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[Hero of Legend]

I've done numerous look over threads before. It's been a while since my last one, so today I want to look at a very underlooked 3DS eShop publisher named CIRCLE Entertainment.

See the prior threads on Nintendo's relationship with Tecmo Koei, Bandai Namco, and Sonic. And also of Atlus' line-up on 3DS.

Circle is actually in China, but their main work is localizing and releasing various eShop games made by Japanese developers in NA and EU. Here's their website:

http://www.cir-ent.com/

They've been around for numerous years, having been formed in 2006, and prior to 3DS they only did some small work here and there for Arc System Works (whom they still work with today on occasion), with a few games on PSP and the like.

Fast forward to 2010 and that's when Circle more or less reinvented itself and dedicated themselves to being a DSiWare publisher, with their first game being Animal Puzzle Adventure.

They'd go on to do more DSiWare games like Publisher Dream, Bookstore Dream, and Ah! Heaven.

Finally around 2012-ish they finally started getting into 3DS eShop games, and that's when their line-up basically exploded in terms of quantity (and quite a bit of quality too!).

Check out a very large interview with them from 2012 by Siliconera:

http://www.siliconera.com/2012/12/2...ndie-nintendo-supporter-youve-never-heard-of/

I'll list the most notable 3DS eShop games out in NA with their developer with the USD prices. For folks in EU and such, they're trying very hard to get their games out there! IARC has been a big help for them.

Conveni Dream (Arc System Works, $5.00)

Adventure Bar Story (Rideon Japan, $5.99)

Mercenaries Saga 2 (Rideon Japan, $4.99)

Legend of Dark Witch (Inside System, $3.99)

Legend of Dark Witch 2 (Inside System, $6.99)

Puzzle Labyrinth (Intense, $5.00)

Parascientific Escape: Cruise in the Distant Seas (Intense, $4.99)

ASH (no, not Archaic Sealed Heat ) (OVERTUNE / SRRN Games, $3.99)

Petit Novel series - Harvest December (Tunestune, $11.99 (contains all 12 episodes))

Fairune (Skipmore, $2.99)

Witch & Hero (RSF, $3.99)

Witch & Hero 2 (RSF, $3.99)

And those are just some of the localizations.

Another source with more if their GameFAQs page here.

Of course, they have even more on the way, such as:

Adventure Labyrinth Story (trailer) (Rideon Japan)
Ambition of the slimes (trailer) (Altair Works)
Noah's Cradle (JP website) (Silver Star)
Fairune 2 (Skipmore)
Kingdom's Item Shop (PUMO)
Go! Go! Kokopolo 3D (Tanukii Studios) It's still coming! (1, 2)

That'll do for now.

I hope this helped get you guys familiar with their work. As you can see above, they've done a lot!

 

[Shinriji]

I still want them to bring Legend of Dark Witch and Fairune for Vita. They teased something a few years ago, but nothing came out of it. I know that I can buy it on JP PSN, but it's such a drag.

 

[Hero of Legend]

This thread barely got any attention at all.

 

[LunarKnite]

Hey dude, great thread! I've been a fan of Circle for a few years now. I'm one of those people who downloads a lot of eShop games and Circle's have been among many of them. Highly enjoyed Bookstore Dream and Publisher Dream for the DSiware. Witch&Hero and Fairune were great as well. I'm excited for Fairune 2, and currently playing through the sequel to Witch&Hero.

I like rooting for Circle, they are a small publisher underdog based in China who decided to publish mainly for dedicated handhelds instead of going the mobile route. For that, I have nothing but respect for them. I hope they continue their work, and that they get noticed by more people.

 

[Intel_89]

Fairune was good, Legend of the Dark Witch is fantastic and they have a couple other good games for low prices. I'm glad to have them around.

 

[LayLa]

Enjoyed Fairune quite a bit, looking forward to the sequel

 

[PsionBolt]

This thread barely got any attention at all.

It's a well-made thread, so don't feel bad about it.

