However, none of that is to say that the 16-bit style hindered the freight in any way. If they managed to sport a similar (yet bleaker) artstyle from comparable visual novels, the game would manage to scare visually just as much as it does cerebrally. While the 16-bit pixelated motif makes sense (given it is is a remaster of a remake of a title from the 90’s), the story is so engaging that it would turn many more heads with a remaster. With brief exception to some more upbeat background music in Chapter 5, the soundtrack manages to nurture the unsettling ambiance.Ĭorpse Party is hauntingly successful in spite of its visual style, not because of itĬorpse Party is hauntingly successful in spite of its visual style, not because of it. Paired with the Japanese voice-acting, the game keeps a distinctly Eastern feel while also being able to stay entirely relatable to a Western audience.Īnd while the story is the most captivating aspect of the game (like most visual novels), I would be remiss without mentioning the excellent sound design.

The latter incidents make it hard to pinpoint what the incorrect decision triggering the end truly was.Ĭorpse Party wears its Japanese heritage on its sleeve - the title is packed with regional quirks that slipped past localization to the game’s benefit.

While some are no more lengthy than Mario falling into a pit in any given Mario game, some will take you on half hour-long detours. Even more surprising, the “bad endings” differ wildly in scope. Any innocuous choice or action can result in death, instantly giving weight to any decision you make - be it what piece of papers you read or which hallway to go down. Speaking of endings, there are over twenty of them. And just like a real novel, the chapter approach helps divide the story into 2-hour manageable segments that you can retread to discover the secret endings. Corpse Party tells its tale in an episodic format, with each chapter (typically) following a different set of characters in their struggle to escape Heavenly Host’s clutches.

Heavenly host elementary school