Games Happy

Happinet has lately been recognized to host a big sales space with an enormous lineup of video games on the annual Tokyo Recreation Present. After I lastly had the chance to attend TGS as soon as once more in 2026, one of many video games of their sales space caught my consideration. The sport in query is Mononoke no Kuni, a Japanese mythology-themed motion RPG beneath growth by Lights-Interactive.

I used to be given 20 minutes to check out this recreation on the occasion, however the sales space employees additionally advised me that it’s also out there as a public playtest demo downloadable by way of Steam since this Could. After I lastly had the time to take a look at the latter after returning again house, it took me round 3 hours to take a look at just about every part the playtest demo has to supply thus far.

The overall gist of the story in Mononoke no Kuni is that you’re taking part in the position of Taiki, a boy who apparently has a curse that causes individuals to steer clear of him, however discovered solace with a pet dwelling within the Musashi Shrine, which he ultimately named Musashi.

However when the temple grew to become infested with demonic apparitions, Musashi sacrificed itself to guard Taiki. The mysterious shrine maiden Kushinada would later seem to supply Taiki a chance to avoid wasting Musashi by coaching in one other world, the place she will additionally briefly resurrect the pet.

The alternate world Taiki enters for his new journey is generally inhabited by creatures generally known as Mononoke. However this world can be on the breaking point attributable to numerous defilements within the type of purple crystals, hostile monsters, and yokai bosses. Nonetheless, Taiki has since realized purification rites as an assault technique to clear them and progressively restore the world.

After I first noticed the screenshots for this recreation, I initially thought it will take inspiration from Okami for the Japanese folklore theme, in addition to The Legend of Zelda as a result of coronary heart icons getting used to indicate Taiki’s whole HP. However after I performed this demo, I additionally seen one more reference to the Nioh video games, because the maps function miniature shrines that may be accessed to replenish the participant’s HP and recoveries whereas additionally respawning enemies alongside the best way.

The phases out there on this demo additionally present how you’ll progressively must navigate by means of them by particular platformer means. The primary one has you soar with mushroom-shaped trampolines. 

As for the battles, this recreation gives a fight system the place you’ll be able to assault, evade, and guard towards enemy assaults. It additionally has an ideal evasion second the place you’ll be able to land assaults whereas time round you slows down. However it’s also price noting that the Y button assault can’t solely be charged for extra energy; its early frames will also be used to parry enemy assaults which can be about to land on you.

Defeating enemies will allow you to rack up expertise factors, and when you’ve gotten gathered sufficient, you’ll be able to spend them to improve Taiki’s stats and skills. I significantly seen that we can’t solely improve the HP and assault energy, but in addition the guarding skills. For somebody who prefers a extra defensive play model like myself, this actually helps as a result of we are able to choose to additional cut back the injury acquired from blocking assaults.

Mononoke no Kuni can be set to have a number of minigames like fishing and disc-throwing, which additionally reward objects wanted for additional talent enhancements. However one of many notable options I seen is that we are able to promote particular materials objects present in treasure containers to unlock an outfit set for Musashi that can even give it new unique expertise.

Talking of the bosses, in case you have performed a variety of Japanese folklore-themed video games, you will have grow to be acquainted with yokai creatures just like the Kamaitachi weasel or the One-Eyed Monk. Defeating the early bosses can even progressively unlock new highly effective assaults which you can unleash with cooldown time.

Nonetheless, what units this recreation aside from others is the background tales given to every boss that begin midway by means of the fights. These yokai bosses have been initially people, however that they had incidents that induced them to have regrets, which progressively morphed them into the very yokai. Such depictions make them have extra touching backgrounds to me, particularly when in comparison with different equally themed video games.

The general public playtest demo out there thus far stops after the second boss combat towards Kamaitachi, but it surely already makes me curious to see the remainder of the storyline in Mononoke no Kuni. Happinet and Lights-Interactive at present put 2027 as a launch window for its full launch.