Uncut — buried gems dug up and carried out of Japan

01 Our home When one move flips the board. Hidden games for the read-and-build taste

You read a situation that keeps changing and rebuild on the fly. Games with that one taste, lined up by lineage.

110 Buried gem Sakamoto Dangerous Barrage - a top-down bullet hell where Sakamoto Ryoma, flung mid-Satcho-Alliance into 'Fluffy Land' by a wormhole, freezes time and teleports out of barrages he cannot dodge, absorbing their energy to fire back. Made by 2-person circle Retsu Teikoku. Positive at 100 percent over 24 reviews, 18 of them in Japanese

A top-down bullet hell with a premise straight out of a history textbook that got hit by a wormhole: Sakamoto Ryoma, mid-negotiation of the Satcho Alliance, is flung into 'Fluffy Land' and must find the scattered historical figures. He stops time and teleports out of barrages he cannot dodge, absorbing bullet energy to fire back. Made and self-published by 2-person circle Retsu Teikoku. Positive at 100 percent over 24 reviews, with no Western editorial coverage at all.

108 Buried gem Torara's Mahjong Classroom - an experiential learning game that teaches real mahjong from absolute zero, guided by a mascot character, until you can play it in other apps or follow a livestream. Made solo by developer Torara Theater with no prior Steam releases found. Positive at 100 percent over 21 reviews, 0 of them in English

An experiential learning game that teaches mahjong from absolute zero: minimal rules and tiles at first, one explained element at a time, until you reach rules essentially indistinguishable from standard mahjong. Made and self-published by developer Torara Theater, with no prior Steam releases found and no Western media coverage. Positive at 100 percent over 21 reviews, 19 of them in Japanese; none are in English.

109 Buried gem Days Like A Nightmare - place sensors in a sealed room, read the displays, and deduce which human is carrying the parasite, while a cheerful workplace voice assures you the radiation is harmless. Made solo by developer 727 Not Hound. Positive at 100 percent over 29 reviews, only 2 of them in English after two years

A logic game in small rooms: somewhere among the humans here is one whose heart has been colonized by a parasite, and your job is to place sensors, read the displays, and work out which. Made and self-published solo by 727 Not Hound, confirmed by AUTOMATON as a Japanese individual developer. Positive at 100 percent over 29 reviews, with only 2 in English more than two years after release and no Western editorial coverage at all.

11 Buried gem One-Armed Crayfish - a buried 100-percent-positive emotional visual novel, walled off by language

A short Japanese visual novel where a boy who only goes with the flow meets a girl who does the opposite of everything, and is forced to face what he actually wants. 100 percent positive across 166 reviews in Japan, but no English support, so the West has barely found it.

19 Buried gem For the GHOSTs - a buried metafiction ADV where you befriend girls who do not exist, walled off by language

The game itself insists the characters have no will. What is real is only what you feel toward them. Very Positive in Japan at 314 reviews and 98 percent, but with no English support, the West cannot read it yet (only 3 English reviews).

20 Buried gem Dreamin' Her - a buried Japanese romance-occult novel where the dream encroaches on reality, walled off by language

A girlfriend identical to the childhood friend who turned you down appears in your dreams, and the dream starts encroaching on reality. Very Positive in Japan at 234 reviews and 98 percent, but with no English support, the West cannot read it yet (only 5 English reviews).

21 Buried gem Putrika 1st.cut - a buried dark-fantasy visual novel about a girl who had to die, walled off by language

A Japanese doujin-circle tragedy you read through branching choices: pure love, cruelty, and an insanity trial. Overwhelmingly Positive in Japan at 550 reviews and 95 percent, but with no English support, the West cannot read it yet (only 6 English reviews).

22 Buried gem Kyofu Yawa - a buried horror sound-novel where you catch the lie in the ghost story, walled off by language

A former paranormal YouTuber's homage to Kamaitachi no Yoru. Two ghost stories told in the dead of night, and your job is to spot the inconsistencies. Very Positive in Japan at 140 reviews and 95 percent, but with no English support, the West cannot read it yet (0 English reviews).

24 Buried gem SMOKY WHITE - a buried short visual novel about meeting and parting on a snowy rooftop, walled off by language

A Japanese doujin short novel where you meet a mysterious-atmosphered senior on a snowy winter rooftop, and part. Choices in conversation branch the ending. Very Positive in Japan at 98 reviews and 96 percent, but with no English support, the West cannot read it yet (only 3 English reviews).

26 Buried gem Putrika 2nd.cut - a buried dark-fantasy visual novel about choosing to spare or to slay, walled off by language

The sequel to the Japanese doujin tragedy Putrika: a gem artisan and a saint who wants to die, and the choice to spare or to slay. Very Positive in Japan at 154 reviews and 93 percent, but with no English support, the West still cannot read it (only a couple of English reviews).

27 Buried gem LOST:SMILE memories - a buried Okinawan romance novel about living with what you lost, from the makers of Dreamin' Her, walled off by language

A summer-island romance novel from LIFE0, the brand behind Dreamin' Her. You trace your late father's path across an Okinawan island and meet girls whose stories converge on one truth. Very Positive in Japan at 52 reviews and 96 percent, but with no English support, the West cannot read it yet (only 2 English reviews).

28 Buried gem Cross Concerto - a buried Japanese occult romance where scattered clues converge on one truth, walled off by language

A Japanese visual-novel brand's anniversary work: a modern occult tale of a sister who can see the future, where clues scattered across routes converge on one truth. Very Positive in Japan at 334 reviews and 91 percent, but with no English support, the West cannot read it yet (only 6 English reviews).

29 Buried gem Umidorino Gaku no Seishin Kanteiroku - a buried Cthulhu psychiatric-deduction novel where you diagnose your way to one truth, walled off by language

A free Japanese horror visual novel where you play a psychiatrist diagnosing a boy who stabbed his mother and hears strange voices. You choose what to ask and read his words to reach one truth, with 1 true ending and 8 ways to die. Very Positive in Japan at 315 reviews and 82 percent, but with no English support, the West cannot read it yet (only 4 English reviews).

30 Buried gem Midnight Syndrome - a buried Japanese horror ADV where three schoolgirls investigate a town's curses, a free heir to SUDA51's Twilight Syndrome, walled off by language

A free Japanese exploration horror ADV where three high-school girls investigate the rumors and curses eating away at their rural town over one summer. Branching paths and multiple endings, in the lineage of SUDA51's Twilight Syndrome. Very Positive in Japan at 95 reviews and 98 percent, but with no English support, the West cannot read it yet (only 4 English reviews).

32 Buried gem Kaiwa - a buried Japanese horror sound-novel of true-tale dread, an heir to Kamaitachi no Yoru, walled off by language

A free Japanese supernatural horror novel of four interlinked tales, with binaural sound that puts the dread right at your ear. Very Positive in Japan at 59 reviews and 96 percent, but with no English support, the West cannot read it yet (only 4 English reviews).

39 Buried gem Before You Disappear - a Japanese-only romance-and-horror sound novel where a wrong choice ruins her, an heir to Higurashi When They Cry

A romance-and-horror sound novel by the Japanese solo creator Nike. You transfer to a new school, wander into an abandoned schoolhouse, and help three girl ghosts undo the regret that binds them, guiding each toward a salvation that is really a parting. Multi-ending: choose wrong and her spectral corruption advances toward a grim bad end. Every character but the protagonist is fully voiced. Positive in Japan at 33 reviews and 97 percent, yet zero English reviews. Japanese only: the language is the wall.

40 Buried gem Shizumeru Rakuen - a Japanese-only novel game that traces two girls' last day, where the death never changes, an heir to Narcissu

A multi-ending novel game that traces the last day of two college girls who came to drown themselves on a fictional island in Japan's Seto Inland Sea. You choose whose eyes to see the day through; choices branch the ending, but the girl always dies. Chapter and Gallery modes, 700 yen, an eight-track soundtrack. Positive in Japan at 5 reviews and 100 percent, yet zero English reviews. Japanese only, with no English title: the language is the wall.

42 Buried gem Furikake Spacy - a high-tempo Neo-Showa nonsense-gag novel that buries you in 700 annotated 80s proper nouns, an heir to Nantonaku, Crystal

A high-tempo Neo-Showa nonsense-gag novel in cel-shaded illustration and animation, the sound-novel form of a visual novel, by the Japanese solo doujin creator Yonton Tomachin. Across seven episodes, the cat-eared Saatan and crazed schoolgirls run riot through hell, space, and a child's body, while a Neo-Showa Dictionary annotates some 700 proper nouns to drown you in 1980s culture, with 30-plus original tracks and mini-games. Very Positive in Japan at 246 reviews and 96 percent, but with only 5 English reviews against 189 in Japanese, and no English version, the West has barely reached it.

