Latest news with #FlyingFairy
Digital Trends
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Bravely Default HD Remaster shows the party potential of Switch 2's mouse controls
If I had to describe 2012's Bravely Default, the very last term I'd use is 'party game.' In fact, the Nintendo 3DS RPG is the anti party game. It's a long, winding adventure that requires a tremendous amount of patience to get through. So it came as a bit of a surprise when the first thought I had after demoing its upcoming Switch 2 version, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster, is that it really sells the party potential of Nintendo's new console. That's not because the RPG has changed in any way; it more has to do with its new side content. During a hand-on demo, I tried my hand at the remaster's two new minigames, which are available as bonuses from the main menu. Both are designed to use the Switch 2's mouse controls in incredibly clever ways that left me even more eager to see what developers can do with the unique two joy-con scheme. I only had a brief amount of time to try the remaster, so I opted to jump straight into the new content rather than the main game. If you're curious, though, expect more of a straight remaster than a remake here with one big caveat. Everything has been reworked to compress the two-screen game to one. Otherwise, you're mostly getting smoother visuals that clean up the 3DS' jagged edges. That brings it much more in line with 2021's Bravely Default 2. But enough of that: Let's talk minigames. The first one I tried, Luxencheer Rhythm Catch, was a music game built around mouse controls. Here, I wasn't simply pressing buttons on beat alongside music from the game. Bubbles popped forward and I'd have to more or less pop them at the right time by sliding my two controllers around. A line linked my pointers on screen and I'd need to make sure that it cut through the bubbles to pop them at the right moment. When colorful flowers appeared on screen, I'd have to slide my corresponding Joy-con over to it and hold the trigger to hit the beat. And when a line appeared on screen, I'd have to drag both of my controllers to the center of it to properly hit the beat. All of this felt like a great Mario Party minigame. I had to move my hands carefully, as the Switch 2's mouse controls are remarkably precise. One false move and I'd risk sliding a hand up too far, causing the line between my pointers to miss a bubble. It's a clever spin on a traditional rhythm game that makes for a refreshing little diversion from a dense RPG. The second minigame, Ringabel's Panic Cruise, gets even more mileage out of the mouse controls. Here, I had to pilot my airship through a set of rings. Simple enough. I controlled the vessel from a cockpit view, using a wheel to steer and a lever to rise up or down. I could control each independently with my mice, sliding them around to steer the ship properly. That task is complicated by the fact that my crew occasionally asks me to manage the ship by using a control panel around my wheel. At one point, I need to replace a fuse by grabbing one from the side of the screen and replacing a dead one. Later, I'm asked to make sure some switches are working, dial up a specific number on a panel, and grab a flyswatter to fend off some pesky flies – a bit of an homage to Mario Paint perhaps. Of course, I need to do all of that while steering the ship. It's a bit like a single-player version of Spaceteam combined with Wii U hidden gem Affordable Space Adventures. It's a juggling act that required me to do two or three things at once, creating some comedic chaos as I rushed to complete a task and quickly steer the ship straight again. It's only a small side-game, but it's one that really sells me on just how much creativity developers could pull out of a two-mouse control scheme if they're willing to experiment. I especially want to see that pay off in party games. At the end of my demo, I asked if I could try to play the rhythm game with two players operating one set of Joy-cons. I grabbed the left and a friend controlled the right. We both had to work together to position our mice as we tried a song on hard mode, a difficulty that increases how quickly the prompts pop up on screen. It was about as silly as you can imagine, as we both tried to work around one another's movements when the other was out of position. I hope to see that energy carry over to series like WarioWare, because there's some real co-op party potential in these two minigames. I'd love to see experimental games in the vein of Snipperclips on Switch 2 early in its lifespan, showing us exactly what the platform can do that no other can. Until then, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster will do as a small appetizer pinned on to a beloved RPG. These small games may not be enough of a reason on their own to grab the double dip, but they're fun launch day extras that will get your imagination buzzing early. Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster launches on June 5 for Nintendo Switch 2.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Analysis-Ebbing demand for China's favourite firewater adds to debt concerns
