This Japanese Horror Game Based On An Anime Is Now In Early Access

Toei Animation and Toydium have announced that Noroi Kago The Grudged Domain will be out on Steam on 23 January 2025 with a special 20 percent release discount. The 20 percent off sale will be from 23 January to 4 February 2025.

Noroi Kago The Grudged Domain is a survival co-op horror game based around the theme of yokai, with up to four players, but you can still attempt to play it solo if you dare. And that’s what I did, because it was difficult to find a co-op lobby prior to the demo’s release, and it made the game even scarier when playing alone.

The game’s Yokai (including the Gyuki) is based on the designs of the late Shigeru Mizuki, the original creator of the iconic supernatural anime, GeGeGe No Kitaro. The franchise focuses on the young Kitaro, the last survivor of the Ghost Tribe, and his adventures with other ghouls and strange creatures of Japanese mythology. Along with his fellow good yokai, Kitaro strives to unite the worlds of humans and Yokai.

2022 marked the 100-year anniversary of Shigeru Mizuki’s birth. He died in 2015 at the age of 93 years old. The latest GeGeGe No Kitaro anime, which is actually the sixth television anime incarnation of the franchise, premiered back in April 2018 and ended its run in March 2020 after 97 episodes. Mizuki’s original GeGeGe No Kitaro manga began all the way back in 1959 under the name Hakaba Kitaro and has spawned seven television series (including one Hakaba Kitaro anime), several animated movies, and two live-action films. The franchise often focuses on Japanese mythology, including the many types of yokai.

Check out my preview of the game by heading over here.