Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo Review: curse now or forever rest in peace…
What would you do if you were given the option to bring someone back from the dead? Someone you loved, someone you admired, or someone who you felt deserved a little more time on this Earth? Say there were no strings attached, no Monkey’s Paw bamboozlery — they’d just be back like nothing had even happened to them in the first place. You’d do it, right? What about if there were sacrifices required, like the exchange of one life for another’s? Makes the situation trickier, huh? I know I’d tip out hearing that.
But what if other people had the ability to bring back their loved ones, and your soul suddenly became a prime target? Would you kill in self-defense? Or would it be too late for you?
It’s these questions and a whole lot more Square Enix asks players in its new horror visual novel, Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo. A sort of cross between Ace Attorney and Root Letter with a massive amount of macabre thrown into the mix, Paranormasight is an occult thriller for the ages — one that die-hard horror fans will enjoy piecing together while absolute cowards (like me) will rejoice in finding that golden unicorn of playable scary games. Featuring interesting characters with interconnecting plotlines that culminate in multiple different endings, Paranormasight will have players investigating all the things that go bump in the night for a long, long time.
Paranormasight continues a unique trend in Japanese gaming where a real-life region of the country is not only showcased, but actively paid for by the tourism sector. Set in Tokyo’s Sumida City during Japan’s Showa period (1926 – 1989), Paranormasight’s incredible visuals will be instantly familiar to anyone who has played either Root Letter or Root Letter: Last Answer, as the inclusion of real-life locales is a mix between the two art styles. Where Paranormasight takes this a step further is throwing in regional urban legends familiar to anyone who’s pounded the pavement in this town, incorporating these terrifying tales into a completely original storyline that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention.
Part of what makes Paranormasight so much fun is figuring out all of the interwoven plotlines and how they all fit together, so I’ll keep this as spoiler-free as possible. Paranormasight follows three major characters and their companions as they traipse around Sumida City. Their quest? To find the Seven Mysteries of Honjo, previously thought to be a mere collection of urban legends warped into something utterly unrecognizable from the original material in a centuries-long game of “broken telephone.” Their reason? Because they were spontaneously gifted some “curse stones” along with a searing memory of the origin of the accompanying legend and a direct order: K I L L. Their reward? A shot at the Rite of Resurrection — the ability to bring back a loved one from beyond the veil.
Of course, some people may be against murder for any reason, but others may gladly use this opportunity to return their dearly departed to the physical realm. To do so, they’ll need to fulfill the requirements of the curse in order to use it. Some curses will require a person to be in complete darkness, while others will need an open flame on their person to activate. I don’t want to get into too many details here, but some of these curses will mess with players in a way that will bring back Psycho Mantis memories, which should tell you immediately what kind of horror game this is gonna be. Delighted didn’t even begin to cover my reaction.
As far as the actual horror aspects go, Paranormasight likes to keep players on their toes by throwing a bit of anything at them. The bulk of the scary content is in its depiction of murders; for the gore averse, there isn’t anything too crazy but you will see quite a few dead bodies, blood, and some more… unnatural stuff. And while the occasional jumpscare manages to sneak its way in there from time to time and otherworldly beings will appear out of the corner of your eye with intent to harm, the most terrifying moments are due to player movement — or, rather, lack thereof.
You see, as players move from one location to the next, they’re only able to stand in one spot. This would be fine if you couldn’t pivot, but there are plenty of areas where you’ll be able to turn around in a complete circle. Imagine talking to a person, only to turn around to search and find someone quietly standing right behind you the entire time or lurking nearby, getting closer every time you turn your back to them. I can handle some jumpscares, I can handle graphic text, but being an active participant in my own demise simply by turning on my heels? I was literally paralyzed at some points, choosing to save the game and play during the day instead of torturing myself before bed.
I really only have one complaint when it comes to Paranormasight, and that’s when storylines start to converge. Much like the Nonary Games series, you’ll be playing from different branching storylines, although for the most part these all run parallel to each other as separate characters going about their business. On occasion, you’ll need certain characters to interact with each other, meaning you’ll need to move them to the right location.
This was the only frustrating moment in Paranormasight for me, as I had moved the students to the right area but couldn’t get the necessary event to trigger without playing another group’s segment from the very beginning (instead of the designated chapter). I wasted so much time playing the correct parts over and over again before giving up and just playing it through from the beginning, eventually triggering the scene I had known I needed for a long time. I can’t quite tell if it’s a bug or if the game is “keeping track” of things differently than my brain assumed; with that being said, rest assured this was but a small speed bump in an otherwise high octane (and high occult) experience.
It doesn’t take someone with spirit sense to see that Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is something special. A horror visual novel game that blurs the role between character and player, Paranormasight is unique in its ability to give horror fans a new brain-teasing experience while allowing those who normally chicken out over this genre the ability to finally play a scary game by themselves. Paranormasight manages to blend familiar elements from beloved genres into something innovative, inventive, and altogether new; it is my hope this becomes a continuing franchise for Square Enix, who is on the cusp of further greatness. Grab Paranormasight or be forever cursed to remain outside its sinister, alluring shadow.
Final Verdict: 4.5/5
Available on: PC, Switch (Reviewed); Publisher: Square Enix; Developer: Square Enix; Players: 1; Released: March 8, 2023; MSRP: $19.99
Full disclosure: This review is based on a copy of Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo provided by the publisher.
