Legendary Japanese horror game Ao Oni gets first-person 3D reboot on Steam 

Japanese developer LiTMUS has announced that their horror game Absolute Fear AOONI will be coming to PC (Steam) on April 26. This is a brand new entry in the legendary Ao Oni (“Blue Demon”) series, which has become a cult classic in Japan. Twenty years after the original game’s Japan-only debut, Absolute Fear AOONI will be the first game in the series that’s officially playable in English and Chinese, so players outside Japan can discover exactly why this heart-pounding indie adventure series gripped Japanese gamers. 

Trapped inside a house, Absolute Fear AOONI is a stealth game in which you must hide from the titular blue demon and progress by finding items and solving adventure game-type puzzles, in a similar style to the original Resident Evil.  

Ao Oni began as a free game created by Japanese indie developer noprops that was released in 2004. After its initial release, the developer continued to make updates and improvements. The strange horror game boomed in popularity thanks to livestreams and playthroughs, with the Ao Oni phenomenon spawning various spin-offs and mobile game sequels. The franchise also boasts several movie adaptations and a novel series. In 2011, the game garnered some interest outside Japan, thanks in part to a playthrough by YouTuber PewDiePie. 

The first Ao Oni was a third person 2D title, initially made using the RPG Maker XP engine. The upcoming entry to the series has a much creepier vibe – with a first-person perspective and realistic 3D surroundings. You play as a girl who must search the dark passageways and rooms of an old mansion to try to find her older sister. 

If one of the blue demons spots you, it will chase you down relentlessly. Therefore, you must try to avoid detection by crouching behind furniture and peeking around doorframes. The game is split into three chapters and contains 18 levels. In the course of solving all the game’s mysteries and puzzles, it seems that you will also explore a forest with an abandoned radio tower. How well you play the game will apparently affect which of the multiple endings you will receive.  

In a post on X, Yu Totsuka, the CXO of LiTMUS explained that with Absolute Fear AOONI, they have tried to reflect the spirit of the original game in their own way. Twenty years on, international fans can finally enjoy an official English-language release of an Ao Oni title. 

Absolute Fear AOONI is scheduled to be released for PC (Steam) on April 26. 

Written by. Verity Townsend based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2024-04-05 17:06 JST)