Tsukumonogatari

“That is unacceptable now. You’ve known the secret.
There is a story of a boy who can see AYAKASHI, not visible to human eye.”

In the present world, crime rates keep on increasing every day. This is happening because evil spirits have crossed over from the spirit world to the human world. These spirits are invisible to the naked eyes. One day, Yūto Ishigami was pushed out of the third floor’s window by a classmate who suddenly turned violent, but he miraculously survived without a single scratch. However, since that day, Yuuto began to see strange things. These strange things are known as “Ayakashi”. The fact that he’s seeing them is proof that the ability that was sleeping within him has been awakened.

As Yūto, the player will explore the school and look for objects that might be occupied by a spirit. Once the player finds an object that is believed to be possessed, the player can take a picture of it with the mobile phone. Each time the player takes a photo, 5 minutes of in-game time pass. During battles, the player can send an e-mail from the mobile phone with a particular picture attached to it to summon the respective spirit to aid Yūto.[2]

Tsukumonogatari emphasizes the “power of words” as part of its battle system. Yūto’s school is populated by several people, including his friends and the school staff themselves. The player can go around talking to different people at school, and engaging in conversation with them. Occasionally, they’ll narrate a proverb or a rumor or a myth to the player. These are “words”.

Different “words” can be attached to spirits during battles to give them various abilities, and they are vital when battling against the Ayakashi. When a battle begins, the player will be able to summon a spirit and add up to a maximum of three “words” to it to decide what abilities it will possess in battle.