Shane Dent

I'm a video games journalist specializing in narrative-driven games and game design. I hold a BFA in Creative Writing for Entertainment from Full Sail University.
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Indie Spotlight - Tokyo Dark

Published on
Tokyo Dark is a noir-tinged adventure that takes a long, hard look at one of the most unique cities on Earth. Tokyo, Japan is an uncommon blending of the ancient and the modern and its legends and folklore are embedded into the public consciousness in a way that lacks a parallel in the West.

Capitalizing on this, developer Cherrymochi sinks its teeth right into the heart of the city, weaving a story that sees protagonist Detective Ito unraveling the mysteries surrounding an ominous red door located beneath the subways of the city. It is said that anyone who opens the door never returns… but what if they did?

One of the things that looks to make Tokyo Dark so gripping is the way it seeks to pull back the curtain on one of modern-day Japan’s most distressing problems: its staggeringly high suicide rates. Sifting through the emotional ruin caused by people who want to die but are denied death is a compelling and horrific hook.

IDetective Ito will also have to deal with Japan’s all-too-prevalent institutionalized sexism. Cherrymochi wants the narrative and the setting to feel honest, whether you’ve ever had exposure to Japanese culture or not.

On the gameplay front, Tokyo Dark naturally places an emphasis on puzzle-solving, following investigative leads, and other tasks that come natural to a detective. Borrowing a page from the modern Persona titles, the game will feature a range of social stats that will affect Ito’s interactions with others and open up or cut off entire branches of the plot.

Cherrymochi wants players to be able to dig deep and shape Ito into the detective they want her to be. As such, puzzles will often feature a variety of solutions. Will you put in the mental gymnastics required to solve a complex puzzle to open up a door, thus earning Ito a boost to her Intelligence stat? Or do you simply find a sledgehammer and bring it all down, raising her Determination in the process? Each action will have consequences: the game will feature roughly a dozen endings with multiple branching narratives. Bolder still, Cherrymochi may be developing the only game in which firing off your gun can lead to psychological trauma and therapy for your character.

Tokyo Dark is shaping up to be a compelling blend of horror, visual novel, and puzzle game. Inspired by works as far ranging as Se7en, Perfect Blue, and Heavy Rain, it may end up as an important step on the road of interactive storytelling. Cherrymochi is planning on turning to Kickstarter to help fund further development this year. PC is the target platform, although consoles such as the Wii U remain a possibility.