Introducing April's recommended new Steam games to play for GW! From bullet train horror to Japanese-style adventure

1,Something is wrong with this train...? Shinkansen 0," a horror adventure in which you search for anomalies and try to escape from the Shinkansen

Have you ever ridden the Shinkansen?
The Shinkansen is well-known for being extremely crowded during holiday seasons such as GW, and "Shinkansen 0" is a horror adventure game set on such a Shinkansen.

The game is a new title from Chiraz Art, a game maker that has been featured in several Akiba Research Institute Steam game reviews, and is known for its short horror games for the PC. The game is influenced by the adventure game "Exit 8," and is a so-called "8-like" game.

The main character, a young man, wakes up and loses his memory and somehow finds himself in a bullet train. As he wanders around aimlessly, he meets a boy who offers him a "game" (......). The pioneer of this genre, "Exit 8," was a game with no real storyline, but "Shinkansen 0" was created by Chiraz Art, who specializes in short horror stories, and includes conversation scenes with mysterious characters and a mysterious storyline, making it more than just a game to search for anomalies. The game is not just a game, but also a game in which players can enjoy a strange worldview.

After talking with the boy, the search for anomalies begins. The rules are simple and easy to understand: if there is an anomaly, go backward; if there is no anomaly, go forward; if the answer is correct, the car number gradually gets closer to No. 0. The first thing that catches the eye is the detailed construction of the bullet train that serves as the stage. The doors, seats, luggage racks, advertisements, electronic billboards, toilets, and public telephones all look exactly like those on a Shinkansen, and the skillfully created graphics give the game a very immersive feel. The first-person perspective also helps to draw you into the strange world.

I won't go into the details of the anomalies because it would be a spoiler, but there are a variety of them, ranging from the spectacular and easy to understand to the detailed and almost impossible to miss.

Although the difficulty level of noticing each anomaly varies, the "horror flavor" of each anomaly, which is unique to Chiraz Art, is a major feature of this work and the real appeal of the game. The most spectacular anomalies are as startling as those in a horror movie, while the smallest anomalies are like those in a "scary story if you know what it means" and give you a sense of dread the moment you realize what is happening.

The fun of this game as a game lies in the " one mistake and you lose everything " feeling, as if you make a mistake in judging whether or not there is an anomaly, you will be returned to Car No. 7, the car you started with. The sense of despair you get when you finally make a mistake just before car 0 and are reverted to car 7 is quite intense. The frustration of "What in the world did I miss? This tingling sensation of having to start over if you miss an anomaly is intertwined with the horror elements, creating an exquisite sense of tension throughout the game.

Now, one more feature of this work. That is ...... I won't go into details because to do so would be a spoiler,

A hint.
There are both standard and green cars on the Shinkansen.
I was quite surprised by this ......!

Shinkansen No. 0" combines the "8-like" style of the popular "Shinkansen 0" game with a mysterious story and just the right amount of horror elements. The game has two endings, so it is possible to collect both endings, which makes the game moderately challenging. If you are interested in this game, please purchase it and try to escape from the strange bullet train.

• Shinkansen 0" (Chilla's Art)
• Genre: Adventure
• On sale March 23, 2024
• Price: 800 yen (as of April 20, 2024)

2, Pack your bags and play against each other! Organizing is the key to a new type of auto-battle "Backpack Battle"!

Hello everyone, are you good at keeping things in order?
I'm not so good at it, and I tend to keep things in a mess. ...... introduces "Backpack Battle," a battle game in which organization is the key to success.

This is a competitive game that combines rogue-lite, where you can enjoy a different storyline each time you play, and auto-battle, where you can fight automatically. The early access version of this game is currently on sale, but from the demo version that was distributed prior to the early access version, the game attracted the attention and popularity of core gamers and received high acclaim. The main point that attracted attention was the highly unique gameplay of "fighting opponents by organizing items.

This title is classified as a so-called "deck-building" game. However, while general deck-building type games use cards to build a deck, the "Backpack Battle" system in this title allows players to complete their deck by filling their bags with items.

When you start the game, you begin with the store screen. From among the items lined up on the right-hand shelf

Drag the item you want and drag it to your bag on the left side of the screen to complete the item purchase. Of course, purchases cost money, so you shop while consulting with what you have on hand.

Items include weapon items that deal damage at regular intervals, armor items that protect against damage, food items that buff or debuff your opponent, and potions that restore your strength.

You may think that you are stronger if you pack a lot of weapons. ......, but since weapons consume stamina, if you pack too many weapons, you will run out of stamina and will fail in your attacks. In other words, it is important to select well-balanced items, which is a headache, including the balance with your wallet. What is even more of a headache is the space available in the backpack. It is quite difficult to store a large number of items in a bag that is divided into squares, and it is fun to think about it.

Once you have finished filling your bag with the items you have purchased, it is time to start the battle. The screen displays the matching opponent and the opponent's bag on the right side of the screen, and the battle continues until one of them runs out of energy. However, the battles in this title are completely automatic, so there is nothing in particular for the player to operate. Items have a cool time, and their effects are automatically activated after each cool time, so players can watch how items are activated, check the battle log, and see the details of their opponent's bag. Winning will earn you more money. The goal is to win a total of 10 times, and the challenge ends when you run out of tries, which decreases each time you lose.

By the way, although the game is played online and your opponent is the same player as you, it is not a real-time battle but an asynchronous system where you fight based on the data stored on the server, so there is no such thing as "I can't get a match because it's midnight and there are no other players" and no waiting time for matching. This is a great point to enjoy a comfortable playing experience.

After the battle is over, you can go back to the store. The basic flow of the game is to shop again, fill your bag with your purchases, and then go to ...... to repeat the process. In other words, the battle in this game is all about selecting items at the store screen and filling your bag.

