#spalik

[roguetwst]

Technically this isn’t twst related but literally everyone I’ve seen talking about Sparklink Stars is a twst fan so

The company making Sparklink Stars, coly inc., is extremely open about using generative A.I. to generate ideas and create assets, and the teaser visual shows signs of being A.I. generated. Twisted Wonderland has its problems but it’s also undeniably human and Sparklink Stars has already shown itself to be distinctly not.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hey Miss Raven, I wanted to ask if you know about Sparklink Stars! It’s apparently an upcoming Disney mobile game that’s actually an otome with the princesses as inspo, at least that’s what I heard.

I’m not familiar with it, so I went digging around for some more information. Some of what you said appears to be incorrect or are just fan speculations.

Here’s what I could find from official sources (ie Japanese news articles, the actual Sparklink Stars social media accounts, etc.):

This project is in collaboration with coly inc., a company known for making other mobile games geared toward a female audience such as Stand My Heroes and Promise of Wizard.

Sparklink Stars is NOT confirmed to be an otome/dating sim; coly inc. specializes in 女性向 (joseimuke) games, which aim for a female audience but don't necessarily involve romance.

coly inc. is known for making puzzle games (in the style of like “match 3”, Candy Crush, Bejeweled, etc.), and this game may follow suit.

Disney Princesses are not specifically referenced; this game will, however, involve many different Disney and Pixar IPs.

It's not meant to be a direct competitor to Twst; Twst will continue running as its own thing, entirely separate from Sparklink Stars.

It was originally expected to release in the first quarter of the 2027 fiscal year (February to July), but I saw news saying it was delayed to the third quarter (August to October)?? Not sure when to expect it but it seems to be 2027.

Someone on Twitter claims the game’s drop will coincide with a “Summerween” event, but this is unverified.

Kazui-sensei (the artist behind Hypmic) will be responsible for the character design.

The website just launched!

The main setting is an archipelago where “cutting-edge science” and “abundant nature” come together. They are called the “Sparkle Islands”.

The central island is called Luminoustair and it is described as a global entertainment hub.

Here’s the castle from the center of Luminoustair:

The playable characters are referred to as Spark Riders.

There seems to be a connection with Cinderella, as this gif was posted on their Twitter:

There is a blonde character revealed in a teaser image. He is most likely inspired by Cinderella.

The tagline seems to be “The stage where everyone’s dreams come true.”

Marketing materials mention a “stage”, so fans are speculating it could be an idol raising game.

There’s this trailer video, which tells a story from a long time ago. Roughly summarized below:

There was once a small floating island on the edge of the world. It was illuminated by two stars and was a place where the people lived happily.

One day, a shining seed--a gift from the two stars--appeared. The seed sprouted, gathering mysterious lights from across the sky and sea. They were stories filled with hopes and dreams from all over the world. The seed grew into a tall and beautiful tree whose branches flowed with countless lights.

Whenever people smiled, their eyes sparkled with hope, or they wished upon the stars, new particles of light would dance along the tree. The particles would then rise into the sky, filling the sky with new stories.

The stories spread and became a force to guide people to their happiness, allowing the island to flourish. This power, once called “magic”, lives on in a new form but continues to bring wonder and smiles to the land.

The trailer doesn’t really give away too much of what the story will be about, nor any info on characters. It’s just kinda the usual Disney tropes for now 🤷‍♀️

I'll be keeping an eye on this project now that I know about it! It might be something worth checking out.

[peppermint-twst]

The Sparklink Stars account posted this and i was like, oh they’re twisted from Beatcats!… before I remembered this is Disney not Sanrio

and it’s not twst either 😅

[letskeepitlit]

Soo that Sparklink Stars trailer huh, pretty exciting stuff

Idk if I'd play it considering i haven't even finished twst's books (I've been stuck procrastinating on Idia's chapter for a while...) And my memory of lore is fuzzy at best which is unfortunate but maybe my opinion will change once it releases globally? Who knows- i for one know that if this does end up going global I'm naming my player character as either Sonnet or Pyxis 🤣

He'd so isekai himself i can see it, Pyxis though not so much (but at least he won't be forgotten this time around/j)

- P

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Apparently Disney is releasing a new anime styled game, thoughts?! (Sorry I’m really excited about this and wanna know what people think it may be)

I already shared what I could find about Sparklink Stars here, although that’s more of an informative news post more than anything else. I can explain more of my own thoughts and feelings about the project!!

