If you’re in the market for some asymmetric multiplayer horror gaming but things like Dead By Daylight come on a little strong/terrifying for your taste, Free Style’s Obakeidoro 2: Chase & Seek might be more up your street. Far fewer chainsaws and the like in this one.
It launched in Japan last year, but today it’s coming to Switches 1 and 2 in the West. Obakeidoro casts you as either Monster or Human and gives the Monster(s) three minutes to chase and catch everyone else in a take on hide-and-seek that forgoes blood and guts in favour of cutesy, spoopy tension.
A follow-up to the 2019 original, this sequel ups the potential player count to eight and adds a Japanese setting and new abilities to help the humans evade the monsters (or vice versa). You get a bunch of modes to choose from and can customise the Monster/Human player ratio to your liking, as well. Local and online multiplayer is supported, and if you’ve got the Switch 2 version, you’re able to GameShare it with people who don’t own it, as well.
The trailer above should give you a good idea of what to expect, but here’s some of Free Style’s blurb and match-type info, plus a handful of screens if you don’t want to watch those new-fangled moving pictures up top:
Monsters possess unique traits and skills—such as passing through walls, high-speed movement, and powerful capture attacks. Use them wisely to craft your winning strategy! Humans must rely on teamwork to survive. Jump across floors to escape, carry your allies to safety, or flash your trump card—the Lantern—to stun the Monsters and make a break for it! Don’t panic if you get caught! Your teammates can come to the rescue and break you out of jail. However, watch out for camping Monsters—a rescue mission can easily turn into a trap, leading to a dramatic victory for the Monster team!
● Quick Match: An online battle mode with players from around the world. The available maps rotate every hour, changing up the gameplay experience. 8-player matches are held at specific times.
● Room Match: Play online in private rooms. You can restrict entry with a password or gather friends by sharing the Room ID.
● Join Friends: Jump straight into the action with friends who are already playing online. This supports both Quick Match and Room Match, letting you join your friends’ sessions directly.
● Single Player Chase & Seek: A solo mode where you can enjoy the game at your own pace. This is the best mode for earning Coins, the in-game currency used to unlock new Monsters and Lanterns.
● Local Party Chase & Seek: A local multiplayer mode for up to 8 players using multiple Nintendo Switch systems. Create a private room and face off via local wireless communication.
● Splitscreen Chase & Seek: A couch co-op/versus mode for up to 4 players on a single system. The screen splits into four, allowing families and friends to laugh and play together in the same room.
With so many games coming out and multiplayer-only or multiplayer-specific ones often presenting obstacles when it comes to full and thorough reviews, games like Obakeidoro often escape NL’s review net, unfortunately – though this does look intriguing!
It’s out now for $24.99 / £19.99 on Switch 2 ($19.99 / £16.99 on Switch 1, and you get an 80% discount on the Switch 2 version if you upgrade in the future), with a 10% discount for owners of the original game. If you’ve played the original or plan on picking this one up, let us know with a comment below.