[Terukazu Yoshida’s TGS Picture Diary] A mighty haiku poet observes the world, writes verses, and soars through the sky in “OKU”

We’ve prepared some new gear for this year’s Tokyo Game Show!

In past event coverage, I’ve been filming with my smartphone camera while playing games, but for action and rhythm games that require using both hands to operate the controller, I had to pause gameplay to take footage.

That’s why I’ve introduced an action camera that I can attach to my body. To capture the game screen, I need to position the camera at about eye level, so I’ve mounted it on the brim of my hat. But since I have a big head, hats just don’t look good on me at all…!

◆“OKU”: A Physically Powerful Haiku Poet Sets Out on a Journey

Today I’m introducing “OKU,” a PC title developed by Irox Games and published by ByteRockers’ Games and Shochiku Games!

This is an adventure game (ADV) where you observe various things and compose haiku. Following in the footsteps of his departed master, the protagonist sets out into a vast world.

Even if you’re like me and only know “Wait, isn’t a haiku 5-7-5? Or is this something different?”—don’t worry. In this game, you create haiku by combining keywords.

Here’s a haiku I composed in memory of my departed mentor. The game offers this kind of freedom—even haiku that don’t follow a strict form are perfectly acceptable.

You observe the scenery, select a theme from elements like clouds, mountains, the sea, or cherry blossoms, and compose a haiku based on that theme.

Once you complete a haiku, you’ll acquire new keywords related to the theme, and the variety of haiku you can compose will expand.

Composing haiku at specific locations expands the areas you can explore, allowing you to journey across a vast field. The field is filled with various interactive elements, and you’ll be able to perform actions corresponding to them.

As you’d expect from someone who travels all over the land, the protagonist is incredibly physically strong—something you’d never guess from his monk-like appearance. His jumping power is off the charts! Plus, you can even glide while in mid-jump.

If you watch the video on the official store, you’ll see the protagonist walking along ropes, moving across water, and even traversing the clouds. While the freedom to compose haiku is certainly intriguing, the action mechanics that let you reach such outlandish locations are definitely worth checking out!

“OKU” is scheduled for release on PC (Steam)!

In this post, I introduced the unique haiku adventure game “OKU.”

Before playing, I thought, “Maybe it’s just some kind of haiku simulator,” but it’s actually a game with strong emphasis on the protagonist’s physical abilities and action elements—it pleasantly surprised me. In my illustrated diary, I’ll continue to introduce games from unique genres!