Stay inside and save the day with Pull Stay on Kickstarter now

While the pandemic has made us all stay home since March, it’s business as usual for the Hikikomori, a Japanese culture of shut-ins who love to stay inside. Independent developer Nito Souji has recently released a Kickstarter campaign for the beat-em-up tower defense game Pull Stay, which will be available until November 20, shattering its initial goal of around $10,000 USD. The game is slated to be released on April 2022 and features a Hikikomori who needs to set up traps around his house in order to prevent intruders from coming in.

Pull Stay is a wacky Beat ’em up with a twist of Tower Defense mechanics. Or in other words, “Final Fight meets Home Alone in a Japanese comedy show”.

Your buddy Susumu, a Hikikomori who never leaves his room, needs your help! Use your fists or setup crazy traps to repel enemies from rushing into your home!

The solo developer of this game has been also a Hikikomori for 10 years, and uses that experience to bring a unique and fresh gaming experience.

In Japan, shut-ins like Susumu are called Hikikomori(ひきこもり). It is said that there are more than one million Hikikomoris living in Japan. The reasons behind those experiencing this phenomenon vary from person to person; it could be that someone stopped attending school and has never left their room since, or it could be that someone got sick at their workplace and were never able to return to their social life. Many in Japan find it very difficult to maintain a connection with the outside world.

I, the sole developer of this game, am also a Hikikomori and have been staying at my house for 10 years now, just like Susumu.

I started learning game development 5 years ago, and have been working on Pull Stay for 3 years in the hope of rebuilding my life again. I need your help to make my dream a reality.

You can find my story as a Reddit AMA, which brought me a lot of unexpected attention and heartwarming encouragement. I really appreciate all of your support! ヽ( ´ ∇ ｀ )ノ

Youtube creator Sean and Nami made a video about my daily life. (Thank you Sean and Nami! :D)

You can contribute to the Kickstarter until November 20, with the tier for a copy of the game starting at around $15 USD. Check out Sean and Nami’s video about the developer’s life story, and stay tuned for more news here on Gaming Trend.

See below for our list of partners and affiliates: