Hey everyone! Wedy here, hoping you and your Shiba Inus are well.

Today's update is going to be a quick but important one!

If you have not joined our hilarious Early Access adventure, you don't have much time left! The game is closer to the final version than ever before, still available at the discounted Early Access price and will upgrade to the full game once it releases on December 17th!

Therefore, check Nippon Marathon off your and your friend's wishlist today!

Thank you very much for your support so far, I hope you are looking forward to the launch as much as I am!

This was Wedy Jones.

Keep it real. Keep it Nippon.

Wedy here and have I got news for you. ..The long awaited level 7 and story mode demo are here!

So lets not waste any time and crack on with the juicy scoop.


So far the Nippon Marathon has taken you through quite the sightseeing tour of PLANET NIPPON; we’ve travelled from the banks of KAWA RIVER to the steamy Mountains of YAMA-DORI. With the marathon reaching the final stages, grab your giant foam finger and your briefcase as we’re heading straight into the heart of NEO-JINKO.

As the trains in PLANET NIPPON run on time it’s often the case that the Bullet Train will leave early forcing you to drop all of your luggage and leap onto the roof of the train (it happens, we swear). This is where level 7 begins.



Expect the usual Nippon Marathon madness plus a few extra surprises, such as the soundtrack to the level being called “Kobe Beefed Up” and the term “Bull-Train”. Are you confused? Me too!



The madness doesn’t stop there. When you arrive at the station be prepared to be scared and confused from the bright lights and hundreds of salarymen. They’re everywhere.



With JINKO EKI STATION being one of the largest stations in PLANET NIPPON expect to knock over and bump into Salarymen on their way to and from work, but don’t worry. They’re used to it, and it’s actually encouraged!

Outside JINKO EKI STATION you may recognise the statue of TEISHU, a Shiba Inu with great business sense and a huge following of his own. Unfortunately you won’t have time to show your respect for him as you have the busiest intersection in the world to cross so grab a pineapple for that second wind to the finish line.



Level 7 gives you a taste of the final race NEO JINKO, but we can’t release that without giving away a HUGE STORY SPOILER, so I can say no more.


I know what you’re all thinking, what exactly is story mode?
PLANET NIPPON loves visual novels and manga, so that’s exactly what Story Mode is. A visual novel, but with a difference.
Story Mode allows you to choose and follow the journey of the four main characters from pre-Nippon Marathon to post-Nippon Marathon.



Each story lasts around two hours to complete and don’t think you’re just reading a visual novel for two hours, you have to race too! Remember to read my Wedy Guides to learn more about popularity as it’s even more important to be popular in Story - it can move you from 3rd place to 1st.



The story follows a general theme but is personalised for each character; so expect to learn why Zenbei “XEN BAE” has two names, who exactly is Nishibori, why J DARWIN wears a lobster suit and why Snuguru Maestro has a love of watermelons.



You’ll also be introduced to the boss characters as well as a few new faces, like my colleague NNBC Anchorman Abe Watanabe. As the story develops you’ll see the truth behind the Nippon Marathon and just why Handsome Hazuki is the contestant to beat. You’ll also see more of me, Wedy! I play a part too, and quite a big one!



In early access you can play the first 13 chapters of Snuguru Maestro’s story to give you a taste of what’s to come when the full story mode is unlocked on full release.

There have also been some changes to the general gameplay:
• Achievements have been reenabled
  
• Me (Wedy) now appearing in the character selection screen - but how do you unlock me (Wedy)?
  
• Fixed spawning issue where characters would spawn after finish line.
  
• No longer eliminated if 1st player gets too far ahead in the levels.
  
• General optimisation increased for smoother gameplay.

So for now I hope you enjoy playing EKI JINKO STATION & Snuguru Maestro’s story.

You won’t be disappointed.

So that’s all for now folks.

I’ve been Wedy Jones.

Keep it real. Keep it Nippon.

Wedy here but you knew that already.

The developers would firstly like to apologise for the lack of communication over the past couple of months; development of the game has completely taken over. I managed to grab an exclusive interview with one of the developers Buster regarding how development is going.



Oh dear, oh dear. After the interview, Buster sitting in an averagely sized lower visual quality puddle of tears did inform me that it will all be worth it when the game is released.

HANG IN THERE DEVELOPERS! You can do it!

So with that covered let me bring you another exclusive… Story Mode.

Story Mode has been covered in mystery until now. I was able to steal, erm I mean borrow a copy of Story Mode when Buster was wiping away the tears and now can show it to you guys! Exciting!

So lets start with the basics.

