SNK Releases New Animated Short on Christmas, Teases ‘Surprises’

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Soul Kiwami
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SNK has released a new animated short on Christmas, teasing that the company is “cooking up surprises” for the new year. One of these surprises could potentially be Krauser in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Season 2, but SNK has not yet made any announcements following the release of the animated short.

SNK previously released Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves DLC character Mr. Big as the final Season Pass addition on December 9. Originally the boss of Art of Fighting in 1992, Mr. Big arrives with a more dynamic and powerful fighting style, and players can experience two storylines with him. Firstly, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves players can progress Arcade Mode with Mr. Big to see him focus on reclaiming an “incriminating piece of evidence tucked away within Gesse’s legacy, offered as the prize for winning KOF.” In Episodes of South Town, Mr. Big works to lighten the heavy heart of his hostage Marie, Rock’s mother and sister of Kain.

Lastly, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is available now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. DLC characters Ken Masters, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Chun-Li, and Mr. Big are available now with the Season Pass.

One Piece Season 2 Gets New Teaser Trailer for Christmas

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Soul Kiwami
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One Piece Season 2 Christmas teaser trailer

Netflix has released a new teaser trailer for One Piece Season 2 on Christmas to get fans hyped up for the March 10 premiere. The One Piece Season 2 teaser trailer also previews Mikaela Hoover’s performance as Tony Tony Chopper.

New cast members for One Piece Season 2 include:

  • Mikaela Hoover as Tony Tony Chopper
  • Callum Kerr as Smoker
  • Julia Rehwald as Tashigi
  • Rigo Sanchez as Dragon
  • Charithra Chandran as Miss Wednesday 
  • Joe Manganiello as Mr. 0 
  • Lera Abova as Miss All Sunday
  • Sendhil Ramamurthy as Nefertari Cobra
  • Yonda Thomas as Igaram
  • David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3
  • Sophia Anne Caruso as Miss Goldenweek
  • Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine
  • Camrus Johnson as Mr. 5
  • Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9
  • Clive Russell as Crocus
  • Werner Coetser as Dorry
  • Brendan Murray as Brogy
  • Katey Sagal as Dr. Kureha
  • Mark Harelik as Dr. Hiriluk
  • Rob Colletti as Wapol
  • Ty Keogh as Dalton
  • Mark Penwill as Chess
  • Anton David Jeftha as K.M. 
  • James Hiroyuki Liao as Ipponmatsu

Ikue Ōtani will be reprising her role as Tony Tony Chopper in the Japanese dub of One Piece Season 2 on Netflix and the CHOPPER’s mini anime, with the latter set to premiere first on the Mezamashi TV morning program in Japan on January 5.

One Piece Season 2 Netflix key visual
©Eiichiro Oda, Tomorrow Studios, Netflix

One Piece Season 3 follows up at a later date, and the third season’s cast includes Cole Escola as Bon Clay , Xolo Maridueña as Portgas D. Ace, Awdo Awdo as Mr. 1, and Daisy Head as Miss Doublefinger.

The One Piece Elbaph arc anime premieres on April 5, 2026 with a new two-cour structure featuring a maximum of 26 episodes. Once the Egghead arc concludes this year, One Piece will go on a three-month hiatus from January to March 2026.

Lastly, One Piece has been serialized since July 1997, and fans can read the manga weekly on VIZ Media and Manga Plus in English.

Dragon Quest X Online: Stray Children of Space and Time Revealed

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Soul Kiwami
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Dragon Quest X Online Stray Children of Space and Time

During the Super Dragon Quest X TV Extra Edition: Adventurers’ Christmas Special 2025 livestream, Square Enix revealed that Dragon Quest X Online version 8.0, titled Dragon Quest X Online: Stray Children of Space and Time, launches on June 25, 2026 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC. The new expansion costs 4,950 yen, and pre-orders are available now.

Dragon Quest X Online: Stray Children of Space and Time will feature a new story, new characters, and much more. An All-in-One Package Version will be released for 5,940 yen with the new expansion and all previously released expansions. More details about the expansion will be revealed at Dragon Quest X Spring Festival 2026, which will be held on March 20 and 21. 

