extra levels that appeared in the 2013 3DS port. The trailer also reveals plans for two-player local cooperative play.

Check our the new trailer for yourself below.

Square Enix snuck in an additional announcement at the end of the latest trailer for Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D remakes are coming in 2025. It seems that the first two games will be delivered in one package.

Series creator Yuji Horii appeared on the Direct stream to thank everyone for getting excited about the games and reminded everyone that the Erdrick trilogy is technically ordered III, I, and then II, so the games will be releasing in timeline order.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure

For the uninitiated, Hello Kitty Island Adventure may not sound like a game that would garner a lot of attention outside of the Sanrio fandom, but the Apple Arcade exclusive has attracted extremely positive fan reception, even taking home the Apple Arcade Game of the Year award in 2023. During today's Nintendo Direct, we learned that Sunblink is bringing the island-building experience to consoles and PC.

In Hello Kitty Island Adventure, My Melody is invited to open a gift shop at Big Adventures Park, and she invites Hello Kitty and her friends to the island. You create your own Sanrio-style character and join the getaway, but when you arrive, you learn that the park is abandoned. You must work with Hello Kitty to restore the island and theme park back to its bustling former glory. 

Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Sunblink claims to provide more than 100 hours of gameplay spread across several different biomes and gameplay conventions. You can also decorate your spaces and even allow friends to visit your island and decorate their Friendship Cabins. On top of that, you can collect critters, go fishing, and give gifts to island dwellers. Multiplayer allows you to solve puzzles and build homes together. 

Sunblink promises new characters, areas, clothing, items, visitors, minigames, and more will join the game post-launch, and it will all be free. Like its Apple Arcade release, there is no premium currency to earn or purchase, and you unlock everything by playing the game. Hello Kitty Island Adventure arrives on Switch in 2025, followed by releases on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC in the same calendar year. 

We finally have a look at Metroid Prime 4 outside of just a logo. The game is releasing in 2025 and is officially titled Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. The game has had its various tribulations since its announcement in 2017. It was originally being developed by Bandai Namco, but was later restarted and moved over to Retro Studios, the developer behind the the first three Metroid Prime games.

Finally seeing the game is action is exciting, but in a way, not surprising. The action is reminiscent of Retro's other Metroid games (which is a good thing). We see Samus land on a planet clearly in the middle of a battle in a new ship, she moves around, scans elements of the environment, attacks monsters, and turns into a Morph Ball. We all see a tease of a new enemy who has a pair of Metroids floating over their shoulder.

For our review of the recent Metroid Prime remaster, head here.