MIRU: An Analog Adventure Game
A downloadable game
MIRU is a solo-first hexcrawling analog adventure game. Set in a solarpunk future, you play a character whose brother is killed by a robot. The next day, you pack your bag with a few supplies and foolishly head off into the uncharted wilderness to go kill the God responsible.
MIRU was successfully backed on Kickstarter during Zinequest 4.
You can find the physical edition of MIRU:
- Mimic Publishing Collective (US)
- Your local game store.
MIRU is a great game for folks who want to play alone (or with friends!), explore a randomly generated map (and draw it!), while managing survival resources & building up a character to take on a colossal enemy. This game takes approximately 2-3hrs to complete in one shot & features violence and adult themes, for ages at least 13+ .
Here are some reviews & playthroughs of MIRU from people across the globe:
Review - The Dungeon Dive "I think Miru is a really fun game." - Daniel
Playthrough - Chaoclpyse Twitch Stream (It's a really fun watch and doesn't spoil the entire game)
Playthrough - GilaRPG Youtube Stream (Hilarious & part of a series!)
Playthrough - The entire game by myself. (I'm not great in front of the camera, but there's some fun subtitles)
Checkout the sequel: MIRU 2 here on itch.io!
MIRU 3 Funded on Kickstarter March 2024!
MIRU 3 on Itch.io June 2024!
If you enjoyed MIRU you may enjoy the behind the scenes content we discuss on the ATOPIA discord for Hinokodo's projects. or you might be interested in the companion soundtrack!
Created By : HINOKODO
Edited By: Ryan Huff
Published By: Mimic Publishing
Text is licensed under : MIMIC C+ LICENSE: Y2K
All images are copyright by Hinokodo
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $8 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Development log
- file updateApr 30, 2023
- MIRU second edition is live!Apr 28, 2023
- Typo Fix!Oct 26, 2022
Comments
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Possible typo in Miru I - In village 1, you can buy and sell fruit and meal bars - but the cost is different than what is listed in the item catalog - it looks like the sell column in the village table got transposed. Which is correct?
oh wow good catch! The item catalog is correct. Fruit is buy $1 sell $0. and Meal bars are buy $2 sell $1.
Great game! With an ATK=1, until you get a weapon, you really can't fight any beastie can you? Day 3 you get the phaser, but only have one attack at 9, so anything above 9 HP still can't be defeated. Am I doing that wrong? Even if there is a village up front, without any bits I can't buy anything.
I answered ya over on youtube, but so folks here see it too:
You got it, It's really hard at first. The day 3 weapon helps a lot, but can't often kill something.
So until you explore and find a weapon, or money and a village, you'll have to run away.
Thematically this makes sense, as your character has never been in a dangerous situation like this before. You don't know how to fight and being able to kill everything that crosses your path from the beginning is not super interesting to me.
I like the slow build up to being powerful. Let the journey make you stronger and until then, you gotta be a little strategic with what interacts with you!
You got this, good luck!
Hiya! Check out pg.7!
When situations like this pop up, use the priority map.
You're 0. If east isn't an option cause you're at the edge of the map, you'll check space 2, then 3, etc until a space is open for what you're doing.
Hope this helps! If you have more questions, I can answer them a bit quicker on the discord. (Link on hinokodo.com)
I think I found a typo. Bought the physical edition from a local game store, and I believe the pixel language around the QR code says "scan the qr code to get access to the digital files of miru ii". Looks like the digital is the same
Ohh good find. I'll add it to the list. I'm down to like 20 copies so a reprint is imminent and I'll fix typos then.
