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Shino's Insatiable Pursuit of Knowledge

In this wacky story-driven adventure, you'll join Shino as she tries to fund her lab, catch the thief who stole all of their money, and... infiltrate a shady cult!? She'll make it through thanks to the power of invention! Probably!

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Release
January 9, 2026
205 days ago
Steam Reviews
Very Positive149 reviews81.2%

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6 items

About the Game

Shino is a young scientist who only cares about research and little else, to the point that everybody considers her unsociable. She became interested in science when she found a device that allows her to view traces of memories left around the world in the form of Memory Gales. Unfortunately, she hasn't been very lucky in her endeavors so far... She tends to be quite rigid in her views, which makes it hard for her to effectively use her boss's revolutionary invention method.

Everything changes when she tries the Brain-Smoothing Device and finds the flexibility she needs. Okay, maybe she's a bit TOO open-minded now... But this change doesn't come a moment too soon! That very night, the mysterious Phantom Ace steals the lab's funds, threatening all of their livelihoods. And yet, even that is not enough to discourage the new Shino! She's going to find a way to make money and keep the lab running while also investigating the circumstances surrounding the theft!

Shino will invent her way through any problem she faces, and in the process she'll uncover a lost past, a sweeping conspiracy, and maybe even find out who created the strange device that inspired her all those years ago...

That stolen money won't recover itself! Luckily, Shino has a flexible mind and a powerful inventing method on her side. Explore a variety of locales to uncover special keywords known as Concepts and Processes, then combine them to unlock new maps, abilities, tools, and even quality-of-life features in this adventure RPG!

Raise Shino's stats, like Smarts and Zest, to expand her mind and creativity in order to gain access to even more inventions. These will in turn open more paths for you and help you progress the story! Take a peek into the past by scanning the Memory Gales across the world and piece together what's really going on.

There are people to meet, leads to be followed, mysteries to be solved, and groundbreaking inventions to be casually used as if they were no big deal... What are you waiting for? Shabby Town and Loaded City are your oysters!

Invention-Based Progress

By exploring maps and talking to people, Shino will gain new insight on Processes and Concepts. Combining these words to make something new is what the Usan Method is all about! Find as many as you can and invent your way through any and all problems!

Branching Paths

When you're a scientist, there's never just one way forward! Take whichever road you prefer (or what you can find based on your stats) to open even more possibilities and progress through the game. The story has one ending and multiple epilogues... How you choose to reach them is up to you!

Wacky Scenes & Minigames

While Shino takes science very seriously, her newfound open-mindedness will take her to places and conclusions that are slightly less serious... And without her common sense, she'll hardly realize the difference! Sometimes it takes a smooth brain to survive in this harsh, crazy world.