"just play the game for yourself so you don't get spoiled" type reviews are probably the least fun to read, but it's so hard to not just make that my review of this game. this was a very pleasant surprise, even going into it with relatively high expectations by virtue of a friend's glowing review of it. this is surprisingly gory in the "gives you enough details so your imagination fills in the blanks" kind of way that honestly sucker punched me. the art style here is remarkable too; it does so much of the heavy lifting for making so many moments work. there's an intentional uncanniness to a lot of the facial expressions here that requires a deft touch. i think maybe the strongest thing about the game is that it consistently zigs when you think it's going to zag while still having very logical and solvable mysteries within its narrative structure.

i've never heard of xeen as a developer before this game, and looking through their catalogue, this game sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the mario sports titles and whatever the hell rhythm thief is. paranormasight is so effortlessly confident that it feels like it's a game that xeen's been waiting to make for years now. it's safe to say that the wait was most certainly worth it. this stands out as another visual novel gem with an art style that should be studied for future inspiration. think of a hotel dusk meets 999 while simultaneously surpassing both. if you like either of those games, you really owe it to yourself to look into this.

again, it bears repeating: this is a great game. please play it if you have even any mild interest in horror or visual novels. it is worth your time. it's put xeen on the map as a developer to keep an eye on, and i do look forward to what their next project may be.