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Yomawari: Lost in the Dark Review (PS4) – Getting The Heebie-Chibies

By Joshua Thompson
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Yomawari: Lost in the Dark is the third in the Yomawari series. The series originally launched in the West in 2016 on the PSVita. There’s now a collection of the first two games on Switch in The Long Night Collection. Both Night Alone (the original) and Midnight Shadows (the sequel) have had great reviews for their compelling narratives and visual dichotomy of the cute and terrifying. Whilst there are subtle connections to the previous titles, you can play Yomawari: Lost in the Dark with no context. As someone who’s new to this series, you may be at a disadvantage than those who are fans, for reasons I’ll get into.

Yoma-Where-Are-We?

Before the start of the game you’ll be creating your character. The choices are limited but picking the look and name of your character definitely creates a closer connection to who you play as. From there it opens to your character at school who’s being ostracised and bullied; it’s a tough start as you can’t help but feel bad. A few story moments play out that I won’t spoil but you end up waking in a town at night. You have no memory on how you’ve got there but it’s later revealed that you’re cursed to live the night over and over until you find your memories revealing how to stop it.

I have no context of the previous games, but the story starts off strong and even the way the story is tied to the gameplay had me intrigued at first. To progress you’ll need to find all of your memories before the night’s over. However, the story spends way too long going nowhere. Mild spoilers ahead but, after 8-10 hours I thought I was getting across the finish line, only to be told that I need to go around the game again and find out how to really break the curse.

I was devastated, it felt disrespectful of my time as the final act was signposted even more ambigously than my first-time round. I would’ve received it better if during this period of the game, it had given back what I was putting into it as I progressed. But that wasn’t the case at all, and I don’t even know how to beat it even after an additional six hours of playing. 

Alone in the Dark

Yomawari plays as a modern isometric survival horror by way of your Amnesias or Outlasts; in the sense that they’re devoid of player combat. Instead you’ll be facing the malicious and sometimes horrifying spirits by… Closing your eyes? This is in favour of the mechanic in the last game where you’d need to find places to hide, and it works! Instead of being limited to a hiding place – I can imagine that becoming frustrating if you can’t find one – you can freely close your eyes wherever. As you’re traipsing through the ghost town your heart rate will elevate when you’re close to spirits. Closing your eyes with L2 and R2 (on PS4) makes the screen black apart from your immediate surroundings. On screen mists of red with their own heartbeat signifies an enemy spirit. It’s a tense moment that puts a pit in your stomach every time, wondering if you’d make it out of an encounter alive.

Closing your eyes isn’t the de facto way of overcoming the evil spirits however, as each enemy type is different. This creates a puzzle element with these encounters in which you learn how to deal with each ghost. Some may require a torch to dispel them, others will only animate if you’re looking in their direction. This makes traversing the town an experience filled with dread. Even after the many hours I’d still be worried something will pop out at me. It’s by far the strongest aspect of the game as throughout the main levels you’re met with different spirits every time, so you’ve never quite sussed the game, all the while the threat of death lurks in every shadow.

You also have a stamina bar that’s tied to your sprinting. Normally it goes down at a standard rate but when you’re closer to spirits it drains faster and if you’re head to head with one it depletes almost immediately. Multiple times I found myself going through even scripted moments of running from the enemy with it always feeling like I wasn’t ever going to make it. Its adrenaline inducing every time and thankfully only a couple of monsters can’t be outrun, as it makes running off scared a viable tactic.

I See That Town

The structure of the game is non-linear in its approach for the most part. You start off exploring the town until you come across a trinket that triggers the start of a memory. This spurs you on to chase that lead as it tells you to find the area where your core memory resides. Each core memory progresses the narrative as it’ll hint to why you’re in this ghost town in the first place.

They all relate to modern urban legends of ghost stories that all have that creepypasta feel to them. You’ll come across notes and signs that teach you more about the hauntings whilst it’s happening to you. The majority of the tales you discover and experience are deeply unsettling and at the core often tragic. It feels like a ghost ride that hasn’t made me anxious to continue on since P.T., and I don’t compare the two lightly. Whilst it looks like a cute hand painted game at first glance, it’s the sound scape, gameplay and gruesome design of the monsters that amalgamates not far off Silent Hill 2 – if It was Chibi.

As I mentioned earlier, the last quarter of Yomawari runs out of steam. The trudging pace remains throughout dampening the first few hours as you start to familiarise with the ghouly does and don’ts. You collect pebbles and paper planes to be used for distractions, but besides them being used for puzzle purposes, they felt a little moot. You can pray at Jizo Statues if you have enough coin, which acts as save points and fast travel spots; but in the early game they’re far and few between and with barely a checkpoint system outside of the dungeons, it can get frustrating when you keep dying.