I have no ability to scan QR codes, so finding a QR code I have to scan to download digital files makes me feel like I paid money and you're holding back part of what I paid for. It doesn't feel good.
oh. Sorry about the inconvenience! I'm available on nearly all social platforms, and via email. Happy to send a link to any digital files you need if scanning a QR code is an issue. (you're here on itch, so you seem to have found the right place!) We used to host the digital files on our own site, but there were way to many tech issues with that, many folks couldn't find the links, the downloads wouldn't work, and so on. We saw it best to let itch handle the hosting, and put a code in the physical books. What's great about a QR code is we can make sure everyone who purchases a physical copy gets access to the digital files no matter who or where the books are sold. We don't have to rely on every bookstore who carries this game to have to host the digital files if they even offer that service. Most physical books out in the world don't include the digital files, so we think of that as a bonus, but I completely understand your frustration. 7 billion out of 8 billion people appear to have access to a smartphone, according to a few sources, so we felt it was safe to use a QR in the book. Again, sorry for any inconvenience!
I just started my first game and came an encounter with a female ninja followed by R1, C1: 3 | R2, C4: 5 | R2, C6: 3
What does that mean?
I've been reviewing the rules but don't find anything about it.
What am I supposed to do with those?
It's a secret code that will come up as you continue your story. Take note and use it when it becomes relevant on one of the cut scene days.
I rolled and got a God Event on day 1. Does this mean I ignore the one on the calendar for day 3? More to the point, how does getting a god event through dice rolls work with those marked on the daily tracker?! Thanks.
Hmm, You don't roll for god events. Are you playing with Miru 1 second edition (2e?)?
Maybe you're reference Grasslands R6. If that's the case, You'll wrap up the first night as usual, eat & sleep. The next day you'll skip calendar days as if it were the beginning of Day 3. On cutscene days "god events", you'll go to page 32 and read the day you're on (in your case the first cutscene on day 3. and just do what it says from there. )
Pretty rare to get Grasslands R6 on your first day. You lucky duck!
Events/Days don't repeat. After you end the day 3 cutscene, it'll be Day 4 and so on.
Sorry for the late response, message me on twitter or discord for faster results. apologies!
Hi there, thanks for replying!
Yeah, that's what happened - 1st day got grassland, then the R.6 shrooms event, which triggered the next god event.
I was using Miru 1, v1 and hadn't read v2 yet, where you may have clarified further.
If I understand correctly then I could fluke the same rolls on day 4 and trigger the 2nd god event (normally day 15), making me skip the intervening days and continue on day 16?
Thanks again. I think I'll print v2 and take it from there. It's a fun game and you managed to pack a lot into a small booklet. Cheers!
Events don't repeat, so you'll only ever experience Grasslands R6 once. But yes to how the skipping mechanic works! (in fact that's the most likely scenario, skipping 7+ days). In MIRU, days, mechanically, are mostly your chance to gather up items and buff up for the big fight.
If I use TS for attack I will attack with TS+Weapon or use ATK from TS only?
And when I die when I chose to continue I must delete terrain that I die and start as a new day? Or same terrain but reroll for new event?
Great question!
When attacking with Tech Skill it adds addition ATK power, so yes you'll include the ATK power of the weapon you're using! I ran out of space for an example on that, so i totally get the question there!
If you die, the day starts over. You'd delete the tile you discovered and begin the day anew. New terrain and event! (Although it's not a hard rule, feel free to attempt the same terrain/event if you'd like, as enemies you face that day have half their HP!) You HAVE to repeat cut scene days if you die. No way around those.
If I repeat Immense Garden TI8 will half HP?
ANY enemy you face that day will have half their HP.
Thx for answer, more questions,
1. How many equipment can I hold? And when enemy attack my def equal every wearable on me?
2. Cut Scene will trigger after move to new tile or at old tile? and if trigger after new tile I must roll dice for terrain?
3. When I start to track God which Tile I start to track it? And Do I must use chart on Page 7 that God will start from 0 ?
1a. No limit on equipment you can hold.
1b. Your def equals your wearables plus 1. (Your base stats are 1 Atk and 1 Def)
2.cut scene triggers depending on the calendar. Follow the scene to see how it plays out. Some start right away, some want you to move to a tile first, some happen after the day ends. The cut scene will guide you with terrain and what to do.
