The Shell Part I: Inferno Coming July 28 to Steam & Johren
TOKYO, JAPAN – MAY 31, 2023.
Shiravune is pleased to announce that the three core games of Innocent Grey's psychological thriller trilogy Kara no Shōjo will be coming to the West under the title The Shell, beginning with an HD remaster of the original game entitled The Shell Part I: Inferno on July 28, 2023!
Follow the story of Detective Reiji Tosaka as he chases down the mystery of a series of gruesome murders rocking a post-war 1950s Tokyo. The Shell Part I: Inferno is a deeply atmospheric noir-style visual novel in which players will find clues in investigative gameplay sequences and use them to make decisions that meaningfully affect the shocking twists and turns of the story.
The Shell Part I: Inferno will offer English and Chinese language options and is now available to wishlist on Steam as of today, May 31, 2023.
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2258770?utm_source=enpr
Johren (18+): https://www.johren.games/games/download/the-shell-part-i-inferno-en-zh
INTRO
March 1956.
In a Tokyo that's slowly returning to its former glory after losing the war ten years prior, Private Detective Reiji Tokisaka takes on the case of a girl he meets in Inokashira Park.
"I want you to find something... Me. My true self."
A wave of bizarre and grotesque crimes has been crashing down on the city. The victims, all young women, are being kidnapped and murdered, each corpse only to be discovered with a body part and the uterus removed. Sergeant Uozumi, Tokisaka's childhood friend and former coworker, asks him to investigate the murders.
Meanwhile, sitting off in a corner of the town of Hoya is Oba Girls' Academy, the school Tokisaka's younger sister goes to and where two students have recently disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The vice principal of this academy, Tokio Saeki, implores Tokisaka to find them.
Having taken on all three of these cases, and with Vice Principal Tokio's approval, Tokisaka enters Oba Girls' Academy as a teacher in order to dig up information about the students.
It's there that he meets her again. Toko Kuchiki, the girl who asked him to look for her true self, with a voice as light and as clear as a bell and a casual way of speaking that doesn't match it.
"Heya. Figured I'd be seeing you soon, Detective."
More and more victims turn up as the days pass, and the investigation he thought would be oh-so-easy stalls. For some reason, the number of disappearances and unidentified bodies don't add up.
And the newest victim is—
The secrets of a case from six years prior may just be the key to the current unending cycle of tragedy, and the thing that cracks this woeful world's shell may be one girl's smile.
CHARACTERS
Reiji Tokisaka / Voice: Waruta Higeuchi
Occupation: Private detective
Hobby: Reading (mainly history books)
Our protagonist is a private detective whose office is located in Shinjuku. He specializes in violent crime cases, like murders. After the war, Shugo Takashiro, the protagonist of Cartagra, asked Tokisaka if he wouldn't become a police officer and make use of his talents. Tokisaka accepted and eventually became his partner, but that came to an end six years ago when a certain incident spurred Tokisaka to leave the force. Since then, he has rebuilt his life, becoming a detective just like his friend Shugo.
"It's easy to see why the killer did the crime if you think about it long enough."
Yukari Tokisaka / Voice: Rino Kawashima
Occupation: A member of the Oba Girls' Academy Art Club
Hobby: Observing and raising insects
Yukari is Reiji's younger sister who he has a bit of an age gap with. Since he can't do household chores to save his life, Yukari naturally came to do them all herself. She's a brave but gentle and modest young woman who faithfully supports her brother. Being of a scholarly mindset, she is quite knowledgeable about insects. However, the bugs she raises in her room occasionally make a run for it, and sometimes she serves them up as dishes without warning...
"I just want to be there to pick you up whenever you fall. That's all that matters to me..."
Toko Kuchiki / Voice: Aji Sanma
Occupation: A member of the Oba Girls' Academy Art Club
Hobby: Sketching, moonlit walks
Toko acts like an adult, but is in fact an odd creature, neither really an adult nor a child. Her casual mode of speech seems to contradict her appearance as a refined young woman, and she always manages to stand apart from the crowd, never letting others dictate how she acts. Feeling an inexpressible sense of uneasiness with her current "existence," she hires Tokisaka to "find her true self."
"I want you to find something... Me. My true self."
