Japanese games, in the past, have been associated primarily with consoles (PlayStation and Nintendo, to be exact), but thanks to efforts from publishers since the past few years, they’ve found a home on the PC as well. So we present five games under Rs 500 – all made in Japan, mind you – that we consider to be quirky enough to warrant a purchase by everyone ranging from an otaku to a newbie looking to dip their toes into the “weeb” genre. Make haste though, as the Steam sale will offiicially end in 24 hours.
5. Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus- Rs. 364
Starting off the list is a game that may not appeal to everyone thanks to it’s explicit nature that will likely make many unconformable – it’s a Dynasty Warriors style hack & slash featuring anime high school girls, topped with a handful of fan service; but those who manage to look past the weirdness of Shinovi Versus will find an enjoyable brawler with a decent amount of content to keep them engaged, despite being somewhat repetitive.
4. Tales Of Symphonia- Rs. 328
The Tales series are a bunch of much loved JRPG’s. Symphonia however is perhaps the most famous and beloved among them. It’s unique combo-inspired fighting system, lovely art style, fantastic music and a cast of eccentric, oddball characters help set it apart even now. It has every bit the magical feel of the classic JRPG’s of old, and can act as a much needed palette cleanser for fans burnt out on the overdone ‘gritty souls-like action RPG’ style of today.
3. God Eater 2: Rage Burst- Rs. 296
Bandai Namco’s God Eater games have always been in competition with Capcom’s Monster Hunter series of monster-slaying, gear-crafting action RPGs and surprisingly enough, God Eater holds it’s own against MH despite being less popular. God Eater 2 brings this monster hunting action to PC and those who are patiently awaiting the PC version of Monster Hunter World (or perhaps God Eater 3?) should definitely grab this game as it provides a good taste of what to expect from those titles (at least as far as the core gameplay is concerned).
2. Valkyria Chronicles- Rs. 192
One of Sega’s lesser known franchises is this strategy RPG series. Boasting an oil-painting artstyle and a World War-esque setting, the first entry in the series is a critically acclaimed and smartly-made SRPG that has you take control of a party of soldiers and engage in tactical, turn based combat. Fans of the genre shouldn’t miss out on this.
1. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc- Rs. 339
Our top pick for the quirkiest Japanese game to buy from the Steam sale is Spike Chunsoft’s murder mystery visual novel, Danganronpa. Originally released for the PSP back in 2010 this brilliant thriller tells a tale of 15 teenagers (each with a unique trait) locked inside a school and must kill one another (without being caught) to escape. For the sake of spoilers, I won’t say anything further, except that any fan of VNs or thrillers owes it to themselves to play this masterpiece whose shocking plot twists, well-recieved characters and engaging Ace Attorney-style gameplay will certainly keep you hooked from start to finish.
Bring our your hidden, inner Otaku out! Buy and play these games!
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