This mysterious Japanese indie game has quietly sold over 210k copies 

Japanese indie developer Hyogo Onimushi took to X to reveal that his adventure game Return to Shironagasu Island has sold 210,000 copies. Available on PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch, the visual novel adventure game involves solving various mysteries and murders on the island. Featuring manga-style graphics and full voice acting (in Japanese), the game currently has a Very Positive rating on Steam (out of 2839 reviews).  

In response to his tweet, the indie developer received several encouraging comments from fans. On Steam, the game has been praised for its well-written plot and dialogue, good character development with some finding the tonal shifts between darker topics and lighthearted banter a bit jarring. Originally released back in March 2020, the game has frequently been featured in Steam’s $2 sales, which has helped it to exceed 210,000 sales. In a separate X post, the developer confirmed that most of the game’s sales come from this lower price point. A look at Return to Shironagasu Island’s price history on Steam DB shows that it is frequently on sale at 50 or 60% off. 

Hyogo Onimushi has previously spoken out on X about issues affecting indie developers, such as the pricing dilemma they face regarding Steam Sales and the damage that “ironic” negative reviews do to a game’s reputation. 

Return to Shironagasu Island is available on PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch.