Wikipedia

Ao Oni

Aooni (青鬼; lit. 'Blue Demon'), occasionally spelt as Ao Oni is a freeware horror game developed by noprops.[1][2] It was first released in Japan in November 2008. The game focuses on four children investigating and becoming trapped in an old mansion said to house a monster.[3]

Aooni
Title screen
青鬼
Video game
Developernoprops
PublisherLiTMUS (2024 remaster)
GenreSurvival Horror
EngineRPG Maker XP
PlatformMicrosoft Windows
ReleasedNovember 2008

It gained a cult following in Japan and overseas due to livestreams and playthroughs.[4] Aooni received multiple sequels and spin-offs, and has been adapted into a variety of media, including three feature-length movies, a series of light novels, a manga and an anime series.[5][4] A remaster was released on Steam and Nintendo Switch in 2024.[6]

Gameplay

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The in-game sprite for the Aooni

The player controls Hiroshi as he explores the locked mansion, gathering items and solving puzzles in order to escape. The Aooni will begin to chase the player at both random and at certain scripted moments throughout the game.[7][8][9]

Plot

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A boy named Hiroshi, along with his classmates Takuro, Takeshi, and Mika, investigates a mansion on the outskirts of town that is rumored to house a monster. They discover the Aooni, described as a naked, blueberry-colored giant who pursues the group. One by one, each of Hiroshi's classmates dies in the mansion, becoming infected with a virus that transforms them into another Aooni. Hiroshi continues to explore the mansion, solving puzzles and evading the Aoonis as he seeks a way to escape.

Development

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Aooni was first developed in 2008 by Japanese indie developer noprops with RPG Maker XP.[1][5][4] noprops had developed various puzzle games during and after Aooni's development such as Escape from the Haunted Room and White Room.[1][10][11] Four versions of the game were developed until the game's final release in 2011; these versions differ drastically in terms of plot, map layout and puzzles.[4][1] A spider-like Oni was planned to be added as an enemy in the third released version, but was scrapped due to difficulty in giving it a natural-looking walk animation.[12]

Reception and legacy

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Ao Oni has received mixed-to-positive reviews. Chloi Rad of Indie Statik gave the game a positive review, praising the "solid puzzle design" and the Oni's scare factor, but criticised the graphics and the story.[9] Italian website Horrormoth gave the game a negative review, but said it would be "nice way to pass the time".[13] Screen Rant included Aooni in their "Top 15 Best RPG Maker Horror Games" list, calling the titular demon "an extremely frightful enemy that is hard to forget and even tougher to beat".[14]

Aooni has been dubbed "probably the most famous horror game created with [RPG Maker]",[4] it has been credited for popularising horror games made with RPG Maker.[15][16] It gained a cult following online in Japan, gaining notoriety through websites such as Niconico and YouTube where Aooni-related videos had exceeded 50 million views by 2013.[5] The popularity of Aooni revolves around the effectiveness of its horror aspects despite its simplistic nature, with the background music cited as a key contributor to the game's chilling atmosphere used to incite fear.[2] Aooni gained international popularity when western YouTubers such as PewDiePie and Markiplier posted playthroughs online.[5][4] Aooni games have collectively culminated over 34 million downloads.[17] Many fangames have also spawned in the wake of the game's popularity.[1][14][18]

Makoto Sanada (known online as Hoshikuzu KRNKRN), creator of Angels of Death and Forest of Drizzling Rain [ja] was inspired to make games after learning of Aooni and its success.[19]

Adaptations

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Aooni has been adapted into a variety of media, including novels, two live-action films, anime and manga.[14][20]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Spoopy Saturday N°3 - Walkthrough Guides, Reviews, Discussion, Hints and Tips at Jay is games". Jay is games. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Horāgēmu 'Ao Oni' Kōshiki Noberu no PV ga YouTube to Niconico Dōga de Kōkai ni" ホラーゲーム「青鬼」公式ノベルのPVがYouTubeとニコニコ動画で公開に [Horror Game "Ao Oni" Official Novel PV Released on YouTube and Niconico]. 4Gamer (in Japanese). Aetas. 19 February 2013. Archived from the original on 8 May 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  3. ↑ "50 Free Indie Horror Games To Play On Halloween - Indie Statik". indiestatik.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pepe, Felipe (1 August 2024). "The history of RPG Maker & its games". Medium. Archived from the original on 3 March 2026. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Sakurai, Akihiro (8 April 2024). "Legendary Japanese horror game Ao Oni gets first-person 3D reboot on Steam". Automaton Media. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  6. ↑ "7月26日（金）に『青鬼』Nintendo Switch™/Steam®版が発売決定！". プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1｜PR TIMES (in Japanese). 5 July 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  7. ↑ "Cult Horror Game Is Getting A Live-Action Film". Kotaku Australia. 24 April 2014. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  8. ↑ "Best Horror RPG Maker Games". Game Rant. 2 October 2021. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Spooky Statik October – Day 24: Ao Oni - Indie Statik". indiestatik.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Escape from the Haunted Room - Walkthrough, Tips, Review". Jay is games. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "White Room - Walkthrough, Tips, Review". Jay is games. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  12. ↑ "ボツ - 日記". ichinichiippai.lolipop.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2 August 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "Il triste mostro blu nella grande casa vuota (Recensione "Ao Oni")". www.horrormoth.com (in Italian). Archived from the original on 17 November 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 Wilds, Anastasia (18 September 2021). "15 Best RPG Maker Horror Games". ScreenRant. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  15. ↑ "RPGツクールで作ったゲームが2010年代日本で人気の不思議 - エキサイトニュース(4/7)". エキサイトニュース (in Japanese). 12 September 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  16. ↑ "ホラゲにゲームデザインの常識は通用しない!? Jホラーゲームの第一人者『零』×『SIREN』開発者が語り合うホラーの摩訶不思議（柴田誠×外山圭一郎）【ゲームの企画書第八回】". 電ファミニコゲーマー企画記事 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  17. ↑ "シリーズ累計3,400万DL突破の大人気ホラーゲーム『青鬼』、2025年5月23日(金)にRoblox・Fortniteで2タイトル同時公開！". プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1｜PR TIMES (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  18. ↑ freepcgamers.com. "Kuro Oni". www.freepcgamers.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  19. ↑ "インタビュー：殺戮の天使（作者：星屑KRNKRN（真田まこと））公式サイト｜無料で遊べるゲームマガジン". インタビュー：殺戮の天使（作者：星屑KRNKRN（真田まこと））公式サイト｜無料で遊べるゲームマガジン (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  20. ↑ "From Tool to Subgenre to Anime: The Mysterious Journey of RPG Maker". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
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