Pixel art Japanese fantasy RPG Navinosuke: The YO-KAI Buster announced for Switch
From the Metal Slug team and pixel artist Akio.
Kohachi Studio has announced Navinosuke: The YO-KAI Buster, a modern revival of a “legendary RPG” created by Metal Slug and R-Type series main pixel artist Akio in the early 2000s, but never released. It will launch for Switch in winter 2026, with additional platforms to be determined.
In a Twitter post, Akio said that Navinosuke: The YO-KAI Buster was originally developed by the
Here is an overview of the game, via its official website:
About
Navinosuke: The YO-KAI Buster is a 2D pixel art RPG set in ancient fictional Japan. Join apprentice onmyoji “Navinosuke” as you travel through YO-KAI-infested stages, encounter various YO-KAI across the land, sometimes befriend them, and solve numerous incidents caused by the YO-KAI.
Characters
- Navinosuke – A mechanical onmyoji trainee built by the Institute. Cheerful and tireless, he seals YO-KAI each day.
- Sadatsuna of Utsunomiya – The lord of Utsunomiya Castle. He’s organizing a beauty pageant to gather Japan’s finest women…
- Recovery Center Lady – Even if you’re not hurt, you just can’t resist visiting her.
- Keiichi – A delivery ninja racing through Suzuka Pass. Soon to face off with his rival Ukyo in a high-speed duel…
- Tamamo – A country girl who entered the Utsunomiya beauty contest. But she performs a mysterious dance…
- Elder Takenaka – A senior retainer of the Utsu-nomiya castle. A true “nice elder” supporting the wild lord from the shadows.
- Satoru – A hospitalized boy who can read people’s minds. He’s a true super esper.
How to Play
In the vast land of Japan, many YO-KAI lurk in various locations. Find them, win battles, and befriend them.
- Build your own battle team of YO-KAI!
- Battle against wild YO-KAI!
- Seal them and make them allies!
YO-KAI
YO-KAI have five attributes, and each attribute has various unique YO-KAI that can join your party. Each YO-KAI has unique skills, allowing for highly diverse battles.
- Senko – A fox YO-KAI that has lived for many years and gained mystical powers. Unlike ordinary fox spirits, it doesn’t deceive people but instead secludes itself in the mountains to train. Very rarely, it appears in human villages, showing itself only to virtuous people. The words and gifts it bestows in these encounters become lifelong protections.
- Okurisuzume – A large sparrow YO-KAI that appears on mountain paths and passes. It quietly follows travelers but never goes ahead of them. If you look back, it disappears, making you think it was just your imagination. However, if you ignore it and continue, you’ll safely cross the mountain.
- Keizobo – A fox YO-KAI that served at a castle in Tottori. It could transform into a young samurai and had the ability to travel to Edo and back in just three days. While deeply cherished, it eventually died after being caught in a trap meant for foxes damaging crops. The lord, pitying it, built Nakasaka Shrine to enshrine Keizobou.
- Nekomata – A YO-KAI that transforms from an aged cat. Nekomata that feel gratitude toward their owners protect their homes, while those that were mistreated place curses. They’re said to walk around in human form at night, and it’s best not to approach black cats swaying their tails in the moonlight.
- Gashadokuro – A giant skeleton YO-KAI formed from the accumulated grudges of many humans. It wanders through fields at night, startling people. It’s said to be formed from the skeletons of people who died in agony, with their grudges causing it to grow enormous.
- Kamuro – A 10-year-old apprentice who follows an oiran (courtesan), learning how to care for her and receiving arts training. Long ago, an angry oiran poured boiling black tooth dye into Kamuro’s mouth, killing her. Since then, voices of resentment can be heard at night, and handprints appear on walls.
- Hitorima – Hitorima is said to extinguish lanterns when you pass near Koorogi Bridge, only to have them mysteriously relight afterward.
- Baku – A legendary beast that devours nightmares. Its presence brings peaceful sleep. In some regions, chanting “Let Baku eat tonight’s dream” three times keeps bad dreams away.
- Kurama Tengu – A great tengu from Mount Kurama in Kyoto. Said to be the night form of Bishamonten at Kurama Temple. Legend has it that the young Ushiwakamaru learned swordsmanship from tengu here.
- Hitodama – The soul released from a dead body. It appears like molten rice cake and is said to attract small black bugs. Some tales speak of throwing stones at it, causing the dead to rise again.
Watch the announcement teaser trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.