Siliconera

Udon Entertainment announced its 2023 Street Fighter Swimsuit Special comic. Issue one is in the works. It will release in stores on July 19, 2023. However, Udon’s site notes some have a general July 2023 release window there. There are six cover variants, each with different price points. As usual, one is a blank cover. Meanwhile, the others include characters from the original game all the way up through new fighters from Street Fighter 6.

This year, Udon is selling two 2023 Street Fighter Swimsuit Special #1 exclusive cover options from its storefront. Both feature Kajin-man covers. One is a $20 Poison Bikini variant. The other is a $50 version with Roxy on the cover that is limited to 300 copies.

Here is the list of options available and their prices.

HoYoVerse shared a new Genshin Impact Baizhu gameplay trailer, with Yuri “Dainsleif” Lowenthal explaining how the character works. The doctor is essentially a Dendro healer who wields a catalyst. However, it also shows how the five-star’s attacks and other supportive abilities can assist us while he’s in the party.

The Genshin Impact Bailu gameplay trailer begins by explaining his Exploration Talent. When you gather some plants and items in the wild, your health will be restored due to Herbal Nourishment.

After that, it gets into his main kit. His Normal Attack deals Dendo damage, with the charged version going from single-target to AOE. It’s with his Elemental Skill Universal Diagnosis that the healing element comes in. If no hostile forces are around, it will heal. However if enemies are nearby, it will attack and heal. His Holistic Revivification Elemental Burst generates a Seamless Seal that also heals while active. He also has a Five Fortunes Forever passive that will either make him heal more if the active character’s health is below half or make him hit harder if they are closer to full health.

Here's the full Genshin Impact Baizhu gameplay trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av4gbEYYZmM&ab_channel=GenshinImpact
The last trailer mainly focused on highlighting Baizhu's personality.

Square Enix updated the official site for Final Fantasy XVI to include the Eikons' art and details. They are under the Characters tab. It also added more information about the battle system under the Battle page, and you can also view all the new videos or pictures under the Movies & Images tab.

The Eikons do not have their own section on the Characters page. Instead, they are a tab that you can toggle through on their respective Dominant’s profile. Though it shows a picture of each of the Eikons as they appear in Final Fantasy XVI, it does not give much of a description on who they are. For example, Jill’s profile states that she is the Dominant of Shiva and you can pull up a picture of Shiva, but that’s it.

In previous Final Fantasy titles, Eikons and their equivalents are more plot devices and tools in battle than actual characters. This might explain why Square Enix did not provide them with much flavor text. For those who wish to see the full-body art of the Eikons, you can do so on the Movies & Images page. You will have to click on the plus sign in order to expand the page enough to see them.

Final Fantasy XVI is in development for the PS5 and it will come out on June 22, 2023. There will be a six-month exclusivity period.

HoYoVerse offers a promotion in Honkai: Star Rail with its always-available Stellar Warp gacha banner that involves letting players pick one free 5-star character. The catch is that only seven options are available after pulling 300 times. You can only pick from Bailu, Bronya, Clara, Gepard, Himeko, Welt, and Yanqing. All of them are allies who are available at all times, which means you might even have some of them. Now, in general any 5-star character could have potential. Especially if your team is lacking a person in a role like a debuffer or AOE damage dealer. However, a few of these possible allies are especially useful regardless of who you already own.

[caption id="attachment_961486" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via Siliconera[/caption]

Square Enix announced a new sales hallmark for the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster games that covers both its digital and physical copies. All six games have now sold over two million copies worldwide. This comes after the PS4 and Switch versions debut on April 19, 2023.

Square Enix didn’t tell us regular sales figures initially for the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster games. This is likely due to the fact that there was a staggered release for the titles when they appeared on PCs and mobile devices. The first one appeared in July 2021, for example, and Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster launched on February 23, 2022.

As for the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster physical copies, Square Enix didn't announce how many copies were produced total. It only sold physical copies through its official site outside Japan, and those sold out. It is still possible to import physical copies of them from Asia. For example, Play-Asia sells the Switch Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster version for $79.99. That includes English as a language option.

A new Mega Man pop up shop with merchandise will appear in Marui City Yokohama from May 13-22, 2023. Original goods from the Mega Man series will be available for sale. The lineup includes graphic T-shirts, parkas, canvas tote bags, pin badges, clear files, acrylic key holders, and other original goods using pixel art from the classic games and illustrations. The merchandise will be sold in limited quantities. Admission will be free. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

Some of the games included in the lineup of goods include Mega Man, Mega Man X, Mega Man Legends, Mega Man Battle Network, and Mega Man Star Force. As a special offer, purchases of 2,200 JPY (~$16 USD) or higher will included an original character panel, with five different panels available each featuring a different illustration.

