Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Celebrating All Things Spooky: Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 2

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews, Video games  6 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Oct 282022
 

Last year, one of the games we looked at was the first chapter of Higurashi When They Cry.

I enjoyed it quite a bit and mentioned at the end that I might not wait long before starting the second chapter.

…Well, I got distracted by other games and didn’t get around to it.

But then, with the idea already floating around in my mind that I should play Chapter 2 this October, the Silent Hill news came out. The exciting surprise that Ryukishi07 is writing Silent Hill f spurred me into action, and I began Higurashi When They Cry – Ch. 2 Watanagashi.

This chapter doesn’t pick up where the previous chapter ended, but instead starts at an earlier point. Once again, it begins with a lengthy few hours of lighthearted slice-of-life antics. It felt to me like that section actually lasted longer here, but that might just be because my knowledge of the first chapter already had me on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Sure enough, things in Chapter 2 eventually take a dark turn. Both chapters of Higurashi do an excellent job of building up a pleasant atmosphere and then twisting it with unsettling events. Both also involve the same core elements – murders and disappearances rumored to be part of a legendary curse. However, they take these aspects in a different direction.

While the first chapter built up a terrifying sense of paranoia, Chapter 2 almost feels more like a mystery, with piece after piece of the unsettling incidents coming to light.

It’s still very creepy, and the later parts had me invested in what would happen next. The more I think about it, the more interested I am to see what Ryukishi07 will do with Silent Hill. His writing has that blend of occult and psychological horror that Silent Hill did so well with.

Higurashi When They Cry – Ch. 2 Watanagashi is another interesting read, and I don’t think I’ll wait quite as long this time before starting the next chapter. In the meantime, don’t forget that you have up until Monday to join in the conversation and participate in this year’s Celebrating All Things Spooky contest!

Celebrating All Things Spooky: Bonbon

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews, Video games  2 Responses »
Oct 262022
 

For today’s review, I decided to turn to another short horror game that’s been in my backlog for a while: Bonbon.

Bonbon is a short adventure game from the perspective of a child. The gameplay mainly consists of simple tasks, like carefully carrying your toys to a box and putting them inside.

And dealing with the giant rat called Bonbon.

It’s a short game that lasts roughly half an hour or so, and while it’s pretty simple, it has an unsettling atmosphere and a few scary moments.

However, I found the story to be a little too ambiguous.

Click for Bonbon spoilers
The store page says the subtext is about child abuse, except it doesn’t really give many clues about what’s really going on aside from a creepy fairy tale – and the fact that if you’re playing a horror game about a child and there’s a giant ambiguous monster causing trouble, being a metaphor for abuse is a reasonable guess. My problem is that those sorts of stories usually have a context where you can take the implied meaning and say, “Oh, so that scene was actually…” but I can’t figure out how to do that here.

If I were left to my own interpretation, I’d probably say it’s about mundane things coming across as scary through a child’s eyes, but it feels like it’s missing something.

Nevertheless, while I might not be entirely sold on Bonbon’s story, I can’t deny that it was a creepy game to play, with good audio designs and a lot of little moments that kept me on edge.

Celebrating All Things Spooky: The Lost Night

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews  2 Responses »  Tagged with:
Oct 242022
 

We cover all sorts of games during October that vaguely fall under the umbrella of “spooky,” but some games are perfectly suited for Halloween.

The Lost Night is an example, a short RPG that made me think I should have saved it for Halloween itself.

The basic idea is that you’re trying to find your way out of a spooky, Halloween-themed town filled with ghosts.

When a ghost attacks you, you fight in shoot ’em up style combat, dodging their projectiles while you shoot down miniature copies of the ghost to deal damage. Each type of ghost has its own movement pattern, which you’ll want to learn.

Combat rewards you with candy, which you can spend at vending machines scattered across the map to heal yourself and buy permanent stat upgrades. The ghosts get stronger as the game progresses, so those upgrades are definitely worthwhile.

Many obstacles block your path, and you’ll need to complete small tasks to proceed. For example, one NPC has lost a book, and will stand in your way until you find the book and it return it. In this way, it has you running back and forth across the map to unlock new areas.

Unfortunately, it starts to feel tedious after a while. Between the maze-like design of the town and the increasing difficulty of battles, I was tired by the time I reached the end even though it only takes a couple of hours to beat.

The Lost Night is cute, and I love its ideas. It also has a wonderful Halloween atmosphere that’s perfect for this time of year. It’s just a little too tedious for me to give it a wholehearted recommendation.

 Older Entries  Newer Entries