Narratively, Yomawari: Night Alone is fairly short but very well put together. This coupled with the scarcity of re-spawn points, is a little inconvenient for a game centred around exploration and survival.
As the only hard save point available, this proves fairly frustrating when saving requires a cross town trek for no discernible reason. Collected items are still available and the game can be saved by returning to your character’s home. Players that are caught by spirits can return to one of the town’s re-spawn points without losing progress. While the game is not easy is is fairly forgiving of mistakes.
Several sections of the game involve long periods of trial and error, as you work out how to avoid an array of adversaries, making the whole experience both infuriating and incredibly satisfying to beat. There are no weapons to defend yourself against the wandering Yokai, and no health bar. Limited line of sight, an isometric view, and the various behaviours of malevolent spirits means death is certain. Some attempt to creep up on you, some will not react until they hear your footsteps, while others will unrelentingly chase down players until they find somewhere to hide.Īvoiding monsters is far from trivial in the narrow streets of Yomawari: Night Alone. The central character’s heartbeat thuds in your ears as giant eyeballs, skinned men, transparent phantoms, floating teeth, sewer monsters, and a variety of fantastical spirits close in. It reminds players of how alone they really are at night and makes every sound significant as the tortured groans of yokai float down the street after players. The cloak of silence that envelops these little islands of light is effectively oppressive. While the game’s early acts furnish players with an invaluable flash-light, the hum of a nearby vending machine or glow of a street lamp still signal a possible moment of respite from the unseen threats that creep around in the dark.
The town’s back alleys and empty streets are a series of narrow corridors, interspersed with an occasional street light. The game then begins to unveil a series of mechanics designed to really ratchet up the tension.
After setting out to find her missing sister, the central character finds herself wandering the deserted streets of a small Japanese town. This innocence is swiftly shattered through a series of tragic events which kick off a story that is just as unsettling as it is frightening. The depiction of the central protagonist as a cute, colourful chibi is intentionally deceptive, and draws players into a child’s world. Artistic lead Yu Mizokami finds a great balance of cute and creepy with environmental work that reminded me of titles like My Neighbour Totoro, and character design that pays homage to an innumerable number of Japanese RPGs.
Horror games are often full of grunge and subdued tones but, despite a darkness that creeps across the screen, Yamowari: Night Alone is a visual treat. Set in a quaint Japanese town, it follows the journey of a small girl as she searches for her lost sister and is a refreshingly different Halloween accompaniment. Yomawari: Night Alone is the latest title from Japan’s Nippon Ichi studio and published by NIS. Whether it is Halloween, Day of the Dead, Samhain, or the Bon Festival, cultures across the globe all have their own particular perception of the supernatural.
Halloween, it is a time for appeasing the spirits, flirting with ghouls, cramming in candy, and scaring the wits out of each other.