Review: PARANORMASIGHT
by William Hernandez
PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is hardly the first VN to try and create an engaging, horror experience, but it absolutely stands out as one of the best. You may quickly think you understand what's going on with this game after just a few minutes, but there's a lot more depth than you would expect. The game is creepy and eerie which has a lot of appeal on its own, but underlying everything is a mystery that needs solving. What could it be? Can't say much more on that, but it is something that players will have a blast trying to piece together.
Enjoyability: 10/12
The fun thing about visual novels is that you tend to know exactly what you're getting yourself into no matter how old or new the game you're playing is. Innovation doesn't exactly go hand in hand with the genre. That's why some games like Doki Doki Literature Club! really stand out for subverting your expectations. PARANORMASIGHT is of the same ilk in the sense that its visual style and level of interactivity make it a very unique experience. The player isn't just clicking through text to get through a basic, linear story. They're able to metaphorically breathe in the world around them and actually feel like they're in the shoes of the character they control. The ability to look around 360 degrees just feels perfect for this kind of game. It's because of this viewing perspective that the horror within the game is more effective. There's actual anxiety in turning around to face the shadows. Missing a certain detail could have genuine consequences. While the game is still ultimately a visual novel and cannot captivate you beyond that initial psychological terror, it does a great job for what it is. At the end of the day, though, there's going to be a lot of text you'll need to get through. How intriguing the whole game is to you will really depend on just how willing you are to learn about the game's story. If you've got the time to get fully invested, PARANORMASIGHT will be a very rewarding experience.
Gameplay: 9/12
PARANORMASIGHT is a lot more interactive than your average visual novel. It's arguably a point-and-click game, but there isn't exactly a consensus on this front even from the developers themselves. Regardless, the player has more agency than merely clicking through text. Looking around is actually a meaningful mechanic that has its utilities. To help you in your investigation, you'll have access to different documents and person profiles. While it won't help you relearn the whole story up to that point, it does provide basic context. The very astute may even be able to draw meaningful connections from them before the game gives you any deeper insight. If you miss any key points in your current chapter, you'll also be able to see the logs of your most recent conversations. It definitely would have helped if the logs went back even further in time, but it makes sense for the game to discourage you from using the logs too frequently to make up for your lack of attention. The last main point I'll cover is in regards to saving and game overs. There aren't exactly a significant amount of slots you can save into, but there's enough for you to backup your progress through different scenarios. If you do end up failing, PARANORMASIGHT isn't all that punishing. In fact, it uses your failures to actually teach you something about where you messed up. So if you're really unsure about what you need to do, maybe don't rush so quickly to load a previous save. Overall, the gameplay is nothing special on its own, but there are a lot of convenient features that do make the game more playable. Again, the bulk of the game comes through text so it's important that other aspects of the game don't hinder you too much in progressing the narrative.
Atmosphere: 12/12
For a game set in a city from Japan decades in the past, the development team did a phenomenal job with the worldbuilding. Although it's not at all easy to remember the names of every location, you can really tell how dedicated they were to making them all feel unique and interesting in their own right. And as you continue to play through the game, you'll begin to notice just how important certain spots are. How integral they are to connecting the various different forces present in the game. The history of the city that you eventually become privy to only makes these places feel even more effective as the main setting. The game starting at midnight amongst empty streets gives you quite the hint as to where things might eventually go and it doesn't take long for the horror elements to make themselves present. Whether you're actively interacting with characters or cautiously inspecting your surroundings, the game quickly teaches you to be on edge. How much should you really trust someone? How much are you at risk if you do the wrong thing? It's this aspect of the game that really elevates the whole experience. There's enough of the human element amidst your struggles to make this paranormal tale one to remember. Oh, and I absolutely must say, the music fits perfectly; it makes the game feel very distinct.
Design: 11/12
It's very easy for a game like this to stagnate and never try anything new after the first couple of hours. PARANORMASIGHT, though, likes to keep things interesting and makes every chapter feel unique. Even when some sections are almost exclusively dialogue-based, their importance to the story is very distinct. The differing perspectives of the characters definitely helps with this as it makes you rethink your previous actions. There's quite a number of curse bearers and their different moral guidelines make their experiences develop in unique ways. While there's a lot of horror sequences stacked into the beginning chapters, their effectiveness doesn't really dwindle as the game goes on. This is again because of their commitment to keeping things new. Everybody has their own reason to be scared. This helps the game feel fresh for the whole duration. There is this overarching terror going on in the background, but there's various different stories in need of resolution also going on to stay attentive to. The default visual style of the game makes it a great one for storytelling as the grain and chromatic aberration make it feel like an old, thriller film - one that you can control. The art is also beautifully done for both the characters and the background. It's impressive how well they could capture a hidden, sinister nature for both things. The game isn't exactly L.A. Noire, but there's certainly some things you'll be able to notice if you look hard enough and that's just great design and forethought.
Direction: 12/12
If you think you know where the game is going after the opening sequence, you're going to be surprised. If you think you know where the game is going after the first few hours...you're still going to be surprised. Never have I played a game like this where you're constantly chasing something new. Learning something only reveals that there's more you need to find out. And yes, these developments all come naturally; nothing feels forced at all. The context behind the different places, objects, and people simply feels believable thanks to how well the world is developed. Although there's a lot for you to read, the narrative is fairly easy to follow. As time goes on, not only will you learn more about what's to come in the future, but things from the past will become more clear. Time is essential to the narrative of this game and that's why it keeps coming up as a point of discussion. There's a drive to keep on going because you just absolutely need to know what the truth is. You might be able to deduce a couple of things on your own, but there's only one way to learn about what really happened and what is currently happening. As you keep on going, things just start to make more sense. The relationship between each and every character becomes more clear. I can't say much more because this is something for you to experience on your own. Saying too much would ruin the fun, but what I can say is that this is definitely a game worth checking out for its story alone. It just so happens that PARANORMASIGHT is well-refined in almost every other area as well.
