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Game Dev Story follow-ups - Top 10 Kairosoft games we want in English

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Game Dev Story follow-ups - Top 10 Kairosoft games we want in English
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Kairosoft is sitting on a treasure trove of new games. The simulation mastermind behind iPhone and Android hits like Grand Prix Story, Hot Springs Story, and Pocket Academy has a bounty of extra games waiting in the wings.

Like a particularly efficient studio in its own Game Dev Story, the Japanese app maker has pumped out more than 20 management games in just a few years of business. But so far, the company has only translated four of those titles into English.

The lion's share of management simulations, from cruise ship captain to record producer, remains locked away on different platforms and are utterly incomprehensible to anyone who doesn't speak Japanese.

But as Kairosoft is bringing more games into English, we've plucked through the company's bumper back catalogue of "Stories" to see what might be in store. We've chosen just ten games we'd buy in an instant, if they appeared on our favourite app stores, in English.

Dungeon Adventure Story

Dungeon Adventure Story

In Dungeon Adventure Story, you'll get to rule over one of those many little villages you visit in RPGs, as you build it up from a splodge of land to a bustling kingdom, and capitalise on the many adventuring sorts who pass on through.

As you're faffing about inside the city walls, resident role-playing game heroes and heroines will be doing battle with monsters just outside your gates. They'll require weapons, items, and a place to stay, so you'll need blacksmiths, potion shops, and houses for them.

As the adventurers kill more monsters, gain more experience and level up, so will the city. They'll spend their bursting coffers on your goods and services, which will help turn your creaky village into a five-star metropolis.

Astro Expedition

Astro Expedition

Astro Expedition simulates the triumphant colonisation of some distant exoplanet. You'll need to build a popular space metropolis, construct roads and rocket stations, court new residents, and tempt space-faring tourists to visit.

It won't be that easy, though. An ancient alien civilisation awakens from deep within the bowels of the planet, and they aren't at all happy about your bagsying their native soil. So, when you're not too busy building houses, you'll go into battle with space monsters.

You'll need to level up your warrior residents, and kit them out with armour and weapons, so they can do battle with the galaxy's nastiest critters. If you win the war, though, you'll take home nice loot and special items to help out your town.

Edo Town

Edo Town

This historical take on Sim City takes place during Japan's Edo period, when the country was ruled by shogun warriors and steeped in ninja lore. You'll take over an iconic Japanese fortress and build a bustling town around it.

You'll have to train students in a private school, feed residents with dumpling cafes and tea houses, construct houses and stables, and make sure your many residents - from friendly townsfolk to samurai warriors - are happy and healthy.

Big Cruise Story

Big Cruise Story

A cruise ship is like a hotel, a town, and a leisure centre, all rolled into one. At sea. S,o you'll need to do triple duty to make sure your residents are happy, got stuff to do, and are coughing up the cash.

There are plenty of facilities you can build, including tennis courts, miniature golf courses, and jacuzzi-filled saunas. You can also fit out massive rooms like restaurants and casinos. It's up to you to decide how much they'll cost and where they're placed for maximum profits and footfall.

You'll also have to keep everything spic-and-span. Every six months or so, when you pull into port, an inspector will come aboard and cast his beady eye over your dining facilities. You'll be suitably reprimanded if your cruiser isn't living up to its reputation.

Millions March Band

Millions March Band

In this simulation game, you'll do your best Simon Cowell impression and play music mogul, as you hire singers, guitarists, and drummers to sell out live venues, shift millions of records, and take home those prestigious awards at the end of the year.

Like Game Dev Story, you'll be constantly putting out new albums to make cash and win new fans, while simultaneously training your artists to level up and be better musicians.

You'll also hire assistants, produce CDs, play live gigs, and aim for the "Million Award Japan" prize. Good luck!

Cartoon Highway

Cartoon Highway

In Cartoon Highway, you'll live the dream of every boy or girl who's ever doodled in a notebook. Over the course of the simulation, you'll go from a lonely kid sketching Japanese manga at home, to the director of an animated masterpiece.

While the game starts off in your tiny Japanese home, you'll soon get to work for various editors and production companies. You'll have to attend interviews, meet stringent deadlines, and oversee your artist's transition from amateur doodler to a Miyazaki-esque auteur.

While you concentrate on writing comic books or creating movies, you'll also need to hire staff, manage the office, and create promotional materials. All that hard work will pay off, though, when you nab an award for best movie.

Nature Story

Nature Story

In this environmentally-friendly sim, you'll manage a green and natural tourist destination, far away from the hustle and bustle of urban development and polluted city life.

As you expand your park and increase visitor footfall, you'll need to buy new plots of land like ponds to fish in, miniature forests of rare trees to explore, and caves to go spelunking in.

You're competing with rival nature reserves to win those oh-so-prestigious end-of-year awards, so choose your attractions, and their placements, wisely.

Soccer Club Story Soccer Club Story

Forget the po-faced spreadsheet headache of Championship Manager. Kairosoft's stab at footy simulation is cute and comprehensive, as you guide your team to victory, and build their home turf into a fan-filled stadium on the side.

It's not just about scoring goals and winning trophies. You'll also need to earn fans by shaking hands with local supporters and signing autographs in town, and construct buildings like merchandise stores, gyms, and spas around the grounds.

There's also an extensive sponsorship simulation to the game's backbone, as you hire new players and coaches, and fiercely bid with rival teams for the best strikers. Buy the top players and earn the most fans and you'll have a winning team on your hands. In your hands. On your phone. How much is Messi?

Port Story

Port Story

One of Kairosoft's oldest games is this port simulator, where you'll have to juggle trading, tourism, and fierce naval battles.

You'll start the game with a small pier, but soon build up to a monster shipping port as you earn cash, expand your business, and buy new buildings. You'll soon be part of a globe-spanning trading network, exporting goods to ports across the ocean.

Be careful, though. Some countries don't play by the rules and will dispatch pirates to nick your booty. You'll have to load up your boats with weapons to fend off those greedy buccaneers.

Seafood! Street Sushi

Seafood Street Sushi

Is there anything more stereotypically Japanese than a plate of raw fish on a conveyor belt? Don't answer that.

One of Kairosoft's latest releases puts you in charge of a popular sushi restaurant: you'll need to hire staff, decorate the building, and promote your cafe to tempt in customers.

In the same way that Game Dev Story lets you make bizarre combinations of genres ('Pirate Golf' wasn't a hit, sadly), Street Sushi invites you to play food connoisseur and blend the perfect mix of ingredients, animals, and spices. Squid and basil sushi, anyone?

Mark Brown
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is editor at large of Pocket Gamer