Square Enix blends horror and video games in Nanashi no Game

After playing a cursed game that kills people in week the university student protagonist in Nanashi no Game (Nameless Game / The Game Without a Name) is doomed. Before the curse spreads, you get to pick your gender. Then you have to crack the mystery while spending your remaining days in fear. The plot borrows heavily from the Ring, but one twist bumps up the immersion factor. You actually play the cursed game.

The cursed game is a Dragon Quest-like RPG, an amusing choice considering Square Enix’s background. When you play the cursed game you hold the DS horizontally.

When you explore the real world you hold the DS in book style while you read text and interact with the notably darker world. Nanashi no Game comes out on July 3^rd in Japan. It’s too early to know if Square Enix will release this in any other region.

Images courtesy of Square Enix.