You can take a better look at the original merchandise available at the new Mega Man Marui Pop Up Shop here:

[gallery columns="2" ids="961460,961459" link="file"]

In other Mega Man news, the mobile phone Medabot S will hold a new collaboration event with Mega Man Battle Network that adds Dark MegaMan.EXE.

Dokapon Kingdom, as a series, always seemed to be judged as the meaner cousin to Mario Party. After all, it’s a competitive board game pitting you against your friends with the ability to ruin them while bettering yourself. It just is more blatant about doing your best to devastate your opponents and, since it has the RPG elements, drags out the “pain” while it happens. The good news is for people like the series, Dokapon Kingdom: Connect continues the tradition and makes it easy to engage in colorful masochistic fun with other players. The bad news is that it is still a slog to get through a single game, feels incredibly mean-spirited, and gets downright difficult to play due to RNG and the way healing is handled.

Every time you start a Dokapon Kingdom: Connect game, the world is in danger. Monsters conquered every town. Everyone’s broke. So much so that the king is offering to make the person who saves the day and makes the most money the new ruler and spouse of the princess. This means going around seven continents saving the way. Or, if you chose other modes, being the first person to kill the most other players, buy an item and bring it to the king, or restore peace to a designated town.

Nijisanji announced the VTuber Fulgur Ovid will be taking a hiatus for health reasons. His break will begin on May 2, 2023. We don't know a return date window yet, as the company and performer will offer one later in his recovery. However, the company did note he will still appear on Twitter when he feels up to it.

Here is Nijisanji's official statement regarding Fulgar Ovid's hiatus for his health. He didn't release his own one yet.

【Notice: Fulgur Ovid Activity Hiatus】

Thank you so much for supporting NIJISANJI EN as always.

We are sorry to announce that Fulgur Ovid will be going on hiatus due to health reasons from May 2nd.
However, he will still be updating Twitter whenever he is possible.
We will…

— NIJISANJI EN Official (@NIJISANJI_World) May 2, 2023

At the end of April 2023, the Nijisanji VTuber canceled two zatsudan streams. For those unaware, these are the sorts of streams in which a VTuber chats with their audience.

Monolith Soft announced through its website that the company implemented a regular salary raise, as well as a base salary raise to their employees from April 2023. This raise comes as a response to inflation. Monolith Soft are a well-known Japanese video game development studio responsible for the creation of Xenogears, the Xenosaga series, and more recently the Xenoblade Chronicles series. The studio has been a property of Nintendo since 2007.

In the announcement made through the Monolith Soft website, the company briefly detailed that they have implemented a substantial raise in base salary, as well as regular salary increase in line with rising places and inflation. The increases in salary have been effective since April 2023.

In addition, the starting salary for new graduates increased by approximately 22% to 250,000 JPY (or roughly $1,819 USD).

Additionally, Monolith Soft recently released some interview with some of their developers working. On of them talked about the process of animating cutscenes and scripted events for their games, while the other one delved into the lightning techniques used in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

Ahead of Capcom's 40th anniversary on June 11, 2023, Famitsu conducted an interview with Capcom President Haruhiro Tsujimoto. During it he talked about the company’s current business model, developing classic and new IPs as Games as a Service (GaaS,) Capcom’s push for classic games and remasters, and the future of the company. Previous tips also noted he discussed the future of crossplay games. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

For the past few years, Capcom focused on Games as a Service (GaaS) titles that the company can continue to support long after release, either through continuous free updates or DLC and content expansions. Some of these recent GaaS titles we've seen include Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise. Throughout fiscal year 2022, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak and Resident Evil Village Gold Edition were two titles to receive constant support and spearhead Capcom’s current business model.

Tsujimoto also shared that two years ago, Capcom made a major shift on focusing on distributing new and classic games digitally. Because of this, approximately 80% of Capcom’s annual sales were digital versions of their titles. Tsujimoto pointed to this shift as responsible for being able to develop remasters and re-releases like Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection and the upcoming Ghost Trick.

Game developer Colopl announced that Neko GOLF (also known as Shironeko Golf in Japan) will receive a collaboration event with Evangelion in Japan. A new key visual has been created for the occasion, depicting characters from the game wearing plug suits alongside Asuka Langley Shikinami, Rei Ayanami, Unit-02, and the upgraded Unit-00. The collaboration will start on May 8, 2023.

Asuka and Rei will appear as playable characters in Neko GOLF. There will be three outfits available for both, one wearing a golf outfit, another one with their regular school clothes, and a final one wearing their Evangelion plug suits.

You can take a better look at Asuka and Rei’s outfits in the gallery below.

