I’m leaving for California Extreme (CAX) tomorrow but before I go, let’s get to some location test news – one game testing in Japan, one from Japan that’s testing in the US, then another from my home base of Utah, USA. Let’s start with the new Beatmania IIDX and Godzilla Kaiju Drop, then touch on Kung Fu Panda.
NOTE: The games discussed on this post are on location test, which is the arcade industry equivalent of a beta test. The final product may differ significantly from the final production release – if the games pass the tests and reach production.
Beatmania IIDX 32 Pinky Crush
Fans of Konami’s original Bemani series can be pleased as Beatmania is back with a thirty-second iteration (although IIDX’s are about as inevitable every year as Golden Tee’s 😛). Ted has shared some posts on the game & test, including this non-gameplay announcement trailer, on the AH Discord. Aside from the logo, this tweet shows the test that is going from the 26th-28th over in Tokyo. Naturally, the cabinet has a pink color scheme via its changeable LED strips, as well as the attendant new song additions:
I wouldn’t expect this to show up anywhere in the US though, except for Round1USA. Speaking of which…
Godzilla Kaiju Drop
I’m putting this one second as it is not a video game but a new Godzilla themed coin pusher. Surprisingly, this is also developed in part by Taito, who hasn’t exactly been super active on the arcade scene lately (we’ve been seeing one, maybe two games e.g. Music Diver pop-up from them, then hang out for a while). It started testing at one of the oft-forgotten Round1 locations in China a few weeks ago, but I wasn’t expecting to see them try it here so soon. It has a very impressive 3D sculpt of Godzilla in the center and handles up to six players. For now, it is only testing out at the famous Puente Hills Round1USA.
If this one passes the test and isn’t fully exclusive to R1USA (maybe with a smaller version?), my assumption is that they will release it through UNIS, whom Taito has worked with in the recent past, and UNIS has the Godzilla license for use in certain games, like their Godzilla Vs. Kong Smasher. If released here, that could give the market four different Godzilla games to choose from.
Kung Fu Panda: The Warrior’s Gauntlet
Last but not least is a new virtual reality-based Kung Fu Panda game that was unexpectedly caught by Jdevy in a new arcade tour video. The surprising thing for me is that this is not terribly far away (still a little bit of a drive, maybe about 45m). The reason for it testing in Utah is that the company behind it, Night Heron, is located here, and they have some amusement VR experience as some of the people working there are said to have come from TheVoid. I can’t find much else about them for now, so it is unknown if they might be working with anyone else on this (though it doesn’t look likely). Game Rant already caught wind of its trademark filing, but that hadn’t said anything about it being an amusement VR piece.
This video shows the game very briefly at the 4:23 mark, where you have a rather large, almost square screen. The cabinet has only one tethered VR headset on it, and you can catch a few seconds of gameplay in the attract mode, where it looks like you have to hit various targets by using your hands. They didn’t linger on it as this is a tour, but there is also a “No photos please” sign on there.
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Will we see this at IAAPA? Maybe. There’s no Night Heron on the IAAPA Exhibitor list, but it’s not exactly 100% filled out yet, and if they are working with a partner, it would likely debut there instead. As Ted has pointed out via this recent report from KWP, it does additionally look like they were there with this title at Amusement Expo in March, but on a behind closed doors, invite only basis (AH didn’t get one), so perhaps if it’s still not ready by November we will see them showcase it in that capacity again.
Does anything out of these three new games stand out to you? Would you like to see Beatmania IIDX Pinky Crush, Godzilla Kaiju Drop, or Kung Fu Panda: The Warrior’s Gauntlet at an arcade nearby?
