The meme that "if you do X, you'll be able to use magic" isn't just a local phenomenon. It’s the core premise of 'Erase -Missing Link-' (hereinafter 'Erase'), a title currently in development by the Japanese indie circle Permanent Papyrus. The game centers on an urban legend claiming that reaching the top rank in an in-game card game called 'Erase' grants the player the power of magic.

If it were just a simple urban legend, one might shrug it off, but 'Erase' adds the terror of the Cthulhu Mythos to the mix. Shortly after starting the game, players are greeted by UI elements familiar to TRPG fans, such as sanity checks—often referred to as 'SAN values.' It’s also quite unique to see the story of an ordinary high school girl set against the backdrop of Kyoto, a city that seems far removed from the Cthulhu Mythos.

The protagonist, Uzura Natsuyagi, is a high school student striving to escape her mundane life. After hearing rumors about 'Erase,' she and her friend Yuka Komiyama enter a tournament to reach the top rank. The tutorial battle that follows showcases a unique gameplay style that blends chain-reaction puzzles—a variation of match-3—with card deck-building. By dragging across tiles like drawing a single continuous line, you clear them; as the gaps fill, matching three tiles of the same color horizontally or vertically generates the cost needed to activate corresponding skill cards. If you fail to make a match, you must pass your turn and take the opponent's attack head-on.

At first, the game introduces simple cards, such as summoning a familiar that deals 1 damage for every green tile matched, or basic defensive cards. Because Komiyama forgets about friendship and doesn't offer much of an explanation, you are forced to figure things out through trial and error. While this might be a poor tutorial by conventional standards, it feels quite natural given the game's concept. While the match against Komiyama ends with little more than a WWE-style scuffle, the game immediately follows up by presenting a case where someone is found dead due to the 'Erase' card game.

This is where the Cthulhu-based TRPG elements truly shine. For various challenges, the game uses a 1D100 system, where a 100-sided die roll determines the outcome of an action. Interestingly, in this game, a 'success'—rolling above a certain number—often leads to unfavorable results. This is because success signifies that the player is inching closer to the abyss and the truth of Cthulhu-esque entities. Consequently, there is a 'Madness' system where sanity points are depleted, leading to paranoia and trauma. When this escalates, choices can be forcibly altered or various penalties applied, though there wasn't enough time during the BIC 2026 demo to see the full extent of these effects.

At first glance, 'Erase' might be easy to overlook due to its casual and simple aesthetic. It looks like a standard design featuring bubbly high school girls gossiping about urban legends. However, beneath the surface lies a work that attempts to weave a unique rule set—combining TCG mechanics with match-3 puzzles—alongside the charm of TRPGs and the dread of cosmic horror into a familiar, everyday setting. Having seen enough in just a 10-minute demo to be intrigued, I highly recommend trying it out for yourself at BIC 2026.