The release dates between Japan and countries in the West are becoming slimmer and slimmer. Most fans may have to wait a year, but many come out as worldwide releases. Some are just months apart as well. The release dates are better than they used to be.
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Two of the most infamous franchises includeDragon QuestandFinal Fantasy.Dragon Questwas released in 1986 in Japan and 1989 in North America.Final Fantasywas released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1990. Three years for one game? It’s hard to imagine waiting that long nowadays, but it could still happen. Here’s hoping these seven games will release in 2022 and won’t makePS4,PS5, andSwitchfans wait much longer.
7Maglam Lord
Maglam Lordis anupcoming action RPGfrom Felistella. That company may not sound like a familiar name in the West as they have handled a lot of more obscure RPGs and more ports at that. They are bigger in Japan.Maglam Lordlooks to be one of their bigger projects though. Players get to create their own Demon Lord, male or female, who is trying to unlock their true potential. Make comrades, build weapons, explore dungeons, and fight countless hordes of monsters all in the name of becoming number one. The game came out in Japan last March and will release for the PS4 and Switch on February 4 in North America.
6The Wicked King And The Noble Hero
The Wicked King and the Noble Herois another RPG, butthis one is turn-based. It also looks like a more light-hearted adventure thanks to the aesthetic and premise. The game looks like a storybook as it is about a young girl trying to become a hero. She’s a novice, but she is trying her best to save the world.
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Thankfully she has a dragon partner to protect her when things get rough along with other allies she can recruit along the way. The game came out in Japan last June and will release for the PS4 and Switch on March 1 in North America
5Rune Factory 5
It’s been a long time since the lastRune Factorycame out.Rune Factory 4was a3DSrelease in 2013 in North America. There was a remaster for it butRune Factory 5is the first all-new addition to the series in almost a decade for the West. It was supposed to come out in 2020 but got delayed. It did, however finally release in Japan last May and will launch for the Switch on March 22 in North America. The seriescombines action RPGswith dungeon crawling mechanics and farming. Unlike other combos of this nature, the RPG gameplay seemingly comes first. It’s a good game to bridge the gap for this new to sim-like experience.
4Crayon Shin-chan: Ora To Hakase No Natsuyasumi - Owaranai Nanokakan No Tabi
Crayon Shin-chan, as a property, has been around since 1990. The manga is stillongoing in Japanand there are anime specials, movies, and games still coming too. The first game to ever release in the West was in 2020,Crayon Shin-chan: The Storm Called! Flaming Kasukabe Runner. It was a runner game combined with a brawler. That means that this latest adventure,Crayon Shin-chan: Ora to Hakase no Natsuyasumi - Owaranai Nanokakan no Tabi, which is a mouthful of a name, may get released in the West. There is no date or announcement yet though but hopefully, this Switch exclusive open-world life-sim can get a full translation.
3The Legend of Heroes: Kuro No Kiseki
The Legend of Heroeshas had a complicated history in the West. Its releases are still way behind Japan’s, but they are getting better. Slowly but surely the West will get caught up. There has been no announcement yet forThe Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kisekicoming out in the West despite other games in the franchise getting release windows likeTrails to Azure. That won’t launch until 2023. What makesKuro no Kisekispecial is that it’s the first main game in the series to offer action combat as an option to the traditional turn-based gameplay. It was released last September as a PS4 exclusive.
2Utawarerumono: Zan 2
Utawarerumono: Zan 2isanother action RPGwith no release date in the West. That might be worrisome for some. However, the first game did launch in the West. So, there are hopes this sequel will too. That was in 2019.Utawarerumono: Zan 2was released last July for the PS4 and PS5.
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It looks to be a direct sequel to the original. There is still time to get caught up for those interested in this high-fantasy, anime take on ancient Japan. It should be noted that reviews for it weren’t good, but there is always hope the sequel will do better.
1Megaton Musashi
Megaton Musashiis the latest game fromLevel-5. That should be a household name by now as they worked onNi no Kuni,Yo-kai Watch, and even helped with severalDragon Questgames. They are RPG stars and this new venture is all about mechs. Who doesn’t want a good mech game with customizable parts and action gameplay? Their track record for releasing in the West has been spotty. There are still a lot ofYo-kai Watchgames, frommain titles to spinoffs, that are still trapped in Japan. Fingers crossed.Megaton Musashiwas released in Japan last November for PS4 and Switch.
