Raid on Taihoku Releases Demo for Steam Next Fest 2022
Thank you once again for your patience during the long wait. It’s now less than 5 days until Steam Next Fest. Raid on Taihoku will release a demo for the very first time on this special occasion.
In the game, the players will become Kiyoko, a young girl who suffers from amnesia. Kiyoko will take her companion - a Taiwanese Dog Kuro, and travel in the war-torn Taihoku.
As the story progresses, Kiyoko is going to retrieve dozens of broken memories in the corners of the destroyed city. These memories will play out in a form of “dreams” in each chapter. As the players are hiding away from the destruction of war, the truth of Kiyoko's backstory is to be revealed through the memories. The finale awaits you.
In addition to the main storyline of Kiyoko, the game also portrays individual lives under the war through a series of side quests. Through the unique storyline in each character of the side quests, players will be able to immerse themselves in the city Taihoku at the end of WWII. You will be able to discover deep emotions and feel for this sorrowful era.
Steam Next Fest is set on June 13th 10:00 a.m. PT all the way to June 20th. The latest demo for Raid on Taihoku will be released on the first day of the event. If you are interested, please go to our Steam Page and download the demo.
If you have any suggestion or feedback for the demo, please feel free to leave a comment here or DM our fan-page of your precious feedback in the comment section.
Raid on Taihoku 77th anniversary. "When The Sky Returned" Full Version Released
May 31st, 1945. Countless American B-24 bombers fly towards the capital of Taiwan – Taihoku.
May 31st, 2022. 77 years have gone by since the Raid on Taihoku. We hope all the pain from the past can be comforted as time flies.
In this memorable day, we are proud to announce that the theme song in Raid on Taihoku – "When The Sky Returned", has been released on every mainstream music streaming platform.
"When The Sky Returned" is a song specifically tailored for Raid on Taihoku byEnno Cheng. In the song, he gently whispered to all the people who have been hurt and bears unforgettable scars.
Besides the original song in Mandarin, we have a Japanese version translated. We hope to learn more oversea gamers about this part of the Taiwanese history through the song.
Meanwhile, we’d like to announce that the demo version of Raid on Taihoku will be released along with the much-anticipated Steam Next Fest. More announcements regarding the updates of the game will be released very shortly. Stay tuned.
Looking Back on the Taiwanese History with Raid on Taihoku - Taiwan Grand Shrine
Taiwan Grand Shrine was constructed in 1901. It was built to honor Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa who passed away in Taiwan in 1895. Taiwan Grand Shrine was ranked the highest Japanese Shinto shrine in Taiwan during Japanese occupation. It was severely burned and damaged by a crashed plane during the raid on Taihoku, and was torn down after WWII. It is now the Grand Hotel’s current location.
Although Taiwan Grand Shrine is no longer in existence, some of its materials are still kept until today. A part of the Torii in Taiwan Grand Shrine is now reconstructed as the Dragon Pillar of Sanxia Qingshui Zushi Temple located in Taipei. The copper bull at the entrance of Taiwan Grand Shrine was relocated to the gate of National Taiwan Museum. A pair of lion-dogs is now standing at the center of Jiantan Park, guarding the citizens in the area.
Taiwan Grand Shrine is an important scene in the game. What events await for Kiyoko on the way to Taiwan Grand Shrine? What does Taiwan Grand Shrine mean to Kiyoko?
Where Did Kuro Come From? Let’s Talk about Taiwan Dog
Dogs are the most faithful friends of humans. Taiwan Dog especially possesses a faithful image to people. The Taiwan Dog Kuro in the game has a red collar on his neck. He is extremely smart and active, and is capable of executing commands from the player. Kuro is now separated from his/her owner, and is specifically friendly and kind to Kiyoko. Why exactly is that the case?
The prototype of Kuro is actually a Taiwan Dog named Taroke. Taroke is also the pet of the producer KJ. He is now 3 years old, and has a great passion in eating and talking walks. If there is a benchmark in being cute, Taroke will be ranked in the top tier. The team took great amount of observations and researches on Taroke’s body movement during the process of modeling.
Image: Taroke
Speaking of Taiwan Dog, some will call them Taiwanese mutt. They are the most common local breed in Taiwan. Taiwan Dog possesses a faithful and courageous character. They were often trained as retrievers in the past. In modern times, people also breed them as guarding and companion dogs. Do you have a faithful and courageous dog in your house? More stories on Kuro the Taiwan Dog awaits players to explore in “Raid on Taihoku”.
