I long for tense, atmospheric experiences that get me shivering and shaken and Yomawari: Midnight Shadows shook me to my core. It’s a masterful horror game that tops anything else on the Vita, and rivals many other things on the PS4 as it blends detailed sound-design with rich art and a somber narrative to craft a breath-taking horror experience. Some puzzle segments can be obtuse, and the ending lacks the same sense of accomplishment of the first game, but despite all that, Yomawari continues to perfectly define horror.
Yomawari Midnight Shadows follows its predecessor in major aspects but is getting better in others like the graphic style and the game's story. The playability keeps on the same level with minor improvements but is interesting to play. Graphically it has a notable upgrade and the atmosphere maintains a good level from the first game, especially in monster design and sound.
Yomawari: Midnight Shadows is wonderful, strange, scary, sad, creepy, startling and cute in equal measure. It deftly juggles a large number of emotions from one moment to the next, and if the story progress is frequently interrupted by exploring the town or getting killed while figuring out the next challenge, it never takes too long to get to the next part to be a serious interruption. If you played Night Alone you can jump right in with no learning curve, but if you missed the first one there’s only a small connecting point between the two games that’s more for fun than any level of necessary continuity. One of the things that took me by surprise with Night Alone is how the game stayed with me after it was done, getting better in memory than it actually was to play thanks to a story that made the rough parts worth fighting through. Yomawari: Midnight Shadows clears those issues away and looks good doing it, effortlessly turning a quirky one-off into one of the best new horror series in a long time.
There are challenging moments in the game that only make it more aggravating. It really tests your patience especially near the end where you experience a number of trial-and-error moments. However, I can’t say it bothered me as much this time around only because I had already dealt with it previously. On the other hand, it was fascinating being able to observe the fate of two different girls and see the plight from their individual perspectives. The visual and audio design shine brightly in this bleak journey that never breaks from its ambiance and distressing frame of mind. This carries all the way through to the ending which sets a somber mood. So if you’re looking for a frightening adventure that subverts your assumptions, and if you can get around the checkpoint system, the unnerving atmosphere of Yomawari: Midnight Shadows may do you in.
An adventure that should be played by every fan of the survival horror genre. It is not based on gaming cliché and has an amazing 2D style that shows that great games can be created without having too many resources.
Yomawari: Midnight Shadows is a pretty basic horror title, with a creepy and disturbing atmosphere, and an interesting bestiary. The game is not too difficult, the super-deformed art direction is a little bit anticlimactic, but overall it's a good scary ride.
SummaryThe dark is no place to be alone. After a beautiful show of summer fireworks, two young girls begin to make their way home. However, a mysterious attacker separates them, and both must brave the haunting night filled with unspeakable terrors and survive the darkness.