The Night Is Still Young

I’ve mentioned the combination of aspects creating the magic of fear, but the visuals definitely sell the unease when playing. Your created character – no matter how you make them – always looks naïve and doughy eyed in the Chibi style. I mentioned that the customisation is limited but all of it is hand-painted aesthetic look great. A lot of this child-like personality bleeds into the UI and Menus. Opening up the map is all hand drawn with crayon, as if created by your character.

Same goes for your backpack that has everything you find on the way in it, all described with young innocence. It’s such a fantastic touch on immersing me into the perspective. All that alongside the overworld, offer some beautifully crafted visuals. The use of colour stands out to look real life but off kilter, like a nightmare. The hue of red/orange contrasting with the night time navy blues makes the town look incredible at night.

Paired with the amount of detail to the levels creating an unnerving feeling of a town that once had hope. There is an unbelievable amount of variety across the town that’s all hand painted. Each individual area is unique in their own right. From the Rice Fields to the Port, all provide their own methods of scares. You feel swallowed by the surroundings and the isometric perspective makes a humble town feel like a whole city. That could be due to the pace of your character, but everything outsizes you making you feel overwhelmed.

What’s A Star?

The town isn’t what makes Yomawari scary of course, but it’s a great template to fill the horrors with. What makes it scary are the impressive variety of spirits. Some are hand painted, befitting the world but it’s the ones that use their own art style that makes it that much more frightful. The change in art just builds the notion that these horrors have come through another world to kill you. Each of them is expertly designed to facilitate every known fear. Most of them are familiar to Japanese folklore, this doesn’t only influence the design but sometimes how you deal with them. Japan has so many distinctive ghost stories and they’re amazingly recreated in Yomawari: Lost in the Dark. If you’re a fan of horror – more specifically Japanese horror – then experiencing the evil across the town will be a delight.

There’s a brilliant piano led theme for the game sounding forlorn, matching the tone of the game. It’s used criminally sparingly though, as I’ve only heard it during the title card and credits. If they used it during the cut scenes that are only text boxes and animations, it would elevate the emotion they’re trying to portray in the story. However, the lack of audio in the moment-to-moment gameplay – outside of your footsteps and crickets – makes the dirges of the spirits stand out when you get closer to them. It enhances the fear factor as you usually hear them along with the increased heart rate before seeing them, making it a question of when they’ll show up, not if.

In The Dawn

Yomawari: Lost in the Dark feels like a few steps forward and a couple back when lined up with the rest of the series. The execution of dealing with the enemies is a great addition, but they’ve left out parts in previous games that could’ve made it better. The scale of the story is spread so thin that it gave me no good reason to finish it in the end. I’ve put 17 hours into a game that feels like it should be sub 10. Some of it is due to trying to find all the secrets for 100%. Though it’s mostly spent frustratingly backtracking, for an ending I’m not even sure could quell how disheartened I was to find out I didn’t beat it.

The presentation and the fear factor of Yomawari: Lost in the Dark leave a great first impression. The beautifully crafted visuals and moment-to-moment potential horror you face makes it an unnerving experience that’s hard to shake. However, the more you play, the less you’re rewarded with actual reasoning from the story. It’s a gut punch to persevere in the final act. This may be appealing to fans of the series but it didn’t make a new one of me by the end.

Yomawari: Lost in the Dark is out now on PlayStation 4 (review platform), Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam)

Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
Publisher: NIS America

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional code from the publisher. For our full review policy, please go here.

If you enjoyed this article or any more of our content, please consider our Patreon.

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There Is No Light Review (PC) – Shine On

By Greg Hicks
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Let it not be said that I am easily pleased when it comes to retro games. I just happen to have a particular style of game that I like, something that There Is No Light fits into like a Tetromino. I grew up in the SNES’ heyday, with top-down hack and slash/adventure games leading the way. Did I understand the dark tales and undercurrents in them? Absolutely not, but the gameplay was great.

So, as time moves forward, storytelling progresses but the mechanics stay the same. There Is No Light is dark (as the name suggests), has quick-fire combat and a stats-and-skills system akin to modern offerings. But it retains that visual style of old, the Zelda’s and Secret of Evermore’s that paved the way.

But ultimately, can it hold a candle to both its predecessors and modern day counterparts? Or is it doomed to fade to black like so many that grace Steam? Let’s shed some light on it, shall we?

