Shizuku: Japanese myth

Transform. Blend in. Change the world.
Shizuku: Japanese myth is a pixel-art 2D action-adventure steeped in Japanese folklore.
You play Rin, a girl of the fox clan who can transform into a Human or a Red Oni, with Kappa and Tanuki forms in development. And when she transforms, she takes on not just their looks, but their abilities too.

• Transform. Each form changes what you can do. Dash, jump, slash, smash rocks. A dead end in one form is a way through in another.
• Talk. Speak with villagers, and with your enemies too. Choose Rin's replies and the story follows your answer. You don't always have to fight your way through; sometimes you can talk your way past.
• Transform, then talk. The same person answers differently depending on the form you wear. Look like the enemy and you can walk right into their village, and a tribe that never talks to outsiders might open up to one of their own.

Half action game, where transforming opens up a whole new set of moves. Half adventure, where you talk with everyone you meet, sometimes even your enemies.

Long, long ago, animals of every kind lived in this world as they pleased.
In Fox Village lived the foxes, who could transform.
One day, the precious drum passed down in the village was carried off by the Red Oni. Rin sets out to bring it back.
The chase leads from Red Oni Forest to the Oni Village, and on to the bamboo grove and the Torii Road. Every tribe Rin meets has its own story.

Rin belongs to the fox clan, and foxes can transform. Any time, right where she stands. Most foxes need fried tofu to stay transformed. Rin, for some reason, doesn't.
A form brings its abilities with it. As a Human she handles weapons with skill; as a Red Oni she gains the Oni's special powers.
Change your form, and what you can do changes. So do the roads you can take, and who will talk to you. Master each tribe's abilities to fight on your terms and uncover the secrets hidden in each stage.

Fox: the lightest form, and Rin's own

• Dash Hold to break into a run. One end of the village to the other in no time.
• Climb ladders Leap onto a ladder and scurry up. All the way to the top of the lookout tower.
• Bark A small body with a big voice. Nearby Oni flinch, and slow down for a while.

Human: the fighting form, with a wooden sword

• Three-hit combo Three swings in a row. The third sends an Oni flying.
• Double jump Jump once more in midair. Higher than the torii.
• Slide Nothing can hit you mid-slide. Slip around behind the Oni.
• Aerial spin slash Attacks in midair deal heavy damage. Cut down every Oni around you at once.

Red Oni: the brute-force form. It even gets you into the Oni Village

• Charged headbutt Charge up, then charge in. Smashes the brittle rocks that block the way.
• Upward headbutt Headbutt straight up. The longer the charge, the higher you fly.
• Hip drop Split the cracked ground and drop into the cave below.

Two more forms are in development, planned for later chapters.
Kappa: hurls its head-dish and shoots water. A form from the bamboo grove

• Dish throw Throw the dish from your head. It flies straight out and comes right back to your hand.
• Water shot Keep firing water for as long as you hold.

Tanuki: inhales, then blasts enemies away. The form that whips up wind with its belly

• Inhale, then blast The longer you inhale, the bigger the belly and the stronger the gust. At full strength it sends an Oni flying far away.

You can talk to the villagers, and to the Oni of the Oni Village. Listen to them and take on their requests, and you start to see how they live, and the old tales they tell.
Rin's replies are yours to choose. Some answers change the story that follows.

And what people tell you depends on the form you talk to them in, as well as how far the story has come and how close you have grown.
Mizuki has watched over Rin since she was little. Speak to her as a Red Oni, and her hands start to shake: Is that you? Please, not that form. Please." The same person, a completely different answer.
A tribe that would never talk to you might open up once you wear the same face. And what they tell you may hold secrets, or lies.

As a Red Oni, even the Oni Village lets you in.
Chasing the stolen drum, Rin slips into the Oni Village disguised as a Red Oni. Not one villager suspects a thing. They treat her as one of their own and hand her chores.
As she helps out, the life of the village and its old tales come into view. No one doubts her, and she is the only one telling a lie.
Eleven Oni live in the village. Help them out and they start to remember your face, until one day they let you further into the village.

Fox Village, where Rin and the foxes live. Red Oni Forest, home of the Oni who took the drum. The log-fenced Oni Village and its Brewery, barrels stacked to the rafters.
Beyond them: Kappa Village with its turning water wheel, the Torii Road of red gates under autumn maples, the lone cherry tree of Sanzu Sakura on its island, and a human town of tiled roofs.
A Japan both beautiful and somehow nostalgic, drawn in pixel art.

• Playable now (Early Access) From Fox Village through Red Oni Forest, and on into the Oni Village and its Brewery, with quests in Fox Village and the Oni Village. Three forms: Fox, Human and Red Oni.
• In development The Kappa and Tanuki forms, and the journey on to Kappa Village and the Torii Road. We plan to add them through updates.
• Available in Japanese and English.

There is never just one way through. Push through by force, talk your way past, or find another road.
Save the world your own way!