If you haven’t heard of Paranormasight: Seven Mysteries of Honjo, then don’t worry. While this curious visual novel is getting a worldwide release on the Switch eShop, its reveal was reserved for Japan’s Nintendo Direct in February.
So while we were definitely knocked out Metroid Prime is remade shadowing and launching the Game Boy game for the Nintendo Switch Online service, the lack of Western announcements for Paranormasight means many horror fans may have missed out on what is for sure one of the coolest visual novels The most fun and interesting we’ve seen in quite a while. Thankfully, we’re here to correct the mistake.
Describing Paranormasight is a tough job. A lot of the fun we experience playing it is the result of getting involved with very little prior knowledge of the story, so we feel a definite obligation here to bring it to you. , dear readers, a similar benefit. That said, we think we can safely lay out the general premise without messing anything up.
Paranormasight takes place in the real-life Honjo neighborhood in Tokyo’s Sumida district, where an old legend related to the ‘Seven Mysteries of Honjo’ continues to permeate the daily lives of its residents. These mysteries form the basis of the ‘Rite of Resurrection’, a manuscript that allows the user to revive a person who has just died. It is worth noting that in order to obtain the Resurrection Ritual, those who wish to seek it will be imbued with the ‘Curse Stone’; old netsuke carving imbued with curses rooted in the Seven Mysteries of Honjo.
Follow up so far? Exquisite. The Curse Stones require the user to kill people indiscriminately in order to fill the vessel with ‘Soul Residue’. Once full, the Resurrection Rite will be accessible. Theoretically, at least. So this is where we find the main characters of our story: each of them possess a Curse Stone, but in terms of their motives, actions, and how their story weaves. interspersed, we’ll save that part for you. your own experience.
The way the characters’ stories actually play out is quite intriguing. Each narrative scene forms part of a ‘Story Map’, which is essentially a visual representation of the different branching paths you can unlock as you progress through the game. The great thing is that you can jump between multiple protagonists between scenes and even replay certain situations at will. In fact, this is often necessary to move forward. Some story branches can bring a character’s story to a rather abrupt, horrendous end, so you’ll need to go back to the previous scene and deduce how you can change events to trigger. another story direction.
The branching route is a gameplay style that has been done to death in the game, but the way it’s implemented here is amazing, requiring you to really stop and think about how a character’s story is going to be. how objects connect to another character’s story and how you can gather information gathered from one story path and deploy it into another. The puzzles found in Paranormasight are excellent and though they won’t challenge you also much, there’s an undeniable satisfaction when you figure out how to proceed. There’s even a nifty little head scratcher near the head that breaks through the fourth wall somewhat, and we reckon it’ll even make the likes of Hideo Kojima grin from ear to ear; We won’t spoil what happens, but it’s pretty awesome.
It would all be meaningless if the story itself wasn’t engaging, but fortunately it’s one of the most engaging and engaging stories we’ve experienced in a long time. The game puts you in a pinch and throws you a lot of stuff after the first five or ten minutes, and while we admit it’s a bit overwhelming at first, you can always consult the game’s menu. play, including removing all interested people, files, Story Map, etc. to review. Make no mistake, there’s a lot to read here, but if you’re willing to commit, the rewards are exponentially more satisfying.
Paranormasight isn’t just fun to play; it looks and sounds great, too. The images have an almost hand-drawn quality, and especially the environments look surprisingly realistic and vivid. All the characters have a completely three-dimensional feel thanks to the amazing artwork provided by Gen Kobayashi, who you may know as the character designer for The world is over for you And its sequel.
Animation is limited, with characters moving from pose to pose, but this almost has the effect of enhancing the experience even more. Because much of the experience is spent watching the characters interact with each other, the brief moments of pure horror when you see a ghost or corpse are wonderfully conveyed, with the camera zooming in. at top speed and your surroundings distort. It’s jarring and makes you empathize with how the characters are feeling at that particular moment.
Considering the quiet release and lack of fanfare from Square Enix, Paranormasight is truly one of the most surprising games we’ve played in a long time. Horror fans will absolutely love this, but we bet visual novel fans in general will also get a lot out of this experience. This is the type of game that we suspect will find a large audience through word of mouth, and we really hope it encourages Square Enix to explore where to take this new venture next.
Conclusion
Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is one of the most surprising games we’ve experienced in a long time. Its overarching story, though presentation-heavy at first, is wonderfully told, interweaving the lives of many of the main characters and tasking the player with developing their story in ways meaningful. The puzzles are amazing, the characters are clearly realised, and the visuals are top notch, making those brief moments of terror and terror extremely effective. It’s an experience where we recommend learning as little information as possible, as it will be an extremely memorable experience; something that can rival the best of the Switch’s visual novels.
