During "Tokyo Game Show 2026," I played the demo for "Yokai no Kuni." Its healing atmosphere and surprisingly good action interactions left a deep impression. The game tells the story of a boy who purifies the sorrow and grudges of yokai to save the soul of his beloved black Shiba Inu, "Musashi," moving forward with the core concept of "non-violence and a gentle worldview."
This game isDeveloped by Lights-Interactive and published by Happinet, this is a Japanese-style action-adventure game led by Seiji Nanase, who previously worked on "Final Fantasy XV" and "Kingdom Hearts III." After leaving Square Enix to start his own venture, this project became his inaugural title.
"Yokai no Kuni" has been since its announcement in 2023, it has garnered significant attention, especially for the Shiba Inu "Musashi" in the game, who is quite popular among players. However, its release window has been delayed from Spring 2024 to 2025, then to Autumn 2026, and finally set for 2027. A demo is currently available on Steam, giving off the vibe that good food is worth the wait.
We were honored to conduct a written interview with the game's producer, Seiji Nanase, to discuss the game's design philosophy, development vision, and reasons for the delays.
Here is the full interview:
Q: If you could recommend "Yokai no Kuni" in just one sentence, what would it be?
Seiji:"To Return With You Again"—this is a Japanese-style action-adventure game where a boy purifies the sorrow of yokai to save the soul of his beloved black Shiba Inu, "Musashi," and moves forward.
Q: The official description calls "Yokai no Kuni" a "non-violent,and features a gentle worldview"—How should we understand this design philosophy? What unique experience will it bring?
Seiji:What we value most is what happens at the end of battle:has"saving the other"ultimate goal. Although the feedback from reading enemy attacks and successfully parrying is solid, our philosophy is to use this power to cleanse the impurities tormenting the yokai. Each yokai carries attachments and sorrow—even enemies that seem frightening at first become intriguing once you understand their background,why they became this way. We hope to connect this shift in feelings towards enemies withthe experience of "purification."
In this world, there are both peaceful moments spent with adorable residents and the tension of venturing into terrifying places. On the journey to save an important companion, players will also encounter the pain of others. We hope to convey this warmth as part of the game's experience.
Q: Interestingly, while this title emphasizes non-violence, its core gameplay is an action-focused ARPG with satisfying combat feedback. How did the studio achieve this? For instance, during the demo, I noticed that swinging the haraegushi (purification wand) produces a distinct "swish" sound, providing strong feedback.
Seiji:We're delighted that you noticed the sound of the haraegushi. We believe that the sounds of paper rustling and friction can also enhance the satisfaction of action.
Since this game depicts people struggling to survive in hardship, we tried to avoid overly emphasizing the impression of cutting or beating bodies. To achieve this, we drew inspiration from Japanese prayers, exorcisms, and kagura bells, incorporating purification movements, the sound of paper, and bell chimes into the action design.
When action, sound, and visual effects that evoke a sense of purification align, players feel that their actions truly reach the other party. We place great importance on this tactile feedback. While players enjoy powerful actions, the experience ultimately resolves into soothing the other's pain.—We have been constantly adjusting this form of expression.
Q: During the demo, I noticed that even seemingly frightening enemies have their cute sides revealed. What does the team consider the most crucial aspect of this type of narrative? After all,,In "Yokai no Kuni," the reversal of monster personas makes them feel cute, but in other stories, this can turn into a clichéd and forced redemption arc for villains.
Seiji:I believe the key lies in treating the process of how they became yokai as a complete life journey. Behind the horror stories lie confusion, entanglement, and the twists of fate between people. We want their cute side to naturally emerge from their lives and personalities. This game depicts significant past events from the perspectives of various yokai. Information that initially seems terrifying in the stories takes on different meanings when touching upon memories from another perspective, and we hope players will experience this process themselves.
We believe that hearing a rumor and taking it as absolute truth are two different things, nor do we wish to conclude that a sad past excuses Everythinggj. What they faced, what they lost, and where they sought redemption—we hope that after encountering them, players develop a feeling of "though frightening, they cannot be ignored."
