What dokkaebi really are in Korean folklore, where the spirits and weapons of Dokkaebi Night Parade come from, and which parts we invented ourselves.
Dokkaebi Night Parade is a game about surviving ten minutes of a Korean spirit night. The name says "dokkaebi", but dokkaebi are only part of the crowd. Jangsanbeom, the Gumiho, the Imugi and the Grim Reaper all show up too, 16 kinds of spirit in total, each borrowing a name from folk tradition. This post explains what a dokkaebi is in the stories, where the game's spirits and weapons come from, and where our own invention begins.
Dokkaebi are not demons
People often translate "dokkaebi" as goblin or demon. The figures in Korean tales are different. A dokkaebi is not a creature that wants to destroy you. It is mischievous, simple-minded, and sometimes repays a kindness.
Here are the traits that come up again and again.
| Trait | In the stories |
|---|---|
| The club | A magic club that produces whatever you ask for, often with a "ttukttak" sound effect |
| Wrestling | Many tales have a dokkaebi challenging a traveler to a ssireum match |
| Food | Said to love buckwheat jelly (memil-muk) |
| Weakness | Some tales say they fear red things, such as red beans or horse blood |
| Origin | Some stories say an old, much-used object, like a broom, can turn into one |
Versions differ from region to region, so there is no single official dokkaebi. They can make a family rich, then take it all away. A moody neighbor is closer to the idea than a monster.
The game's first weapon, the Dokkaebi Club, comes straight from this. At max level and with the right partner ability it evolves into the Golden Wish Club, which swings a full circle. The name is from the folktale; the effect is our design.
Dokkaebi fire and the "dokkaebi roof tile"
One of the most common enemies is the Dokkaebi Fire. In folklore, dokkaebi fire is a pale blue light drifting over graves and damp fields at night. Many modern explanations point to natural chemistry, but older stories said that dokkaebi were carrying lanterns.
There is also the roof tile. A fierce face carved into the end of a roof tile is popularly called a "dokkaebi tile". Scholars call it a gwimyeonwa (ghost-face tile). It is known as a decoration going back to the Three Kingdoms period and is said to have been meant to keep bad energy out. Whether that face really is today's dokkaebi is debated. The angry red face of our Little Dokkaebi was inspired by that kind of image, but it is not a copy of any real artifact.
The spirit codex
The in-game Codex fills in as you meet spirits. Ones you have not seen yet show as ??? and a silhouette. Here are the regular spirits, what they do in the game, and the story behind them.
| Spirit | In the game | In the stories |
|---|---|---|
| Dokkaebi Fire | Weakest, arrives fast | Blue lights drifting at night |
| Little Dokkaebi | The most common enemy | A small dokkaebi (our interpretation) |
| Rat Swarm | Fast but fragile | Summoned by Jangsanbeom in the game |
| Egg Ghost | Slow but tough | A faceless ghost; reportedly a fairly modern ghost story |
| Fox | Shoots fireballs from range | A servant of the Gumiho (our setup) |
| Dueoksini | Slow, heavy tank | A fierce, frightening spirit in tales |
| Geuseundae | Teleports every 3.5 seconds | A shadow figure said to grow taller as you look up |
| Eodukshini | Splits in two when defeated | A spirit of darkness that grows when you fear it |
| Water Ghost | Slows you on touch | The soul of someone drowned, said to pull people in |
The Eodukshini story is the one we like best. It is said to grow bigger the more afraid you are and to vanish if you ignore it. In the game, that became a rule: when it falls, it splits into two Little Eodukshini. That is why a weapon that clears a wide cluster beats a single-target one against them.
Bosses carry the big names
Bosses arrive at fixed times, and the two maps use different ones.
| Time | Dokkaebi Pass | Road to the Underworld |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | Jangsanbeom | Bulgasari |
| 6:00 | Gumiho | Imugi |
| 10:00 | Grim Reaper | Grim Reaper |
The Road to the Underworld opens after you defeat the Gumiho once.
Jangsanbeom comes from a ghost story about a white-furred beast on Mount Jangsan in Busan, said to imitate human voices to lure people. In the game it charges and summons a ring of rats.
The Gumiho is the nine-tailed fox. Its best-known story is shapeshifting into a person, and some tales give it a fox bead. In the game it fires seven fireballs at a time, calls foxes, and enrages at half health.
Bulgasari is an imaginary beast that eats iron. Imugi is, in tradition, a serpent that waits to become a dragon and does not make it. In the game, Bulgasari spawns a ring of small Eodukshini, and Imugi fires eight shots and calls Water Ghosts.
The Grim Reaper collects the souls of the dead. The black hat and black robes are a relatively recent look, as far as we know. In the game he arrives in person at 10:00 and releases a ring of Dokkaebi Fire. Beat him and the run is cleared.
The weapons are folk objects
Most of the 18 weapons are everyday folk items. A few examples:
- Sacred Rope (geumjul): a straw rope hung at a gate to keep impurity out, for example after a birth. In the game it burns harder the longer you stand still.
- Sapsal Dog: a breed traditionally believed to drive away ghosts and bad luck. In the game it follows you and bites.
- Kkwaenggwari Gong: the small gong of farmers' band music, whose loud sound was said to scare off spirits. It evolves into Samulnori.
- Red Beans: on the winter solstice, people traditionally ate red bean porridge to keep ghosts away. The weapon evolves into Winter Solstice Porridge.
- Salt: scattering salt against bad luck is a common custom. In the game it is a support weapon that covers your back.
You pick weapons on each level-up, and they evolve at max level with the matching passive. If you hold two evolved weapons that pair up and open a treasure chest, they fuse into one slot.
What is history, and what we invented
To keep the line clear:
- From folklore: names and symbols like the dokkaebi club, dokkaebi fire, the Gumiho and her fox bead, the Imugi, Bulgasari, Jangsanbeom, the Grim Reaper, the sacred rope, the Sapsal dog and red beans.
- Invented by us: every spirit's health, speed and attack pattern, and which boss appears when. The tales have no such numbers.
- Game-only rule: standing still to charge a ward that adds 50% damage and slows nearby ghosts. That has nothing to do with dokkaebi folklore.
Folk spirits vary by region, and each story here is just one of several versions. If you grew up with a different one, we would like to hear it.
Summary
- In the stories, a dokkaebi is a mischievous, moody figure with a magic club and a love of wrestling, not a demon.
- The game has 16 spirits, 18 weapons and 2 maps, and the Codex fills in as you meet them.
- Bosses come at 3:00, 6:00 and 10:00. Dokkaebi Pass has Jangsanbeom and the Gumiho; the Underworld has Bulgasari and the Imugi, unlocked after the Gumiho falls once.
- Sacred Rope, Sapsal Dog, the gong, red beans and salt come from real folk customs.
- The numbers, the attack patterns and the stand-still ward are our own invention.
You can try Dokkaebi Night Parade and fill in the Codex yourself. More on the game page.
Written by the JWorld team from our game design documents and measured play data, with AI tools helping with the writing.