Ethan Crossfield 
Yami Kids will arrive on Steam on September 22, offering a compact creature-collecting RPG built around Oni, turn-based combat, and a murder mystery in the afterlife. Developed by Yanako RPGs and GameDevTosh, the game stands apart from lighter monster-taming adventures by placing its twin protagonists in the Underworld after a violent death.
What happened
The upcoming release follows Yuki and Yuumi Yami, twins who must survive in the Underworld while investigating the people responsible for their deaths. Yuki is the protective older brother, despite being only about five minutes older, while Yuumi is drawn to fire and unsettling subjects. Their journey centers on revenge, rebirth, and the mystery surrounding their family’s killers.
Players can summon, contract, collect, and train more than 80 Oni. Those creatures form the foundation of traditional turn-based battles, giving Yami Kids a familiar structure for fans of monster-catching RPGs. Its retro visual style is paired with modern quality-of-life features, suggesting that the older look is primarily an aesthetic choice rather than a sign of dated systems.
Why it matters
Yami Kids draws from several recognizable parts of gaming’s creature and character-driven RPG traditions without presenting itself as a straightforward Pokémon alternative. The Oni provide the collection hook, while the nighttime Shadow Duels bring a more dangerous twist to battles against rival Contractors and their teams.
These encounters carry consequences beyond a normal defeat. Losing can send the twins back into the Underworld, where they must navigate unusual places, find items, and complete tasks before returning to the world of the living. That structure gives the game’s afterlife setting a direct gameplay role instead of using it only as background.
The murder investigation and supernatural setting also create clear Persona-like associations, particularly for players familiar with stories that connect mystery, alternate realms, and personal trauma. Meanwhile, the Shadow Duel concept recalls Yu-Gi-Oh!’s darker battle imagery. The result is an unusual blend with a more mature tone than the cheerful adventure formula commonly associated with creature collectors.
What to watch next
The main question ahead of the Steam release is whether Yami Kids can make its combination of influences feel cohesive. Its systems point toward a focused experience rather than a sprawling, 100-hour RPG, and the developers have described it as a relatively compact adventure built around a short story.
That could work in the game’s favor. A smaller scope may let the Underworld mystery, twin-focused narrative, and Oni roster remain tightly connected, while also making the game easier to fit into a crowded September release schedule. Players should watch how much variety the 80-plus creatures provide, how frequently Shadow Duels appear, and whether defeat-based trips to the Underworld feel like meaningful choices rather than interruptions.
Key takeaways before launch
- Yami Kids releases on Steam on September 22.
- The game features more than 80 collectible and trainable Oni.
- Combat uses a turn-based system built around contracted creatures.
- Nighttime Shadow Duels can send the twins back to the Underworld after defeat.
- The RPG is designed as a relatively compact story rather than a massive adventure.
Expert View
Yami Kids has a stronger identity than its list of influences initially suggests. The combination of creature collection, supernatural investigation, and consequence-driven battles gives it a clear angle, while the compact format may help the game avoid the feature bloat that can weaken larger monster-taming RPGs. Its success will depend on execution: the Oni roster and Shadow Duels need enough depth to support the darker premise, not simply reference familiar franchises.
