This review contains spoilers
A cool product of mid-2000s-cursed-technology-J-horror, basically One Missed Call but with a video game. It's a super mixed bag, and not really that fun a lot of the time, but the horror sections are way more effective than they have any right to be on the Nintendo DS. Somehow spatial sound in a 3d space actually works really well here despite the DS's oh-so crunchy soundchip.
But it feels like the fear a lot of the time is a fear of being reset by clipping the side of a ghost or not seeing something due to the FOV tunnel you're stuck in. All the 3D gameplay boils down to running away from ghosts through a series of hallways, trying every door and clicking on things Silent Hill style.
The swapping from 2d to 3d/sideways to upright is a nice way of breaking up the game and in-game game, and makes it unique to the genre as you get to actually experience and play through the cursed media yourself. It's just a vessel for exposition a lot of the time, but I think that's fine.
I also like how the 'cursed game' 2d sections are the only real point in the game where you feel safe somewhat. In the 3d parts, you always feel like you're being chased or a few steps away from danger, but in the game you're suddenly safe from it all. I found that to be a cool parallel to the people you talk to in the game saying how they can 'live there forever now' and all that.
It's also probably not worth playing unless you can do so on an actual DS - between constant orientation switching and 3d movement that uses the d-pad and touchscreen simultaneously, I feel like it would just be a headache to emulate.
But it feels like the fear a lot of the time is a fear of being reset by clipping the side of a ghost or not seeing something due to the FOV tunnel you're stuck in. All the 3D gameplay boils down to running away from ghosts through a series of hallways, trying every door and clicking on things Silent Hill style.
The swapping from 2d to 3d/sideways to upright is a nice way of breaking up the game and in-game game, and makes it unique to the genre as you get to actually experience and play through the cursed media yourself. It's just a vessel for exposition a lot of the time, but I think that's fine.
I also like how the 'cursed game' 2d sections are the only real point in the game where you feel safe somewhat. In the 3d parts, you always feel like you're being chased or a few steps away from danger, but in the game you're suddenly safe from it all. I found that to be a cool parallel to the people you talk to in the game saying how they can 'live there forever now' and all that.
It's also probably not worth playing unless you can do so on an actual DS - between constant orientation switching and 3d movement that uses the d-pad and touchscreen simultaneously, I feel like it would just be a headache to emulate.