03 Buried gem Mortal Glory 2 - the buried gladiator-team roguelike where you read and counter

A brutal turn-based gladiator roguelike loved by a few hundred players but unknown in the West. Read the matchup, draft your counter.

07 Buried gem ELbab - a buried PoE-meets-Slay-the-Spire auto-battler from a Japanese solo dev, almost unread in the West

A roguelite auto-battler set in an endless library. You design the build, then watch it run. Very Positive in Japan at 129 reviews, but only 15 English reviews, so the West has barely found it.

12 Buried gem Shooters, Ready! - a buried time-attack FPS where you build your run between shots, walled off by language

A Japanese solo-dev FPS roguelite where you clear rooms against the clock, then spend leftover time buying cards to rebuild your weapon. Overwhelmingly Positive in Japan at 741 reviews and 99 percent, but its UI has no English, so the West has barely found it.

47 Buried gem Million Depth - a buried Japanese action-strategy where standing still freezes time so you read the board and craft your way down a million floors, an heir to SUPERHOT

A Japanese roguelike-flavored action strategy game. Stand perfectly still and a biotope jammer freezes time around you, so when creatures swarm and your gear shatters mid-battle you stop the world, read the board, plan, and craft new equipment from blocks. A story that splits across timelines, with multiple endings. By Japan's Cyber Space Biotope, published by PLAYISM. Very Positive at 679 reviews and 94 percent; it plays in English, yet the wider West has barely found it.

66 Buried gem Clock Rogue - a body-clock roguelike action game where you count an unseen timer in your head, stop it at the instant you choose, and place a skill on a clock face whose timing window narrows the stronger it hits, drafting three choices after every kill to build your own dial as a Hari Cell defending a hedgehog's body from viral invasion, a Japanese indie heir to Loop Hero the West has barely found

A body-clock roguelike action game by MONO ENTERTAINMENT, an individual Japanese indie developer based in Tokyo, published by the Japanese indie publisher Phoenixx Inc. No timer is shown on screen: you count the passage of time in your head, stop a hidden stopwatch, and place a skill at the position on a clock face where it needs to land to trigger. The stronger the skill, the narrower its timing window; the weaker the skill, the wider. After every enemy you defeat, a three-choice draft lets you add to your own clock face. Set inside the body of a hedgehog, you play a Hari Cell defending it from viral invasion. In the lineage of Loop Hero, where you build the loop that plays itself rather than directly controlling the fight. Very Positive at 99 percent over 112 reviews; it supports English among ten languages, yet with only about 14.3 percent of its reviews in English, the West has barely found it.

06 Buried gem Oyabu Clinic Deathcare Corporation - the buried dark-comedy management sim where you optimize the wrong way

A pitch-black turn-based management sim from a Japanese doujin circle. Very Positive in Japan at 235 reviews, but only 18 English reviews, so the West has not found it.

15 Buried gem Irudo - a buried maritime-trade sim where you build a fleet and conquer the seas, walled off by language

A solo-doujin maritime trading sim from Japan. Trade to earn, gather crew, strengthen your fleet, and take the seas. Very Positive at 160 reviews and 88 percent, but it has no English support, so only 1 English review exists.

16 Buried gem Dungeon ni Seisoku da! - a buried dungeon-management gem where the ecosystem fights for you, walled off by language

A Japanese doujin dungeon-management sim where you grow a food chain instead of placing traps. Very Positive in Japan at 101 reviews and 89 percent, but it has no English support and zero English reviews.

17 Buried gem Raising a Happy NEET - a buried Japanese life sim that raises her happy, not proper, almost unread in the West

A Japanese doujin cohabitation sim where you take in a shut-in relative and teach her how to live, one day at a time. Very Positive in Japan at 201 reviews and 90 percent, but only 29 English reviews, so the West has barely found it.

62 Buried gem Sunset Game Shop Shayou - a turn-based management sim where you run a small-town game shop across the twenty-five years from 1985 to 2010, predicting each game's popularity from limited information to survive the Famicom boom, the bubble, the used-game controversy, and the rise of digital, a Kyoto-made retail-side mirror of Game Dev Story the West has barely found

A business management simulation by Lobstudio, a small Japanese studio in Kyoto, with the Chinese-market publishers P-Stardio and NexraGames handling its release into Chinese-speaking regions. You run a small-town game shop across the twenty-five years from 1985 to 2010, one turn per month, reading a market you can only partly see and deciding what to stock, how much, and at what price. From limited information you predict each game's popularity, then survive the real history of Japan's game industry, the Famicom boom, the bubble, the used-game controversy, and the rise of digital distribution, until you reach 2010. A single-player, pixel-art sim of ten to fifteen hours. Very Positive at 93 percent over 56 reviews; it supports English, yet with only about 1.8 percent English reviews the West has barely found it.

02 Buried gem Touhou: Lost Branch of Legend - the buried gem that adds color to Slay the Spire

An uncut deckbuilder loved in Japan and China but unseen in the West. MTG-style color mana flips the whole board.

05 Buried gem Spell Tonaeru - a buried roguelite where you spell out your magic on a kana board, walled off by language

Not a deck you play, spells you spell. You move across a Japanese kana board to trace each incantation while bullets fly. Very Positive in Japan at 97 percent, but no English yet.

25 Buried gem Harumachi Toroidal - a buried deckbuilding loop visual novel about ten days before graduation, walled off by language

A Japanese doujin-circle game where conversations are card battles: you loop the last ten days before graduation on a remote island, fail and reset to day one, and deepen ties with twelve classmates to uncover the island's mystery and a self-proclaimed demon's true aim. Very Positive in Japan at 70 reviews and 94 percent, but with no English support, the West cannot read it yet (0 English reviews).

34 Buried gem DUNGEON ARTIFACT - a buried roguelike deckbuilder where position is everything, an heir to Into the Breach

A roguelike deckbuilder where position is the core of strategy: over 400 cards combine into combos, but many only hit a set area, so where you stand decides everything. Two protagonists, charge attacks, lingering cards. Very Positive in Japan at 159 reviews and 95 percent, yet only two English reviews. Note: this is an Early Access title, not finished yet.

44 Buried gem DEVIL BLADE REBOOT - a buried bullet-hell shooter where hugging the enemy at point-blank drives the score, an heir to the 1996 doujin original Devil Blade

A vertical bullet-hell shooter, pixel-art pushed into a pseudo-3D rush. The Berserk System makes destroying enemies at point-blank spike both difficulty and score, an arcade score-chase you cannot stop. Six stages, four difficulties, a Retro Mode of the 1996 original. By Vanillaware artist Shigatake, six and a half years solo. Overwhelmingly Positive at 822 reviews and 98 percent; it plays in English, yet to the wider world it is still a near-unknown original.

78 Buried gem Revolgear Zero - a buried side-scrolling shmup whose developer named Taito's RayStorm a decisive influence and DoDonPachi II's energy mode the direct model for its Megabit System, a shared gauge you spend all at once to erase every bullet on screen, Very Positive at 98 percent over 129 reviews though only about a third of them are English

A side-scrolling shmup by the four-person Osaka doujin circle Bikkuri Software. Two rival pilots build a shared energy gauge through a boomerang-style Bit Shoot, then spend it all at once in a Burst that erases enemy bullets outright. The developer named Taito's RayStorm a decisive influence and DoDonPachi II's energy mode the model for that gauge. Very Positive at 98 percent over 129 reviews, still only about a third English.

79 Buried gem Crimzon Clover World EXplosion - a vertically scrolling bullet-hell shooter where flying close enough to lock onto everything in range chains into a multiplier, and stacking two full Break Gauges triggers Double Break for a short burst of overpowered destruction, Very Positive at 96 percent over 376 reviews though only about 73 percent of them are English

A vertically scrolling bullet-hell shooter by the Japanese doujin circle Yotsubane (CLOVER-TAC). Flying close enough to graze an enemy feeds energy, lock-on speed, and damage, and chains into a score multiplier; a full Break Gauge triggers Break Mode, and stacking a second sends it into Double Break. The new ARRANGE mode lets you charge a shared gauge and spend it on power-ups of your choosing. Very Positive at 96 percent over 376 reviews, still only about 72.6 percent English.

