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Death Game Report - The Obra Dinn and Battle Royale Love Child

Death Game Report - The Obra Dinn and Battle Royale Love Child

Stephanie Liu
October 09, 2026

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Screenshot by Siliconera

Last weekend, I finally played The Death Game Report, which came out on September 1, 2026. It’s a very cheap game, available for just under $5, but it’s a well-crafted mystery in the same vein as Return of the Obra Dinn. It’s definitely easier, though. Sadly, it’s only available in Japanese or Simplified Chinese, but here’s hoping that an English version will come out soon. Though the game description states that it takes around 5 hours to complete, I beat it in only 2.5, so it’s quite approachable if you’re used to these text puzzles.

In The Death Game Report, you play as an investigator who must restore the complete record of a death game that already took place on a remote island a few days ago. To complete a record, you must input the cause of death, weapon used, and culprit for every student. In order to get this information, you have to read through the last thoughts of the student themself, their killer, or a witness. Getting these records involves typing in the order of death, the location, and the student’s ID number. Of course, if you get stuck or need some help, the in-game Hint option can either steer you in the right direction or just give you the answer you’re looking for.

“Death game,” “student,” and “island” together probably bring to mind a single piece of media: Battle Royale. Unsurprisingly, shu3 indeed credits Battle Royale as an inspiration in the credits. The game really wears this inspiration (and the others) on its sleeve; if you’ve ever read or watched Battle Royale, you’ll recognize a lot of the scenes that took place off-screen days ago. For example, a character who’s killed by the killing game’s “staff” before anything starts, and the haven where students gathered to avoid killing each other ending up the site of a massacre.

Another game that shu3 cites (aside from the obvious Return of the Obra Dinn) is Type Help. This is also a mystery game that involves typing in codes to get a vision of the past. You can read Siliconera’s review for The Incident at Galley House, which is the enhanced reimagining of the game, here.

I personally thought the idea for the game was really creative, and I enjoyed playing through it. It’s an interesting angle to approach a death game and battle royale. In fact, I’m surprised that there aren’t more games with this concept. Though there’s minimal story, characterization, or interactions between the students, I found the depiction of the class easier to swallow compared to the writing of the primary source of inspiration.

For the record, I understand Battle Royale’s social and political commentary, as well as Kinji Fukasaku’s approach to the film. I understand how it expresses the tragedy of the game and Japanese society not only through the troubling circumstances that a good number of the children were in even prior to the Battle Royale program (prostitution, drugs, bullying, to name only a few), but through the heavy focus on their crushes.

This second part, though, had always bored me. I never could understand focusing so much on romance that it seemed to be all that could occupy their minds when they weren’t actively worried or thinking about the death game. So for this sort of interpersonal characterization, I thought Death Game Report was more interesting. Some kids think about crushes (as well as give reasons for them), but other kids focus on their friends, teammates, and fellow club members. It felt more realistic. It’s a little funny in retrospect just how many girls in Battle Royale had a crush on Shuya, but I guess he’s the best and most respectable choice out of the boys in that class.

In any case, this game isn’t out yet in English. But if you’re looking for other puzzles that are similar to Obra Dinn (atmospheric and innovative puzzles, finding clues and mysteries through vignettes, and/or figuring out an entire case by methodically solving smaller puzzles), here is a list of some personal favorites:

Botany Manor: Botany-focused, cozy first-person puzzle game. Requires some lateral thinking at times.
Demons' Timeline: If Death Game Report is the love child between Obra Dinn and Battle Royale, Demons’ Timeline is the love child between Obra Dinn and Urban Myth Dissolution Center.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes: This is not really the same as the other puzzle games here, but I think that if you like puzzle games, period, you should give Lorelei a go. It’s fantastic. You can read our review of it here. It’s currently part of the Annapurna Interactive Puzzle Classics bundle, which nets you three other games for 43% off.
The Case of the Golden Idol: Fun, novel, and challenging.
The Roottrees Are Dead: A genealogical puzzle that focuses more on one’s research skills. Read our review here.
Type Help: This is the other inspiration for Death Game Report, and I highly recommend playing the original text-based version if you’re focused on the puzzle/mystery itself. If you’re looking for something closer to a story (or want the convenience of the voice-acting and seance machine), you can try out The Incident at Galley House.

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Death Game Report - The Obra Dinn and Battle Royale Love Child

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