Onigashima

About Onigashima

Onigashima is a free horror visual novel made with Ren'Py for the Spooktober Visual Novel Jam 2025, led by the writer and programmer azureXtwilight with a team of artists and programmers, and drawn in a watercolour style. The full game downloads free for Windows, Mac and Linux from itch.io; the browser version is a demo. The makers say no generative AI was used, and a Steam page is up as coming soon.

You name yourself and play the Oni Slayer, who defeated the Yamakui, a monster that came down the mountain to feed on the villagers every Red Moon. Everyone tells the story of how the Red Moon fell and peace came back. Now you can relax with your friends: Shiori the bubbly shrine maiden, who is always on your side, maybe a little too much; Yamato the hot-blooded samurai, who keeps calling you a liar; and Hikaru the masked guardian, who always seems to know where you are.

But the Yamakui's armour feels strange, your friends say things you do not remember, and the next Red Moon is seven days away. The game opens like a cosy story after the credits, and that is the point: the makers promise that the story does not end at happily ever after. There are nine ending variants and one true ending, and romance is optional, with tragic outcomes.

The makers warn of psychological horror, emotional manipulation, mild gore and implied violence, possession, identity loss and betrayal, unsettling sound effects and flashing images. Players on itch.io rate it 4.9 out of 5. It suits players who like horror visual novels where a gentle surface hides something wrong, in the manner of Doki Doki Literature Club or Higurashi.

How to play Onigashima

1. Download the full game free from its itch.io page for Windows, Mac or Linux (the browser version is a demo).
2. Name your Oni Slayer and start the story.
3. Read on and choose what to say and who to spend time with over the days before the Red Moon.
4. Watch for details that do not fit what you remember.
5. Replay with other choices to find the nine ending variants and the true ending.

Tips

• Read the content warnings first; there are flashing images.
• Play the full download rather than the browser demo.
• Pay attention when your friends mention things you do not remember.
• Save before big choices so you can go back for other endings.

Questions