this feels like a departure from chilla's art's game catalogue.
it's impressive for that alone, but i can't say anything about it scares-wise stuck out to me. i think that if you like the slow build of dread that seems perfected in j-horror, you'll like this one especially. it's a little tongue-in-cheek: you play as a young person investigating the sudden death of their brother, who hosted a radio show where he read ghost stories. the location works and gives the impression of an abandoned town in the mountains, removed from anyone who could help you. chilla's art is a devteam staffed by two brothers, who focus on making horror games. i get the sense they wanted to have a little ghoulish fun with this one. it worked, for the most part: i had fun with it, too.
the most obvious departure from previous games by this dev is that getting around features driving from point A to point B, then back and again. it feels awful by my own standards, but it's not time wasted. they use it for two effective jumpscares.
the less obvious departure is the more abstract progression. when i play a chilla's art game, even though there are multiple endings, it feels very streamlined and natural. my playthroughs never give the impression of sudden, pointless endings or superficial differences. they feel precisely like the ending that playthrough worked toward. in this one, that feeling doesn't quite settle in. i knew immediately that there were other endings. maybe this was intentional, but it was a disappointment for me. this is largely done through how abstract progression is: i got the impression that i was jumping from point A to point D at times, getting ahead of myself and the story. while this openness might be appreciated by others, it mostly left me wondering what in the world i was supposed to be doing.
i did like the ghost stories that masaki told on the tapes. i found that genuinely enjoyable and i wanted to hear more of them; it was marginally disappointing when the #CursedLetter stuff began happening and i was expected to piece together a code. the attempt was nice, but it could maybe be handled in a way that doesn't detract from the experience.
overall, it's fine. in fact, the ambiance, the plotline, and ghoulish tone all worked for me. the issues i had just simply stuck out like a sore thumb. it's not a new favorite and i won't be returning to it if i'm in the mood for a chilla's art game, but i like that they're trying new things on and hope the trend continues.
it's impressive for that alone, but i can't say anything about it scares-wise stuck out to me. i think that if you like the slow build of dread that seems perfected in j-horror, you'll like this one especially. it's a little tongue-in-cheek: you play as a young person investigating the sudden death of their brother, who hosted a radio show where he read ghost stories. the location works and gives the impression of an abandoned town in the mountains, removed from anyone who could help you. chilla's art is a devteam staffed by two brothers, who focus on making horror games. i get the sense they wanted to have a little ghoulish fun with this one. it worked, for the most part: i had fun with it, too.
the most obvious departure from previous games by this dev is that getting around features driving from point A to point B, then back and again. it feels awful by my own standards, but it's not time wasted. they use it for two effective jumpscares.
the less obvious departure is the more abstract progression. when i play a chilla's art game, even though there are multiple endings, it feels very streamlined and natural. my playthroughs never give the impression of sudden, pointless endings or superficial differences. they feel precisely like the ending that playthrough worked toward. in this one, that feeling doesn't quite settle in. i knew immediately that there were other endings. maybe this was intentional, but it was a disappointment for me. this is largely done through how abstract progression is: i got the impression that i was jumping from point A to point D at times, getting ahead of myself and the story. while this openness might be appreciated by others, it mostly left me wondering what in the world i was supposed to be doing.
i did like the ghost stories that masaki told on the tapes. i found that genuinely enjoyable and i wanted to hear more of them; it was marginally disappointing when the #CursedLetter stuff began happening and i was expected to piece together a code. the attempt was nice, but it could maybe be handled in a way that doesn't detract from the experience.
overall, it's fine. in fact, the ambiance, the plotline, and ghoulish tone all worked for me. the issues i had just simply stuck out like a sore thumb. it's not a new favorite and i won't be returning to it if i'm in the mood for a chilla's art game, but i like that they're trying new things on and hope the trend continues.