Kamaitachi no Yoru

December 25, 1994(31 years ago)·Full Release

Chunsoft

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Genres: Adventure

Platforms:Wii SFAM

Drama Single player First person TextCERO D

Summary

Kamaitachi no Yoru is a sound novel created and released by Chunsoft. It initially launched on November 25, 1994, for the Super Famicom. Later versions were made available for the PlayStation and Game Boy Advance. The title returned to the Virtual Console in February 2007 for 800 Wii Points. The narrative was crafted by Takemaru Abiko, with production oversight from Kazuya Asano and Koichi Nakamura. Kamaitachi no Yoru marked Chunsoft's second sound novel, and its success inspired numerous other companies to enter the space with similar titles. Although "sound novel" was once a Chunsoft trademark, it has since evolved into a recognized genre in its own right. The story follows Toru and his girlfriend Mari as they become entangled in a chilling murder mystery during a ski trip to a mountain lodge. The early portion of the game unfolds as a suspenseful detective adventure.

Storyline

Toru, a college student, is invited by his girlfriend Mari to join her on a ski trip to the pension "Spool," which is managed by her uncle and aunt, the Kobayashis, in Nagano Prefecture. Toru is excited about the trip, hoping to rekindle their relationship and move beyond being just friends. Despite the raging blizzard, several guests are staying at the pension, including part-time workers Toshio Kubota and Midori Shinozaki, office employees Kanako, Aki, and Keiko, the Kansai business tycoon and his wife Kayama, and freelance photographer Yosuke Mikimoto. Among the guests is a suspicious figure, Ichiro Tanaka, who resembles a yakuza member. He wears sunglasses and tries to remain unnoticed. After dinner, a note is discovered in the room of the three office workers. It reads, "Tonight at 12 o’clock, someone will die," and is initially dismissed as a joke. Later that night, around nine o’clock, the sound of shattering glass is heard from upstairs. When they investigate, they find a severed body in Tanaka’s room. The broken window is still open, and there is no sign of the killer. With no evidence of the murderer’s escape, the group is trapped by the blizzard. The storm has blocked all exits, and communication is impossible—phone lines are down, and mobile signals are out of range. They are completely cut off. Could the murders be the work of the local yokai, the Kamai-tachi? As the group is haunted by the unseen presence of the killer, two more murders follow, each one a cruel taunt.