Previously, Square Enix released Dragon Quest X Offline and The Sleeping Hero and the Guiding Ally expansion for Android and iOS on January 15, 2025 in Japan. The expansion is as large as the main game itself, as players journey to the land of Rendashia to uncover mysteries about the world with their new companions. Further, the expansion features Battle Phantasm content and original episodes starring Anlucia, which were not included in the original MMORPG. Additionally, the expansion includes Special Trials, new moves for protagonist and his companions, and much more.

Lastly, Dragon Quest X Offline is available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam in Japan. The Sleeping Hero and Guiding Ally expansion launched on May 25, 2024 for Dragon Quest X Offline in Japan. Neither the game or the expansion have been released in the west.

Undead Unluck Season 2 Anime Officially Announced

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Soul Kiwami
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Undead Unluck Season 2

Following the premiere of the Undead Unluck winter 1-hour TV special, the staff of the anime confirmed that Undead Unluck Season 2 is now in production. To commemorate the announcement of Undead Unluck Season 2, manga creator Yoshifumi Tozuka released a new illustration.

The Undead Unluck 1-hour special premiered on December 25 on MBS and TBS channels, including affiliate channels. New cast members for the anime include Kenshō Ono as Tella and Takehito Koyasu as the new UMA, Balance. Queen Bee performs the opening theme song “01” and ending theme song “02.”

Sunghoo Park directs the Undead Unluck 1-hour anime special and handles storyboards at studio E&H production. Yamato Haishima returns for the screenplay. Hideyuki Morioka and Shun’ichi Ishimoto return to design the characters. Kenichiro Suehiro is the music composer.

UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS is producing and planning the anime. david production, the animation studio for the first season, is cooperating with E&H production and UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS.

Other staff members include:

  • UMA Design: Kazuhiro Miwa
  • Prop Design: Setta
  • Art Director: Yann Le Gall
  • Color Design: Aiko Mizuno
  • Director of Photography: Takao Saito
  • 3D Director: Tomohiko Kan
  • Editor: Kiyoshi Hirose
  • Sound Director: Jin Aketagawa
Undead Unluck one-hour special main key visual
© 戸塚慶文／集英社・アンデッドアンラック製作委員会

In January 2020, Tozuka originally published the Undead Unluck manga in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump. The manga ended with Undead Unluck volume 27 on April 4 in Japan.

Lastly, all 24 episodes of the Undead Unluck anime series are streaming right now on Hulu. Here’s an overview of Undead Unluck’s story from TMS Entertainment:

What happens when an unlucky girl meets an undead guy? Pure chaos!

Tired of inadvertently killing people with her special ability Unluck, Fuko Izumo sets out to end it all. But when she meets Andy, a man who longs for death but can’t die, she finds a reason to live—and he finds someone capable of giving him the death he’s been longing for.

Stardew Valley Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Shadowdrops on Christmas

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Soul Kiwami
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Stardew Valley Nintendo Switch 2 Edition screenshot

ConcernedApe has released Stardew Valley Nintendo Switch 2 Edition for $14.99 on Christmas day. Players who already own Stardew Valley on Nintendo Switch can upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 version via a free Upgrade Pack. Stardew Valley Nintendo Switch 2 Edition supports four-player local multiplayer and GameShare.

Lastly, here’s an overview of Stardew Valley, via the Nintendo eShop:

You’re moving to the valley…

You’ve inherited your grandfather’s old farm plot in Stardew Valley.

Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home? It won’t be easy. Ever since Joja Corporation came to town, the old ways of life have all but disappeared. The community center, once the town’s most vibrant hub of activity, now lies in shambles. But the valley seems full of opportunity. With a little dedication, you might just be the one to restore Stardew Valley to greatness!

Now with Multiplayer! Invite 1-3 players to join you in the valley! Players can work together to build a thriving farm, share resources, and build relationships with townspeople or each other. As more hands are better than one, players have the option to scale profit margin on produce sold for a more challenging experience.

Key Features

      • With intuitive mouse controls, placing furniture and organizing your inventory is easy.
      • Local split-screen cooperative supports up to four players.
      • Online multiplayer supports up to eight players.
      • With Game Share, just one copy is all it takes—invite up to three friends to play, even if they don’t own the game.

​School Days Remastered Pre-Orders Now Open

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Soul Kiwami
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School Days Remastered

Following the School Days Christmas Live 2025 live event, JAST opened pre-orders for 0verflow’s visual novel remaster School Days Remastered at jastusa.com. Pre-orders for School Days Remastered are 10% off, and players who already own School Days HQ on JAST will receive the remaster for free.

