Last month, I reviewed Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow and found it to be an ambitious, if sometimes chaotic, RPG. As part of TGS 2026, we also interviewed Satoshi Hirayae, the game designer and director, to learn more about the game’s development and inspirations.
What was the biggest inspiration behind the development of Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow?
Actually, I previously worked on a game called Caligula.
That game featured a system where “you see the future of enemies after they take action and use that to plan your strategy.”
This time, we wanted to approach it from the opposite direction: “a game where you see the future of enemies before they take action and build your strategy around that.” That was the starting point for development.
The title Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow is very striking. Could you tell us how you decided on this title? Does it have any connection to “Qlippoth,” the evil entities in Kabbalistic mysticism, or is the similarity in name just a coincidence?
Of course, there is a connection.
As you pointed out, it’s named after “Qliphah,” the root word for “Qlippoth”—the embodiment of all vices.
This story is a battle fantasy set in a world where entities pose as God and masquerade with God’s face.
The title was named to evoke and hint at that underlying premise.
The timeline-based combat system seems to be one of the game’s most distinct features. What was the most difficult challenge or struggle you faced while developing this system?
First off, designing the UI to represent it was extremely tough.
Because we were trying to display fundamentally complex information, we went through a lot of trial and error to figure out how to make it easy to understand. I think we created around 10 different iterations of the UI display and tested them over and over. We kept searching for the right answer throughout development until we arrived at the final design.
At first, it was a flow that moved in one direction, but since the game features two protagonists fighting as a buddy pair, it evolved into a layout flowing from both the left and right toward the center.
Aside from combat, are there side quests or other optional activities (end-game/completionist content) prepared for players to enjoy?
Since it’s a straightforward game, there aren’t overly intricate side activities.
However, because there are many skills, collecting them by defeating enemies or creating builds using your skills and leveling up to challenge secret bosses are part of the endgame content. More powerful and unique skills become available as you reach the later stages, so engaging in optional battles to collect skills and optimize your build should be very enjoyable.
Additionally, there are numerous in-game news articles and social media posts describing bizarre phenomena. Players who enjoy diving into world-building will have a lot of fun seeking out and reading through those.
In some of the screenshots, the current “date (day count)” is displayed at the top of the screen. Does this indicate a calendar-based system or a time limit? Or is the passage of time purely tied to story progression?
Please rest assured—it is a feature where the world’s level of chaos increases as days pass, making enemies stronger. There are no irreversible missable events caused by the passage of days, so you can immerse yourself in the game without worry.
Lastly, is there one key point you would love to tell our readers about Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow that they absolutely must know?
Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow is a unique, edgy game with a distinctive feel.
If you jump in without prior knowledge, you might be surprised by its unusual gameplay style, but I believe it offers a truly distinct experience.
It features visuals with a tangible texture that goes beyond simple cel-shading, and a tactical timeline battle system with a unique sense of exhilaration that delivers a brand-new feeling.
Please give this game a try and experience something entirely new with Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow!
Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.
