Steam] Check it out! New games recommended for October release & reviews of hot games coming out this winter!

How are you doing, Akiba Research Institute readers? This is Nero Hyakkabe, a writer who buys too many games. It's getting colder and colder, but I hope you are not getting sick. With new games being released one after another this season, we gamers need to make sure that our bodies are in good shape so that we don't catch a cold. So, in this issue, we would like to introduce new games released in October, as well as upcoming titles of note.

1, Welcome to the World's Scariest Public Bathhouse: .......
A retro-style horror adventure "Jigoku Sento" that also offers an insight into the story.

• Chilla's Art] The Bathhouse ♨♨♨" (Chilla's Art)
• Genre: Adventure
• Release date: October 1, 2022
• Price: 820 yen (as of October 25, 2022)
• Copyright: (C) 2022 Chilla's Art

Have you been to a public bath recently? I know that in this day and age, some of you may not be able to go even if you want to. However, the unique space of a sento, which is different from a bath at home, has a healing effect that can only be experienced there, doesn't it? Therefore, the work "Jigoku Sento" that I will introduce to you is set in such a sento.

As the name suggests, "Jigoku Sento" is a horror adventure game set in a public bathhouse. It is a work by Chilla's Art, the developer of " Night Shift Case" and " Red Cloak," both of which have been featured in our horror game feature articles. Fans of Chilla's Art's works will be able to enjoy the game with a sense of nostalgia and a sense of dread. For fans of Chilla's Art's work, this is what you've been waiting for.

This is a walking simulator type game, similar to "Night Shift" and "Ghost Train," which we have already introduced. The main feature of this game is that it is played from the first-person perspective of the main character, who walks through a 3D field, examining things of interest and experiencing strange and eerie events that occur around him, creating a highly immersive experience.

Let's begin by introducing the story of this work.

The protagonist of this work is Maiina Akimura, a company employee. One day, feeling tired from her daily work at the company, she finds a flyer offering free rent if she works at a public bathhouse, quits her job, and moves to a country town. In a town with a somewhat gloomy atmosphere, the main character starts a new life in an old apartment with free rent. ...... There is an atmosphere that there might be a secret to this delicious story.

The main character starts his new life in an old apartment where he is offered free rent if he works in a public bathhouse. He sits at the guard stand and handles the customers, cleans up after the customers leave, and after work, he rents a public bath to relieve his fatigue from the day's work since there is no bath in the apartment. This is the basic flow of the main character's day.

The customer service is in the form of a mini-game in which the player gives towels, shampoo, and other items requested by the customer and receives a fee for bathing, which is fun in a work simulator kind of way. That said, all the customers who come in also have a kind of slightly creepy atmosphere. The charm of this work lies not only in the main storyline, but also in the fact that it incorporates various "disturbing signs that something is about to happen" in such details as the appearance of the characters and the dimness of the scenery.

In the cleaning process, the bathhouse is cleaned using cleaning tools. The game is a mini-game in the style of a job simulator, in which players find dirty spots and shake the mouse left and right to clean them, but it is important to note that both the men's and women's baths must be cleaned.

Combined with the first-person perspective, the game is designed to immerse the player in the experience of the "main character working in a public bathhouse. That said, the bathhouse is also dimly lit and quite eerie. My first impression when I saw the title of this work was that "public bathhouse and horror" was an unusual combination, but as I walked alone in the deserted bathhouse where something might appear at any moment, I realized that it was quite an "apt" combination.

The basic flow of the game is to leave the apartment, head to the bathhouse, work at the guard's desk, clean up, and take a shower at the end of the workday.

However, of course, this is a horror game, so you will not just repeat the same thing day after day. Naturally, there will be events that give you a sense of foreboding and situations in which you will encounter "something" that frightens you. The structure of the game is truly a haunted house, where you spend your time feeling scared that something is about to happen, while being surprised by the appearance of something terrifying. The best part of the game is that you can enjoy the story and experience the "haunted house-like experience" in a simulated manner.

To avoid spoilers, I will not go into the core of the story in this article, but the structure of the game is such that the player will find himself or herself wondering "what is the truth of this story" based on various events that occur in the game, clues such as documents found during the search, and dialogues of the characters. The game is designed to make the player think about the truth of the story. The story is like a "scary story if you know the meaning," and those who like such stories are sure to love it. This work is especially recommended for those who like to "contemplate" in comics and movies.

Set in the unusual setting of a public bathhouse in an eerie country town, "Jigoku Sento" offers a story that is enjoyable to contemplate and a horror experience like a haunted house. The elaborate construction of the bathhouse where the main character works, with its eerie yet nostalgic atmosphere here and there, is also a must-see. This title is a must-play for fans of horror games, as well as for fans of "Horror stories if you know what I mean.

2,The battlefield is on paper!
Ink-drawn animals battle it out in the new strategy game "Inkulinati

• Inkulinati" (Yaza Games)
• Genre: Strategy
• Scheduled for release this winter
• Price: Undecided (as of October 25, 2022)
• Copyright: (C) 2022 Yaza Games

Have you drawn any pictures lately? If you are an illustrator, a cartoonist, a hobbyist or someone who is learning to draw, you may not have many opportunities to draw in your daily life. The work "Inkulinati" introduced here is a work in which the act of "drawing" is a key element.

This article is an advance review of a different version of the game, which is scheduled for release this winter.

Inkulinati" is an unusual strategy game set in a medieval manuscript. As you might expect from the hand-drawn graphics and the title "Inkulinati," the main feature of the game is that everything is drawn in ink. The player becomes the "Inkulinati Master" who controls the "Ink of Life," which breathes life into the illustrations he or she draws, and battles on paper. When drawing an illustration, a realistic-looking hand and pen will appear.

