A gory and gruesome roguelike that you certainly won’t be able to enjoy amongst family and friends.

Japanese developer Compile Heart recently unveiled that their roguelike RPG, Death end re;Quest Code Z, is set to launch in Japan on September 19, 2024, for Sony’s PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch consoles.

Alongside this announcement, they released a blood-soaked trailer, offering a glimpse into the game’s intense content. Notably, the title has received a CERO Z classification, the highest rating on Japan’s CERO age rating system, indicating suitability for players aged 18 and above.

Perhaps that’s where the name “Code Z” derives from, as the game offers visceral scenes, vividly portraying its attractive characters in bloodshed and death, with intense sound effects heightening the gruesome aspect, including bones breaking, flesh tearing, and necks snapping.

Death end re;Quest Code Z is the latest installment in the Death end re;Quest series of RPGs. The first title, Death end re;Quest, debuted in 2018. The narrative unfolds within a fictional VRMMORPG plagued by serious development issues.

Programmer Arata Mizunashi discovers that his colleague Shina Ninomiya is trapped inside the buggy game. Players must navigate between the programmer in the real world and Shina trapped in the virtual world to rescue her. This meta game-within-a-game delves into switching genres and navigating fake bugs and glitches.

It is currently available to purchase on Steam in English alongside Death end re;Quest 2.

Taking meta to the next level, the upcoming game Death end re;Quest Code Z unfolds in an “ideal world” replica of the original game, dubbed “DE-1.5 World.” This time, the protagonist is Sayaka Hiwatari, a debugger facing distortions in the game world that endanger reality itself.

Sayaka must confront adversaries in the 3D dungeon known as the “Strain Area.” Its ever-changing structure, terrain, enemies, traps, and items ensure that players will encounter numerous unexpected deaths. Given the games nature as a RPG roguelike with randomized elements, death will come naturally.

Previous entries in the series have been known for their graphic and gory scenes, accompanied by detailed text descriptions of brutal character deaths. However, Death end re;Quest Code Z marks a significant departure from the series’ traditional genre.

Unlike its predecessors, which featured proper 3D dungeon exploration and turn-based combat in a third-person view, this game takes a different approach.

As a spin-off, it’s not entirely unexpected to see some changes, but the introduction of the “mystery dungeon” aspect is certainly surprising. It seems the game is aiming to heighten its violent content even further.

It’s worth noting that the character designer for the game is none other than Nanameda Kei. Hopefully, Kei has introduced some fresh and distinctive monster designs rather than relying solely on reused ones from previous entries.

While characters like Shina from the first game and Mai from the second are making their return, other characters are yet to be announced. However, speculation suggests that the “new” girl might be Ripuka from Death end re;Quest’s DLC story, especially considering the return of characters like Liliana, Rotten, and Lily Hopes.

As previously mentioned, the game is set to feature gruesome death sequences, including broken bones, torn flesh, and twisted necks, with realistic sound effects. This intense content has resulted in the game receiving a CERO Z rating in Japan, making it the first title in the series to be classified for adults only.

Considering the hardcore nature of the CGs used to promote the game, this rating is understandable. It’s clear they’re not holding back with the CERO Z rating.

While Death end re;Quest Code Z has been announced for release only in Japan as of now, it’s worth noting that previous games in the series have received English localizations. Therefore, there’s a possibility that this title might also receive the same treatment, although it could take several months after its initial release.

Nonetheless, Japanese fans of blood-soaked babes can look forward to enjoying the game on September 19th on all major Japanese console platforms.