There are four stories, one for each character, allowing you to follow their journey from pre-Nippon Marathon to post-Nippon Marathon Champion. Don’t forget to bring your running shoes as you’ll have to run each race from the Nippon Marathon that you’re all familiar with.

Each story lasts approx two hours and if you play all four stories that’s a whole EIGHT hours of story action alone! Don’t think you have to complete the story in one marathon sitting either (we won’t judge if you do), the game will save progress automatically so you can quit and continue story at your own leisure.

I know what you’re thinking, so I’ve completed Darwin’s story so I don’t need to complete the others right?

Well think again.

Each character perspective will merge together to bring you the ULTIMATE NIPPON MARATHON experience. I remember seeing something similar on The Simpsons, the “Trilogy of Error” episode I think it was?

So Wedy fans, erm I mean Nippon Marathon fans let me show you what story is all about.









Unfortunately story will not be playable on early access until closer to the full release date (Winter 2018).

Whilst stealing, erm I mean borrowing Story Mode I overheard a phone conversation between developers how JINKO EKI STATION (level 7) is due to be released on Steam Early access by the end of next week.

Oh before I go remember that Nippon Marathon is at EGX in Birmingham this weekend so if you’re going make sure to check out the game on PQube’s stand.

I’ve been Wedy Jones,

Keep it Real, Keep it Nippon

Wedy here and we have some EXCITING information to share with you on our next Versus Mode course… JINKO EKI STATION.

Why don't we see what ABE WATANABE from Nippon News Broadcasting Concern has to say about this brand new course?



Great! So back to the course.


So, in this course the contestants will start off on top of a speeding Bullet Train heading from YAMA DORI (where the Steamy Monkeys live) all the way to the busiest train station -
JINKO EKI STATION.

Expect there to be daring jumps, insta-kill falls and even.... a herd of bulls?







Don't expect the madness to calm down when you reach the station, those salarymen are everywhere... and where did I put my train pass? I can't get through the ticket gates without my Railway Jasmine (RJ) Pass!!!





I asked the developers for their thoughts on the course:



Unfortunately JINKO EKI STATION won't be available to play until closer to release so stay tuned fore more updates.


Rumour has it that a preview of Story Mode and the elusive Level 8 (NEO JINKO) will be available soon. My sources reveal that something FISHY is happening... Maybe they're preparing some exquisite salmon persimmon leaf sushi for me and the contestants... Hold on... But I'm allergic to Salmon...

Well, that sure was interesting, wasn't it viewers?!

I've been Wedy Jones.

Keep it Real. Keep it Nippon.

Wedy here with an update for all you Nippon fans! With game development rapidly approaching the finishing line, the developers have released what can only be described as

"The Update To Beat All Updates!"

So what does this update include I hear you cry? Well let me tell you...

Game Modifiers are now in stock! Purchase them from the In-Game Store and enable them from the Options Menu.



Turbo Mode On!
Not for the faint of heart, this mode is fast, furious and down right frantic. Turn this bad boy on and Versus Modes will increase in speed by 25%.

Minigames Off!
What, you want to turn me off? How dare you! You... you... MONSTER! Seriously though, I could do with a lie down in a dark room so don't mind me.

Item Config!
Wanna play bananas only? Well you can, you can also play melons only, pineapples only, mushrooms only or even choose no items at all.

Here's a tip: Turbo Mode + Minigames Off + No Items is a real test of skill for you and your virulent compadres.


There used to be a nightclub called Dropout near where I grew up, it attracted the very people you would expect - QUITTERS! So, we've added a drop-out feature - players 2, 3 and 4 can now pause the menu and give up on life should they wish. Typical!



There's been some improvements to the player reactions to the environment. Tumbles, crashes and falls are now more realistic and glitches should be less frequent however mistakes will now lead to more amusing ragdoll moments.



I'm not going to say much about this, instead I shall leave you with this screenshot which won't clarify anything at all.



The title says it all, your custom control scheme will now be saved, including assignments for players, buttons... everything! Yay!

Versus Modes against CPU opponents now include the four boss characters. What happens when Hazuki and Hideko face off? Will they have a tiff? Juicy!

Elimination by shiba inu. That is all. Actually it isn't, there's also been improvements to the melon based sudden death too, my oh my you're so spoiled!

Nippon melons are the best melons, you know why? Because they explode! However we've made them a little less accurate so that the leader doesn't get 'blue shell syndrome' and need hospitalising.

You can now earn Yen from playing GO-GO-TROLLEY BOWLING and LOBSTER MODE, hurrah!

