Japanese Game Festival

Some games from the East that might be new to you

I came back from this year’s UKGE with a bag full of Japanese games, among others, which inspired me to run a small Japanese Game Festival on my review site.

There are some games you might be aware of from Japanese designers and publishers. Games like Yokohama and Hanamikoji. There’s also a whole wealth of other games out there, but there are a couple of big stumbling blocks for those of us in the West.

Firstly, availability. The games I mentioned above are the exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of games designed and produced in Japan are done so in very small print runs, which means they’re not the sort of thing you can just head to your FLGS and pick up on a whim. Unless, of course, you live in Japan or make trips to the twice-yearly Tokyo Games Market convention. The rest of us are reliant on specialist importers.

Secondly, lets just say you find someone selling Japanese games. How do you know which ones to buy? There’s a smattering of elitism from those who manage to buy the games, and it can feel like a bit of an exclusive club you don’t know how to get into?

You don’t know the secret knock and handshake? Get outta here!

These are the things I’m trying to help with during my small festival. Give you some idea of the variety of games available, point out some of the good ones, and even tell you where you might be able to find them.

Head on over there now - Japanese Game Festival - and read some reviews. At the time of writing, there are five new reviews and more to come, along with some interviews with the people involved with getting the games over here in the UK.