Thanks to games like Darkest Dungeon and The Binding of Isaac, the dungeon crawler genre has seen something of a resurgence in recent years. So you probably won’t be surprised to learn that Hyakki Castle (official website) has been making quite a splash on the indie scene.

Developed by Asakusa Studios and published by Happinet, both of which are based in Japan, Hyakki Castle turns the dungeon crawler on its head by introducing a unique two party system in which your party can split into up to four separate factions at the same time as they navigate the titular cursed castle, as opposed to the usual one person on their own approach

Japanese mythology has always been a particular favorite among horror fans because of its monstrous creatures. That thing in the screenshots below that looks like a woman with a snake’s head is called a Nure-onna, and it’s just one of the grotesque beasts you’ll be facing once you purchase Hyakki Castle on Steam.

Hyakki Castle Official Synopsis:

A full-scale real-time dungeon RPG exploring a mysterious castle set in the 18th century, during the Edo Period of Japan. Now with a 2 Party System where you can divide into parties and move separately, a feature not seen up until now in real-time dungeon RPGs. New strategies and ways of solving puzzles by dividing the party and attacking enemies, a new evolution of real-time dungeon RPGs!

Story:

Hyakki Castle is set in the Edo Period of Japan, and the castle is on an island of exile where criminals are sent. Doman Kigata, a prodigy sorcerer who schemed to overthrow the Shogunate and place a death curse on a leader, has been captured and sent to the island. One day decapitated heads were sent to Edo Castle. It was the barely recognizable form of Hyakki Castle guards and criminals. “My offering to you, contents: 3 heads – The Lord of Hyakki Castle” News of a mystical castle appearing on Hyakki Island had already reached the Shogunate’s search team. Iemune, the current Shogun of the time, believed this to be the doing of Doman Kigata. The investigation of Hyakki Castle and the assassination of Doman Kigata were appointed to 4 secret agents (the player)…

Features:

“The 2 Party System” is a new system in which the parties can be divided.

It is possible to divide the parties of 4 into 2 parties (2:2 people or 1:3 people) at any given time. (* Only when the party is together.)

Divide your team into 2 parties and take out strong enemy monsters with a pincer attack, or lure enemies with 1 party while getting items with the other. New strategies that have never been seen before in real-time dungeon RPGs!