So that's all for now folks,

Keep your eyes, ears and noses peeled for more updates regarding all things Nippon on my
Twitter Page, and who knows I may even get to release EXCLUSIVE sneak peeks at the upcoming NEO JINKO prefecture and on the somewhat elusive STORY MODE!

I've been Wedy Jones,

Keep it Real, Keep it Nippon!

Wedy Jones here with a morsel of juicy info for you. If you've been struggling to get controllers and keyboards assigned properly then you definitely wanna check this out!

The developers of Nippon Marathon just sent me these patch notes:

V0.662 Notes -
When using the controller mapping feature in the options menu you are now able to assign controllers to players properly. The keyboard will always remain as P1, so if you want to play multiplayer with one person on keyboard just ensure that controllers are assigned to P2, P3 and P4 and the controller mapping menu can now be navigated using keyboard, gamepad and mouse.

The developers then went on to say:
"We'll continue to improve this area of the game so please leave feedback."

I've been Wedy Jones.
Keep it real, keep it Nippon!

Wedy here!

Some people like bird watching.
Some people like a lazy Sunday afternoon drive.
Some people like to throw themselves into a trolley, and smash head-first into man-sized bowling pins!



Me? I'm a strictly 'face off' kinda girl when it comes to neck-breaking hilarity.

You? You're going to LOVE IT!

That's right viewers, Go-Go Trolley Bowling is here! Say 'no' to flat cola and soggy nachos, and say 'hello' to yet another session of multiplayer hilarity!




1/ Phone your friends for some 2-8 player action (snacks optional).
2/ Choose from 5 to 10 frames depending on your preferred game-time!



3/ Turn based action ahoy! Stand back and watch your friends humiliate themselves, one after the other!



1/ Set your trolley/shopping cart's position - aim for a strike!



2/ Take a running jump into the trolley - graceful this is not, folks!

3/ Wince as you career towards random hazards appearing between frames - from ramps, paper doors, disco balls, carp and (of course!) shiba inu!



4/ Hope for some high-scoring points potential.

5/ Pray you don't end up in Accident and Emergency.




As they say, it's not the winning that counts, but the bone-shattering idiocy of how you lost, that's important!


So that's all for now folks!

I've been Wedy Jones.

Keep it real, Keep it Nippon!

Wedy here, while you’ve been bracing yourselves for the buffeting winds of the Steam Summer Sale, we’ve been hard at work to bring you an update like no other!

Bosses? Check!
New stages? Check!
Monkeys...?

You’d better believe it! Want the details?

IKIMASHOU!



The in-game store is now open! Unlock new characters and bonuses - like new race-affecting extras. Want a fair (but surely NO FUN!) ‘No Items Mode’? How about a Turbo mode? These unlocks will make the race more personal to your taste!

The points you earn at the end of a race can now be converted into sweet, sweet Yen which you can spend in the in-game store! ‘Capitalism, ho!’ as, er… I believe someone once said.


Unlockable Boss Characters are here! Handsome Hazuki, Shiro Hideko, KG Park, Felix Arizona join the party! If you’d like to know more about these not-so shadowy figures, {LINK REMOVED}then stop by our website for their full character bios! Or if you prefer your Boss characters spoiler free, you’ll find their individual stories in the upcoming Story Mode.

Nothing comes for free though! The bosses will vary in cost in the store. KG Park at a cheerful ¥107,987, Handsome Hazuki proves good looks come with a price with the most expensive unlock of ¥902,714. Moustache grooming doesn’t come cheap.

And wait… wait… this just in! Onion Soup Interactive will give you, for this update only, enough in-game currency to buy at least one boss from the store!


As previously reported there’s now a new area, YAMA-DORI, featuring two new attractions - Unsafe Sake Facility & Steamy Steamy Monkeys

UNSAFE SAKE FACILITY

From the rice paddies to the facility itself, the making of Sake is a fine art – though we wouldn’t recommend a tasting session right now. Weave your way thought the backpackers to find a distilliary on the brink of collapse. Falling bridges and exploding barrels? Someone call Health and Safety!








STEAMY STEAMY MONKEYS
You can’t come to Japan without experiencing a traditional Onsen in the mountains! But this is no time for a bath, not if the Snow Monkeys have any say in the matter. The Snow Monkeys love using their smart phone to livestream the marathon. So don' be surprised if a Snow Monkey starts livestreaming mid-slide! The Snow Monkeys also love to throw bananas and jump on your back (or straddling your face!) Remember folks - mischief maketh the marathon!








