At the end of September, I attended the demo event for Yōkai Country at Tokyo Game Show 2026. In terms of content, it wasn't much different from the version available online on Steam, and the scope of production was limited. However, the atmosphere it presented and the surprisingly satisfying impact feedback left a deep impression on me.
In previously released information, the game described itself as an ARPG with "zero violence." At first glance, this seems confusing, but after playing it, the meaning becomes clear—and this can be explained from three perspectives: visuals, narrative, and gameplay.
Visually, it features a softer art style.
One of the founders of the developer, Lights-Interactive studio, is Kiyoshi Nanase, who previously worked on Final Fantasy XV and served as a technical artist at Square Enix. Meanwhile, Lights-Interactive's parent company, Studio Lights, is known for its visual prowess, having provided technical support for Death Stranding, Final Fantasy XVI, and the Netflix Gundam series. This partnership can largely be considered a union of strong forces.
The prototype of the Dog.exe in the game
However, if you enter Yōkai Country expecting AAA-level graphics, you might be disappointed. It still follows the production methods of a small Japanese team and the scale of an indie game, so the visuals are far from exquisite. Nevertheless, the stylized treatment is very pleasing to the eye. It can be said that even with limited costs, the team's artistic DNA found room to shine: especially for games with action elements, non-glaring color schemes and clear visual hierarchy are sometimes more critical than simply having pretty graphics.
That said, I have a small complaint regarding character design: in the in-game models of the demo version, both male and female characters sport conspicuous red lips. This is indeed uncommon in the gentle, child-friendly genre, and while it might be considered a distinct stylistic choice, it took me some time to get used to it.
Set against a backdrop of folklore and ghost stories, the game's tone is healing.
The game patiently sets up the background at the beginning: the protagonist Taiki's beloved Dog.exe, Musashi, passes away. He prays at a shrine and receives a response, causing his beloved Dog.exe to be resurrected in the form of a "Dog.exe Pillar." However, Musashi is imprisoned by a mysterious force and dragged into another world. Our task is to follow, and according to the shrine maiden's oracle, collect three divine artifacts in Yōkai Country.
Perhaps due to it being a test version, the game's prologue felt a bit drawn out, and the slow pace prevented me from getting fully immersed. However, once I entered Yōkai Country, things gradually improved. First, we follow the story to familiarize ourselves with the gameplay, arriving at a village full of fox people. This village serves as a hub where NPCs assign quests, and we use it as a base to venture into various areas.
Many places in this world are polluted by a kind of "yoki" (spiritual energy), and our task is to purify this contamination. Impure Stones are located next to each save point; attacking them unlocks functions, consumes resources, and upgrades abilities. Additionally, Impure Stones are scattered along the roads, dropping resources and occasionally granting rare items. This design gives the Impure Stones a subtle guiding role, ensuring that I rarely get lost even as the map opens up through exploration.
Against the backdrop of this yoki pollution, the enemies are portrayed with greater depth. For instance, the first boss in the demo version, "Hitotsume Nyudo," is described by the fox villagers as terrifying, almost like a monster that "eats children." However, after I defeat and purify him, the story reveals his true nature: "Hitotsume Nyudo" was originally a good person, and his current appearance is due to misunderstandings caused by his looks and the influence of impurities. This approach is similar to anime like GeGeGe no Kitaro or Natsume's Book of Friends: rather than crudely whitewashing the character, it allows the audience to understand the enemy's plight and feel healed, which truly tests the quality of the narrative.
Continuing with this style, its gameplay also minimizes violence to the greatest extent.
For example, the weapon wielded by the protagonist is not the typical blade or club found in standard action games, but an exorcism tool literally translated as "Haraegushi," whose shape bears some resemblance to the Taoist "fly whisk." In other words, the game's combat isn't about "killing people," but about helping people dispel evil spirits and soothing the grudges of yokai.
Interestingly, it is precisely this choice that gives me a strangely addictive feel. Because it doesn't need to adapt to complex hit feedback like sword-fighting games, it only needs to simulate the sound of waving the "Haraegushi" (purification wand), the friction between the shide (paper streamers) and the air, and the sound of the paper strips hitting each other, which provides excellent impact feedback. To put it simply, did everyone play with rattles as children? The principle is very similar. The pleasant rhythm combined with the player's sense of control makes it addictive, even when just swinging at the air.
However, other aspects of the combat are somewhat lackluster. It follows a fairly generic ARPG template, featuring light and heavy attacks, charged attacks, precise parries and dodges, ultimate moves for clearing crowds, and even an instant counter mechanism similar to the "Issen" from the Onimusha series. If compared to serious action games, it certainly falls short, but its advantage lies in its self-consistent logic, lack of superfluous cutscenes, and clean interactions. Additionally, the demo version has few useless moves, but includes a charm system similar to passive item bonuses, giving it some potential for build variety. After all, I only played a demo version lasting less than 40 minutes. If the existing mechanics are expanded or new ones added later, Yōkai Country could uncover deeper gameplay potential.
Having written all of the above, I can say that Lights-Interactive clearly knows what kind of game it wants to make. Its visuals, narrative, and gameplay philosophy are highly unified, providing me with a comfortable and healing experience. Although the level of polish in certain areas did leave me somewhat puzzled, given that this is not yet the final release, I am willing to keep my expectations high and see what kind of product they ultimately deliver.