Below the cut, since it’s a lot.

So first thing’s first, Spalik definitely has different vibes than Twst does. It seems overall more… positive and traditionally fairy tale/fantasy-like. And while I do enjoy fairy tales and fantasy theming, I’m really thrown off by how positive Spalik is 💀 It must be the NRC boys and their aversion to RSA influencing me, cuz the first time I watched the storybook trailer, my face puckered up in the same way that it would if I had tasted a lemon. So joyful… so saccharine… So… disgusting…

Personally, I find the premise and the world not very interesting. I feel like they repeat the words “light”, “hopes”, “dreams”, and “happiness”/“happy” way too often. Even if these are major aspects or themes to the story, it sounds generic and much too uplifting to me.

I have mixed feelings on the design of the world and marketing materials. An island in the shape of Mickey’s head, the rainbow magical tree, and the castle being similar to the one in Disney’s logo feel uncreative at best, but I do find the overall use of blue, stars, and sparkles appealing. Not that it’s any more creative, but I do like that kind of artistic direction.

We’ve only seen one character design so far, but we don’t have a name or personality for him. He seems to be the poster boy for Spalik and I assume he’s based on Cinderella, given the colors + his headwear + the Cinderella gif posted on the Spalik Twitter before he went live. It’s a fitting choice, since Cinderella has her rags-to-riches story and was Walt Disney’s favorite princess. She’s also got that iconic “a dream is a wish your heart makes” line, which I feel fits in well with Spalik’s lore, or perhaps was even the inspiration behind the origin of magic in this world.

Something about the design of Cinderfella reminds me of Fragaria Memories, which has its own mobile game slated for a 2027 drop… And I don’t know why, because their artists are different 😭 I think it might be Cinderfella’s cravat, the fabric at his hip, and the jacket over his shoulders with the quilted interior?? The jacket definitely reminds me of the main face for FragMem, Halritt.

The character designer for Spalik is Kazui-sensei, the same artist behind the designs for Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle. Admittedly, I am not a fan of Kazui-sensei’s art. Their characters read as too “sharp” and angular, and I feel that they have a tendency to overdesign the hair while underdesigning the clothes. However, I’ll hold my reservations and let their work for Spalik speak for itself instead of judging them based on past works. Based on just Cinderfella, he doesn’t really stand out among the sea of bishounen designs I’ve seen.

It’s interesting that the copyright for Spalik specifies Disney/Pixar, while Twst’s copyright doesn’t. I wonder if that means Spalik has access to Pixar IPs in addition to Disney original ones. This, along with the different tones + themes and possibly gameplay, should keep the two games from competing or cannibalizing one another.

One thing I’ve been seeing around a lot among socials is people anticipating or hyping Spalink up to be an otome and claiming this is what will make it “stand out” from Twst. I don’t fault them for wanting an otome, of course, but I just find it odd when there’s zero proof it will be one. I wonder if this sentiment is coming from the crowd that was disappointed that Twst wasn’t an otome and now they’re looking for an alternative or a “real Disney otome” to cope with that fact. Something about that makes me feel a little uneasy, as if Twst NOT being an otome makes it “not good enough” so fans are shopping around for “something better”.

The other thing that’s giving me pause about this project is that coly inc., the company Disney is partnering with, is VERY openly pro-AI. It's directly stated on their website that AI is one of their "primary domains".

coly has supported AI-generated content and have made generative AI tools before. For example, they sponsored the “AI Novel/Literature Award(s)” and created an AI which “produces visuals and audio for entertainment and product development”.

Additionally, there is an article in which coly inc. discusses their Disney-related IP being released in the January 2027 fiscal year (Spalik) and the company's IP strategy moving into the world of AI. More specifically, coly inc. states that AI will "improve efficiency, generate ideas, and support production". In other parts of their site, they admit to plans to use AI for writing scenarios and dialogue, as well as generating ideas for illustration, visual concepts, designs, backgrounds, puzzles, and videos. They also say they need to figure out how to not compromise the quality of their products (such as the story, which they aim to be "rich and touching") while "still using AI to stay competitive in the gacha game market". I have read the article myself and asked multiple fluent Japanese-speaking contacts of mine to confirm these translations are accurate, as the original claims of AI usage were born from a machine translation circulating on Twitter. The same stance is implied on other parts of coly’s website.

