Hako Onna

About this board game

Hako Onna is a Japanese-horror hide-and-seek game for 3–5 players, with a play time of about 120 minutes. One player becomes the Woman in the Box, while the others take the roles of Visitors trying to escape a haunted mansion.

As Visitors, you search the mansion’s shadowy rooms for items that can protect you, information, and a way out. The danger is almost entirely unseen: during most of the Hako Onna’s turn, the human players must keep their eyes closed while she moves through the house and carries out her actions.

Noise is a constant threat. Before taking a turn, a Visitor must stack a small disc on top of the previous discs without causing the tower to collapse. If it falls, the noise immediately ends the Visitor’s opportunity and gives the Hako Onna her turn, raising the tension with an optional dexterity challenge.

Discovering the Hako Onna is disastrous. A Visitor who finds her dies and becomes a Hakobito, one of her servants, waking to move through the house alongside her. The Hako Onna wins if all Visitors become Hakobito or if she makes victory impossible for the human players.

Visitors can win in three different ways:

• Find the Hako Onna’s only weakness and kill her.
• Find the secret exit while holding the key ring hidden inside the safe.
• Bring the remains of her body to her precious doll, Mary, and bring peace to her.

First published in Japan in 2016, Hako Onna has reached its fourth edition and was republished in English by WizKids with all-new cards. Its asymmetric pursuit, hidden movement, and eerie escape objectives create a richly thematic horror experience where silence may be your best defense.