Aum Soft

Background

Aum Soft was the video game arm of the infamous Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo, now split into two groups; Aleph and Hikari no Wa (literally meaning Circle of Light). It published the game The Story of Kamikuishiki Village, which satirises the cult itself and the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack orchestrated by the cult; a common misconception is that the game was produced by the cult as propaganda, whereas the game actually portrays Aum and the sarin gas attack negatively, mocking its members and showing footage of 'humiliating' media coverage.

Logo (June 29, 1995)

Visuals: On a black background, there is the Aum Shinrikyo symbol in cyan with its lateral faces in violet rising from above and zooming towards the camera while spinning around. In the middle of the sequence, the back side of its base is shown colored yellow, which eventually faces the screen, slightly slides up and zooms out. Afterwards, the words "AUM SOFT" on a gray background fades in.

Technique: Primitive 3D animation.

Audio: A deep buzz sound which sounds like the Om chant. Shortly after, there is a female announcer saying something in Japanese.

Availability: It was only seen on The Story of Kamikuishiki Village, which was only obtainable through underground magazines such as Game Urara.