Okaeri
Games review
As of Aug 18, 2026, Okaeri is rated 66% positive on Steam (811 reviews).
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Is Okaeri worth it in 2026?
A 66% positive rating across 811 Steam reviews is a mediocre score, and Okaeri earns it honestly: it is a roughly 20-minute walking simulator with a VHS filter that delivers atmosphere and nostalgic solitude but almost no actual horror. Chilla's Art is a horror studio, and buyers clicking on this almost certainly expect scares, what they get instead is a slow, quiet mood piece with a simple story and minimal tension. The price-to-length defense that reviewers reach for is telling; when the main argument for a game is that it does not overstay its welcome, there is not much game there. Its only real historical interest is as an early, visibly rough entry in Chilla's Art's catalog, their later work is a better use of your time and money.
Fans of lo-fi Japanese horror aesthetics who want a brief, atmospheric mood piece, already own Chilla's Art's stronger titles, and are going in with zero expectation of scares or story.
This is a horror game with almost no horror: roughly 20 minutes of walking, a simple story, and minimal scares. If atmosphere alone is not enough to justify a purchase for you, skip it entirely and start with a later Chilla's Art release instead.
ReviewPond's conclusion, drawn only from the verified scores and review themes on this page. Not a paid or editorial opinion.
Pros
- short length appropriate for price2
see reviews +-
- one of the first games chilla's art ever released and it's not even that bad. okaeri is very short, it's your average 20 minute walking simulator with a VHS filter and some light...
- Slow paced, very short game. Has ambiance. Played twice.
- atmospheric ambiance2
see reviews +-
- Slow paced, very short game. Has ambiance. Played twice.
- 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠. 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒, 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑖...
- nostalgic emotional resonance1
see reviews +-
- 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠. 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒, 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑖...
Cons
- minimal scares1
see reviews +-
- one of the first games chilla's art ever released and it's not even that bad. okaeri is very short, it's your average 20 minute walking simulator with a VHS filter and some light...
- simple story1
see reviews +-
- one of the first games chilla's art ever released and it's not even that bad. okaeri is very short, it's your average 20 minute walking simulator with a VHS filter and some light...
Themes and quotes are drawn from 3 sampled reviews with text; the scores above reflect all 811 ratings. Counts are how many of the sampled reviews mention each point.