I don't have much of anything to say about Circle; I have significantly enjoyed some of the games they have published (Legend of Dark Witch is a great series), mildly enjoyed some (Witch and Hero is kinda decent), disliked some (Harvest December, Mercenaries Saga 2, and Adventure Bar Story), and haven't tried some. When I read their name attached to a game, I don't react particularly strongly in either direction. That puts them ahead of some publishers, I suppose, but behind many others as well. Eh.

 

[Aiustis]

I have:
Legend of Dark Witch and Witch & Hero.
Didn't realize they were the same company.

Fun games.

 

[kunonabi]

I'm a huge fan of circle now since they've been releasing a bunch of stuff I thought we would never get. I'm probably going to end up buying their whole catalogue just to support them.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Thanks for the thread. I never even knew about these games. I've been trained to ignore a lot of stuff I haven't heard of due to Steam being filled with so much shovelware. Are these legit decent/good games?

 

[PaulExcellent]

Dude, there's a Witch & Hero 2?!
That's so rad. Gotta download it now.

Witch & Hero is my go-to game for wasting time. Also, Fairune is great until the last

Spoiler

boss fight where the game goes into a shmup

for nooooooo reason. :/

 

[takoyaki]

This thread barely got any attention at all.

hey, just like Parascientific Escape!

Seriously though, thanks for the thread. They are bringing over some interesting little games and I hope they keep doing it. Parascientific Escape wasn't great, but it's a fun low-budget take on the Zero Escape games that's worth spending $5 and 4-5 hours on it imo. Let's see if they release the second game as well.

 

[UCBooties]

Wow, I didn't realize all of these were CIRCLE. They've really been putting out some great budget games accross a number of different genres.

Fairune makes me sad though. I am completely lost as to where to go ;_;

 

[Hero of Legend]

Thanks for the thread. I never even knew about these games. I've been trained to ignore a lot of stuff I haven't heard of due to Steam being filled with so much shovelware. Are these legit decent/good games?

A lot are well-recieved. From experience, I highly recommend Legend of Dark Witch 1, it's this odd almost 2D platformer and shmup mashup, where you move about and fire shots like in a shmup (mostly in just a straight line), and you can power-up your shots so they do spread out more and get more powerful. And it's cheap at only $3.99 USD.

I also recommend Mercenaries Saga 2 as folks say it's a really good FF Tactics-like game. I have it, I just haven't put much time into it yet.

 

[slick7rick]

I first bought Witch & Hero which turned me into a fan of theirs. They make great games that are fun and simple. I bought Fairune later and loved it as well.

Didn't know they both had a sequel!

 

[Coppanuva]

Oh hey I just beat Fairune last night. It was ok. Got kinda really annoyed at how many times I got stuck because I wasn't pixel hunting for which trees didn't have trunks etc. Also wtf at the end.

 

[Dee Dee]

And now, let's look over Circle's line-up on the GERMAN eShop.


(Adventure Bar Story and Mercenaries Saga-shaped holes)


:C

I just wanted Adventure Bar Story, was that too much to ask?

They are really cool, but I keep putting off buying their stuff due to back log. The one game I wanted doesn't get released in my region...

 

[WiiRevolution1]

Circle is awesome! Love Witch & Hero, Adventure Bar Story, and especially Fairune!

Got Dark Witch but haven't played it yet.

Still need to get Witch & Hero 2, the visual novels, and Conveni Dream.

 

[TheBaldEmperor]

A lot are well-recieved. From experience, I highly recommend Legend of Dark Witch 1, it's this odd almost 2D platformer and shmup mashup, where you move about and fire shots like in a shmup (mostly in just a straight line), and you can power-up your shots so they do spread out more and get more powerful. And it's cheap at only $3.99 USD.

I also recommend Mercenaries Saga 2 as folks say it's a really good FF Tactics-like game. I have it, I just haven't put much time into it yet.

Game was pretty good. I quite enjoyed and it was super affordable for what it was.

 

[HyperZone<3]

damn, Noah's Cradle looks kinda sick.

but yeah, like these guys. Glad such a niche company is able to keep at it,

 

[Hero of Legend]

And now, let's look over Circle's line-up on the GERMAN eShop.