By Casey Hall and Sophie Yu MAOTAI, China (Reuters) - In the Chinese village of Maotai, the local firewater named after the town is not only a key source of income, it's a barometer of the country's battered consumer market and the economic misfortunes of its home province. In the weeks before Lunar New Year, tourists traditionally flock to the town, nestled in the mountains of the southwestern province of Guizhou, to buy the baijiu, or white spirit, as gifts - this year, those crowds were notably smaller. The premium spirit made locally by Kweichow Moutai has for decades been a fixture at weddings, business dinners and state functions, but its sales in the past two years have been hit by poor consumer and business confidence. Victor Shih, a professor of political science at the University of California San Diego, says Moutai's strong cash flows have been "an important part of the strategy to help Guizhou's government repay debt that is constantly coming due". That means any contraction in Moutai's profit constitutes a problem for the government, which "needs that money to repay their debt and to run the government," he added. Shanghai-listed Kweichow Moutai is majority-owned by Moutai Group, in turn wholly owned by Guizhou, China's second-most indebted province. Its contribution to Guizhou's economic development is enormous, not only as a major employer but also as a vehicle for the province to raise revenue and pay down debt. Long considered a bellwether of Chinese consumer demand, its retail performance has been squeezed in recent years by wider deflationary pressures. "Before, people would fly from Beijing to buy bottles of Moutai for more than 3,000 yuan ($412) several times per year," said a shopkeeper at one of the many liquor stores lining the river in Maotai village. "Now you can get a bottle for as little as 1,699 yuan, but the environment is so bad, no-one wants to buy." Kweichow Moutai, the world's largest alcohol company and until last year China's most valuable listed firm with a market value as high as $400 billion, makes its clear spirit from sorghum and has a special place in the nation's history. Premier Zhou Enlai toasted U.S. president Richard Nixon with Moutai on his landmark 1972 China visit. But a persistent slump in sentiment has taken the wind out of Kweichow Moutai's share price and the price consumers are willing to pay for the product. The firm's value has fallen by almost half since hitting a record high in 2021, and the market price of a 500 ml bottle of its flagship 53% proof Feitian "Flying Fairy" last year dropped as much as 22% from 2,700 yuan at the start of 2024. Kweichow Moutai declined an interview request. Guizhou's provincial government did not respond to requests. TURNAROUND TROUBLES To be sure, Kweichow Moutai's revenues are not linked to the market price of the product but to the factory gate price its network of distributors pay. Moutai's 20% bump in factory gate prices for Feitian in late 2023 helped keep revenues above their 15% sales growth target for 2024, according to preliminary results in January. But questions remain over how long this growth will last. Estimates from brokerages and company executives indicate at least 50% of inventory produced by the company over the last decade has not been consumed, but instead held as inventory, often as alternative investments. Some analysts warn a major inventory sell-off could further impact Moutai's market and share prices. UBS research predicted Feitian's market price could fall far below the 2,000 yuan benchmark by mid-2025. A fall in prices, in turn, impacts Moutai's luxury brand. "If you are served Moutai, it means you are important and successful," said George Liu, a private equity manager in Beijing. "If it's cheaper, what's the point of drinking it?" Moutai also faces demographic challenges, according to Ben Cavender, managing director at Shanghai-based China Market Research Group. "Baijiu is traditionally an older man's drink and most consumers under the age of 35 really don't have a taste for it," he said. Chasing younger drinkers, Moutai has collaborated on affordable products like lattes and ice cream, gimmicks that Cavender says haven't had much effect. Company executives have flagged international expansion for potential growth, though it's unlikely to compensate for a domestic slowdown. PROVINCIAL GIANT All of that raises questions about Kweichow Moutai's support for Guizhou. The company's red, white and blue logo is emblazoned on public works across the province. In addition to employing more than 30,000, the company accounts for a fifth of the province's tax receipts and 5% of its GDP. Guizhou has used the company to not only raise revenues and pay down debts but also bail out local highway-builders and contribute to public works such as roads, railways, airports and hospitals. Four years ago, Moutai Group issued a 15 billion yuan bond to buy an expressway. It then transferred for free a $14 billion stake in the listed company to the Guizhou government. By the end of 2023, Guizhou's official provincial debt had reached 1.5 trillion yuan, ballooning 26% from the previous year and accounting for 72% of GDP. That appears to be stabilising, said Yao Yu, founder of credit analysis firm Ratingdog, noting provincial development is mostly dependent on "central transfer payments and local debt issuance" rather than tax revenues from state-owned enterprises like Kweichow Moutai. The broader question is where Guizhou will find new sources of revenue, given its patchy record in firing up new industries, such as big data centres. As it stands, according to Guido Cozzi, professor of macroeconomics at the University of St. Gallen, a slowdown in Moutai's growth limits its ability to financially support Guizhou, "potentially leading to higher borrowing costs and an increased risk of default for the province. ($1 = 7.2801 Chinese yuan)
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Analysis-Ebbing demand for China's favourite firewater adds to debt concerns
