Kaerimichi

Kaerimichi is a short horror adventure set on a summer afternoon after school. After a teacher warns the class not to look back and to keep walking straight until they get home, the protagonist sets off with a friend. A sound from behind makes him wonder what might happen if he turns around.

The walk home

The game uses a monochrome manga-style presentation, retro-novel-inspired fonts and 3D spatial audio in some sound effects. Each playthrough takes about 20 minutes, and collecting every ending takes about one to two hours.

Choices and endings

Quick-time events determine whether the protagonist looks back or keeps moving forward. You must click every button that appears on screen before time runs out; success lets you continue, while failure triggers an event and a game over. The game has nine game-over endings and one clear ending, for 10 ending scenes in total. Clearing the game and reaching game-over points both contribute to the endings, and collecting them all unlocks a bonus page with original illustrations, photographs, early planning documents, a flowchart and character specifications.