The main part of the game is a "journey" mode. In this roguelike-style mode, players advance through the map, clearing battles and reinforcing their forces with rewards and stores along the way, all the while aiming to defeat the boss that awaits them at the final map location.

When you start the battle, you will see a human character on a field made of paper. This is the "Tiny Inkulinati," the player's alter ego, or "king general" in chess. The player draws soldiers with a pen and summons them on the paper, then attacks them as they advance through the field, which is divided into squares, and wins by defeating the other "Tiny Inkulinati" first. Soldiers cost "ink of life" to draw and can only be summoned in squares near your "Tiny Inkulinati". Soldiers cannot take action as they take a "nap" immediately after being summoned.

Soldiers are armed and armored, but they all look like animals. The anthropomorphic animals drawn in ink on paper have an atmosphere reminiscent of the Japanese "Birds and Beasts Caricatures," and although the battlefield is the setting, the mood is somehow comical and endearing. Or rather, animals that take a nap as soon as they are summoned to the battlefield, which is nothing short of adorable. ......

The animal soldiers come in a variety of types, such as swordsmen and archers, and their attack methods and ranges differ depending on the type of animal. For example, swords can only attack neighboring squares and have higher physical strength, while bows can attack farther but have lower physical strength.

Another interesting point is that each type of animal has different abilities. For example, a fox can use the "sadistic thief" ability to steal life ink from enemy troops when attacking, and a rabbit can use the "ass is just around the corner" action to force an animal to take a nap by showing off its fluffy ass (and with the "headache" status abnormality). (And it comes with a "headache" status.) You can also use the "butt is just around the corner" action.

I had no idea that a rabbit's cute fluffy butt could cause a headache. ......

At any rate, the absolute prerequisite for victory is to have a firm grasp of the characteristics of these animals and soldier types while placing them on the battlefield and giving them instructions.

Battles in this title are turn-based, in which you and your opponent take turns progressing.
When a soldier attacks, he takes a nap and ends his action, and the next time it is the opponent's turn ......, and so on. When all characters take a nap, the chapter ends, and then everyone wakes up and the next chapter begins. You want to summon more and more soldiers, because if you possess more soldiers, you can execute consecutive turns unilaterally, but you need "ink of life" to draw soldiers.

The ink of life can be extracted by standing a character on the "ink stain" that is oozing on the stage. In other words, this ink stain is a valuable source of energy to strengthen your army. The battle for the life-giving ink is also a hot element of this game, as you can either get on top of it before your opponent takes it away, or you can take it away by defeating the opponent who is on it. ......

Thus, the basic flow of battle in this title is to summon soldiers, have them march and attack, secure energy sources, and further strengthen your army while defeating your opponent's generals.

Although there are a number of unusual effects (paper, ink, and animal soldiers), this game is a relatively straightforward turn-based strategy game in the royal road style. The game also includes elements familiar from simulation RPGs, such as a certain degree of randomness in the damage of weapon attacks and an increase in damage when back attacks are made from behind, making it a solid game in general. However, there is a special battle element in this title that is a bit out of the ordinary. It is, of course, "pushing out". This word alone may make you feel as if you are suddenly talking about a sumo cliche, but in fact, this "oshidashi" is an important cliche that can make the difference in the outcome of a battle.

In this battle, the "Tiny Inkulinati" and his soldiers can all "push" adjacent characters and objects to move their opponents to the right or left. What happens to the object being pushed out is that it slides nonstop to an empty square. This is "pushing out. If there is no empty square in the direction the character is pushed, the character is pushed out from the floor and falls headlong into the abyss, disappearing from the battlefield.

This "push-out strategy" can be used regardless of the opponent's remaining strength and regardless of whether he is a soldier or a "Tiny Inkulinati". The game is won by pushing the enemy's king off the field.

Of course, in order to win the victory by pushing out, you must create a perfect board. To do so, you need to play smart, reading your opponent's next move and building a position that allows you to win by pushing out without being noticed by your opponent. This is exactly the kind of fun that is similar to Shogi or Chess. If you succeed in making a push, you can make a comeback, and of course, there is a possibility that the game will be reversed, so you can fully enjoy the thrill of not knowing the outcome of the game until the very end.

In addition to the push-and-pull, there is a special battle element called "hand action" in this title. As the name suggests, a realistic hand appears on the screen and performs various actions. In addition to the aforementioned "push out," the player can also directly poke a selected target with a finger to inflict damage with a "thump! to inflict damage on the selected target. It is a powerful move, however, and the fact that a realistic finger attacks a soldier in an illustration is a bit of an anathema. The "ink-drawn world" setting of the game makes for a fascinating battle element to enjoy.

Inkulinati" is an addictive game with a unique worldview that combines a medieval book setting with a unique setting of "fighting with soldiers drawn in ink. Although the rules are complicated and there is a lot to learn, I got the impression that the game is easy to play because it is carefully designed with a tutorial that teaches you each time with visuals and an "Academy Mode" where you can learn the rules and techniques through actual battles. If you like strategy games, simulation RPGs, and thinking-based competitive board games such as Shogi and Chess, you are sure to be hooked. If you are interested in this game, please add it to your Steam wish list and wait for its release.

Did you find any new & upcoming recommended Steam titles that you are interested in?

So, we have introduced new Steam titles released in October and recommended titles to be released in the future.
With the end of the year approaching, we are in the midst of many major releases on consumer consoles, but we also want to remember to check out the indie titles on Steam. So, we will continue to introduce indie titles of note in the future, so please look forward to it!

Author: Nero Hyakkabe

Freelance writer who buys too many games. I currently have more than 300 games in my stack. I am also a novelist. Author of "Yubisaki Kaidan: 140 Scary Stories" (PHP Kenkyujo), "Goa-ken: Unrated Edition" (Kodansha), and more.

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