By Casey Hall and Sophie Yu MAOTAI, China (Reuters) - In the Chinese village of Maotai, the local firewater named after the town is not only a key source of income, it's a barometer of the country's battered consumer market and the economic misfortunes of its home province. In the weeks before Lunar New Year, tourists traditionally flock to the town, nestled in the mountains of the southwestern province of Guizhou, to buy the baijiu, or white spirit, as gifts - this year, those crowds were notably smaller. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The premium spirit made locally by Kweichow Moutai has for decades been a fixture at weddings, business dinners and state functions, but its sales in the past two years have been hit by poor consumer and business confidence. Victor Shih, a professor of political science at the University of California San Diego, says Moutai's strong cash flows have been "an important part of the strategy to help Guizhou's government repay debt that is constantly coming due". That means any contraction in Moutai's profit constitutes a problem for the government, which "needs that money to repay their debt and to run the government," he added. Shanghai-listed Kweichow Moutai is majority-owned by Moutai Group, in turn wholly owned by Guizhou, China's second-most indebted province. Its contribution to Guizhou's economic development is enormous, not only as a major employer but also as a vehicle for the province to raise revenue and pay down debt. Long considered a bellwether of Chinese consumer demand, its retail performance has been squeezed in recent years by wider deflationary pressures. "Before, people would fly from Beijing to buy bottles of Moutai for more than 3,000 yuan ($412) several times per year," said a shopkeeper at one of the many liquor stores lining the river in Maotai village. "Now you can get a bottle for as little as 1,699 yuan, but the environment is so bad, no-one wants to buy." Kweichow Moutai, the world's largest alcohol company and until last year China's most valuable listed firm with a market value as high as $400 billion, makes its clear spirit from sorghum and has a special place in the nation's history. Premier Zhou Enlai toasted U.S. president Richard Nixon with Moutai on his landmark 1972 China visit. But a persistent slump in sentiment has taken the wind out of Kweichow Moutai's share price and the price consumers are willing to pay for the product. The firm's value has fallen by almost half since hitting a record high in 2021, and the market price of a 500 ml bottle of its flagship 53% proof Feitian "Flying Fairy" last year dropped as much as 22% from 2,700 yuan at the start of 2024. Kweichow Moutai declined an interview request. Guizhou's provincial government did not respond to requests. TURNAROUND TROUBLES To be sure, Kweichow Moutai's revenues are not linked to the market price of the product but to the factory gate price its network of distributors pay. Moutai's 20% bump in factory gate prices for Feitian in late 2023 helped keep revenues above their 15% sales growth target for 2024, according to preliminary results in January. But questions remain over how long this growth will last. Estimates from brokerages and company executives indicate at least 50% of inventory produced by the company over the last decade has not been consumed, but instead held as inventory, often as alternative investments. Some analysts warn a major inventory sell-off could further impact Moutai's market and share prices. UBS research predicted Feitian's market price could fall far below the 2,000 yuan benchmark by mid-2025. A fall in prices, in turn, impacts Moutai's luxury brand. "If you are served Moutai, it means you are important and successful," said George Liu, a private equity manager in Beijing. "If it's cheaper, what's the point of drinking it?" Moutai also faces demographic challenges, according to Ben Cavender, managing director at Shanghai-based China Market Research Group. "Baijiu is traditionally an older man's drink and most consumers under the age of 35 really don't have a taste for it," he said. Chasing younger drinkers, Moutai has collaborated on affordable products like lattes and ice cream, gimmicks that Cavender says haven't had much effect. Company executives have flagged international expansion for potential growth, though it's unlikely to compensate for a domestic slowdown. PROVINCIAL GIANT All of that raises questions about Kweichow Moutai's support for Guizhou. The company's red, white and blue logo is emblazoned on public works across the province. In addition to employing more than 30,000, the company accounts for a fifth of the province's tax receipts and 5% of its GDP. Guizhou has used the company to not only raise revenues and pay down debts but also bail out local highway-builders and contribute to public works such as roads, railways, airports and hospitals. Four years ago, Moutai Group issued a 15 billion yuan bond to buy an expressway. It then transferred for free a $14 billion stake in the listed company to the Guizhou government. By the end of 2023, Guizhou's official provincial debt had reached 1.5 trillion yuan, ballooning 26% from the previous year and accounting for 72% of GDP. That appears to be stabilising, said Yao Yu, founder of credit analysis firm Ratingdog, noting provincial development is mostly dependent on "central transfer payments and local debt issuance" rather than tax revenues from state-owned enterprises like Kweichow Moutai. The broader question is where Guizhou will find new sources of revenue, given its patchy record in firing up new industries, such as big data centres. As it stands, according to Guido Cozzi, professor of macroeconomics at the University of St. Gallen, a slowdown in Moutai's growth limits its ability to financially support Guizhou, "potentially leading to higher borrowing costs and an increased risk of default for the province. ($1 = 7.2801 Chinese yuan)
Reuters
03-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Ebbing demand for China's favourite firewater adds to debt concerns
