izigame.me

I want to preface this review by saying that this is the first game I've ever written a full review on. Paranormasight is one of the greatest mystery visual novels I've had the pleasure to read. I consider it to be superior to Danganronpa and on par with both The House of Fata Morgana and When They Cry (yes, it's just that good).

Overall Rating: 9/10

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Admittedly, Paranormasight is an extremely hard game to talk about outside of basic details, such as the over-arching plot or even the genre, because so much of the game heavily relies on the player experience. The interactive visual novel requires you to make choices and set up certain events in order to solve its narrative puzzles.
For example, you might get stuck in one plot thread until you uncover a vital character or piece of information in another, which then allows you to share that information with the character in the first route. So you have to rely on a certain degree of synergy.
Typically, you’ll come through the “Files” and “Persons of Interest” entries that you can access at any time; Paranormasight often hides vital clues in both. What’s so fascinating about the whole experience is how well the smallest of details is obscured within the evidence, which makes solving these puzzles feel like real detective work.
A seemingly innocuous piece of dialogue or visual detail is often the clue you need, and finally putting the pieces together is an “aha!” moment that feels just as satisfying as picking the right piece of evidence in a Phoenix Wright game. I won’t speak too much about how Paranormasight subverts its gameplay, but it will ask you to think so far outside the box that it may hurt your brain a bit.
WRITING: Tremendous writing helps all these smart gameplay elements stand out. Paranormasight nimbly balances moving the narrative forward and giving characters time to breathe. The characters are well-drawn, complex people thanks to involved backstories and snippets of personal drama. The narrative is packed to the brim with red herrings, misdirects, and weighty narrative themes.
Paranormasight has much to say about grief, depression, and loss. Its unflinching examination of murder and violence somehow manages to strike a hopeful tone. It all winds up feeling more exploratory than exploitative, and that’s a big part of its brilliance.
SETTING: Paranormasight’s setting and world-building are just as good as its writing. The hand-drawn backgrounds of Honjo make for a gorgeous backdrop. In fact, as the game is set in the Sumida Ward of Tokyo, Japan — home to the Tokyo Skytree and Edo-Tokyo Museum, among other landmarks — Paranormasight has been developed with the full support of the Sumida City Tourism Division as well as the city's historical society. A macabre love letter to the real-world location in which it is set, all background are based on photographs taken in Sumida with a 360-degree camera. There’s so much real-life history and culture packed into the game, both through the main story and optional Files you can read, that the faintest hint of realism only enhances the dramatic tension.
ART: Paranormasight is further elevated by its striking visual presentation. Character designs by Gen Kobayashi of The World Ends With You gives Paranormasight a bold visual flair. A film-grain reminiscent of early color TVs gives the entire experience an eerie aesthetic. Kobayashi isn’t afraid to make characters appear “ugly” with exaggerated facial expressions and movements, and the choice enhances the chilling atmosphere.
Every element of Paranormasight — even the eclectic retro jazz music — feels tightly tuned to contribute in some meaningful way. I genuinely lost count of the times the game blew me away with some wild twist or smart piece of gameplay design.
I have some minor quibbles with slow pacing in the middle and a couple of obtuse puzzle solutions. Still, Paranormasight is the kind of surprise that only comes around once in a blue moon. If the concept sounds even vaguely interesting, I’d recommend going in completely blind, as the way Paranormasight leverages your expectations as a storytelling and gameplay mechanic needs to be experienced first-hand. It's worth every penny.
I genuinely hope the game gets the attention it deserves, but it feels like one of those titles perfectly poised to be on cult-classic lists in a few years’ time.