The biggest problem with Fobia – St. Dinfna Hotel is that it lacks an identity of its own. The developers are clearly fans and students of the horror genre, stretching all the way back to Resident Evil, and have done a passable job of building a warm homage to it.…
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NISA is on to a good thing with the Yomawari series. These might look like humble little indie anime games, but they know how to throw an emotional and horrific gut punch and a half. The publisher has a third on the way later this year and has shared an…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. (Project Zero is also known as Fatal Frame in America) Koei Tecmo has always produced games with the most beautiful characters, and yet it has been slow to give us camera modes that rival what the likes of Sony have offered. With Project Zero: Maiden of…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. (Project Zero is also known as Fatal Frame in America) Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water is one of the most artful and interesting horror games that has ever been produced. One of the big reasons for that is the way that it taps into yurei…
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Project Zero is the most Japanese of horror properties. Capcom’s Resident Evil series is developed by Japanese artists and is great fun but closely intertwined with western B-grade horror traditions. Konami’s Silent Hill is (for the most part) intelligent and artful, but it was heavily inspired by western psychological horror…
Read MorePoll by Matt S. It is the season for horror, after all, so, with Halloween looming, and so many horror games being released right now, we thought we’d put the question to our audience: Of the classic Japanese horror franchises, three in particular reign supreme. So, what is your favourite?…
Read MoreInterview by Matt S. Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water never got a fair run on the Wii U. It was an ultra-niche title released on a console that really didn’t do good numbers. It’s also one of the last Wii U exclusives to get a second run off the…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. House of Ashes is a good – even great game. It’s highly cinematic, filled with excellent set-pieces, and is a plain-good, fun time. However! The developers of this series – which includes Little Hope and Man of Medan, have made each title with roughly the same…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. The Dark Pictures Anthology’s latest entry, House of Ashes, has plenty going for it. It has cinematic flair, Hollywood talent (led by Ashley Tisdale), and an intriguing premise, given that it’s leveraging off the Akkadian Empire, which is one of the oldest empires we know of…
Read MorePreview by Harvard L. I’m surprised that more developers don’t take a systemic approach to horror – we get lots of games that lean away from game mechanics and skill-based interactions, but there’s a richness to be explored within the language of game systems too. Having played Shephy, I’m all…
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