The thing about Miyazaki being self-conscious about feet regarding Malenia is not actually true, sadly. Also, I met the woman who did the English voice work for Kureha a while back. She mentioned she did a lot of work for the Agetec FROMSOFTWARE games back then and they did all the recording in a little shed owned by an old couple. She had never seen the game and just remembered "I played a sick girl". I showed her some cutscenes from Kuon and she was quite enamoured.
It's interesting to note how despite FromSoftware no longer making horror games (with the closest being Bloodborne) they still manage to incorporate horror elements into their games either through boss and enemy design, environments, or general atmosphere.
@@modernmobster I can say that "Bloodborne" is the most disturbing soul game. The Lovecraftian inspiration and the mystery of the lore make this game unique, and they nail it, which is what makes this game so amazing. Most areas in that game make you creep, and the enemies' designs make my skin crawl.
Something you may not realize about the singing in the game. The two children singing may sound cute but the lyrics when translated is actually rather disturbing. By contrast, the priest chanting that sounds ominous is actually a comfort for the doomed souls in the manor.
It's funny, I bought this game at Game Stop for $4.99 about 6 months after its release, with the original casing and instruction manual. Now it's going for an ungodly amount.
I think the scariest sequence of any game EVER is the Prison of Latria in Demon's Souls. Absolutely brilliant horror design. Hadn't heard of this game, so it's quite fascinating to learn they did a pure horror experience.
3-1 is scary, 3-2 is insane. 5-1 makes me feel as if im in a dank swamp, with mosquitoes and flys buzzing around. These levels are the most immersive from the soulsborne series i think. Ive played each of these for hundreds of hours, bb for almost a couple thousand, and they didnt make me feel this. Their older games such as kuon and tower abyss, are super immersive.
I remember one of my friends playing this 15-20 years ago at a sleepover, and I never could remember what it was. Thanks for this video and review- now I can check it out myself!
I still have this game, it's without it's box and I got it used from gamestop YEARS ago. One of the best games I've ever had the pleasure of playing tbh. I'd love to see this remastered in some way.
What a coincidence! I just finished this game last week since I'm on a survival horror binge. Currently I'm playing Siren and I'm convinced this is the scariest game I've played, just the atmosphere and obscure nature of it makes it all the more creepy.
Remembered being frustrated by this game back when I was a pup from how often the jumpscares happen.... only to find out it's cause I'm running all the time. Only FROM dares to make the weirdest albeit understandable design choices so unapologetically.
Games like this or Siren have a good atmosphere. The atmosphere is heavy, eerie and has something in it that manages to keep you in the game especially if it's a Japanese setting like a village, castle or rural place. J horror is something different
@@taktasahina4254 No I didn't forgot FF, I just wanted to mention one game which was Siren but you're right. FF it's in the list too. About the games you asked the ones that come to mind are Siren, Hunting Ground, Rule Of The Rose and clock tower, some which you probably know about. While some might not be made by Japanese developers but all are worth a try if you're a die hard horror fan. To be honest games like Kuon, Siren and the ones that we mentioned are rare and rarely made and these games are for the time that studios were willing to risk to make something different and new. If I remember or find anything else I will tell you my friend. What's your thoughts on This game or the games that I mentioned. What's your opinion on horror games and Japanese horror games? And since you mentioned Fatal Frame I assume you're a fan. What's your thoughts about FF series?
This elucidates why twisted and more eerie elements so easily seep into parts of titles like DeS, Sekiro, and King's Field. I can only wish that they never lose those inclinations, as cool as Elden Ring is, atmosphere seems to be their forte. The idea that From has the capability to drop an "Onimusha-like" or an even darker "Dark and Darker" is exciting, but for now I'm content if they can successfully reboot what made AC1 and AC2 special.
God i wish this game got an hd remaster or at least put on the ps store. Or better yet a remake or new entry by fromsoft. A lot of the elements are funnily enough used in Souls games. This game is a masterpiece of the old survival horror genre
I wish FromSoft would remaster these games now to fix and enhance the experience. Specially have a seperate team where you train newcomers with working on older titles of thw company like these.
When I played through this, I played the whole game barely using spells. Mostly for rough enemies. I literally just used melee the rest of the time. Not hard, but the atmosphere makes up for it easily in my opinion. Love this game. Definitely one to return to for myself soon.
i can guarantee that they will, especially since miyazaki said that we can look forward to a different type of fromsoft after elden ring, which is my favorite fromsoft game by a large margin! i am 100% that theyll be delving into atmospheric horror this decade.
Great game! I bought it new back in the day just because I loved the themes and settings and was very pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Wish I would have kept that original copy because it's very rare now and sells for hundreds of dollars.
The Darksouls of Survival Horror games. Also those are not Magic Cards those are Onmyoji Talismans since it is a Japanese mythology inspired horror game.
I really hope they return to this world, or a similar onein the form of a modern fromsoft game. More specifically a souls game. The aesthetics are peak and honestly even better than Sekiro (though that might be bias since I like the Heian period the most). I can imagine a game the size and scale of Elden Ring selling just as well with Heian period Japan aesthetics and even more horror elements. Would be an interesting opportunity to blend the combat and movement of Sekiros fluidity with Elden Rings variety and customization. Same with the worlds. Sekiros world is fantastic but it is specifically Japan, so everything has to exist with that context. The worlds of their other games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring are however completely made up while still maintaining very european aesthetics, I wanna see something similar to that only using east asian aesthetics instead. They would need Kyousuke Chinai back to assist with the character art of course, the amount of detail he puts into fabric is what I want to see in all the games fashion.