3. You share the same location as the god when it appears. That is space O. Move the god based on the map on pg.7
I have some question
1.about starvation and sleep deprivation when I have no food it's start Starvation Day 1 if next day I eat food and next day I have no food I will count Day 2 or reset to Day 1?
2. Solar Powered Taser that I get on Day 3 Can I use it to attack enemy? Because stat so OP (+9 ATK &+1 stun)
Thank you, and I appreciate your game.
hiya!
1. Starvation is caused by not having food available when you camp at night. Think of it like "going to sleep hungry". The only time you can eat in the game is when you camp. So if you had food, your starvation counter would reset to zero.
2. Yes! The taser is a general weapon and can be used in combat. Check out pg. 52 for info on items you find. The taser is solar powered and can only be used once a day. Great for getting out of a pickle. It will also stun the enemy, a combat effect you can find on pg.09.
Good luck! Happy to answer any other questions you think of!
Thank you for fast reply, I have more questions
1.Village number will increase when I found new one right?
2.Stun effect that note max 3 it's mean that I can stun enemy just 3 times in a row?
1. Yes village numbers will go up as you find them. You'll need to find village 4 to get access to quest 4. And village 3 to get access to all shop items. Numbering them will help you keep track much easier.
2. Max 3 stun means an enemy can only have 3 stuns applied to it. Combat effects last the rest of the fight, so if you were to hit the enemy with an electrified arrow, it would inflict 1 stun. On your next turn if you hit them again they'd have 2 stun. And again next turn for 3 stun. If you shoot them with an electrified arrow a 4th time, they don't get anymore STUN. It maxes at 3. Hard to summarize in the small space I had in the book, but hope this helps.
I tried to be very careful with my wording throughout the book, so if you don't see a rule that says you can do something, you probably can't.
Ok Thank you, I'll come back again if I have more question.
Hi, awesome game!
I have a question on quests you find in villages.
If someone mentions a quest in a tile east of where I am for example. Do I need to eat, sleep, and go to that tile the next day? Or the same day I arrive to the village?
Also, if I have to return something from the quest, that would be a third day to go back to the village?
Or can all be done during the same day?
Thanks!!!
Hi! Thanks for playing! In MIRU 1 every time you leave a tile, it's a new day. (consider tiles as HUGE and it takes a long time to travel to each one) So when you visit a village and pick up a quest, you'll need to eat & sleep and then the next day you can head towards the quest tile. And in a similar way, to return back to the village would take another day. every line you cross marks a new day. (Works like this in MIRU 1&2, MIRU 3 will change this a little bit, but cross that bridge when we get there! haha!)
have fun! Good luck!
Thanks so much, makes total sense!
I am trying to get my hands on Miru II print version, and looking forward to Miru III!!
Is there any mechanical difference between melee attacks and ranged attacks?
no, only that ranged attacks require arrows. Paired with their appropriate tech skills, they can do some serious damage!
Thanks, Hinokodo.
Hey! I picked up MIRU 1 & 2 and am working through a solo play of 1 (not sure I’m playing it 100% right but I’m having fun haha).
Regarding tile movement: I’ve go blocked in by an impassable tile and can only move to tiles I’ve already visited—does this mean I treat it like a fresh day but keep the terrain, and roll for a new event there?
oh sorry i saw this so late!
Yes just about!
If you've already visited a tile (so the terrain is known) and there's no other icons on it (Like an old enemy, or a village or a quest that kind of thing) then you roll for an event. If you roll an odd number, do the event! (if you've already done it, do the even event below it or nothing if you want) If you roll an even number then nothing happens you basically skip a day, right to camping. Check out page 5!
It looks more complicated than it is, it's just a bunch of what if statements to cover all the possible scenarios. You'd be looked at "Old Tile Without Icon". Hope this helps!
Ah no worries, you replied really quick! That makes sense—I’ve been keeping track of the map and character sheet in Procreate so keep forgetting to refer to the little action map. Thank you!
Could you please clarify some rules for me? This is my first solo TRPG and I’m a little confused.
