Best Japan-only Switch games?

[+jgkspsx]

I recently found out about Rolling Gunner/Overpower, which looks fantastic:

 

 

It is available to download on the US eShop for $30 including the Overpower DLC, but it is apparently physically available in JP only.

 

And then there’s the Ninja Jajumaru-kun Collection, which is only downloadable in Japan:

 

 

Seeing as these games stopped coming to the US midway through the NES’s lifespan, I don’t hold out much hope for this to come here.

 

There’s also the Aleste collection, which was the first Japan-only game I bought because Aleste is awesome and it features an exclusive NEW Game Gear Aleste, GG Aleste 3:

 

Also Cotton Guardian Force Saturn Tribute, which I do hope will come to the US in due time.

 

Is there anything else notable that is Japan exclusive, unlikely to come here even digitally, and playable for people who don’t speak or read Japanese?

[Steven Pendleton]

Corpse Party Blood covered: ...repeated fear., the aforementioned Aleste collection and various other shooting games, and the physical versions of Ookami HD and several other titles (Bayonetta, Little Busters! Converted Editon, etc.) are the only ones that I can think of that meet your criteria. Everything else is either entirely in Japanese or gets localized, even if it's digital-only.

 

Seems Fatal Twelve is apparently digital-only on Switch, but it has the full English localization included, as well. I thought it was getting a physical release, but apparently not. There is a physical PS4 version that also has the localization included, as well. I don't have it yet on any system, so I can't say how good it is, but I think I might have read somewhere that the PS4 version is actually better than the PC version and I imagine that the Switch version might be as well, but I don't know the details.

Edited May 18, 2021 by Steven Pendleton

[+jgkspsx]

3 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

various other shooting games

Any chance you might elaborate? You are probably my main hope here

[Steven Pendleton]

7 minutes ago, jgkspsx said:

Any chance you might elaborate? You are probably my main hope here

Sure. Shooting games don't really require any language at all, so pretty much any shooter that hasn't been released outside of Japan should be fine, like ESP Ra.De. or anything else in M2's Shot Triggers line. Might not be able to read the options, though...

[digdugnate]

I believe the Space Invaders collection was only released in Japan- the US received 'Space Invaders Forever'.

[Steven Pendleton]

2 hours ago, digdugnate said:

I believe the Space Invaders collection was only released in Japan- the US received 'Space Invaders Forever'.

Yeah, but it looks like that collection is getting an international release in June, according to Wikipedia.

 

Anyway, yeah, there are not a lot of games that I can think of that are both exclusive to Japan and playable if you can't understand Japanese, but I can now actually write a proper, detailed post now that I'm back at home, as I was out earlier when I made my initial post.

 

Pretty much everything is either Japanese-only or gets localized in some form, even if it takes a few years like Darius Cozmic Collection, so finding the games that don't fall into one of those categories is difficult, but it can be done. Aleste Collection, Darius Cozmic Collection, and the various Cotton games are probably the most well-known of the recent releases, but even then, 2 of those (Darius and Cotton Reboot!) got or are getting international releases. No word on Aleste Collection or Cotton Guardian Force Saturn Tribute (what an awkward title, by the way...) getting international releases yet, so for now, the only things that come to mind are:

• various visual novels, as Prototype (excellent developer, by the way), who is the dev who seems to be doing a lot of PC -> console visual novel ports recently, or at least the ones that I am interested in, generally seems to opt to include the localized text for some reason if there is a localization available for that specific game (notable exception: Summer Pockets). Is this their way of getting people overseas to buy them without having to actually publish them outside of Japan or something? Interesting strategy, if so. Prototype's PC -> console visual novel ports also tend to be superior to the original PC versions, as well, so yeah, don't skip them if you want them.
• M2 Shot Triggers stuff, as they seem to not release some (but not all) of their titles outside of Japan for some weird reason. What the hell, M2? Aleste Collection and particularly GG Aleste 3 are awesome! You published some of your other Shot Triggers stuff outside of Japan, like Battle Garegga, so get Aleste Collection a worldwide release because it deserves it!
• Corpse Party BR, which includes the official English script for the PSP version in addition to apparently having all of the new stuff translated (not sure who did this new translation)

So yeah, there it is. I really can't think of anything else, but if I do, I'll post it. I'm not too terribly knowledgeable about Japan-only shooters on the Switch or even just shooters on the Switch, but I know who is, and that's @DragonGrafx-16

[DragonGrafx-16]

I only know of Aleste Collection on Switch. I'm not the one to ask. PC Engine shmups never released over here is what I know about. I've only had a Switch for 6 months.

Edited May 18, 2021 by DragonGrafx-16

[Crazy Climber]

3 hours ago, digdugnate said:

I believe the Space Invaders collection was only released in Japan- the US received 'Space Invaders Forever'.

 

32 minutes ago, Steven Pendleton said:

Yeah, but it looks like that collection is getting an international release in June, according to Wikipedia.

 

They have this one coming...

https://www.strictlylimitedgames.com/space-invaders-invincible-collection/