Ao Oni

Ao Oni is a Japanese indie horror game, created with RPG Maker XP. It follows the adventure of four teenagers who go into an abandoned mansion (which is supposedly haunted) in order to investigate...

Provided inspiration for Heta Oni, an Axis Powers Hetalia-themed parody/reinterpretation. Other games inspired by it include Aka Oni, Siro Oni, Niji Oni, Hakkyou Oni, Gon Oni, and Ao Oni S.

Keep in mind that with different revisions of the game may have significant differences within the plot.

The game can be downloaded for free here.


 * Agent Scully: Hiroshi to some degree. This is demonstrated most in the third version; even after being chased around by the oni, when he catches up with and gets asked what's happening, he suggests it's some sort of Halloween costume..
 * All Just a Dream: Used for both and.
 * And Now for Someone Completely Different: In version 1, there's a point where the player switches over to.
 * Anyone Can Die: Depending on the version. Sometimes Hiroshi might get to save everyone; other times, not so much.
 * Art Style Dissonance: The character portraits in early versions are drawn in markedly different styles. Takeshi's in particular stands out.
 * Awesome but Impractical: There are closets in a couple of rooms. You can escape the oni by hiding in one of them. If the oni is in the same room as you, going in one will land you an automatic game over. Good luck trying to hide in one without the oni catching you!
 * Bittersweet Ending: In version 5, Hiroshi
 * In 1,.
 * In version 6, Hiroshi ultimately.
 * Book Ends: Two examples in Version 5's ending:, and.
 * Bookcase Passage: Frequently.
 * Broken Bridge: Most of the mansion's doors are locked at the start, forcing Hiroshi to explore and solve puzzles in order to progress.
 * Cat Scare: Subverted in version 6. At one point the player is in a room when something breaks offscreen, only to see a cat flee the room after knocking over a picture frame.
 * One of the first events in every game involves Hiroshi hearing a strange crash and going to investigate.
 * Color-Coded for Your Convenience: The Oni's Dark Blue color allows you to see it the millisecond it enters the room.
 * In the later games, Takeshi, Mika and Takuro have blond, brunette and red hair respectively, while Hiroshi has silver-white hair. Makes it easy to tell them apart.
 * Conscience Makes You Go Back: In version, this happens near the end of the game:.
 * Creepy Basement
 * Cue the Rain: As you move deeper into the manor, you will eventually hear it raining outside.
 * Curiosity Killed the Cast
 * Darker and Edgier: Aside from removing the more confusing and misleading puzzles, version 6 amped up the horror elements compared to the previous one, changing the attic from just another location to get puzzle pieces into an Eldritch Location, including the gut-punching Scary Surprise Party scene, and
 * Driven to Suicide:
 * Drop in Nemesis
 * Dwindling Party: In some versions, including.
 * Early Installment Weirdness: The original version puts more detail into the Excuse Plot with a longer opening sequence. While the main character is still named Hiroshi, he's now a dark-haired underclassman who, along with the silver-haired Kazuya, gets forced to visit the mansion by a gang of four older students. Takuro leads this gang, and the other members include Mika's precursor Megumi, a brown-haired Takeshi counterpart, and a gray-haired boy who would eventually become Hiroshi in later versions. There are no character portraits.
 * The oni suffers heavily from Artificial Stupidity in the original game, having a harder time navigating around obstacles. By the same token, certain objects can be walked right through.
 * Easter Egg: In the later versions, these can be accessed by.
 * Extreme Omnivore: The monster can devour without blinking an eye.
 * Fan Sequel: The fangame Ao Oni S is specifically set after version 5's ending.
 * There's also Siro Oni, Hakkyo Oni, Heta Oni, and Crom Oni, each with, respectively, a Two Headed Oni, a Bleeding Screamer Oni, a sort of Alien-like Oni, and a Red Oni.
 * Four Is Death: In most versions, it's a group of four students who enter the manor.
 * A Friend in Need: Most strongly seen in the first version, where Hiroshi is constantly searching for his friend Kazuya, and.
 * Gang of Bullies: Takuro and his friends act like this in version 1.
 * Gory Discretion Shot: Used in conjunction with Shadow Discretion Shot for one death:.
 * Guide Dang It: Some of the puzzles reach Moon Logic levels.
 * Haunted House
 * Hello, Insert Name Here: Hiroshi, though only in version 6.20 on.
 * Hidden in Plain Sight: A LOT of items and puzzles...
 * Initiation Ceremony: In the original game, Takuro and his gang force Hiroshi and Kazuya to visit the mansion as part of one of these.
 * It's All My Fault: Takeshi blames himself for convincing the others to visit the mansion in the first place.
 * Jump Scare: The cutscene when you're trapped in the jail could count. But if you really want a Jump Scare, hide in a closet with the monster in the room.
 * Leaning on the Fourth Wall: The monster will, at times, . In version 6,
 * The South Park spoof Lampshades this when.
 * Let's Split Up, Gang!: While splitting up in the first place is involuntary, when Hiroshi actually finds his friends, they rarely agree to sticking together.
 * Lovable Coward: Takeshi and Mika, but mostly Takeshi. He is found hiding in wardrobes twice throughout the whole game, and is the only person having doubts about going to the mansion in the first place.
 * The original version has Kazuya, who's simply terrified at being dragged to the mansion by Takuro and his bullies.
 * Megane: Hiroshi.
 * Monster Vision: Appears in some games; apparently, the oni sees in.
 * Morphic Resonance: In Version 6,
 * Nothing Is Scarier: In version 6, there's no music except for when a monster appears, which is a repeating Scare Chord. Also, at some points the player has to hide in an empty wardrobe in the bedrooms; the screen goes black and the music is silenced. The only thing you can hear is the door opening when the monster enters to find you, then the door closing once it leaves. Even worse, in some cases, the monster will appear in the room just before you enter the wardrobe, thus causing a Game Over.
 * Off with His Head: dies this way in version, via surprise head chomp.
 * Once an Episode: Every version of the game is different, but a few things happen in all of them.
 * Ordinary Middle School Student
 * Plotline Death: If someone's gonna die, it's usually gonna be like this.
 * Retraux: The game is frequently noted for its similarity to the original Clock Tower.
 * Room Full of Crazy: In 6. It doesn't appear until you, however.
 * Scare Chord: the music played when chased.
 * Scary Surprise Party: In early versions,
 * Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After finding the, your hero can potentially pull this, leading to a Bad Ending.
 * Silliness Switch: If you enter "SOUTHPARK" as your name, the character sprites are drawn in South Park style and the dialogue is changed to incorporate catchphrases from the show. "Oh my god, they killed You bastard!"
 * The Smurfette Principle: Only one girl ever enters the mansion, whether it's Mika or Megumi.
 * Sole Survivor: Hiroshi can end up as this.
 * Stealth Hi Bye: The monster is good at this.
 * Surprise Creepy
 * Surreal Horror
 * This Is No Time to Panic: In 3, Takuro chastizes Takeshi and Mika for arguing and tells them this.
 * Timed Mission: Most encounters with the monster involve running away while a hidden timer counts down.
 * Twisted Ankle: Takuro, in version 6. He hides in a closet, and gives you an important item, later on, you will come to collect him,
 * Was Once a Man: In version 6,