HAZ CLIC AQUÍ PARA LEER ESTA ENTRADA EN ESPAÑOL.
Hello everyone! In the last entry I talked about Battle Chasers Nightwar, an indie game inspired by the classic RPG games, and in this new entry I´m going to talk about another low budget game, although opposite to what we saw in Battle Chasers, with its conservative style, the game I´m going to talk about offers a new and refreshing experience on such a classic and popular (and rather exploited) genre like the Survival Horror genre. The game is called Yomawari: Midnight Shadows. Let see what this little Japanese gaming jewel has to offer.
The first thing that might catch the attention of some of you it´s the developer, Nippon Ichy Software, a rather small but well-known Japanese company inside the industry for all those who love Tactic RPG games thanks to games such as Disgaea, Makai Kingdom, Phantom Brave or Lapucelle Tactics, titles that achieved a cult status in both, Japan and the western market, thanks to Nippon Ichy´s unique and distinctive style, which has earned the Japanese company many loyal fans around the world, on top of a reputation for being the new kings of the Tactic RPG genre. This could perhaps mislead many to think that Yomawari is yet another Japanese-style RPG game, however, as we could see with the entry that I dedicated to the hilarious Prinny some time ago in this same blog, Nippon Ichy is not scared of trying their luck with new genres and playing styles, regardless of how crazy or silly these new ideas might sound (and all those who know Nippon Ichy know how kinky these guys can get), and Yomawari is just one more prove of it. As I was saying before, Yomawari: Midnight Shadows is basically a Survival Horror game, and don´t let its charming and “kawaii” style full of chibi characters fool you, for Yomawari follows the path of psychological terror games such as Silent Hill or Project Zero (a.k.a. Fatal Frame). The story puts us in the role of friends Yui and Haru, who decided to go together to the fireworks festival held every year in the hometown to celebrate the end of the summer. However, this time is special, as Haru will soon move to other city with her family and the friends will be separated. On the way back from the festival, the girls suddenly notice some weird figures lurking in the shadows around them, so they hurry to escape. However, when Haru manages to calm down, she realizes that her friend Yui is missing, and so she decides to go look for her, but Haru will soon discover that the quiet streets of their peaceful small town are crawling with strange nightmarish creatures that she will have to confront is she wants to find out what happened to her friend.
Regarding the gameplay, Yomawari is a rather simple game, although it is important not mistake that with boring or easy, for Yomawari surely isn’t anything like that. The game is divided in several episodes in which we will have to explore several parts of the town while we look for our missing friend. The first that is worthy to point out is that there are no combats in Yomawari, with the game focusing instead in the exploration and survival elements. Our protagonist will be completely powerless against the strange creatures that roam through the streets during the night, and the only way to defend herself will be by running away or hiding, although this won´t always be easy. Whenever one of the strange creatures gets close to us, we will hear how poor little Haru´s heart beat accelerates, beating really hard and fast once the creature is really close. Once the creatures are close enough, we will be able to detect them with our flashlight, thus allowing us to avoid them. However, some creatures will get out of their route in order to chase us, leaving us with no option but to run for our life. We will be able run by pressing the corresponding button, but running will deplete our stamina gauge, and once it depletes, we won´t be able to run until it refills again. Also, the closer a creature is, the more scared Haru will get, and so the faster our stamina gauge will deplete, thus making out getaway more difficult, and if that was not enough, one single hit from an enemy is all it will take to finish off poor little Haru, which it adds even more tension. Luckily, Haru will also be able to hide at certain places to wait for the danger to go away. However, whenever we hide, the screen will black out and we will be able to see exactly what Haru can see. Nothing. Yup, if we hide, we will be blinded, and we will have to rely on some kind of “red marks” on the screen that will represent the noise our enemies make in order to calculate whether it is safe or not to come out. The truth is that it is a very clever mechanic that definitely adds to the feeling or survival and vulnerability that we will constantly feel during the whole adventure. Of course, not all the monsters will react or behave in the same way, some will ignore our flashlight, others, on the contrary, will chase us as soon as they spot it, so we will have no option but to turn it off. In other occasions, we will have to press the corresponding button to tiptoe to avoid being spotted by the strange and creepy creatures, all of them based on the Yokai (monsters from the Japanese folk tales) and urban legends. Haru will also find several items that she will be able to use to distract the creatures, as well as talismans that she will be able to equip to improve her skills, like, for example, being able to run faster.
Regarding the game´s presentation, although it is true that Yomawai is no revolution, it is impossible to deny that the game has an impeccable artistic design, with a special mention to the detailed environments and the design of the creepy creatures, although I´m sure that many of you are thinking that such a “cute” game cannot be scary. However, that couldn´t be any further from the truth, for Yomawari truly manages to create quite an oppressive atmosphere, and that is partially thanks to its brilliant use of the environmental sounds, for the constant strange sounds in the middle of the quite night will surely affect our senses, till the point where at one point we won´t be able to do something as simple as walking near an opened manhole without wondering if something will come out of it to chase us.
Yomawari: Midnight Shadows is neither a spectacular nor a perfect game, but it is impossible to deny its great personality, as well as it´s surprising capacity to drag you into its dark and gloomy story despite its minimalist style. Forget about the typical cheap scares, for even Yomawari might have some of those, the terror designed by guys at Nippon Ichy Software reaches a much deeper level, proving yet once more that these guys really have a specially talent when it comes to creating unique games. As I said before, you shouldn´t allow yourself to be fooled by its charming and rather goofy looks, for behind it you will find a pretty dark and oppressive atmosphere that can rival that of the best of the genre, in fact, I would even dare to say that it surpasses many of them. The game is available in physical and downloadable version on PS4 and PS Vita, and on downloadable format on PC via Steam. If you are looking for a new approach inside the Survival Horror genre, you should definitely give Yomawari: Midnight Shadows a chance, for I´m completely convinced that it will surprise you. At least, you have a few scares guaranteed (especially if you play in a dark room with headphones on). Enjoy it!
GAMEPLAY VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEZsIrA_r-Y
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