There is something about the PS1 era horror games that brings nostalgia and serenity to the generation that grew up on it. Whether they enjoyed the tank controls or the inventory management, there was plenty to look back on and appreciate. Those are a few things that SENSEs: Midnight tries hard to replicate and falls just a little before mastering. That is not to say that it does not have the potential to become great with some TLC and a little elbow grease.
The newest installment of Suzaku Games’ SENSE anthology series is called SENSEs: Midnight. Occult-club member Kaho utilizes her travel to Ikebukuro, Japan, two years after the events in SENSE: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story, to learn the truth behind the Midnight Door mystery. The story takes place in 2085. Kaho’s journey to uncover the mystery of the Midnight Door starts with a risky break-in into a park after midnight. After Kaho performs the Midnight Door ceremony, which as was predicted wakes the paranormal within the park, the majority of the gameplay starts. The most lethal ghost in the game and the cause of the Midnight Door curse will be presented to player first. Additional spirits will gradually be introduced to players as yokai with their corresponding notes. Players are now offered three options for dealing with ghosts that may obstruct player progress.
The first and most popular way to prevent death is to shun the spirits altogether. Players only need to make sure that they juke them out when they come near enough to lunge at them because all spirits in this game are designed to be outrun for an indefinite length of time. To evade these ghosts, players can also remain hidden behind talisman areas, which are identified by shimmering butterflies. Then, players will be asked to finish a type of balance game that helps Kaho breathe more steadily. Although it’s hard to fail, if you do, you’ll be thrown back into the open. The last option for dealing with ghosts is to utilize the one-time-use magatamas that periodically turn up throughout the house. The magatama will become active upon contact and dispel any nearby spirits.
Although SENSEs was inspired by these elements, which are pillars of the 3D horror genre, they are poorly executed because they use outdated techniques without taking into account the quality of more recent contributions to the formula. One thing to keep in mind is that the game only uses tank controls, which I don’t think is a problem. I did discover a significant issue with the primary method of evading attackers, which is by going past them.
Despite walking being the default, player will never want to do it since player would move too slowly in an area that was quite wide. The only adversary player need to watch out for is the primary spirit since players will be sprinting for the most of the game and this is the quickest players will ever go. The primary spirit will pursue the player over the whole map, and in classic horror jankiness, all the player will be doing is sprinting in zigzags while the hideous thing flies up to players and does the same lunge action. Only a magatama or hiding in a talisman area would let players get rid of the main spirit.
While dodging the main spirit’s assault is straightforward in principle, player may stumble and take a single, deadly blow after more than a minute of being pursued. player may also occasionally run into a fixed camera position that obscures player vision of the lunge. As long as player don’t stay still or avoid walking directly into them during an attack animation, all recurrent spirits move much more slowly than player do, making it nearly impossible to be struck by them. However, if player are struck by a recurrent ghost, don’t fear; it will only take three consecutive strikes for player to pass away. In essence, these foes are either boring or absolutely useless. I feel there was a wasted opportunity with the camera mechanism, which gets me to this.
Players also receive a camera, which allows them to spot easter eggs and uncover hidden ghosts lurking in the shadows. But player be warned that player become stationary when using the camera and cannot move until player quit looking through it. The main gameplay is solving puzzles in a Resident Evil-style fashion. It’s the most pleasant part of the game’s primary gameplay, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Players search the area for various things that can be utilized to investigate a different problem in more detail. The riddles can occasionally be a little difficult to solve or buried, but only to a moderate, delightful degree.
Overall, SENSEs: Midnight tries to be flashy with it’s Cyberpunk surroundings and 90’s era horror theme yet falls short with its mediocre gameplay and outdated controls. The puzzles are fun, and being spooked by the various ghosts are great, but players will eventually grow bored enough of the already short game that new game plus will become more of a chore then a saving grace. As someone who grew up around Resident Evil and Silent Hill, it was hard not to feel frustrated at how great this game could be with just a few more tweaks and some love. Maybe wait for a sale before looking at this one.
