Inscryption（2021）
developer: Daniel Mullins Games
Compatible devices: Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC
A dangerous game where losing means losing your hand
In a spooky room, you face off against a mysterious figure in a card battle. The cards in your hand contain the souls of living creatures, and if you lose, you will be killed and turned into a card. If you stand up from your desk during the game, walk around the room, and carefully examine it, you may find clues from someone who once challenged you to battle.
"While enjoying the nesting structure of the game, where someone is playing a game of someone playing a card game, you can feel as if you are immersed in the story yourself." (Sawayaka)
OneShot（2016）
Developer: Future Cat LLC
Compatible devices: Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC
Tips for winning are outside the window
Players control Niko, a cat-like child who wakes up in a pitch-black world and embarks on a journey to bring back light. As a transcendental being with a god's perspective, players guide Niko, sometimes making full use of information outside the game window, in order to complete the game.
"The game is full of twists and turns that break down the wall between reality and fiction, such as when the game is forced to end or when clues to how to play the game appear in the PC's documents folder. As the story progresses, you'll be moved by Nico's bravery, as she continues to trust and rely on you." (Yamada Shuka)
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! (2021)
Developer: Team Salvato
Compatible devices: Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC
Don't underestimate this game as just a youth game! A shocking twist
This is a visual novel game made overseas that depicts the interactions between a male student and four female members of the literature club. It seems like a typical school story, but towards the end of the first playthrough, an abnormal situation occurs, leading to a disturbing development. As you play through the second and third playthroughs, the game becomes full of bugs.
"The true identity of the 'true enemy' is revealed at the end, and the process of getting there. The game's meta-perspective is used to create elaborate production that will leave you wanting to know what kind of ending awaits the protagonist." (Sawayaka)
Before Your Eyes（2021）
developer: GoodbyeWorld Games
Compatible devices: PS5, PC, iOS, Android
A person's life that passes in the blink of an eye
The protagonist, now a soul, is fished out by a man with a dog's face. The man says, "You're about to meet the gatekeeper, and there you'll have to tell him about your life. Show me your life." This is an adventure game in which you relive the life of a certain man. The system uses a webcam or smartphone camera to detect when the player blinks, and with each blink, every moment of the man's life is captured.
"The ending and the direction were amazing, and I cried so much. You can play it on Netflix or PSVR2." (Pear)
RPG Time! ~The Legend of Light~ (2022)
Developer: Deskworks
Compatible devices: Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC, Android
A boy tries out a homemade game he wrote in his notebook
The setting is "a fictional RPG drawn in a notebook by Kenta, an elementary school student aspiring to become a creator." The story progresses using pencils, erasers, tape measures, and other items lined around the notebook. The balance between the dynamic imagination of an elementary school student and detailed pencil drawings is excellent. It's a work that can be enjoyed by players of all ages, like a combination of a pop-up picture book and a collection of mini-games.
"The screen unfolds with each page turn, and the game itself is fun. I feel like I'm a classmate, thinking, 'Kenta has talent!'" (Sawayaka)
