I have a feeling this game got majorly lost in the shuffle of all the big titles earlier last year. We just finished it and really enjoyed it. I would advise jumping into this one without any prior knowledge. It’s a visual novel, you make decisions, there’s paranormal stuff…that’s pretty much all you need to know.

I will say this- the beginning of the game shows its horror roots, and there are a good amount of jump scares to be found. I don’t think they’re THAT bad, but they are there. I can imagine it be especially jarring if you’re playing in the dark or with headphones on.

I do think fans of Famicom Detective Club, 999, Dangonronpa, etc. will find a lot to love here. I think the game is incredibly creative with its story and lore, and the game definitely encourages you to read every file, every note, every character profile.

It’s fairly short- I’ve read some people say they finished it in 10 hours. I don’t necessarily believe that, but this isn’t a 30 hour game by any stretch.

I have a few quibbles with this one, but overall I thought it was stellar, and I can tell its story will stick with me for a while.

I've heard some good things about this one and as a fan of Famicom Detective Club, Ace Attorney, Zero Escape and Danganronpa I'd probably get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

Only problem is the key art freaks me out--I've got a weirdly specific hang-up/phobia with characters with visibly missing eyes. Same reason I didn't play AI: The Somnium Files, in fact! I don't mind horror elements (in fact I usually like them mixed in with VNs and I'm a big RE fan) but the eye thing is an exception.

@TriforceBun

I knew you'd get around to playing Inscryption one day since it's right up your alley, and I always thought about warning you...

You must've hated Stranger Things Season 4, huh? The gore there was a little much, way too big of a tonal shift.

@Secret_Tunnel
Inscryption was a cool game but I don't remember any eyeball weirdness?

...Oh wait! Ohhhh yeah. Crazy thing is that I was mostly okay with that since you don't actually see the results. I think eye sockets are really what get to me.

I didn't watch Stranger Things 4 when it first released and then my wife told me that I wouldn't like it for that reason so I still haven't seen it.

@TriforceBun Oh if you have an eye thing do NOT play AI. It's pretty gross with eye stuff.

I don’t want to spoil anything necessarily, but if you can get past the first hour or two of the game, you’ll be fine.

Trying not to spoil anything, but the character with the eyespops up periodically, but is kind of attached to one character, and you don’t really experience it for most of the game at all. The beginning of the game is more of the horror part, while the bulk of the game is fairly regular visual novel stuff. Tense, but not exactly creepy like the eye character would suggest.

I would say the horror element of the promotional stuff is mostly false advertising. The first couple hours of the game would lead you to believe the whole thing is going to be pretty scary, but most of the game is just not like that, for better or worse. I think they do the first couple hours of the game in more of a horror theme to make sure you’re on edge for the rest of the game.

Let’s just say this- Amanda could’ve quit about an hour into the game, but the horror stuff clears up for the most part and she really just dug the lore and everything. It’s now one of her faves because she really loved how intricate the story and lore was.