1. Tech skill: If you use the skill TS-1 Dodge & Strike and I missed, do you deal a normal melee damage or no damage at all?
2. Fight club: If you got hit by your sparring partner, you lose HP according to your die roll, regardless of any DEF you have, right?
3. When you step on a new tile and roll a one, you don't get to draw a terrain on the map. You just suffer a minor injury, eat, sleep, then move on, right? By the way, is there any way to recover for the minor injuries? It's kinda weird when you found a village, get a good meal and a good night sleep at a tavern, but still can't find a way to patch yourself up.
4. When you successfully escape the fight and there is a village tile nearby, can you land on that tile? If so, do you still skip eating and sleeping that day? On the next day, do you have a choice to stay on that tile for another to heal up?
Hi! Thanks for playing! Happy to help!
1. If you miss, you miss the enemy entirely and deal no damage to the enemy. (The tech skills have a 'push your luck' mechanic, it's hard to succeed at first, but the more skills you learn and/or the more you succeed the luckier you will be when you use them!)
2. I can see the confusion here! You do not include your def stats when taking damage in the fight club. (The idea is that this is not a normal combat situation, and that's the only time DEF is considered) These are expert fighters, and they always strike you in your weak spots. ha!
3. You do not discover the terrain when you have a minor injury. You do move to the new tile, but it stays blank until you move the next day. (You can skip it and move to a new tile in the morning, or explore the blank tile you're on). There is no mechanic to heal the injuries you occur, as a story event triggers after you get 3 of them. That story event only happens once. Otherwise, to heal you'll eat or sleep.
4. When you escape, you move to a different tile and either skip the eating and/or sleeping step for your current day. You spend the next day on the tile you moved to. (So if it's a village, you can heal/shop/etc) You'll stay on the tile you escaped to. (So if it's blank, you'll need to roll for terrains and such. )
Hope these help! Let me know if you have any more questions. I run a discord with a miru specific channel if you want any more direct feedback/faster answers! (I don't see itch notifications immediately, so sorry for any delay!) You can find the link to the discord at hinokodo.com
@HINOKODO I assume if I pass back through a hex that has a completed quest or already found map, I treat it like a hex with no icon?
Great question! If you've completed a quest/killed the enemy/found the treasure something that would have you remove or cross out an icon/object then you would treat it as an old tile without an icon. (Steps A-C-E on page 5!) Sorry for the delayed response!
Thanks!
Hello, I'm a bit confused on the paragraph, "Ruins & Encounters do not repeat. Instead, you can pick one option based on what you rolled to clarify a Ruins or Encounter" and the diagram below. What does it mean?
Hi Victorly! When you roll dice for the day's events, a number of options could happen. Usually you discover a ruins or an encounter. There's only 6 of each and you could potentially roll the same numbers. But events do not repeat in miru! (There would be like a deja vu effect, which is not what we're doing with miru) so instead of repeating an event you have 2 options. You can choose to do nothing that day. Totally fine, often the safe move. OR you can do the event above or below the number you rolled. If you rolled an even number (2,4,6) then you would select the event above it (1,3 or 5). If you rolled an odd number, you would do the even below it. If you've already done that options then nothing happens! Events don't repeat! Hope this helps!
First of all, amazing and addictive game! Congrats and I look forward to playing the sequel.
Second, a question. After finishing my first game I looked through the pdf and found Impasse Garden and The Cave of Shinda inside. I didn’t run into either of them in my one playthrough. Am I missing something? Is there a trigger in the game that directs me to these two scenarios?
Thanks!
So glad to hear you enjoyed the adventure!
Those 2 events are very rare and are options for days where nothing happens.
(Check out pg12. under Events)
Thanks! That’s what I get for never rolling “nothing”!
I don't own either edition of the game, but want to play it. Should I purchase MIRU I or MIRU 2? If you had to choose one.
Thanks
Miru I !
thanks
Happy to help! Let us know how it goes!
hi, its possible to have a community copies?