89 Buried gem Blaze of Storm - an arcade-style vertical shmup where a cyberdiver fights over 20 unique bosses across 7 stages with five switchable sub-weapons, made solo by TERARIN GAMES's Junichi Terayama as his 10th shmup in a 10-year solo career inspired directly by Compile's Zanac and Aleste, Positive at 95 percent over 38 reviews

An arcade-style vertical-scrolling shmup: as a cyberdiver, you fly through cyberspace against more than 20 unique bosses across 7 stages, switching between five distinct sub-weapons whose explosions chain into continuous damage. Made and self-published by TERARIN GAMES, the solo alias of creator Junichi Terayama, marking his 10th shmup after a 10-year solo career following a prior corporate job. Positive at about 95 percent over 38 reviews.

04 Buried gem Welcome to the Guild Exploration Party! - a buried logic-deduction puzzle you can only play in Japanese, an heir to Return of the Obra Dinn

A deductive logic puzzle where you restore a guild's lost records: 78 adventurers, 20 parties, and the ending each one met, worked out from fragments by pure logic. No math, no notes, just reasoning and a cute assistant, filling a grid one forced cell at a time. Overwhelmingly Positive in Japan at 975 reviews and 98 percent, yet only 9 English reviews. Japanese only: the language is the wall.

08 Buried gem Stellar Code - a buried SF-mystery where you decode the cosmos by reason, walled off by language

A Japanese doujin SF mystery where you read scattered clues and reason out cosmic puzzles yourself. Very Positive in Japan at 471 reviews and 97 percent, but with no English support, so the West has barely found it (only 6 English reviews).

09 Buried gem Murder Mystery Paradox - a buried deduction-adventure where you name the culprit, walled off by language

A murder-mystery adventure where you reason out the culprit yourself, not one you watch unfold. Very Positive in Japan at 266 reviews and 86 percent, but with no English support, so the West has barely found it (only 2 English reviews).

36 Buried gem NARIBIKIMURA - a buried first-person exploration horror in a Japanese village on no map, an heir to Fatal Frame

A first-person exploration horror set in a Japanese ghost village that is on no map. A collapsed cliff reveals a tunnel to Naribikimura; you gather clues and unravel what happened. About 2 to 3 hours, with a horror-free Ruins mode and a camera. Positive in Japan at 41 reviews and 83 percent, yet just four English reviews out of 41. English is already supported.

55 Buried gem Hollow Cocoon - a buried first-person Japanese exploration horror where you scavenge a 1980s mountain village and hide from a silkworm-woman, steeped in a real silk-origin folktale, an heir to Fatal Frame

A first-person Japanese horror adventure set in Ichinose, a 1980s mountain village. You explore, solve puzzles, and scavenge scarce resources while a monster, a silkworm-woman, hunts the dark and you cannot fight her, only hide. The story is a sisters' love-and-hatred drama drawn from a real Ibaraki folktale of silk's origin, the legend of the Golden Princess, with four endings and three difficulties. By NAYUTA STUDIO, a two-person Tokyo doujin circle. Very Positive at 906 reviews and 92 percent; it supports English, yet the West has only partly found it.

81 Buried gem Shadow Corridor - a first-person, combat-free horror escape through corridors that regenerate every session, evading Noh-mask apparitions with only a lighter and whatever you scavenge, a ground-up commercial remake of a free 2017 original that won a Freem contest horror gold award, Very Positive at 90 percent over 2,176 reviews though only about 3.35 percent are English

A first-person, combat-free horror escape game where you creep through procedurally generated corridors of a Japanese building using only a lighter and scavenged items, evading Noh-mask apparitions rather than fighting them. A ground-up commercial remake of a free 2017 original that won a Freem contest horror gold award. Very Positive at 90 percent over 2,176 reviews, still only about 3.35 percent English.

37 Buried gem Potato Flowers in Full Bloom - a buried first-person grid dungeon RPG where every battle demands the best choice, an heir to Wizardry

A first-person, grid-movement 3D dungeon RPG. You explore stone-walled labyrinths one tile at a time, then battles turn turn-based, reading each enemy's intent icon to guard, dodge, or strike. Built so every battle demands the best choice, with no permadeath punishment and a low-grind party you raise. Overwhelmingly Positive in Japan at 658 reviews and 96 percent, yet only 218 English reviews. English is already supported.

56 Buried gem Dungeon Antiqua 2 - a Super Famicom-style 2D dungeon hack-and-slash where you freely compose a party across 10 jobs and skill builds, an heir to Final Fantasy V's job system, only beginning to reach the West

A Super Famicom-styled 2D dungeon hack-and-slash RPG by Shiromofu Factory, the solo creator frenchbread. Explore six dungeons by line of sight and visible symbol encounters, fight in side-view battles, and rebuild your party across 10 jobs (including a new priest and archer) plus skill builds, in the freely-reassignable job tradition of Final Fantasy V. Built with the Japanese Pyxel engine, roughly 10 to 12 hours. Very Positive at 95 percent over 257 reviews; it supports English, yet with about 38 percent English reviews the West has only begun to find it.

82 Buried gem Dungeon Antiqua - a Super Famicom-style 2D dungeon crawl RPG whose map only expands as far as your own line of sight, free party composition across a wide roster of professions in procedurally generated dungeons, an heir to Wizardry's original party-based dungeon crawl, Very Positive at 91 percent over 373 reviews as it heads to Switch, PS5, and Xbox this July

A Super Famicom-styled 2D dungeon crawl RPG by Shiromofu Factory, the solo creator frenchbread. Its 2D map expands only as far as your character's own line of sight, and free party composition across a wide roster of professions plus auto-generated maps keep exploring and building your characters center stage, with no padded story. Very Positive at 91 percent over 373 reviews; only about 38.6 percent are English, though a console port lands on July 30, 2026.

10 Buried gem Inverted Angel - a buried type-it-yourself mystery, walled off by language

A Japanese indie mystery where a girl shows up claiming to be your girlfriend, and you type your own words to branch the story and uncover who she really is. Very Positive in Japan at 567 reviews and 91 percent, but no English support, so the West has barely found it (only 5 English reviews).

13 Buried gem Kugayama Shiori's Death Diary - a buried ghost-mystery VN about tracing your own death, almost unread in the West

A Japanese VN where a ghost who keeps dying traces her own cause of death and the regrets that bind her. Overwhelmingly Positive in Japan at 586 reviews and 95 percent, but only 35 English reviews, so the West has barely found it.

14 Buried gem Kusodeka Bayashi - the buried horror-comedy where you blast the dread away with heavy metal

A Japanese solo-dev first-person horror where you fight curses with the heavy metal on your dad's MP3 player. Very Positive in Japan at 147 reviews, but only 2 English reviews, so the West has not found it.

18 Buried gem ADEN - a buried dance-battle beltscroller from a Japanese solo dev, Overwhelmingly Positive yet passed over by the West

A Japanese solo-dev belt-scroll action where fights end in a dance: collide, dodge, launch, then finish the boss in a rhythm battle synced to the music. Overwhelmingly Positive at 685 reviews and 97 percent, yet only 96 English reviews.

33 Buried gem Hangyaku no Shugosha - a buried turn-based SRPG where you capture the enemy's weapons, an heir to Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

A turn-based SRPG built on a capture system: seize enemy weapons mid-battle and build an armory from what you take. Over 50 allies, class change, weapon fusion, Casual to Abyss difficulty, 50-plus chapters. Very Positive in Japan at 60 reviews and 93 percent, yet the West has barely found it: just one English review. English is already supported.

35 Buried gem Eutolant Saga - a buried royal-road SRPG built to never let you give up, an heir to GBA-era Fire Emblem

A royal-road fantasy SRPG built to never let you give up: no permadeath, a backup system that raises your growth rates when you stall, and a downed unit that withdraws to recover instead of being lost. Over 40 allies among 120-plus characters, Normal or Classic mode. Very Positive in Japan at 104 reviews and 93 percent, yet just one English review. Note: Japanese-only, no English support.

53 Buried gem ROLLING STAR - a buried Japanese side-scrolling Metroidvania where a reclusive, mech-armed girl explores a vast space colony, opening ability-gated gates to retake it from aliens, an heir to Metroid

A Japanese 2D side-scrolling Metroidvania set on a vast space colony overrun by aliens. You play as Rory, a reclusive, mech-arm-loving girl, exploring a sprawling, interconnected map and using skills and equipment to open gates once out of reach. Enemy drops feed crafting, giant bosses block the way, and a vehicle lets you fight in zero gravity and open space, inside and outside the colony. A story-driven game heavy on conversation and comedy. By NUL2 STUDIO, the Japanese solo developer Shiruko. Very Positive at 205 reviews and 98 percent; it supports English, yet the wider West has barely found it.

