Cotton REBOOT 2(!) and COTTON ROCK N' ROLL 2 ANNOUNCED!

[StarLightMoonLight]

Rock n' Roll 2 finally has a final name, it's called "Cotton Rock with You: Oriental Night Dreams"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG_Zcdqn6bY&t=6449s
Here's some gameplay, it's basically just more RnR but guest starring Izuna now, her moveset seems pretty damn cool admittedly, I hope they revamp some of the returning characters like Umihara and try to balance out scoring.
Another thing worth mentioning are the stages, they're potentially ditching the stage select in favor of something similar to G-Darius at the end of every level.

[Kino]

but guest starring Izuna now

Procedurally generated stage layouts, or we riot

[KAI]

Im so glad to know Saizensen is still alive, they are one of the most versatile studios out there.
Loved RNR, cant wait to play this.

[M.Knight]

Hell yeah, Izuna looks so damn fun to play. I was hoping for her to get included in this new game and she might also just be new best girl while at it haha. Those sword slashes and the charged kunai throws, delicious
I was also wondering if they would buff Kawase IMO you don't need to completely change her, just boosting the hitboxes for your grappling hook and black hole attack would already go a long way because they are too finnicky as it is, despite being really useful for score. Tweaking the squid attack into something more useful would also be good in my book.

[EmperorIng]

The new Cotton Reboot 2 (lol) looks even more like Strike Witches than ever, it makes me wonder if this is basically going to be the fabled episode 2 that they never got off their asses to make.

[m.sniffles.esq]

Haute Tension DELAYED!

(a week. It's now out July 31st)

[Creamy Goodness]

Kind of interesting the release for High Tension is a month out and there still has been minimal marketing for it. Outside of the one trailer with the massive text covering video of the gameplay there hasn't been a whole lot out there.

[m.sniffles.esq]

Kind of interesting the release for High Tension is a month out and there still has been minimal marketing for it. Outside of the one trailer with the massive text covering video of the gameplay there hasn't been a whole lot out there.

I don't think BEEP got it like that. They're mostly a brick and mortar store, with the whole game releasing thing as a side-gig. I think they pretty much rely on social media (which isn't exactly rare these days)

[Steven]

BEEP is a really cool brick and mortar store that somehow manages to have both good prices and occasionally super rare stuff that you can't find elsewhere. God-tier store, provided they have what you are looking for. But yes, they specialize in old Japanese computers and arcade games, and they don't publish many games at all. I feel like half of the games that they have published are Cotton, now that I think about it.

[Kino]

The crossovers keep coming, Marion from Gunbird will be a DLC character in Cotton Reboot: High Tension.

[xEbb1993x]

No way! I didn't expect to see Marion make a comeback in this game of all places!

[Jonpachi]

Is there a list of all the crossovers I’ve missed?

[Sengoku Strider]

No way! I didn't expect to see Marion make a comeback in this game of all places!

I wasn't expecting it either, but a shooting series about a witch on a broomstick seems like a logical spot. I was going to pass on this since I still haven't played my copy of Rock n' Roll much, but now I'm in.

[hamfighterx]

BEEP is a really cool brick and mortar store that somehow manages to have both good prices and occasionally super rare stuff that you can't find elsewhere. God-tier store, provided they have what you are looking for. But yes, they specialize in old Japanese computers and arcade games, and they don't publish many games at all. I feel like half of the games that they have published are Cotton, now that I think about it.

BEEP is probably the coolest store I've ever been in, anywhere in the world. At times it feels like you're in a museum, with lots of old Japanese PC hardware and software (like PC-88 or Sharp X68000 stuff) and a selection of obscure stuff you might never see in person anywhere else in your life. Lots of STG stuff, including PCBs. Good selection and fair prices on games. 1000% worth a visit, and that's the kind of company where I totally don't mind throwing some money their way for this self-published stuff.

[m.sniffles.esq]

For those that care about such things, Famitsu gave High Tension a 29/40 (meaning about the same score they gave every shooter in recent memory. Give or take a point or two)

[StarLightMoonLight]

High Tension is finally out! I can't wait for my pre-order to arrive!
BEEP is hosting an art contest to celebrate the release, if you're an artist you should totally contribute!
https://www.beep-shop.com/sap/cottonhig ... ecial_004/

[Steven]

Game get, right before I had to go to work. Box is the same size as the one for Reboot and the same style, but I didn't have time to open it and take a look at the teacup or anything else.

[Serge.EXE]

I picked it up digitally, and went through Story Mode, despite knowing Zero Japanese. I got through to what I think is the last cutscene when the system Hard Crashed, had to restart my Switch 2. Maybe I was skipping text too fast. I'll give it another go with Arcade mode at some point, but it's a fun game even if I have NO clue how Tension mode works, seems like being in line of sight with at least one Large enemy type? All I know is that's how you get the Big Multiplier. Thankfully they removed Black Crystals from Reboot 1, maybe my least favorite mechanic from that game.

