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8. Time Travelers
Time Travelers was marketed as a game without a genre, focusing heavily on telling an interactive story. The game starts out in the year 2013, when a mysterious phenomenon called the Lost Hole appears in Tokyo’s sky and orchestrates a massive explosion that devastates civilians. Fast-forward to 2031, and a futuristic Tokyo is under a new threat from an impending tragedy that is tied to the event that happened 18 years ago. In order to find out the truth about what is happening in Tokyo, you must take control of five different protagonists and watch their intertwined fates unfold! The game was released in Japan on July 12, 2012, and was published by Level-5.
Why it should be localized: Time Travelers‘ heavy story emphasis and QTE segments are highly reminiscent of Heavy Rain, which sold over 2 million copies in the west. Judging by these statistics, the game could potentially do well in the west.
The odds of it being localized: It’s very unlikely that Time Travelers will ever see a western release. The game did not sell that well in Japan, plus translating all the text and hiring English voice actors would be a costly endeavor.
I’m definitely a Game Center CX fan, and I love that there are a group of fans so dedicated to getting the shows translated into English when they come out. I don’t own Retro Game Challenge, but I followed the development of both the first and second game, and I thought the team did a fantastic job of capturing the era of gaming featured so often on the show.
It’s a shame that the game didn’t sell well in the west, but the fact that games like this exist warms my heart.
I’ve wanted to play Beyond the Labyrinth since I first saw a trailer a few years ago. I suppose the only hope is that someone concludes that the cost of localization will be covered by sales in the West, and that Japanese sales might not be the best predictor.
Here’s hoping! These all look interesting in one way or another, but Beyond the Labyrinth looks especially appealing to me.
…Well, that and Dragon Quest VII. :^)
Very, very good list Anthony.
Nice list of games! Some were already on my personal watch list, others I’d heard about then forgotten, and a few were complete unknowns for me. Great to see them get some exposure in the West. With software like this, it’s no surprise that 3DS has become a “must own” piece of hardware.
Thanks for the comments everyone! I had a lot of fun writing this one up, and I genuinely hope that these games get localized! More software on the 3DS is never a bad thing :)