Q: On social media, the studio's beloved Dog.exe,"Musashi"is very popular.It is said,Is it true that this Dog.exe was also one of the reasons everyone decided to make the game? Could you elaborate?
Seiji:Yes, "Musashi" has been a very important presence throughout the development of this game. More accurately, we initially started making a game about adventuring in an unknown Japanese-style world, and only later did we actually raise a black Shiba Inu named "Musashi," who became the model for the in-game character. As we lived together, the sense of security he provided, his unintentionally cute actions, and the desire to protect him grew stronger in my heart. I began to hope to shape the game into an adventure where players could experience these feelings.
The real-life "Musashi" is very affectionate and curious—this charm ultimately shaped him into the companion traveling alongside the protagonist. We hope friends who love him on social media will enjoy spending time with him in the game.
Q: Research shows that Lights-Interactive's parent company, Studio Lights, has extensive experience helping other games achieve beautiful visuals. Did this help with the development of "Yokai no Kuni"? The healing atmosphere created by the graphics left a deep impression on me during the demo.
Seiji:It was very helpful.Studio Lights is a team composed of technical artists who have worked on AAA titles. I myself have accumulated experience in technical art, lighting, character, and background creation through works like the "Final Fantasy" series. We are trying to apply this experience to an original title developed by a small team.
We particularly focus on connecting visual presentation with the story's emotions—using light, color, and atmosphere, the same location can feel like a safe haven or a terrifying place one dares not enter. By depicting the tranquility of the village and the tension of areas where yokai lurk, we aim to create an emotional rhythm throughout the adventure.
We're glad you felt the healing atmosphere. Our goal is to create an environment that makes players want to keep walking through these landscapes with "Musashi."
Q: Lights-Interactive is a small team, with many members, including Seiji Nanase, having previously worked for major companies like Square Enix. What brought everyone together to decide to make games independently?
Seiji:Having worked in the game industry for so long, we increasingly desired to create a brand-new story and world from scratch. This was our motivation. Through developing major titles, we accumulated extensiveexperience, and we wanted to try integrating that experience into a work we truly wanted to convey to players. "Yokai no Kuni" started with just me and one programmer, and later,partners from AAA titles joined us, allowing us to deeply refine the action, story, and presentation.
In a small team, whether it's a character's subtle movement or a villager's line, we can craft each element while considering how we want players to feel. When someone visiting this world for the first time smiles or showsaffection for—In that moment, I truly felt the joy of creating something new.
Q: "Yokai no Kuni" has been delayed multiple times.Among them,what was the biggest reason? What challenges did you encounter during development?
Seiji:We sincerely apologize for the long wait. A major reason from a development perspective was that, during production, we re-evaluated the experience we wanted to deliver and decided to rebuild the game from the ground up.
Initially, it was just me and one programmer, using a fixed top-down view to create a game focused on mechanical fun. However, we later wanted to combine our strengths in world-building and storytelling with combat that offers more tactile feedback. Feedback from the demo also helped guide us in this direction.
Especially to convey the presence of the yokai and a sense of three-dimensional adventure, we switched to a free camera perspective, which was a massive change. Changing the perspective required readjusting how players judge enemy distances, terrain presentation, and even exploration convenience. Integrating all these elements into a cohesive experience with a small team took considerable time. We hope to present a work that feels worth the wait for players who have been patient.
Q: If you had unlimited time, budget, and technical support, what kind of experience would "Yokai no Kuni" offer players?
Seiji:If there were no restrictions, we would want to make this game into a work that responds to the feeling of "even after the adventure ends, I want to continue living in this world with 'Musashi'."
For example, we could implement the simulation management elements removed this time, allowing players to engage in village life long-term; or create repeatable dungeons where players can embark on new adventures with their trained "Musashi." Even after the story ends, we hope to give players reasons to return to this world.
Meet the villagers, thenand"Musashi"play, and take a short trip—I really enjoy the experience of days continuing one after another. This time, we first want to convey an adventure that lasts about 8 hours but remains memorable. Through this journey, we aim to create a world that makes people want to live there, which I believe is closely tied to our dreams.