Your heart rate acts as a de facto radar, detecting the proximity of danger. This is an ingenious wrinkle to this mechanic.
It’s a simple mechanic: one that forces you endure most of the encounters hiding behind a bush, waiting for the danger to (hopefully) pass, your character’s heart pounding like a sledgehammer. In ordinary circumstances, our nameless heroine can run for about 10 seconds before flagging: the more stress she’s under (i.e., being pursued by any number of the game’s Lovecraftian monstrosities), the quicker it drains. Like Outlast, there’s no fighting the malignant (or misunderstood?) creatures that stalk the town. I did not expect that from a self-proclaimed ‘survival horror’ game.Īnd despite my gushing over the atmosphere and presentation, survival horror it certainly is. These ‘guardian’ creatures highlight one of the main through-lines of the game: they bring the horror, as expected, but they also evoke a real sense of sadness and pathos when seen through to their conclusion. One area, a rice paddy overlooked by ominous cliffs, I abandoned for several hours to avoid the horror wrought upon me by a Grudge-like entity. Each area is also patrolled by a unique spirit or guardian. Each distinct area: the suburbs the shopping district an abandoned factory, all feel unique and fully realised. Instead of the entire map being open from the outset, the town is divided into separate areas, each corresponding to a single night’s quest. Oh, and then there are the malignant spirits that choke the streets, intent on ending your adventure with a shocking smattering of blood. It creates an oppressive atmosphere that permeates the game. It gives the game a lived-in feeling: it’s as if the populace simply vanished the instant night descended (seems like a sensible idea, honestly). I was constantly struck by the fact that, despite the town’s desertion, it still seems incredibly alive: garbage bags await collection outside of houses vending machines buzz on street corners a reading lamp flickers in a window. It doesn’t bode well for our chibi heroine that the beautifully realised town is apparently abandoned after nightfall (police cordons block off roads, missing posters pepper the signposts). And, as befits playing as a child, you lack the resources and faculties you need to do this: sure, you’ll find rocks, spades and other items which may or may not be of help you’ll make scrawls on your hand drawn-map and notepad and find numerous bushes to hide behind when the going gets tough (it will). I appreciate a game that doesn’t force-feed the backstory – it’s there if you want it – it’s strangely Dark Souls-esque in its approach to narrative.Īfter one of the most effective, harrowing, and darkly funny tutorials I’ve played through, you’re on your way to find your sister and Poro. The main story beats are handed out as expected, but the bulk of the lore and the background reside in item descriptions and the girl’s journal observations (charmingly, all collected items are described via the protagonist’s handwritten notebook, completed in a child’s hasty scrawl). Each night sees you searching a specific area of the town for clues each major new discovery or event moves the story onto the next night and a new area. Torch in hand, you head out to find them. You take on the role of a young girl your sister and dog, Poro, are missing somewhere around the mysterious town. Yomawari: Night Alone taps into that feeling like no other game I’ve played. Everything’s the same, and yet everything has changed. However, it soon becomes clear that Yomawari is exploiting that feeling we have all had: of being a child, and being out in our hometown in the dead of night for the very first time. On the face of it, setting an isometric survival horror adventure in a small Japanese town, resplendent in a beautiful chibi art style, seems like an offbeat choice.
The Disgaea games may be their golden goose (a series with which this games shares a strong visual aesthetic), but Yomawari is their crown-jewel. Vita owners already owe developer NIS an awful lot: they bring myriad niche Japanese titles to the west, and Yomarawari: Night Alone simply cements their status as one of the best developers and supporters of the system. Yomawari: Midnight Shadows will debut in the Fall of 2017 for PS Vita and, unlike Night Alone, PlayStation 4. Reviewer’s note: while writing this review, developer NIS announced a sequel is planned for Q4, 2017.