[gallery columns="2" link="file" ids="961453,961454"]

In addition, game developer Colopl announced a giveaway on Twitter of official Evangelion goods and original QUO cards for Neko GOLF. Users that participate will receive a wallpaper with the key visual, created exclusively for the collaboration event. The way to enter the giveaway is tweeting by clicking the button included in the tweet below. Only people located in Japan can participate in the giveaway. The giveaway will be available until May 7, 2023.

https://twitter.com/wcat_golf/status/1652930860767928321

Additionally, Colopl revealed that new Evangelion collaboration-only channels have been created in the official Shironeko GOLF Japanese Discord server.

After just three days, The Super Mario Bros. Movie pulled in more than 1.9 billion yen at the Japanese box office. This equates to $14.3 million USD. The movie, which topped the charts in the US for four weeks straight, earned over $1 billion worldwide. [Thanks, Oricon!]

Coinciding with the Japanese release, which happened on April 28, 2023, several North American theaters began holding special screenings of the movie's Japanese dub. A total of 10 theaters in the US and Canada offered showings, with initial times requiring knowledge of the language, as they did not have subtitles. That has since changed, however, as some theaters are still offering the Japanese dub but now with English subtitles.

Since its opening in over 60 markets on April 5, 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been breaking box office records. It earned over $377 million worldwide in its first five days, giving it the most successful global opening for an animated movie ever. Additionally, it had the biggest Wednesday-Sunday opening in US/Canada history, earning more than $204 million domestically in that time. As far as international releases go, it had the best opening day for a Universal movie in Mexico, and for animated movies as a whole in Spain.

In a recent interview with Famitsu, Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida, producer and director of Final Fantasy XIV, talked about some of the new content included in the upcoming patch 6.4. He wants players to think about the meaning of the The Dark Throne in Japanese. He also talked about the new Pandaemonium: Anabaseios raids and the new variant and criterion dungeon Mount Rokkon. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

Patch 6.4 of Final Fantasy XIV is titled The Dark Throne in English, and its Japanese title roughly translates to “The Throne of the Offender” or “Throne of the Criminal.” Yoshi-P said that he wants people to imagine what the “Throne” in the title references to, as well as who the “offender” in the Japanese title might be.

The main story of the 6.X series of patches and the Pandaemonium raids are entering its climax with Patch 6.4. Pandaemonium: Anabaseios is the new series of 8-player raids that will be introduced with 6.4. Yoshi-P apologized for the mistakes in balance made for the previous Pandaemonium: Abyssos raids, particularly for the last level of its Savage version. He also added that the clear rate for this series of raids has been increasing steadily since the 4.X patches, and since raising item level.

If you’re wondering who the voice actress for Zelda is in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Patricia Summersett officially announced her return to the series. The performer noted that Nintendo said she could confirm her involvement. This will mark the third time she played the series’ heroine.

Here is Summersett confirming she will be the voice actress for Zelda in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

I’ve been given the thumbs up by Nintendo to confirm that I am reprising my role as Princess Zelda in Legend of #Zelda: #TearsoftheKingdom.
I’m obviously beyond thrilled to be back (Thank you Nintendo) and looking forward to May 12th! pic.twitter.com/FDizUzi3Gp

— Patricia Summersett (@Summersett_) May 1, 2023

Summersett first appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. She played the princess both in that entry and in the follow-up Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

HoYoVerse introduces playable characters with its “Keeping up with Star Rail” series of videos, and the latest one looks at the Honkai: Star Rail five-star Welt Yang. He’s a five-star Imaginary element character, and his Nihility path means he focuses on inflicting debuffs on groups of enemies when he attacks. The footage specifically shows how his Skill, Technique, and Ultimate all slow enemies down.

All three of those Welt Yang abilities can apply the debuff to a group of enemies in Honkai: Star Rail. If you use his Gravitational Imprisonment Technique outside of a fight, then the enemy will move slower in the field, and they’ll start a battle Imprisoned. This means their actions and speed will both be delayed. When he uses the Edge of the Void Skill, random enemies take damage and their speed will be reduced for two turns. This attack hits three times, and can hit different opponents each time. Should someone use the Synthetic Black Hole Ultimate, then every enemy takes damage and gets the action and speed-delaying Imprisoned status mentioned earlier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcemHtaqCws&ab_channel=Honkai%3AStarRail
The last character to be introduced like this was Clara.

Ahead of the debut of the Baizhu banner on May 2, 2023, HoYoVerse shared a new trailer for the five-star Genshin Impact trailer. This is one of the cinematic character demos. This means while some gameplay elements are shown, it's more about introducing the character's personality and background. In the case of Baizhu, it means again referring to his undisclosed illness and the severity of it.

