In 1997, Tokyo was hit by an unseen disaster. Horrifying mutations turned the city into a ruin in a short time. All this was part of a plan concocted by supernatural creatures to bring about what they called a Demonic Destruction. However, a benevolent princess from the same magical realm contacts a simple young girl and tells her that she and other seven chosen humans may stop the catastrophe. Meanwhile, a young man named Gojou is captured by the authorities, but soon thereafter released into the desolate streets of Tokyo with a special mission...

Makyōden is an adventure game; it differs from the vast majority of its Japanese genre brethren by having a third-person view and navigation similar to those found in Western adventures. The interface consists of four icon commands (walk, look, talk, and use) that can be switched with the right mouse button, similarly to Sierra adventures. Despite this unusual feature, the game still resembles Japanese-style adventures in its core: there is no inventory and no puzzles, and the story is advanced simply by exploring areas and talking to characters.