Steam’s newest mini-sensation has arrived and it’s known as MiSide. The meta thriller within the vein of Doki Doki Literature Membership has already racked up one of many highest scores on Valve’s storefront only a couple weeks after its fully under-the-radar launch, thanks partially to streams by Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach and others.
For those who’re simply beginning to come again on-line after the vacation break, you could be stunned to study that 2024 was hiding one final Steam hit up its digital sleeve. MiSide is an anime horror recreation a few programmer who finds himself magically transported into the world of a cute, minigame-filled cellular sim that’s dwelling to his digital love curiosity, Mita. The premise is a mashup of visible novel and comfortable strolling sim parts that finally goes to some a lot weirder locations and begins breaking the fourth wall within the course of.
Markiplier streamed the sport a few days after it got here out and, weeks later, the VOD has amassed over 3 million views. Particular edd, xQc, and others have since reacted to the sport as properly. YouTube shorts and TikTok are additionally flooded with MiSide response movies and Mita fan cams. In consequence, the sport has over 43,000 critiques on Steam with a optimistic ranking only a fraction increased than Balatro’s, making it one of many highest-ranked video games on Valve’s storefront, a minimum of for now.
MiSide’s success didn’t fully come out of nowhere. A really polished demo was launched on itch.io over a yr in the past and rapidly acquired followers. At this level, the feedback web page is full of folks sharing YouTube movies of their very own playthroughs of the unsettling, creepypasta-infused, twist-filled story. In some methods it’s excellent catnip for the user-powered Steam algorithm: psychological horror + anime waifu + social media virality lottery = Steam’s first early winter breakout.
“Earlier than the sport’s launch, we by no means anticipated MiSide to be so fashionable,” the sport’s builders wrote on Steam final week alongside an replace including a photograph mode and different tweaks. “We’re very grateful to each participant who helps us! Along with persevering with to shine the sport and produce the deliberate content material, we can even rigorously take into account future plans, which can cowl all points of the sport, each inside and outdoors the sport. We are going to share new plans with everybody as quickly as they’re accessible!”
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