Tōko Mizuhara / Voice: Mimi Yoshida
Occupation: A member of the Oba Girls' Academy Art Club
Hobby: Illustrating picture books.
Toko's best friend, she sees in her the vision of an ideal lady. Tōko, coming from a poorer family compared to the other students of the prestigious Oba Girls' Academy, has a strong inferiority complex. Due to this, she despises the other students, her mother, and even herself. She would rather Tokisaka, who's suddenly shown up in their lives and has started building a rapport with Toko, keep his distance from Toko.
"...Please stay away from Toko."
Tsuzuriko Yosomiya / Voice: Aoi Hinata
Occupation: A student of Oba Girls' Academy and an author
Hobby: Making dojinshi
Tsuzuriko is very cheerful and sprightly. She may seem like the totally opposite of Yukari, but they actually get along very well and think of each other as best friends. She's made her writing debut in literary magazines and has contributed articles to some less classy rags as well, which she of course keeps secret from the Academy. She was unwillingly given the nickname "Tojiko" by Tokisaka after he decided that "Tsuzuriko" was too hard to pronounce.
"I specialize in mystery nove— Hey, who're you calling Tojiko?!"
Kyoko Hazuki / Voice: Kaname Yuzuki
Occupation: Owner of the Moon World café
Hobby: Making sweets
Kyoko is a widow whose café Moon World is located near Kichijoji Station. She's known Tokisaka for a long time, and they count each other as true friends and confidants, intimately familiar with each other's lives. As they have both lost someone dear to them, they often act as mutual advisors as well. Her cafe has a lot of regular customers and seems to be profitable.
"One Kyoko's Special Blend, coming right up."
Hatsune Amemiya / Voice: Himeno Miyabi
Occupation: Server at the Moon World café
Hobby: Cooking (still learning)
Hatsune is a young woman who used to work at the brothel Yukishiro over in Ueno. Due to the incident that happened in Ueno and public pressure, the brothel was demolished some years prior. After it was destroyed, the madam adopted her and gave her the last name "Amemiya." Now she lives and works at Moon World.
"Oh, umm, you can call me Hatsune. I'm still not used to the new surname."
Natsume / Voice: Hikaru Isshiki
Occupation: Coroner
Hobby: Dissection
Natsume is eccentric in both looks and character, but the skills she displays as a coroner for the police are top-notch. She's worked with Tokisaka since his detective days and still gives him information and advice when his investigation requires it. She is fond of Tokisaka... but since she asks for a certain something for that information, Tokisaka avoids her unless absolutely necessary. She claims she was born and raised in Kyoto, but her accent isn't exactly consistent.
"Way ta pour salt in the wound. An' I tried so hard, too..."
Maris Stella / Voice: Yuzuki Akishiro
Occupation: Curator
Hobby: Sleeping
Maris works at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum as a curator. She's half-Japanese, as is clear from her blond hair and blue eyes, and she rarely says more than a few words at a time. She's an excellent curator who is exceedingly knowledgeable about art. She comes off as quite mysterious, but could it be that she's actually a bit scatterbrained?
"...Reiji... detective?"
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Title: The Shell Part I: Inferno
OS: Windows
Players: Single-Player
Developer: Innocent Grey
Publisher: Shiravune
Languages: English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese
PLATFORMS
Steam, Johren (18+ Adult Version)
PRICING
19.99 USD / 1,999 Johren Points
* Steam prices may vary based on regional pricing.
* Steam discount 20% OFF from launch! Discount ends August 4, 2023.
* Johren discount 20% OFF from launch! Discount ends August 11, 2023.
ABOUT Shiravune
Shiravune is a Tokyo-based localization team dedicated to bringing Japanese games to fresh audiences in English and Chinese. We work with developers large and small to help them deliver their stories to players around the world. Since our founding in 2019, it has been our pleasure to expand our catalog to include the seminal 90s dating sim Dōkyūsei: Bangin' Summer, the crossdressing rom-com Otome * Domain, the hyperkinetic rush that is Marco & The Galaxy Dragon, PC ports of the acclaimed Utawarerumono series of story-driven tactics RPGs, and much more! Find our games primarily on Steam and Johren, or join us on Twitter and Discord for the latest announcements.
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Twitter: https://Twitter.com/shiravune
Discord: https://discord.gg/qBmrqDy
Website: https://shiravune.com/
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