Hello, I am Mob, part of the Negorabu team at SKOOTAGAMES. It has become my daily routine to quietly enjoy the aroma of brewed coffee in between typing on the keyboard.
Recently, I attended the indie game exhibition exclusively for novel games, “DREAMSCAPE#3”, held at Shinjuku Lumine Zero. This event, which gathers games focused solely on “reading,” is quite niche, yet it is filled with profound charm. The venue was enveloped in a quiet enthusiasm from creators and players who love stories.
In this report, I would like to introduce three unique novel games that I encountered at DREAMSCAPE#3 and found particularly captivating. Even though they are all categorized as “novel games,” their methods of expression and themes are incredibly diverse. Let me share my encounters with works that will keep your hands turning the pages.
Today, I absolutely will not get drunk! : A night of home drinking, swaying “friendship” and “true feelings” beyond the glass
First, I would like to introduce a work titled “Today, I Absolutely Will Not Get Drunk!”, created by Chiyo Machihachi. Just from the title, it evokes a sense of familiarity, as if I have experienced something similar (laughs), creating a sense of closeness.
The protagonist of the story is a 20-year-old university student named “Arima.” This is a relatively roguelike adventure game where he aims to adjust his drinking pace while having a home party with his friend Tatsumi, trying to keep the conversation going without getting completely drunk. Despite the cute pixel art characters, if you accidentally drink too much, it’s an instant game over, and you have to start over, which adds a slightly harsh difficulty that, conversely, fuels the desire for the challenge of “This time for sure!”
As mentioned on the official site, this work also contains elements typical of BL (Boys’ Love). However, even for someone like me who is not well-versed in that area, the interactions between the characters were heartwarming and enjoyable as a refreshing moment of youth. Yet, what makes this work interesting is that it doesn’t end there. The characters’ behaviors and lines at unexpected moments evoke the question, “What will happen next…?” thanks to the BL elements, stirring the player’s imagination and showcasing a delicate balance that conveys the depth of the story.
Amazingly, this “Today for Sure – I Won’t Get Drunk – Absolutely!” is currently available for free on “Novel Collection.” With a playtime of about 5 minutes, it offers a surprisingly well-crafted experience for a free game, featuring three different endings, each with conditions that are worth contemplating. The detailed movements of the characters’ pixel art also grow on you the more you see them.
Every time I encounter various games at events, I think that there might be a slight difference between “just an interesting game” and “a game you want to talk about.” This work is precisely the latter, where each player can read different emotions from the characters’ casual remarks and actions, wanting to share that with someone… I felt it has that kind of “space.” According to the developer Chiyo Machiyachi, there are plans to release new works for free in the future. If you find yourself even a little interested after reading this article, why not join Arima and Tatsumi for a home party?
Zakurou Apartment: The “Rules” Hidden in Everyday Life and the Unsettling Gaze Through the Surveillance Camera
Next, we introduce a first-person horror adventure created by Kijinago, titled ‘Zakurou Apartment’. It starts with a flyer posted somewhere in the city that reads “Now hiring day shift security guards for apartment complexes,” along with several strange “rules” associated with it. Do you understand what this implies? Yes, it strongly evokes the taste of the so-called “Napolitan Horror Tales.”
The player, for some reason, will work as a day shift security guard at the “Zakurou Apartment” for ten days. The main duties include checking surveillance cameras in the security room, responding to visitors, and patrolling the apartment complex. However, there are several strict rules that must be followed: “Always greet the residents,” “Always have visitors write their real names on the guest list,” and “Never speak to the woman in white clothing.” Breaking these rules may lead to an indescribable danger, threatening to disrupt the previously peaceful daily life… This is the kind of foreboding that is strongly felt throughout the game.
The game controls are very simple, using a point-and-click method. However, despite this simplicity, the calm color scheme dominated by black and red that covers the entire screen, combined with cute character designs and incongruous realistic backgrounds, continuously gives players an indescribable eeriness and a sense of pressure that “something bad is about to happen.” The grainy footage from the surveillance cameras, occasional startling sounds, and the residents’ cryptic words… The gradual feeling of being mentally cornered is truly a high-quality horror experience.
“`上手い気がしました。
What I found particularly interesting about this game is the presence of that “sense of déjà vu” that feels familiar. The system of checking visitors on the monitor in the security room and cross-referencing with a list will remind many players of the famous ‘That’s not my Neighbor’, and the element of detecting anomalies through surveillance cameras evokes the ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ series. After the trial play, I had a chance to talk a little with the developer, and I couldn’t help but be surprised when they mentioned being influenced by these works.
