KILLA: Nine Suspects, One Name and a Deal With Toei's New Label
Four university friends made their first game a steampunk murder mystery. It won Korea's GIGDC, caught Bandai Namco's eye and became one of Toei Games' first three titles. A preview of KILLA.
A master is murdered. With her last breath she says one word: "La." Her pupil, Valhalla, travels to a mysterious island to find the killer, and discovers there are nine suspects, every one of them named La. That is the hook of KILLA, a steampunk mystery adventure whose title is both an order ("Kill La") and a word for "killer".
It is also one of the most interesting Korean indie stories of the year. KILLA is the first game for all four members of its team, it won the Grand Prize at GIGDC, Korea's national indie competition, and it became one of the first three titles signed by Toei Games, the new publishing label of Japan's Toei. As of November 2026, its Steam page lists the release date as to be announced, with a playable demo available now.
How the investigation works
Valhalla has a power called Resonance, which lets her enter the suspects' memories. You gather clues, including some found in dreams, build trust with the suspects and finally decide which La is responsible. The game has multiple endings shaped by your choices. Its steampunk style also sets it apart from the school-set mysteries that dominate the genre, and the nine-suspects-one-name premise gives every conversation a hint of suspicion.
The team says it focuses on characters' backstories and motives rather than complicated tricks. Its influences include Professor Layton, Your Turn to Die, Danganronpa and Ace Attorney. Steam warns that the game includes mature content involving suicide, blood and cruelty.
Four friends, one first game
The developer is Gumgyuldan, listed on Steam as Black Tangerine. Its four members met through university clubs:
- Choi Da-yeon: story and art.
- Choi Da-eun: planning and business (Da-yeon's older sister).
- Yoon Se-eun: sound.
- Jang Jae-won: programming.
They have worked on KILLA for about three to four years. Before Toei, they won the GIGDC Grand Prize and the Winner Award at Bandai Namco's GYAAR Studio Awards, and the GYAAR win led to the Toei collaboration. Toei Games approached the team first; the two sides now hold video meetings every two weeks.
Feedback in action
The team has taken KILLA to BitSummit in Kyoto (on Toei Games' booth), gamescom, Tokyo Game Show and G-STAR, and the Steam demo has already changed the game. After player feedback, the team added an option to skip opening chests, a small fix that says a lot about how closely it listens.
Plans for launch:
- Steam first.
- A target of 2026, though the team has said it could slip to improve quality.
- Around 10 hours or more of play.
- Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional).
Why it matters
KILLA shows a new route for Korean indies: not a Korean publisher, but a Japanese one, reached through awards in both countries. WGC's take: mystery adventures are a genre where Japan has a huge, loyal audience, and a team that studied Layton and Ace Attorney this closely could find exactly the right players there. With 2026 nearly over, a slip into 2027 looks likely, so download the free demo, meet a few of the nine Las and judge for yourself. For more on how Korean awards feed into deals like this, see our support explainer.