Y2K is an indie JRPG about hipsters and panda plushies

Is it still a JRPG if it's developed by Americans? That's both a 21st century kōan, and a genuine question I have of Y2K. Perhaps it's more accurate to call it a J-style RPG; taking the design philosophies of the genre, and tying them to a Western story that's nevertheless inspired by the novelist Haruki Murakami.

All you really need to know is that the main character's weapon is a vinyl record. Also that there are "weaponized panda plushies".

Your own tolerance for hipster culture, plushies or surreal depictions of '90s-era technology aside, the developer has posted a few pre-alpha videos and they're looking pretty promising. Already they offer a good overview of the battles, puzzle-style and weirdness of the game:

Y2K is due out for Windows, Mac, Linux and various Playstation devices. There's no release date yet, but you can follow its progress over at the dev's site.

Note: Y2K was brought to my attention by Cassandra Khaw, who is both business developer for the game's publisher, Ysbryd Games, and an occasional writer for PC Gamer.

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.