Oninaki

Oninaki is an action role-playing game where players take on the role of the Watcher Kagachi, who battles monsters called the Fallen while exploring the game world through two planes; the Living World and the afterlife world known as the "Beyond". Players view environments from an isometric angle, with Kagachi exploring dungeon environments completing both story-based and optional quests. Standard enemies roam the dungeon environments, attacking Kagachi on sight, while many areas end with a boss encounter.

During exploration and combat, Kagachi can find Healing Salves which restore health, upgrade artifacts, and grant new weapons. During combat in the Beyond, Kagachi gives and takes more damage. In the Beyond, the environment shifts, allowing for new routes to open or allowing access to teleport points for travelling between different areas. Players must explore both worlds in order to progress through the game, with areas that must be first explored in the world of the living, otherwise Kagachi must navigate a black void in the Beyond and can be killed in one hit by enemies. By defeating Fallen, Kagachi earns experience points which raise his basic statistics.

Kagachi is a Watcher, a person charged with defending the Cycle of Reincarnation, killing monsters formed from regret with spirit weapons called Daemons and helping spirits pass into their next life by any means necessary. Kagachi works closely with both Kushi, his adopted father, and Mayura, Kushi's daughter, operating from the world's only city Szaka. In the aftermath of a mission against a cult rebelling against the Cycle of Reincarnation, Kagachi meets a girl who does not remember who she is, and so he names her Linne. She is being hunted by the Night Devil, a powerful spirit who hounds Kagachi and gives aid to the cult in undermining the current monarch Lobelia.

Lobelia and her son Leo instruct the Watchers to focus on destroying the cult over their other duties, causing friction within the Watchers. During one mission against the cult, Mayura is killed and Kagachi helps free her spirit. The Night Devil confronts Kagachi several times, possessing Watchers with his hatred and eventually using Kushi as his host.

Discussions and concept work for Oninaki began in 2017, during the last stages of development for Lost Sphear. Oninaki was the last of three titles conceptually planned by Tokyo RPG Factory when it was founded to work on I am Setsuna (2016). The basic plan was for a game built on the resources of the previous two games. A notable addition to the staff was Takashi Tokita, who had gained fame for his work on Chrono Trigger, Live A Live and Parasite Eve.

Having previously provided creative input for the battle systems of its earlier titles, Tokita decided that this time he wanted a deeper creative role. Tokita was a general overseer for the project as creative producer, as well as helping create the basic world view and scenario. Main producer Ryutaro Sasaki, who had a supporting role in the company's earlier titles, supervised the gameplay and technical side of production. Atsushi Hashimoto returned as director from Lost Sphear and I am Setsuna, as did scenario writer Hirotaka Inaba.

During its first week on release in Japan, the two console versions of Oninaki reached second and third place in sales charts compiled by Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. Its PS4 and Switch versions combined to sell nearly 27,000 copies, being the highest-selling new release that week. In its 2019-2020 fiscal report, Tokyo RPG Factory posted a significant loss compared to the previous period with the release of Lost Sphear. This loss, combined with other factors, contributed to Square Enix suffering a significant financial shortfall during that period.

Reviewers for Famitsu were generally positive, with their main complaints being complex terminology, stiff character movement, and inventory limitations. Eurogamer's Malindy Hetfeld found several concepts worth exploring, but said the game "comes across as loveless" due to other areas appearing lackluster in execution. Joe Juba, writing for Game Informer, enjoyed playing through Oninaki while citing several elements that undermined the experience for him. T.J. Hafer of IGN called Oninaki a "a gorgeous, distinctive, entertaining RPG", with his only negative views being on combat pace and the story delivery.