planethiko
This review contains spoilers
I thought the visuals were nice – the town was made very well. There were no options to disable certain rendering things like bloom, motion blur, etc - only options were low, medium, high quality. There were also no options to resize window/change resolution.
The huge con of this game is how repetitive it feels. There really isn't anything exciting going on while making deliveries other than certain NPCs having lore-important dialogue (but these appear in the same places in every playthrough).
**Spoiler-ish stuff below:
I also noticed that the game shoehorns the player into getting each ending in order – it gives you the feeling that there are branching paths because of the options at certain points, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
On my first playthrough, the only options which were correct were the ones to ignore the events or let people get killed. I had actually gotten a game over from saving everyone, and I found out later the cutscenes were the exact same as the second ending.
The second playthrough forced me to pick the options to save the people instead of ignoring them, but counted as a legit ending that time around. This felt like a complete waste of time because I had already seen it on accident by doing it on the first run, where it counted as a game over. It takes about half an hour to an hour to finish one run, depending on how fast you're reading or skipping dialogue.
I think the game could be better if not for the above. It really doesn't feel like it respects the player's time. The endings felt very lukewarm – I personally think there was a lot that could be done with all the lore that gets talked about in the NPC dialogue, but it fell very short of what I was expecting.
I am curious about how osmanthus smells now, though :P
The huge con of this game is how repetitive it feels. There really isn't anything exciting going on while making deliveries other than certain NPCs having lore-important dialogue (but these appear in the same places in every playthrough).
**Spoiler-ish stuff below:
I also noticed that the game shoehorns the player into getting each ending in order – it gives you the feeling that there are branching paths because of the options at certain points, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
On my first playthrough, the only options which were correct were the ones to ignore the events or let people get killed. I had actually gotten a game over from saving everyone, and I found out later the cutscenes were the exact same as the second ending.
The second playthrough forced me to pick the options to save the people instead of ignoring them, but counted as a legit ending that time around. This felt like a complete waste of time because I had already seen it on accident by doing it on the first run, where it counted as a game over. It takes about half an hour to an hour to finish one run, depending on how fast you're reading or skipping dialogue.
I think the game could be better if not for the above. It really doesn't feel like it respects the player's time. The endings felt very lukewarm – I personally think there was a lot that could be done with all the lore that gets talked about in the NPC dialogue, but it fell very short of what I was expecting.
I am curious about how osmanthus smells now, though :P
2022
I've been looking forward to The Bathhouse since Chilla's Art announced it. I'm a big fan of their games, and was so excited to play, but my PC couldn't handle the game at default settings (and this appears to be an issue many other players are complaining about). The performance did take away from my overall gameplay experience — even on default settings, my computer was struggling to run the game smoothly. I had to lower and turn off all the settings in order to play without crashing. It's a shame because the graphics in the trailer looked so nice, and I wanted to be able to see that in-game. (-1 star for performance.)
Storywise, I do feel like The Bathhouse was weaker than the past games. It didn't really get to me the way The Closing Shift did (which I think so far has been my favorite of the Chilla's Art games to be released). There are definitely parts that are unclear, like where to branch off to get the good ending, but that's par for the course from this two-brother dev team. There were also some pretty good jumpscares in this one, for sure. The Bathhouse does a good job with the J-Horror atmosphere — as we all expect from the Chilla's brothers at this point. Always a huge plus for me, because I feel like they've been able to fill in the void I've been missing when it comes to that genre of games.
In terms of gameplay, I think at first it was very unclear to me what parts of the map I could interact with. For example, some doors didn't look like places the player could enter, which made me feel really stuck at certain points. It was also pretty unclear for me where the gameplay would branch off to get the good ending, but I'm still going to give it another go. (-1 star for gameplay.)
All in all, The Bathhouse was a good few hours spent, despite the performance issues. If you want to feel J-Horror vibes, definitely pick this one up (along with the other games by Chilla's Art)!
Chillappi~n!!!
