👑 Pickup! Yokohama Game Dungeon
2023年 9月 06日
This article was featured in our 2023 September issue. Check out more articles and interviews in the full issue.
August 27th was the first ever Yokohama Game Dungeon, a spin-off of Tokyo Game Dungeon! It was a chill and wonderful time in Shin Yokohama, with a sizable crowd and lots of indie games to check out. There were also quite a few student showcases this time around, with school clubs and circles displaying their fun games and merchandise. I really hope that we get another Dungeon in Yokohama soon!
Due to some health problems, I unfortunately was not able to walk around as much as I had planned, and mostly stayed near our booth. However, in the days following the event, I did manage to try out some of the games at home, and really enjoyed taking my time and looking over trailers and developer blogs. Here are twenty games that caught my eye. There are quite a few games here that are still in development, so I hope to be able to find out more about them in the future!
If you missed it, we also went to Tokyo Game Dungeon 3 in July. We also played some of these games on stream last week, and plan to stream more tomorrow.
And without further ado, here are some cool games from Yokohama Game Dungeon that you should check out!
🐺 綻びのアーキテクト (Architect Fray) by gunsturn inc.
What is it? A party-based deckbuilding roguelike. The artwork looks very distinctive and battles look strategic and interesting. The more you lose, the more you will gain for future runs.
Where can I play it? Architect Fray is currently in development. Check the game's website for updates.
🧑🚀 Astround by リュノア
What is it? An exploratory shooting game in space where the camera rotates smoothly around you, giving this neat 360-degree feeling of floaty disorientation while you line up your shots.
Where can I play it? Astround is currently in development. Follow @Ryunoa_Zoltan for more updates.
🏹 Brave and Desire by Aqua Siren
What is it? A classic turn-based RPG with some great sprite art. Gather your party members, choose their jobs and deck them out in cool gear, and go crawling through this charming roguelite. This is pure comfort food made just for me.
Where can I play it? Brave and Desire is currently in development. Check the game's website for more updates.
✨ 学園ハンサムFighters (Handsome Academy Fighters) by チーム欲求腐満
What is it? A short and silly side-scrolling beat-'em-up. Play as one of the eponymous Handsome characters and rescue a kitty who's been abducted by aliens. Be sure to try out their unique special attacks!
Where can I play it? Handsome Academy Fighters is available on Booth and Steam.
🐢 IGNISTONE by MONO ENTERTAINMENT
What is it? A side-scrolling roguelike action game that emphasizes parrying enemy attacks in 1v1 combat rather than slashing away at hordes. The art and music is colorful and bubbly, and it's got this whole cartoony vibe that I adore.
Where can I play it? IGNISTONE is coming to Steam and mobile next month, and the demo is available now! Check the game's website for more updates.
📋 イノウノカルテ (Inou no Karte) by 6th Sense Games
What is it? An adventure game where you play as a counselor who works with supernatural psychic children. Have conversations with them and covertly analyze their abilities. Interesting premise with some pretty dark undertones.
Where can I play it? Inou no Karte has a demo playable in browser on Unity Room. Check the developer's Fanbox for more updates.
🐳 JackALoop by Jackal
What is it? A multiplayer battle game where you can do things like summon huge orcas to swallow your opponents from below?! Set traps and sabotage your enemies in this surreal arena game.
Where can I play it? JackALoop is currently in development. Follow @games_jackal for more updates.
💬 ことのはレルナード (Kotonoha Lernado) by SukeraSparo
What is it? An adventure/puzzle game where you play as Rin, a girl who wakes up one day in a world where Japanese words have been replaced with an unfamiliar language. Build up your vocabulary and learn the local language by talking with your classmates. Really cool and immersive language-learning idea!
Where can I play it? Kotonoha Lernado is currently in development. You can play the demo in your browser, and check the game's website for more updates.
⚒️ Million Depth by Cyber Space Biotope
What is it? A dungeon-crawling roguelike where you bore deep down into the earth using your tools and machines and aim to reach the millionth level. There's a unique weapon-crafting system where you "draw" them using Lego-like blocks.
Where can I play it? Million Depth is coming to Steam next year.
