Horror is not just blood, gore, and jumpscares galore. Those things are easy, but a game that can get into your head and frighten you with music scores and vibes alone is so much more. The No Ghost  in series by indie developer Midori Games is one such series, and the most recent edition – No Ghost in Circus Caravan – is out just in time for Spooky Season.

Midori Games comprises a single Japanese game developer with a passion for horror games. They love receiving feedback and fan interaction, and make a point of ensuring that fans are able to stream, create fan works, and monetize anything related to their titles without restriction. Additionally, all of their games are now available on Steam either for free, or just $0.99. Despite being short, each game is packed with plenty of surprises.

There Are No Ghosts in Ba Sing Se

 No Ghost in is a series of short point-and-click horror adventures. Simple on the surface, their monochrome aesthetic hides a series of puzzles and choices that determine the fate of your protagonist. They’re all heavily based in psychological horror, but casual enough that anyone can play them.

In the first game, No Ghost in Stay Home, features little Anna. This is the first night she has ever stayed home alone, and she is very nervous. The game only lasts three minutes a run, representing three hours in game, but there’s much you can do in that time. By interacting with the furniture and items, your actions lead to various fates for the young girl, and various scares for you.

No Ghost in Sky Elevator is similarly short, but the scares and creep factor are ramped up even higher. On the 60th floor of a mysterious high-rise, Yumi gets on the elevator to head home. However, with each stop on the way down strange people and animals board, mysterious phenomena begins to occur, and objects beyond comprehension seek to gain entrance. Rather than antagonizing your protagonist, this time you’re helping her decide. Should she let these characters on? Use that item? Will Yumi be able to reach the 1st floor with your help? Or face a fate far worse?

In the Center of the Ring

The third installment of the No Ghost in series is the biggest expansion yet, featuring multiple locations and fascinating puzzles. No Ghost in Circus Caravan invites you into the Mesel Circus Caravan as the new manager responsible for the nightly shows. Your role involves curating the evening’s program, selecting performers, and ensuring an unforgettable experience for the audience. Guided by the spirited ringmaster, Lina, you quickly realize that something feels off. Despite her cheerful demeanor and assurances that there are no ghosts, unsettling mysteries lurk within the shadows of the circus.

As with the other No Ghost in games, every decision you make impacts the game’s multiple endings. Explore areas like the main stage, dressing room, and prop warehouse to unravel the secrets hidden within. Each investigation lasts only a few minutes and features unique puzzles. You might rearrange tiles to reveal a room’s facade, uncover files about the troupe members, or test your luck by cutting different ropes on stage. If you find yourself stuck, hint cards are provided to guide your journey.

As you delve deeper into the circus’s eerie secrets, terrifying revelations connected to your troupe members await. Lina insists that no ghosts haunt the caravan, attributing any odd occurrences to her partner, a white snake named Silhouette. You’ll also encounter a mysterious, nameless puppeteer and the cheerful monkey, Chriqoo, whose performances light up the stage. However, each interaction raises more questions than the last. Can you trust Lina’s warnings? Is there truly no ghost in the circus caravan?

A Game of 20 Questions

While the No Ghost in series make up half of Midori Games’ library, there is one more horror game in their roster. TheTravelGame is a short quiz game with your life on the line. Young Rita wants to play a game with you. Ask her questions and determine whether she’s lying or not – simple as that. However, there are consequences if you ask the wrong questions. Although short and simpler than any of the other No Ghost in games, there’s an argument to be made that TheTravelGame is even more chilling.

Switching Up Styles

Lately, Midori Games has been stretching their wings, experimenting with different game mechanics, genres, and more color. The one strictly free game of theirs, Cross Soul, is one such experiment. 

Cross Soul is an action roguelike platforming RPG, where you play as a girl with one soul in two bodies. In one life, you are Aoha Sohma, a kunoichi skilled in ninjutsu. As an apprentice ninja, your master sends you to conquer a mysterious dungeon. However, sometimes while in the dungeon she falls asleep and becomes Ahsamooha, the Pharaoh Queen of Egypt. The young queen has been given a dreaming curse and must battle her own dungeon in order to lift it.

The mechanics change up dramatically between characters. Aoha uses straight forward shuriken and martial arts techniques to battle her opponents and uses her greatly enhanced agility and acrobatics to navigate the dungeon. Ahsamooha, on the other hand, is much more calculated. Her arrows ricochet off of surfaces to hit enemies otherwise impossible angles, keeping herself out of danger. And while she doesn’t have Aoha’s double jumping abilities, Ahsamooha can use magic to create platforms out of thin air.

While Cross Soul has gotten mixed reviews and looks a little clunky at times, the game itself is solid with clever and well thought out mechanics. Midori Games got a little help from Hidekazu Tomoshibi with the character designs, but everything else from the art and programming to the musical score were developed by one person. Cross Soul just goes to show the massive amount of effort and passion Midori Games puts into their projects, with no expectation of financial return.

The Next Evolution

Later this year, Midori Games also plans to release another game that shows an even greater shift in their capabilities as a single developer. This title is called Little Eternal Chronicle. In a world where ten-year-olds are given the ability to manipulate time – a world that will soon be destroyed – only they have the power to survive. Little Eternal Chronicle is a full JRPG with walkable environments and team-based combat.

 By this point, Midori Games has been able to fully incorporate color into their unique style, delivering cleaner graphics than they were capable of in Cross Soul. Everything is hand drawn, giving the world a warm, children’s book feeling. Not only that, but they have implemented innovative time-bending mechanics. Child characters possess unique “clock skills” that can be set in combat to turn it to your advantage, and also have the ability to jump back to the past. However, while skills have some carry over their memories are not retained. It will take trial and error to guide them toward the path to survival.

It is unknown whether Little Eternal Chronicle will also be available for next to nothing, but I hope that Midori Games sets themself a worthy price point. They are a hugely talented and driven developer, and their work deserves to be rewarded. If they gathered a team under them to help, I think they could perhaps even make games to rival the top franchises. So long as it remains a well-loved hobby for them, though, I’m happy to keep cheering Midori Games on.