On 7th November, DELiGHT WORKS’ indie game label “DELiGHT WORKS INDIES” launched a media event featuring their latest Nintendo Switch title, KAMINAZO ~Mirai kara no Omoide~ (紙謎 未来からの想いで), which is slated for 28th November.
KAMINAZO is a paper-oriented puzzle game with a compelling story that players can explore through solving puzzles. The game is co-developed by DELiGHT WORKS and GIFT TEN INDUSTRY and features exclusive origami puzzle sheets that players will have to use to clear the game. The game is illustrated by Japanese illustrator Mebachi (めばち) who creates a simple-yet-nostalgic visual journey to the players. The game will be available in Japanese and English.
(L) GIFT TEN INDUSTRY Director Takashi Hamada (濱田 隆史) (R) “岡村 光” – Producer at DELiGHTWORKS
All purchases of the game will come with one free set of origami puzzle sheets that will be mailed to the player. All the origami papers required for the game can also be downloaded for free on the game’s official website.
▍Story
The game revolves around the story between Tokio and Mirai.
One day, Tokio receives a letter with a photograph from the past.
The photo shows a Tokio when he was younger… and a girl he’s never met.
Following the clues left behind by the girl, the mysteries behind the letter unravels…
▲ (L) Tokio – CV: Soma Saito (斉藤 壮馬) (R) Mirai – CV: Rie Takahashi (高橋 李依)
▍Origami x Game
During a short Q&A session in the media event, the developers talked more about why there are a free shipping and free download for the origami puzzle sheets. Due to the fact that the puzzle sheets play such a vital role in the game, these services are implemented to ensure that all players can play the game. Additionally, selected cafes in Japan will also provide the game as well as copies of the puzzle sheets to customers.
Although the game does not restrict the maximum number of players per game, the developers stated that 3-5 players per game will provide the best gameplay experience. Fully utilizing the origami puzzle sheets and the area in which the players are playing in, the game encourages players to work together to solve each puzzle without complicated instructions, making the game suitable for adults and children alike.
▍Gameplay Experience
On the day, In addition to the game running on Nintendo Switch, we were also provided with basic stationery sets including pencils, scissors, and erasers.
The demo kicked off with a basic tutorial, going over the basics of the game, from the understanding some of the symbols and icons to connecting solved puzzles together to unlock more story content.
Upon completing each puzzle, the game launches into a small scenario revealing more on the relationship between Tokio and Mirai.
Asides from origami, certain puzzles of the game require players to cut out different sections of the puzzle sheets and combine them together to create a complete clue. The completed clue in itself ties back to the story of the game. The unique experience perfectly bridges real-life actions with in-game commands.
In one of the scenarios, players are shown a photograph taken during one of Tokio’s birthday parties. The picture shows children holding different paper cut-outs as a clue. Players had to then find the corresponding puzzle sheets to re-create each cut-out in the photograph to solve the puzzle.
Whilst the puzzles may not be particularly hard, quite some time was taken to solve the puzzles when factoring in the time required to fold/cut the puzzle sheets for the clues. The overall experience was surprisingly pleasant and Mehabi’s illustrations gave the entire experience a wonderful touch.
KAMINAZO ~Mirai kara no Omiode~ is set to launch on 28th November in Japan for Nintendo Switch at the price of 2,480 JPY.
▍Gameplay with Voice Actors