(Adventure Bar Story and Mercenaries Saga-shaped holes)


:C

I just wanted Adventure Bar Story, was that too much to ask?

They are really cool, but I keep putting off buying their stuff due to back log. The one game I wanted doesn't get released in my region...

Don't know about ABS or MS2, but as for future stuff, I got good news!

https://twitter.com/CIRCLE_Ent/status/748425689913667585

all of our future 3ds games will released in German, AU and NZ. Except local rating refuse it due to content may inappropriate.

 

[SAB CA]

I think some pictures would help this OT a lot. The Cute / Well crafted Aesthetics are definitely one of the things that helped draw me to their games, even if I'm not a big 3DS person myself.

There's a nice amount of variety from what they develop / publish.

Of course, this didn't stop me from getting my brother to download and enjoy them, and now he's a fan of them as well.

I'm also glad some of their games have made it to Steam, too. I know their are loads of people who find these kind of things best played on hand-helds / tablets, but I love classic gaming like this on big screen, where I can share them with couch co-...on-lookers...

 

[Lord of Ostia]

Anyone who loves SRPGS should pick up Mercenaries Saga 2. It's heavily inspired by FFT and Tactics Ogre, and at $5 it is a steal. It's obviously not nearly as good as those classics, but it is fun and for the price you won't find a better SRPG on 3DS.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Nice thread. Bookstore Dream on DSiWare, eh? Wasn't there a book selling game on 3DS too, is it the same title? I always meant to try it. If it's not as good as the DSiWare one, let me know, as I'll pick that up instead. Keen to get a game like it.

 

[redcrayon]

Mercenaries Saga 2 is a great game for £4, really enjoyed it.

 

[PixyJunket]

Yeah, I like these guys.

I was actually a fan of Skipmore's output and had Fairune on iOS before it was ported.

I wonder how close Circle is with the developers they work with? I wonder if they can convince Skipmore to port Drancia to 3DS?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nbgcI5oWAs

 

[Verelios]

Mercenaries Saga 2 is a steal for $5. If they only tweaked the abilities it would be amazing but for the price? Beautiful.

 

[Hero of Legend]

I think some pictures would help this OT a lot. The Cute / Well crafted Aesthetics are definitely one of the things that helped draw me to their games, even if I'm not a big 3DS person myself.

Took your advice and added a screenshot for each of the main games.

 

[Eliseo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arq7mXbAECM Demon king box. I had a blast with this game.

 

[@MUWANdo]

I respect Circle for releasing so many games and by all accounts they're great to work with but if I'm being honest, I don't really rate most of their output.

 

[ArtHands]

I recommend Mercenaries Saga 2 too. Great title.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

that ASH reference tho

some of these look fairly entertaining.

 

[Immaculate]

mercanaries saga looks a lot like ff tactics

 

[Shizuka]

I'll always love them for Harvest December and Parascientific Escape. I can always do with more 3DS visual novels.

 

[PtM]

If you're going to get Circle stuff, it's regularly on sale.

 

[Diggeh]

Circle is awesome. I love ParaSci! Super fun for the price. I can't wait for Puzzle Labyrinth to come out! Looked really awesome from the previews an--

Release Date Jun 09, 2016

CIRCLE PLS

 

[OuterLimits]

Love Adventure Bar Story and Mercenaries Saga 2. Didn't Circle also publish World Conqueror 3D and other similar strategy war games on 3DS? Haven't played those though, but keep meaning to buy one to try it out.

 

[Brazil]

Go! Go! Kokopolo 2 is still coming? Holy shit, man.

Lovely thread, by the way! I'll definitely look into more of those games. CIRCLE did a great job on many DSiWare games back then.

 

[ladyluthien]

I love Circle and I love all the games they bring over. Thanks for the thread! It'll be nice to see what they bring next.

 

[LunarKnite]

It seems like I really should be playing Mercenaries Saga 2....along with a couple others. My 3DS backlog is stupid long.

