Remake of a grotesque Japanese indie RPG now available on Steam

Written by. Ryuki Ishii based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-01-21 10:26 JST)

Japanese game developer Rosenkreuz has released Katsute Watashitachiwa Jigoku no Mattadanaka Deshita. (かつて私たちは地獄のまっただ中でした。) on Steam for $8.99. The game only supports Japanese and is flagged as an Adult Only game. The mature content description on the store page includes depictions of nudity, blood, sexual behavior, murder, exposure of internal organs, and more.

Katsute Watashitachiwa Jigoku no Mattadanaka Deshita. is a remake of a free game called Sudeni Watashitachiwa Jigoku no Mattadanaka Deshita. released in 2011. It’s an RPG that follows the story of Markt, a young man who has no choice but to live a miserable life in a hellish world. According to the developer, it’s a story of love and soul told in the depths of hell.

Markt was born into a noble family, but his father disappears two years before the start of the game, leaving Markt with a huge debt. He then became a male prostitute to make a living, disparaged by others and barely scraping by. One day, Markt is summoned by Rosenkreuz, a family that Markt owes money to. He was supposed to do his job as a prostitute at their mansion, but instead, Markt was thrown in a prison cell for some reason. He then escapes the prison with Rosenkreuz’s son Fay, journeys through the ravaged world, and discovers the truth.

The remake version introduces a sanity meter, which decreases as Markt gets cursed by the world’s inhabitants or fights enemies. If his sanity is low, healing becomes more difficult. If his sanity drops to a certain point, he will suffer from madness. Some skills and weapons can only be used by falling into madness. Other new additions include an epilogue, extra sub dungeons, and new dungeons that can be accessed after beating the game.

This game is definitely not for everyone, with its hellish depiction of violence, gore, and sensitive topics. That being said, it’s not a game that depicts gore just for the sake of it. In fact, the original version was well-received by many, winning an award in NicoNico Indie Game Fest 2021.

Katsute Watashitachiwa Jigoku no Mattadanaka Deshita. is now available on Steam. The original Sudeni Watashitachiwa Jigoku no Mattadanaka Deshita. can be found on Freem! and niconico’s Game Atsumaru.