OSHIIRO [ 推色-オシイロ-] Game Sample - NS
28Let me get this out of the way: JUMP SCARES
I happened upon this game literally by chance yesterday... I had just got my monthly salary, reviewed my budget, and went on the hunt for more Xbox imports and cheaper obscurities to round out my gaming purchases. Looking to add more weight to my Switch library, I went looking for devs putting out really niche titles when I remembered "Regista" had put out the little-known Switch gem, "Sofia". I saw this title while perusing their catalogue, saw it was already on a deep discount even before release, saw it was about Japanese Idols and labeled as an "Action" game, and also saw it was released in English (the vast majority of Regista's games are not) which had me intrigued but... oh boy, I was not prepared for what I was getting into. It's the beginning of February and "OSHIIRO" is already one of the most "things" I've played this year.
If you have a weak constitution, leave now. OSHIIRO (aka "Recommended Color: OSHIIRO") is actually a short "HORROR X IDOL" game about exorcising spirits and while not overtly grisly or gore-filled, it is unsettling and janky to the extreme. Literally released yesterday by the Doujin dev, "tadasumen", the game is a self-aware kusoge (the dev's site is literally "Kusoi Site") that is oddly compelling and shouldn't be recommended to anyone... unless you're like me and just couldn't put the game down for some reason. Actually, that's a bit of a hyperbole on my part -- there are good reasons not to put this down. It's got idols. It's got dancing butt-naked ghouls. It's got glowsticks. It's got buff guys. It's even got sushi. If the game doesn't become a cult phenomenon and blow up throughout the dark web for being so bad that it's good, I'll be surprised. It is worth noting that a free version of the game was released for PC and can be accessed at:
https://firestorage.jp/download/552e5dec975c9c107a843832026f84a5f64af8f0
This version has most everything the paid version has including a superior framerate (60+,) greater visuals (with adverts also not being censored) and the added English version (even though it isn't mentioned). However, if you opt to get this version, you would be doing the dev a disservice as they would not collect the cash they need to inspire greater kusoge. The Switch version also has most of the Bonus Content unlocked from the start, is portable out of the gate and the controls are a little more intuitive. That all said, the game involves a nameless protagonist who is investigating an incident at the "Chiba Legend Arena". More than 20 years ago, human remains were excavated during initial construction of the facility. Spirits were bound to the location, but they were deemed harmless by a local exorcist. As a result, the arena had been used without incident. This all changes when the arena hosts its first live virtual idol concert, "ReGene Beats", where these spirits became enraged by human trespassers and took on demonic physical forms to attack and consume their victims. The arena has been shut down until further notice... and they send you, the player, to investigate what went wrong.
As a fledgling exorcist, you make your way through the dark and desolate remains of the Arena where you stumble upon an unexpected weapon against the spirits: a glowstick. Apparently, the spirits were huge fans of the virtual idols (Yunoka Renjo, Mitsuna Goumori and Rurine Bito) and wanted them all to themselves, so you must quell their rage by waving your newly acquired glowstick in solidarity. However, like most fans, they have a preference: Red (Yunoka), Green (Mitsuna) and Blue (Rurine) which can usually be ascertained by the glowsticks they wear around their heads and the complexion of their skin. However, due to the slick lighting and reflections of Unreal Engine 4, this is not always reliable... especially when the spirits flip-flop between their favorite idol!
Most spirits will kill you instantly if they make contact with you, but the rare "Ceiling Spirits" will not. Most spirits however can be defeated by waving your glowstick in the proper color to exorcise them and all levels must be cleared by finding and removing all the hidden idol graffiti (you can get hints to where they are by turning off your glowstick, but this is basically a death sentence). Hitting a spirit with the wrong color will deal no damage, stop them briefly and decrease your heartbeat gauge; if this gauge is depleted during an encounter, you will also die of a heart attack. The visuals are pretty basic but clean on the Switch but the soundtrack, what little there is, is surprisingly great. The Bonus content is as weird as the game itself and most of it is lame but there is one exception: The Sushi game. This mini-game is hilarious and I wish there was more of it.
You can get the Switch version at:
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/oshiiro-switch/
This is a video of almost everything (and at least one death, a lot of Sushi death). Enjoy.