MAOTAI, China, March 3 (Reuters) - In the Chinese village of Maotai, the local firewater named after the town is not only a key source of income, it's a barometer of the country's battered consumer market and the economic misfortunes of its home province. In the weeks before Lunar New Year, tourists traditionally flock to the town, nestled in the mountains of the southwestern province of Guizhou, to buy the baijiu, or white spirit, as gifts - this year, those crowds were notably smaller. The premium spirit made locally by Kweichow Moutai ( opens new tab has for decades been a fixture at weddings, business dinners and state functions, but its sales in the past two years have been hit by poor consumer and business confidence. Victor Shih, a professor of political science at the University of California San Diego, says Moutai's strong cash flows have been "an important part of the strategy to help Guizhou's government repay debt that is constantly coming due". That means any contraction in Moutai's profit constitutes a problem for the government, which "needs that money to repay their debt and to run the government," he added. Shanghai-listed Kweichow Moutai is majority-owned by Moutai Group, in turn wholly owned by Guizhou, China's second-most indebted province. Its contribution to Guizhou's economic development is enormous, not only as a major employer but also as a vehicle for the province to raise revenue and pay down debt. Long considered a bellwether of Chinese consumer demand, its retail performance has been squeezed in recent years by wider deflationary pressures. "Before, people would fly from Beijing to buy bottles of Moutai for more than 3,000 yuan ($412) several times per year," said a shopkeeper at one of the many liquor stores lining the river in Maotai village. "Now you can get a bottle for as little as 1,699 yuan, but the environment is so bad, no-one wants to buy." Kweichow Moutai, the world's largest alcohol company and until last year China's most valuable listed firm with a market value as high as $400 billion, makes its clear spirit from sorghum and has a special place in the nation's history. Premier Zhou Enlai toasted U.S. president Richard Nixon with Moutai on his landmark 1972 China visit. But a persistent slump in sentiment has taken the wind out of Kweichow Moutai's share price and the price consumers are willing to pay for the product. The firm's value has fallen by almost half since hitting a record high in 2021, and the market price of a 500 ml bottle of its flagship 53% proof Feitian "Flying Fairy" last year dropped as much as 22% from 2,700 yuan at the start of 2024. Kweichow Moutai declined an interview request. Guizhou's provincial government did not respond to requests. TURNAROUND TROUBLES To be sure, Kweichow Moutai's revenues are not linked to the market price of the product but to the factory gate price its network of distributors pay. Moutai's 20% bump in factory gate prices for Feitian in late 2023 helped keep revenues above their 15% sales growth target for 2024, according to preliminary results in January. But questions remain over how long this growth will last. Estimates from brokerages and company executives indicate at least 50% of inventory produced by the company over the last decade has not been consumed, but instead held as inventory, often as alternative investments. Some analysts warn a major inventory sell-off could further impact Moutai's market and share prices. UBS research predicted Feitian's market price could fall far below the 2,000 yuan benchmark by mid-2025. A fall in prices, in turn, impacts Moutai's luxury brand. "If you are served Moutai, it means you are important and successful," said George Liu, a private equity manager in Beijing. "If it's cheaper, what's the point of drinking it?" Moutai also faces demographic challenges, according to Ben Cavender, managing director at Shanghai-based China Market Research Group. "Baijiu is traditionally an older man's drink and most consumers under the age of 35 really don't have a taste for it," he said. Chasing younger drinkers, Moutai has collaborated on affordable products like lattes and ice cream, gimmicks that Cavender says haven't had much effect. Company executives have flagged international expansion for potential growth, though it's unlikely to compensate for a domestic slowdown. PROVINCIAL GIANT All of that raises questions about Kweichow Moutai's support for Guizhou. The company's red, white and blue logo is emblazoned on public works across the province. In addition to employing more than 30,000, the company accounts for a fifth of the province's tax receipts and 5% of its GDP. Guizhou has used the company to not only raise revenues and pay down debts but also bail out local highway-builders and contribute to public works such as roads, railways, airports and hospitals. Four years ago, Moutai Group issued a 15 billion yuan bond to buy an expressway, opens new tab. It then transferred for free a $14 billion stake in the listed company to the Guizhou government. By the end of 2023, Guizhou's official provincial debt had reached 1.5 trillion yuan, ballooning 26% from the previous year and accounting for 72% of GDP. That appears to be stabilising, said Yao Yu, founder of credit analysis firm Ratingdog, noting provincial development is mostly dependent on "central transfer payments and local debt issuance" rather than tax revenues from state-owned enterprises like Kweichow Moutai. The broader question is where Guizhou will find new sources of revenue, given its patchy record in firing up new industries, such as big data centres. As it stands, according to Guido Cozzi, professor of macroeconomics at the University of St. Gallen, a slowdown in Moutai's growth limits its ability to financially support Guizhou, "potentially leading to higher borrowing costs and an increased risk of default for the province. ($1 = 7.2801 Chinese yuan)
