Akupara Games has announced they’ve picked up publishing for Mango Factory’s murder-mystery game Kumitantei: Old-School Slaughter.
Kumitantei: Old-School Slaughter will be published by Akupara Games when it launches for Windows PC (via Steam) sometime in 2026. A playable demo is out now.
“I’ve always wanted to make things because I loved other things,” creative director Selina Kibara said in a press release. “Kumitantei is the product of us wanting to put a bunch of our favourite media into a blender and create something new from existing pieces, wearing our inspirations on our sleeve.”
Kibara added, “When I was a kid I watched so much older anime and played so many adventure games, I fell madly in love with them, so I wanted to make a game that was as big of a tribute to them as I possibly could. So many developers now seem almost embarrassed to embrace the media that’s inspired them, whether out of legal concerns or fear of being called derivative. I’d rather make something derivative than something insincere.”
Here’s a rundown on the game, plus a new trailer:
Visually inspired by Urusei Yatursa and set in an alternate 1989 Empire of Japan, play as Himari Sanada, a barista thrust into a deadly game alongside fifteen other Absolute students. Trapped within the Janus Institute’s underground bunker, these elite talents must kill or be killed, all for the benefit of the sinister Apathy Experiment.
Blending retro anime aesthetics with psychological horror, Kumitantei challenges players to investigate gruesome crime scenes, engage in intense Clinical Trials and befriend classmates for an edge over the competition. These card-based debates demand sharp wit and careful deduction, where only the truth will set you free. Every choice matters as trust becomes your most valuable and dangerous currency.
Will you band together with your classmates to uncover the Apathy Experiment’s dark secrets, or lose your lives and humanity in the process?
Features
- Bond with your classmates! – Get to know the Absolute Class of ’89 by listening to them, giving them gifts, and receiving powerful cards to use during debates!
- Investigate grisly murders – With cataclysm at the doorstep, unearth the twisting forgotten halls of the Nestrium. Hidden secrets lurk behind every nook, cranny, and hole in the wall, with only you to discover the wealth that lies within.
- Survive the Trial! – Use your detective skills to comb through slain classmates’ crime scenes and take your evidence to trial!
- Build your deck! – Create absolute combos using cards you find in the Bunker and through bonding with your classmates to dominate the debates and trials!
- Earn Prizes with the Kitty Catcher – Easily bond with your new friends by giving them personalized gifts from the definitely-not-rigged Kitty Catcher!
- Please insert coin! – Test your retro gaming skills in a variety of faithfully crafted anemoic riffs on true old-school arcade icons!
