Ikai, a New Tale of Horror

Fear and anxiety rule after dark tales of Japanese folklore become real in this psychological horror first-person game by Endflame. Endflame is an independent developer located out of Barcelona. Set in a feudal era, IkaiNaoko is the shrine priestess who struggles to overcome the ghosts of her past.

IkaiPays homage to psychological horror by allowing you to take the control of an invulnerable main character that is unable attack. It explores horror in a completely new way. Instead of fighting or fleeing, the player must face monstrous dangers directly. Each mechanic in Ikai is meant to raise this relatable feeling of helplessness and to create an incredibly strained atmosphere throughout the player’s journey through various world puzzles.

With Ikai being EndFlame’s first game as a fearful team of four, they wanted to get something out of the horror genre that…really, nobody has gone for yet. The developers decided to try something new and created a main character that was defenseless. This feeling of helplessness is fostered by the use of protective seals to be the main mechanic. It’s done with slow, concentrated, natural and precise movements.

“Every mechanic of the game is meant to raise this relatable feeling of helplessness and create a tense atmosphere” says Laura Ripoll, Producer & Designer at Endflame. To foster immersion, the slow, exact movements are similar to real life. With inspiration drawn from games like Bloober Team’s There are layers of fearTo movies like ShiningThe anime “Anime of the Week” has been the inspiration behind the entire team. Inuyasha. “Inuyasha is the manga and anime series, which is set in feudal Japan and in a world full of evil creatures from Japanese folklore chasing the fragments of a sacred jewel that had been secured by a priestess until it shattered into hundreds of fragments. From there we took the idea of worldbuilding and the role of a priestess as the protector and responsible for restoring peace” says Rippoll.

Be silent, do not disturb the evil… Or just run, run away from it all, if you can. IkaiS & Xbox One|S & Xbox One.

Ikai

PM Studios, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$14.99

Ikai, a psychological horror video game for the first person that draws inspiration from Japanese folklore, is available now. You can live the horror of it’s defining Yokais or dive in to the mysteries of the past with a compelling story and exploration.

Ikai is a classic psychological horror story with an invulnerable main character that can’t attack the evil creatures. The game explores new horror by requiring the player to confront the threat directly, and not fleeing or attacking.

The game’s mechanics are designed to give you a sense of helplessness, and create tension. The slow, precise and natural movements as a way of interaction resemble real life’s to foster immersion in the uncanny world of Ikai.

FEAR: Experience the horror in first-person by the hand of Japanese spirits, monsters and yokais

EXPLORATION: Wander around a feudal shinto shrine and explore to unveil the story behind

DRAWING: Concentrate on drawing protective seals over the strange sounds and events happening around

PUZZLES: Pit your wits against the several puzzles that will try to stop you

STEALTH & RUN: Be silent, do not disturb the evil… Or just run, run away from it all, if you can…