In this week’s Important Importables, we’re going to look at one of my favorite Japanese video game developers, Vanillaware. The company may not be one of the most prolific developers out there, but they do make some of the most gorgeous video games available.

In a way, that works out better for us today! We’ll take a brief look at Vanillaware, and then another quick peek at all five games Vanillaware has created so far…

Title: Princess CrownPrice: $29.90System(s): PSPRelease Date: March 8, 2007Publisher (Developer): Atlus (Vanilla Ware)ESRB Rating: N/A, Cero APros: Easy to play, especially if you use a guide. Beautiful sprites and graphics. Interesting story. Unofficial ‘prequel’ to Odin Sphere. Also affordable.Cons: Controls take some getting used to. The frames on the sides of the screen get distracting.Overall Score: 8/10

Vanillaware and Odin Sphere fans won’t want to miss Princess Crown, purely for the nostalgia value. The port of the Sega Saturn title has some issues, but overall is a delightful game. After only a few minutes of playing, you can see how Princess Crown influenced Odin Sphere, and if you’ve played Odin Sphere, you’ll have no problem navigating Princess Crown.

While Princess Crown is a completely 2D, sprite-based game, it is one of the most beautiful PSP titles. The graphics are very detailed and striking, and the characters are memorable. If you can look past the stark frames, you’ll see a stylish game that belongs in the same catagory as Patapon, Loco Roco, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy and Brave Story: The New Traveller.