PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo Reviews

Michiyo Shiraishi

solid horror VN with an excellent soundtrack

please stop doing that thing with your lips erio

If you can't get past to loading screen at beginning, try changing window's regional format to Japanese.

The 360 POV mechanic gets a surprising amount of mileage. There are some really great ideas here, the story just meanders a lot during the daytime portion where you basically kill all momentum the story had thanks to its story mechanics. WHICH, I do wish we got to see/use more of. Still, even if it flounders this is a solid game worth your time if you're looking for titles in the genre you've not tried.

By far my all time favorite visual novel. A shame this is not getting a sequel (manga only it seems). It is a must buy on all fronts. The story, characters and atmosphere are the best I've experienced in this type of game. I really hope Square revives this at some point.

pretty short game if you are not aiming for all the collectibles (which I wasn't). The artstyle and music were really good. I do wish there were character voices though. Overall the first like 90% of the game with the actual world building, character development, and actual mystery solving are really strong. But, like what others have said, It completely fumbles the ending, and it doesn't feel nearly satisfying enough for the time put in to play.

A well made horror VN that doesn't overstay it's welcome. My only issue with it was the lack of voice acting. All the chars were flapping their mouths and made no sound. (It was originally a Nintendo game, they aren't known for voice acting) It doesn't throw wall of texts at you, it's all presented in a very digestable way. It's mainly through character dialogues and a few notes. The gameplay wasn't deep, but it's a nice touch that they made it an interactive vn. You can see 360 degrees of most environments.

[h2]STORY[/h2] It’s a very good game with mysteries and curses, and it isn’t scary at all; maybe only a few jump scares. Maybe it’s just me, but when I’m playing as Shogo Okiie and kill someone, the way the camera turns and the expression on his face lowkey reminds me of Light Yagami, lol. [h3]PROS[/h3] - Autosave features + your own save slots - Game charts: You can go back and click on certain episodes to replay scenes. -Unlimited retries after death: I’d suggest dying on purpose before outsmarting opponents to get achievements (there are different achievements for dying in different situations). - Great art style [h2]CONS[/h2] - No voice acting: It would be far better if we could hear the characters speak. - Repetitive clicking: You have to click on certain things repeatedly to trigger new dialogue or files. - Backlog navigation: You must open the menu to read backlogs instead of just scrolling up with the mouse. - No skip function for read text: If you need to replay a certain part to unlock an achievement, you have to reread or click through quickly. [Thankfully, the story chart feature makes this less irritating than in other games without a skip option.] [h2]FINAL THOUGHTS[/h2] I’d recommend skimming through a guide to get 100% achievements. The plot is straightforward, but some achievements are tricky. If you don’t like replaying scenes, following a guide will get you 98% of achievements. The last 2% of achievements require: - Returning to the game at least 3 days after your first playthrough. - Completing all other achievements. [h2]THINGS THAT I AM DISAPPOINTED AT: SPOILER[/h2] [spoiler]However, I’m a bit sad that Shogo gets so little screen time. Honestly, the prologue is the most interesting part. After unlocking the story chart and progressing further, it feels more like a detective game. It would’ve been more fun if the mains started killing each other and see who is the strongest of them all, imo. They even kill Shogo in the prologue and start the entire main plot without him. He’s clearly smart, so imagine his potential if he were in the main story. That said, in the cleansing ending, Shogo is alive, and the curse is revealed to be a dream (nonexistent for others). However, Yoko still dies.[/spoiler] [h2]RECOMMEND AT FULL PRICE?[/h2] Since it’s a relatively short visual novel with no voice acting, I wouldn’t recommend buying it at full price. Wait for a discount unless you’re desperate to play it immediately. Rating: 4.2/10 (With voice acting, it could be 5.5/10 or even 6.7/10 at best.)