Tokyo RPG Factory has had an unenviable task – replicating the golden age of RPGs.  It has proven an impossibility, of course, as nostalgia is a non-renewable resource.

For the first time in the studio’s brief history, it looks like they’ve said damn the torpedoes and moved full-speed ahead to making a contemporary RPG.  Oninaki does not worship at the church of ATB.  Instead, think of it as a modern interpretation of a 16-bit hack-n-slash…with Xenoblade 2-like specials….and a Twilight Princess-ish dark world thrown in for good measure.  Depending on your daemon-compatriot of choice, you also might have a dash-dodge that wouldn’t feel out of place in Hyper Light Drifter.  This trailer doesn’t do justice to the potential of this system, but if you aren’t close to your Switch, it’s a great way to whet your appetite.

But that’s not even the best part.

No, the best part is a twisted tale of death and reincarnation.  I won’t spoil it for you, but Oninaki’s demo has more grim turns in it than an emo ghost story – and that’s a compliment.  I’ve never played a demo and immediately pre-ordered a game.  Until today.

There are still some kinks here and there, odd pacing and some stilted animations.  But if Oninaki keeps this up, it won’t just be Tokyo RPG Factory’s best game.  It might be a candidate for best game of this year.