In 1999, Armageddon came to the world. Japanese researchers have experimented with genetics and biological mutations; as a result, a new race of powerful demons known as shiki-oni emerged, and in a short time has conquered the Earth, obliterating most of human civilization.
Hayato, the young hero of the game, is a son to a human mother and the Demon Dragon, the most powerful shiki-oni. His ultimate goal is to defeat his own father and save the remnants of the human race.
Shiki Oni no Koku: Chūgokuhen is an episodic game. There are no differences between the episodes gameplay-wise or graphically; each episode simply continues the story from the point it was left off in the end of the previous episode.
The gameplay is “light” Japanese-style RPG, characteristic for many Compile games: there are no weapons and armor; the magic system is very simple and rudimentary; there are only very few NPCs and friendly areas, and no real towns; most of the game is spent exploring the maze-like top-down dungeons, in which the party of player-controlled characters (up to 4) fights enemies in traditional turn-based combat viewed from first-person perspective. However, unlike most Japanese RPGs of the time, the enemies are visibly wandering on the screen, and the battle begins when there is a physical contact between them and the player character.
The second episode starts with the heroes at character level 10. After the dramatic events at the end of the previous episode, Hayato, his eagle Hayate, and the girl Haruka are saved by a man who lives in an abandoned temple. From there, they have to continue their journey, searching for the Heavenly King of the West and his palace.
