Periodically, you’ll be forced to take refuge in environmental objects to hide from incensed spirits. Sure, there are collectable devices like pebbles, paper airplanes that can be used to distract spirits, but you’re unswervingly on the defensive, with a single touch with any otherworldly creature sending you back to the last checkpoint. Occasionally, you can’t even depend on a beam of light, and are forced to extinguish your lamp, lest you attract the persistent yōkai who linger around the oddly empty pastoral city. Unlike many horror games that give you an arsenal to soften antagonism, your main tool in Midnight Shadows is a flashlight which permits illumination into some of Shadow’s murky alcoves. The feeling of frailty is ubiquitous on your journey.
On the way home, the pair become separated, with players alternating between the two estranged girls. This time out, best friends Yui and Haru gather on a hilltop, watching a firework show illuminate the summer sky. Whereas the predecessor saw the protagonist search for her missing sister, Night Alone offers light variation on the theme. Without venturing into spoiler territory, Shadows extends a devastating incident, plucking players’ heartstrings in a slightly manipulative fashion. Those who did venture through the 2016 release of Night Alone might be slightly disheartened by the similarity of Midnight Shadows’ set-up.
There a persistent sense of dread and despair that lingers throughout the game, making it an essential experience for those fatigued by blatant scare attempts. Far removed from the steady jump scares and graphic carnage that pervade the survival horror genre, Shadows’ virtue is rooted in subtlety. Many of the qualities are apparent when playing Yomawari: Midnight Shadows, the sequel to last years’ release of Yomawari: Night Alone. Unlike the shock of jump scares, it’s a subtle feeling making your question if it’s real or just a horrendous hallucination. All too often, you’ll hear faint voices, moans, or breathing. Navigation is up to you, and there’s often the upsettingly sensation of disorientation. Typically, visitors don’t follow a linear path through the attraction. Another anxiety-inducing aspect is the notion of agency. For one, context is important there’s often a narrative, typically told through a video before a patron enters the building. Much of the fright stems from the fundamental differences to the way fear is exhibited in Japan. Yet, a trip to Fuji-Q Highland’s Haunted Hospital (the second longest of its kind in the world) or the Daiba Haunted School in Japan both left me trembling. Now, the typical American haunted house barely raises my pulse.
Gradually, I became desensitized to the graphic depictions of gore, as there are limited number of way to display viscera. Moments of calm frequently foreshadowed fright, with gruesome monstrosities popping out of alcoves on cue. But, after inching my way through dozens of these scare shacks, I was able to distinguish a formula. Growing up in the U.S., I was habitual visitor of haunted house attractions.