Famicom Mukashibanashi: Shin Onigashima

About

Famicom Mukashibanashi: Shin Onigashima is a 1987 text-based adventure game for Nintendo’s Family Computer Disk System. You play as twin children who must rescue their adoptive parents after a dragon curses the village and turns people into soul-stealing oni. Progress by choosing commands like “Change Character” to switch control between the boy and girl. The story unfolds through simple graphics and branching dialogue, with choices shaping how you explore the mountain village and confront the mystical threats. The game split its campaign across two floppy disks, requiring players to swap disks mid-playthrough, a unique design for the era. Though the disk system is now rare, later versions eliminated the need for swapping. With its mix of folklore and supernatural danger, it carved out a niche among retro adventure fans. Released over 35 years ago, it’s remembered as one of the Famicom Disk System’s more ambitious narrative-driven titles.

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...