In preparation for the spookiest time of the year, we want to give you a foretaste of what to expect from psychological horror visual novel Raging Loop! The murderous story of a cursed Japanese settlement will release on:
– October 18th in Europe for Switch and PlayStation 4
– October 22nd in North America for Switch and PlayStation 4 digitally
– November 19th in North America for Switch and PlayStation 4 physically
– December 5th on PC/Steam
PROLOGUE
A long, long time ago in a land that is now marked as Fujiyoshi Village on the map, five godlike creatures known as “guardians” protected the people living on the mountain from the yomibito, creatures from Yomi, the underworld. The bloodthirsty wolves, the knowledgeable monkeys, the all-seeing snake, the perceptive crow and the protective spider. The humans decided to revolt against the wolves and their ruthless methods, and joined forces with the other guardians to kill them.
However, the village incurred the killed wolves’ enmity, and became cursed for eternity. Due to this curse, mist confines the mountain every few years, and marks the start of an event called the Feast of the Yomi-Purge. This feast is a gathering which is conducted to find and slay the resurrected wolves, borrowing the power of the guardians of the mountain.
Every night, the wolves will kill one person and every day, the others have to hang one person, choosing who they believed to be a wolf. The feast ends either when the wolves have killed all the humans, or when the wolves have been executed.
I. Yasumizu
Standstill. Looking down at the map which tells him apparently nothing, Haruaki concluded that he was lost. It took him two hours of a bike ride to finally realize this fact, and now he was completely surrounded by mountains.
Having no other choice, he decides to keep moving forward, hoping to find a place he can rest. Suddenly, he notices the artificial lights of a convenience store ahead of him. Hoping to find a place to rest, he asks the store clerk for the direction to the nearest city. She gives him the path to a small settlement not marked on the map. Following her succinct instruction, Haruaki arrives to a river where he encounters a young woman. She introduces herself as Chiemi and agrees to lead him to the settlement where he can at least stay the night: Yasumizu.
II. Conviviality
After a short walk from the river, the two arrive at her place. Chiemi and Haruaki spend the evening getting to know each other around a few drinks. The light-hearted conversation makes Haruaki feel safe that night.
III. Unwelcome
The following day, Haruaki gets to make the acquaintance of other villagers but they somehow are not all happy to have a visitor. The rustic buildings and leery looks he gets from the villagers are an unpleasant welcome, but what makes him even more uncomfortable is the feeling that something is very wrong with this place. This sense of foreboding will soon become horribly real, and Haruaki doesn’t feel safe anymore.
Before he can realise what is happening, a mist starts surrounding Yasumizu. The atmosphere is different and now his head is hurting.
“Deal with it! You’ve gotta find a place you can lock the doors! You’ll die if you don’t!”, Chiemi snaps at Haruaki.
IV. A Fatal Decision
Confused and scared, Haruaki hides inside the outhouse. Long minutes pass in this dark, uncomfortable and awkward place. What is the meaning of this anyway? Aren’t they just full of superstitions? But just as he is thinking about all the recent surreal events, a distant scream pierces his marrow and bone.
Haruaki can’t possibly ignore the scream. He pushes the door open. As he steps out, he is confronted not by the darkness of the night, but rather by a dense mist that makes him hard to get around. He starts walking though, and his eyes soon meet a shadow, a creature covered in wild fur, staring at him with red, glowing eyes. It isn’t supposed to exist.
It is the most horrifying — and last — moment of Haruaki’s life.
V. Raging Loop
Standstill. Looking down at the map which tells him apparently nothing, Haruaki concluded that he was lost. It took him two hours of a bike ride to finally realize this fact, and now he was completely surrounded by the mountains.
Suddenly, he has the most intense déjà vu he ever had. Every movement and thought felt like he lived it before. The cool forest air smelled familiar and he was sure, he had seen that very view of the distant, cloudy mountain top in the past — he was in this very place in the past. A rush of memories comes to his mind. He remembers following the river. He remembers Chiemi. He remembers…!
Return to Yasumizu settlement as Haruaki, learn about The Feast of the Yomi-Purge and use your memories to survive the horrific mind games of Raging Loop.