Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines gets new Wailers Way labyrinth; contest starts today

Hello PlayStation Vita fans. On behalf of the Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines team, I am excited to announce some fun news for the game.

First, let’s kick things off with the in-game contest we are calling Wailers Way. Starting today, 28th May, and running until 10th June, there will be a newly named labyrinth called “Wailers Way”, which is a special area where the goal is to kill as many Oni as possible and to reach a minimum specified score.

If you succeed you’ll receive a bundle of in-game prizes, so join in the fun!

We also recently caught up with the game designer, Shoji Masuda, and found out a few tidbits you might not know about Oreshika. Without further ado, it’s over to Masuda-san:

How did Kōchin get her name?
Shoji Masuda: First, it comes from the English word ‘coach’, because she’s the character who coaches and guides players in the game. It also comes from the Chinese word for North Star. It’s fitting because the North Star doesn’t move and shines down on you, watching over you – much like how Kōchin watches over your clan as you go through multiple generations struggling against the curse placed upon them.

Do you have favourite “last words” from within the game?
Shoji Masuda: For Oreshika, over 800 departing words were created for the game and my favourite one is, “Our numbers rise, our numbers fall, it is nothing more than the way of the world”. Those words perfectly represent what I felt the first time I held my firstborn in my arms.

What were some of the deciding factors in bringing the game to PS Vita?
Shoji Masuda: Oreshika is the type of game that you can pick up and play in a casual fashion – perfect for a handheld game console. Nowadays, people have an internet connection pretty much everywhere, which allowed the development team to add the function of players connecting their clans with other players’ clans and interacting with them wherever they happen to be.

Do you have any tips for mating with the Gods of Oreshika?
Shoji Masuda: If you’re a hardcore player who is focused on maximizing your stats, you can choose gods strategically. You could also pick them based on visual appearance. If you like the way a certain god looks, you’ll want to integrate their features into your clan. By picking gods based on visual characteristics, it might take you a bit longer to clear the game because you’re not hyper-focused on status parameters, but it wouldn’t stop you from having a good time!

Kōchin moves a lot when sitting still. What brought about all of her animations?
Shoji Masuda: If it were a male character, we wouldn’t have been able to make as many actions as we did. The game character creator for Kōchin basically fell in love with her as he was creating her. He just kept making more and more actions for her!

Being able to see the loot prior to battle is unique. What inspired you to include that game mechanic?
Shoji Masuda: As you play this game, you have to think about future generations. In the game, your character’s stats are passed on to the next generation. In the real world, a parent’s physical possessions and status in society are often passed down to children as well. With that in mind, we wanted players to see, for example, that there may be an item that they won’t get in this generation, but maybe in the next, or maybe there’s a special item that is bequeathed to you by your parent, who also got it passed down from their parent. We wanted players to develop an affection and treasure the items that they have.

We’re excited to leave you with one more exciting announcement before we sign off. We’ve been listening to our fans and we are pleased to release an Oreshika theme, complete with music and icons, for PS Vita and PlayStation TV via PlayStation Store on 10th June!

And if you still haven’t downloaded Oreshika yet, the game is available on the PlayStation Store for €19.99.