You’ve Died. Oh Well, Up You Get

As I mentioned in my No Place For Bravery review, it’s hard not to make initial comparisons to FromSoftware’s prize-winning breed of game. But then, when you’re a nameless protagonist who rises from the dead near the beginning, it’s difficult. Well, unless you want to be a hipster and compare it to Altered Beast or something.

As it goes, the population in There Is No Light live subterranean lives, worshipping something called The Hand. Every year, a child is sacrificed to the church surrounding The Hand, on the proviso that it and its Solar Knights keep everyone relatively safe. So far, so… religiously cult-like. It’s when our hero’s child gets taken that things become amiss.

Struck down whilst opposing the sacrifice, our nameless protagonist is felled and left upon a corpse pile. But narrative and fate have something else in mind, as the enigmatic Samedi (presumably of Baron fame) resurrects the poor fellow. Crafting a sword from his heart and binding the hero to his services, Samedi sets the undead-ish hero on a mission to expose the church and its wrongdoings.

A Reaver of Souls, If You Will

As far as gameplay goes, I’ve essentially summarised it already. But if you’re not a relic of the past like me, harbouring old game knowledge, allow me to bring you up to speed. A top-down hack and slash is essentially that. Armed with sword, quick wits and some special attacks, the nameless has to battle through several dungeons to reclaim pieces of him stolen by The Hand. This unlocks a sealed door that holds the endgame, naturally.

This is achieved by leaving Samedi’s little realm and venturing into hostile biomes. The first (that I went to at least, I don’t know if you can tackle in any order) was an old subway full of spiders. There’s also ruins, dilapidated buildings and some grotesqueries that wouldn’t look out of place in Blasphemous to explore too.

Each of these, like a Soul Reaver title, hold a boss that has what we want. Killing these beasties will relinquish a colour-coded piece of the hero, thus weakening The Hand’s grip on proceedings. It’s not entirely original, given the abundance of references I’ve used so far, but then, it doesn’t have to be.

It’s retro, which isn’t always a bad thing, yet it still holds some modern trappings as well.

Teaching a Broken Body New Tricks

Whilst the combat is akin to Alundra and the like, it isn’t shy about incorporating modern stylings. For one, a skill/experience system that evolves over time. This is achieved the usual way: hit things, get experience points. These accumulate in bars that become skill points, which in turn can “buy” skills. It’s pretty standard fare.

As are the skills, ranging from the usual hack-and-slash affair: special attack cooldowns, health regeneration and such. But as always, with the right build and planning, a player can customise their hero to a degree. For me, I focussed on upping Omen, my sword, to hit harder and get some health regens for doing so. When you’re on a time schedule to get far enough in the game to formulate a review, you don’t want to mess around too much.

That being said, it’s not as in-depth as a Souls or JRPG. The main tenet is “hit thing with sword”, so don’t expect different “builds” or whatnot. Players are still encouraged to get stuck in and go toe-to-toe with big beasties and the corrupt church.

Do Go Off Wandering

In terms of exploration, which works alongside the combat, there isn’t much in the way of variety in its levels. They’re not strictly linear, whilst many do have corridor-like tendencies. But don’t expect massively, sprawling dungeons either, this isn’t labelled as a dungeon crawler.

It usually boils down to “You’ve got a choice of right or left. Go right: dead end, might as well go left”. Sometimes going right (or the equivalent example) will yield some extra experience or health, sometimes not. It’s more down to the player to sate their curiosity, not the game to offer misleading avenues.

There is some nifty traversal moments, but these are contextual and more often than not act as points of no return. It’s quite cool seeing the hero vault to higher ledges, or drop to lower ones, in that faux 2D/3D aspect. But there are moments, on occasion, when you can lock yourself out of an item that you can then walk past on a higher plane.

That’s the nature of exploration though, isn’t it? It’s not the game’s fault, it’s on the player if they want to explore or not. There’s no penalty for not, so don’t feel like you have to.

This Religion Are Sick

So far, There Is No Light is ticking all the boxes on my retro adventure game checklist. It’s got fun combat that’s not too convoluted. It’s got exploration that doesn’t punish for wandering. The story is engaging enough, if a little cliché with the whole, “Religious intent masking sinister goings on” angle. So naturally, I can’t find much to complain about.

If I were to nitpick, and I do because I critique therefore I am, the only real immersion-detachment is in some of the dialogue. Some awkward sentences here and there, so non-sequitur sentences that just seem to have no bearing on what’s going on, things like that. But then, this is a development team from Russia, and an indie game at that. They’re not going to have Ubisoft-levels of localisation teams to hand, are they?

