Finding unknown but interesting indie games is one of the many reasons why I love to engage in gaming journalism in my free time. Over the past two weeks, I have been snooping around for games in early development that have potential. After deciding which games are worth writing about, today on Virus.hr I bring you the first look at Hashiko, a narrative action horror adventure from the French indie studio Chaotic KrafterZ. The game is set in a surreal post-apocalyptic coastal Japan, a world slowly being consumed by mysterious phenomena known as psychoannexions.
In Hashiko, players take on the role of a Japanese boy named Hino, guiding them through abandoned islands, flooded urban districts, forgotten infrastructure, and unstable environments where reality gradually changes and crumbles. The game combines exploration, environmental traversal, combat, atmosphere, supernatural elements, and storytelling through the environment.
As Hino, players will navigate vertically designed locations using parkour, climbing, swimming, and other forms of movement, while facing hostile entities altered by strange phenomena in combat. According to what was seen in the early trailer, the combat is similar to the genre standard (third person shooter). Throughout the adventure, we will uncover remnants of lost lives, fragmented memories, and pieces of a story shaped by themes of disappearance, memory, and transformation.
With its atmosphere, surreal motifs, and the feeling of a world collapsing under the influence of unknown forces, Hashiko at first glance resembles Alan Wake. However, instead of an American small town and a psychological thriller, the focus here is on post-apocalyptic coastal Japan, exploring abandoned spaces, and mysterious phenomena that alter the reality around the player.
The developers say that Hashiko will feature multiple characters and timelines, as well as unusual powers connected to mysterious forces and beings. Special emphasis is placed on atmosphere, exploration, and a world that constantly changes under the influence of unknown phenomena.
It is particularly worth noting that Chaotic KrafterZ is a very small indie studio consisting of Greg and Claudia, and they are developing Hashiko in Unreal Engine 5. It is also important to mention that the project is still in an intensive development phase, so visuals, environments, animations, effects, interface, gameplay systems, and narrative content may change significantly by the time of release. In other words, all published images and videos are from the working version of the game.
Hashiko currently does not have a confirmed release date, but based on the available material shown, it appears to be an ambitious indie project. My colleagues and I will certainly keep a close eye on the further development of this mysterious title.
