It was announced out of nowhere, and against all odds, we finally have a Death Note game. Entitled Death Note Killer Within, the game is dubbed as an online social deduction game for up to 10 players, with players being split into two teams while they figure out each other’s identities.

Ahead of its launch, we got the chance to ask some burning questions to Main Producer Aoba Miyazaki and Assistant Producer Kishin Okabe about the decisions that led to creating Death Note Killer Within, its inspirations, challenges, and decisions about current platforms.

Death Note Killer Within Inspirations and Challenges with Balancing Gameplay

Nobody expected Death Note Killer Within to go the route it did, taking the social deduction game and applying its trademark anime themes. When asked about the inspiration and balance of the game, deciding with 4 as the minimum number of players, here’s what Miyazaki-san and Okabe-san had to say.

“It all started with our interest in DEATH NOTE, which, despite the fact that more than 15 years have passed since the original manga and anime ended, is still extremely popular with people of all ages. We wanted to create a game that could be enjoyed by a wide range of people, from current fans to those who used to like DEATH NOTE, so we began the game development based on the werewolf game, which is a game genre that is both enjoyable and has a wide appeal, and which also allows you to enjoy the psychological warfare that is characteristic of DEATH NOTE.“

“While based on the traditional werewolf game, we stuck to the unique structure of this game, where the strong (werewolves) are not pitted against the weak (citizens), but rather the strong + strong (Kira + Kira follower) are pitted against the strong + weak (L + investigators).“

“We set L, who is opposite Kira, as a strong role who can advantageously drive investigations and deductions, and we set the Kira followers as allies who can powerfully help Kira find and kill L.“

“It was difficult to differentiate this game from conventional werewolf games without destroying the world view of DEATH NOTE. We struggled to create a well-balanced composition of strong + strong (Kira + Kira follower) vs. strong + weak (L + investigators), but we tried to give both sides various special abilities to balance them out, and we also tried to design the difficulty level so that players who were new to the game wouldn’t have too much trouble understanding it.“

“After repeated test plays within the development team, we considered both the balance between each team and each role, and the hurdle of finding someone to play with, and decided on a minimum of 4 players. However, depending on how users play the game and their requests after the service starts, there is a possibility that we will adjust the balance, including the number of players in the Team Kira and Team L.“

“Therefore, at first glance, it may seem like there are a lot of complicated elements, but we hope that you will deepen your understanding of each element as you play with your friends, and experience the joy of being able to skillfully use the special abilities of Kira and L.“

During our hands-on preview, we did notice that figuring out the identities of our foes was a bit too easy, and when asked about further complicating the gameplay, the producers said that they are constantly in discussion and will listen to player requests once the game is launched.

“In order to allow players to concentrate on their deductions and psychological battles, each action is kept simple, but in return, there are a variety of actions available to Kira, Kira believers and L, such as “Command Cards”, “Transceiver” between Team Kira’s members”, “Transfer of the Death Note”, L’s “ Joint Investigation”, “surveillance Cameras”, “Meeting Guide”, and other actions that can be taken in key positions are considered to be on a par with titles in similar genres.“

“During the testing phase within the development team, the playing skills of Kira and L were also honed, and they are now playing challenging games every day, with many games that are not straightforward.“

“As you improve your skills, the fun of the game will also increase, so we hope you will enjoy the game repeatedly, but you can also customize the game in detail in the room settings, and it is also possible to adjust the difficulty level between players from these settings.“

“However, we are constantly discussing various bargaining ideas with the development team based on the world view of “DEATH NOTE”, and we plan to check how users play the game and their requests after the service starts.“

Death Note Killer Within the Art Style and Common Themes with the Anime.

Instead of going all-in on an anime-themed art style for Death Note Killer Within, the developers went with chibi board pieces instead. When asked about the art style of the game, here’s what the producers had to say.

“In the game, the player becomes a new Kira or L, and using finger puppets on the board of the table game, we wanted players to enjoy the strategy of doubting, deceiving, and finding out about each other, so we first created a default finger puppet avatar based on the finger puppets used by Near in the original anime and manga.“

“On top of that, we created a design for a deformed character that was well-balanced with the finger puppets and suitable for playing it like a board game. We also considered an anime style (interpreted as using the actual anime characters), but in the end, we decided on the current design, aiming for a balance between the tension of DEATH NOTE and the friendliness of a game, with the way the finger puppets and deformed avatars are used in the game, and the way the game’s judgment scenes have an eerie atmosphere but are also somehow funny.“

Fans will be glad to know that the development team are fans of both the manga and anime as well, and they referred back to it regularly while developing the game.

