Nexon unveiled the first playable build of its new subculture genre title 'Pareidolia' at Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2026. Pareidolia is a new project by the development team behind Nexon's mega-hit subculture game 'Blue Archive,' and it has garnered significant attention even in Japan.
On the morning of the 17th, the Nexon booth at TGS 2026 was crowded with local media personnel eager to experience Paraydoria. The 10-minute playable build released that day condenses the flow of daily life at Tasogarekan, exploration and combat in erosion dungeons, and returning home.
Pareidolia is a cute girl game being developed by RX Studio, under Nexon Games' IO Division, which also developed Blue Archive. In the game, players are appointed as directors of an Anima City revival center located in a world very similar to Earth.
Upon logging into the game, the day at Tasogarekan begins right from the first screen. Players spend their days shopping, farming, and cooking with their Maichs. When anomalies or erosion occur, they deploy with the Maichs to conduct exploration and combat. Upon completing missions, they return home.
Combat in Pareidolia follows a turn-based system. Players can check the turn order and remaining action time to prepare for their next move. Filling the boost gauge through attacks allows players to advance the action order of their Maichs, enabling immediate control and actively altering the flow of turns to add strategic depth.
Nexon has enhanced immersion by allowing characters to live in the same space using Unreal Engine 5-based 3D graphics. The game is being developed to delicately express character charm from various situations, distances, and perspectives, ensuring that daily life and combat flow naturally within a single world.
Regarding the ability for players to call out to Maichs with their voices, Kim Yong-ha, Head of the IO Division, stated, "We developed this using on-device AI technology without relying on any separately developed internal servers, taking mobile performance into account." He added, "It is currently in a testing phase, used only for calling out to Maichs or utilizing them in conversations."
Kim said, "For Paraydoria, selection and focus are key points. Rather than including everything, we aimed to include only what is important." He continued, "As a result, the distinctive feature is that the world and the girls can be conveyed to players as realistic, tangible beings."
At the TGS 2026 booth, Nexon allowed gamers to play the game build and prepared an interactive Maichs rock-paper-scissors game. The company also displayed character video screens and panels featuring Mini-e, Ohana, Shami, and Elevator Girl. Additionally, a stamp rally event for visitors was organized where participants could earn stamps by completing missions. Depending on the number of stamps collected, limited TGS goods such as can badges and towels will be given away.
in TECH