59 Buried gem Witchroid Vania - a gothic 2D Metroidvania where a magical girl learns fire, ice, wind, and thunder across four swappable loadout sets and opens the map with magic and tools instead of movement, a Japanese solo-made heir to Castlevania the Steam West has barely found

A 2D Metroidvania starring the magical girl Lily, by Turkey Games, the Japanese solo developer Turkey, published by the one-person doujin label Waku Waku Games. Lily learns fire, ice, wind, and thunder in three tiers each and equips three spells at once across four loadout sets she flips between mid-fight, so combat is about composing a kit. Unlike most Metroidvanias, the map opens through the magic and tools you gain rather than movement abilities, with RPG growth and a companion mini-dragon. Very Positive at 92 percent over 83 reviews; it supports English, yet with only about 30 percent English reviews the Steam West has barely found it.

23 Buried gem Ika Sumi Potion - a buried potion-shop ADV where you brew, sell, and cannot stop, walled off by language

A Japanese solo dev's potion-crafting shop ADV: brew potions from squid ink and the sea, sell them to 24-plus animal-eared and inhuman customers, and unlock a drawn-to-order vignette of each one actually using what they bought. Very Positive in Japan at 77 reviews and 99 percent, but with no English support, the West cannot read it yet (only 2 English reviews).

31 Buried gem Sayonara Night Cap - a buried surreal-exploration ADV where nothing is explained and the dream lingers, an heir to Yume Nikki, walled off by language

A Japanese point-and-click exploration ADV where you wake in a strange arcade, follow a mysterious girl, and explore a dream-logic world that explains nothing. Very Positive in Japan at 60 reviews and 91 percent, but with no English support, the West cannot read it yet (only 3 English reviews).

38 Buried gem Woman Communication - a buried high-speed word-hunt action game you can only play in Japanese, an heir to NKODICE

A high-speed word-hunt action game in a school novel. As a morals committee member, you watch girls' chatter scroll by and shoot down the dirty words that accidentally form when you re-read the gaps, ginata-yomi style. Over 100 sensitive words, branching endings, a streamer mosaic mode. Overwhelmingly Positive in Japan at 802 reviews and 99 percent, yet only 18 English reviews. Japanese only: the language is the wall.

41 Buried gem Demigoddess! - a one-hour turn-based conquest strategy where a goddess's cheat lets you steamroll the map, an heir to Daisenryaku

A turn-based territory-conquest strategy game compressed into about an hour per run, made in Python by the Japanese solo developer Shirane Koma (SNP Engineering). Seize 32 of a continent's 64 areas to win. A goddess grants a cheat skill and you become a demigod super-race, customizing with 450-plus units, 20 factions, and 300-plus pieces of equipment. Every run reshuffles terrain, enemies, and resources, roguelite-style. Positive in Japan at 112 reviews and 97 percent; multilingual, but the reviews skew Japanese (63) over English (17), so the West has barely reached it.

43 Buried gem DevilConnection - a buried choice-driven ADV where you read a heart and stir its emotion to harvest magic, an heir to Tokimeki Memorial

A choice-driven ADV: contract a little devil, summon kemono across Majirisia, and use an Evil Eye search to peer into each target's heart, then pick one of two lines to raise their emotion and harvest magic. An affection-style meter, multiple endings, dark-humor comedy. Overwhelmingly Positive in Japan at 1,842 reviews and 99 percent, yet just 79 English reviews and no English version yet (Japanese-only).

45 Buried gem Mirage Feathers - a buried anime rail shooter where your crosshair auto-locks a whole wave and homing fire erases it at once, an heir to After Burner II

An anime-styled pseudo-3D on-rails shooter of fast aerial combat. Sweep your crosshair across a wave and it auto-locks every target, then homing fire erases them all in one offensive burst. OVERDRIVE bursts, wave assaults, Story and Endless modes, Steam leaderboards. A 600-yen doujin work by Japan's oyasumi Workshop, self-described as a much faster After Burner II. Overwhelmingly Positive at 2,504 reviews and 98 percent; it plays in English, yet the wider West has barely found it.

46 Buried gem Kaii Bangou ~20XX~ - a buried solo-made Japanese horror text novel that follows a public-toilet phone number into Heisei urban legends, an heir to Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi

A psychological horror text adventure with no jump scares, set in the Japan of 2005. A phone number scrawled in a park toilet, connecting nowhere known, pulls you through rumors and digits into the strange things in town, told as a four-episode omnibus that stacks dread through text. A 400-yen doujin work by Japan's solo creator EBA GAME. Very Positive at 87 reviews and 98 percent, yet Japanese only, with zero English reviews: the West has not found it.

48 Buried gem Below Zero 30 Degrees: Despair - a buried free Japanese psychological horror novel where two men freeze to death in a sealed freezer, an heir to the SCP Foundation

A free Japanese psychological horror novel game with no survival ending: two men are locked in a walk-in freezer and the game walks them through real hypothermia, hallucinations, and paradoxical undressing toward one of four deaths. A 15-20 minute run, mouse only, in a PSX-style low-poly look, with choices and random events for replay. A free doujin work by Japan's solo creator Mitsudomoe Koubou. Very Positive at 353 reviews and 97 percent, yet Japanese only with about 16 English reviews: the West has barely found it.

49 Buried gem Demons' Timeline - a buried Japanese SNS-puzzle deduction adventure where you solve murders from a fake social network's timeline alone, an heir to Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You

A Japanese SNS-puzzle deduction adventure. As the net detective El, you crack supernatural murder cases using only the timeline of a fictional social network: read posts for clues, link public accounts to secret alts, recover deleted data with passwords, cite the right posts as your grounds, and fit a hashtag to complete each deduction. OSINT-style investigation, nine stages, no time limit, no game over. By Japan's doujin indie team DigitalCats. Very Positive at 276 reviews and 98 percent; it supports English, yet the wider West has barely found it.

50 Buried gem Robot girl's dream -RobotBattleChampionship- a buried Japanese raising sim where an amnesiac robot girl is scheduled, choice by choice, toward branching endings, an heir to Princess Maker 2

A Japanese 2D raising simulation about a robot girl who has lost her memories. Each turn you choose how she spends her time, going out, working, entering tournaments, and through those actions she grows and bonds with the humans and robots around her. Your choices, dialogue, and battle results accumulate and branch the story into multiple endings, framed around winning the Robot Battle Championship. By Japan's doujin circle DeskClub Games. Very Positive at 190 reviews and 97 percent; it supports English, yet it is Japan-centered and the wider West has barely found it.

51 Buried gem For the Fish in the Bottle - a buried free Japanese point-and-click puzzle where you click through a hand-drawn black-and-white surreal desert to bring a lonely bottled fish what it wants, an heir to Igyou no Machi no Annie

A free Japanese point-and-click puzzle game played entirely with the mouse, set in a hand-drawn, black-and-white, picture-book-surreal desert. From a first-person view you examine the scene and solve short, escape-style puzzles by finding items and dragging them where they belong, gathering what a lonely fish trapped in a bottle wants. About a twenty-minute run, no time limit, and no puzzles that depend on language, sound, or color; all art and music are original and hand-made. By the Japanese doujin creator pickee under the name makina game. Very Positive at 93 reviews and 99 percent; it supports English, yet this free short doujin gem is still barely found in the West.

52 Buried gem Electrogical - a buried Japanese arithmetic wiring puzzle where you chain numbered jigsaw pieces and bend the four operations to land the current exactly on target, an heir to KenKen

A Japanese arithmetic wiring puzzle that crosses jigsaw assembly with the four operations. Each piece carries a number; you connect them so plus, minus, times, and divide transform the current and land it exactly on a goal's target, powering aging reactors back to life alongside a superconducting lifeform called neko in a far-future terraforming world. Mouse-only pixel art, 250-plus stages, no time limit, hints included. By kinjo, an Okinawa solo developer, published by Phoenixx; an award-winning entry from the first GYAAR Studio Indie Game Contest. Very Positive at 85 reviews and 93 percent; it supports English, yet the wider West has barely found it.

54 Buried gem ULTRA0 - a buried two-part Japanese indie where girls defend their nation from city-sized kaiju in a gentle pseudo-3D pixel shooter wrapped in a sci-fi yuri novel, an heir to Ultraman

A two-part Japanese indie: a pseudo-3D pixel-art shooter crossed with a sci-fi yuri visual novel. Ten years after giant kaiju appeared, girls defend the nation of N on the front line against city-sized monsters. The shooting is gentle, auto-targeting and auto-attack handle the aim while you add bombs and skills, and random drops raise your characters up to two or three times stronger. Each chapter swaps the lead heroine, the first to Shirogane of Area81. By the solo developer peng under PenGames. Very Positive at 71 reviews and 98 percent; it supports English, and the West is only starting to find it.