The video begins with a pot in the illness brewing some sort of medication. One of the Genshin Impact Treasure Hoarder enemies comes up to steal it, but Baizhu stops them. Changsheng, the talking snake always by his side, then notes that more showed up to steal it. Baizhu then uses his Dendro catalyst abilities to attack them while healing and shielding himself. At about the 1:16 mark, Changsheng references mortality. After a Treasure Hoarder threatens his life, Baizhu says, “My mortality is no one’s concern but mine.” This is a reference to the fact that the character is apparently suffering from a deadly illness in-game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtiJkMsNtHg&ab_channel=GenshinImpact
The video ends with a twist revealing exactly what kind of medicine Baizhu was working on, as well as a cameo from his assistant Qiqi.

This is one of two ways HoYoVerse is introducing the character ahead of his playable debut. There's also a web event running until May 3, 2023.

A new Netherrealm video designed to thank fans and players seems like it may be teasing Mortal Kombat 12 with a peek at the Sands of Time hourglass from Mortal Kombat 11. As we may recall, Kronika held it during the game, with the endings of that title showing who controlled it based on certain actions. (The events of Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath suggested what the New Era might hold.)

The over two minute video involves members of the staff thanking people for playing entries in the series. Artists, engineers, designers, directors, producers, managers, animators, and developers for playing the game for 30 years. Notably, Co-creator Ed Boon showed up at the 1:47 mark and said, "we're not quite done yet." After his appearance, the possible Mortal Kombat 12 teaser showing a grain from the Sands of Time hourglass Kronika held in the eleventh game appears, then explodes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsX8jGhBHgo&ab_channel=MortalKombat

We already know that Mortal Kombat 12 is in development and on the way. It was referenced during the Warner Bros Discovery Fourth Quarter 2022 Earnings Call. At the time, it was noted as coming "this year" in 2023.

In the history of JRPGs, there have been many that have defined the genre as a whole since many years ago, and with the launch of remakes, remasters, and various gaming services, people get the best chances to play or replay them right now. As long as you have the right console or subscription, you can easily access some of them. To help people out, I gathered together some of the more notable ones easily available. Ranging from rich storylines and deep character development to engaging gameplay mechanics, these are some of the best classic JRPGs you can play on current consoles.

https://youtu.be/wOkScEsyOYQ

Final Fantasy VI

No matter how many years pass, Final Fantasy VI’s story is still one of the most memorable experiences in gaming. The mix of a world right in the middle of a technological revolution and exquisite pixel sprites make this game worth playing now more than ever. You can find it as part of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection on the PS4, PS5, Switch, PC, and mobile devices.

https://youtu.be/VZC_0ePZwjc

Japanese company Reality Studios announced the launch of a new VTuber agency under the name Specialite. The company stated that it will be focused on female-characters who are gaming streamers. The auditions for the first generation are now open worldwide until May 31, 2023.

Check out the official announcement from the Specialite English Twitter account below.
https://twitter.com/Specialite_EN/status/1652946479210975239?s=20

You can fill out the Specialite VTuber audition application form online. Requirements include being at least 18 years old, able to create content for a year, able to play a female character, being good or enthusiastic about video games, and not currently working for another agency. As for welcomed skills, it is preferred to have experience in streaming, English and Japanese proficiency, and participated in gaming-related competitions.

Crunchyroll announced it will team up with Hot Topic for an Ani-May anime merchandise promotion. The company announced that throughout May 2023, people who shop at the store in Canada and the US and buy anime-related items will get 30 days free of Crunchyroll premium and an unspecifed sticker as a “gift.” It also noted that select stores in Mexico, Europe, and South America will also participate in certain ways. The official Crunchyroll online storefront will also give Hime pins to everyone who spends $75 there.

Sega and Yoko Taro announced their new mobile game 404 Game Re:Set passed the one million download hallmark. It took the game only about a week to hit the milestone. It launched on April 25, 2023 in Japan, and the official Twitter account noted the achievement on May 1, 2023. There's also going to be a bonus gift for 10 figure gacha tickets and 10 figure expansion patches.

As a reminder, the figures in 404 Game Re:Set are different from the characters. You can display them in-game and essentially use them as a sort of equipment to improve your characters. The tickets let you pull 10 times on the gacha to get them, and the expansion patches let you improve them.

Currently, it isn't possible to download and play 404 Game Re:Set in English, as the game only launched in Japan. We don't know when a worldwide launch could occur. However, other Yoko Taro-affiliated mobile games like SINoAlice and NieR Reincarnation both eventually appeared worldwide.

Ahead of hitting this hallmark, the game did begin its first event. That added a new character based on Virtua Fighter. She's voiced by Fire Emblem Engage Yunaka voice actress Ai Fairouz.

