moon eclipses sun

 ////////////////////////////////////////////////// A FEVERED FAMICOM DREAM

ON MAY 21st AT 7:35 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING IN JAPAN the moon obscured some of the light from the sun, casting an eerie shadow. At precisely the same time, a transmission from 8-4 Ltd. was broadcast via the internet, alongside a new edition of the Audience Calibration Procedure clip, localized & remastered entirely for Japan. Avoid the English language & enjoy sworcery in its new native langauge in the clip above! 

The following are excerpts from the above-mentioned solar eclipse transmission:

Ladies & gentlemen: Konnichiwa. We have heard your cries & we apologize for the delay.

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Our research team at Superbrothers, alongside videogame wizards at CAPY & maestro Jim Guthrie, and in collaboration with our trusted partners at Tokyo-based 8-4, Ltd., are proud to announce that our latest psychosocial audiovisual experiment, a meandering mythopoetic adventure known as SUPERBROTHERS: SWORD & SWORCERY EP, will be available this summer for the very first time in the native language of the noble people who live on the island nation of Japan.

Included in the transmission was this cryptic hint:

Note: If you have already purchased SUPERBROTHERS: SWORD & SWORCERY EP and you are curious about these Japan shenanigans: please remain calm, you will be taken care of.

Elsewhere in the transmission, these quotes could be found: 

“It’s simply a magnificent game” says Suda 51, CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture, the studio behind such acclaimed games as No More Heroes, Killer 7, and Shadows of the Damned.

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“There’s a long history of cool, quirky & meaningful Japanese games making it over to the West” says 8-4, Ltd. Executive Director Mark MacDonald. “We figured it was time to return the favor, and #sworcery is the perfect package to do it in style.”

For a full transcript of this solar eclipse transmission, feel free to click here.

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To follow the progress of this "Sukimusu" project on Twitter, try searching @sukimusu on Twitter or stop by sworcery.jp. 

 ////////////////////////////////////////////////// NEW REMIX RECORD WITH SEVEN SONGS OF SWORCERY

TO MARK THE JUNE 21st LAUNCH OF SUPERBROTHERS: SWORD & SWORCERY EP in the island nation of Japan, an entirely new album has been created featuring seven of Jim Guthrie’s songs of sworcery, re-interpreted by a who’s who of Japanese composers, many of them known for their affiliation with videogames.

THE SCYTHIAN STEPPES remix record will contain tracks from Michiru Yamane (think: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night), Akira Yamaoka (think: Silent Hill), Baiyon (think: PixelJunk Eden & PixelJunk 4am), Mitsuto Suzuki (most recently: Final Fantasy XIII-2), as well as a magnificent chiptune artist known as macotom3, as well as the enigmatic new superhero Decasségui Hip. 

This new record was orchestrated by the folks at 8-4, Ltd. with the intention of bringing the best of the west to the east, and bringing the best of the east to the west. 

“We wanted to do something special to celebrate #sworcery finally coming to Japan,” says 8-4, Ltd. president Hiroko Minamoto. “Music and collaboration were key aspects of this game from the beginning, so a remix album together with Japanese artists just felt right.”

More information as well as a delicious sampling of all the new tracks can be found in the second a/v clip above. 

For the full press release about Sword & Sworcery in Japan, click here.

Key members of the S&S team will be travelling to Japan ahead of the June 21st summer solstice launch event, you'll probably hear more about this on the @84play podcast.

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