BS Shin Onigashima

About

BS Shin Onigashima is a four-part adventure game released for Japan’s Satellaview service in 1996. It follows two siblings who leave their mountain village after a dragon’s attack turns people into soul-sucking ogres. The game blends action-platforming with puzzle-solving as you explore castles, forests, and other locales to uncover the kids’ origins and rescue their parents. Unlike traditional games, it required playing through each episode in sequence, with new data downloading over four days to expand the story and mechanics. The biggest hook was its interactive broadcast format, which let players influence the game’s return through voting. It finished second in Nintendo’s 1997 Player’s Choice poll, securing a rebroadcast and later a commercial cartridge release in 1998. While the Satellaview version is now a niche artifact, its serialized design and evolving gameplay made it a standout in the mid-90s. Casual fans may struggle to find a playable copy, but the concept of a story that grows with each session still feels ahead of its time.

Storyline

Once upon a time, there was an elderly couple living in Nagakushi village, a small village located far up in the mountains. The couple had no children, until one day, they were entrusted with the care of an infant boy and girl, as prophesied in a dream. The years went by, and when the two children were 8 years old, there was a terrible occurrence in the western capital. An evil dragon suddenly appeared in the city, turning humans into oni, ogres that suck away the souls of other humans. The oni advanced as far as Nagakushi village, stealing away the souls of the elderly couple. Fortunately the two children were left unharmed, and they set out on a quest to save their adopted parents, not realizing that this adventure would reveal the secret of their true origins...