404 Game Re:Set is available to download on mobile devices in Japan.

The May 2023 Final Fantasy VII Remake calendar is here, and this time Aerith key art is featured. However, as with past months in 2023, Square Enix shared multiple options. People can choose from two images with the classic key art of her in front of the Highwind airship from the original game. We could also use the two pieces from the remake with her in a similar pose in front of an empty platform. The two options can be used either on PCs or mobile devices. All four options remind people that Tifa's birthday is on May 3, 2023.

First, here are the two May 2023 Final Fantasy VII calendar options featuring the original Aerith art.
[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="961394,961395" link="file"]

And here are the May 2023 calendar options that involve the Final Fantasy VII Remake Aerith key art. As Cid and the Highwind doesn't appear in that first part, it doesn't show up in the image.
[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="961396,961397" link="file"]

Final Fantasy VII Remake is available for the PS4, PS5, and PC. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is set to come to the PS5 in Winter 2023. People can also find Crisis Core: FFVII Reunion on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.

Platinum Games announced the Bayonetta 3 Original Soundtrack is now available via music streaming services. People can find it on places like Amazon Music, Spotify, and YouTube. The digital album consists of 271 songs leading up to a bit more than 7 hours of music. It features tracks from many points in the game. In addition, this album is now also available buy digitally on a variety of platforms like iTunes.

Check out the announcement for the digital distribution of the Bayonetta 3 Original Soundtrack from Platinum Games’ official Twitter account here below.

https://twitter.com/platinumgames/status/1652850420979740672?s=20

The album has also been organized into 8 different discs, each containing approximately 30 songs. Many people will recognize some of the songs included such as "Gh()st," "Al Fine," "We Are As One," and "Get to the Climax."

On the same note, we were told the official Bayonetta 3 art book was released back in February 2023. It feature lyrics both in English and Japanese for the songs now found in the digital album. You can also find many notes left by the development team about the process behind designing the game and its characters.

Bayonetta 3 is readily available for the Nintendo Switch. The Bayonetta 3 Original Soundtrack is also now available on music streaming services.

There's a way to get an achievement and avatar profile picture in Honkai: Star Rail if you find out where the seven Silvermane "wanted" posters in the Jarilo-VI Belobog Administrative District are. This isn't an official sidequest. Rather, you only stumble upon it by investigating the wanted posters of the Trailblazer, Dan Heng, March 7th, and Sampo on the map. Once you find all of them, you get a small number of rewards.

To be honest, finding six out of the seven wanted posters in Honkai: Star Rail is really easy. All you need to do is basically check walls in the Belobog Administrative District, as the ones for Dan Heng, March 7th, and Sampo will be plastered on them. Here's a gallery showing here those are on walls, with the minimap offering more exact positioning.

[gallery columns="2" size="full" link="file" ids="961379,961387,961380,961382,961383,961384"]

The tricky one is the Trailblazer wanted poster, as it isn't on a wall! It's on a message board. You'll find it on the western side of the stairs on the northern half of the map.

[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="961388,961387,961386,961384" link="file"]

Also, to make things even clearer, here is the map showing where I found every Honkai: Star Rail Jarilo-VI Administrative District wanted posted.

[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="961374" link="file"]

Once you find them all, you get a 50 Credits!? achievement (which nets you 5 Stellar Jade), 2 Adventure Logs, 20 Shields, and a Wanted Poster Profile Picture.

[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="961377" link="file"]

Square Enix announced the Japanese Final Fantasy XVI Original Soundtrack release date. The CDs will debut on July 19, 2023. Both standard and Ultimate editions will be available. The standard version will be ¥6,000 (~$44). The ultimate one is ¥7,800 (~$57). There's also an official website for it. The site notes the theme song by Kenshi Yonezu isn't included.

The difference between the two soundtracks involves how many CDs there are, the packaging, and how extensive the booklet is. The standard one has seven CDs and a booklet with no artwork. The Ultimate version includes artwork in its booklet and an eighth CD with cutscene music.

Here's a closer look at the standard and ultimate editions of the soundtrack.
[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="961368,961367" link="file"]

Final Fantasy XVI Composer Masayoshi Soken, who also created the FFXIV soundtrack, also shared the news. In his confirmation, he noted it’s being done at Bernie Grundman Mastering with Yasuji Maeda. He noted that the team is still working on it.

Marisa and Zangief have been paired up in another official Street Fighter 6 video clip, and this time it ended with her beating and bridal carrying him. Capcom's been sharing brief videos for each launch roster character on Twitter. These show off a bit of a match, some moves, their voice actor, and details about the character. Marisa's latest also showed one of her Supers that we haven't seen before.

Here's the latest Street Fighter 6 Marisa video clip showing the end of a match against Zangief. She uses her Super to take Zangief out, then picks him up at the end. It is uncertain if this is a default animation and she will pick up all of her opponents after defeating them.

Marisa, the Glory Seeker.

