I've touched on horror games on this platform in the past, with "The Evil Within: 2," "Resident Evil: Biohazard," and even "Doom" I would be willing to call a game in the horror genre. Nonetheless, all of these games are horror games in which you the player can actively fight back, more or less. Particularly in "Doom," where it's your job to lay waste to countless demons in your path in the most gruesome ways possible.
I love all of these games, but in my opinion, a truly good horror game is one where you really can't fight back at all. You have no weapons or tools to defend yourself, and you have to use your wits and puzzle-solving skills just to get out alive.
"Corpse Party" is just this game, and I love it.
Originally released for PC back in the 90s, re-released on the PSP in the 2000s, and finally released again for the 3DS back in 2016, this cult classic horror game has been more or less available to the general public and isn't quite as niche as before. It is a top-down platformer horror puzzle game created by Team GrisGris but has since been handed to GrindHouse's studio. "Corpse Party" is a Japanese game, and therefore uses Japanese names and voice actors, but the immersion is still the same across cultures. Screams and cries for mercy are universal, after all...
In "Corpse Party," you switch control between several students of a Japanese high school as you progress through the game. In the opening cutscene, Satoshi, Ayumi, Shinozaki, Seiko, Mayu, and Naomi are telling scary stories to each other during a thunderstorm in a classroom at their school, Kisaragi Academy. Ayumi, who is the horror enthusiast in the group, tells them of a mysterious charm called Sachiko-Ever-After, which if done, will grant their friend group everlasting happiness. They perform the charm, which includes taking a paper effigy and holding onto it as a group, and after "please grant me this wish, Sachiko" in your mind, they all tear it together and keep the piece they have. Without warning, they are suddenly transported to a hellish, dilapidated school building, where they can find no exit. It is the ruins of Heavenly Host Academy, a school building that was torn down after a great tragedy; Kisaragi Academy had since been built on top of it. With nowhere to run and dangers everywhere, Satoshi and his friends must find a way out of this horrific vacuum in the spirit world before they all are picked off one by one.
Like I said before, this game is top-down, meaning you view the portion of the map you can see with your character in the middle. The main gameplay involves you playing as any of the group of friends as they attempt to solve the mystery of Heavenly Host Academy, and exactly what happened there. You interact with items and documents in the overworld while trying to avoid enemies, which if they touch you, is most likely a gruesome death.
This game also features multiple endings, with one "true end" that is canon and multiple "bad ends" that can be achieved by failing a task, dying prematurely, or just making the wrong decision. You also have to use your memory a lot in the game, and recall details from the early and mid-game in the final scenes so that you can escape from the school. One part, in particular, forces you face a series of puzzles in succession, and there is a certain order in which to travel between tunnels. You must memorize that pattern on the way back, as you are timed this time when you are trying to escape. This game punishes the unaware and those unwilling to read and pay attention, but rewards those who have quick-thinking and memory skills.
Finally, the story of this game is one of its biggest selling points, as it's hard to decide whether or not the "true" end is a good one. While my policy on these reviews is to keep them mostly spoiler-free, and I will keep it that way. One thing that I will reveal is that characters will die. You can't save everyone in Satoshi's group. While there are accidental deaths that result in a "bad end" that can be avoided, there are characters that you will canonically lose, and in particularly horrible ways. If anyone who wants to play this game is uncomfortable with gruesome death, then steer clear. The game takes all the liberties in making these characters scream, bleed, gurgle, and maybe even explode. For me, it was sometimes hard to listen to some of it, particularly after I had become attached to the characters.
The best part about this game is its translation, in my opinion. While localization of Japanese games is a huge issue in communities of gamers and anime enthusiasts, "Corpse Party"'s team did an excellent job balancing the Japanese voices with superior English dialogue lines. I have an article here that talks about two specific instances where the localization seemed to be a bit rough and crude, but was actually quite well-done. Check it out here.
In conclusion, "Corpse Party" for the 3DS is a great horror game for those who are looking something unsettling on a more family-friendly system, or just like anime horror games. The atmosphere of the game is set up well, and the characters and writing are well-done. While there are some gameplay issues and the matter of length of the game, it still shines as a must-own for the 3DS, in my opinion.
Pros:
+ Great horror atmosphere that dips in and out of your face and is unpredictable
+ Stellar Japanese voice acting and great localization text
+ Great spooky soundtrack!
+ The writing is scary, but also funny and moving sometimes
+ The retro style of the sprites is a cool call-back to 90's-style 16-bit gaming
Cons:
- The game is a little short
- Some of the puzzles are frustrating for those who just want to get to the plot
Final Rating: 8/10
