Whales, the Patlabor faithful finally get their fix on September 17 when Good Smile Company and Chime drop PATLABOR the Case Files on PS5 and Steam. It's a straight 3D action retelling hitting the iconic scenes from the TV series, OVAs, and both movies, letting you swap between SV2 heroes and the bad guys in those Main and Another Side Missions. Over 20 Labors including the Ingram, Griffon, and Type Zero show up, plus a Simulator Mode for duels and target practice, all supervised by the old crew like Yutaka Izubuchi on mechs and Kenji Kawai on the new 30-track soundtrack.

Digital Standard runs $34.99 while the Deluxe gives you three days early access starting the 14th plus that OST for $39.99. Japan physical is ¥6,380 standard or the Special Edition at ¥11,220 with a limited MODEROID Griffon kit and soundtrack CD through Good Smile's store. Multi-language support across EN, JP, KR, and both Chinas makes it global from day one.

Trailer reactions on X are rolling in with the usual hype for that authentic Patlabor flavor and Noa Izumi's VA narrating the latest one. Pre-orders are live on PlayStation Store and Play-Asia, no gacha nonsense here, just straight mech action for the console crowd that's been waiting two decades. The real question is whether the gameplay lands or if it's another nostalgia cash grab.

Chime and Good Smile clearly know their audience, but every Patlabor fan with a controller is already calculating how many pulls on the wallet this one deserves.