🍲 Likes: Worthy Opponents, Ossobuco, Fine Arts
🗻 Hates: Heightshttps://t.co/MHy8tcCrgj pic.twitter.com/kCz91Kx4IS

— Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) May 1, 2023

Zangief’s clip already aired. He didn’t face Marisa in it, however, His opponent was Blanka.

Zangief, the Red Cyclone.

HoYoVerse doled out 10 Star Rail Special Passes to players in Honkai: Star Rail. This is in honor of the game’s success at launch. It ended up reaching number on on the App Store and passing 20 million downloads. These can be claimed until June 7, 2023. There’s also a Departure Festival video to watch and a HoYoLab Boarding Party with an additional Pom-Pom’s Boarding Gift code that can be used until May 7, 2023.

First, here’s the Departure Festival video. It features performances of songs from the game by the HoYo-Mix orchestra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLyOaD38tpA&ab_channel=Honkai%3AStarRail

Next, claiming the gifts involves a bit of effort. The 10 free Star Rail Special Passes, which you could use on the current Seele or upcoming Jing Yuan limited banners, are available in people's in-game inbox. Claiming them adds them to your inventory. To get the Pom-Pom's Boarding Gift, you need to redeem the code "2T7BP4JVEBT7" in-game or via the official gift page. This gives you 2 Condensed Aethers, 3 Adventure Logs, 3 Cosmic Fried Rices, and 5,000 Credits. People can also visit the HoYoLab Boarding Party to post and be entered in random giveaways.

In April 2023, three VShojo VTubers departed the company, with one of them citing a contract issue, and now current member Kson commented on the situation. The performer took to Twitter to note that she is pleased with the Japanese branch’s support. However, she also noted the importance of contracts and offers. Kson also said, “Talents too have the rights to choose wherever they are happy to be at.”

Here is Kson’s full statement concerning the current VShojo VTuber news.

I mean, VshojoJP is treating me very good right now but if there is an agent that can give me a WAY MORE BETTER contrat, like giving me 1M$ per month sponsership, and if Vshojo couldn't afford more, hell yeah I'm downContracts are BUSINESS after all!

— ksonSOUCHOUVSHOJO (@ksononair) May 1, 2023

I don't understand why people want drama for this.
People do the same thing in social life. Talents too have the rights to choose wherever they are happy to be at. I don't care about anything if talents themselves are happy with their fans

— ksonSOUCHOUVSHOJO (@ksononair) May 1, 2023

If you’re lucky enough to get Bailu as a character in Honkai: Star Rail (like I did), then you basically get a fantastic healer that’s easy to find the best Relic set and Light Cones for. Of course, a part of this is because the game is so new. There’s really only one group of Relics that suits her. With Light Cones, any one that improves her healing powers works!

What are the best Light Cones for a Bailu build in Honkai: Star Rail?

The easiest Light Cone to get for Bailu is Cornucopia. It’s a common three-star you can get in the gacha. It isn’t exceptionally strong, but it increases her Outgoing Healing by at least 12% after she uses a Skill or Ultimate, which is perfect for her.

If you’re lucky enough to get it in the gacha, the four-star Shared Feeling is perfect for her as well. (Even though, well, it’s meant for Natasha.) Whenever Bailu would heal when this one is equipped, she’d regenerate at least two energy for everyone in the party and her Outgoing Healing increases by 10% each time she uses her Skill. This is the one I ended up getting and can attest works wonderfully.

In some HoYoVerse games, it can feel like a character needs a certain set of equipment to be really great. But with Seele in Honkai: Star Rail, it’s easy to figure out many of the best Light Cones and Relic set options for a build. She’s an incredibly versatile character! As long as you’re boosting her attack and speed with her equipment, she’ll be a fantastic damage dealer. So like Bailu, she’s a low-stress sort of ally.

What are the best Light Cones for a Seele build in Honkai: Star Rail?

Most of The Hunt three-star Light Cones work for Seele in Honkai: Star Rail. Like Adversarial boosts her speed by at least 10% temporarily every time she beats an enemy, and since she’s designed to be someone you have defeat foes so she earns that extra turn, it works out. Arrows is good, due to it increasing her rate of critical hits for the first three turns of battle, making it easier for her to KO enemies and earn that extra turn. Likewise, Darting Arrow means after she knocks out an enemy, her attack increases by at least 24% for three turns, which works perfectly for her kit.

In fact, the three-star Light Cones are so good, you may want to prioritize them over four-star ones. I’ve been using River Flows in Spring on my Seele though, and it helps. It isn’t Superimposed, so it means her damage is up by 24% and speed boosted by 12% when a battle begins until she takes damage, and both of those ensure she hits fast and hard.

