this has a really interesting, arcadey combat system that stands out within its own series (or what i remember of it). dealing with said combat is all fun and good until you see some of the spots they expect you to fight ghosts in though. with some enemies seeing three or more repeat encounters it all gets to be a bit much.

clunkier gameplay mechanics aside, i was really impressed with this. especially as the first go around for the series.

the centralized house setting allows for mood building and level design. progressing through the in-game nights and unlocking new routes throughout the rooms was satisfying in the ways that most of my favorites of this type are.

looks like there's a decent amount of content here beyond the main game. costumes, a battle mode, difficulty settings, a NG+, and so on. will definitely be dipping into some of it.

glad to have finally gotten around to playing and finishing one of these games after spending so much time with II as an early teen (but never finishing it) and having such a love for horror. not going to wait as long to get to the sequels, hopefully.