Square Enix recently shared more details on Tokyo RPG Factory’s latest game Oninaki, including introductions to main characters Kagachi and Linne, as well as Kushi, Mayura, and the antagonist, Night Devil.
For those unfamiliar with Oninaki, it’s an action RPG where players journey as Kagachi, a young Watcher who helps usher Lost Souls into the next world for reincarnation. Upon meeting the mysterious amnesiac girl Linne, his fate becomes entwined with blood and death, especially thanks to the Night Devil from a forgotten age who is after Linne.
Kagachi (CV: Tomohisa Hashizume)
“In the eyes of the realm, reincarnation is sacred and death must be willing.”
A young Watcher who embodies the tenets of reincarnation. Kagachi considers it his sacred duty to usher souls into the next world—even if it means taking lives. But when he meets a mysterious girl named Linne, his fate becomes entwined with blood and death.
Linne (CV: Shiori Mikami)
“Our laws were not created to restrain life.”
A mysterious girl who appeared to Kagachi in his youth. Years later, they meet again…though she has not aged a day. She has no memory of who she is, or even her name, so Kagachi calls her Linne, after the linnaea flower.
The Night Devil (CV: Unrevealed)
“Hatred incarnate… A ghost from the past…”
A swordsman from a forgotten time, cloaked in the ink-black flames of damnation. No one knows the true face of this wretched creature, a man forever bound by his own malice. The Night Devil wanders in darkness, hunting Linne in his attempt to unleash his hatred upon the world.
Kushi (CV: Tsuyoshi Koyama)
“Watchers are who we are, because we are human above all else.”
Though he usually comes across as enigmatic and elusive, Kushi is nevertheless an exemplary Watcher and trusted leader. He is also the man who raised Kagachi. Kushi seldom talks about himself, so few know his inner thoughts, but he makes no attempt to hide his deep affection for his daughter, Mayura.
Mayura (CV: Lynn)
“We’re here to help you pass into the next world.”
A young Watcher with a kind heart, Mayura is Kushi’s daughter and Kagachi’s childhood friend. She places profound importance on her relationships with others, whether with the souls of the Lost, or the Daemons she manifests. Yet this is also the source of her greatest strife. Standing as she does between the living and the dead, the tensions created by the precepts of reincarnation are a constant struggle for her.
Check out the trailer for the characters below:
Finally, PlayStation Blog has posted an interview with Oninaki director Atsushi Hashimoto; and creative producer Takashi Tokita, whom you may know as one of the directors of Chrono Trigger. Here are some highlights:
What is a Watcher and how did Kagachi become one? How is he able to travel between the Living World & the Beyond?
Atsushi Hashimoto, director: “The Watchers were born in order to ensure the realm’s system of reincarnation properly cycles through. If I may speak about it more specifically, when someone dies while holding on to a strong emotion, or if the people left behind are holding on to strong feelings toward the deceased, then the person who died will remain in the Beyond as a Lost Soul and will be stuck to wander. If a Lost Soul is left as-is for too long, it will turn into a monster and will never be able to reincarnate. That’s where the Watchers come in; they rescue the Lost and bring them back in to the cycle of reincarnation. At times they have to kill the person who is causing someone to have such a strong emotion, but to those who believe in reincarnation, that isn’t necessarily a tragic thing.”
“There’s a character by the name of Kushi, who was like a father figure to Kagachi, and he was a Watcher. I think Kagachi watched Kushi as he did his work as a Watcher, and naturally chose that path for himself as well. There’s one more reason, but… I can’t say what it is until this title is released (laughs).”
“Being able to travel between the Living World and the Beyond is an ability of a Watcher. The Watcher’s work cloak includes a piece of fabric that covers the person’s mouth, but that fabric is created using a special plant from the Beyond, and it has the power to allow you to travel back and forth. People who have the ability to travel between the Living World and the Beyond can teleport there instantaneously.”
When writing the scenario for Oninaki, what do you want the fans to take away from the overall story?
Hashimoto: “In this title, because people believe in reincarnation, there are people who would easily choose death, since they think that they can just come back in the next life. But, on the flip side, there are people who are fighting tooth and nail to live their life to the best of their abilities. By seeing how life and death are perceived in a sort of dystopian world, I hope this would inspire people to contemplate what it means to live and what it means to die.”
Tokita-san, what is your involvement with Oninaki?
Takashi Tokita, creative producer: “I have previously been involved with Tokyo RPG Factory to provide production assistance and supervision of some parts of both the first title I am Setsuna and the second, Lost Sphear; but now as a board member of Tokyo RPG Factory, I’ve been involved with this current title, Oninaki, since conception, as mentor and the overall creative producer.
From establishing a powerful creative direction, to building screens filled with originality, to assigning staff — I provide support in various ways so that our development staff can create a game with substance without getting lost along the way.”
You can read the full interview here. Check out more interview tidbits from Famitsu on how the game became an action RPG in our previous report here.
