Welcome to our weekend segment, where we showcase recent or upcoming Japanese indie games that share a specific theme. This weekend features indies about mental health and the human psyche. Because what better way to prove your sanity than by indulging in some good, old-fashioned escapism?
Pain Pain Go Away!
Pain Pain Go Away! has you taking on the role of counselor Maki Rio as she attends to several runaway girls. While routine dialogue and interactions with your patients allow you to learn more about them, your main method of treatment is a little more obscure.
Using a special therapy device known as a P2GA, you can enter Dive Mode, which allows you to delve into your patients’ subconsciouses and find the sources of their trauma. Their traumas take the form of words, which you can type out to heal their emotional wounds.
At the end of each patient’s subconscious lies a Boss Trauma, which guards a powerful core memory called the “Final Word”. Only by defeating the boss and typing out the Final Word can you get your patient to confront the truth about themselves and (hopefully) return to a stable mental state.
Pain Pain Go Away!’s anime art style is a stark contrast to its serious and sometimes dark subject matter. It also has multiple difficulty levels for players with different typing speeds. Developed and published by Lorebard, the game is set to release this year on Windows (Steam). A free demo is also available.
Decollate Decoration
A point-and-click adventure title, Decollate Decoration stars a recently deceased female ghost. With only 49 days left until she passes over to the other side, you must set her mind at ease by bringing her beloved male friend (who is still living) along with her.
While the initial goal is to unceremoniously murder the male friend, engaging in other actions reveals a surprising amount of depth to the characters. The story takes roughly 1 to 2 hours to complete (this includes unlocking its six endings with succeeding playthroughs), but Decollate Decoration also includes a prologue and epilogue, detailing the girl’s life before her death and the events after the main campaign, respectively.
Developed by Kanekodo and published by Kemco, Decollate Decoration is available on Windows (Steam). A free demo and web browser version are also available.
The Second Reality Room: Unspoken Truths
The Second Reality Room: Unspoken Truths is a game for anyone who has ever been or dealt with a teenager. As the director of the Second Reality Room, you interview several chuunibyou (adolescents with delusions of grandeur) as you get to the bottom of their supposed “illness” and ultimately understand them.
Gameplay is divided into three actions: Talk, Mind Read, and Translate. “Talk” allows you to choose topics and gather clues from the chuunibyou. Since what they’re saying is usually incomprehensible, “Mind Read” lets you step into a “Second Reality” to see the world through their eyes. Finally, “Translate” lets you combine everything you’ve learned and decipher the chuunibyous’ histories and motivations.
The game is told in chapters, with each chapter having a good and a bad ending. Featuring character designs and illustrations by Japanese illustrator Shikimi and a soundtrack by Sumire Murasaki (who is also behind the stellar music of the indie hit visual novel Urban Myth Dissolution Center), The Second Reality Room: Unspoken Truths is a feast for the eyes and ears.
Developed by Shadow Glove (makers of the mystery indie game Yokai Landlord: Monster Mystery!) and published by FINE Co., the game is set to release next year for Windows (Steam).
Mindhack
While most of the games on this list promote good mental health, Mindhack is a text adventure title that has you hacking the minds of criminals to turn them into bona fide Mother Teresas. As a genius hacker known as the “Doctor,” your duty is to remove BUGs – destructive impulses hidden deep within criminals’ souls.
Gameplay is divided into two parts. During the adventure phase, you interact with various criminals, ranging from a sea urchin gang leader to a “monster” astronaut from outer space. By interrogating them, you learn more about their history and personalities.
The hacking phase is where you hook a supercomputer to a criminal’s mind to access their memories, giving you a better grasp of things they would otherwise keep hidden. Once you’ve got a good understanding of them, a typing sequence allows you to rewrite their mind using specific keywords. Typing out the keywords turns their BUGs into flowers, leaving them as harmless as a newborn baby.
The game has been in early access since April 2023, with the developers at VODKAdemo? constantly improving it and adding new chapters (they just released chapter six). While the art style and soundtrack seem cute enough, it covers some grim topics, including themes of depression, mental illness, and suicide.
Mindhack is available on Windows and macOS (Steam). A free demo is also available.
Those were four indie games that will (hopefully) put your mind at ease. Mental health in real life is a serious issue but thankfully, video games allow it to be less so.
