Identity V STAGE Collection

One night, a mortician passes through the gates of a manor. He says he came to this place because of an invitation, and the locals tell him some unbelievable things. First, he can never leave the manor. Second, a special "game" is held every day against terrifying hunters. Third, if you receive an invitation to the "game," you are confirmed to participate. You cannot escape. The mortician, who was caught up in it without any preparation or resolve, meets Joseph, a cold-hearted hunter, in his first game.

Editor's note

“Identity V STAGE Episode 1 [What to draw] Side:S is the entry our readers write to us about most. Half of those letters disagree with the placement. We read all of them and we have not changed our minds.”

A new hunter, Bloody Queen, arrives at the manor. Due to her expectations of royal treatment, she has trouble adjusting to life there. The Survivor Eli Clark reaches out to her, but in her tempestuous state of mind, she lashes out at him, and he becomes trapped in a mirror world. In the mirror world, all of the hunters and survivors have been reflected as courtiers and servants in the queen's castle. They do not remember their pasts, but Mary will not let the illusion break so that everyone can return to the manor. But under the glistening surface of constant parties and pleasure, a plot is brewing, and Eli realizes that he must convince Mary to let her illusions go before it is too late.

Editor's note

“We nearly moved Identity V STAGE Episode 3 [Cry for the Moon] three places in either direction, twice. It stayed because Unknown does one thing here that nobody has improved on since, and you will know it when you reach it.”

Jack introduces the new mode Blackjack, to the survivors and hunters in the manor. Each of the featured pairs -- Emma and Robbie in Side A; Naib and Jack in Side B; and Kevin and Michiko in Side C -- must learn to work together and try to win in this new kind of challenge, as teammates rather than enemies.

Editor's note

“Every revisit turns up another detail hiding in plain sight. Identity V STAGE Episode 2 [Double Down] remains our internal benchmark — when we argue about a new release, this is the film someone inevitably reaches for.”

A four-on-one game of tag, win it and I shall grant you any wish. No matter what that "wish" is... Amidst the inexplicable games played between Survivors and Hunters within the manor, "that person" who should not exist has appeared. The Phantom. Before long, both Survivors and Hunters began to call him by that name. In order to solve the mystery, the Survivor "Prisoner" and the Hunters Wu Chang each begin to make their move. In the process, they will find themselves confronting their own pasts. Just what, exactly, is the Phantom?

A recurring four-against-one game of “tag” at the manor. It was a stage with no final act, where neither survivors nor hunters could escape, each carrying their past and their desires. Edgar, a painter newly invited to the manor, finds himself in the midst of this life-or-death game, where he encounters raw inspiration that shakes him to his core. Facing him is Galatea, a sculptor who ceaselessly seeks her “perfect self” and is obsessed with a maddening ideal. The encounter between these two artists shines an even deeper light on the darkness within each of them. Will they ultimately seize what they desire? Or— will they sink into the abyss of art?