In terms of gameplay issues, again there’s nothing really major to report. It’s an indie game published on Steam, so expect the appropriate level of random oddities as you go. I had one or two moments of being stuck in scenery, the occasional monster just disappearing if I knocked it out of frame. But in terms of a game of this scale and pedigree, it’s pretty well polished.

Let’s Go, Nameless One

To conclude, I really enjoyed There Is No Light. Of course, that would be apparent by me enjoying that style of game, wouldn’t it? So yes, slightly biased but then that’s going to give you a better look at it, rather than say, playing Metal: Hellsinger and not liking heavy metal.

However, that’s not meant to alienate people if you haven’t played any of the aforementioned titles. You don’t have to have a retro gaming knowledge to appreciate something that pays homage to that style. Going into something old-but-new can be just as refreshing as trying a game outside of your comfort zone.

So, if you are into the likes of Blasphemous but fancy some top-down action instead (that’s a little more forgiving), or you are familiar with older games, this will be up your street. A dark tale, wrapped up in a Zelda-esque dungeon/boss fight adventure, it only suffers from the occasional bit of “indie jank”. But the good certainly outweighs the bad here.

A top-down adventure title that pays homage to the likes of Zelda and Illusion of Time, There Is No Light is an illuminating game that fits alongside them. A little rough around some edges, it nonetheless scratches that itch for retro enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

There Is No Light is available now on PC via Steam (review platform), PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Developer: Zelart
Publisher: HypeTrain Digital

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.

If you enjoyed this article or any more of our content, please consider our Patreon.

Make sure to follow Finger Guns on our social channels –Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, Spotify or Apple Podcasts – to keep up to date on our news, reviews and features.

2D RPG Revival – The Future Of Switch Is Looking Sprite

By Toby Andersen
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The Switch is the perfect handheld device for 2D RPG releases. Like the DS before it, and the PSP and Vita, its small screen makes for perfect pixels. And in the coming year or two, the Nintendo Switch is experiencing a massive resurgence in RPGs across the board, be they 3D, western, Zelda, whatever you like, but nowhere more so than in the 2D RPG genre.

So, this is going to be a very specific kind of list. We aren’t talking about Western RPGs or a lot of what has come to be included in the term RPG over the last few decades. We’re talking old-school 2D RPG-style of the type popularised by Squaresoft in the 80s and 90s. We’re talking Super Famicom, Final Fantasy, sprites and Japanese-only releases.

So sit back, grab a health potion, and let me show you eight of the most gorgeous-looking 2D RPGs that have been announced for the system, and then because that will likely have got your nostalgia glands flowing, two that you can play right now, no waiting. That’s right, Finger Guns has got you covered.

Saga Frontier Remastered – April 15th

So first on our list in release order is Saga Frontier Remastered, coming in April. This is a remastered release of a popular Squaresoft title only released in Japan and the US in 1997 and 98 respectively. Something of a departure from its Romancing Saga franchise roots, the game began the tragically short-lived spin-off series with the Frontier title (only two games) and was never released in Europe. Following 9 different characters and their intertwining stories in a sci-fi setting lends Saga Frontier some similarities to other entries in this list, and it’s clearly a theme Square continues to be interested in to this day (I’m looking at you Octopath). This will be the first time UK audiences have been able to experience the classic 2D RPG still ranked amongst the top of the original PlayStation lineup.

Let’s hope there’s a remaster of the absolutely beautiful Saga Frontier 2 in the works for the Switch as well. With its watercolour beauty, it’s another PlayStation One classic we’d love to play again.

Legend of Mana Remaster – June 24th

This one holds a special place in my heart as one of the few games I went out of my way to play when it didn’t release in Europe. Legend Of Mana for me involved the bizarrely mechanical cheat of adding a spring to my PS1 to let me play NTSC discs. Sounds crazy these days, but that’s what we had to do back in 1999.

A truly gorgeous and unique take on the action RPG, Legend of Mana gave you masses of freedom, even to the point that you decided where the locations in the world were placed on the map, and how the story played out. It’s a simple narrative but it retains all the charm of the Mana games and now it’s available for the first time in Europe on Switch. I can’t wait.

Lets hope Sword Of Mana, and possibly some of the lesser-known DS games in the series also get a re-release one day.

Cris Tales – July 2021

This time we are looking at a modern game that is an homage to all the 2D RPG classics elsewhere on this list. This has been on my radar personally since I played a beautiful demo of it early last year. Clearly, at the time, it had a 2020 release date, but this since shifted to July 2021.

You play as Crisbell, a young girl who has can use the power of the time crystal to see past, present and future all at once, and use them in battle to wonderful effect. Using a eye-catching visual style, this has all the nostalgia, and all the modern cool at the same time.

