KINDA HURTS

“Nanka Tsurai” is a short puzzle game about quietly supporting a girl through her everyday life. Some mornings, getting out of bed just feels harder than usual. She doesn’t hate her job. But today, things just feel a little rough. There’s no extraordinary crisis or dramatic event. This game is about those ordinary days when, for no clear reason, life just feels hard. ■ Clear Away Five Kinds of Gloom Five colors of gloomy feelings float around Yuima: ・Anxiety ・Stress ・Sleeplessness ・Worries ・Unease Clear all matching feelings currently visible on the board. Clear a lot at once to create combos and earn more points. ■ Little by Little, Her Life Changes Play on weekdays to help Yuima make progress at work. As she gradually gets used to her job, her monthly salary rises from ¥200,000 and beyond. Play on days off, and her room begins to change. Her messy room slowly gets cleaned up, and before long, things she likes—cushions, a clock, plants, a guitar, and more—start appearing. You don’t work in Yuima’s place. You simply clear away the gloom and quietly support her as she lives her own life. ■ Daily Puzzle A mode you can play as many times as you like to help Yuima grow day by day. Every point you earn contributes to either her work or her personal life. Your first play of each day earns a stamp. Collect stamps to level up. As your level rises, the puzzle ring gets bigger, new board patterns appear, and you’ll see new sides of Yuima. ■ 120-Second Score Challenge Reach Level 3 to unlock Score Challenge, a mode for competing on the rankings. You have 120 seconds. Build combos, clear as many pieces as possible, and use your remaining time to aim for a high score. Score Challenge is separate from Yuima’s everyday progress, so you can enjoy the game without worrying about rankings if you prefer. ■ A Game That Doesn’t Tell You to “Try Harder” Yuima doesn’t hate her job, and she hasn’t given up on life. She wants to do things properly. But some days, she just can’t quite get going. This is a game about moving through those days with Yuima, little by little. Not cheering her on from the sidelines. Just staying close by. Today feels kind of hard, too. But maybe we can do just a little.

You can play the home screen, levels, work and private life, and the score challenge.