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Tokyo’s labyrinthine Shibuya Station becomes a literal RPG dungeon in free smartphone game

Casey Baseel Sep 17, 2015
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Sometimes when I’m in Tokyo, I find myself wandering through seemingly endless subterranean passages that twist and turn back on themselves in a disorienting serpentine labyrinth. As I trudge forward I can feel my stamina fading, as well as my spirit. Still, though, I press on, delving deeper and deeper into the bowls of the earth, knowing that only at the very bottom level will I find what I seek: the platform for the subway line that takes me home from Shibuya Station.

And apparently I’m not the only one who feels that Shibuya Station feels more like an RPG dungeon than a rail hub, since there’s a new smartphone game that uses the map of the station as the layout for its fantasy adventure.

In case you’ve never had occasion to wander through Shibuya Station, here’s a map of it.

That doesn’t cover the whole place, either, but just the Tokyo Metro portion of it. There’s also the JR train section, as well as the Keio rail section, and all three are connected by an intricate network of subterranean halls and overpasses. Aside from eight different rail and subway lines, the facility is home to dozens of shops and restaurants, and it’s complex enough that even long-time area residents regularly have to consult a map if they’re headed to a part of the station other than their most frequently used platform or exit.

But while being confusing to navigate is a drawback for a train station, it’s to be expected for a role-playing dungeon, which is where smartphone game developer UeharaLabo comes in.

In UeharaLabo’s newest title, the Zelda-like action RPG Shibuya Dungeon, Shibuya Station becomes the setting for an epic quest. The goal of the game is to overcome the dungeon’s obstacles and monsters in order to find the Sacred Dog Statue.

▼ Which looks a lot like Hachiko

UeharaLabo claims that the game’s map is an accurate recreation of the entire Shibuya Station layout, although the real thing doesn’t have quite as many walls of spikes and wandering ghosts as the video game version. The developer also remembered to include such authentic touches as the platform markers shown here.

▼ When waiting for the train, always remember to stand behind the yellow line and equip your +2 longsword.

Shibuya Dungeon can be downloaded free of charge later this month, and reservations can be made for Android and iOS smartphones here and here, respectively. And if you want to get your Tokyo adventures started right away, the game’s predecessor, the also free Shinjuku Dungeon (set in another of Tokyo’s biggest stations), is available now in Android and iOS versions here and here.

Source: IT Media
Top image: Yoyaku Top 10 (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert images: Tokyo Metro, Yoyaku Top 10