At Japanime Games, our passion for sharing the brilliance of Japanese gaming goes beyond anime-inspired titles. While we adore bringing beloved anime-based games to our audience, our dedication doesn't stop there. We're on a mission to introduce you to an eclectic world of original Japanese tabletop experiences that span genres, themes, and creativity. We look for games that offer exciting gameplay mechanics and satisfying decisions, whether they are rooted in anime or not! We think we have achieved this goal with several of our games and we at Japanime want to share our thoughts with you.
Our philosophy has always been simple: to curate and bring the finest games from Japan to the American audience. While some of these games might indeed tie into anime series, we're committed to seeking out experiences that transcend anime-centric themes. We're on the lookout for games that are pure fun, offer strategic depth, or seamlessly blend with the interests of our audience, rooted in both Japanese culture and anime fandom. These games still appeal to our core audience, as they encapsulate themes of Japanese culture, like Momiji and Sushi Boat, or they were inspired by the very idea of anime, like Core Connection and Tokyo Sidekick.
Core Connection puts you in the pilot seat of your own giant mech, ready to do battle against galactic threats. What anime fan hasn't wanted to build their own mech and test it in battle? While not based on any anime, you'll be absorbing those themes as you play this deck-building game where your deck isn't just a deck...it's the parts and weapons you use to build your mech. It's a "mech-building" game! Being able to play in an original universe like Core Connection allows us to deliver a unique experience with new characters to meet and endless mech combinations to create!
In a similar vein, Tokyo Sidekick draws on superhero tropes popular in anime while also delivering a completely unique cast of characters to meet and fall in love with! Play as a superhero team - hero and sidekick - as you work cooperatively with other players to save Tokyo from insidious threats. Just like the anime that inspired this game, expect over-the-top action and heroes and villains that look ripped straight from the pages of manga.
We at Japanime Games get excited about original games by original designers, each a testament to the rich tapestry of creativity found in Japan's gaming landscape. We strive to deliver an assortment of games that not only captivate but also challenge, engage, and delight. These games can take you to new worlds and introduce you to new characters that don't exist in any anime. And while sometimes, the anime nods are obvious, like with Love Battle High School, other times you might be tricked into believing some of these games already are anime! Who wouldn't watch a Tanto Cuore anime? We love that our fans come to us for all of their anime-gaming needs. From our licensed playmats and sleeves to our direct tie-in games, we bring anime straight to your tabletop.
A Rich Cultural Tapestry
But Japanese culture is a rich tapestry. It is more than just anime, and we like to bring games to our English audiences that highlight that wide variety.
Momiji is set in Imperial Japan, among a beautiful landscape of fallen leaves. This season is sacred in Japan, and viewing these color-changing leaves has been a popular pastime throughout Japanese history, much like in the United States. Momiji captures this tradition, as you work to rake leaves that fall in the beautiful courtyard of a Japanese castle. This game is not only beautiful, but it offers satisfying gameplay as well as you try to create sets of leaf piles and rack up your multipliers!
In Sushi Boat, we have captured the feeling of sitting down for a sushi dinner, complete with a wooden conveyor belt, premium components, and multiple modes of gameplay based on the table's experience. Take a seat around the conveyor belt and draft your sushi plates, creating stacks of like colors on your playmat plat in order to score the most points. Collect coins to buy sushi and compete in Wasabi challenges that "spice" up the gameplay. Or pass out the menus for a more challenging game mode that gives you multiple objectives and more ways to score points. Sushi Boat is already becoming a hit, winning the Dice Tower Seal of Approval among other accolades.
Ramen! Ramen! follows our theme of cultural food experiences, giving you access to one of Japan's favorite dishes - Ramen! In this game, players are competing to create and serve the best bowls of Ramen, playing cards to three bowls in the center of the table, each trying to push the bowl closer to being finished without giving your opponent the chance to place the final ingredient. It's a push your luck game with a bit of a trick-taking vibe, although in this case you're not taking tricks - just bowls of delicious Ramen!
So, whether it's a quirky, innovative strategy game or a deck-building adventure that sets your heart racing, expect Japanime Games to be your gateway to an eclectic world of Japanese tabletop gaming. We're here to bring you more than just anime; we're here to bring you a cultural and gaming experience that celebrates the essence of Japan. We would like to embark on this thrilling journey together and embrace the fans who embrace our games. Send us your best pictures of your favorite Japanime games! We want to feature you in our social media, and we will choose a lucky winner to win one of our Japanime prize packages.
Good luck and let's see those amazing photos!