Here’s an overview of the remaster, via JAST:

School Days drops you into a setup you’ve seen a thousand times: Makoto wants the quiet girl from the morning train, Kotonoha. His classmate Sekai offers to play cupid, and it actually works. Problem solved, roll credits, everyone grows up emotionally healthy.

Then Sekai decides she wants something too.

About

School Days is finally playable on modern systems, and it looks real good to boot. If you’re unfamiliar, School Days is a fully animated visual novel where you navigate an increasingly complex web of romantic entanglements. There are lots of choices to make, and the game doesn’t wait for you to figure them out. If you don’t decide on an answer in time, neither does Makoto, who will remain silent.

School Days is known for being a legendarily messy love triangle, but nothing detonates at random. You assemble the disaster yourself, piece by piece. One non-answer. One half-truth. A few “this won’t matter” moments that absolutely do. Relationships tilt, rumors spread, trust collapses, and the game follows through on every consequence. The escalation is slow, believable, and brutal. It’ll twist your guts and pull at your heart because it plays on a pain we’ve all felt.

Your decisions lead to one of over twenty endings, from heartwarming romance to some truly notorious other outcomes. Stay true to one girl or go where your impulses lead. Either way, you own what happens next.

Highlights

      • Updated visuals, higher quality video
      • Modern quality-of-life features like autosaves and adjustable settings
      • Same great full-animation gameplay as the original
      • Scene select to revisit key branching points
      • 20+ endings across branching routes
      • Timed choice system where silence is always a valid option

This Monster Wants to Eat Me Anime Reveals Final Key Visual for Episode 13

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Soul Kiwami
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The final episode of This Monster Wants to Eat Me, episode 13 – “Warmth on the Sea Floor,” has been released, and to commemorate the finale, a new special key visual was released by Pony Canyon.

This Monster Wants to Eat Me finale episode visual
©2024 Sai Naekawa/KADOKAWA/Project Watatabe

This Monster Wants to Eat Me premiered on October 2 and ran until December 25, with a total episode count of 13. Outside Japan, the anime is streaming on Crunchyroll, Ani-One YouTube, Bahamut, and more services. 

Yoshino performs the opening theme song “nie (Sacrifice).” Reina Ueda performs the ending theme song “LiLy.” 

The cast includes:

  • Reina Ueda as Hinako Yaotose
  • Yui Ishikawa as Shiori Oumi
  • Fairouz Ai as Miko Yashiro

Naoyuki Kuzuya is the chief director alongside director Yūsuke Suzuki at Studio Lings. Mitsutaka Hirota oversees and writes the series scripts, and Nozomi Ikuyama is the character designer. Ryōsuke Naya is the anime’s sound director, and Keiji Inai is the music composer.

Additional key staff members include: 

  • Color Design: Taeko Mizuno
  • Art Director: Yoshitaka Kudō
  • Director of Photography: Kenji Takehara
  • 3DCG: Zishiro Shida
  • Editor: Misato Takikawa
  • Sound Effects: Michiyo Saito
  • Animation Producer: Hideto Takagi

Sai Naekawa launched the manga in Kadokawa’s Dengeki Maoh magazine in 2020. Lastly here’s an overview of the manga, via publisher Yen Press:

“I’ve come to eat you.” So softly utters the mermaid Shiori as she emerges from the sea and takes high school girl Hinako by the hand. Hinako lives alone in a town by the sea and possesses an unusually delicious body that is irresistible to nearby monsters. To ensure that she matures to the best condition, Shiori seeks to protect Hinako—all so that someday, she can devour every piece of her. What will become of Hinako’s feelings as this looming unjust death closes in on her…?

Etheria: Restart Launches ‘Absolute Hollow’ Event on Christmas

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Soul Kiwami
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Etheria Restart Absolute Hollow

XD Games has launched the “Absolute Hollow” banner event for free-to-play supernatural hero team-building RPG Etheria: Restart on Christmas, running through January 14. Absolute Hollow adds two new playable characters to the roster of Etheria: Restart, including Attack Animus Senyu and Support Animus Palin.