Looking Back the History of Taiwan with Raid on Taihoku - the Very First Catholi
Built in 1914, Horaicho Catholic Church is the very first Catholic church in Taipei. It would have witnessed over one hundred years of history if it still exists. The church was built in gothic architecture, with a spectacular 30 meters high bell tower in the center of the building. Unfortunately, the church was bombed and destroyed during the raid on Taihoku.
Image: Wikipedia
The church was rebuilt at No. 245, Minsheng W. Rd., Datong Dist., Taipei City after WWII. It is now the headquarters of The Taipei Catholic Cathedral of The Immaculate Conception. The church is neighboring the Catholic building - Blessed Imelda's School. There is also a kindergarten placed right next to the church.
The destroyed church is an iconic scene in the game. The protagonist Kiyoko wakes up next to the damaged building, learning that she was placed in a pile of bodies. It seems that she was disposed as a victim of the raid.
Kiyoko finds out that she has lost her memory. Father Takeda, the person who is in charge of the church, is a kind Japanese priest. It looks like he knows Kiyoko, but somehow cannot give a clear explanation on the past of Kiyoko and her parents' whereabouts. Does he really have no information on this, or is he hiding something?
Air Raid Alert! How Much Do You Know about the Bomb Shelters in Taiwan
During the period of Japanese occupation, in order to survive from the air bombardment carried out by the U.S. military, there were bomb shelters built across Taiwan. To name a few that were actually visited by Mizo Games, Taiwan Literature Base in Taipei, Ciaotou Sugar Refinery in Kaohsiung, and the trench in National Keelung Girls' Senior High School. Keelung has the most shelters across the entire Taiwan, with 682 of them in place.
Government of Taiwan during the period of Japanese occupation (the modern day Presidential Palace) was also half-destroyed by the air bombardment. The building was also designed with bomb shelters in place. The civilian staff that worked in the building was killed by the air raid on May 31st, 1945. According to a friend’s grandmother of the studio, the only scene that was left looking from the Shezidao was a sea of flames. The grandmother, who was only a young girl at the time, heard the news that her brother was killed during the air raid. She walked a long way from Shezidao to the building of the Government of Taiwan, looking for the body of her own brother by the side of the air shelter. Ironically, the air shelter that was supposed to protect people has collapsed and eternally separated them from their loved ones. Instead, those who couldn’t make it into the shelter have survived and told the grandmother the unfortunate news.
We try to rebuild the scenes and stories that we actually visited and heard and integrate them into Raid on Taihoku. In the game, Kiyoko, the protagonist, is forced to jump in a bomb shelter in order to avoid the deteriorating bombardments. As people stay in the dark shelter, listening to the sound of bombs coming from the outside, they become more and more restless. The fate ahead that awaits Kiyoko will only be discovered by the players.
The Very First Department Store in Taiwan - Kikumoto Hyakkaten
In Raid on Taihoku, in addition to bringing the players to witness the cruelty of war and the struggles of the relationship between people, we hope to help players to learn Taiwanese history from different perspectives. Players will be able to see historical sites and landmarks in Taihoku during the period of Japanese occupation. Some of them were completely destroyed by the ruthless war and are now beyond anyone’s recognition. Others were seen as important historical buildings, but were unable to acquire a formal recognition of their historical status and failed to gain the much-needed protection due to various reasons.
The department store “Kikumoto Hyakkaten” was one of the historical buildings under such condition. It was built in the year of 1932, and was located in Taipei Sakaemachi Street (the intersection between Hengyang Road and Boai Road in modern day Taipei). It was the very first department store in Taiwan. The building was 6 stories high, with a watchtower built on top. It was nicknamed as “the Seventh Heaven” due to its height. Kikumoto Hyakkaten had the signature facility of a modernized building – elevators, in place. It was located in the heart of Taihoku, with Japanese customers as the primary visitors. Therefore, the merchandise inside was mainly imported luxury goods, resulting in Kikumoto Hyakkaten being seen as an important pop culture showcase floor in Taiwan.
Until this day, the owners of Kikumoto Hyakkaten shifted multiple times. Sadly, the very first department store in Taiwan was unable to acquire a formal monument status from the Taipei City Government. The building is only identified as a “historical building”. Therefore, the authority cannot prevent the owner of the building from reconstructing it. There are a number of cultural and historical workers, dedicating to file an appeal on the authority, with the hope to do their part in the preservation of historical buildings. If Kikumoto Hyakkaten could be more actively repaired and preserved, instead of being kept only in texts or images, it can deliver a more meaningful cultural value.
