9 great games from China, Japan and Korea for PC and consoles. They surprised everyone with the plot and graphics, and you don’t know everything

Over the past couple of years, I have increasingly come across the opinion that the gaming industry is dying, the agenda is ruining everything, and games in general have gone downhill a long time ago. And this, unfortunately, is partly true, especially if you look exclusively at the Western segment of game development.

In 2024, there was a real renaissance of Eastern culture in games. starting from January About once a month a hit project was released from Japanese, Chinese and even Korean developers. And what’s most surprising is that almost all of this year’s hits have been translated into Russian.

Today we’ll be looking at the games that have been tearing up the charts and getting high marks from everyone. Yes, you will see many of the names for the first time, but believe me, this project is worth giving.

1. Tekken 8

January is generally considered a low season in the industry, when almost nothing interesting comes out.

But this year, on January 26, two projects with a very high degree of adaptation appeared at once. from everyone in general. We’re talking about Tekken 8 and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (which we’ll talk about below).

Tekken 8 is a great fighting game with beautiful graphics, a cool story mode (seriously, it feels like watching an action movie) and crazy potential for learning the combat system.

I still play T8 and don’t stop, but at the release my friends and I put everything on hold and practically didn’t get out of the online mode.

🛒 Project page on Steam

2. Like a dragon: endless wealth

I won’t go into the history of the series here, saying that this series used to be obsolete in the West as Yakuza, and that in fact this is already the 8th part of the series.

And don’t let the number scare you – it’s not necessary to know all the games, “Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth” at the beginning very gently introduces the course of events so that a beginner does not have the discomfort of not understanding the local history.

There is a story, as Like a Dragon: Endless Wealth is a crime drama about a former Yakuza member named Ichiban Kasuga who flies from Japan to Hawaii in search of his mother.

There are a lot of colorful characters, a well-developed open world and a very strong story about friendship, honor and the importance of family. Well, yes, in addition to the plot, there are additional activities and mini-games, from karaoke to a farmer simulator on your own island.

Getting stuck in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth can be very, very difficult. The game, by the way, has been translated into Russian, for which we write a huge thank you to SEGA – there is a lot of text and videos in the game.

🛒 Project page on Steam

3. Games from Atlus (Persona 3 Reload, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, Metaphor: ReFantazio)

This year, Atlus decided to literally fire all guns and announced three hit JRPGs in a row. From the long-awaited remake of Persona 3 to the new Metaphor: ReFantazio. And let’s briefly talk about each.

In February, Persona 3 Reload was released – a remake of the cult game from the PlayStation 2. Yes, you, most likely, have heard about this series of games at least once, in which a group of schoolchildren save the world and use their results in battle I. The role-playing game’s plot explores themes related to death, while the gameplay is a thorough simulation of the life of a Japanese high school student. It’s not enough to fight enemies; you need to study, go to clubs, and even be friends with girls.

But if the school theme and overt anime setting are off-putting, then you should definitely try Shin Megami Tensei V. In short, it’s “Pokemon”, but for adults, where instead of cute monsters we have demons, angels and gods, and we don’t need them yet to catch, but to persuade you to use various methods, including through self-mutilation, if the interlocutor asks.

The plot reveals a non-linear and very dark story about the degeneration of the human race. AND school theme and anime. Only darkness, blood, occultism and cruelty.

However, if you want a role-playing game, but not in a modern setting, then Metaphor: ReFantazio was recently released. Here we have fantasy, palace intrigue, themes of xenophobia and saving the world from a tyrant who has ascended the throne.

All 3 games have been fully translated into Russian (officially for the first time), Persona 3 is still included in the Xbox Game Pass subscription, and in SMT you don’t need to be scared of the numbers 5 in the title (the numbers 3 in “Persona” too), these games do not require knowledge the remaining parts are absolutely self-sufficient. And they all messed up their schedules, yeah.

🛒 Persona 3 Reboot on Steam

🛒 Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance on Steam

🛒 Metaphor: ReFantazio on Steam

4. Rebirth of Final Fantasy VII

The winter season ended too brightly with the continuation of the remake of Final Fantasy VII. However, it turned out with subtleties. The beautiful action-RPG in the open world suffered from performance problems, players criticized the approach to game design and the need to open towers on the map (hello, Ubisoft), and the game had not yet been translated into Russian.