In some HoYoVerse games, it can feel like a character needs a certain set of equipment to be really great. But with Seele in Honkai: Star Rail, it’s easy to figure out many of the best Light Cones and Relic set options for a build. She’s an incredibly versatile character! As long as you’re boosting her attack and speed with her equipment, she’ll be a fantastic damage dealer. So like Bailu, she’s a low-stress sort of ally.

What are the best Light Cones for a Seele build in Honkai: Star Rail?

Most of The Hunt three-star Light Cones work for Seele in Honkai: Star Rail. Like Adversarial boosts her speed by at least 10% temporarily every time she beats an enemy, and since she’s designed to be someone you have defeat foes so she earns that extra turn, it works out. Arrows is good, due to it increasing her rate of critical hits for the first three turns of battle, making it easier for her to KO enemies and earn that extra turn. Likewise, Darting Arrow means after she knocks out an enemy, her attack increases by at least 24% for three turns, which works perfectly for her kit.

In fact, the three-star Light Cones are so good, you may want to prioritize them over four-star ones. I’ve been using River Flows in Spring on my Seele though, and it helps. It isn’t Superimposed, so it means her damage is up by 24% and speed boosted by 12% when a battle begins until she takes damage, and both of those ensure she hits fast and hard.

Following its introduction in the Trailblaze Mission “Ones Fallen into the Abyss,” Honkai: Star Rail occasionally brings back Findie the Interastral Peace Corporation object finder for additional quests like the “Hook’s Treasure” Companion Mission. Overall, this sidequest starring the Jarilo-VI Moles leader is really straightforward. You’ll accompany her into Rivet Town to find items to sell for her father’s birthday gift. The only really difficult part involves searching the Honkai: Star Rail Rivet Town orphanage for said treasures.

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Where will you find both treasures in the Honkai: Star Rail "Hook's Treasure" Rivet Town orphanage Companion Mission?

The main treasure you're looking for is Junjun the Cuddly Bear. However, there are two items you can find while searching. The first is Julian's Time Capsule. It's by the slide, on the side facing toward the orphanage itself. Place a Findie right near the front of it, and you'll get a point to investigate.

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After that, you can find Junjun. Head toward the stairs heading up to the orphanage. Place Findie toward the righthand side, and then you'll find Hook's real "treasure" in Honkai: Star Rail.

VShojo and Nyatasha Nyanners announced the VTuber will be leaving the company. Both the performer and company announced the split on April 30, 2023. She will not be graduating. Rather, she will go on streaming as an independent VTuber. This also means the Ironside PC cases for her will stop being sold soon as well. She's been a part of the company since November 2020.

Here is VShojo's statement on Nyatasha Nyanners' departure.

pic.twitter.com/V5Dgl10Vbc

— VShojo (@VShojo) April 30, 2023

This is Nyatasha Nyanner's official statement on her departure from VSh. She didn't cite a specific reason, but noted “It is something I have been seriously deliberating for a while.” She also noted she will continue performing.

pic.twitter.com/MBm2OdRKh7

— Nyatasha Nyanners 👻 (@NyanNyanners) April 30, 2023

Given how new Honkai: Star Rail is, it's basically impossible to decide who the best overall characters are. It'll take time to work it out, as well as additions to the roster that help us see possible team compositions. However, now that it's been around for a few days and we've found our footing, we started discovering people who are already working well for us. We figured lets talk about characters we recommend and find out who might be worth possibly recruiting.

I have to say Bailu is my best Honkai: Star Rail character, because she's the five-star RNG decided I deserved. I'm pretty happy about it too! Her character design is fantastic. But more importantly, she's a healer! It means that I've been able to push through areas of the game that might have been a bit too strong for me early, because her Singing Among the Clouds special heals one character, then randomly heals an additional one, and her Felicitous Thunderleap ultimate heals every party member and invigorates them. Not to mention invigorated allies that are injured get health regenerated. She's such a helpful dragon! -- Jenni

In a video commemorating the second anniversary of Link Click, Studio Lan seems to confirm that season 2 will start some time in mid-Summer 2023. The video shows the second anniversary outfits of the three main characters, as well as scenes from the first season. As a warning, there are major spoilers for the first season of Link Click in this video.

As mentioned earlier, the video straight up spoils the final twist that takes place in the last episode of Link Click season 1. So if you have not finished the show yet, you may want to hold off on watching the trailer. You can watch it via the official Link Click Twitter account, as well as on services like Bilibili:

https://twitter.com/sgdlr_offical/status/1652508069442760705

The video mostly focuses on the Emma plot from the first season. It also serves as a trailer for the second season, as there are many sequences that Studio Lan has not previously shown. New shots include what looks like a funeral and a continuation of the confrontation from the end of the first season. There is also a guy with a pink kitty headset.

