Yay or neigh?
Cygames revealedUmamusume Pretty Derby: Nekketsu Hachamecha Dai Kasha-saias part of Japan’s Nintendo Direct yesterday, but there was little indication of its release plans. The publisher hasnow confirmedthat the game will be coming to North America asUmamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash.
The pixel art visuals are cute, but what grabbed my attention is the obvious nods to the Nekketsu/Kunio-Kun series. There are four events in this party Grand Prix: Hurtling Hurdles, Blazing Baskets, Dodgeball Demolition, and Gourmet Gauntlet. Alliterations are fun. Three of those events bear a resemblance to games in theKunio-Kunseries. In particular, the Blazing Baskets game has three nets stacked on top of each other, which was part ofNekketsu Street Basket.
Homage aside, it’s definitely not just a straight copy. There are a lot of new things mixed in with these games, like turning someone into a penguin for some reason. Collectibles of some sort are on the playing field. It looks like all events are a free-for-all. There actually isn’t a whole lot to go on in this press release, but I think the trailer speaks for itself.
We’re promised a “star-studded cast ofUmamusumeto play as.” I don’t know what that means beyond them being horse girls. I’m going to be honest with you, I know nothing aboutUmamusume. This is actually the first time I’ve heard of it. I do watch anime from time to time, but it’s part of a very sparse likelihood that I’ll watch a TV show at all. This trailer doesn’t really get me interested in the show, but the game looks fun.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dashis coming to PS4, Switch, and PC sometime in 2024.