57 Buried gem Decollate Decoration - a pixel-art haunting adventure where a dead girl has forty-nine days to reach the living person she loves through poltergeists, dreams, and curses, an intimate heir to Ghost Trick, only barely reaching the West

A pixel-art point-and-click adventure by the Japanese solo doujin creator KANEKODO, published by KEMCO. You are a girl who has become a ghost with forty-nine days to reach the living person you love, who cannot perceive you at all, by speaking into the air, stirring poltergeists, entering dreams, or laying curses, a dark comedy laced with horror. Choices come once a week over seven turns, carried by dense writing, across six endings in one to two hours. Very Positive at 93 percent over 356 reviews; it supports English, yet with only 27.5 percent English reviews the West has barely begun to find it.

58 Buried gem MOMIBOSU - a high-difficulty precision 2D platformer where you die and retry, bump enemies into each other, and explore a vast Metroidvania world, a six-year solo-made heir to Super Meat Boy the Steam West has barely found

A high-difficulty, precision 2D platformer by PenGames, the solo developer peng, hand-built over roughly six years. A boy and a girl leave their underground village with a mysterious weapon drone for a vast new world, in a die-and-retry game built on one feeling: no matter how many times you get hit, one more time. Gimmicks turn on the enemies themselves, bump two together and something happens, and you collect power-ups and fight human and monster bosses across a vast Metroidvania map. Very Positive at 92 percent over 60 reviews; it supports English, yet with only about 28 percent English reviews the Steam West has barely found it.

60 Buried gem Moonless Moon - a text adventure that plays like a music video, riding original songs and animated MVs through a moon desert, a cafe inside a tunnel, and an island in the sky, solving riddles by finding and placing keywords, a poetic heir to Night on the Galactic Railroad the West has barely found

A text adventure that runs like a playable music video, the first work of the ANMC project from the Japanese writer Kazuhide Oka, published by the Tokyo music studio KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO with yokaze. The story unfolds through entirely original songs and animated MVs across dreamlike, shifting worlds, a moon desert, a cafe inside a tunnel, an island floating in the sky, with a RIDDLE part where you find and place keywords to open the way, branching toward multiple endings. In the lineage of Night on the Galactic Railroad. Very Positive at 92 percent over 314 reviews; it supports English, yet with only about 10.8 percent of its reviews in English the West has barely found it.

61 Buried gem MotionRec - a recording-based puzzle-action platformer where you record your own motion and replay it as a ghost that becomes a moving platform, cooperating with your past selves to reach places you never could alone, a Japan-born heir to The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom the West is only now reaching

A recording-based puzzle-action platformer by the Japanese studio HANDSUM, published by PLAYISM. You play Rec, a civilization-recording robot whose one ability is the whole game: record the trajectory of your own motion, walking, jumping, riding gimmicks, then replay it elsewhere as a ghost that becomes a solid, moving platform. You cooperate with your own past self to reach ledges and cross floorless gaps you never could alone, layering ghost on ghost into a staircase of your past selves. In the lineage of The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom. Very Positive with 99 percent of 407 reviews positive; it supports English and, honestly, the West is already arriving, so this is a Japan-born gem the West is only now reaching, not one no one has found.

63 Buried gem Q2 HUMANITY - a physics-puzzle game where the lines and shapes you draw are made of little humans that drop under gravity and behave as real physics to solve each stage, with eighteen characters who can jump, grab, throw, and wield special abilities across three hundred stages, a Japan-made heir to Crayon Physics Deluxe the West has barely found

A physics-puzzle game by liica, Inc. (Kabushiki-gaisha Riica), a small commercial studio in Chiyoda, Tokyo, both developer and publisher; the Q series is designed and produced by Yusuke Kurita, creator of the KY games. The sequel to Q (2015). You solve each stage by drawing: the lines and shapes you draw are made of little human figures, and the instant a stroke is finished it drops under gravity and behaves as real physics, so you solve not by placing an answer but by drawing a shape and trusting the fall. On top of that, your humans can jump, grab, throw, and punch, and eighteen characters each bring a special ability across more than three hundred stages, solo or up to four players in co-op or competition. In the lineage of Crayon Physics Deluxe. Very Positive at 90 percent over 62 reviews; it supports English, yet with only about 19.4 percent English reviews the West has barely found it.

64 Buried gem Abyss Runner - a brutally hard 2D climbing platformer where a demon queen, sealed by her own cursed trap, must climb up out of a monster-filled abyss with every slip dragging her back down, a Japanese indie heir to Only Up! the Steam West has only begun to find

A brutally hard, precision 2D climbing platformer in the Only Up! mold, by Asuwawagami, a Japanese doujin and indie developer, published by the Japanese indie label Tensei Games. You play Lily, the airheaded Queen of the Underworld, who tries to prank an adventurer with a Cursed Arm Binder but falls into her own trap, has her magic sealed, and plummets defenseless into a monster-filled pit. The only objective is to climb up: a deliberately merciless ascension through four areas where a single slip can strip away a long stretch of hard-won height, with hidden techniques to master and optional cheats as a mercy. Very Positive at 93 percent over 134 reviews; it supports English, yet with only about 24.6 percent English reviews the Steam West has only begun to find it.

65 Buried gem The Strongest TOFU - a single-button precision platformer where you are a fragile block of tofu that charges one jump to slam through enemies and reach a bowl of miso soup, a Japanese indie heir to Super Mario Bros. the Steam West has only begun to find

A tightly crafted, single-button precision platformer in which you play a living block of tofu, by Zounoashi Games (the doujin circle of TomozovP and Masaki Meguro) and published by the Japanese indie label Phoenixx. Everything runs on one move: crouch, charge, and release to hurl yourself in any direction, precisely tuning a single jump, body-slamming enemies and breaking obstacles. Tofu is fragile, and that fragility is the difficulty dial: pick koya (sturdy, no time limit), momen (takes fall damage), or kinu (slides on slippery physics). Reach the bowl of miso soup at each stage's end, face bosses, and use power-ups (atsuage to grow huge and smash through everything, aburaage to jump higher). Haptics-focused, with music by Ryo Nagamatsu and homage stages to Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong, all in a deliberately tight one-to-two-hour run. Very Positive at 99 percent over 355 reviews; it supports English, yet with only about 12.1 percent English reviews the Steam West has only begun to find it.

67 Buried gem DRAPLINE - a raising roguelite where you spend one year, week by week, feeding a dragon girl who eats absolutely anything, choosing one of three weekly meals that shift a WILD/RULE personality axis reshaping her looks, events, and ending, then drafting from 100 to 150 workplace skills and equipping five at a time to build combat synergy against an impending catastrophe, a Japanese indie heir to Princess Maker the Steam West has barely found

A raising roguelite by KANAWO, a Japanese doujin creator known for Noel the Mortal Fate, and the Tokyo indie publisher Vaka Game Magazine. Over one year told in weekly turns, you feed a dragon girl who eats anything, meat, a rock, molten lava, each meal choice raising a stat and nudging a WILD/RULE personality axis that reshapes her looks, events, battle buffs, and ending. Workplace drafts hand you skills from a pool of 100 to 150, up to five equipped at once, to build combat synergy against an impending catastrophe. Runs take about an hour, and clears unlock New Game Plus bonuses that ease the next attempt. Overwhelmingly Positive at 96 percent over 1,720 reviews; it supports English, yet with only about 15.4 percent English reviews the Steam West has barely found it.

68 Buried gem SONOKUNI - a top-down hardcore action game where a lone assassin named Takeru infiltrates the nation of Wanokuni in a bio-SF retelling of Japanese myth, dying in a single hit and reviving almost instantly by divine power, wielding attack, parry, and slow across branching routes and a dedicated speedrun mode, scored by its own developers' original Japanese hip-hop, a Japanese indie heir to Hotline Miami still finding its footing in the Steam West

A top-down hardcore action game by the Japanese hip-hop group DON YASA CREW, published by Kakehashi Games. You play Takeru, a lone assassin infiltrating the vast nation of Wanokuni in a bio-SF retelling of Japanese myth. Die in a single hit, revive almost instantly by divine power, and fight with three core moves, attack, a shield parry, and a time-slowing slow, across branching routes, a dedicated speedrun mode, and a story-focused Easy mode, all scored by the developers' own original Japanese hip-hop. Very Positive at 98 percent over 120 reviews; it supports English, yet with about 37.5 percent English reviews it remains a niche find in the Steam West.

