Upon reaching its 20th anniversary, Level-5 teased the revival of a past title prompting the rumour mill to start spinning. The developer has since revealed that its cancelled supernatural horror RPG, Ushiro, will be receiving the special treatment as the game makes its way to Nintendo Switch.
Ushiro debuted during the firm’s 10th anniversary in 2008, putting the player in the shoes of a shinigami spirit that could enact a ‘deal with the devil’ scenario, exchanging wishes for lives and possessing NPCs. Combat was turn-based in order to be friendlier to mobile devices and Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP).
The game was noticeably absent by the time its expected release rolled around in 2009. All official traces, such as its website, were removed the following year, leading many to suspect that Level-5 had shelved the project. Fans weren’t entirely let down, as the developer commissioned a series of light novels and manga based on the project, fleshing out the core cast of characters.
Level-5’s surprise revival is scheduled to be revealed within Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu’s November 8th issue. Destructoid managed to catch the news early, however, revealing an interaction between the publisher and president Akihiro Hino stating that Ushiro would be moved to the ‘Switch’ category to finally get it out from the PSP’s list of upcoming games.
It sounds like the team is still currently in pre-production with quite a way to go, as the project has yet to begin true development. While it will undoubtedly be different from the 10-year-old PSP prototype footage above, Hino has said that it will maintain a “more serious tone” that is akin to horror.
KitGuru Says: Once again, I’m saddened that the Dark Cloud series has yet to be revisited, however Ushiro does look to have a gripping concept. Did you miss out on Ushiro back in 2008?