But if you take these subtleties out of the equation, you’ll get a solid project for fans of Cloud’s story with a complex combat system and a great plot.

Critics once again praised the game. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is one of the best exclusive projects for PlayStation 5 at the moment.

If you are not familiar with the series and the lack of translation does not bother you, then it is worth a try. However, keep in mind that without knowledge of the events of the first part it will be difficult for you. But don’t worry, the first part will be recounted in detail at the beginning of the game, or you can play it on your own as it is available with a PS Plus subscription.

🛒 Game page on PlayStation.com

5. Star Blade

Stellar Blade attracted literally everyone’s attention from the very announcement, and all thanks to the appearance of the main character Eva.

As a result, the release led to scandals and sharp criticism from the progressive public and such journalists (for this reason, the games are not rated the highest, by the way) – provocateurs in all sins, from imposing unrealistic beauty standards to banal definitions of taste.

However, behind the façade of feigned sexuality, there is a rather strong slasher film that takes inspiration from the Nier series in terms of plot and Metal Gear Rising in terms of combat system.

The story of Stellar Blade is a tragic post-apocalypse with conference themes, spectacular combat and just a wonderful soundtrack that is sure to be on your playlist. If you have a PlayStation 5, it’s worth a try.

🛒 Game page on PlayStation.com

6. Astrobot

Let’s move on to the top games. It’s no joke, but at the moment Astro Bot is the most highly rated game of all this year.

Yes, this cute platformer about robots from the Japanese studio Team Asobi.

The game is incredibly addicting, and there are two important aspects to it: the gameplay and the atmosphere of real fun. Throughout the entire process, it constantly presents surprises – from micro-mechanics within levels to unexpected fan service and difficult challenges that are created in the most unexpected conditions.

Online, some people are calling the game “the graveyard of Sony franchises,” but Asobi’s team was clearly aiming for the round. Astro Bot is more of a respectful and touching tribute to all the games that have ever been released on Sony consoles.

🛒 Game page on PlayStation.com

7. Black Myth: Wukong

And our top project of this year has come to an end. A game from young scientific studios Game Science, which are still blackmailing and dissing Western journalists, spreading slander about studio employees online, and openly bullying individuals, getting personal.

This is because Game Science has publicly refused to work with reputable companies like Sweet Baby Ins. that consult on diversity and modern development issues.

Almost all top publications predicted Black Myth: Wukong a deafening failure and oblivion. But immediately after the release, the number of concurrent players on Steam reached 996,371 people, and within a few hours their number increased to 2.2 million, this is the second highest figure in the entire history of the online service.

At the same time, online Black Myth: Wukong outperformed other popular single-player games, such as Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077. Lower ratings from specialized publications in this case only benefited the developers.

And, unfortunately, I am sure that the game will not even get into the list of “Game of the Year” nominees from The Game Awards, and will not receive any specialized regalia. But she deserved the love of the players, respect and honor.

No, not because Game Science taught the Western story openly and to hell, although that too. First of all, Black Myth: Wukong is a great game, and if you’re wondering why, please take a good look at our review.

🛒 Project page on Steam

The main thing is to discard stereotypes

Often, when Japanese games come up in conversation, sooner or later an opinion comes up that sounds something like this: “Are these those weird anime games for older kids? All those step-by-step RPG instructions of yours with a ton of text? Why is it needed!” And, as a rule, next to this opinion there will definitely be a desperate cry that, they say, the industry is dead, there are only games-services and an agenda.

And every time I see something like this, first I want to ask something: “Well, yes, from the Japanese and even anime, but will there be any disadvantages?” How long has it been since this became a bad thing? And everything is fine with the industry. She is more alive than anyone else alive, and the projects I mentioned above are the best proof.

Yes, the West is really drowning and is behaving in pursuit of investments from companies that value their political and modern social image, this is true. But as long as we have studios that remember why you can try computer games, everything is fine with the industry. You just need to broaden your horizons and abandon conservative stereotypes.

It is with this thought that I voice you. Have a good day!