Hide-and-seek was—and still is—a popular game known to virtually every person alive on this planet. The simple theme of running as the “seeker” and trying to find those hiding—or vice a versa—is simple fun that can be experienced basically anywhere with a few good hiding spots. Imagine for a moment hide-and-seek was amplified a bit with the inclusion of monsters and you get what seems like a scary idea. Well, in our game we’re reviewing today, maybe the idea is nightmare inducing, but the actual title is far from spooky. Obakeidoro! from developer Free Style Games is a chibi-anime themed hide-and-seek-game that screams fun from the moment you begin playing. Those who love the immortalized game of hide-and-seek might find Obakeidoro! worth your interest, but does it actually end up becoming a fun game? We spent several hours with Obakeidoro! and have our thoughts below for those willing to listen! Check out below our full review of Obakeidoro! for the Nintendo Switch!

Obakeidoro! feels like an intense—albeit simple—game of hide-and-seek. Players choose between either the humans or monsters and must complete a specific objective. As humans, players have to survive by hiding/running from the monsters. Monsters must chase humans down to capture them and do it before the sun rises. Each game lasts 3 minutes and the side that completes their mission comes out as the victor!

In a world unseen by most lies creatures in the dark who have been longing for humans to spirit away. Two children—alongside others—have recently fallen victim to the monster’s goal and have wound up in a twisted world that favors the creatures. In this realm, the children must utilize the power of their lanterns to ward the monsters away and stay safe as the sun rises. If they can survive, they will get to see another day of bright sunshine in this strange world. However, if the monsters capture them, who knows what fate awaits them…

Dead by Daylight has gotten a lot of love for the last several years with its constant updates and attempts at giving players new killers/content in droves. That’s why we’ve also seen a lot of competitors try their hands at Dead by Daylight-like games with mixed results. A game that recently released—and the subject of today’s review—seemed to have a similar idea to Dead by Daylight but in a more lighthearted manner. Enter Obakeidoro!, a E-rated game that is like Dead by Daylight in theory but quickly becomes its own thing once you begin playing. Does Obakeidoro! change up the genre with its monster vs human style? We find out in our full review of Obakeidoro! for the Nintendo Switch!

Obakeidoro! might be compared to Dead by Daylight, but in our minds—and something we mentioned earlier—it feels more akin to hide-and-seek or cops-and-robbers like the Nintendo Store page mentions. Obakeidoro! has players choosing between two roles, humans or monsters. The goal is relatively simple, each side has 3 minutes to fulfil a specific goal. Humans must survive by not being caught by the monster and the monster must chase the humans down and capture them in a jail of sorts. If even one human lives for 3 minutes, then they win, but if the monster can capture all three humans, then it’s their win! While extremely simple, there are some neat ideas that make each side pretty fun and just a bit skill based.

Beginning with humans, their power comes in the form of a lantern they can equip before the beginning of the match. There are different lanterns each with special abilities that range from freezing a monster for several seconds up close or from a distance. Beyond that, players can also unlock different humans as they level up from playing and completing their goals as well as specific achievements. Humans must learn when to run and equally when to hide from the monster. If they are caught, they are sent to a prison which can be opened via other players and once they are freed, they regain a single use of their lantern. We enjoyed playing as the humans often as escaping the monsters’ grasps can be quite adrenaline inducing.

Monster players have the greatest variety of gameplay elements but ultimately are focused on one goal, get the humans before the timer runs out. There are several monsters each boasting different skills like quick speed or the ability to phase through objects. The monsters themselves have a variety of styles that mirror story themed baddies like a nasty werewolf or sinister ghosts, but they all look cuter than scary seeing as they are chibi-fied.

Obakeidoro! has several ways to play for those who need a bit of variety but don’t expect the game to change much either. Players can go online and play with others worldwide, play with friends via local play and/or even play offline against AI opponents. Don’t think the AI players are easy, by the way, readers. We had several AI only matches and we lost a few as the AI is smart and knows how best to juke the monster or even hide in spots you wouldn’t imagine. Players can actually learn a bit from offline play and see how the AI approaches specific maps and situations to utilize in their own play style. Regardless of your choice of play, you’ll get points/level up that helps you unlock new monsters/lanterns from an in-game shop. It won’t take long to get most of the game’s content unlocked but that helps avoid having to be forced to use the same monster a million times before nabbing a cooler character you want to use.

If Obakeidoro! had any weaknesses, they would come in several small forms. The first issue that you’ll notice rather quickly is how repetitive Obakeidoro! can become. There are only a handful of maps in Obakeidoro! and most don’t change the central theme of the game. Another bigger problem with Obakeidoro! is if you have a laggy connection, expect some truly unfair captures. We can’t count the number of times we were ten feet away from a monster and still got nabbed due to a strange lag spike. Then the last—more minor—problem with Obakeidoro! is amount of content overall. If you want to compare Obakeidoro! with Dead by Daylight then you’ll realize this game will only last if more enemies and maps are included as time passes. Longevity wise, Obakeidoro! might falter if three or more months pass and there aren’t any pieces of DLC to obtain.

Obakeidoro! can be compared heavily to Dead by Daylight, but in our minds, these two games only share small comparisons. Where Dead by Daylight gives players—both killers and survivors—a load of tools to survive, Obakeidoro! uses very small perks that differ slightly to make the game a focus on fun above all else. Playing Obakeidoro! can become a bit repetitive due to the short number of maps and lack of diversity between monsters/lanterns but the short burst sessions keep the game casual orientated for a nice relaxing feel. Obakeidoro! isn’t going to be a game we can see people playing years from now like Dead by Daylight, but for now, it’s a fun game that’s fitting on the Nintendo Switch. Plus, for the low price of $19.99, you’re getting a good title to sink several dozen hours into and play with people around the world.

Obakeidoro! isn’t the best game like Dead by Daylight, but it’s a fun game regardless. We still play rounds of Obakeidoro! when we are relaxing at home or are forced to wait in some place for more than a few minutes. Obakeidoro! succeeds at being a fun game and ultimately, that is what we always think is the most important element of any game like this. Will Obakeidoro! be fun years from now…probably not, but we don’t feel like putting it down anytime soon and that is a good thing indeed! Are you going to download Obakeidoro!? Let us know in the comments below and keep stuck to our hive here at Honey’s Anime for even more game/anime reviews!