I can't believe I've not reviewed this...I think I was waiting to return to this game and get all the achievements. Something I only save for games that really inspire me to go 110% for them. I originally streamed this years ago and certainly didn't know what I was going to get with this!
First part of my stream
Now before continuing I'll get content warnings for this game out of the way for those that need them:
Sexual Abuse (referenced and suggestive imagery), gore (decapitations, blood, open wounds), body horror, Childhood Sexual Abuse (only written down and alluded to for first and DLC case) and that's all that comes to mind. I apologise if I missed any.
When I started this game up my assumption was that it would be a horror visual novel similar to others I had played in the past, being fairly typical and "middle of the road" in regards to horror (as there's only so much you can do with a VN, right?) however this would prove to be one of those that, like The Letter, has a lot of depth to it and can be really haunting. Even if you're the type not easily scared by horror or gore.
Unlike The Letter, this game doesn't have nearly as many branching paths, however, the choices in it were great and very fulfilling imo.
Story:
(It's been a while so bare with me...)
You play as someone who wakes up with amnesia and has a mysterious mark on your wrist. Soon you learn that it's a curse and when investigating a building that you feel a strange draw to and a clue about your curse you are greeted by a creepily human-like doll that's just sat there as if it were alive. The person you search for, turns out to be dead with flowers bursting from their stomach and before you can get any answers you meet a few strangers who were looking for the same person and needed help in their investigation of a haunted school.
The doll is actually alive and speaks to you about the curse, suggesting that they might be related somehow and you on on a adventure of tracking down these haunted locations and removing the spirits.
Gameplay:
As a VN you can imagine that there isn't too much here that you don't be expecting, that said, you are able to choose only one person to bring with you on these investigations and each one may give you a different insight or even have a skill to help with your investigation.
When you have a final showdown with the spirit, you have a selection of items to use that, when used, will create a different reaction and depending on what you do, you may either banish the spirit (effectively destroying the spirit and sending it to oblivion) or help them pass on (pacifying the spirit's rage, releasing everyone from it's curse and helping it pass to the other side) which in some cases were easy if you payed attention to who this ghost was, what happened in their life and, ultimately, how they became what they are now.
This adds more of a story aspect than real mechanical benefit from what I remember, but either ending is up to how you feel in regards to these lonely spirits who often ultimately died in a painful way that they didn't deserve. There are also timed sections where you need to make a choice or end up dead. A life-or-death situation where the wrong move can cost you your life which happens either due to the spirit finding you first before you are ready, a trap being set off or even attacked by a vicious/possessed animal. Again, the solutions are there if you look for them, however, not everyone will be able to identify them or even understand the order they need to be used in, but the save system is fairly generous so it isn't too bad. Again if memory serves.
The art is perfect in it's ability to portray images that evoke horror and fear. I wasn't too certain of it at the beginning, but I found myself really liking it. It's certainly not your typical brightly-coloured anime style and there is a lack of typical emotes like sweat drips and ect, however, this all just adds to the game. I don't think I could've taken these moments are seriously as I did when playing this if the art looked like, say, Hero Academia or Spy X Family. If anything, this is closer to Attack on Titan with it's use on dark colours that convey the seriousness of the series.
This is a really good horror VN that took me completely by surprise! I highly recommend it, but only if you can stomach through the content warnings mentioned earlier. They don't pull their punches in the topics of this game and it's all the more reason to play it!
First part of my stream
Now before continuing I'll get content warnings for this game out of the way for those that need them:
Sexual Abuse (referenced and suggestive imagery), gore (decapitations, blood, open wounds), body horror, Childhood Sexual Abuse (only written down and alluded to for first and DLC case) and that's all that comes to mind. I apologise if I missed any.
When I started this game up my assumption was that it would be a horror visual novel similar to others I had played in the past, being fairly typical and "middle of the road" in regards to horror (as there's only so much you can do with a VN, right?) however this would prove to be one of those that, like The Letter, has a lot of depth to it and can be really haunting. Even if you're the type not easily scared by horror or gore.
Unlike The Letter, this game doesn't have nearly as many branching paths, however, the choices in it were great and very fulfilling imo.
Story:
(It's been a while so bare with me...)
You play as someone who wakes up with amnesia and has a mysterious mark on your wrist. Soon you learn that it's a curse and when investigating a building that you feel a strange draw to and a clue about your curse you are greeted by a creepily human-like doll that's just sat there as if it were alive. The person you search for, turns out to be dead with flowers bursting from their stomach and before you can get any answers you meet a few strangers who were looking for the same person and needed help in their investigation of a haunted school.
The doll is actually alive and speaks to you about the curse, suggesting that they might be related somehow and you on on a adventure of tracking down these haunted locations and removing the spirits.
Gameplay:
As a VN you can imagine that there isn't too much here that you don't be expecting, that said, you are able to choose only one person to bring with you on these investigations and each one may give you a different insight or even have a skill to help with your investigation.
When you have a final showdown with the spirit, you have a selection of items to use that, when used, will create a different reaction and depending on what you do, you may either banish the spirit (effectively destroying the spirit and sending it to oblivion) or help them pass on (pacifying the spirit's rage, releasing everyone from it's curse and helping it pass to the other side) which in some cases were easy if you payed attention to who this ghost was, what happened in their life and, ultimately, how they became what they are now.
This adds more of a story aspect than real mechanical benefit from what I remember, but either ending is up to how you feel in regards to these lonely spirits who often ultimately died in a painful way that they didn't deserve. There are also timed sections where you need to make a choice or end up dead. A life-or-death situation where the wrong move can cost you your life which happens either due to the spirit finding you first before you are ready, a trap being set off or even attacked by a vicious/possessed animal. Again, the solutions are there if you look for them, however, not everyone will be able to identify them or even understand the order they need to be used in, but the save system is fairly generous so it isn't too bad. Again if memory serves.
The art is perfect in it's ability to portray images that evoke horror and fear. I wasn't too certain of it at the beginning, but I found myself really liking it. It's certainly not your typical brightly-coloured anime style and there is a lack of typical emotes like sweat drips and ect, however, this all just adds to the game. I don't think I could've taken these moments are seriously as I did when playing this if the art looked like, say, Hero Academia or Spy X Family. If anything, this is closer to Attack on Titan with it's use on dark colours that convey the seriousness of the series.
This is a really good horror VN that took me completely by surprise! I highly recommend it, but only if you can stomach through the content warnings mentioned earlier. They don't pull their punches in the topics of this game and it's all the more reason to play it!