There’s a new wave of Indonesian indie games that dare to mix nostalgia with psychological horror, and Kumitantei: Old-School Slaughter is leading the charge. Developed by Mango Factory LLC, this episodic murder-mystery ADV card-battler traps you inside a chilling retro world that feels both familiar and fresh. Set in an alternate 1989 Japan, sixteen elite students are locked in a decaying bunker for what’s called the Apathy Experiment, where science becomes the excuse for bloodshed.
What makes it stand out is how it fuses the mood of 80s anime with intense decision-driven gameplay. You’re not just solving murders. You’re building trust, uncovering lies, and trying to stay human when every “friend” could be your next killer.
Retro Fear Reimagined
The first thing that catches your eye is the visual style. Kumitantei looks like a long-lost anime from 1989, complete with CRT-style lighting, dramatic shadows, and hand-drawn character designs inspired by classics like Urusei Yatsura. But beneath the nostalgic surface lies something much darker.
Its art direction uses familiar warmth to hide dread. Every smile hides paranoia, every hallway hums with static, and every murder feels personal. The atmosphere shifts smoothly from eerie calm to pure panic, keeping you alert even in moments of silence.
Life Among Killers
Instead of relying on constant action, Kumitantei builds tension through connection. During Free Time sequences, you can talk to classmates, give gifts, and uncover personal stories. These small moments matter because trust directly influences the cards you earn and your chances in future trials.
Read Also! 7 Days in the Fire Mountain – A Short Indonesian Survival Journey Full of Mystery
The emotional range here is striking. One moment you’re laughing over shared memories, and the next you’re watching the same person die in front of you. That shift between warmth and horror gives the game a strong emotional rhythm that few others manage to pull off.
Blood and Logic
When another student dies, the tone changes completely. Investigation segments force you to think like a detective collecting clues, cross-checking evidence, and piecing together motives. It’s classic visual novel logic play, but there’s always the pressure of knowing one wrong step might cost everyone’s life.
Then comes the Clinical Trial, where the truth turns into a battle. Using the cards you’ve collected, you enter tense debate matches that feel like verbal duels. The mix of logic, bluffing, and timing brings a new level of intensity, reminiscent of Ace Attorney and Danganronpa, but with a sharper sense of consequence.
Strategy in Every Card
Your deck is your lifeline. Cards represent arguments, clues, or emotional leverage. How you build that deck reflects your playstyle, some players might go for pure logic, others for manipulation. Every choice changes how you approach debates and who ends up surviving them.
Read Also! Once Upon a Kingdom — A Blend of Strategy, Cards, and Ancient Myths in One World
There’s no single perfect strategy. The beauty of Kumitantei lies in its flexibility. You can adapt, experiment, and grow as new episodes release. Each chapter feels like a new test, not just of skill, but of morality.
Nostalgia and Play
Amid the fear, Kumitantei surprises you with moments of lighthearted fun. The bunker hides arcade machines that recreate 80s-style mini-games, complete with catchy 8-bit music and pixel-perfect visuals. You can even play a claw machine called Kitty Catcher to earn gifts for your classmates.
These playful diversions don’t just act as breaks from the tension. They highlight the contrast between youth and cruelty, innocence and survival. The game’s ability to balance both tones keeps it emotionally grounded, even when the story turns brutal.
Identity in Ruin
As the story unfolds, you’ll find scattered clues about your past and why you were chosen for the Apathy Experiment. The plot never hands you answers, it lets you piece them together through decisions and relationships. Each episode deepens the mystery while pushing your character’s sense of morality to its limits.
Read Also! Protect My Cheese: Cats vs Rats for a Slice of Cheese
It’s more than just surviving the experiment. Kumitantei explores what happens when survival itself becomes a test of humanity. That theme, paired with personal storytelling and haunting worldbuilding, makes every episode hit harder than the last.
Made in Madness
Though heavily inspired by Japanese media, Kumitantei reflects the creative rise of Indonesian developers who use familiar aesthetics to tell deeper emotional stories. Like A Space for the Unbound and Divination, it embraces introspection and cultural memory, using nostalgia to deliver a modern psychological edge.
It’s a rare example of a game that feels globally relevant yet regionally rooted. Its tone, pacing, and visual design show how Asian indie studios are shaping narrative-driven games in bold, distinctive ways.
Add to Steam!
Kumitantei: Old-School Slaughter isn’t a simple throwback. It’s a complex blend of anime nostalgia, detective storytelling, and card-based strategy that captures the tension of classic mystery games while standing out as something fresh.
It’s coming to Steam Early Access in 2026. Add it to your wishlist now and see if you can survive the bunker, expose the truth, and discover what really lies behind the Apathy Experiment.
Reference:
Mango Factory LLC. – Game Developer
Kumitantei Steampage
Kumitantei Trailer