“Most of us were following the original Death Note manga and anime as they were being developed in real-time. As we were developing the game and considering the promotion, we often referred to the original manga and anime, and each of us, as fans of the IP, had a fan’s perspective and approached the product with sincerity, thinking about how to incorporate elements that would please the fans of the IP.“

When asked about any common themes with the manga or anime that players can expect while playing, here’s what the producers had to say.

“The tension of not being able to let your guard down at any moment, such as “they might find out who I am” or “I don’t know when the Death Note’ll judge me”, and the somewhat unsettling atmosphere of the maps, etc., we have incorporated the kind of atmosphere that the characters in the story actually experienced into In addition, there are also cut-ins, direction, and voice acting based on famous scenes from the original work, and other features that DEATH NOTE fans will love.“

“As mentioned above, we have looked into the secret of the enduring popularity of DEATH NOTE, which is still loved by fans today, and we believe that the core of its appeal lies in the world view revolving around the Death Note, which is highly attractive, as well as the deep psychological battles and exchanges of deception and psychology within the story. We have incorporated the settings, world view and atmosphere of the story into a game that allows you to enjoy a new experience as Kira L.“

Death Note Killer Within Customization, the Decision of Launch Platforms, and a Tidbit About the Voice Actors

Death Note Killer Within will have a cosmetic customization system that will reward players with several pieces of items that they can use to change the appearance of their avatars. Okabe-san goes on to say that they are very satisfied with this aspect of the game.

“Personally, I’m really satisfied with the wide range of customization options. In this game, you can customize your avatar to your heart’s content, choosing from a variety of headgear, eyes, mouths, backs, right/left hands, both hands, and pets.”

“You can customize your avatar to your liking, whether you want a cool-looking avatar, a cute avatar, or an avatar that makes you giggle, and whichever you choose will look great at key points during the game.“

“When we playtest within the development team, we can’t help but smile when we see interesting customizations in the justice and arrest animations. Also, some of the avatars that we sell as DLC have special motions, and seeing them in-game personally raises my spirits.“

Interestingly, Death Note Killer Within is launching on PS4, PS5, and PC via Steam, with the game also launching as a PS Plus Essential game. When asked about the decision to do so, the producers mentioned that platform consideration boiled down to a few reasons, and they will consider porting the game to other platforms depending on how users engage with the game.

“In this title, we are aiming at the main target audience of werewolf-type game fans who have always liked DEATH NOTE, so we selected the platform in consideration of the user attributes, such as age group.“

“Another reason for this decision was that, due to the nature of the game, we felt it would be more suitable to play it on each individual console rather than bringing together a group of consoles to play it.“

“There is a possibility that we will consider adding or porting the game to other platforms depending on how users play the game and what they request after the service begins.“

When asked whether the original voice actors were brought back to reprise their roles (Mamoru Miyano as Light, Kappei Yamaguchi as L, and Aya Hirano as Misa), the producers provided great news and confirmed that they are the same voices in the game.

“The voices in this game are newly recorded! Despite being a game that is over 15 years old, the voices for the famous scenes and play assists have been recorded at a high quality that is unchanged from when the anime was broadcast.”

Lastly, Miyazaki-san and Okabe-san had this message for fans looking forward to the game.

“As mentioned above, we have designed the game with a low barrier to entry, so that even those who are not familiar with DEATH NOTE can enjoy it, including the balance and difficulty. In addition, we have added explanations to the tutorial so that even those who are not familiar with DEATH NOTE can understand the basics, so we recommend that you play through the tutorial mode. We also hope that after playing the game, you will also have a chance to read the original DEATH NOTE manga and watch the anime!“

Special thanks to Aoba Miyazaki, Kishin Okabe, and Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia for this special opportunity.

Death Note Killer Within is scheduled to launch on November 5 for PS4, PS5, and PC via Steam.