69 Buried gem One Turn Kill - a roguelite deckbuilder where drawing a card from your deck is itself the cost of playing it and every battle is a forced single turn you must end by killing the enemy before it runs out or lose outright, built on a randomness-free, permanently unlockable 20-card deck across a five-tier, roughly seven-hour time-loop story with a card-triggered animation for every play, a Japanese doujin heir to Slay the Spire the Steam West has only begun to find

A roguelite deckbuilder by the Japanese doujin circle DenDen, published by the Tokyo indie publisher Waku Waku Games. Drawing a card from your 20-card deck is itself the cost of playing it, and every battle is a forced single turn: fail to kill the enemy before it ends and you lose outright. Skills and cards come from a persistent, randomness-free unlock system, so a found combo stays reliably repeatable across a five-tier, roughly seven-hour time-loop story, and every card played triggers its own character animation. In the lineage of Slay the Spire. Very Positive at 96 percent over 1,372 reviews; it supports English, yet with about 34.4 percent English reviews the Steam West has only begun to find it.

70 Buried gem Cento - a roguelite deckbuilder where you press a skill's command in time with the beat of that stage's own music to chain it into a combo, drafting skill cards and gift artifacts into a hand-built deck across settings from city streets to ancient ruins, with an endurance mode for chaining consecutive battles, self-published by the Japanese studio Hoshimadara Lab., heir to MOTHER 3's Sound Battle system, already carrying a BitSummit PUNCH sound design award yet still a quiet, small-review find

A roguelite deckbuilder by the self-published Japanese studio Hoshimadara Lab. Press a skill's command in time with the beat of that stage's own music and it chains into the next hit, while you draft skill cards and gift artifacts into a hand-built deck and carry it across stages set to their own music and visuals, from city streets to ancient ruins, with an endurance mode for chaining consecutive battles. In the lineage of MOTHER 3's Sound Battle system. Very Positive at 97 percent over 109 reviews, and winner of a BitSummit PUNCH 2026 sound design award; it supports English, and with about 58.7 percent of its reviews already in English it is not fully undiscovered, though its total review count has stayed small since its 2024 release.

71 Buried gem Aiai Kissaten - a five-minute-loop, multiple-ending mystery adventure where ordering something as simple as iced coffee doubles as the password into a coffee shop's back room, branching toward one of several bad endings before a single true ending resolves the whole mystery, tracked across 44 Steam achievements, a self-published Japanese doujin debut with no earlier format to inherit from and no English support at all, unreached by the West

A five-minute-loop, multiple-ending mystery adventure by the self-published Japanese doujin circle Menya Spice Tokyo Branch. In its titular coffee shop, ordering something as simple as iced coffee doubles as the password into a back room, and every order and choice branches the story toward one of several bad endings, each handing you a piece of the truth, until enough of them add up to the one true ending that resolves the mystery in full, tracked across 44 Steam achievements. Very Positive at 96 percent over 199 reviews; it supports Japanese only, with just 1 English review and no Western media coverage found anywhere, so the West has not yet been offered a way to read it.

72 Buried gem Chippy & Noppo - a cooperative action puzzler where you gather parts around a toy factory and run them through machines that change their color and shape until they match a blueprint, carried there by two characters, Chippy for tight spaces and Noppo for high jumps, played together solo or split one-per-player in co-op, across stages from forest to ocean, fully voiced in Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese, by the established Osaka studio O-TWO inc., yet still barely reviewed in the West

A cooperative action puzzler by the Japanese label peakvox (O-TWO inc. and Fun Unit inc.), self-published by O-TWO inc. Gather parts around a toy factory and run them through machines that change their color and shape until they match a blueprint, using two characters, Chippy for tight spaces and Noppo for high jumps, controlled together solo or split one-per-player in co-op, across stages from forest to ocean. Very Positive at 91 percent over 58 reviews. It supports Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese with full voice acting in all three, yet only about 25.9 percent of its reviews are in English and no major Western outlet has covered it yet.

73 Buried gem SINGOU BREAKA - a signal-block puzzle action game where matching same-colored blocks explodes them and the shockwave flips the color of neighboring blocks, chaining into further explosions, across five modes including an offline local Battle mode, self-published by the solo-read Japanese circle NEOタケトンボ, Positive at 100 percent over a still-tiny 22 reviews

A puzzle action game self-published by the solo-read Japanese circle NEOタケトンボ. Vertical signal blocks slide only vertically, horizontal ones only horizontally, and sliding two or more same-colored signals into contact detonates them, with the shockwave flipping neighboring blocks' colors so one explosion can chain into the next. Five modes, Endless, Stage Clear, Time Limit, Score Race, and an offline local Battle mode, each across three difficulties. Positive at 100 percent, but over just 22 reviews, and while about 45.5 percent of those are already in English, the sample is too small, and outside mentions too thin, to call it discovered by the West.

74 Buried gem Chill with You : Lo-Fi Story - a work-focused sound novel where a built-in Pomodoro timer and the Lo-Fi music you choose gate real story chapters to how much you actually worked, self-published by Japan's Nestopi Inc., Overwhelmingly Positive at 98 percent over 11,726 reviews the West has only just begun to read

A work-focused sound novel self-published by Nestopi Inc. in Tokyo. You sit down to real deskwork with Satone, an imaginative girl who loves writing novels, over a Pomodoro-timed 'work call,' customizing the Lo-Fi music, ambient sound, and background that are said to reflect her mood. The more you actually work, the more of her story unlocks and the closer you grow. Overwhelmingly Positive at 98 percent over 11,726 reviews, but only about 11.5 percent are in English; Western press has started covering it, though the Steam review base hasn't caught up yet.

75 Buried gem The Last Salvage Squad - a single-player 2.5D FPS where a fallen squadmate's dropped weapon is the only way the next CogrinaUnit re-arms, sent out immediately against alien war machines styled after classic tokusatsu sci-fi, the full version of solo developer Sunfish Kumano's prototype Hand-Me-Down, Very Positive at 98 percent over 405 reviews already more than half English

A single-player 2.5D FPS by Japanese solo developer Sunfish Kumano, published by the one-person Waku Waku Games. Pilot a 12-meter autonomous CogrinaUnit against alien war machines styled after classic tokusatsu sci-fi; when your unit falls, the next one is sent out immediately, inheriting whatever weapon the fallen one managed to drop. Very Positive at 98 percent over 405 reviews, and already about 53.6 percent English.

76 Buried gem Dyping Escape - a meta horror typing game where every phrase the eyeball game master dictates is reflected straight onto what looks like your own real desktop, from solo Japanese developer Heaviside Creations via PLAYISM, an upgrade of the free browser hit DYPING (500,000+ plays), Very Positive at 92 percent over 553 reviews though still only about 13 percent English

A meta horror typing game by the solo Japanese developer behind Heaviside Creations, published by PLAYISM. An unsettling floating eyeball dictates the words you type, and whatever you enter is reflected straight back onto what looks like your own real desktop, up to and including signing your name on a contract you never agreed to. An upgrade of the free browser hit DYPING (500,000+ plays). Very Positive at 92 percent over 553 reviews, still only about 13.2 percent English.

77 Buried gem Mamon King - a monster-raising sim whose developer, a Japanese YouTuber making his solo debut, confirmed he built it as an homage to Monster Rancher, training a summoned Mamon through daily ranch work, a dice-rolled board expedition, and SP-draining 1-on-1 command battles, Very Positive at 90 percent over 605 reviews though still only about 11 percent English

A monster-raising sim by Yoshinama, a Japanese YouTuber making his solo debut, developed and self-published by LiTMUS Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of UUUM. Summon and raise a Mamon through three cycles: day-to-day training, a dice-rolled board expedition into unexplored land, and 1-on-1 command battles where every skill costs SP that either side can drain. The developer confirmed it as an homage to Monster Rancher. Very Positive at 90 percent over 605 reviews, still only about 11.4 percent English.

80 Buried gem Core Awaken Rurumu's will - a side-scrolling action RPG where a maid robot finding her own fighting style and a demon-slaying shrine maiden switch combat styles mid-mission, made by the small Japanese studio CelLab as a direct sequel to its own 2021 minesweeper-adventure starring the same heroine, Very Positive at 98 percent over 96 reviews though only about 19 percent of them are English

A side-scrolling action RPG by the small Japanese studio CelLab (セルレ部). Maid robot Rurumu and demon-slaying shrine maiden Kitsunetsuki Koharu switch fighting styles mid-mission to counter each fight, layering independent RPG equipment and upgrades on top. It is CelLab's direct sequel to its own 2021 minesweeper-adventure starring the same Rurumu. Very Positive at 98 percent over 96 reviews, still only about 18.8 percent English.

