Games Like Junji Ito’s Manga

Key Takeaways

• Neverending Nightmares recreates Ito’s hyper-detailed style, drawing in fans seeking a chilling atmosphere.
• The Tribulation Entanglement provides Ito-like visuals without full-on horror, appealing to a broader audience.
• World Of Horror, a Junji Ito-inspired roguelike, captures the essence of Uzumaki and offers haunting visuals.

When it comes to horror, there’s no bigger name in the manga sphere than the one and only Junji Ito. Fans of macabre and gruesome detail have likely already explored Ito’s remarkable library of delightfully cosmic terrors, but what if you could take the essence of those incredible stories, the absolute terror of Ito’s work, and make them interactable?

While it’s hard to nail exactly what makes an Ito work feel like an Ito work, we dug deep into the forbidden backalleys of the indie scene to bring you the rare few titles that manage to feel like they leapt straight out of the pages Junji Ito’s horrific manga.

10

Neverending Nightmares

Hand-Sketched Horror

If the monochromatic hyper-detail of works like Uzumaki is what drew you into the horrifying world of Junji Ito, Neverending Nightmares is exactly what you’re looking for. The entire game is hand drawn and presented in a (mostly) monochromatic pencil-sketch style, and that creative effort does wonders for the game’s chilling atmosphere.

Fans of works like Tomie will appreciate the psychological maturity and thought-provoking themes of Neverending Nightmares, which are directly based on its creator’s personal struggles with OCD and depression.

Owing to its basis on existing mental health conditions, Neverending Nightmares contains content which may be triggering to those who are uncomfortable with themes of self-harm and depression. Player discretion is advised.

9

The Tribulation Entanglement

Dare To Dive Deeper

The Tribulation Entanglement, in addition to having the kind of name that sends that familiar intrigued chill down your spine, is interesting mostly because of its incredible visuals, which regularly evoke the same kind of dread you see in those famous Ito page turns without transforming the experience into a downright horror game.

If you want a game that looks like Ito’s work without wanting to play a horror game, The Tribulation Entanglement and its Blasphemous-esque combat and presentation might be for you.

8

The Bathhouse

Or Any Chilla’s Art Game, For That Matter

Not every Junji Ito story takes place within Japan, but if you like stories like Face Theif, Where The Sandman Lives, or Intruder, the classic J-Horror vibe of The Bathhouse, or any other games by Chilla’s Art for that matter, is going to be right up your alley.

The Bathhouse (Called 地獄銭湯 or “Communal Bathhouse From Hell” in its original Japanese）sees you employed as an underpaid worker at a communal bathhouse which holds a dark secret. With its unnerving atmosphere and stellar visuals, especially on the heels of the 2024 remaster, Chilla’s Art has nailed the blend of Japanese and cosmic horror elements that many of Ito’s best stories are known for.

7

Next Door

As If Regular Neighbors Weren’t Scary Enough

This incredibly short free horror game experience takes heavy inspiration from Junji Ito’s iconic tale of terror, The Neighbor’s Window, Next Door manages to use its short runtime to its advantage and is brimming with Easter eggs and references that longtime Ito fans will love.

Sure, it all amounts to 15 or so minutes, but there’s a lot to love in Next Door, and the low-commitment nature of the game makes it easy to recommend to anyone, since you can easily play the game in-browser. The sound design is pretty spooky, too.

6

Faith: The Unholy Trinity

Shocking Visuals And Disturbing Undertones

A critical darling in the indie horror community, Faith has made waves in the horror scene ever since it first released thanks to its detailed animation and shocking pixelated scares. The rotoscoped animation is used just sparingly enough throughout the three titles in the Faith series that each instance remains striking, even on repeat playthroughs.

Although you might not see Faith’s Atari 2600 style presentation and immediately think “Junji Ito”, the sudden detail in the animations does bring to mind Ito’s iconic page turns, and the underlying cosmic horror of the games definitely fits the Ito vibe.

5

The Melting Apartment

Old School Horror – Literally

If you’re a fan of Ito’s The Melting Classroom, you might find solace for your poor gamer soul in The Melting Apartment, a spine-tingling hybrid of Junji Ito and retro horror.

In fact, retro is probably this game’s key phrase. According to the developers, it’s entirely possible to port this title to Game Boy Color hardware and have it run just fine. That makes the detailed sprite work, tense atmosphere, and surprisingly deep mechanics of this grim and ghoulish horror experience.

4

Mycorrhiza

Visual Novel With Stunning Scares

A visual novel inspired by horror manga legends like Ito and Masaaki Nakayama, Mycorrhiza (tough to spell, fun to play) is an atmospheric horror experience that will hit home for you if you enjoy works like Gyo, Uzumaki, and The Enigma Of Amigara Fault.

Mycorrhiza asks of you simply to choose a door when it begins, but this is only the first choice you’ll need to make in this stomach-turning nightmare. Soon, you’ll see a menagerie of horrors, from monsters to the flat-out indescribable, as you attempt to navigate this twisted world.

3

Mouthwashing

If No Longer Human Is Your Thing

A perfect match for fans of Frankenstein and No Longer Human, Mouthwashing is one of the most disturbing horror games ever made, let alone one of the most disturbing indie horror titles. The game sees you and a group of other minimum wageworkers on a transport ship in space, as the story reaffirms that Big Corpo does not care about your safety in the void of space.

The mix of graphic body horror and psychological dread Mouthwashing presents are unmatched by any but the most intense of Ito’s manga, but if you can handle how dark the game can get, Mouthwashing is a profound reminder of what the genre can do.

2

Ghost In The Pool

As Opposed To In The Shell

Much like Mycorrhiza, Ghost In The Pool is a visual novel heavily inspired by horror manga, with the “manga” dial turned all the way up. The visuals in Ghost In The Pool can be downright breathtaking, and these aesthetics really help carry the story through its admittedly short runtime.

Don’t let the length stop you from playing this indie gem, though. The short playtime only makes the experience more effective, and the game’s gorgeous visuals and polished UI make Ghost In The Pool feel like playing a Junji Ito original.

1

World Of Horror

The Junji Ito Roguelike

If you play only one game from this list, it should be World Of Horror. By now, this iconic horror masterpiece has received plenty of praise from fans and critics alike, but if you still haven’t played what many consider to be the Junji Ito video game, now is the time.

Based heavily on Uzumaki in particular, the game follows a town with a suspicious black lighthouse, where strange events have begun to occur one after the other. Utilizing D&D style gameplay, this roguelike adventure game and its haunting visuals is an absolutely delightful time even if the scare factor wears off for you, but with so many possibilities, it’s doubtful that you’ll ever grow bored with what’s on offer.