Straight from the Source: Kotaro Dendaira (Aojuji Hospital: Tokyo Eidolic Anatomy Division)

Aojuji Hospital: Tokyo Eidolic Anatomy Division is a horror novel game set in Japan in 1999. A number of horrific incidents have been occurring, caused by “eidolons”, the embodiment of urban legends. As a member of the mysterious “Aojuji Hospital” organization, you’ll investigate strange reports, witness bizarre events, and perform some paranormal autopsies.

Releasing in 2024 for PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch
Official site: https://en.hyperreal.jp/game/aojuji-hospital-tokyo-eidolic-anatomy-division/

The game is currently in development by Furoshiki Lab, creators of 1f y0u’re a gh0st ca11 me here! and other peculiar indie titles. In the Tokyo Game Show demo, the player is dispatched to a haunted construction site, encounters hostile Kamaitachi, then dissects one for further investigation back at their lab. After playing, we spoke with the game’s director to learn how this intriguing game came about. Enjoy it!

Note: This interview was originally recorded by Brando in Japanese on September 22, 2023 at Tokyo Game Show. It has been translated into English and edited for clarity. Thanks to publisher HYPER REAL for facilitating.

——We’re here at Tokyo Game Show 2023 with Kotaro Dendaira, game director of the horror adventure game Aojuji Hospital: Tokyo Eidolic Anatomy Division.

Dendaira: Hello, I’m Kotaro Dendaira, from indie game studio Furoshiki Lab. I work on character design, writing, planning, sales promotion, and other direction-related tasks. Nice to meet you!

——This game has a very unique setting. How did you decide on it?

Dendaira: More than a conscious decision, I feel like it came to mind naturally. I’m really fascinated by secret societies, for one thing. Also, I’ve worked on other types of games before, but I’ve always been drawn to horror.

Often in horror, the monster gets defeated and it’s over just like that, right? I’ve never been satisfied with that, so I thought about creating a game where the horror you confront has more of a “lifespan” that needs to be properly handled.

——Many elements are strongly rooted in Japanese culture and folklore. Did you make any special considerations when presenting them?

Dendaira: Japan in the 1990’s saw a number of active cult organizations, the most famous of which was Aum Shinrikyo**.

**Translator’s Note: A religious group and doomsday cult. They carried out a deadly sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995.

These cults caused real incidents, and those were very dark times. It was an extremely unusual era where the occult was recognized as reality by some people.

So while it is Japanese culture, we’ve tried to capture this “alternative” side that isn’t usually seen. Hopefully you can get a feel for what Japan during that era was like, when these cult activities were actually happening.

——So it’s almost like historical fiction?

Dendaira: Right, some true historical events are woven into the game’s story. We also investigated what the Japanese people were like at that time, from an ethnological perspective, and that’s reflected in the story as well.

——What would you say the unique point of this game is?

Dendaira: I would say it’s how the game handles the lives of the paranormal beings the player encounters. I’m registered to donate my body to science after death, and in Japan, the act of autopsy is a type of ritual, like coming face to face with the nature of “life”. So in that sense, this game pays a lot of respect to the urban legends and myths which you’re tasked with defeating.

We hope to go beyond the usual “just some monster that you have to kill”, and make the player consider things like “why did they cause that incident”?