Welcome to our weekend segment, where we showcase recent or upcoming Japanese indie games that share a specific theme. This weekend is all about indies that allow you to wreak havoc, because there’ss no better way to release your pent-up frustration than with some digital violence.
MOCHI-O
Starting things off is MOCHI-O, a tower defense/virtual pet-style game that has you raising the titular hamster as its new handler. This isn’t just any regular hamster; it’s a doomsday weapon armed with enough munitions to level a small country. Together with MOCHI-O, you must protect your country from an army of invading machines.
When it isn’t protecting the country, the hamster requires food, pets, and other necessities, all of which you will provide through simple minigames. Completing these activities rewards experience in the form of seeds, as well as other bonuses that allow you to upgrade MOCHI-O’s stats and arsenal. These upgrades become invaluable when an invasion occurs.
Once it’s go-time, MOCHI-O hops into your right hand, whereupon you must squeeze it to unleash a variety of bullets, rockets, and other dangerous projectiles at enemies. Defeating enemies drops seeds (experience), which unlock randomized skills and weapons for you to use.
MOCHI-O also has a surprising amount of lore. Apart from talking and interacting with your hamster companion, you can also speak to your mysterious superior, known only as “the Director”.
Developed by Zxima and published by Kodansha, MOCHI-O is available for Windows (Steam). There’s a free demo out too.
GIGANTIC☆MAIDESTRUCTION
GIGANTIC☆MAIDESTRUCTION is a 2D beat ‘em up/action game that puts you in the large shoes of a maid who suddenly finds herself bigger than a skyscraper. Unaccustomed to her newfound size, she must quickly get her bearings and defeat a massive UFO-looking monster that is terrorizing the city.
While the monster looks like it serves as the main goal, the game is perfectly content with having you run about the city and wrecking everything in sight. Destroying buildings fills a special gauge, allowing you to execute powerful attacks.
The game appears to play similarly to 2D destruction action titles like the 1986 arcade classic Rampage. The fighting game-style HUD shows your enemy’s remaining health as well as your health and special attack gauge, letting you know when you should fight or run away. Given that the game’s description reads “enemies,” there may be more than just a single monster for you to fight.
Developed by Pipipimochi and published under PiPiPiGames, GIGANTIC☆MAIDESTRUCTION is set to release sometime in 2027 for Windows (Steam).
UNIVERSE SLIME
UNIVERSE SLIME is a 3D casual destruction game where you control a sphere-shaped remnant of a star as it tries to replace the sun following a gravitational collapse. As the star remnant, you must bounce on various objects to destroy and absorb them, whereupon you can get big enough to bounce off of Earth.
Similar to titles like Katamari Damacy, UNIVERSE SLIME starts you off with smaller levels and absorbable objects (gacha capsules and sushi, to name a few) before moving onto bigger ones (like buildings). You can crush objects larger than you by bouncing on them. Once broken down, rubble and other small objects can be automatically or manually absorbed. It’s a simple premise, but being able to destroy and absorb just about anything imaginable provides a sense of satisfaction that is hard to top.
Developed and published by Mash Potato, UNIVERSE SLIME is currently in development for Windows (Steam). A free demo is also available.
DUNGEON RAZE
DUNGEON RAZE is a weird one. While the 2D bullet hell title has you playing as a magician on a quest to reach the deepest part of a dungeon, the power-ups and allies you encounter on your way to the bottom suggest that this isn’t your regular fantasy game.
A timer starts ticking down as you begin each run. While the levels are randomly generated, you are free to destroy them as you see fit. Breaking down walls and defeating enemies rewards experience and skills, which increase your lethality. These upgrades can range from simple boots to your health and attack attributes, to increasing the number of spells that you can simultaneously cast.
In addition to personal upgrades, you will also come across other adventurers who will aid you on your journey. These include the Dual Driller, who can demolish several wall blocks at once, and Grenade Man, who destroys everything in his path with a massive grenade launcher.
Featuring a Speed Attack mode, high-difficulty dungeons, and an Endless Dungeon mode, DUNGEON RAZE comes with several ways to play. With runs that last as short as 30 minutes (speedrunners will quickly put this claim to the test), this is one of the longer roguelites whose core gameplay loop of breaking things leaves you feeling satisfied.
Dungeon Raze is available for Windows (Steam).
Nitro Express
Last on the list is Nitro Express, a 2D shoot ‘em up set in the vibrant pixel-style country of Japan. In this alternate timeline, autonomous drones called “Companions” are an integral part of daily life. As a female member of the Atypical Vehicle Disposal Squad (AVDS), your job is to hunt down rogue Companions and destroy them.
Unlike other titles in the genre, your combat effectiveness in Nitro Express is largely determined by the weapons you carry and how you use them. Though you can run around while wielding a submachine gun or shotgun (their low accuracy makes them ideal for close-range engagements anyway), standing still or crouching will drastically increase your accuracy and damage.
Things get trickier when fighting against heavily armored units like tanks and helicopters. While you can take them down with weapons like the submachine gun and assault rifle, the reduced damage they do will make things significantly harder. As such, you’ll want to switch over to one of your stronger armaments, of which there are several. Nitro Express features 12 gadgets, consisting of regular grenades, EMP grenades, radio-controlled drones, flamethrowers, turrets, anti-tank missiles, and more.
The game also has a story, which is told via radio comms similar to those found in the Metal Gear franchise. For those who just want to get to the action, the comms are completely skippable and can be viewed any time from the menus.
Developed by Grayfax Software and published by Playism, Nitro Express is available on Windows (Steam).
Those were five Japanese indies that let you blow off some serious steam. While they aren’t particularly difficult, destroying a bunch of enemies/objects at once lets you fulfill that power fantasy, which many video games are all about.