Miru feels unique! I can see why the genre "Analog Adventure" was chosen. Solo rpgs are my new favorite and Miru puts a welcome video game like twist on the genre. Miru Mobile Mods: 3d6 of different colors, 2d6 of the same color, frixion erasable pen, old candle tin dice cup, and color dot stickers for bookmarks. There is no better way to spend a lunch break in the shade :-)
oh i like that candle tin reuse! Good luck!
Overall, a very nice worldbuilding and tone, pretty different if compared to mudane hexcrawling. The flavour in this is cohesive, and feels like an ongoing story.
Fun fact, I got ruins for the 9 first days straight. I guess I was lucky. Also, got lots of food. I even got in doubt if I need 1 or 3 meal per day.
I started reading and playing with 2nd ED files, but I found skills and combat easier to understand on the old file. Indeed, I guess EP cost for skills is missing in 2nd Ed.
I'm glad you enjoyed the adventure!
Wild amount of ruins in a row!
And for EP on skill, just so folks don't get confused reading this; Skills still require EP to use. They just use different amounts and you'll learn more about those skills when you obtain them (and by reading the item catalog). In the first edition, they were all on one page and many folks confused this with already having access to them all (which is not the case, you earn/find them as you play) So I had to rearrange things a little bit. Anyways, glad you had fun! Curious to hear what you have to say about MIRU 2!
I still need to by Miru 2, but will do next month.
I guess my confusion came due reading as little as possible before playing. Like the fight clubs, when I first read about them I already was in day 25+ (my second village), so I didn't trained them in first third of playthrough.
I guess a second run would be much smoother, once I'm familiar with the system.
Not finished my first playthrough yet, but I know for sure it has that little something that makes me want to turn that game into a comfort game that I'll return on each year. Nice vibes, awesome art, gameplay that rocks. A real bamger!
This game is top notch. Im fairly new to solo rpgs but this easily stands out as the cream of the crop!! The story builds great tension. The side quests are great. I haven’t won yet but it doesn’t matter. I just want to keep trying over and over
Had a blast playing Miru! I used procreate to mark up my character/map sheet so I have a nice kind of mini AP.
woah! Love the drawings and the timelapse! What a journey! Thank you for sharing! I love this!
I did a 5 minute review of MIRU and talk about why I love it so much. If you're still on the fence, let this video convince you to pick up the game!
nice review, good overview of what to expect, even though I'm pretty new to solo RPGs.
I'm glad you found it helpful!
Also on my first playthrough and a few questions:
1. When you get a god event (as in Day 3), do you also roll 2d6 for regular events on that tile.
2. If you run out of food, do you still get the benefit from camping, i.e. if you have been 1 day without food (-2 HP) and camp in the wild (+3 HP, +2 EP), then does that total into +1 HP, +2 EP, or do you just get -2 HP.
Oh sorry! I just saw this!! Apologies!
1. The god event, is THE EVENT of the day. After the god event, you'll camp and eat as usual.
2. Yes! They're two separate effects. I apply it like a magic stack. Take the eating health/damage, then the sleep recovery. Should help you stay alive a little longer. But after like 3 days of no food, you're in trouble.
Started my first playthrough last night and had some questions around Tech Skills:
1. Do training rolls for tech skills only happen during combat? In other words, could I ever train for a tech skill after any events for the turn have been completed (before eating and sleeping).
2. As a result of one of the events I received a Survival Book. The Item Catalog says that this teaches you TS-4. Is this the equivalent of six successful hits with a tech skill, meaning I wouldn't have to do any training rolls for the skill?
Thanks for the game!
hi great questions!
1.training only happens during combat. (I am reconsidering this in MIRU 2, as it stands in MIRU 1 it's a little harder than it should be to train if you get some bad rolls, I'm considering adding a training place in villages)
2. The survival book teaches you the concept of TS4. Prior to that you have no knowledge of it. You can only train skills you're aware of. That was the intention anyways.
Hope this helps! Feel free to join the discord and share your map or ask any more questions if they come up!
