VERACITY IN GAMING
VERACITY IN GAMING
Keiichi Yokoyama
JP AUTOMATON writer
Oshiiro is a Japanese horror game where you exorcise evil spirits by swinging a light stick
Oshiiro is a 3D horror game that provides a fresh take on the genre by having players swing a light stick in order to battle evil spirits. The evil spirits possess bracelets or other features that change color, and players must repel them by changing their light stick to the matching color and swinging it a set number of times
Multiplayer horror game Kakuriyo has been officially announced for Steam
Kakuriyo is a cooperative horror game where the objective is to escape from a realm where evil spirits roam. The game supports online multiplayer for up to four players. Kakuriyo is set to launch in spring 2023 for Steam.
It was a human is a new psychedelic sci-fi interrogation visual novel
It was a human is a short psychedelic sci-fi interrogation visual novel being developed by LOSER/S where the player must question a suspect in a mutilation murder case. The protagonist is tasked with interrogating the suspect, questioning her about her motive and the methods used to carry out the crime.
Calme developer interview: A cliffside town adventure game with a hand-drawn flair
Calme is an indie adventure game set in a cliffside town of the same name. Below the steep cliff the town rests on is a dense sea of clouds that covers the land. In Calme, players unravel the mystery of the dangerous cloud sea and learn more about the characters that inhabit this world.
Japanese railway company to release official train sim JR EAST Train Simulator on Steam
East Japan Railway Company (JR East) has opened the Steam store page for JR EAST Train Simulator. The game is expected to be released in early access on September 20 (JST). Players will be able to experience what it is like to drive trains on the real-life JR East lines.
Gothic action RPG Black Witchcraft finally launches in September, eight years after being announced [UPDATE]
Black Witchcraft is a gothic action RPG about a witch who fights against demons. Black Witchcraft has been in development since it was first announced in 2014.
Dimension Girl is a new roguelite action game featuring Subspace Coneru
Publisher CREST has announced side-scrolling roguelite action game Dimension Girl -Jigen Shoujo- Subspace Coneru for Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam). It's based on the Dimension Girl Subspace Coneru character from the creative brand Gravity Beyond XD and its leading creator Hyperspace.
Maid Cafe at Electric Street – Short Interview: Nipponbashi, Japan has what otaku love
Maid Cafe at Electric Street is a café simulation RPG being made by Shanghai developer Adventurer’s Tavern that takes place in Osaka, Japan’s Nipponbashi. The game's protagonist runs a maid café, spending their days with the maids in a colorful pixel art world.
Takoyaki Party Survival tasks you to survive on an all-octopus ball diet
Takoyaki Party Survival is an online multiplayer game where the goal is to survive by eating a nutritionally balanced diet of takoyaki (Japanese octopus balls). Players take part in a “takoyaki party” where they compete to see how many days they can last while only consuming takoyaki of various ingredients.
A short visual novel has been created using Midjourney AI artwork
Japanese game developer @8co28 has made a short visual novel called Hekimu that uses artwork generated by Midjourney. Midjourney is an AI program that generates images based on textual descriptions.
A new Touhou Project game featuring Marise has been announced [Update: The game is now available on Steam]
Team Shanghai Alice has announced new Touhou Project game Black Market of Bulletphilia ~ 100th Black Market. (バレットフィリア達の闇市場 〜 100th Black Market.) ZUN stated that “Marisa takes on the leading role in the game, something that is surprisingly rare.”
The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls to end service in March of 2023 after over 10 years of operation
Bandai Namco Entertainment has announced that service for The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls will end on March 30, 2023, at 3 p.m. (JST). The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls has been in operation for over 10 years since 2011.
ONI is a Japanese folktale action game with a twist: the hero is now the villain
ONI: Road to be the Mightiest Oni is a 3D action game that tells the Japanese folktale of Momotaro but with a twist. In the original tale, the hero Momotaro works together with his animal companions to defeat a band of evil oni (demons). But in ONI: Road to be the Mightiest Oni the protagonist is one of the oni rather than Momotaro.
Urban legend mystery game Toshi Densetsu Kaitai Center announced for Steam and mobile
Toshi Densetsu Kaitai Center is a mystery adventure game in which players unravel urban myths. The game tells the story of the Urban Myth Deconstruction Center which conducts investigations on mysterious creatures and the occult.
Schrödinger’s Call is an adventure game about a girl who receives calls from the dead
Schrödinger's Call is an “Uncertainty Adventure” game that takes place in a world where all of humanity has gone extinct with the exception of the protagonist, a young girl named Mary. However, despite being the last person alive, Mary still receives phone calls. These calls come from the deceased who are feeling lonely and seek someone to talk to.
A Steam version of Heaven Burns Red is coming to Japan on August 10 [UPDATE]
Heaven Burns Red, currently available on smartphones, is an RPG with the main scenario written by Jun Maeda, known for titles such as Air and Clannad. The game is unique in the way it combines highly comedic dialogue, reminiscent of bishoujo games of the 2000s, with an emotionally stirring story.
Scar of the Doll, the beloved ’90s Japanese visual novel, is being remade for Switch & Steam [Update]
Scar of the Doll is a suspense visual novel originally released for free in 1998. At the time the game was originally released, it was featured in things like Japanese mystery magazines and made quite an impact. A remake version is set to launch this summer for the Nintendo Switch and Steam.
Pixel art open world RPG Oblige Of CHAOS coming to Steam on September 1
Oblige Of CHAOS is a top-down action RPG where players are free to adventure through its open pixel art world. Oblige Of CHAOS is being made by the solo game developer MaaSA91.
Samurai Maiden is a bishoujo action game where samurai and ninjas kiss to enhance their abilities
Samurai Maiden is a samurai action game that sees a female high school student and her ninja companions running through the Underworld beneath Honnō-ji. Samurai Maiden is coming to PC (Steam) and consoles this winter.
Superpower simulator Project SPS has been announced for Steam
Project SPS is a 3D action game being developed around the concept of a “Superpower Simulator.” The trailer and screenshots for the game show the protagonist fighting enemies using a variety of superhero style abilities.
Roll through life in the action-adventure game WHY I was Born, coming to Steam in late August
WHY I was Born is a 3D action-adventure game that follows a man’s life. The setting is a mixture of the memories of this ordinary man combined with dream-like sequences, with players taking on the role of a ball as they explore.
Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten is coming to Steam October 20 [UPDATE]
Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten, a new JRPG being developed by Aquaplus to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Utawarerumono series, is coming to Steam on October 20.