Six of the best upcoming Asia-English physical releases

The growth of the Asia-English side of the games industry has been a great thing for gamers who like to collect physical copies of their favourite games. More often than not, the Asia-English region plays host to packaged releases of games that only get digital releases here in the west — so while you may end up paying a little more for the game up front (and perhaps waiting a little while for it to arrive), you’ll at least have something to show for your money.

Play-Asia is arguably the leading source for releases like this, so we’ve been through their list of upcoming games and picked out six of the best Asia-English titles that you can preorder now. Some of these may well end up getting western releases (perhaps through one of the limited press companies), but all of the titles listed feature full English support in their Asian incarnation, so nab them with confidence.

Miracle Snack Shop

Play-Asia’s first self-published title, Miracle Snack Shop, is a Korean dating sim in which you manage a shop while attempting to get to know two lovely young ladies. If you’ve played Food Girls, you can likely expect something quite similar from this one.

The game originally came out for PC in 2018 and was ported to Switch in 2020. Play-Asia’s involvement includes tidying up the English localisation and producing the actual Asia-English physical packaging for the game, which is available in both regular and limited edition forms. The latter includes art cards, a soundtrack CD and acrylic standees.

Pre-order the standard edition here, or the limited edition here.

Various Daylife

I know we’re mad with Square Enix right now, but it’s worth sending a message to them that we actually like it when they release games rather than ill-advised NFT projects. Various Daylife is an interesting take on the RPG that has only had a digital release over here in the west, but in the Asia-English region it’s getting a proper release on cartridge.

Given that the game was developed by the same folks behind Octopath Traveller and Bravely Default, the packaged version’s design is clearly intended to sit nicely alongside those titles on your shelf, featuring a classy look combining muted colours and that distinctive font used by a lot of Square Enix’s recent releases. If you’re interested in giving this game a go for yourself but had been holding out for a physical release, now’s your chance to nab one.

Preorder Various Daylife for Switch here.

Witch on the Holy Night

Also known as Mahoutsukai no Yoru, this is a visual novel from Kinoku Nasu of Type-Moon. It originally released for PC in 2012, but this new version features enhanced visuals and full voice acting — plus an English localisation.

Following the story of Aoko Aozaki, this tale of magecraft in 1980s Japan is sure to satisfy everyone who enjoys the twists and turns that Nasu tends to incorporate into his work. While the Fate series remains Nasu’s most well-known work worldwide, Witch on the Holy Night has long been a well-liked entry in his portfolio — and now it’s more accessible than ever.

Preorder for Switch here, or PS4 here.

Samurai Maiden

If you like the fine art of pretty girls chopping things up with big swords — or, to put it another way, if you’re a Senran Kagura fan — then this title from D3 Publisher is likely to appeal. Featuring gorgeous visuals, a selection of playable characters and varied action gameplay, this definitely has the potential to be a lot of fun.

The story concerns a 21st century schoolgirl finding herself transported back to Sengoku-era Japan. Teaming up with three cute ninja girls, she battles her way through the underworld beneath Honnō-ji against the forces of the undead, occasionally stopping for a bit of yuri snogging if the trailers are anything to go by.

Preorder for Switch here, PS4 here or PS5 here.

Akai Katana Shin

If you like your shoot ’em ups, you may well already be familiar with Akai Katana Shin — it’s one of the Cave shoot ’em ups that actually got an Xbox 360 release here in Europe back on its original release. Now it’s coming to Switch in the Asia-English region courtesy of City Connection — which may well mean that a limited-run western release is on the way, since most of the previous Cave releases for Switch have come west in that way.

If you can’t wait, though, you can preorder the Asia-English version ahead of its early December release and get ready to enjoy a rare foray into the horizontally scrolling shoot ’em up action for Cave. This release features three variations on the game: the original 2010 arcade release, the enhanced widescreen Shin version, and the later ZetsuAkai Katana version. All three have their own little twists on the basic formula, and this is a solid but oft-overlooked classic in Cave’s back catalogue.

Preorder for Switch here.

Rush Rally Collection

If you enjoy a bit of arcade racing, you can’t go far wrong with this collection, as it offers two different types to enjoy. Rush Rally 3 features full 3D rally racing in an arcadey Sega Rally kind of style, while Rush Rally Origins features isometric perspective racing with joyfully exaggerated handling.

Both games are designed to provide a silky-smooth, arcade-style experience, targeting 60fps for those who care about such things. And with 72 stages in Rush Rally 3 plus another 36 in Rush Rally Origins, this should keep you busy for a while, too.

Preorder for Switch here. There’s also a limited edition that includes a soundtrack CD.

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