When a game boss battle turns into a real-life murder, are you an innocent person framed, or a murderer lost in self?
Adapted from the classic novel "Thriller Paradise," the officially licensed suspense mystery game "Thriller Paradise: Hirata's World" has released a demo on Steam and is scheduled for official release on December 15, 2026. Developed by independent game studio Ontology Play.
Combining Japanese anime-style interactive drama with pixel RPG elements, players will shuttle between the real and game worlds, exploring maps, finding clues, investigating cases, and gradually uncovering the truth hidden behind the screen.
Boss defeated in-game, realitySuperior dies mysteriously
Protagonist Hirata resigns after refusing to commit wrongdoing for his boss. That night, his favorite game, "Black and White Ghost Realm," inexplicably changes its name to "Hirata's World." Even stranger, the game's boss shares the same name as his boss. After a fierce battle, the boss falls, and at the same moment, his real-life superior is found dead.
Why did the game change its name? Why did the battle coincide with a real-life murder? Is it mere coincidence, or is there a deeper conspiracy? As the investigation deepens, the boundary between the world inside and outside the screen becomes increasingly blurred. Daily life crumbles, programs glitch, conspiracies intertwine, and disaster looms.
Japanese anime-style interactive narrative + Pixel RPG,穿梭 (shuttle) between screens to uncover the truth
"Thriller Paradise: Hirata's World" combines real-world crime investigation with RPG adventure. The real-world storyline is presented in Japanese anime style. Players advance the story through scene investigations, dialogues, interactive choices, and QTEs, uncovering character relationships and hidden clues. Upon entering the RPG world, the style shifts to pixel art. Players will explore and adventure in a ghost realm map turned into ruins by a typhoon, engaging in turn-based combat.
The two worlds are not independent. Problems difficult to solve in reality may find answers in the RPG; seemingly insignificant details in the RPG could be key to unraveling real-world mysteries.
Only by combining information from inside and outside the screen can players reconstruct the full event and uncover the secrets hidden within "Hirata's World."
Officially licensed adaptation of "Thriller Paradise," classic dungeons get new stories
Officially licensed by China Literature Group, this game is adapted from the classic novel "Thriller Paradise" by San Tian Liang Jue. "Hirata's World" retains parts of the original worldview and iconic dungeon settings, preserving features like the gamified world, rule-based博弈 (game theory/strategic play), and dark humor, while introducing new cases, character relationships, and storylines.
For readers familiar with the original work, this game offers a chance to revisit classic dungeons and explore different narrative possibilities.
Players unfamiliar with "Thriller Paradise" don't need prior knowledge of the novel's plot or characters. You can dive into this standalone suspense story starting with a bizarre murder case.
"Thriller Paradise: Hirata's World" will officially launch on Steam on December 15, 2026, with Chinese voice support. The game is currently part of the Steam Next Fest, with a free playable demo available for download.
About Ontology Play
Ontology Play is an independent game studio from Singapore, formed by creators united by their passion for games. With diverse professional backgrounds, the team collaborated to create their debut title, "Thriller Paradise: Hirata's World."
As a young team, Ontology Play is still learning how to make great games. We aim to preserve the curiosity and freedom of our first creation—not rushing to find standard answers, but starting from characters, stories, and gameplay that genuinely interest us, creating worlds we ourselves would want to enter.
"Thriller Paradise: Hirata's World" is Ontology Play's first attempt, marking the beginning of many new worlds to come.