Onsen Master Gets Release Date

For about a year now, I’ve been following the development of Onsen Master. I love simulation/customer management games with a unique style, and Onsen Master has it in spades. Now, publisher Whitethorn Games and developer Waking Oni Games have revealed the release date of their hot spring management game.

Onsen Master will release for Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC on September 1^st. Here is what the press release has to say about Onsen Master. “A dark cloud hangs over the island of Izajima, its effects weighing heavily on the inhabitants. Mischievous spirits called yokai are running amok within the island’s hot springs. The great Onsen Master, keeper of the hot springs and healer of ailments, has mysteriously vanished. Players will take on the role of his apprentice, Mu, in order to restore balance and uncover what happened to the Onsen Master!

Onsen Master features arcade-style single and two-player co-op, where players must manage the customers of their hot springs, and prepare and put together the correct ingredients to cure their ailments. Running around the hot springs, wrangling wandering customers, and putting the right concoctions into the right baths can be hectic enough already, but troublesome yokai look to impede players’ excellent service as well.”

With a story mode, couch co-op, and a simple arcade mode, Onsen Master has a lot to offer. I love the colorful Japanese aesthetic, and I think the gameplay looks interesting. I think it is perfect for Switch, considering the couch co-op is practically built into the system. I just hope Onsen Master is as fun to play as it looks.

The story mode is short and sweet, according to the devs. Hopefully, there will be enough content in the arcade mode to make it worth a long-term play experience. I could see it being a nice two-player party game, where folks could just rotate out, handing off controllers to the next person. We’ll see how much content there is on September 1st though.