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Ao Oni

2007 Japanese role-playing horror game From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ao Oni
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Ao Oni (青鬼; lit. 'Blue Demon') is a freeware horror game developed by "noprops".[2] It was first released in Japan in November 2008.

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The game gained a cult following in Japan due to livestreams and playthroughs.[3] The game was later adapted into a variety of media, including two feature-length movies, a series of light novels, and a manga. A remaster was released on Steam and Nintendo Switch in 2024.[4]

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Plot

A boy named Hiroshi, alongside his classmates (Takuro, Takeshi, and Mika), investigates a deserted mansion at the edge of town that is rumored to be haunted. They discover Ao Oni, a mysterious creature who pursues the group. Ao Oni will give chase until the player outruns him. If one of Hiroshi's classmates dies within the mansion, they are transformed into an oni. Hiroshi proceeds to explore the mansion, solving puzzles and evading the Oni as he tries to find a way to escape while saving the lives of his friends.

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Gameplay

The player controls Hiroshi as he explores the locked mansion, gathering items and solving puzzles in order to escape.[5]

The creature (the Ao Oni) will begin to chase the player at both random[6] and scripted moments, similar to the Nemesis in Resident Evil 3. This forces the player to evade the Oni by either outrunning him or hiding from him, since Hiroshi is unable to fight back against him.[7]

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Reception

The game gained a cult following online in Japan, gaining notoriety through websites such as Niconico and YouTube where Ao Oni-related videos exceeded 50 million views by 2013. The popularity of the game revolves around the effectiveness of its horror aspects despite being a simple game, with the background music cited as a key contributor to the chilling atmosphere used to incite fear.[2]

Adaptations

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Novels

Novelizations

In 2013 – 2017, a series of novels were released which were based on the game.[2] Slight differences to the storyline, mostly based on characterization, are present, but the books are otherwise faithful to the game's plot. The title was licensed for digital distribution in the English language by J-Novel Club.[8] The series is made up of five novels, which J-Novel Club released between 2018 and 2019: Ao Oni, Ao Oni: Vengeance, Ao Oni: Mutation, Ao Oni: Grudge, and Ao Oni: Forever.

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Junior novels

In 2018, PHP Laboratory began publishing a series of junior novels based on the Ao Oni series. The series follows the game characters, who are of elementary school age instead of teenagers, and is told from the perspective of a stray dog that was taken in by Takuro's uncle.[10]

  1. 『青鬼 ジェイルハウスの怪物』(2018, lit. Ao Oni The Jailhouse Monster)[10]
  2. 『青鬼 廃校の亡霊』 (2018, lit. Ao Oni The Ghost in the Abandoned School)[11]
  3. 『青鬼 真夜中の地下病棟』 (2018, lit. Ao Oni The Midnight Underground Ward)[12]
  4. 『青鬼 ドクロ島からの脱出』(2019, lit. Escape from the Ao Oni Skull Island)[13]
  5. 『青鬼 ゾンビだらけの遊園地』 (2019, lit. Ao Oni Zombie Amusement Park)[14]
  6. 『青鬼 調査クラブ ジェイルハウスの怪物を倒せ!』 (2019, lit. Ao Oni Demon Research Club Defeat the Monsters of Jailhouse!)[15]

Live-action film

Ao Oni was adapted into a live action film of the same name, that was released in Japan on 5 July 2014.[16] A second live action film, Ao Oni ver 2.0, was released the following year with a different director, writer, and cast.[17][18]

Anime

An anime television short series adaptation premiered on 3 October 2016.[19] The series is produced by Studio Deen, and directed by Toshirō Hamamura and Chisei Maeda, with Kanekoke handling series composition, Kichi designing the characters and Shiyu Yanagida composing the music.[20] An anime film, also produced by Studio Deen, released in 2017.[21]

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References

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