At the BitSummit global indie game festival held in Kyoto, Japan, an eye-catching new roguelike action game was unveiled. The title is 'CRYMELIGHT,' developed by FURYU Corporation and published in Asia by Clouded Leopard Entertainment.
'CRYMELIGHT' is the third and latest entry in the 'Cry' series, a brand of "dark bishoujo action" games characterized by dark, dreamlike worlds where girls fight with their tears. It is scheduled for a simultaneous global release on November 5, 2026, for Steam, Switch 2, and PS5. While it follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, 'CRYSTAR' and 'CRYMACHINA,' the story is not directly connected, allowing newcomers to enjoy it just as fully as the first game.
The story begins in earnest when the protagonist, a girl named 'Alice,' wakes up with no memory in 'Wonderland,' a prison in the afterlife. To return to her original world, Alice joins a brutal death game where she must cooperate with unique participants, such as the mysterious girl 'Mary,' and defeat the 'Queen of Hearts' according to the rules. Throughout this process, Alice achieves deep spiritual growth as she confronts the sorrowful 'sins' her companions committed while they were alive.
Inven met with Producer Isobe, who is leading the project, at the BitSummit venue to hear more about 'CRYMELIGHT.'
Q. Could you please provide a brief introduction to 'CRYMELIGHT'?
"'CRYMELIGHT' is the latest entry in our 'Cry' series, which FURYU has been presenting to depict "stories of cute girls fighting while shedding tears." Since it is an independent title with no connection to the world or narrative of the previous games, those who are new to the series can naturally enjoy it just as they would the first game.
The protagonist, Alice, wakes up in the afterlife known as 'Wonderland' and faces a harsh trial: she must defeat the 'Queen of Hearts' who rules Wonderland to gain her freedom. On this journey, she meets various girls and approaches the diverse sins they committed in their past lives. It is a game where you can experience the narrative of how they sublimate their sins and move toward the future.
Q. Unlike previous titles, you have adopted a top-down 'roguelike' genre.
"Yes, that is correct. This title is a top-down roguelike action game where you must start from the beginning if you die during a run. However, the system of "having to overcome challenges by repeating them over and over" actually serves as a very important plot device within the story. If you play the game to the end, you will likely slap your knee and realize, "Ah, so that's why they chose the roguelike genre."
While typical roguelike games take about 5 hours to clear, we expect the main scenario of this title alone to take about 20 hours. Since our 'Cry' series is particularly well-regarded for its scenarios, we couldn't cut back on the deep story, so we significantly increased the overall volume.
Q. The 2D-based visual art and dreamlike design are very striking.
"We unified all in-game elements, including backgrounds, maps, and characters, in 2D. We strove to maintain a high-quality screen composition that is both fantastical and feels like looking at a piece of art. The character design was handled by illustrator YOGISYA, and I am very happy that so many people have complimented how beautiful the designs are.
Q. What unique combat system stands out in the action?
"To bring out the charm of the roguelike genre, we introduced a unique 'Poker System' exclusive to this title. While you typically just choose one of the randomly presented skills, in this title, we liken the skills you acquire to playing cards. If you complete a poker 'hand' with the 5 cards you've collected, the higher the difficulty of the hand, the more dramatically powerful the skill effect becomes.
Additionally, when you defeat enemies during combat, a purple 'Wonder Dimension' space unfolds at your feet. As this space expands, you can experience exhilarating combat where the character's speed and stats increase.
For reference, Alice is the only playable character. However, we designed it so that you can switch between three types of weapons to suit the situation, so you will be able to enjoy changing your combat style to match your personal preferences.
Q. The atmosphere at the BitSummit booth is very heated. What are the reactions and feedback from users who participated in the demo?
"I am truly grateful that the demo tickets were completely distributed within just one hour, which shows how popular it is. I saw users who were genuinely frustrated after losing to a boss during the demo, asking, "Ah! Please let me try just one more time!" I am happy that the core loop of our game, which keeps players immersed, seems to have been conveyed well.
We currently operate an official Discord channel and have set up a 'suggestion box' to receive feedback from users. The valuable feedback received on-site and online is immediately shared with the development team to be positively integrated into the system, and it serves as a great driving force for refining the title into something even more perfect.
Q. It has been confirmed that the game will support Korean, which is welcome news for Korean users. Is there a reason you decided to include Korean from the launch date?
"As we have developed various games, we have deeply felt that Asian users, and especially Korean users, have played our games quite a lot. Because we want Korean gamers to be able to immerse themselves in the story from the very first day of release, we decided to include Korean support early on, starting from the initial planning stage of the project.
Q. Could you please introduce the development period, scale, and specific future release schedule?
"It has been about two and a half years since I took on the role of producer and started the initial planning for this project. The core team leading the development consists of about 20 people. It is scheduled for a simultaneous worldwide release on November 5 of this year for Steam, Switch 2, and PS5 platforms. We are currently working hard on the finishing touches to improve the completeness of the game in time for the release date.
Q. Lastly, is there a word you would like to say to the Korean gamers who are looking forward to 'CRYMELIGHT'?
"On top of the structural framework of a thoroughly planned roguelike, we have packed in the "deep and sad stories" that FURYU does best, along with attractive characters and original systems. As it will be fully supported in Korean, I hope you will play it for yourselves and watch until the very end to see what kind of conclusion the sins and tears carried by Alice and her companions will reach. We ask for the continued interest and support of our Korean fans.
Comments (0)