Horror game PIEN & PAON plus has its monsters labeled as nude by Steam
The developer of PIEN & PAON plus revealed that the Steam review has determined the PIEN, the monster of the game, is nude. We spoke with the game's developer to learn more about what this means for the PIEN and the game.
Wolf RPG Editor Ver3 has been released – the first major update in 11 years
Solo game developer SmokingWOLF has released Wolf RPG Editor Ver3. A pro version of the editor was also released for sale in Japan alongside the new update.
Shinonome is Breath of Fire character designer’s new haunted house roguelike escape game
Shinonome is a roguelike escape game based around the concept of a haunted house in the Edo period. The game was created by WODAN, a studio formed by Kenichi Iwao (FFXIV, Resident Evil) and Tatsuya Yoshikawa (Breath of Fire).
Language-decoding visual novel 7 Days to End with You is getting a Nintendo Switch version this winter
PLAYISM has announced that 7 Days to End with You from Lizardry is coming to the Nintendo Switch this winter (Q1 2023). 7 Days to End with You is a puzzle novel game about deciphering and interpreting a language you don’t understand.
Indie dev promotes Japan’s “Village of Dolls” with a free game
In The Rural Village of Nagoro is a short adventure game based around the story of a real-life person named Tsukimi Ayano. The titular village of Nagoro is famous for the large number of human-sized dolls that are placed all around the town, which is how it got the nickname "Village of Dolls.” Ayano happens to be the person who created all of these dolls.
AI drawing social deduction game AI: Art Impostor enters Steam Early Access
AI: Art Impostor is an AI drawing party game where players try to figure out who’s the impostor artist. Players enter text to generate illustrations using AI. The AI will offer multiple candidates based on the text that was entered and players will choose one illustration to display.
Umurangi Generation composer teases FIVESEVEN, a new horror game seemingly set in Japan
Composer Adolf Nomura has revealed a teaser trailer for FIVESEVEN, the new game from Umurangi Generation developer Naphtali Faulkner. The teaser begins inside a train and shows text that says, “The Last Train out of Narita.” “Narita” likely refers to Japan’s Narita city, home to the Narita International Airport.
Japanese horror game Noroware Cycle announced with a terrifying trailer
Japanese horror game Noroware Cycle announced with a terrifying trailer. The game takes inspiration from PlayStation 1 cult classics like Twilight Syndrome and Yuuyami Doori Tankentai and the influence can certainly be seen in the setting and game mechanics.
Last Command lets you experience a unique Snake x Bullet Hell genre mix
Last Command is a 2D action game that combines the classic game Snake with bullet hell. In order to attack enemies, it must collect data points that appear throughout each stage. Collected data points can be used to attack enemies but it also increases the length of the crawler just like in a game of Snake.
Elin, a successor to the roguelike RPG Elona, is planned to enter Early Access on Steam
Game developer Noa (Lafrontier) has opened a Steam page for Elin, a successor to the roguelike RPG Elona. According to Noa, the first alpha (early access) for Elin will be released "when the first few hours of the game are fully playable. This will likely be at the end of the year at the earliest."
Get a taste of indie JRPG Meg’s Monster with the newly released Steam demo
Steam demo for Meg’s Monster is now available on Steam. Meg’s Monster is an adventure RPG that tells the story of a young girl who possesses a mysterious power: if she cries, the world will be destroyed. The protagonist, an ogre named Roy, must protect Meg and keep her from crying.
A new clock app is coming to the Nintendo Switch, giving AAA Clock some competition
When discussing clock apps for the Nintendo Switch, you may recall the AAA Clock that was created by RedDeerGames. Now AAA Clock has some competition with Clock Maker coming to the Switch soon.
Midjourney has been used to create a short visual novel in the style of a child’s diary
Midjourney has been used to create a short visual novel in the style of a child’s diary. Boku to AI no Natsuyasumi, which can be translated as “My summer vacation with an AI,” is a short visual novel that depicts the events that occur during a boy’s summer vacation.
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.
Bloodborne Kart adds Father Gascoigne to its roster
Game developer Lilith Walther has provided a status update on her Bloodborne fangame, Bloodborne Kart. In addition to new gameplay videos, it was also revealed that Father Gascoigne will be a playable character.
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.
Morodashi Sumo, a game developed by Japanese YouTubers, is out now on Steam
Morodashi sumo matches are fought with a variety of techniques, such as grabbing, thrusting, and leaping. The competitor who successfully removes their opponent’s mawashi (loincloth) and achieves “morodashi” (exposing their privates) is crowned the victor.