83 Buried gem Parasocial - a first-person Japanese horror game about a small-scale VTuber whose stream chat, HEALTH/DANGER-metered game-within-a-game, and a viewer's escalating attention all bleed into her own apartment, made and self-published by Chilla's Art, Very Positive at 94 percent over 1,675 reviews with English readers already at 50.9 percent

A first-person Japanese horror game about a VTuber livestreamer, built around a VHS/CRT visual filter and a psychological horror hook Steam's own text says is meant to make you feel like someone is behind you. Made and self-published by the small Japan-based studio Chilla's Art. Very Positive at 94 percent over 1,675 reviews, with English readers already close to half at 50.9 percent and press coverage from outlets like GamesRadar+ already in place.

84 Buried gem Enjoy the Diner - a multiple-choice, point-and-click mystery adventure set entirely inside an eternal family restaurant where the moon never stops being full, rebuilt in Unity from a free itch.io original by the two-person Japanese doujin circle 月刊湿地帯, published by Waku Waku Games, Overwhelmingly Positive at 97 percent over 1,125 reviews though only about 10.5 percent of reviews are in English

A multiple-choice, point-and-click adventure set entirely inside the eternal family restaurant Moon Palace, where talking with an odd cast of regulars slowly uncovers why none of you can leave. Rebuilt in Unity for Steam from a free itch.io original by the two-person Japanese doujin circle 月刊湿地帯, published by the small Tokyo indie publisher Waku Waku Games. Overwhelmingly Positive at 97 percent over 1,125 reviews, with English readers still only around 10.5 percent.

85 Buried gem The Aquarium does not dance Special Edition - a horror adventure about a girl searching for her best friend inside an ever-shifting aquarium of misshapen creatures, expanded by solo creator 橙々 from a free 2024 original into a fully voiced paid edition published by Frontier Works, Overwhelmingly Positive at 98 percent over 281 reviews though only about 14 percent of reviews are in English

A horror adventure exploring an aquarium turned world of terror, solving puzzles and evading misshapen creatures called Creepies while searching for a missing best friend. Expanded by solo creator 橙々 from a free 2024 original into this fully-voiced Special Edition, published by Frontier Works Inc. under the Animate Group. Overwhelmingly Positive at 98 percent over 281 reviews, with English readers still only around 14 percent.

86 Buried gem 5omeday - a five-minute, one-click branching novel where you decide whether and when to press the execution button on a dragon girl accused of a crime, expanded by creator Indigo Ingots from a free 2023 Unity1Week jam original into a fully-voiced Steam edition published by Waku Waku Games, Very Positive at 89 percent over 307 reviews though the West has only talked about it, not reviewed it yet

A five-minute, click-only branching novel: a dragon girl suspected of a crime sits across from you, and whether you press the execution button in front of you, and when, forks the story across 13 endings. Expanded by creator Indigo Ingots from a free 2023 Unity1Week jam original into this fully-voiced Steam edition, published by the small Tokyo indie publisher Waku Waku Games. Very Positive at 89 percent over 307 reviews, with English readers still only around 29 percent.

87 Buried gem BatteryNote - a sci-fi visual novel where you recharge three dying, scrapped robots and decide, one high-voltage switch at a time, whether their last moments are kindness or punishment, made by solo Japanese developer 72studio and published by the small Kyoto indie room6, Very Positive at 98 percent over 221 reviews though almost untouched by Western press

A sci-fi visual novel: you charge up three broken robots pulled from a scrapyard and, one at a time, either talk with them to learn their memories or throw the high-voltage switch just to see how they react, deciding how what little life they have left gets spent. Made by solo developer 72studio and published by the small Kyoto-based indie label room6. Very Positive at 98 percent over 221 reviews, with English readers still only around 18 percent.

88 Buried gem Your letter has been rejected. - a censor sim where you read intercepted letters in a fictional oppressive socialist state and decide, by spotting disguised messages, whose futures and whose nation's fate you seal, expanded by solo Japanese creator AZ. of MONAZ. from a free December 2023 Unity1Week jam original, Positive at 100 percent over 20 reviews though it has no English support at all

A censor simulation: in the fictional oppressive Grutzana People's Republic, you read letters passing between citizens and a neighboring country and decide, one at a time, whether to pass them or destroy them, using a lighter to reveal hidden text and a magnifying glass to catch small print on letters disguised to slip past you. Expanded by solo creator AZ., working under the circle name MONAZ., from a free Unity1Week jam original posted in December 2023. Positive at 100 percent over 20 reviews, though the game has no English-language support at all.

90 Buried gem Code Reactors - a deckbuilding 2D action roguelike where a sorceress girl builds elemental spell-card decks and releases them with one button while dodging and parrying entirely on her own reflexes, made solo by Studio Act One's Onidora, who quit an SES contract-programming job and crowdfunded it on CAMPFIRE, published by the one-person label Waku Waku Games, Positive at 91 percent over 33 reviews and still barely found outside Japan a year after release

A deckbuilding 2D action roguelike: build a deck of elemental 'spell cards' suited to the fight ahead and release it with a single button, timed entirely at your own discretion, while dodging and parrying enemy attacks stays a pure test of reflexes rather than another card to draw. Made solo by Studio Act One (handle: Onidora), funded through a 2023 CAMPFIRE crowdfunding campaign, and published by the one-person label Waku Waku Games. Positive at about 91 percent over 33 reviews, with English readers still only around 15 percent.

91 Buried gem Kung Fu Beat - a rhythm battle-action game where a girl becomes the strongest kung-fu fighter by moving, jumping, and attacking exactly on the beat, made solo and self-published by the two-person-free circle ブルーオニキス over two years, Positive at 100 percent over 17 reviews though it has no English support at all

A rhythm battle-action game: press the right button in time with the notes to move, jump, and attack, reading an enemy's rhythm and landing your own hits to fill a gauge for a heavy 'technique.' Made and self-published by the solo developer circle ブルーオニキス (Blue Onyx) over about two years, first shown in person at a Japan-based indie showcase before its solo Steam release. Positive at 100 percent over 17 reviews, though the game has no English-language support at all.

92 Buried gem Pull Stay - a beat-em-up tower defense where you play a guardian robot defending a hikikomori shut-in with fists and fifteen absurd traps, made solo by a developer who says in Steam's own text 'I'm also a Hikikomori,' Very Positive at about 99 percent over 146 reviews

A beat-em-up tower defense: defend Susumu, a young man who has shut himself in his room for years, using brawler combat that teaches new moves and fifteen absurd traps built from resources scavenged by breaking neighbors' houses. Made and self-published solo by developer Nito Souji, whose own Steam store text admits, 'I'm also a Hikikomori. I'm making this game solo just trying to reflect my own situation.' Very Positive at about 99 percent over 146 reviews.

93 Buried gem Auto Rogue - a roguelike where you never touch the fight itself, combining skills and trigger conditions beforehand and watching the battle you designed play out, made solo and self-published by the circle 定期的な宝物, Very Positive at about 92 percent over 718 reviews and still mostly found in Japan

An auto-battler roguelike: combine base skills with trigger conditions to invent new effects, then sit back and watch the battle you designed unfold without touching it once. Made and self-published solo by the circle 定期的な宝物 (Teikiteki na Takaramono). Very Positive at about 92 percent over 718 reviews, with English readers still only around 30 percent.

94 Buried gem HER TREES : THE PUZZLE HOUSE - a wordless point-and-click puzzle game where you solve everything by moving and combining objects rather than collecting an inventory, made solo by developer Stone as the sequel to a free itch.io original, Very Positive at about 94.7 percent over 952 reviews though not yet reviewed by a single major Western outlet

A wordless point-and-click puzzle game: every solution comes from moving and combining objects, not collecting an inventory, told through hand-drawn monochrome art and calm ambient sound, with no puzzle that depends on color perception or sound. Made and self-published solo by developer Stone as the sequel to a free itch.io original. Very Positive at about 94.7 percent over 952 reviews, with English readers still under 30 percent.

95 Buried gem Kuro Rekishi Fighters - a pure boss-rush action game where you choose among 36 gacha-summoned playable characters and fight through 36 consecutive boss battles, made and self-published solo by developer ジェッドム (Jeddom), Positive at 100 percent over 13 reviews with zero of them in English

A pure boss-rush action game: choose freely among 36 playable characters, drawn through a battle-funded summon system, and fight your way through 36 consecutive boss battles to a single ending. Made and self-published solo by developer ジェッドム (Jeddom). Positive at 100 percent over 13 reviews, none of them in English.

