Playism's Executive Producer shares his insight on the rise of Steam in Japan and thriving Japanese indies

Over at PAX West 2024, I got to check out all six titles that Playism was showcasing on the floor this year. Playism has been a growing publisher in the Japanese indepndent developer scene over the last several years. This year, the following titles were at their booth:

• Homura Hime - coming to PC via Steam
• Metal Bringer - coming to PS5 and PC via Steam
• Nitro Express - coming to PC via Steam
• Outrider Mako - coming to PC via Steam
• Million Depth - coming to PC via Steam
• Haruka: Beyond the Stars - coming to PC via Steam

Not all of these titles will end up being relevant to RPG Site's scope, but a lot of them caught my interest pretty fast. Homura Hime is a 3rd-person action game that isn't shy to display its inspirations from Nier: Automata. There are certain attacks that have to be parried, while others have to be dodged entirely; bosses will frequently fire bullet hell-esque shot patterns as fights continually intensify against them. Healing items are limited and bosses hit hard, so a degree of finesse and mastery is required on the player's part to succeed.

Metal Bringer is one I've already been excited for, because this comes from the developers of Samurai Bringer. It's an isometric roguelite action-adventure game with a massive amount of customization systems to tinker with - both mechanically and aesthetically. In this new game, people will be able to pilot large mechs as well, which amplifies the chaos; I brought out my inner Ryo Hazuki and chose to deploy on a gigantic forklift, instead of a mech though.

Nitro Express was only recently announced, but it already had a playable build at PAX West 2024. This is a sidescrolling shooter where players can choose a primary and secondary weapon before deploying on a mission. As people traverse through stages, they have to keep the position of their character in mind, relative to incoming projectiles from enemy fire; players have a dodge roll full of invincibility frames as their main defensive tool. I armed myself with an auto shotgun and laser cannon and feverishly unleashed hell to anyone I encountered. There's a lot of charm in its visual presentation, especially in its Metal Gear Solid-esque walkie-talkie chats that are styled like the stealth action game's Codec conversations.

Outrider Mako is a top-down 2D action game that builds its systems around ping-ponging between enemies through jump attacks. Mako, the protagonist, can perform a manuever like Sonic's homing attack, but instead of bouncing off of them, she can actually cling onto an enemy and dump some sort of poisonous liquid on them for a bunch of damage. Enemies can kill Mako fast, so people have to really take advantage of the invincibility frames in Mako's jump animation. There were a lot of cool ideas in this one that I didn't get to properly utilize, since my time with the demo was limited.

Million Depth was probably the most unique game I played from Playism's lineup. The main character Moma comes from outer space and she's diving into the depths of Earth to find her only friend. Combat in Million Depth took me by surprise, since it's a sidescroller that freezes everything on the screen once combat begins; enemies only move if players move. While bumping into enemies with Moma will do a tiny bit of damage, the player's main offensive tools come from floating weapons they build out of blocks. The amount of damage they deal and the amount of damage they can take (before they are destroyed and come back on a cooldown) all depends on how a player constructs them; it's a fascinating concept that I hope comes together in the final release. This one was pretty cool.

Lastly, Haruka: Beyond the Stars is a title that I believe is the furthest out till its full release. It's an action RPG slated to release in 2026 that's still in a fairly early state. People step into the shoes of Yuuki and meet an enigmatic girl named Miiya whose spaceship has crash-landed near his house. Once again, the game is still in early development so its battle system isn't quite finalized yet; there are basic light attacks and heavier attacks that consume reloadable Energy Capsules. It'll still be awhile before this game releases.

I also got the chance to speak with Shunji Mizutani, the Executive Producer of Playism. It was an insightful chat that delved into the current state of Japanese indie games. Give it a read down below!