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Hachi: Eight Feet Tall is a short horror game that adapts a Japanese urban legend into an interactive experience. The story follows Miyu, a young girl who ventures into a forest her family once warned her about. What begins as a quiet walk among trees soon becomes a tense struggle to escape a presence that watches from afar. The threat comes in the form of Hachishakusama—a towering woman who never speaks, only repeats a hollow “Po… Po…” in the distance. With limited tools and no clear instructions, the player must find a way out before it’s too late.
The game takes place entirely in the forest, where the layout is sparse but detailed enough to create a sense of place. There is no map or on-screen guide—only the player’s memory and the subtle changes in the environment. While the forest at first seems ordinary, small details begin to shift. Objects appear where they weren’t before, and distant sounds begin to echo more frequently. The game avoids jump scares and instead uses time, silence, and movement to generate discomfort.
As the game progresses, the player uncovers a ritual that must be completed in order to leave the forest safely. The ritual involves finding specific items and placing them in marked areas. Although the gameplay is mechanically simple, it becomes tense due to the growing presence of the figure stalking Miyu.
Key features of the game include:
Hachishakusama, the figure behind the story, is drawn from online folklore and is said to target children, following them silently until they disappear. The game does not attempt to modernize or explain the legend—it simply places the player within it. There is no exposition or dialogue. The story is told entirely through the environment, the sounds, and the way the creature behaves. Players must rely on their instincts and attention to detail to survive.
Hachi: Eight Feet Tall offers a focused and quiet horror experience. The lack of explicit narrative allows players to fill in the blanks, while the game’s brief length keeps the experience sharp and contained. It’s a modern game that feels like an old story, and that balance gives it its power.