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Japanese horror game has an air of Studio Ghibli about it

“At night every town…changes” the new trailer for Yomawari tells us. The idea in this upcoming PlayStation Vita-exclusive, from Japanese studio Nippon Ichi, is to take on the role of a young girl whose sister and dog have gone missing. Despite her fears, the girl is determined to find her loved ones, even if it means traversing her town while it’s warped into a different place by the cover of darkness. With the company of only a flashlight, the girl must overcome multiple obstacles; monsters and darkness are scattered throughout her journey. The horror and stealth of the game are made immediate…

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Explore the dense world of Spirited Away in 8-bit theater

“I do believe in the power of story. I believe that stories have an important role to play in the formation of human beings, that they can stimulate, amaze and inspire their listeners.” – Hayao Miyazaki The above quote could easily apply to any of the stories woven by Miyazaki and his animation studio, Studio Ghibli, which have been formative to so many people across the globe. Visual artists in particular have used the storyteller’s colorful worlds to inform their own original work and tributes. From woodblock prints to art nouveau, artists have translated the Japanese filmmaker’s stories into other…

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Virtual reality dev continues to melt hearts with My Neighbor Totoro

The virtual reality developer Red of Paw continues to make virtual reality an altogether more whimsical place, blogging that they will bring the “bus stop” scene from Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro to the Oculus Rift next. This is the memorable moment for fans of Japanese anime where the doe-eyed Japanese youth of that film offers the broad-bellied forest mammal a place under her umbrella. Yes, I fully expect it will give me rosy cheeks. Reinterpreting the works of Hayao Miyazaki in three-dimensional space is becoming something of a tradition for Red of Paw. Last time we heard from them, they…