I'm only 4 hours in, but this is already threatening to be a staple of my games library.
The mood draws heavily from both Silent Hill and Resident Evil, as you're travelling through a deeply evil residence in feudal Japan, meeting shifty characters and solving bizarre puzzles while using swords and bows to kill freakish little goblins and dodge other threats that are strong enough to completely fail to be killed by the pitiful weapons you have.
Initially the artstyle is what drew me in, while the music, mood and story continue to keep me engaged. The 4:3 aspect ratio makes me feel extremely confined and always keeps me looking over my shoulder, plus the music and SFX only serve to fill me with great dread as I shuffle around each corner, hoping something from Jacob's Ladder doesn't jump out at me.
The combat can be a bit frustrating at times, so it can take a little time to learn, but it is not bad for an indie developer. I think they were looking to make this clunky and slow, as it sometimes was in the early Playstation era, but getting the hang of the combat is intensely rewarding and managing the stamina with my desire to flee from any potential threats is a great inclusion and the people that made this game have an incredible talent for storytelling through gameplay, even though I'm not that far in.
This game is already drenched in interesting concepts and I'm simultaneously extremely excited to play it, but also terrified of whatever the developers might lob at me next.
10/10 thus far, and I will update with thoughts and criticisms as I progress in the coming weeks/months.