🦾 ROBO OH by Foxy Boxy Games
What is it? A retro-styled fighting game between colossal robots! Pick one of twelve characters and duke it out in glorious 8-bit, lovingly rendered to look like the NES days of old. And if you've played UCHU MEGA FIGHT, you may see some familiar faces in the roster!
Where can I play it? ROBO OH is available on Steam with a demo playable in your browser. Super ROBO OH is currently in development.
🧊 ナタデコロコロ (Rolling Coconut Jelly) by ☆TAKA☆
What is it? A puzzle game where you play as an expired cube of coconut jelly rolling around grid. Pick up yellow fillings to shoot at obstacles and make it to the goal without falling off the edge! Can you find the reason why you were forgotten and left to expire?!
Where can I play it? Rolling Coconut Jelly is currently in development. Follow @hoshi_taka_hosh for more updates.
🚀 ShipSwing by Tier-4 Games
What is it? A physics puzzle game where you slingshot your ship around different planets' gravitational fields to reach your goal! The controls are quite simple but trying to reach the warp gate in the shortest amount of time adds a lot of challenge to each stage.
Where can I play it? ShipSwing is out now on Steam.
🏚️ SpookySalvage by Achamoth
What is it? A super stylish adventure game of salvaging an old London house and dealing with any restless ghosts! Solve puzzles and communicate with the undead in this Victorian punk game.
Where can I play it? SpookySalvage is coming soon to iOS and Android. Check the game's website for updates and visit Achamoth's homepage for other cool adventure games.
🍢 The Strongest TOFU: fragile adventure by ゾウノアシゲームズ
What is it? A puzzle platformer where you play as a delicate block of quivering tofu! Launch yourself over obstacles and make your way across platformers, but don't fall from too great a height or you'll splat! Become the tofu!!
Where can I play it? The Strongest TOFU is coming soon to Steam, with a demo available now. Check developer Zou no Ashi Games' homepage for more updates.
🖥️ Terranova by Studio Terranova
What is it? A visual novel set in a 2000s-era role-playing Livejournal community! Set up your journal, write fanfics, and chat with your friends in this extremely heartfelt and engaging story of friendship and growing up in the age of the early Internet.
Where can I play it? Terranova is out now on Steam (demo available) and itch.
🌐 TOKYO ENDRE4MZ by E.N.D.R.I.
What is it? A meta adventure game where you travel between the game's virtual and "real" worlds to solve mysteries. The colors are juicy and vibrant and remind me so much of 2000s Geocities and Web 1.0 aesthetics.
Where can I play it? TOKYO ENDRE4MZ is currently in development. Follow @TOKYO_ENDRE4MZ for more updates.
🚎 Trolley Problem by Yunas
What is it? No, this is not the moral dilemma from Philosophy 101, this is a top-down puzzle game where you careen around the map in a trolley! You can move only in straight lines, so slam your way through stones and enemies to make it to your goal. There is also a branching story with multiple endings, so take care which paths you choose when guiding your witch through her quest!
Where can I play it? Trolley Problem is out now on Steam.
🎺 チューバリアン (Tubarian) by こひろくじ
What is it? An adventure game about meeting Rian, a mysterious tuba-playing girl that you encounter late at night at your school. The story is sweet and casual, and the artwork is very cute.
Where can I play it? The demo for Tubarian is out now on Freem. Check the developer's homepage for more updates.
🛌 UNSLEPT by UGONO STUDIO
What is it? A psychedelic action RPG. Dive into your dreams with your faithful talking pillow and take down huge and colorful nightmare bosses. The artwork in this looks incredible and distinctive. Can't wait to see more of this!
Where can I play it? UNSLEPT is currently in development. Follow @UGONOSTUDIO for more updates.
🏭 ZUBASH! by OCTBUZZ
What is it? A chaotic party game where you work together with other players to build a path to the goal, then turn on them to reach the goal before anyone else! There are also an assortment of traps and other fun toys to mess with your opponents. Looks like a great game to play with a bunch of friends over!
Where can I play it? ZUBASH! is currently in development. Check the game's website for more updates.