Within the past year or so, Japanese horror games made in RPGMaker and its contemporaries have been gaining ground on the Tumblr circuit. This is partly thanks to XSEED's excellent translation of the PSP re-release of Corpse Party, but a number of fan-translators such as VGPerson and Memories of Fear have also stepped up to the bat, translating more intriguing works such as Mermaid Swamp and Toilet in Wonderland, among others.

Given that these are unpaid individuals doing translation out of the goodness of their heart, they obviously can't tackle everything. Many valid horror titles seemed doomed to Western obscurity, held back by the language barrier. That was, until now.

AKEMI-TAN is an occult horror game made in WolfRPG Engine by Japanese developer Kona5 and translated by Tosiaki7. The protagonist is a teenage girl (with a body odor level of 999) named Shimoko, who has been tasked to deliver an offering of food to her village's guardian. It is said that anyone who eats food meant as an offering is doomed to a curse, but Shimoko is hungry, and who believes in these old superstitions anyway? Things take a turn for the strange when Shimoko arrives back home and begins hearing bizarre gurgling sounds, and as she goes to sleep, a deep voice tells her that she will not be forgiven...

AKEMI-TAN's plot is a by-the-numbers supernatural horror affair. Its characters aren't particularly interesting, nor is the premise as to why these events are occurring. However, these flaws can easily be overlooked: AKEMI-TAN is at its absolute best when its mired in the depths of surreal horror. A starfish monster silently clinging to a wall, a banshee examining its face in a bathroom mirror, an endless hallway, a wrong turn in a forest leading to a black screen accompanied with audio that can only be described as the sound of digestion. Many of these horrific experiences have no explanation, and they do not require explanation. They are ambiguous, sinister and mind-bending. AKEMI-TAN sets its tone right out of the gate with its bizarre title screen: an incomprehensible image of a woman featuring an infinitely repeating loop of discordant noise. It feels cursed, it feels wrong, it feels oh-so-right.

There are several parts of AKEMI-TAN in which not much happens. Shimoko will be exploring a deserted locale without being pursued by an antagonist. If handled incorrectly, this can diminish the atmosphere and evoke boredom in the player, but Kona5 keeps players on their toes with perfectly timed sound effects and blink-and-you'll-miss-it images. They never feel like cheap pop-scares, as these are wont to do, but add to the fascinating and oppressive enigma that is AKEMI-TAN's mise en scène. The tension just never stops.

Overall, I found AKEMI-TAN to be an immensely enjoyable game, which inspired me to look through Kona5's back catalogue. I can't wait to see what this developer comes up with next--Kona5 is a true punk rocker, and he's definitely one to keep an eye on.