Storywise, I do feel like The Bathhouse was weaker than the past games. It didn't really get to me the way The Closing Shift did (which I think so far has been my favorite of the Chilla's Art games to be released). There are definitely parts that are unclear, like where to branch off to get the good ending, but that's par for the course from this two-brother dev team. There were also some pretty good jumpscares in this one, for sure. The Bathhouse does a good job with the J-Horror atmosphere — as we all expect from the Chilla's brothers at this point. Always a huge plus for me, because I feel like they've been able to fill in the void I've been missing when it comes to that genre of games.
In terms of gameplay, I think at first it was very unclear to me what parts of the map I could interact with. For example, some doors didn't look like places the player could enter, which made me feel really stuck at certain points. It was also pretty unclear for me where the gameplay would branch off to get the good ending, but I'm still going to give it another go. (-1 star for gameplay.)
All in all, The Bathhouse was a good few hours spent, despite the performance issues. If you want to feel J-Horror vibes, definitely pick this one up (along with the other games by Chilla's Art)!
Chillappi~n!!!
2022
TL;DR: Visuals and sidequests were the best part of this game, main story felt lacking and gameplay was okay.
I really had high hopes for this game because the visuals and concepts were amazing. I was hyped to play this when the first trailer dropped.
My rating for this game is carried mostly by the visuals. The environments were stunning and just the right amount of weird at some points, and the designs of the yokai and visitors were pretty awesome.
Storywise, the main scenario was okay. By the time I finished it, it still felt like something was lacking. I didn't feel fully satisfied by the ending. HOWEVER – I think I enjoyed the sidequests way more than the actual main story itself. As a fan of yokai and Japanese folklore, I really liked going through each of the sidequests and seeing all those references.
Gameplay was only okay. Battle mechanics were cool at first, but I feel like at times the controls were not as responsive as I would have liked. I think it possibly had something to do with the adaptive triggers on the PS5.
I really had high hopes for this game because the visuals and concepts were amazing. I was hyped to play this when the first trailer dropped.
My rating for this game is carried mostly by the visuals. The environments were stunning and just the right amount of weird at some points, and the designs of the yokai and visitors were pretty awesome.
Storywise, the main scenario was okay. By the time I finished it, it still felt like something was lacking. I didn't feel fully satisfied by the ending. HOWEVER – I think I enjoyed the sidequests way more than the actual main story itself. As a fan of yokai and Japanese folklore, I really liked going through each of the sidequests and seeing all those references.
Gameplay was only okay. Battle mechanics were cool at first, but I feel like at times the controls were not as responsive as I would have liked. I think it possibly had something to do with the adaptive triggers on the PS5.
2017
Set in 1960s Taiwan, Detention incorporates historical events into a horror setting. I wasn't expecting a game about book bans and a place under martial law, but it was really interesting to see those themes presented in this way. I ended up wanting to learn more about it after playing the game and watching the movie – they didn't teach us about it in school!
The horror aspect was done very well. The mood of the art really set the scenes. It really reminded me of Tsugunohi, and I wondered if maybe the art in that game was inspired by Detention. There were few jumpscares here and there, and a bit of gore and violence, as expected. Mechanics were very simple, which I appreciated about this game because it definitely felt like the main focus was the story and setting!
Bringing up the movie for a bit, I think Detention (2019) was a pretty good adaptation and I recommend checking it out if you enjoyed this game. The movie fleshes out the characters and setting more while keeping the story close to the game's. We get more backstory on Wei, and see more interactions between he, Ray, Mr. Chang, and Ms. Yin. The length and pacing of the game really lent itself well to becoming a movie, since the game was actually pretty short as well.
Definitely encourage playing this game for yourself if you're a horror fan!
The horror aspect was done very well. The mood of the art really set the scenes. It really reminded me of Tsugunohi, and I wondered if maybe the art in that game was inspired by Detention. There were few jumpscares here and there, and a bit of gore and violence, as expected. Mechanics were very simple, which I appreciated about this game because it definitely felt like the main focus was the story and setting!
Bringing up the movie for a bit, I think Detention (2019) was a pretty good adaptation and I recommend checking it out if you enjoyed this game. The movie fleshes out the characters and setting more while keeping the story close to the game's. We get more backstory on Wei, and see more interactions between he, Ray, Mr. Chang, and Ms. Yin. The length and pacing of the game really lent itself well to becoming a movie, since the game was actually pretty short as well.