The newest “Keeping Up With Star Rail” Honkai Star Rail video focuses on Clara, who is a young girl living on Jarilo-VI in Belobog. Like previous ones, it mostly introduce us to who Clara is as a unit, rather than a character. In Honkai Star Rail, Clara is a five-star Physical Destruction character who fights with the giant robot Svarog.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQhH3Xpmh18

Clara serves as both a tank and a DPS in our party if we use her in Honkai Star Rail. She can decrease how much damage she takes, and Svarog can counterattack enemies that hit her. Her Skill attacks all enemies with Physical DMG, and her Technique raises the chances of enemies attacking her. Her Ultimate further reduces the damage she takes, as well as increases how much enemies target her.

As for Clara in the game, the player encounters her in Belobog. She is an orphan whose greatest wish is to have a family, and the robot Svarog fulfills that dream of hers. With Clara’s help, the player is able to communicate with Svarog during the Belobog story quest. While HoYoVerse has not commented directly on the similarities, Clara may be a shout-out or reference to Illya from the Fate series. This is due to her appearance, as well as in her usage of a protective giant.

Good Smile Company revealed a new Nendoroid based on Hololive’s own grim reaper VTuber Mori Calliope. This figure will include various parts and accessories to display all of Calliope’s skills, such as reaping and rapping. Pre-orders for this Nendoroid are now open for ¥6,500 or $47.99. The figure is set to release in Japan in October 2023, with a planned Q4 2023 release in North America.

The Nendoroid will feature three face plates including smiling, rapping, and “weirded-out” expressions. It will come with a microphone, sunglasses, a wine glass, her “Ricky” scythe, and a special base with her name and death-sensei’s face on it. All these accessories serve to showcase Calliope’s personality and resemble the style of content she is known for.

Take a closer look at the Mori Calliope Nendoroid poses and accessories here below.

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Mori Calliope herself also expressed her excitement with her Nendoroid's announcement. Moreover, she even shared pictures of some of the released figures based on her so far.

https://twitter.com/moricalliope/status/1651975900366503936?s=20

A mod that lets you play as a female version of Joker in Persona 5 Royal is now available on Gamebanana. This mod will feature the voice talent of Alexa Farron (VentyWenty) in the English version, and Maaya Sakamoto in the Japanese. When playing as a girl, you can date both male and female characters.

This mod is only available on the PC version of Persona 5 Royal. She looks essentially like Joker but with longer hair and alternate outfits. The anime cutscenes and title screen still use the male Joker. In a note on Gamebanana, the modder chlorophylls noted that you will be able to romance Ryuji, Yusuke, Mishima, Akechi, Haru, Hifumi, Takemi, and Ann. Kasumi is not a romanceable option.

Other than that, the mod mostly replaces Joker’s model in the overworld and in battle. In gameplay, Joker will be able to use female-only armor but no longer be able to wear male-armor. There are some new event animations, as well as altered dialog. The Kindness requisite to start Ann’s Confidant no longer exists. This is likely due to the fact that a fellow girl can easily relate to Ann. Finally, you will be able to enter the girls’ bathrooms in Shujin.

Good Smile Company opened up pre-orders for Nendoroids of Maya Fey and Apollo Justice from the Ace Attorney series. You will be able to recreate their sprites from the games using the various face plates and optional parts. Pre-orders will close on June 8, 2023. Both of them cost 6,700 JPY/$48.99. They will ship out in October 2023 for Japan. North American customers can expect them some time in Q4 2023.

The Ace Attorney Maya Nendoroid will have an energetic face, a proud face, and a surprised face. Some of the optional parts include a “Victory” banner, a witness stand, and an illustration sheet of the detention center. So if you have the Phoenix Nendoroid, you can pretend they're chatting after one of Maya's many arrests, or they're there to meet a client. Since she is a Nendoroid, you will get a Nendoroid Effects Sheet as a bonus.

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Likewise, the Ace Attorney Apollo Justice Nendoroid will have three face plates. There will be a smiling one, a serious one, and a shocked one. Optional parts include a desk, documents, and text plates. The text plates resemble the speech bubbles that pop up in court, and they will come in both Japanese and English.

Magical Drop VI is, in many ways, a fairly admirable entry. It features six single-player modes, with solo competitive, puzzle, and survival options and a story mode that essentially combines elements of all three. You can play locally or online. However, it also features drastic unlocking elements

To start, you only have four characters available out of 15 available to you in multiplayer at the outset in Multiplayer. (These are Fool, Justice, Lovers, and World.) If you want the others, you need to complete certain modes or hit various milestones. However, in Single Player you only have Lover initially in Match. Fool, Justice, Lovers, and World are open in Survival right away. Given how critical multiplayer is to the game, it’s so disappointing to not immediately have every character available to use.

[caption id="attachment_961283" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via Siliconera[/caption]