Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines is among the most original Japanese RPGs ever released on the Vita, because it turned generational character turnover into the very core of the gameplay. The main characters' family has been cursed, and its members only live to be two years old. The player therefore doesn't lead a single party, but an entire bloodline: characters age, weaken, die, and their descendants continue the vendetta against the demon who cast the curse. To keep the family from dying out, the heroes form marriages with gods, and from these unions come new family members who inherit abilities and weapons from their ancestors. Death, then, isn't a punishment but a planned part of progression.

The game is split between a calm segment at the family estate, where marriages to gods, raising descendants, and equipment are handled, and expeditions into dungeons, where turn-based battles take place. Party formation and positioning determine who can strike whom, so even a simple encounter requires careful thought. Because every character has a limited number of months to live, the player must decide when it's still worth investing in their training and when it's better to prepare a successor. This rhythm gives the game a peculiar melancholy, underscored by an art style inspired by Japanese woodblock prints and paper painting.

The audiovisual side is the game's greatest asset. Muted colors, outlined shapes, and stylized environments create the impression of an animated scroll, and the music uses traditional Japanese instruments, giving an unusually dignified atmosphere to a game that is otherwise full of humor. Contemporary reviews praised the boldness of the concept and the depth of the family system, with criticism aimed at the repetitive dungeons and the fact that the game doesn't explain much to the player at first. Today, Oreshika is valued as a title that made great use of Japanese cultural heritage as well as an unusual mechanic, and it's one of the games that make the Vita remembered as a console with an unusually varied lineup.