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It’s small, simple, and quiet - yet one of the scariest games I’ve played in years. With the game’s restrictive save system, this means you’ll likely find yourself losing progress regularly.Įven with its quick deaths, though, Yomawari is a remarkable game that does a lot with a little. Make one wrong turn and you can find yourself killed with no chance of running away. I often found myself lost, which wouldn’t be so bad if death didn’t come so frequently. As you find new places, the map - which is rendered with a charming hand drawn art style - expands, as if you’re uncovering the world around you.īut this can also make Yomawari a frustrating experience. For the most part, this works well it really makes you feel like a kid lost and alone in a place that’s both strange and familiar. Outside of a brief tutorial, you’re largely left on your own to figure out where to go and what to do. It’s also a game that tells you very little. It’s reminiscent of the ink ribbons from Resident Evil, and makes an already tense game even more stressful. Instead of being able to save whenever you want, you’ll need to collect coins and use them to save at shrines scattered throughout the neighborhood. Yomawari’s save system also adds to the tension. The most important aspect of the game is its sound
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It serves as a sort of radar system when you’re hiding in a bush, you wait for the heartbeat to die down before you can leave. When a monster is nearby, you’ll hear a loud thumping of the little girl’s heart pounding in your ears. You rarely hear music at all instead, the streets are largely quiet save for the chirping of crickets and the hideous whispers of the undead. The most important aspect of the game, though, is its sound. A bouncing ball in a deserted playground, or a huge spurt of blood erupting from a sewer grate.
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There are plenty of other creepy moments as well. At one point I climbed up a set of stairs, only to find a swarm of giant eyeballs descend on me. They range from tall, wispy black ghosts that look ripped out of Spirited Away, to invisible spirits that leave a trail of bloody footprints when they chase you. For one, the monster designs are fantastic. The game does a lot of smart things to make these encounters as terrifying as possible. But when she leaves her house, she realizes that the world outside has changed the streets and buildings are the same, but they’re imbued with a sense of menace. Alone in the dark, the girl decides to find her sister and dog by venturing out into the streets late at night. Very quickly the two become separated - the scene is shocking, especially given how early it happens - and the girl heads home, where her big sister agrees to go look for the dog. The game starts with a young girl taking her dog out for a walk at night. For such a cute, simple game, Yomawari is incredibly frightening. But once you start playing - preferably with the lights off and headphones on - it becomes immediately clear. It stars a cute little girl with a big red bow in her hair, and it features a charming 2D art style that gives it the feel of a pleasant modern-day anime. Just looking at Yomawari: Night Alone, a survival horror game available on Steam and PlayStation Vita, it’s hard to imagine how it could be scary.