Square Enix may be best known for its RPGs, but Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is one of their most memorable games in years. It came out of nowhere, too – the horror mystery visual novel was first announced during February’s Nintendo Direct, but only in the Japanese version.
Paranormasight is gripping throughout, from the eerie and disturbing prologue all the way to the final set of end credits. Set in the Sumida district of Tokyo, the story centres on supernatural urban legends named The Seven Mysteries of Honjo. On one particular night, several different people are afflicted with a deadly curse.
These curse bearers each possess a Curse Stone, which enables them to kill using their own specific curse. Rumour has it that spilling enough blood will grant you the power of the Rite of Resurrection, a forbidden ritual that can bring one person back to life.
Square Enix
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The game follows a number of protagonists, each having different motivations driving them. They include a grieving mother whose son was kidnapped and murdered not long ago, a schoolgirl yet to come to terms with the death of her friend who supposedly died by suicide, and two detectives seeking to round up the Curse Stones before the murders pile up.
A Story Chart allows the player to hop between the storylines and perspectives of the lead characters, and this is pulled off really effectively, also serving to illustrate different story branches not dissimilar to the Zero Escape games. Different decisions may have fatal consequences, and in addition to a number of abrupt death scenes that will require the player to rewind, there are several different endings.
The story is essentially split into two halves. Without delving deep into spoiler territory, the first half takes place entirely during the middle of the night, when the curses first awaken. The threat of death looms during every scene, the tension ever-present.
Square Enix
Every new character encountered is treated with caution and suspicion, particularly as each Curse Stone has a different condition that needs to be met in order for the curse to be activated. Are they a curse bearer? Are they set on killing, or can they be negotiated with? What are their motivations? What is the condition behind their curse?
There is hardly a moment of ease, and the first-person 360-degree panoramic view and outstanding audiovisual presentation succeed in further dialling up the tension through immersion, while helping to provide a few small jump scares.
The second half is set during the day, and in a shift in tone, focuses on character drama including touching on themes of grief and loss, as well as resolving many of the mysteries and revealing the full story behind the curses. While the tension is toned down as a result, with a lot less looking-over-your-shoulder, this part is no less captivating.
Square Enix
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For starters, the motivations and the backstories for each of the protagonists are explored in greater detail, providing insight into their actions and relationships. The layers behind the characters peel back as their stories intertwine and unfold, which in turn makes the emotional beats – and some really good twists – hit harder and all the more affecting.
The other exceptional aspect is how the mythology is expanded and presented, as multiple characters find themselves investigating and looking deeper into the legends’ history, which dates back to the Edo period. That the mythology is richly depicted makes the events of the story and the curses more chilling – and there is some brilliant payoff by the time the conclusion is reached.
Disturbing, thrilling, and absorbing at the same time, Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is much more than your average horror game. Square Enix has delivered a fantastic tale that deserves to be getting more attention than it currently has.
Platform reviewed on: PC
Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is out on PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.
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