Yomawari: Night Alone Reviews
Yomawari: Night Alone is a cute, but bone-chilling game that will make players want to never walk their dogs at night, and if they do, have cell phones with flashlights on at all times.
Yomawari: Night Alone is a unique example of Japanese horror on the Vita, but there are some lacking areas in its design. Even with that, I wholeheartedly recommend picking it up.
Yomawari: Night Out is the definition of survival horror, trapped with nothing to defend yourself with against horrors that await around every corner. Yomawari may be light on jump scares but the creatures, sound design, and atmosphere is enough to creep anyone out.
Despite its flaws, Yomawari: Night Alone is an entertaining game that will be perfect to play while handing out candy to the neighborhood trick-or-treaters. The incredibly lenient death system will be seen as a boon by those who suffer through horror games and love only having to experience a particularly scary section the bare number of times that is necessary. The save system also encourages a pick-up-and-play mentality, which is a nice fit on the Vita. Pick up Yomawari: Night Alone if you want to see a horror game on the Vita, because it will likely be one of the last of its kind, since the system is on life support.
A very different kind of survival horror, that despite a few flaws is both scarier and more thematically interesting than most of its contemporaries.
Billed as a horror game, Yomawari: Night Alone ultimately feels like it falls more on the side of tragedy. Sure, it has its jump scares which can get the blood racing, but the town and its supernatural inhabitants just feel a little too charming to be considered a real threat. The story, with its sad undertones, will definitely tug at the heart strings the more that it unfolds - far more frequently than it'll scare you, especially once you become accustomed to the ghost's surprise visits. Yomawari is satisfying in its own weird way, but those looking for a good scare may be disappointed that any potential threat is short-lived.
Yomawari: Night Alone is a game that will be remembered more for its tone and story than gameplay, but that’s enough to recommend it.
Yomawari may just be that little game you might want to pick up and play during the Halloween season, deeply buried in your cuddliest blanket and sipping a nice hot cup of tea. All this considering you are not too upset by the creepy atmosphere and disturbing stories, especially regarding our furry friends
Despite having its roots firmly set in survival horror, Yomawari: Night Alone is really not all that scary. It’s creepy for sure, but in terms of pure jumps or shivers, these reactions were a no go.
Yomawari: Night Alone features an interesting story premise which is somewhat held back by its repetitive gameplay. The survival horror aspects take inspiration from the old school games and the gorgeous art style makes the game visually appealing. It can be a fun experience if we can ignore its shortcomings.
Yomawari: Night Alone is an original horror tale that shuns 3D and hyper-realism to stake everything on the atmosphere and on the discrepancy between "cartoon" style and horrific themes.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Until we do get that next genre-defining horror gem, Yomawari is a nice distraction that will hopefully be worked on to bring us something even more sinister and satisfying in the future.