Its sub-title translated as True Scary Stories, Hyaku Monogatari is a video game homage to the parlour game Hyaku Monogatari Kaidankai, which was popular during the Edo period (17th - middle of 19th century) in Japan. The game involved gathering at night, lighting a hundred candles and telling horror stories, extinguishing the candles one by one until the room became completely dark.

The game contains a hundred horror stories told in a linear fashion through text, digitized photos and sound effects. Most of the stories are very short and non-interactive. The exceptions usually involve visual novel-like choices of locations or responses to situations, which sometimes affect the story's conclusion. A recurrent episode involves visiting various locations in Tokyo area and reviewing criminal cases and ghost stories.