The psychological horror of the mundane is explored extensively in modern horror games, and the beauty of this is that there are numerous avenues to explore within that niche. One particular route is the routine of a shut-in, a person who feels safe in their isolated bubble, but is constantly at war with the encroaching threat of their mental health and a life lived through a computer screen. The aversion to the outside world, and the fear of home comforts slowly turning against you.
RIKANI, creator and director of the RIKANIMATION studio had initially planned to make an anime web series looking at just that in Project Virai, which dealt with a shut-in living an alternative life in the digital world of VITA, and got as far as creating clips and vlogs for protagonist Hicha.
But after releasing a successful Russian language visual novel, An alt girl for skoof, in 2024, RIKANI decided to turn Project Virai into a Psychological horror RPG instead. Partnering with developer boddiul, Project Virai Doomer’s Life Escape sees players experience Hicha’s secluded life both in reality and as her virtual avatar Virai.
I spoke with RIKANI about depicting Doomer culture, the struggles of isolation, and blending various visual styles for the game.
Neil Bolt: I’m impressed with the various visual styles used to depict the different aspects of Hicha’s life. It seems like an important way to show the realities Hicha faces. Did you always intend to have this multi-visual style model?
RIKANI: Yes, from the very beginning — even before it fully became a game — we wanted to create a strong visual contrast between Hicha’s real life and her virtual one. The idea was to show her everyday life in 2D, and the virtual world, VITA, in 3D. That way, players would immediately feel the difference: the flat, dull routine of the real world versus the utopian escape of the virtual space.
As development progressed, we expanded the visual styles even further to help players better experience what Hicha is going through. For example, we added classic 2D visual novel illustrations to highlight important story moments and details. Hicha’s everyday world is presented in pixel art. Her dreams are shown through surreal, shifting visuals — since dreams often feel confusing and fragmented. And for the computer scenes — a key part of the story — we chose a first-person perspective. The computer plays a central role in Hicha’s life, so we wanted it to feel real and interactive, not just like a background element.
NB: The game deals with a character suffering as a depressed shut-in whose only outlet is through their online alter ego. It feels like this is a very personal take on ‘survival’ horror?
RK: Yes, one of the main reasons we chose to explore psychological horror — and horror in general — is because even in ordinary life, people often go through experiences that can deeply affect their mental and physical health. You might think, “What could possibly go wrong when you’re just sitting at home?” But the truth is, the mind can spiral into creating threats that aren’t real — and those imagined dangers can feel just as terrifying as real ones.
Sometimes people get so caught up in their inner world that they start to lose touch with reality entirely. That’s why we sometimes refer to our game as a kind of “domestic/mundane horror” — the kind of horror that can unfold in the quiet of your own room, whether or not you have a virtual alter ego like Virai.
NB: Was part of the aim of Project Virai to show the very particular subcultures depicted in it? It certainly gives the game a unique flavor.
RK: Yes, we explore the Doomer subculture — a kind of internet-born identity centered around people who’ve given up on trying to change their lives. Doomers see the world as hopeless, their daily existence as grey and unchanging, and they’ve accepted that nothing good will ever happen. If you search the word “doomer,” you’ll find images of lonely figures in bleak urban settings — usually in front of concrete apartment blocks — fully resigned to their reality.
As a result, we built the game around a stark contrast between this imagery of endless grey depression and its complete opposite — the world of bright, joyful virtual idols, the VTuber subculture. While Doomers retreat into despair, VTubers invite their audience into a utopian, colorful fantasy.
NB: The Virai online persona of Hicha serves as an outlet for the character, naturally placing a great weight on its importance in Hicha’s life. Does that build an almost antagonistic relationship when things aren’t going well for Hicha?
RK: In the Steam demo players experience the first hour of the game, where Hicha deeply loves her alter ego, Virai. Living as Virai is the brightest part of her life, her only true escape. But as we know, when you love something that intensely, that same love can easily flip into hatred — especially when things start going wrong. In the full game, we explore not just Hicha’s admiration for Virai, but also the darker sides of that relationship. As Virai begins to evolve and change, Hicha’s feelings toward her shift too — revealing deeper and more conflicted emotions
NB: I find the horror in the mundane quite fascinating. Many small-scale horror games rely on the repetition of menial tasks, highlighting how this can be a challenge in certain regards, especially when it comes to mental health, don’t you think?
RK: Absolutely. I think horror games often use this kind of mechanic to immerse the player more deeply in the protagonist’s life — to show how even the most simple, routine actions we perform every day can hide something much more dangerous beneath the surface.
Sometimes, after playing a game like that, you might even start feeling uneasy in your own apartment. That’s what makes it powerful — it turns the familiar into something uncanny. It’s also a great way to let players personally relate to the character’s reality, even if they don’t fully know the story. Through these small, mundane tasks, you start drawing parallels between your life and the life of the protagonist.
Project Virai Doomer’s Life Escape Trailer
NB: You’ve got an eclectic musical accompaniment to Project Virai, but it’s still very much in keeping with the tone of the game. How important was it for you to get the music selection right?
RK: Music is incredibly important to us — you could say the game is partially about music. Virai is a singer, and there will be other characters in the full game who are connected to music as well. More than that, music is one of the most powerful tools for building emotion and atmosphere.
We treated the soundtrack with a lot of care. Alongside our original compositions, we also licensed several post-punk tracks from well-known artists. That genre really captures the kind of sadness and numbness Hicha feels — and using real songs from musicians who’ve experienced similar emotions adds another layer of authenticity.
Just like in a good film, we believe music is 50% of the experience. So yes, for us, the music is absolutely essential — and we took its selection very seriously.
NB: You’ve stated there will be 10 different endings, including ones that deal with the darkest possible outcome. Was it important to you that players could witness that outcome as well as more positive ones?
RK: Yes, we’d really like players to experience all the endings, because each one reflects a different aspect of the story. While there is one “true” ending that continues the main narrative, the others are just as important — they help reveal different emotional states Hicha goes through and offer deeper insight into the world of the game.
Even the darkest endings matter. We want players to feel what Hicha feels in those moments — to really understand her struggles from different angles. Experiencing those emotional extremes is key to fully connecting with the story.
NB: How did the partnership with boddiul come about?
RK: boddiul is my best friend — we’ve been talking every single day for years. He’s also an incredibly talented game developer. It always felt like a huge injustice that he hadn’t released a game yet, so it’s an absolute honor for me to be working on one together.
From the start, boddiul told me he could bring any idea to life, no matter how strange or complex — and he meant it. I really admire that kind of passion and commitment, especially when someone truly believes in the project. He’s been there since the very beginning, back when we didn’t even have character sketches or a clear direction. Even at times when I felt like giving up, boddiul kept encouraging me to keep going.
In many ways, he’s the reason this idea has grown into a full game — something real that people can finally play and experience.
Project Virai: Doomer’s Life Escape is scheduled for release in Q4 2025. A demo is available now on Steam.
