Overnight, NIS America unveiled the next game from World’s End Club and Death Come True developer Izanagi Games, and it sounds captivating: a mash-up of bullet hell shmup and Zero Escape-style escape adventure called Yurukill: The Calumniation Games.
Set in a hellish amusement park, Yurukill sees convicted thrown into a series of deadly challenges, with the promise of a pardon for anyone who can succeed. But to overcome those challenges, they have to pair up with the Executioners: their vengeful victims. Should the Executioners win, they’ll get to see their loved ones. With Homura Kawamoto of Kakegurui fame in the writer’s seat, it should be an engrossing, wild story.
These sorts of bizarre, psychological killing games are Izanagi’s bread and butter, but Yurukill is mixing things up with a dose of bullet hell shoot-’em-up, “bringing to life a visual representation of the executioner’s internal battles.” This side of the game is in the safe hands of G.Rev (Dariusburst Chronicles, Kokuga), and will feature online leaderboards and a score attack mode for those who want the arcade-style experience. In true escape adventure fashion, puzzles, investigation, exuded gathering, and testimony will also play a big role in the game
It’s an intriguing concept, to say the least. The bullet hell elements are probably going to turn folks off who might otherwise enjoy a more “traditional” escape adventure–insofar as there is such a thing. But the mash-up of two so very different genres is sure to get some attention, and if anyone can make it work, it’s Izanagi. For anyone who’s a fan of both influences, Yurukill looks like a dream.
Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is due out in northern spring / southern autumn 2022, on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4.