Senyu is the Administrative Secretary to Acting Governor Livia, and she’s known for her gentle and polite nature. Kokardi and Veronika refer to her as the “Perfect Secretary.” On the other hand, Palin is revered as a noble and presence, with the code name of “The Saint.” However, she hides the “unfathomable mind of a true enigma.” To summon either character from the event, players must first have completed the game’s prologue.

Etheria: Restart Season 2 (SS2) “Rime Tiara” recently brought wintry decorations and snow to the world of Etheria, along with many new events and features. 

The Everwinter Tribunal runs through February 2, 2026 with the following seasonal cosmetics:

  • Chaku Outfit: Frostnight Justiciar
  • Male Hyperlinker Loungewear: Snowveil Resolve
  • Female Hyperlinker Loungewear: Winter Blossom
  •  

Etheria: Restart SS2 also introduces Ability Awakening, allowing players to unlock massive buffs for Turandot, Sania, and RC-77 through a new Enhancement Tree.

Players can also expect the following events:

  • New Year’s Events: December 25 to January 1 (missions + exclusive cosmetics).
  • Chaku Treasure Hunt: Key-based treasure trove for enhancement materials (Encrypted/Cipher Zones).
  • Limited-Time Summit Arena Mode: Rank-free fun matches for battle pass progress + wild rules.

Etheria: Restart is available now for Android, iOS, and PC via Steam

Heartopia Launches on January 7, 2026 for Android, iOS and PC

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Soul Kiwami
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Heartopia

XD Games has announced cozy life simulation game Heartopia launches on January 7, 2026 for Android via Google Play, iOS via App Store, and PC, followed by the Steam version at a later date. Players can pre-register on the official website to receive exclusive rewards at launch, including Gold x4000, Wishing Star x20, Moonlight Crystal x400, and Exhibition Pass x60.

The final closed beta test for Heartopia was held from December 10 to December 23 for Android and PC. Players who participated in the Heartopia final closed beta test, along with those who created a character in the first beta test, will receive a Blueberry Crossbody Bag in-game cosmetic when the game launches. All players who reach level 18 in either beta test will receive a Star Mascot Head in-game cosmetic.

Here’s an overview of the upcoming title, via its respective store pages:

Welcome to Heartopia, a life simulation game crafted for creativity, freedom, and peace. Build your dream home, explore a wide range of hobbies, and forge warm connections with friends in a town full of endless possibilities.

Game Features

      • A World of Meaningful Connections – Chat with the charming residents of Heartopia Town, connect with other players from around the world, and find your lifelong friends.
      • Indulge Your Every Hobby – Fish, cook, garden, or simply watch the birds. In Heartopia, there’s no stamina system or daily checklist. Do only what brings you joy.
      • Build Your Dream House – Whether you dream of a cozy cottage or a magnificent mansion, Heartopia gives you the tools to turn your vision into a reality. Every brick, flower, and piece of furniture can be customized.
      • Over 1,000 Daily Outfits – Mix and match casual wear, elegant gowns, and whimsical costumes to create the perfect look for any occasion. Express your mood and show the world who you are.
      • A Seamless Fairy-tale Town – Walk slowly, take scenic detours, and get lost in its beauty. With no loading screens and no boundaries, the entire fairy-tale town is yours to explore.

Romance Visual Novel anemoi Has Been Delayed

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Soul Kiwami
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anemoi

Visual Arts and Key have delayed the release of romance visual novel anemoi from its original January 30, 2026 release date to April 24, 2026 for PC. anemoi was delayed in order for the development team to make further quality improvements. 

anemoi is planned to release on PC via Steam at a later date with English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese language options. A demo of anemoi is available to download on the game’s official website, but it should be noted that it appears to only support Japanese. The demo’s file size is roughly 2.4 GB.

The story of anemoi centers on protagonist Mugi Hayakawa and his sister Rikka, who visit the town of Masumi in northern Japan in order to open a time capsule from 10 years ago. Mugi decides to stay in the town until its time to open the capsule, and while doing so, he meets the game’s heroines. The heroines include Aino, Koyomi, Spica, Rikka, and Hiiro.

KAI (Clannad, Rewrite, Harmonia) is the director of the game. Yū Niijima is writing the scenario alongside KAI, Hasama, and Shun Sayuki. Shinji Orito is the music composer, and Tōya Okano is the producer.

More details about anemoi, including the game’s cast and product information, can be found on the game’s official website.

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