Tweaks to the fruit machine minigame
We’ve update the UI and fixed a bug that sometimes resulted in the minigame not showing. Items are now dispensed once the minigame is complete. Carp and Shiba now appear in place of the fruit machine objects.



Resolution and Options
The bug where the screen resolution was interpreted the wrong way around has now been fixed. Hurrah!
The options menu and saving system has also been updated, though this still requires further improvements.

The much hyped Trolley Minigame is still currently in development. All I can say is that you won't want to be doing this in your local Super Ichiba, the staff would not be pleased.

Remember to follow me on Twitter & {LINK REMOVED}on my website for the latest scoop for all things Nippon Marathon!

So that's all for now folks!

I've been Wedy Jones.

Keep it real, Keep it Nippon!

Wedy here, it might seem like we’ve been quiet, we have!

We’re working through some issues with localisation at the moment, these have prevented us from updating the game as per our schedule, so instead of remaining silent and trying to figure it out we thought we’d let you in on the upcoming content that was due to be released in parts. This is now coming to you in one big update shortly!

Every time you play any game mode your points will be converted into Yen which can be spent on new items, check it out below:





As you’ve guessed from the screenshot, we’re including the boss characters in the next update but you’ll need to buy them from the In-Game Store!

Yes! Coming with this update will be enough In-Game Currency to buy at least one boss character from the store. How exciting!

We have a brand new course for you to play in Versus Mode, here’s some screenshots to whet your appetite. We are now in the mountains of the YAMA-DORI prefecture, the fresh mountain air and manure smell fills my nostrils, it is terrible.









What’s this? Another new course for Versus Mode? Absolutely! This course is called Steamy Steamy Monkeys, the monkeys are hot, they are steamy and they like to throw bananas.









We've improved the fruit machine minigame, including the UI and we've fixed a bug that sometimes resulted in the minigame not showing. Items are now dispensed once the minigame is complete. Carp and Shiba now appear in place of the fruit machine objects.



There was a pretty silly bug in which the screen resolution was sometimes interpreted the wrong way around. Thanks go out to the Steam Reviewer who pointed this out whilst claiming "this is by far and the worst coded, even for early access, game I have ever seen!". We’ve improved the options menu and saving system though this still requires further improvement.

This is all great news but WHEN CAN WE PLAY?
“Soon” is the best answer we can give you, we’re just working on some details regarding our translation services, as soon as this is done we’ll publish the update and all of this goodness will become playable!

We’re continuing development of Story Mode, I can now reveal that each of the four main characters will have their own story arc and unique perspectives of the main story timeline. These will be significantly different in tone and content so you’ll really want to play through all four.

At the same time, we’ll be putting together our next Party Game which involves shopping trolleys and bowling pins! Then we’ll be on to the final two stages and the rest of the outstanding content and polish.

Remember to follow me on Twitter & on my website for the latest scoop for all things Nippon Marathon!

So that's all for now folks!

I've been Wedy Jones,

Keep it real, Keep it Nippon!

We were in such a hurry to release the previous update that we didn't get chance to publish the patch notes so please find them here...

Patch Notes - 0.478

Then we rushed around getting ready to see my grandfather's wedding, seriously, he's 92!


Well, between completing the first iteration of LOBSTER mode and the fixes detailed above we've been running around from Expo to Expo and gathering vital feedback. Watching people play for the first time over and over again is an invaluable resource and it really helps me to take a step back and view the game afresh.

We're in Osaka right now, we'll be moving on to Tokyo soon with some stops along the way. I want to experience the capital firsthand before work begins on the final two courses.

Speaking of courses I'm aiming to have Unsafe Sake Brewery playable at the end of May. There's some fun surprises in this course which I think you'll really enjoy.

At the same time, our newly appointed writer will begin work on the much anticipated story and my final job while we're in Japan is to put together the mechanics that will facilitate the delivery of that story. There will be an update soon and I'm hoping to be able to release chapter one of Story Mode during the early access period as an appetiser for the main course!

Just a quick note on bugs and issues. We're a small team, actually we only have one developer! I'm sure you can imagine that developing such a game by oneself isn't a walk in the park, however that's the same for all developers, we do it because it's tough and rewarding. But we do need help sometimes! I'd like to ask that you please post any bug reports in the discussion forums. Bug reports are super super useful to us :)

If you want to see what Hazuki is up to you can follow him on Instagram here. Don't forget to follow Wedy here andhere too!


Rainy Dotonbori - From Handsome Hazuki's Intagram


Osaka Sunset - From Handsome Hazuki's Intagram