Joshikousei Nigeru before it rose from the grave

Joshikousei Nigeru! Shinrei Puzzle Gakuen, our favorite horror puzzle game (by default), has a terrifying secret. We wondered how such a weirdly creative game could get made on a shoestring budget for the Superlite 2500 series. The obvious answer to this question is that it was already made.

Joshikousei Nigeru! entered the world as a Korean puzzle game called Touch RO Puzzle. Back then it was a little less haunting and a bit more yay, with cute children and adorably rotund creatures populating a children's-fable-themed world full of bright colors and brighter smiles. Where Joshikousei Nigeru's boxart depicts a frightened young woman gripping a wall in terror, Touch RO Puzzle's features a little monster bashfully peeking in from the edge of the frame.

Joshikousei Nigeru! is somewhat of a sequel to Touch RO Puzzle, since the game was released in its original incarnation in Japan. Still, somehow, developer Skonec looked at their adorable puzzle game and saw horrors within. We'd love to know the inspiration for that design decision.