Play Mizuki Shigeru no Youkai Hyakkiyakou (Japan) Online

You creep through yokai-filled villages where spirits block your path—some want to chat, others throw sliding puzzles at you. That kappa still owes me a cucumber.

Genre: Adventure

Released: 1994

File size: 760 bytes

Game Overview

Mizuki Shigeru no Youkai Hyakkiyakou is one of those weird, wonderful SNES games that never left Japan—which is a shame, because it’s basically a playable GeGeGe no Kitaro episode. You wander through villages and forests packed with grinning yokai, some helpful, some hilariously petty. Ever had a sliding block puzzle thrown at you by a grumpy wall spirit? You will here.

The art style is pure Mizuki—all exaggerated expressions and rubbery limbs—and the music’s this perfect mix of spooky and playful. Half the fun is figuring out which yokai to befriend or avoid (pro tip: never trust a Tanuki’s sales pitch). It’s not quite an RPG, not quite an adventure game, but something stranger in between. I still think about that one Kappa who demanded cucumbers as tribute.

If you’ve got a soft spot for folklore or just love SNES deep cuts, this one’s like digging up a haunted time capsule. Just mind the Zashiki-warashi—they cheat at hide-and-seek.