Corpse Party

After recommendation after recommendation, and me mostly writing if off as some weird Japanese-Hentai-Horror hybrid, I finally gave Corpse Party a shot. After first purchasing the constantly recommended PS Vita of course. I gotta say, the man was right, the game is that good and I’m honestly a little sad knowing it’s something of a cult title and doesn’t get anywhere near the recognition it deserves. Corpse Party is a shoe in for one of the best survival horror games I’ve ever played. From the scares, to the story, to the characters, CP delivers in spades. Which I’ve gotta say is pretty impressive, given the absolutely huge cast of characters. Even the best of writers would have some issues keeping this many characters in order. The main cast is comprised of nine characters, at least four of which could be considered a lead. And that’s not counting the supporting cast, of which there are three primary players, as well as several others.

It’s impressive how well they jumbled these characters and how each one has their own fully fleshed out story and personality. It’s rare that you find this kind of sharp, complex character writing in, well in any fiction really.

Anyway the main game. Yeah, it’s survival horror, so there’s not much to it. Combat is non-existent and most of your time is spent exploring Heavenly Host, running from some ghost kids occasionally and solving the odd puzzle here and there. There are some neat moments that break up the monotony, mostly in the shape of the Wrong Ends, or Game Overs.

While they work as game over scenarios, there’s a little something to them that livens them up from the typical “You Died” screen present in so many survival horror titles. The game kind of fucks with the player a little bit with these, sometimes you’re not even sure you’re getting a game over. You’ll be marching around all fine and doing your thing, when suddenly the game’s like “yeah that choice you made back there, wasn’t the right choice. Now your friend's dead as shit.”

While it was an end I didn’t get, there was one I saw after my initial play through in which a main character is cut straight in half. Prior to that she gets possessed and decides to be a crazy lady for a few seconds. If the player chooses to ignore the character and continues on with a certain puzzle, right as you solve said puzzle, she will come out and the wire necessary for the mechanism to work, will slice her right in half, in Ghost Ship fashion. (Note: this game is not as stupid as Ghost Ship, it’s actually very good) It’s little touches like that that keep you on the edge of your seat, never knowing what choice is the right choice. Should I read this paper or will my character lose sanity if I do? Should I say this, or will it screw things up for me down the line? It’s like Mass Effect, only the choices actually matter.

I’d talk about story, but, I’ll at least lay out the basic premise of the story. During a going away party the students of Kisaragi Academy find themselves trapped in the “closed spaces” of a heavily dilapidated, super haunted, elementary school called Heavenly Host. Really though, I’d say just get a PSP, Vita, or PC (as it’s originally a PC title and this version is being released on PC sometime soon) and purchase the title. It’s more than worth the entry fee. Especially since the core game offers about fifteen hours of gameplay on the first run through, extending its replay value by offering what are called Extra Chapters, of which there are ten. On top of that there are several alternative endings, both for the whole game as well as the Chapters. And of course little pieces here and there, such as collecting all student ID tags, etc. There’s a lot of game here for the small price.

From the pacing, to the score, the game just gets everything right. Each chapter ends with a bang and a cliffhanger, getting the player pumped for the next sequence. Chapter Four’s closing and Chapter Five’s opening, were probably some of the most intense, twisty turny “oh shit” moments I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing. The game had me in a chokehold, I was glued to the screen.

There’s really not enough good I can say about this title. It’s just that good. If you haven’t played it, go out, buy it and play it. Don’t download it all illegal like either. This game was independently funded, all in house and shit. Even the VA cast is comprised of unknowns. Buy it! Buy it now!