Studio Ghibli’s The Boy And The Heron Limited-Edition 4K Blu-Ray Preorders Are Live
The Boy and the Heron is the newest film from the vaunted Studio Ghibli. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the animated movie arrived stateside last December–and if you’re looking to add it to your movie collection, you’ll be glad to hear that The Boy and the Heron Blu-ray preorders are now available at Amazon. Three different versions are up for grabs, including a fancy 4K steelbook edition. The steelbook matches the aesthetics of previous Studio Ghibli limited-edition releases, but unlike the vast majority of its predecessors, The Boy and the Heron is a 4K Blu-ray instead of a 1080p Blu-ray.
Everything related to Studio Ghibli is always popular, so if you’re looking to get your hands on any version of the film, we’d recommend preordering soon, as there’s a good chance they’ll sell out ahead of their summer launch date.
$45
The 4K UHD Blu-ray with steelbook is available to preorder for $45 at Amazon. For $40, you can get the 4K Blu-ray without the steelbook. Both 4K editions come with standard Blu-ray discs, too. Alternatively, you can preorder The Boy and the Heron on standard Blu-ray for $35. This version contains a DVD version of the film, too.
All three versions include heaps of bonus features, such as feature-length storyboards, interviews with team members, and more. All three launch on July 9.
As for the full list of special features, here’s what you’ll get.
The Boy and the Heron Special Features
- Feature-Length Storyboards
- Interview with Composer Joe Hisaishi
- Interview with Producer Toshio Suzuki
- Interview with Supervising Animator Takeshi Honda
- Drawing with Takeshi Honda
- “Spinning Globe” Music Video
- Teasers and Trailers
If you want to add more Studio Ghibli films to your collection, you’ll find plenty of great deals at Amazon. Here’s a look at some of our favorites that are currently on sale, including some steelbook editions of the best Studio Ghibli films.
Studio Ghibli Deals
Bandai Namco Revives Popular Tamagotchi Connection Virtual Pets For 20th Anniversary
Though Bandai Namco releases new Tamagotchi devices fairly regularly these days, its next major release is a blast from the past. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Tamagotchi Connection, a refreshed set of the multiplayer-focused virtual pets is set to release on July 9. Not only will you be able to raise you pixelated pet, but they will be able venture out into the world to mingle with other little aliens who also happen to be trapped inside keychain devices. Four different color variants are available to preorder now for $30 each. Alternatively, you can preorder a two-pack for $58 to ensure your little guy makes friends and maybe even finds love. Just please don’t forget to feed your digital pet this time.
Tamagotchi Connection – $30 each
While you might be familiar with the original Tamagotchi released in 1997 in the US, the Tamagotchi Connection was a serious upgrade in comparison to when they debuted in 2004. Along with brand-new designs for the digital critters, the big draw here was the infrared “connection” that could be used to link up with friends. Once a connection was established, you could play games, exchange gifts, and even breed your Tamagotchi after they became married to each other. What a wild time, the early 2000s were.
All of those original features have been retained for this new line of Tamagotchi Connection toys, and these eggs also allow you to meet more than 50 characters, play more games, and earn Gotchi Points to spend on food and other items, as part of the new extras being introduced here. You can even find passwords to unlock special items.
If that’s not enough Tamagotchi for you, then check out this new line of Hello Kitty Tamagotchis.
Available for $20 on July 9 in red and blue shell designs, these cute accessories come with a clasping carrying chain and batteries.
There are plenty of other themed Tamagotchis you can buy, and many of them are discounted at Amazon.
More Tamagotchi
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is Ditching An Iconic Franchise Feature
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, one of the franchise’s most iconic features–synchronization points–will work a little differently than before.
Following a cinematic reveal trailer, Ubisoft has revealed all kinds of details about the latest entry in the long-running series to IGN. The game will put players into the shoes of both a shinobi and a samurai in feudal Japan. While much of Assassin’s Creed Shadows will sound familiar to fans–parkour, a large open world to explore, stealth assassinations, melee combat–there are some notable changes, particularly when it comes to filling out the game’s map.
In the past, these have been done via synchronization points. These points are usually atop tall buildings or towers. Traditionally, synchronizing sees the camera slowly rotate in a panoramic view of the surrounding area, before marking all nearby points of interest on the in-game map.
That won’t be the case in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. There will be no spinning panoramic views in the upcoming title when synchronizing, nor will synchronizing automatically reveal nearby points of interest. Instead, players will need to survey the area and manually highlight areas of potential interest before investigating them further once back on the ground. Synchronization points will, however, still allow for players to fast travel between them.
It’s a small, but significant change, as synchronization points, including their stylish, slow camera pan of the surrounding area, have largely worked the same for much of the franchise’s long history. Other changes in Assassin’s Creed Shadows include the lack of a bird that can be used to mark enemies, though players will still have access to Eagle Vision to track nearby foes. Light sources, shadows, and the weather will also play an important role in gameplay. For the first time in the franchise’s history, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will star a real historical figure as one of its dual protagonists: the African samurai, Yasuke.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be similar in size to 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins, Ubisoft has said, which means there should be plenty of Japan to explore. It will feature a non-linear campaign story revolving around tracking down and eliminating specific targets, according to Ubisoft, and it’s one that will also see players building out a spy network to gather intel on targets in a system that sounds similar to one seen in Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on November 15. A collector’s edition exclusive to GameStop is available for preorder now.