Back in 2017, Rakuen was a pixel-art RPG with no combat that combined serious themes with cute, fantasy songs and characters. We admire it. Now, its developer Laura Shigihara has announced a new game, Mr. Saitou, which she describes as “a sequel in the Rakuen universe.” You can find the announcement trailer below.
“Mr. Saitou is a short game about an ordinary office worker who struggles to find meaning in a life of constant overtime and social isolation,” according to Go to Steam page. “After an accident that leaves him hospitalized, Mr. Saitou is transported to a strange fantasy world where an unexpected friend takes him on a life-changing adventure.”
Rakuen can take about ten hours to play if you do everything, but Mr. Saitou “will usually finish in one sitting.”
Besides Rakuen and Mr. Saitou, Shigihara is also a game composer, best known for To The Moon, Deltarune, and singing. Zombies on your lawn in Plants vs. Zombies.
“There’s a lot to celebrate here, and I’d like to start with the most striking: it’s the only game I can think of to feature such an outstanding mother,” we said. said Reviews of Rakuen. “The boy (as the game only deals with the boy) is accompanied by his mother for most of the game, the two together exploring both the hospital and the world of Rakuen. This has two enormous effects. – firstly it creates a dynamic relationship at the heart of the story, both can chat at any time, mom can make suggestions and most importantly chat and argue with the characters in the game together with you. Use fantasy.”
There is no word yet on whether Mr. Saitou’s mother will appear in the new game, but it is slated to release on March 23, 2023. You can find more screenshots on Steam.
