Akihabara is an idyllic wonderland in the heart of Tokyo that even the most jaded Japanese culture fanatic will go weak in the knees for. It is in this land of video games, anime, and maid cafes that the Akiba series takes place.
Now, Akiba’s Beat is taking the series’s traditional setting in a new direction: replacing the series’ more adventure/character action motif with a more serious JRPG progression system and more intense action RPG gameplay.
A second promotional trailer for the game has just been released, showing off major characters and gameplay. Unfortunately, the trailer is exclusively in Japanese, so there is not much more to glean from it quite yet.
With all that said, the Akiba series is fairly niche in nature, so here’s a rundown if you’re new to the series: Akiba games are Japanese to the core — and not just any Japanese, but the kind of Japanese that western shut-ins dream of. Generally, major dialogue and story is passed through a visual novel format and carries the comedic sensibilities of an ecchi (healthily perverted) anime. The games also feature a great deal of real-life shops that can actually be found in Akihabara as well, which is neat for what it’s worth.
If you’re looking for a goofy, action-packed RPG this year, keep your eye on Xseed games for their localization of Akiba’s Beat. It will be released Q3 in Japan and Q4 in the west.
