MiSide
A metafictional horror adventure about a virtual girlfriend.
MiSide is an adventure game developed by the Russian indie development team AIHASTO. Released on Steam on December 11, 2024, the game begins with a light-hearted tone as the player downloads a mobile game and interacts with an anime-styled virtual girlfriend, but soon shifts into a metafictional horror narrative. The game gained rapid popularity for its blend of cute aesthetics and psychological horror.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- AIHASTO
- Publisher
- WW · IndieArk · JP · Shochiku
- Released
- December 11, 2024
- Platforms
- Windows
- Modes
- Single-player
- Genre
- Adventure
- Engine
- Unity
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
MiSide was developed by AIHASTO, a team of two Russian indie developers: MakenCat, the programmer and animator, and Umeerai, the texture and model designer. Prior to MiSide, they were known for the horror game Umfend. A sneak peek teaser video showing the early menu of the project was released in 2022. The game features Russian voice acting provided by the dubbing team DreamCast, and Japanese voice acting for Mita by Kana Hanaiwa, previously known for her role as Lilja Katsuragi in The Idolmaster Shiny Colors.
Reader's Guide
MiSide's significance lies in its rapid viral success and critical acclaim, receiving over 10,000 reviews on Steam within a week of release with a 98% 'Overwhelmingly Positive' rating, and over 40,000 reviews by December 30, 2024. Ethan Gach at Kotaku attributed this success to social media virality, clip sharing, coverage by popular streamers like Markiplier, and pre-release anticipation from its well-received 2023 demo. Reviewers highlighted its blend of psychological horror with a cute and comforting atmosphere, engaging narrative, and immersive gameplay. The game's plot involves a player transported into a game world after 37 days, confronting an evil version of Mita named Crazy Mita, and exploring multiple endings, including a Peaceful Mode still under development. Its legacy is as a standout indie horror title that effectively uses metafictional elements and player choice.
Did You Know?
- The game was developed by a two-person Russian indie team, AIHASTO, previously known for the horror game Umfend.
- An early demo was published on itch.io in July 2023, and an updated demo with Russian voice acting was released on Steam on August 11, 2023.
- The game received over 40,000 reviews on Steam by December 30, 2024, with a 98% 'Overwhelmingly Positive' rating.
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