Taiki is a lonely boy, and the only family he has is a Shiba Inu puppy named Musashi. After Musashi dies, Taiki prays at a shrine, and Musashi comes back as an Inubashira, a divine canine. His body, though, is bound by a cursed chain of unknown origin.

Mononoke No Kuni is a 3D action-adventure in which you travel with that Shiba Inu and purify the yokai that attack you. It is a single-player game planned for PC (Steam) in 2027, and English is supported across the interface, voice audio and subtitles. Lights-Interactive is developing it, with Happinet publishing.

Why is Taiki traveling?

To break the chain, Taiki gathers three sacred relics. Along the way, Taiki purifies eight great yokai. He does not defeat them. He returns them to Yomi. Beyond them, a serpent god is said to be waiting.

The titular mononoke are on Taiki’s side. They come to him with their troubles, and as he helps them, he joins forces with them to stand against the yokai. On the road, he explores villages, rescues wounded mononoke and helps rebuild the villages. Earning trust there is also part of the gameplay.

Taiki swings a wooden Shinto wand with white paper streamers at night, while Musashi, in a ninja hood and holding a sword in his mouth, crouches beside him on a glowing blue circle

Can you deflect every attack?

The game features 3D action combat with jumping. Taiki fights with Japanese-style weapons such as a Shinto purification wand and paper talismans, chaining charge attacks, dodges, guards and parries.

It comes down to timing. Time it right, and a parry turns aside every attack. Getting through without taking a single hit, or deflecting strike after strike with the smallest possible movements, is said to depend on the player’s skill.

There is also a casual mode, made for enjoying the story and the adventure with Musashi at your own pace.

The game includes both a parry that can turn aside every attack and a casual mode for going at your own pace. Players who want to test their skill and players who want to follow the story will likely each find their own way to keep traveling with Musashi.

What can you do for Musashi?

Outside of combat, Taiki can pet Musashi, feed him and train him. Taiki can also dress him in ninja or samurai outfits. Once a fight starts, it is Musashi’s turn to back Taiki up, with support such as automatic healing.

What changed on the way to 2027?

Lights-Interactive is an indie brand. Its head is also the game’s director, with a background as a technical artist on FINAL FANTASY XV and KINGDOM HEARTS III. The game was first announced in 2023. When Happinet was confirmed as publisher in September 2025, the game was slated for fall 2026. In June 2026, the official site announced a delay to 2027, citing further quality improvements, and said the release month would be shared later.

A month before that, in May 2026, a new build replaced the fixed top-down camera with a freely movable one. The switch was reportedly decided sometime after TOKYO GAME SHOW 2025. The team’s lead programmer had wanted to keep the top-down view. Even so, the development team chose the free camera for its strengths in combat.