[Jucksalbe]

I picked it up digitally, and went through Story Mode, despite knowing Zero Japanese.

Doesn't the game play in English? At least the eShop listing says so.

[Kino]

I have NO clue how Tension mode works, seems like being in line of sight with at least one Large enemy type? All I know is that's how you get the Big Multiplier.

Close, you activate Tension by continuously shooting the more durable enemies while in Fever Mode, and then you maintain Tension the same way. I do appreciate them adding that extra step... as fun as Reboot was, playing it for score got pretty monotonous at higher levels. And yeah, the darkened crystals won't be missed.

Cleared arcade mode with Dark Cotton a bit ago, or so I thought....

Spoiler

Turns out, if you're good enough to 1CC? Willow will ask you if you wish to "Go Extra?"

Spoiler

;_;

[Steven]

So I take it it's good/great/excellent/FUCKING OUTSTANDING???

I can't wait to finally go home and play it. I guess I'll get pictures of the teacup or whatever if people want them, as I don't think I ever saw any good pictures of it in the marketing, unless I missed them somewhere. Edit: yep, they're up on Amazon Japan, so if you want to check out the teacup, there you go.

[Serge.EXE]

Doesn't the game play in English? At least the eShop listing says so.

I mean, I bought it with my JP account but I'm using my NA account to play it and I can't find any language settings, not sure how else I would force it. Are you looking at Reboot 1? Or maybe Fantasy/Rock 'n Roll? RnR played in English even if you bought the JP eShop version

[Jucksalbe]

Are you looking at Reboot 1? Or maybe Fantasy/Rock 'n Roll? RnR played in English even if you bought the JP eShop version

It's definitely on the "High Tension" eShop page. But maybe they are just wrong. I don't own the game, so this is all I can go by.

[Steven]

Credit fed through the game... and I'm not sure what to think. I don't think I like this as much as Reboot, as the stages seem kind of sleepy until you get to stage 5, but the game only has 6 stages plus a stage 7 final boss fight. Stage 6 is pretty cool, though. I'm no Cotton expert, so I wonder: did Cotton have Salamander regenerating flesh walls before? They're here now on stage 5. Game's probably a hell of a lot better and more interesting if you play it for score, but for survival I don't think the first four stages are that interesting at all.

Is it me or did they make Cotton's... getbox (???) for teacups really big? I couldn't get the secret bonus even on the first stage. I don't remember it being this big in Reboot. Now it's most of her broom and it's way larger than her hurtbox.

There is something that I really liked, though: OMG this game's trophy list is loaded with Toaplan references. I don't care about trophies or whatever so I basically ignore them, but when I looked through them it wasn't just one or two things but a giant flood of Toaplan references: Mahjong Sisters, Dash Yarou, Batsugun, Tatsujin, Tatsujin Ou, Teki-Paki, Kyuukyoku Tiger, Dogyuun!!, Daisenpuu, and Hellfire are all in there. I like this game now.

[jehu]

Japanese only as far as I can tell. Remember that Reboot 1 infamously removed English via a Day 1 patch to protect Western distribution of the game. These guys don’t have a great track record here.

The game itself is great, though! Visually messy like the first, and the pacing suffers in certain claustrophobic parts of the levels, but… the shooting feels good and the game has this undeniable whimsy that does it endless favors.

Worth a buy. Total no-brainer if you’re a Cotton fan. A good way to wash the fetid residuals of Cotton Rainbow out of your mouth.

[Steven]

Oh yeah, visibility. I think it's better than Reboot, but still has times when I found it harder to see than I'd like. I honestly have no idea what caused my first death.

[thegaminghubby]

Enjoying what I've played of this so far, particularly the new mechanics and enemy type variation. Does anyone know how the enemy capture works? I think I did it once, but that was purely accidental.

[Serge.EXE]

Enjoying what I've played of this so far, particularly the new mechanics and enemy type variation. Does anyone know how the enemy capture works? I think I did it once, but that was purely accidental.

Google Lens Translate helped a lot with the Tutorial pages. You hit the Capture button while holding the Magic button, and depending on the enemy captured you get different effects like a shield.

Using Translate also let me know they also kept the Black Crystal mechanic where getting more of them increases their score value, but it's such a TINY window to collect them before they turn White and shatter that it seems almost counter-intuitive

[Steven]

Oh damn I can barely see anything during Macaron's fever and over tension thing, especially when the screen looks like it starts to glitch. Yeah, that's not good.

Let me know if anyone gets the secret bonus. I still haven't been able to do it yet.

[jehu]

The button combo for the capture mechanic - and, I’d even say, the capture mechanic as a whole - feels a little clunky. Not always clear what you can and can’t capture, and the button combo is counterintuitive.

Nevertheless, I hope High Tension doesn’t get lost in the mix and finds its audience. Earthion is in the limelight, and we’re getting Night Strikers and Salamander III in less than a week. Cotton deserves to be played!