Definitely encourage playing this game for yourself if you're a horror fan!
2021
I had been looking forward to playing the demo of Walk for quite some time, and I'm glad I finally got to play it. The story is pretty simple - you play as a schoolgirl walking home, but is followed by a monster on the way. Do your best not to get caught and make it home safe!
I really loved the PS1-style graphics – they really brought back the nostalgia for me, as did the controls and the fixed camera. The lighting is really well done, as it sets the mood pretty well right off the bat. I loved the design of the monster, and I do wonder what the inspiration for it was.
It took me a while to beat this the first time, as I don't particularly play a lot of games involving stealth, but once I got the hang of the monster's patterns and the path I need to take, I was able to one-shot it. I would definitely recommend trying to get the secret ending – it really adds to the experience!
I really hope Kazumi Games Studios makes more games in the future! I'd love to see what else they can come up with. If you've been missing the old-school horror game feels, definitely play Walk.
I really loved the PS1-style graphics – they really brought back the nostalgia for me, as did the controls and the fixed camera. The lighting is really well done, as it sets the mood pretty well right off the bat. I loved the design of the monster, and I do wonder what the inspiration for it was.
It took me a while to beat this the first time, as I don't particularly play a lot of games involving stealth, but once I got the hang of the monster's patterns and the path I need to take, I was able to one-shot it. I would definitely recommend trying to get the secret ending – it really adds to the experience!
I really hope Kazumi Games Studios makes more games in the future! I'd love to see what else they can come up with. If you've been missing the old-school horror game feels, definitely play Walk.
2019
The whole time I was playing this, I kept wondering about when the jumpscares would come out. That being said, it turns out that Chilla's Art's Inunaki Tunnel was pretty much just a walking simulator – which I'm totally okay with!
In terms of atmosphere, the game really nailed those feelings of uneasiness. Not knowing what's coming up around the corner in the dark tunnel, I was constantly feeling as though I would run into something scary.
I think some of the puzzles were rather confusing. I ended up having to look up some things when I got stuck, but not too big of a deal for me.
I think the story was interesting, mostly because it's based on an urban legend of a real place. If I ever get the chance, I'd love to visit the real Inunaki Tunnel :)
In terms of atmosphere, the game really nailed those feelings of uneasiness. Not knowing what's coming up around the corner in the dark tunnel, I was constantly feeling as though I would run into something scary.
I think some of the puzzles were rather confusing. I ended up having to look up some things when I got stuck, but not too big of a deal for me.
I think the story was interesting, mostly because it's based on an urban legend of a real place. If I ever get the chance, I'd love to visit the real Inunaki Tunnel :)
2022
I think this is my favorite Chilla's Art game so far. No ghosts or monsters in this one, but the kind of horror in this one is very real and relatable, which, in my opinion, really makes it their scariest game. Narrative-wise, The Closing Shift was pretty simple. The execution was pretty good, I think – they really knew how to get the anxiety built up around how it is to be a girl working alone late at night.
There were some really well-placed jumpscares, and I really give them props for that. I've been enjoying watching others play through this game and they all get caught by the same one without fail.
As for graphics, the moment I stepped outside the apartment in the game, it was obvious that the devs really improved on their technique. The lighting and textures of the environments in particular were definitely a step up from the previous games.
There was nothing especially crazy about the mechanics, but cafe worker simulator was really fun for me. I may be the odd one out in saying that I actually enjoyed making everyone's orders.
I definitely recommend this game!
There were some really well-placed jumpscares, and I really give them props for that. I've been enjoying watching others play through this game and they all get caught by the same one without fail.
As for graphics, the moment I stepped outside the apartment in the game, it was obvious that the devs really improved on their technique. The lighting and textures of the environments in particular were definitely a step up from the previous games.
There was nothing especially crazy about the mechanics, but cafe worker simulator was really fun for me. I may be the odd one out in saying that I actually enjoyed making everyone's orders.
I definitely recommend this game!