A lot of fun, and that it's the only early release game I've ever bought should demonstrate how into it I am as an idea. My reservations (that I'd love to see addressed if this ever gets a full release, but I doubt it) is that this will widen its artistic influence (it's just generic brand Junji Ito: The Game, which makes it feel perhaps a bit small, or even familiar, which is the worst thing it could be), even just limiting itself to other Japanese horror manga (it's entirely possible I am missing references here) would help make it feel a bit less effable, which the game badly needs.

The second point is basically the gameplay version of that aesthetic complaint. The game is super short right now, and will repeat itself a lot. But I think that's a problem, and not avoidable considering its genre. Once you get all the "options" for certain events, there's little left to surprise. And the structure, too, always doing the sets of mysteries to unlock the locks to climb the lighthouse, it's all so...predestined? Where a horror game especially one with these ambitions absolutely needs to feel strange and deep, this one is familiar and shallow.

I love the presentation, the art, the whole menu and UI is some of my favorite in a game (sacrificing some intuition for style, which is always good for me). I'm glad I bought it, even if it's never finished.

Reviewed on Oct 10, 2022


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