Oh, and I have to say, I'm super excited about Ambition of the Slimes too! Maybe it's just the Dragon Quest fan in me, but a game that features slimes? Color me interested.

 

[Tizoc]

Circle ent published witch and hero 1 on steam too but ill checkout their other titles on eu eshop

 

[SAB CA]

Took your advice and added a screenshot for each of the main games.

Awesome! I do love the diversity they have. That Adventure Bar game... looks nothing like the one of Vita, doh! I thought they were the exact same game, lol. Oo...

 

[Hero of Legend]

Awesome! I do love the diversity they have. That Adventure Bar game... looks nothing like the one of Vita, doh! I thought they were the exact same game, lol. Oo...

Actually that is 3DS-bound (see Adventure Labyrinth Story)!

AND with new content!

https://twitter.com/CIRCLE_Ent/status/752487312269934592

Adventure Labyrinth Story it's a upgraded version for PSM. Providing new weapons, items, monsters and character. With parameters adjustment.

 

[MacTag]

Yeah, I like these guys.

I was actually a fan of Skipmore's output and had Fairune on iOS before it was ported.

I wonder how close Circle is with the developers they work with? I wonder if they can convince Skipmore to port Drancia to 3DS?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nbgcI5oWAs

Just announced in the new Nintendo Direct but Flyhigh Works and Skipmore are releasing Drancia Saga on 3DS eShop! No doubt we'll see a Circle localization too.

 

[pete_clarf]

Some of their games are on sale on the eShop right now:

Parascientific Escape: Cruise in the Distant Seas - $3.99 (normally $4.99)
Toy Defense - $2.79 (normally $3.99)
KAMI - $1.99 (normally $2.99)
The Legend of Dark Witch - $2.79 (normally $3.99)
Tappingo - $1.99 (normally $2.99)
WAKEDAS - $1.99 (normally $2.99)
Witch & Hero - $2.79 (normally $3.99)

I've actually never bought any of their games, but I notice that a lot of the ones that have caught my attention have been published by them. I used to have Karous on my wish list, but took it off because of bad reviews.

 

[MacTag]

Drancia Saga 3DS trailer!

http://youtu.be/9k7Up9RrAhE

 

[LayLa]

Drancia Saga 3DS trailer!

http://youtu.be/9k7Up9RrAhE

Interesting. Do you have to own the games to unlock the extra characters? Also they seem to have snuck in a character from Fairune 2 in the trailer!

 

[thumb]

This thread inspired me to pick up several CIRCLE games. Looking forward to trying them out.

 

[PrinnyBomb]

picked up Fairune, is 33% off atm. any more opinions on harvest december?

 

[CamHostage]

Nice thread. Circle is a little company that has quietly been putting out cool things, and it's worth making some noise for them.

This has already been mentioned a bit, but since the full line-up isn't in this thread, here's the line-up for Circle partner Flyhigh Works (?) (is FlyHigh a label of Circle, or does anybody know how that works?) that will be at Tokyo Game Show:

Legend of Dark Witch 3 / Majin Shoujoy 3 (Inside System) 3DS

Drancia Saga (Skipmore) 3DS, converted from the mobile release as mentioned

Fairune 2 (Skipmore) 3DS

Kutar (Giga-Rensya) 3DS version of mobile mini-game game

Brave Dungeon (Inside System), 3DS

Subara City (Ryuji Kuwaki) 3DS based on the mobile game

Dark Witch Music: Rudymical(?) (Studio Esquadra, Inside System) iOS/Android

Quest of Dungeons (Upfall Studios, based in Portugal) 3DS, also coming/on a few other platforms

Geki Yaba Runner Habanero (Qubic Games, a Polish studio) 3DS, part of the Geki Yaba series seen on mobile

Urban Trial Freestyle 2 (Tate Multimedia, also a Polish studio) 3DS

Maldita Castilla EX (Abylight Studios / Locomalito Gryzor87, based in Spain) PS4, PC/X1 already out in some territories

(*I re-sorted the list by Asian and European studio, as some of the later games might be recognized from elsewhere, and might be considered more Circle co-pubs than home-grown titles, if that matters to you.)