Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Cartagra: Twisted Murders and Romantic Encounters

 Reviews, Video Games  1 Response »  Tagged with: , ,
Nov 082021
 

Going into this October, I had one visual novel already lined up for Celebrating All Things Spooky.

I’ve heard great things about the mystery visual novel Kara no Shojo, and earlier this year I picked up a bundle that included it and its predecessor, Cartagra (warning, link is NSFW).

Cartagra is often described not only as a murder mystery, but also horror. It’s an eroge, as well, so I expected a murder mystery horror story with occasional sex scenes.

You’ll notice it didn’t make the cut for Celebrating All Things Spooky. Let’s take a look.

In Cartagra, you play a former police detective turned private detective who has been asked to look into the disappearance of a young woman. Yet as he investigates, he becomes increasingly embroiled in the bizarre serial killings terrifying the city, even though it isn’t officially his case.

It is a dark story, that’s for sure. The murders are pretty gruesome, not to mention the bad endings that the visual novel describes in detail. Some parts were pretty unsettling to read.

But what surprised me was how big a role the protagonist’s relationships played. Even though only one character’s route actually runs to the end of the mystery (and most of the others are bad endings), the detective practically has a harem. Everyone wants him, and your choices will determine who he has sex with, often enough that it can’t be dismissed as just an additional aspect of the story.

So what I expected was a murder mystery horror story with occasional sex scenes, but what I got was a murder mystery romance story with lots of sex scenes and occasional horror elements.

Now, don’t take that to mean I disliked Cartagra. It was an exciting story with unexpected twists, likeable characters, and some interesting ideas. It just wasn’t what I expected, and it definitely didn’t fit in with spooky games month.

(Since I started Higurashi as an emergency replacement, I’d say it was a win all around.)

Celebrating All Things Spooky: Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 1

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews, Video Games  7 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Oct 252021
 

I’ve been meaning to try Higurashi When They Cry for a long time, ever since I picked up the first five chapters in a visual novel bundle ages ago.

It’s intimidating to get into since it’s so long in its entirety, but I decided the time had come to play at least the first chapter.

Higurashi When They Cry Hou – Ch.1 Onikakushi, which is currently free, starts with a boy who has recently moved to a small, rural town and is enjoying life there with his new friends.

In addition to this entry being the first chapter of the larger story, it is divided into chapters itself, which made it easy for me to keep saying I’d just read one more chapter.

The first part of the story is lighthearted and pleasant, and it lasts much longer than you might expect for a horror story. This is slow-burn horror for sure. There are a few hints that something darker might lurk beneath the surface, but then after a certain point in the story, everything changes.

As creepy things start to happen, it gets more and more unsettling, with a bit of that sense of paranoia I so enjoyed in Chaos;Head (although not to the same extreme).

The end left me questioning what really happened, and I can’t wait to see what will happen in the later chapters. Is something supernatural at work or not? What is this leading up to?

I understand the first few chapters stand somewhat on their own, although they build on one another. I hadn’t intended to play all of the chapters back-to-back, but with how intrigued the end of Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 1 left me, I might not wait too long after all.

Celebrating All Things Spooky: Sound of Drop – fall into poison –

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews, Video Games  2 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Oct 132021
 

The oddly-named Sound of Drop – fall into poison – is a visual novel I picked up in a bundle quite some time ago and finally checked out this year.

It follows a girl named Mayu who goes with her friend to the local aquarium, where rumors and urban legends claim strange things happen on the night of the full moon. However, the aquarium holds special significance to Mayu – it’s the place where her sister disappeared five years ago.

When Mayu sees her sister in the aquarium, she chases after her and finds herself trapped in a twisted nightmare version of the aquarium, haunted by restless spirits.

Sound of Drop is a ghost story, and the early parts are especially dark. The horror becomes a lesser focus later on, but it still involve dealing with spirits and learning the truth about what happened in the aquarium.

You have many choices to make in this visual novel, and a good number of them lead to bad endings. There are over 25 bad endings, although unfortunately some of them are simply variations of one another that are counted as separate endings nevertheless. In addition to these abrupt death scenarios, there are also multiple main endings, including a path that can only be accessed after your first playthrough.

While the numerous bad endings can be slightly tiring, being able to quick-save ahead of any choice means it’s not so bad.

The story is interesting, if a bit confusing at times, and I liked the cast of characters. Sound of Drop – fall into poison – is a nice choice for a creepy visual novel, and learning the same developers made Fatal Twelve left me even more interested in trying that one.

 Older Entries  Newer Entries