I won't be spoiling anything in this review but I will say I'd recommend playing the Long Night Collection first, and you'll understand that the vibe is kept consistent to this game as well. One thing to understand about Yomawari is its roots in Japanese folklore and ghost stories, one thing I'm only mildly familiar with. As a person who is mostly unfamiliar to these things it feels like being thrown into an unfamiliar world. It features very depressing themes and generally stories will feel unfulfilling or unanswered. I will also give a warning there are mild themes of suicide in this game (which the game warns you about in the opening, but before you buy might be helpful.)
The game is a competent avoidance and puzzle game, but unlike previous Yomawari titles they got rid of the hiding mechanic, opting instead for sneaking. This is done by holding both triggers and sneaking past ghosts that haven't seen you (btw this doesn't apply to ALL ghosts but most.) They kept the optional distraction items like rocks but as usually I never found a use for them.
Visuals are great as always from this studio, but one thing I've always found lacking for these games is how bosses sometimes feel like a memory game where you're simply repeating the boss based on a set pattern, not to mention you're managing a stamina bar which depletes faster when you're closer to a ghost. Lastly if it's something you like the game does have a lot of collectibles and mini optional ghost puzzles, each with little flavor text from the main character of Yomawari.
In the end the only thing keeping me from rating this higher is how legitimately frustrating one or two bosses felt, and I don't mean it in a "my skill is not high enough" but a "we're gonna throw random bs at you that you may or may not be ready for." This however is not something unfamiliar to the games either though so I expected it. Overall most of the times I died felt very fair so I'm not going to be too harsh on those moments.
In the end if you're looking for Japanese Horror based on scary stories told to children then you're definitely in for a treat. The overarching story in these games are always good and you might or might not expect where the ending leads you.
The game is a competent avoidance and puzzle game, but unlike previous Yomawari titles they got rid of the hiding mechanic, opting instead for sneaking. This is done by holding both triggers and sneaking past ghosts that haven't seen you (btw this doesn't apply to ALL ghosts but most.) They kept the optional distraction items like rocks but as usually I never found a use for them.
Visuals are great as always from this studio, but one thing I've always found lacking for these games is how bosses sometimes feel like a memory game where you're simply repeating the boss based on a set pattern, not to mention you're managing a stamina bar which depletes faster when you're closer to a ghost. Lastly if it's something you like the game does have a lot of collectibles and mini optional ghost puzzles, each with little flavor text from the main character of Yomawari.
In the end the only thing keeping me from rating this higher is how legitimately frustrating one or two bosses felt, and I don't mean it in a "my skill is not high enough" but a "we're gonna throw random bs at you that you may or may not be ready for." This however is not something unfamiliar to the games either though so I expected it. Overall most of the times I died felt very fair so I'm not going to be too harsh on those moments.
In the end if you're looking for Japanese Horror based on scary stories told to children then you're definitely in for a treat. The overarching story in these games are always good and you might or might not expect where the ending leads you.