Now, TO BE CLEAR: not all AI is built the same, and it is not automatically a red flag that coly lists "AI" as one of its pillars; it depends on its usage. AI has its practical applications (like analyzing vast data sets that would be impossible for a human to do). It would also be entirely dishonest to claim that f4samurai, Disney, and Aniplex, the companies behind Twst, have never used it. For example, here is an f4samurai engineer admitting to using Google Gemini to scan their code for errors.

The issue with coly is that they've implied they will use generative AI ("generate ideas"), and that makes people question whether the art and story will be human-made or AI slop. That's not even mentioning the higher computing cost and energy + water demands of generative AI compared to regular ol' AI. Twst does have a leg up in this regard, since nothing in its materials suggest generative AI was used at any point in their creative processes. It's just really disappointing to see the hype for new projects by coly doused because they had to go and taint it with gen. AI shortcuts 😬 There’s no explicit confirmation that gen. AI was used for Spalink, but the fact that the company openly admits to integrating it in planning and production at all casts doubts on Spalink by association.

If I had to summarize my feelings on this new game right now… I’m pretty mixed on it, especially after confessing to the generative AI usage. I’m not excited for it in the same way I was for Twst, I’m only really keeping an eye on it out of curiosity + because it’s new and novel. It’s kinda also filling in the void whole I wait for more RSA student reveals in Twst’s main story/j

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

By the way, regarding Sparklink, it seems they're finally going to start announcing the game's characters! And while it appears to be an idol game, the first group of characters seem to be based on Goofy, Donald, Mickey, and Chip and Dale.

[ More news about Sparklink Stars here!

My personal thoughts + warnings about coly inc. and AI usage here. Just be aware that this doesn’t necessarily mean they will use generative AI for the final illustrations. ]

BRUH 😭 I’ve been joking for the last 5 years that we’d get an ikemen Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in Twst AnD THEN WE GET THEM IN AN ENTirELY NeW GAME IN 2026-2027 as IDOLS, of all things???? Surreal…

I… I guess it makes sense to have Mickey as the cheery group leader for a group literally called “UPbeats!”… What are they going to do with the others, make mischievous twins Chip and Dale? Himbo Goofy?? TSUNDERE DONALD??? I feel like I’m speaking in tongues 💀

Based on the promotional tweets, it seems like there may be a different idol group for each of the highlighted areas on the Sparkle Island(s), particular the central island, Luminoustair. The Sparkle Island(s) are an archipelago with cutting-edge science and lots of nature. These aspects are able to exist in harmony.

More on the locations introduced:

The central island is Luminoustair.

It is formed by three interlocking circles.

Luminoustair is described as a global entertainment hub which captivates visitors and draws international attention.

Dream Plaza is a town that is just like a theme park, packed with excitement in every corner. (I’m guessing this is based on Disney parks and its classic mascots like Mickey and gang?)

It seems like there’s a trolley that can take you around?

A key attraction is the largest movie theater in the archipelago.

This is the area that is associated with the group UPbeats!

Electri City is a vibrant place that’s full of human warmth.

It is known for its energy company, where laughter echoes. (I-Is this Monsters Inc??? Are we going to see Mike Wasowski as an idol…)

The night life is bustling and full of energy!

Wisdom Hill is a city scented with roses. (B-Beauty and the Beast?)

It is a very traditional place.

There is a grand library and a garden full of roses.

The grand library has one of the world’s largest collections of literature.

Crystal Float is a fantasy-like and historic city of glass which sits upon water. (Seems like this is based on Cinderella?)

It is home to the research institution SIKR (read as “Cycle”).

When the bell tolls at midnight, the city’s lights vanish like magic.

There is an exquisite view of the shimmering city upon the water’s surface.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

so supposedly, disney jp is releasing a new game, and some fans are thinking disneys gonna put all their focus/creativity into this new game instead.. but you don’t think twst is gonna get replaced/end because of this, right?.. :(

[ More news about Sparklink Stars here!

