Kuon (PS2)

Kuon is a game that will require a lot of patience. People looking for some all out booming horror adventure like resi 3 will be dissapointed here. Kuon requires more patience from the player than just gung ho action. In fact its not that type of game at all. Koun is in fact waiting to be found if you have the time to put into it. The main area of the game 90% takes place in a gigantic japanese house to which you are sent to investigate the weird things that are taking place there. You play as one of two sisters and when you finish one story you complete the adjacent one before unlocking the final mode to discover the secrets of the game. The areas in the game are VERY VERY dark with only a lantern to light your way, giving it a real frightening feeling as you literally have no idea whats round the corner. One part of the game sees you walking down a long corridor and it gets progressively darker as you go. Thinking theres going to be something pop out at you at the end-oh no..kuon doesnt work like that, the scares are soo must more imaginative . Save points are very few and far between, so be prepared to play for long strecthes. Sometimes even up to 70 mins before the next save point (unless you go back) . Oh and by the way if you die its straight back to the previous save point, theres no checkpoints here people! like i said it really adds to the tension of the game being a horror survival. I dont really want to give any more information away as its more of a 'the less you know the better' title. The only gripe some have is that its a tad short and the controls are a bit flimsy but I have to say this didnt really seem to bother me as I thought they were fine. Graphics 3.5/5 Sound 5/5 Gameplay-4/5 Tension 4/5

one of the rarest in my collection. so happy to play. very similar to say... resident evil but the setting and female leads make a nice change

Quite a underrated game horror game with a very unique atmosphere. However, due to its price, would only recommend buying if you have a deep love of PS1/PS2 era horror games and a interest in Japanese culture and folklore. The combat can be frustrating and general enemy designs aren’t very scary or memorable (apart from some bosses) You’ll spend most of your time slowly walking around creepy environments picking up items and solving a few puzzles with some generally good jump scares here and there. If you prefer the more atmospheric/ story aspect of these types of games, then you’ll definitely like this, however if you’re someone who prefers fun, challenging combat and the survival aspect of horror games, then you’ll be disappointed and underwhelmed with this.

I recommend playing this game on hard as it can be too easy otherwise, if you're a fan of traditional survival horror you will love this. This game had the misfortune of coming out at a time when survival horror was hugely unpopular and was punished by reviewers for not being RE4. After reading reviews I was initially put off but after playing I found out that many of them hadn't even bothered to finish the game because they had assumed completing it once with one character was good enough, roughly taking 3-5 hours. It isn't. This games story is not fully told from one character's perspective and believing so will only leave you with a confusing story that makes little sense. To give you some perspective on how little of the plot is told through just one of the characters, the first character's section ends about half way through the second characters playthrough. What's more the first character is unstable and only by playing the second character will you be able to understand the significance of what happened when playing her. Finally the game doesn't even have an ending if you don't play the 3rd and final character. It's an interesting way to structure the game however and it leaves you with many moments of dawning realisation. Immediately the game's horror seems tame with it's lame enemies and even the main characters, trained exorcists, don't seem to care but as you play through the mansion collecting each key necessary to unlock the main temple the sense of a hidden threat builds. There's something beneath the surface standard ghost story that is one of the most unsettling things I've seen in a horror video game, more painfully sad than threatening. Opening that temple door was like moving into a completely different videogame, everything changed, fighting those lame ghouls gained a tragic yet necessary significance and there was a feeling of being doomed to failure no matter what you do next as you uncover a childhood of loneliness and abuse. Now onto the mechanics. The reason I tout the level design is this, it is very similar to old RE and certainly much better than anything the Silent Hill series offered. You start with no idea of where to go in a locked off and mansion that only allows you access to so many areas. As you pick up keys you get an idea of where to go based on what keys you have, it gives you a feeling of exploration but also of deciding your own path and objective, a sense of non-linearity that few games can boast. Often after winding around various objects you might pick up a key or a wall might be destroyed making sure you have a convenient short cut back. Unlike RE and Silent Hill the mansion is easy to believe and it feels lived in, died in really, there are kitchens, armouries , servants quarters Lords and Princesses rooms, it's all very authentic and it helps draw you into the world but also contrasts the unbelievable Temple. There's a great amount of effort put into the creepy ambience with strange apparitions appearing just out of view only to disappear, odd sexual breathing and the silhouettes of undead lovers, best of all are the two ever present and seemingly harmless twins singing their hymn that only gain significance later. It's this attention to detail that sets Kuon apart, it ultimately creates this huge open level filled with winding and connecting paths but it also gives you a sense of accomplishment to have fully mapped and simplified the treacherous halls. The combat is typical fare for the genre, closer to Silent Hill than RE, with it's janky melee that doesn't feel especially useful, where it gets interesting is the spells. Alongside fireballs there are also traps to set and my personal favourite is the many different kinds of monsters you can summon from sacred wolves to creepy puppet women, they are often scarier than your enemies. An interesting aspect is that you can regenerate health by praying, this causes the screen to darken, obscuring enemies, unsummons all creatures and leaves you immobile. Saving is done in traditional RE style with limited save boats, your character must cleanse their sins by sending a paper boat down a river, it's relaxing but like all the best horrors the game twists this concept in a way I won't spoil. This game is likely going to cost you a fair amount of money, if you liked RE Remake or SH2 and you would be prepared to pay full price for those games back in the day then this game is every bit their equal and well worth the price, just pretend it's 2005.

This game has everthing a good Japanese horror game should have much like the fatal frame series and forbidden siren games i found myself playing this game well into the late night and loving every minute. If you love a good horror game that scares the crap of you and keeps you wanting more i say get this game>