Perfect, thanks!
okay I finished my playthrough today so I’m gonna leave some of my thoughts here. The game is excellent. I’m not even into RPGs (more of a boardgame dude here) but the way MIRU combines delivering its story with this procedural Exploration/survival gameplay loop- that’s an insalely good game design. The booklet is well put together, intuive enough that you usually find the paragraph you looking for within seconds (that’s so rare!). And what I find absolutely beautiful: the rules are consistent and rock solid. It’s enough to read them once and you’re good to go. Loved the story, loved the gameplay, the game captures that elusive sense of adventure (speaking of- I’m getting a slight Adventure Time vibe here!) which hardly any boardgame does. Its easily a 9 out of 10 for me and MIRU the sequel has just jumped on top of my most anticpated games of 2023 list. For 5 bucks- it’s a steal and seriously, if you reading up to this point- you owe yourself a pleasure of playing this gem. Cheers to the author, you rule!
How replayable is this game?
It's not a legacy game, you can play as many times as you want! There is a beginning and an end to the story, you play the middle, and there's 1000s of potential combinations. You'll never play the "same" game twice.
I think it depends what you mean by replayable.
Awesome! That's good to know. I saw that there are certain events that occur on specific days and was wondering if everything was scripted or randomized. But it seems like the beginning and ending are the same? Just how we arrive to the ending will be different each time.
hey! bought a copy from The Lost Bay studio after watching theDD video and really love the premise! Maybe consider adding an entry for your game to the BoardGameGeek so more people can hear about it! I think a lot of solo gamers there would be super interested in that. Peace!
I absolutely should. I think I started to do that back in August, and couldn't figure it out. But I'll try again. Good reminder!
Thanks for adding the entry!
No problem! Now to figure out how to make it look pretty!
oh, hmm. I'm seeing a rpg geek site. Shouldn't I do that instead?
I’m pretty sure it can be onboth sites at the same time! Wider audience!
I feel like an idiot... but how do I build this? I've never made a zine before...
You need a printer that can print double sided.
You wanna print the "us_printready" PDF. It should print them in a way where you can stack em on top of each other. Staple and fold together like a book. The pages will look like they're all over the place, but it should work out when it's folded together.
If your printer is giving you trouble with the double sided thing, you can just print the "A4_doublepageview" PDF and staple it on the left edge. Like it's a very wide booklet. Front cover will look a little wonky, but at least it'll be altogether.
I absolutely love this game! I was lucky enough to scoop up a physical copy too!
I do have a question though. Concerning your "challenge tip" on page 4 concerning the 3D6. I get the concept, but not how to adjudicate the result. In hopes of being breif, how you interpret the results with pre-set die?
the majority of your dice roll determines the result.
So if you're going to a new tile, and it's surrounded by 3 forests and a desert. Then you would set aside a dice with a 2 set. And then roll the remaining 2 dice. This should make the odds more likely to roll another forest.
This should make the map look a little more normal and less sporadic with a bunch of different terrains.
The dice do what they want. But statistically it should help make the map a little prettier.
Wow! That's a really elegant solution for one of my few qualms with a random Hex crawl.
Thank you very much for the reply.
Honestly, this game is a lot of fun. Really, really enjoyed it from start to finish - especially the map drawings and knowing that what I build is unique to me. The mechanics worked great and I never got "stuck" or confused as to what to do next or in a certain scenario, etc. Check this game out, you won't regret it.
I've bought this several times for friends and only just now realized I haven't left a written review - this is absolutely one of the best introductions to solo RPGs, in my opinion!
It's structured and a lot like a board game, but with a lot of freedom - the God Events help tie everything into a cohesive narrative with a goal.
Beat it after a few tries and am super satisfied with my experience. Can't wait for whatever Hinokodo has in store next!
This is a cool little game, with some great narrative hooks. Reviewed recently at the Dungeon Dive.
An unusual solo TTRPG/board game hybrid that caught my attention like no other game this year. You owe it to yourself to give it a try.
A neat solo game, with some fresh setting ideas and great visual design. absolutely worth the price!