Hachishaku

About

Hachishaku is a single player survival simulation game with horror, mystery, comedy and erotic themes. It was developed by Trash Panda Games and was released on May 1, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

Narrative In the recently abandoned village of NaniNani Mura, the last in a lineage of pure monks named Chado-san searches for answers about why he was sent away to Tokyo as a child, why the residents have all fled, and what happened to the beautiful child hood friend he remembers fondly. However a legendary Spirit haunts the village and is hunting your pure energy! Protect Chado-san's purity an…

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 171 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

stability7 negative mentions

Unique blend of lighthearted horror and comedy inspired by Japanese folklore featuring the urban legend Hachishaku-sama, providing a fresh indie horror experience.
Customization options with unlockable outfits for Hachishaku and multiple gameplay modes, including exploration, stealth, and an action mode with alien encounters, adding variety and replayability.
Engaging atmosphere and character design with appealing art style, humor, and a surprisingly wholesome story and ending that balances the suggestive themes and playful tone.

Gameplay and AI bugs including Hachishaku teleporting unexpectedly, getting stuck, poor pathfinding, and the stalker often feeling non-threatening or inconsistent, which detracts from tension.
The map design and navigation are confusing and unhelpful, lacking clear markers or a full overview, which makes finding objectives frustrating and slows gameplay progression.
Performance and optimization issues, such as stuttering, crashes, and poor controls including lack of controller support and no save checkpoints, combined with somewhat clunky mechanics and limited content length.

gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
61%
13%
The gameplay centers on stealth, exploration, and survival within a rural village, emphasizing navigation and awareness over combat. While the stalking mechanics add tension and replay value, some players find the content limited and navigation challenging. Despite occasional mechanical issues and bugs, many appreciate the smooth gameplay, customization options, and unique atmosphere that create a memorable experience.
- “The game is silly fun with a shockingly wholesome ending even if the moment-to-moment gameplay can feel a bit wonky at times.”
- “The gameplay is structured around exploration and survival within a quiet, abandoned rural village.”
- “There are no real combat mechanics to rely on, so survival depends on awareness, stealth, and efficient navigation of the environment.”
- “Map is too big, insane amount of bugs, boring gameplay, poorly made.”
- “The gameplay loop is straightforward, and while the unpredictability of the stalking mechanics adds some replayability, the amount of content is limited.”
- “A major complaint with the gameplay is that the food items don't immediately explain what they do (the text is in kanji), but moving around after picking them up should give you an immediate idea.”
story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
74%
13%
The story is generally simple, with a melancholic yet wholesome and endearing tone that complements the game's atmosphere. While some find it charming and surprisingly meaningful, others feel the narrative is brief, underdeveloped, or lacking in impactful storytelling. Overall, it serves more as a backdrop to gameplay and collectibles rather than a deeply engaging plot.
- “As you move through abandoned houses, shrines, and overgrown paths, you uncover fragments of story through notes, environmental details, and scattered clues.”
- “It feels less like a traditional plot and more like a quiet unraveling of past events, which suits the contemplative pacing of the gameplay.”
- “But the story (yes there is in fact a story) is surprisingly wholesome and endearing.”
- “Not to mention how many pages you want to collect for the lore. The writing is bad, storytelling basically doesn't exist and provides nothing that I want to care about.”
- “The story is fair, the hachishakusama is creative, however the game is short.”
- “The plot is a bit short.”
humor
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its lighthearted, silly, and absurd tone, blending funny horror elements with playful characters and quirky lore. Players enjoy the comedic twists, humorous notes, and the protagonist's exaggerated "alpha male" persona, making the experience entertaining and fun without taking itself too seriously. While not a traditional horror game, its charm and humor provide ample laughs and enjoyment.
- “Jokes aside 777/10 perfect game, truly enjoyable and very fun, the humor was funny, and the game brought me hours of joy, I truly hope the devs continue to add more content/chapters!”
- “It's exactly what it looks like and very silly but has great humor and a wholesome twist and the music is great.”
- “On top of the jizo statues, the main collectibles, you can also find notes written by former villagers, and these are almost all hilarious.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game experiences frequent bugs and glitches, including first-person view glitches, freezing during repeated interactions, and specific character-related issues. While these stability problems can be frustrating and sometimes game-breaking, the developer is aware and has planned updates to address them. Overall, stability is a notable concern but not completely detracting from the game’s enjoyment.
- “The game is buggy a lot of the time.”
- “The game freezes in the interaction window if you try to interact with the same item multiple times.”
- “1st person view glitches when you turn too fast.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a surprisingly wholesome and endearing emotional experience, blending silly humor with heartfelt moments. Its story, driven by genuine passion, resonates with players through a mix of humor and a touching, wholesome twist.
- “The game is silly fun with a shockingly wholesome ending, even if the moment-to-moment gameplay can feel a bit wonky at times.”
- “There’s something very wholesome about a developer just creating a passion project for the love of the game.”
- “But the story (yes, there is in fact a story) is surprisingly wholesome and endearing.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Hachishaku delivers a distinctive and memorable atmosphere rooted in Japanese folklore, blending melancholic tones with subtle, restrained sound design that enhances tension and immersion. Its unconventional approach and effective stalking mechanics create a haunting world that lingers with players, though some desire more atmospheric music variety.
- “Hachishaku is a peculiar and memorable indie horror experience that builds itself around a familiar piece of Japanese urban folklore but chooses to interpret it in a way that feels both atmospheric and unexpectedly unconventional.”
- “The tension created by its stalking mechanics, combined with its atmospheric world and unconventional design choices, makes it a game that is easy to remember even after it ends.”
- “I just wish there was more atmospheric music besides the running/walking, radio, or shaku-sama noises.”
- “While the story is not particularly complex, it carries a certain melancholic tone that complements the game’s atmosphere.”
- “The sound design supports this atmosphere with ambient noises, distant echoes, and subtle cues that signal danger, though it remains relatively restrained.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's music is generally enjoyable with standout tracks like the run music and humorous boss themes, but it can feel repetitive and sparse overall, lacking atmospheric variety beyond basic sounds.
- “It's exactly what it looks like and very silly but has great humor and a wholesome twist and the music is great.”
- “The run music was great and finding all the statues and shrines wasn't so bad.”
- “And in terms of music, it can be repetitive quickly, even if it's not bad.”
- “When the girl sees you, anime boss music starts to play at ear-piercingly full blast.”
- “Game almost doesn't have any music.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Replayability is generally appreciated due to the unpredictable stalking mechanics and unlockable costumes, adding personality and variety to the experience. However, the limited amount of content and straightforward gameplay loop may reduce long-term appeal, with some players feeling it undermines the game's intended fear factor. Additional customization and more playable content could further enhance replay value.
- “The unlockable wardrobe system—comprising numerous costumes and accessories—adds to the replayability, making the game worth full price. Additional customization options for the dressing room interface, especially a dedicated photo mode feature, would further enhance the experience.”
- “It actually did manage to creep me out a few times and has good replay value.”
- “The gameplay loop is straightforward, and while the unpredictability of the stalking mechanics adds some replayability, the amount of content is limited.”
- “I hope the author can add more playable content.”
- “For some players, it adds personality and replay value; for others, it risks undermining the sense of fear the game works to establish.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
Optimization for this UE5 game is mixed, with some users finding it acceptable while others report significant performance issues such as high GPU usage, resolution drops, stuttering, and graphical glitches even on high-end hardware. Overall, optimization appears to be a notable concern for many players.
- “Some might have problems with optimization, but I think it's good enough for a UE5 game.”
- “Unreal Engine 5 is very poorly optimized.”
- “Poor optimization: I'm playing on RTX 3070 and have to play at 720p resolution or my GPU goes to 100%.”
- “Many objects pop in and out, with a lot of shading issues and stuttering in some spots.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The graphics are considered subpar and poorly optimized, reflecting the work of a lone developer with minimal settings to adjust. Despite expectations, the game performs poorly visually, even on high-end hardware, leading to a consistently low frame rate and an overall unsatisfactory graphical experience.
- “The graphics are what you can expect from a lone dev, and the ability to tweak settings is minimal.”
- “I know graphics aren't everything, but man, this game looks and plays bad.”
- “I don't know if the game bugged out or not, but these penumbra-like graphics somehow ran at 20 FPS on a 3060 Ti.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game’s character development stands out through its blend of stylized design and psychological depth, creating a unique duality where beauty and unease coexist. This approach enhances the narrative by balancing slow-burn tension with playful, optional interactions.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding is primarily focused on farming money and completing collectibles, but once all costumes and items are obtained, there is little incentive to continue playing.