My personal thoughts + warnings about coly inc. and AI usage here. Just be aware that this doesn’t necessarily mean they will use generative AI for the final illustrations. ]

That’s just unsubstantiated doomposting and we shouldn’t pay it any mind, especially when the game hasn’t come out yet and doesn’t have any figures to prove its success. For all we know, Sparklink Stars (hereby referred to as Spalik) could be a financial flop and go under a few months or years into service 😭 Twst JP is still consistently pulling in 3-4 million USD per month, so there’s no reason to believe revenue would take a sharp hit and end and/or be replaced out of the blue.

There is little to suggest that Spalik will consume the Twst fandom. The early marketing is extremely different, with Twst having dark, almost gothic vibes and a focus on villains, whereas Spalik is more ethereal and positive with all its talk of hopes, dreams, wishes, and light. The two complement one another; they’re not competition. They may both attract fans of anime pretty boys and/or Disney, but they’ll only stay in the long term for something that truly resonates with them. Some people like the dark stuff, others will like the light stuff, and some will like both. There is no shame in that. Lots of other things could be different between the games: design, music, gameplay, themes, and more. The one big thing they have in common is that both borrow from Disney IPs, and I’d argue the library is so vast and so open for interpretation that there would be differences in the Twst and Spalik characters inspired by the same Disney source. Plus, Spalik had Pixard licensing and Twst lacks this.

It has been stated that Spalik will be developed such that it will not compete with Twst. Two entirely different teams are working on each project. Their own coders, musicians, designers, artists, etc. They work independent of one another, their budgets are separate, etc. How can one team “take” the focus and creativity from the other when they aren’t related at all??? It’s not like Yana will be forced to design for both games and has to devote more energy and time to the newest one to get it off the ground, thereby leaving Twst to languish 😭 In fact, Spalik Stars was apparently trademarked the same year Twst launched (2020), meaning they were able to put out 6+ years of Twst content while another team worked on building Spalik. There’s already proof multiple projects can be worked on at the same time.

Think about it; Disney is usually working on multiple animated projects or even live action projects at once. The projects don’t consume one another, leaving only a single show or movie standing. Why wouldn’t this also be the case for their mobile game projects? Disney has also got plenty of those.

There's also the fact that Spalik is currently facing backlash from a portion of potential fans due to coly inc. being very pro-AI and admitting to using AI in the production process, whereas Twst seems to be entirely or mostly human-made. That's for sure going to keep some fans loyal to Twst.

We need to stop automatically thinking of the worst possible outcome every time news comes out. News is supposed to be exciting, not a foreboding prophecy about the End Times 💀 I’m not sure when or why fandom started to adapt the least charitable stances in response to any announcement, but it’s saddening to see.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi Raven,

I happened to be in China a couple months ago and saw this outside one of the mall stores (monster madness I think the name is). I don’t really know what exactly the promotion was and couldn’t find any details online, but it’s called encore squared. The style reminds me a bit of twst, especially as these look like twisted versions of Mickey and friends and there’s a bit of a music theme that fits the joseimuke aesthetic. They also had a few zootopia characters (kind of pictured here).

Looking at all the upcoming art and silhouettes for Spalink, I thought there was possibly a connection between the two. Anyway, just wanted to share and see what your thoughts may be on it, have a great rest of your day!

[ More news about Sparklink Stars here and here!

My personal thoughts + warnings about coly inc. and AI usage here. Just be aware that this doesn’t necessarily mean they will use generative AI for the final illustrations. ]

Hihi, and welcome back from your China trip!

"Encore Squared" (or "Encore²") is a collaboration between Disney, the Chinese merch company MarchMonster, and the Japanese artist @ug0nba. It isn't attached to anything other than a collection of music-themed merch featuring gijinkas or humanized versions of Disney characters. They also did a Zootopia collaboration more recently, called Guardian Days.

These are completely unrelated to current and upcoming Disney mobile game projects!

A quick look at the comments on XHS indicates that the Chinese audience doesn't seem to like these designs, with the main issue being that "they don't look/feel like the Disney characters, they just look like the artist's OCs in Disney-themed clothes". Personally, I like the designs a lot and how the clothes take more inspiration from the characters rather than the models actually being the characters.

Minnie and Daisy are super cute!! So is Goofy!! And Mickey, ironically, reminds me of Neige 🤡 The artist did a great job interpreting the original Disney characters' physical traits and clothing items into human traits and clothing items. I really wish the Spalik character designs were this good and detailed... Seriously, Neo Michel and Hugh Gardner are SO bland and disappointing.