| Akai Ito | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Success Corporation |
| Designer(s) | Hal |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | visual novel, adventure, horror, yuri[1] |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) |
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| Media/distribution | 1 DVD-ROM |
Akai Ito (アカイイト, lit. "Red Thread") is a Japanese horror adventure game by Success Corporation, released exclusively for the PlayStation 2 in Japan on October 21, 2004. A reduced price "popular edition," included in developer and publisher SUCCESS' SuperLite 2000 Series, was released on October 27, 2005. The title refers to the mythical red string of fate. Akai Ito has not been officially released outside of Japan, but there has been a fan effort to translate it, similar to the popular dōjin game Tsukihime.
Contents |
To arrange the inheritance because of the loss of her mother, Kei Hatō heads for her father's house in Hemizuka. In the train on the way there, Kei has a mysterious dream of a huge tree and a woman who seems to be lost in sadness. In Hemizuka, Kei learns the secret concealed in her own blood through various meeting with an Oni Slayer, a friend of her late mother, a young girl accompanied by a white fox, and even the mysterious girl from her dreams. Throughout the story Kei is antagonized by the twin oni Nozomi and Mikage. Akai Ito's story varies greatly based upon the player's decisions, which not only affect the flow of the story but also the ending the player receives (several of which suggest romantic feelings among the female characters).
The main character of the story, Kei is a rather careless person, which is quite ironic considering her favourite phrase is "always be prepared".
The mysterious girl from Kei's dreams.
The Oni Slayer Kei meets at the train station, her sword is the very bane of the oni.
A girl half Kei's age, accompanied by a white fox. Kei meets her in her father's now abandoned house.
A friend of Kei's deceased mother. She goes by the nickname "West".
Twin oni and the antagonists of the story.
A mysterious male, later known as Kei's brother called Hakuka.
Akai Ito has also received several manga adaptations: a one-shot by Muttri Moony published in the July 2004 issue of Yuri Shimai, by the name "Swear"; and a short manga published in the May and June 2007 issues of Monthly Comic Rush. A special anthology was created for a limited edition version Akai Ito, the anthology featured various stories from different artists.
A free web novel of Akai Ito was released on Success' official Akai Ito website,[2] it follows one of the storylines accessible when playing the video game.
One drama CD has been released. It was first released as a Limited Edition version in October 2005 and later a regular version was released on December 26, 2006.[3]