96 Buried gem Maxwell's puzzling demon - a thermodynamic puzzle game where you push hot and cold blocks to cool them down and clear a path across 350-plus levels in 10 worlds, made and self-published solo by developer muratsubo, Very Positive at about 98 percent over 402 reviews with the great majority of its audience still in Japan

A thermodynamic puzzle game: push blocks that carry heat, hot or cold, slamming cold into hot to cool it down, across 10 thematic worlds and more than 350 levels where each world is itself a puzzle you clear using solutions carried over from levels already solved. Made and self-published solo by developer muratsubo. Very Positive at about 98 percent over 402 reviews, with English readers still only around 22 percent.

97 Buried gem Princess of Destruction - a small, dense roguelike RPG that ends the moment you advance 100 steps and beat the final boss, with only 10 skills and 10 abilities in the entire game, made by solo creator Pawn under the alias Steppers' Stop as his first digital game in 13 years, Positive at about 95 percent over 39 reviews with only 1 of them in English

A small, dense roguelike RPG: advance 100 steps and beat the final boss to clear it, growing through leveling and equipment while drawing from only 10 total skills and 10 total abilities in the entire game, each reshaping your strategy depending on how you use it. Made and self-published by Steppers' Stop, the alias of solo creator Pawn, marking his first digital game in 13 years. Positive at about 95 percent over 39 reviews, only 1 of them in English.

98 Buried gem Old Coin Pusher Friends 2 - an up-to-4-player online co-op coin pusher set in the Edo period where you push coins together to defeat yokai and chase the jackpot, made by the two-person independent studio STP WORKS after a CAMPFIRE crowdfunding campaign that raised over 60 times its goal, Very Positive at about 90.6 percent over 469 reviews with the great majority of its audience still in Japan

An online cooperative coin pusher set in the Edo period: up to four players push coins together to defeat yokai, repel skull swarms, and chase the jackpot, upgrading abilities and equipment along the way. Made and self-published by STP WORKS, a two-person independent studio, launched through a CAMPFIRE crowdfunding campaign that raised over 60 times its goal. Very Positive at about 90.6 percent over 469 reviews, with English readers still only around 9 percent.

99 Buried gem Front Line - a one-life side-scrolling run-and-gun with no continues where every enemy bullet is a real threat, made solo by developer D.IKUSHIMA as a Steam release of a free 2003 game with over a million cumulative downloads, Positive at 100 percent over 10 reviews with only 1 of them in English

A one-life run-and-gun: switch between handgun, machine gun, shotgun, and sniper rifle while pushing through enemy lines, with no extra lives and no continues to soften a single mistake. Made and self-published solo by developer D.IKUSHIMA, this Steam release follows a free game first released in 2003 with over a million cumulative downloads. Positive at 100 percent over 10 reviews, only 1 of them in English.

100 Buried gem Cloudsea Frontier - a classic long-form JRPG homage with a Final-Fantasy-V-style main-class-and-sub-class system, 30 to 40 hours long, made and self-published solo by developer New RPG Project after a year on Japan's DLsite platform, Positive at 90 percent over 10 reviews with zero of them in English

A classic long-form RPG homage to 1990s JRPGs: sideview command battles, a freely swappable main-class-and-sub-class system, character and class-specific ultimate techniques, and abundant story-driven sidequests across a 30-to-40-hour adventure through a world of islands above a cloud sea. Made and self-published solo by developer New RPG Project, first sold on Japan's DLsite platform before this Steam release. Positive at 90 percent over 10 reviews, zero of them in English.

101 Buried gem Kinki Spiritual Affairs Bureau - a third-person horror where guns, fists, and stealth actually work on the ghosts, built by solo developer Noto Muteki, who says horror games aren't personally to their taste and pivoted into one partly out of financial hardship. Very Positive at 93 percent over 2,833 reviews, only 10.8 percent in English

A third-person action horror where you finally get to fight back: hand-to-hand combat, gunfights, and stealth against the ghosts overrunning a Nara village that vanished from every record. Made and self-published solo by developer Noto Muteki, who per Japanese Wikipedia personally finds horror games not to their taste. Very Positive at 93 percent over 2,833 reviews, only 10.8 percent of them in English.

102 Buried gem Dungeon Bomber - a turn-by-turn chain-reaction bomb-placing roguelite where you fuse bombs and blast through a dungeon, made solo by a prolific, decade-plus Japanese browser-game creator with no editorial coverage anywhere in the West. Positive at 100 percent over 25 reviews, only 16 percent in English

A chain-reaction bomb-placing roguelite: each turn, place a bomb from your hand, blast coin blocks and enemies, and fuse bombs together to dig deeper into the dungeon. Made and self-published solo by developer TUKUCHAU-OJISAN, a prolific creator with over a decade of free Japanese browser games behind them. Positive at 100 percent over 25 reviews, with no editorial coverage found anywhere in Western game media.

103 Buried gem Penguin Wars - the last week before the star dies, told as a free-roaming exploration novel where a girl chooses where to go and who to talk to, made by a 2-person Japanese circle. Very Positive at about 97.8 percent over 90 reviews, 0 of them in English

An exploration-style adventure novel: the star is dying, and this is the last week before it ends. Where the girl at its center goes and who she talks to are left entirely up to the player, carried by cinematic visuals and an original soundtrack. Made and self-published by a 2-person Japanese circle, Shachikumazu. Very Positive at about 97.8 percent over 90 reviews, all in Japanese; no English reviews exist at all.

104 Buried gem Heartreasure: Stellar Journey - a ballpoint-pen-illustrated hidden-object game where you turn handles and solve planet-sized gimmicks to find hearts tucked into the art itself, made solo by a Tokyo illustrator with a substantial Japanese following but zero Western game-press coverage. Very Positive at 100 percent over 108 reviews, only 22.2 percent in English

A sandbox hidden-object game set in a ballpoint-pen-illustrated universe: turn handles, solve planet-sized gimmicks, and hunt for hearts tucked into the background art itself, with no timer and no fixed order. Made and self-published solo by asaha, a Tokyo-based illustrator with a substantial following in Japan but no coverage found in Western game media. Very Positive at 100 percent over 108 reviews, with 72.2 percent of them in Japanese.

105 Buried gem Journey of Reincarnation - a roguelike auto-battle NES-style RPG where a hero granted a second life grows through Jewels across dungeons that reshuffle every run, made solo by a developer who says on X 'I am a Japanese indie game developer.' Positive at about 93 percent over 27 reviews, 0 of them in English

A roguelike, auto-battle, NES-style retro RPG: a hero granted a second life descends into a dungeon that reshuffles with every attempt, battles fully automatic, growth driven by Jewels for armor, weapons, and skills. Made and self-published solo by MSBgamedev, who has stated directly on X, 'I am a Japanese indie game developer.' Positive at about 93 percent over 27 reviews, every one of them in Japanese but one, which is in Korean; none are in English.

106 Buried gem Harusuberiya Chronicle 2.5 - a deckbuilding tactics game where a legion commander who has forgotten her own army rebuilds a deck of command cards from victories (and 'lessons' from defeat), commanding an undead girls' legion. Made by a doujin circle over a decade in, first-ever Steam release for a series older than that. Positive at about 90 percent over 29 reviews, all of them in Japanese

A deckbuilding tactics game, a side story in the long-running Harusuberiya Chronicle series: legion commander Capena Nostiekrocca has forgotten her own army, and rebuilds a deck of 'command cards' through victories, gaining 'lessons' from defeat to prune it. Made and self-published by doujin circle Yashioji Tenkai Kessha, whose Harusuberiya Chronicle series is over a decade old and appearing on Steam for the first time with this release. Positive at about 90 percent over 29 reviews, every single one in Japanese.

107 Buried gem Cure for Danmaku Synd - a top-down shmup where you can't shoot, only deliberately get hit to absorb enemy bullet patterns behind a barrier and reflect them back, exploring a patient's body to cure a disease from the inside. Made solo by developer ToAge. Positive at 100 percent over 16 reviews, 0 of them in English

A top-down shooter where you can't shoot: deliberately take hits to absorb enemy bullet patterns behind a barrier, then reflect them back as an attack, while exploring a patient's body from the inside to cure a mysterious disease before time runs out. Made and self-published solo by developer ToAge. Positive at 100 percent over 16 reviews, every one of them in Japanese; none are in English.

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