In 2017, indie developer and composer Laura ASAHI released Rakuen, a fun adventure RPG about a sick boy and his mother who travel between a whimsical fantasy land and the somewhat less whimsical hospital where he is admitted. ASAHI is currently announcing a major update to "Rakuen" (open in new tab), and a new game with the same setting will be released next year.

The Rakuen update will offer "a new custom build engine by Ebitengine, new art and animation" and will also be localized into Japanese. on March 23, 2023, the next installment in the world of "Rakuen," called "Mr. Saitou It is scheduled to be.

Mr. Saitou will play another character who, after being hospitalized, will be transported to an extraordinary world. This time, he is "an ordinary white-collar worker struggling to find meaning in a life filled with incessant overtime and social isolation.

According to the Steam page (opens in new tab), it features "a heartwarming story with an emphasis on humor and friendship building" and features "a cast of strange creatures (both new and familiar) to learn about, impress your boss, explore the scuzzy Edudungeon to do." I guess you could call it an educational dungeon. "One of the characters we will meet is called "The Sphinx of Basic Math." Saito also explained, "Synergy, optimization, ROI, cherry pie. Lots of golf balls. Definitely Y2K compliant. Definitely business." Finally, the game is a short game, aiming for a time that "can usually be completed in one sitting."

As one would expect from ASAHI, who has composed music for Plants Vs. Zombies, Deltarune, and To the Moon, Saito comes with a full soundtrack. From that soundtrack, one can expect to hear "flowers dropping bars on electric guitars," apparently.

"I am incredibly grateful that so many people have experienced 'Paradise' over the past five years," writes Shigihara (opens in new tab). Sigihara added, "Thank you for sharing your stories, sending me fan art, and for all the love and support throughout this entire process. It's more than I could have ever hoped for."