Some items have synergies when placed in certain directions or positions, and some items can be combined into powerful items when placed next to certain items, making for many mind-boggling elements. Moreover, the items come in different sizes, so you have to be careful to rotate them around and place them in your bag as you intend. The game is very puzzle-like, and will probably appeal to puzzle game lovers.

At the time of writing, there are four different "classes" in the game.
Each class has its own initial bag and items, as well as items that appear in the store. In addition, each class has its own specialties and fighting style.

For example, the "Reaper" class is good at inflicting debuffs such as poison on opponents, while the "Pyromancer" class is good at using fire items. In addition, by purchasing special items that appear in the middle of a round, further subclasses can be created. In this way, changing classes allows players to experience completely different strategies, which is the real appeal of this title. The game is designed to be enjoyed over and over again, and it is inevitable that the player will continue to be hooked on the game.

Backpack Battle" is a highly addictive game that combines a unique puzzle-like system in which players fight by filling their bags with items, easy and fast auto-battles, and random elements. At the time of writing, the game is in Early Access, and various updates are planned, including the addition of real-time battles with friends. The game is more fun to play than to watch, so if you are interested in the game, you may want to try the demo version first.

• Backpack Battle" (PlayWithFurcifer)
• Genre: Auto Battle
• Release date: March 8, 2024 (*Early Access)
• Price: 1,700 yen (as of April 20, 2024)

3,A beautiful fusion of Japanese and dots! Possess and fight 2D action adventure "AMEDAMA

Suddenly, "Japanese" games are great, aren't they? The worldview of "AMEDAMA" is different from that of Western fantasy, and has its own unique emotion.

AMEDAMA" is a side-scrolling action adventure game set in a Japanese world. The main feature of the game is a unique 2D expression that fuses Japanese and dot graphics, and the unique visuals, which are both new and have a nostalgic retro-game-like atmosphere, are eye-catching.

First, let us introduce the story of this game.

The story takes place at the end of the Edo period. One rainy night, mysterious men suddenly appear at the umbrella shop run by a brother and sister, and the elder brother is murdered before the younger sister's eyes.

The elder brother "Yushin", who is left with only his soul, pursues the whereabouts of his younger sister "Yui" and the truth behind the incident through a series of battles and searches while possessing the bodies of others. Will he be able to save his sister in the seven days until her soul disappears? ......

With "rain" and "soul" as keywords, the story unfolds with a unique atmosphere that is somewhat gloomy and mysterious. This atmosphere is blended with a Japanese feel to create a worldview that draws you in.

As mentioned earlier, the main character Yushin's objective is to find and rescue his missing sister Yui.
To do so, the player must control Yushin to explore the city and obtain clues.
However, Yushin, who has been killed by a mysterious person, is in soul form at the beginning of the game and cannot talk to anyone or fight because she does not have a body. The key action is " possession. Yushin can possess the body of a nearby human or animal, borrow its body, and control it. Possessing an animal does not allow them to talk to humans, but it does allow them to fight. For example, you can become a frog, stun a dog, possess the dog, and then ...... a weakened human. The sensation that the circle of possession continues from body to body is uniquely interesting.

What is unique is that the techniques, physical strength, attack power, and other stats change depending on the possessed object. By changing bodies, it becomes easier to attack in terms of action, such as a dog being stronger than a frog, an old man being stronger than a dog, or a young man being stronger than an old man .......

Another interesting point is that you can possess almost any character in town, with the exception of a few, such as the townspeople, merchants, and roaming animals. As you wander the streets in search of a stronger body, you will feel strange, as if you have become a "soul" that really does not belong to this world. This is truly a one-of-a-kind game experience that can only be experienced in this title.

Battles are fought by making full use of weak and strong attacks, jumping, defense, and quick moving steps. However, when performing certain actions such as dashing and defending, a gauge called "concentration" decreases, and if the gauge runs out, the player is rendered inactive, so care must be taken to manage the gauge. The key to such combat is the "Kirisame-gaeshi," a counter technique that strikes down an attack from an enemy while defending and then attacks the opponent. You want to aim well, but while you are defending and holding your stance, your concentration gauge will rapidly deplete, so you need to see the enemy's attack coming and activate it as soon as possible before it strikes. Overall, I got the impression that the battles are quite challenging and the level of difficulty makes you sweat in your hands. Incidentally, there are four difficulty levels to choose from, so we recommend that you set the difficulty level according to your skill level.

Another major feature of this work is that the story changes depending on your actions. The seven days, the period during which the soul disappears, is repeated, and changes occur in the story depending on the player's choices. The story is structured in such a way that the possessed protagonist's story diverges depending on whom he converses with, what he intervenes in, and so on. This is the reason why this is not just an action game but an action "adventure. In order to save your sister and escape from this loop, you will have to think long and hard about who to possess and what to do. The game also includes a number of collection elements, such as a "Body Book," a "Soul Book," and a "Mating Book," so you can enjoy the fun of trying to complete all of these books as you repeat the seven-day loop.

AMEDAMA" is packed with numerous attractions, such as a unique visual expression that combines Japanese and dot art, a one-of-a-kind system that allows players to advance while possessing a body, challenging battles, and an adventure element where the story branches off depending on one's own actions. We recommend this title to both action and adventure lovers.

• AMEDAMA" (IzanagiGames)
• Genre: Action
• Release date: March 22, 2024 (*Early Access)
• Price: 2,490 yen (scheduled)

Did you find any new recommended Steam titles that caught your attention?

So, we have introduced our recommended new Steam titles.
This time, we chose three titles with completely different genres and atmospheres: an anomaly-seeking horror adventure, a puzzle-flavored rogue-lite fighting game, and a Japanese-style action adventure. If you find a title that interests you, please check it out for the holidays.