Chained Echoes – Dec 2021

16-bit fantasy RPG with mechs. That says it all doesn’t it? Chained Echoes is a gorgeous bit of modern nostalgia that doubled its Kickstarter ask recently, and has a very ambitious 2021 release date attached. Don’t be surprised if this one slips into 2022.

Described as a fantasy world where dragons are as common as piloted mechanical suits, Chained Echoes has a quirky and fun battle system, and some charming characters already very present and clear in the demo I was able to play during a recent Steam Festival. With the mech battles, this has me feeling Xenogears vibes along with Front Mission, at the same time as all the clear Final Fantasy. Let’s hope it sticks the landing.

Eastward – 2021

Coming from new Shanghai developer Pixpil, Eastward is a charming pixelart RPG and adventure game. Set in the near-future, society is collapsing, and what’s left of humanity has flocked to underground villages to escape a toxic miasma. But one hardworking miner and a mysterious young girl escape this life and take an epic adventure Eastward (obviously) across country on the old rail lines.

Eastward is coming westward on Switch, but we don’t yet know when. Again there is clear Chrono Trigger influence, but this one has style all its own.

Sea Of Stars – 2022

Looking like a cross between the Mana series and Chrono Trigger, Seas Of Stars is the new game from the makers of The Messenger, looking to release in 2022. It’s drop-dead gorgeous and it’s action RPG visuals and combat have me thinking of Secret of Mana immediately. A prequel to the developer’s previous game, Sea of Stars tells the story of the Children of the Solstice, but that’s all we know so far.

Just take a look at the trailer below and tell me you’re not blown away.

Eiyuden Chronicle – 2022

The most successful Kickstarter ever (at time of writing) is a pretty impressive achievement, and it’s no wonder. Even with just a few tiny videos and visuals to gawp at over $4million was pledged, and development is now in high gear with an enlarged team. Two years seems a bit of a stretch, so we are cautious about the 2022 tag, but hey, Finger Guns crossed.

A spiritual successor to the Suikoden franchise, Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes continues that series’ political and war-filled storyline, 6 person battle party, and a hundred characters to recruit for your rebel army. Check out what little early footage there is below, but don’t go marking your calendar just yet.

Project Triangle Strategy – 2022

A jaw-dropping surprise reveal on the Nintendo Direct in February, Project Triangle Strategy may have one of the worst working titles ever, but boy does it look stunning. Taking the grids and gameplay of Final Fantasy Tactics and adding Octopath Traveller-style visuals and a deep multilayered political storyline, PTS has us psyched for a release sometime in 2022.

True to recent form with SquareEnix, there’s a demo you can download right now, and like with Bravely Default 2, the devs are looking for feedback in order to make the game as good as it can be. Though I usually stink at Tactics games, I can’t say no to those graphics and tried the demo last week. I can tell you now it is simply stunning.

Now, if all that seems too far away, and you need som 2D RPG goodness right now, here are 2 beauties you can play straight away!

Octopath Traveler

The first game on Switch from the team behind Bravely Default, Octopath Traveller is a pixelart dreamscape of gorgeous backdrops, amazing animations, and beautiful battles. Featuring a full eight protagonists, each of which could have driven their own game, the story has you flitting across the continent and experiencing the narrative from all eight viewpoints. From Dancer to Scholar, from Beastgirl to Warrior, there’s a well-written tale in there for everyone, and it’ll rip your nostalgic heart right out and squeeze it.

It’s also damn hard, and sticks to the Bravely Default model of needing a lot of grind to progress, but when it’s this well done, do we mind? Also check out Bravely Default 2 for everything good on this list, just in 3D.

Collection of Mana

Before they started on this year’s re-releases, SquareEnix cobbled together the three original classics of the Mana series and released them as a single collection. Originally called Seiken Densetsu in Japan, the first is a Game Boy game called Final Fantasy Adventure in the West. Second comes bonafide classic Secret of Mana, one of Square’s most popular and most ported titles, which also had a full 3D remake last year as well.

And third is the first-ever western release of Trials of Mana, with a full English translation. Something of a Holy Grail release here in the UK, I never thought I’d ever get to play it. And this one also got the 3D remake treatment in 2020. This collection brings together all three originals on your sweet Switch, home of the 2D RPG.

I don’t know about you, but I want them all. That’s four 2D Mana titles on the Switch by years end, Saga and PTS from SquareEnix, and a bunch of new or established game developers keeping the 2D RPG genre alive in the coming years. I think that’s something to celebration. The future is Sprite on Switch!

If you enjoyed this article or any more of our content, please consider our Patreon.

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