The Town of Nie

About

The Town of Nie is a surreal visual novel where a blue-collar worker named Hisora gets thrust into a bizarre world where death is nonexistent. After chasing a stranger into a shadowy alley, he finds himself trapped in a town populated by grotesque, immortal beings. The game mixes slice-of-life elements with horror as Hisora navigates this twisted reality, seeking a way back home. Choices and interactions with the town’s unnerving residents shape the story’s progression, blending mystery with existential dread. The game stands out for its unnerving concept and layered storytelling. The world’s warped logic and unsettling visuals create a distinct tone, balancing melancholy and body horror. With a September 2024 release planned for PC and Switch, it’s drawing attention for its bold narrative risks and artistic direction. The contrast between Hisora’s ordinary struggles and the nightmarish setting anchors the experience, offering a haunting take on survival and identity.

Storyline

"How did I end up here?" The main character Hisora lost his family when he was a teenager, and now gets by working a menial part-time job. One day while working his job, Hisora notices a young man in mourning clothes who drops a bouquet of white flowers while heading into a dark alley. Unable to let it be, Hisora picks up the bouquet and follows him. However, after passing through the long, dark alley Hisora loses sight of the young man, and finds himself standing at an Inn, the entrance to another world. While dazed, Hisora is welcomed by the Inn's residence, and hears something that surprises him. This is a world where death is a far-away concept. There's a man who walks around with a crushed head, and a child who plays with his own head as if it were a ball. And other Freaks with terrifying deformities. Hisora is the only flesh and blood human, wandering around in this world filled with creepy things. He looks for a way to return to his own world, but there is none. Hisora searches for a way to return home with the help of the Inn's inhabitants. He ventures into the town, where the scent of the living attracts the dead who live there. What will Hisora find at the conclusion of his life-threatening search?