Japanese indie gems Pralaya, Miraris and Argoat come to the West as Worlds of Mystery trilogy

Three titles from Japanese studio Domina Games are being re-released via Kickstarter, giving players outside Japan a chance to discover the indie gems.

Pralaya, Miraris and Argoat were originally released a few years ago in Japan and represent a trilogy of compact card games designed by Japanese creator – and Domina founder – Yukinori Ohashi and illustrated by artist Qtonagi.

The trio of games have now been bundled together and brought to the West by Tanto Cuore, Alicematic Heroes and Mangaka publisher Japanime Games as the Worlds of Mystery anthology.

Pralaya takes place on an island being sunk by an evil being – players must race to collect treasures and escape before they’re lost beneath the waves. Although the theme has definite echoes of Matt Leacock’s co-op Forbidden Island, Pralaya’s gameplay is fully competitive and revolves around the risk-reward of holding out on the island to collect more loot or evacuate early and minimise the cost of escaping. It’s also seriously fast, playing in around 20 minutes with two to five people.

Miraris swaps the action-driven gameplay for a blind auction format, as players simultaneously pick and play numbered cards to bid for the wonders of the Dream World inside a mirror. If a player plays a unique card, they claim cards – but if they match another player’s card, they get nothing. Special powers and end-game effects make it more than a straight race for points. Again, it’s a quick experience: expect games of 10 to 20 minutes with three to six players.

Finally, there’s Argoat, a card game set in the fantasy paradise of Eden. The world is revealed during the course of play, as players hunt for eight fragments of knowledge in various locations and barter with their opponents for additional information. Running in at between 45 minutes and an hour the game is the longest of the three, and similarly plays with two to five people.

Japanime’s Kickstarter campaign for the Worlds of Mystery games is offering each game individually for $20/£15 (Argoat is a little more at $25/£20), or in a slipcase box for $60 (£45). The usual litany of add-ons, such as playmats, art sleeves and pin badges, are also up for grabs.

The crowdfunding campaign runs until April 3rd and is within touching distance of passing its £11,000 at the time of writing.