Urban Myth Dissolution Center starting to come together

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

New "psycho-detective" mystery adventure unveiled from the creators of Makoto Wakaido’s Case Files

Are urban myths nothing more than that – myths – or are they based on something real, something intangible to all but those with the unique supernatural abilities to perceive them? The answer is very much the latter, at least according to Urban Myth Dissolution Center, the upcoming new "psycho-detective mystery adventure" from Hakababunko, creators of Makoto Wakaido’s Case Files. 

The game's titular institution is a privately owned agency that focuses on investigating urban myths such as the infamous "Axeman Under the Bed." Run by the wheelchair-bound psychic Ayumu Meguriya, the center recruits only investigators with special talent for field work, such as Azami Fukurai, who possesses the "ability to see human thoughts and the memories of places through her glasses." When she's not helping with the day-to-day operations of the facility, Azami is sent out to research a variety of different "cursed relics, dimensional anomalies, and otherworldly creatures in search of answers, delving into the paranormal activity surrounding each case." Azami's job is to collect "circumstantial evidence and social network posts to unravel the truth behind each urban myth, as well as the hidden pasts of each client, and why they came to encounter each oddity." 

As with the developer's previous games, Urban Myth Dissolution Center is a side-scrolling adventure that features an "anime aesthetic" with a distinctive pixel art presentation. Its muted palette "enhances the mystery and uncertainty" felt by the player, punctuated by impactful moments of  jarring colour contrasts. You'll encounter plenty of "monstrous oddities and otherworldly planes" in your investigations, for which Azami's unique paranormal abilities will come in handy. But you'll also do plenty of old-fashioned detective work to uncover the truth behind each paranormal disturbance, whether searching "incident scenes" for clues, scouring texts and social media posts, or utilizing the in-game search engine in order to uncover new leads online. 

There is no target release date for Urban Myth Dissolution Center so far, but the game is currently in development for PC and Switch, and is already available for wishlisting on Steam.