Rather than hiding this “influence,” which could easily be seen as imitation, they have instead elevated it as a form of respect, firmly building a unique worldview and story. I felt the seriousness of the creators and, above all, their strong passion for “wanting to make a game.” Remarkably, the creator has only recently started making games and has managed to create this much through self-study. I am truly impressed by their drive and their ability to interpret and reconstruct existing interesting elements in their own way. Therefore, it would be a great loss to judge this work solely based on the preconceived notion that “it resembles that game.” If you ever have the opportunity to see it somewhere, I hope you will experience the daily life of ‘Zakurou Danchi’ with your own eyes.
Day Day Neon Tea: Beyond the Fourth Wall, Tapioca Tea Connects “Experience”
Now, the last thing I would like to introduce in this DREAMSCAPE#3 report is the ‘Day Day Neon Tea’ created by npckc. Set in the near future, this unique concept sci-fi novel game involves serving tapioca tea to robots and androids. Although the playtime was about 5 minutes, it was packed with an unforgettable and intense “experience” within that short time.
When the game starts, the player is asked several questions by a staff robot from the “Robot Regulation Committee,” almost like a psychological test. The story progresses as you answer these questions, but… after a while, the staff robot says, “I’ll be away for a moment,” and disappears from the screen. At this point, you might think, “Hmm?” but the real surprise awaits beyond that.
In fact, on the table of the play area, there was a pamphlet placed. Casually picking it up and flipping it over, I found a shocking message written in a handwritten style: “Do not trust the committee!! If the staff leaves and the screen goes to screensaver, tap the top left of the screen! After reading, flip it back!” Following the instructions, when I tapped the top left of the screen, a completely different hidden screen appeared, and the story began to roll in an unexpected direction. It was truly a performance that broke the “fourth wall,” where the game world and reality intersect. I was impressed by this clever mechanism.
“`html
To be honest, the experience I had with the “Day Day Neon Tea” demo might be a bit difficult to imagine as a completed form for PC or console games. It was such that this event, “DREAMSCAPE#3,” shone the brightest in that place and at that moment, making it an extremely experimental and conceptual work.
However, that is precisely why this gaming experience was strongly etched in my memory. After the demo, I saw the creators happily discussing their impressions of the game with other players, and it made me think. Perhaps the true purpose of this game was not just to provide a completed story unilaterally, but to design the very “experience” of connecting people through the medium of games and sharing surprises and enjoyment at this event.
npckc has released many unique works in the past, all created with free thinking that does not adhere to existing genres or frameworks. This time, “Day Day Neon Tea” may have borrowed the format of a visual novel, but its essence might have been something closer to “experiential art.” If anyone refrained from participating in DREAMSCAPE#3 simply because it was a “visual novel-only event,” I hope they come to know that there were such stimulating and thought-provoking works present.
The “Baton” of the Story Received at DREAMSCAPE
It felt very much like “the exhibition.”
Now, I have introduced three unique “reading” games; how did you find them? The “Today, I Absolutely Will Not Get Drunk!” depicts the subtleties of human relationships hidden in trivial conversations during a night of drinking at home. The “Pomegranate Apartment Complex” illustrates the fear of rules and surveillance lurking in everyday life. And the “Day Day Neon Tea” connects reality and fiction by breaking the fourth wall.
“`What I felt common among these works is that they are not just “interesting stories,” but they possess a “margin” and “passion” that prompts players to question something, think deeply, and want to share that experience with someone. Especially at an event like “DREAMSCAPE,” which is solely focused on visual novels, the creators may have found it easier to challenge themselves with deeper, more personal themes and experimental expressions.
The venue did not have loud cheers or flashy productions, but at each booth, developers passionately spoke about the feelings they infused into their works, while players immersed themselves in those narrative worlds with serious expressions… It was a quiet yet undeniably passionate space. It can be said that it was a wonderful sight that made us re-recognize the fundamental power of storytelling.
This time at DREAMSCAPE#3 provided me with an opportunity to deeply reflect on “What is a story?” and “What are the possibilities of telling stories through games?” I feel as though I have received a passionate “baton” from the wonderful works I encountered there and the creators who brought them to life. I must connect this baton to my own game development… With this new determination in my heart, I would like to conclude this report.