Awesome game, i've played it last year. I wish From Soft would take a break from souls formula and try their hands on old school survival horror again.
It would be nice that FromSoftware would make some upcoming survival horror games in the near future. Cause this game alone looks absolutely amazing and terrifying to look at.
Back when GSN (Game Show Network, not OG G4) was showing video games I vaguely remember another PS2 horror game that was first person and it had you fight evil spirits. I'm blanking on the name but the game over screen freaked me out as a kid.
I loved GSN, but I never knew they showed videogames. Cool. *Ahaha I recommend looking up the promo for GSN Videogames. "'Choose gender.' Female, duh. If she's the host, she's gotta be hot and know everything about games."
Maybe Forbidden Siren 1 or 2, the first mission in the second game is first person, but the game over screen is just a black screen with the word "retry" in the middle.
It saddens me how they focused on their invented Souls games system and forgot their horror gems. Echo Night was another great game. I understand from a business point of view, gotta get money from what works, but...
I remember this game as a kid and not being particularly impressed with it. The jump scares just made me laugh with how telegraphed they were and I made my sister mad by laughing at everything when she was soaking the atmosphere in. Looking back now, gameplay wise it's still not my favorite, but aesthetically it is really nice and has that nostalgic PS2 feel you just don't get anymore.
may we never forget all the good games that FROM basically took a dump on, from ETERNAL RING, to SHADOW TOWER to even CHROME HOUNDS but worst of all KING'S FIELD , after decades of giving us AA titles that made our childhood a joy, now all they do is souls games and an armored core that just gets worse with each new version....i want ENCHANGED ARMS 2 and ETERNAL RING 2 and a remake of SHADOW TOWER ABYSS.
Always great to see another video talking about them rare obscure Japanese horror titles. I have yet break bank on buying a physical copy of this game, but a couple years ago I did just that for Rule of Rose.
would love to hear what u have to say about some other of the older fromsoft titles such as shadow tower abyss or evergrace . think u would have a fun time with the latter : )
Im surprised to someone cover this. Tbh this game was nice but i overestimated the difficulty. I have a lot of save up items that i didn't even use despite playing blind first try. Its too easy. But the experience is great. Just dissapointed with final boss i was expecting a hard fight.
Most people want it because its price tag i literally just wanna play it and enjoy it shame ill end up paying that price tag at some point or a discounted version of that crazy amount if im lucky. Was lucky enough to nab of rule of rose I don't resell games either.
Alot of people have been covering this go ame recently snd i hope it gsin huge traction so from software takes. Notice and either does a re-releslase or a full on remake and mske the game better
Gotta be honest here, I miss when From Software wasn't seen as "OH MY GAWD IT'S FROM SOFTWARE!!!" I LOVE their games, always have, I just wish they'd do some more non souls like games again too. And yeah, that Zodiac puzzle is a real stumper if you don't know the Chinese Zodiac. This is definitely another one everyone should try playing on an emulator at least once.
well, they are making a new Armored Core, which should not be "soulsy" so at least they don't forget fans of their old franchises and we can still hope for more than souls games now. (maybe a new Echo Night, now that would be great)
I don't think Miyazaki is self-conscious about feet. Rennala is barefoot. Marika is barefoot. Sellen is barefoot. We can assume Ranni is barefoot given her armor that's found later in the game. And Malenia's "armor" is actually prosthesis where she lost her legs.
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AT LAST SOMEONE WHO PLAYS IN THE ORIGINAL JAPANESE AUDIO, it was very rare for any PS2 game to include the original dub!!
the only negative review of this game I can think of is with Nitro Rad.
18 naked cowboys in the showers of ram ranch wanting to be sucked
The thing about Miyazaki being self-conscious about feet regarding Malenia is not actually true, sadly. Also, I met the woman who did the English voice work for Kureha a while back. She mentioned she did a lot of work for the Agetec FROMSOFTWARE games back then and they did all the recording in a little shed owned by an old couple. She had never seen the game and just remembered "I played a sick girl". I showed her some cutscenes from Kuon and she was quite enamoured.
Who was the VA for Kureha ? They don't credit them well on google
@@bubs4523 There's a list on Imdb, that includes Erin Cahill. That's about it afaik.
It's interesting to note how despite FromSoftware no longer making horror games (with the closest being Bloodborne) they still manage to incorporate horror elements into their games either through boss and enemy design, environments, or general atmosphere.
I have yet to play Bloodborne, but the Abyss in Dark Souls 1 is one of the creepiest places in gaming.
The majority of FromSoftware games contain horror elements or dark world building.
@@modernmobster I can say that "Bloodborne" is the most disturbing soul game. The Lovecraftian inspiration and the mystery of the lore make this game unique, and they nail it, which is what makes this game so amazing. Most areas in that game make you creep, and the enemies' designs make my skin crawl.
Imagine Bloodborne Setting with less power fantasy involved.
Makes you wonder what they could do if they really made a horror game. I could honestly see them making a horror game that could rival Silent Hill.
Something you may not realize about the singing in the game. The two children singing may sound cute but the lyrics when translated is actually rather disturbing. By contrast, the priest chanting that sounds ominous is actually a comfort for the doomed souls in the manor.
It's funny, I bought this game at Game Stop for $4.99 about 6 months after its release, with the original casing and instruction manual. Now it's going for an ungodly amount.
Lucky
Hold on to it and sell it for way more later! Good find!
Same here, except I bought it from Game Wizards, before it closed for good.
Naw I can find it for like a dollar ez get gud
@@TheNaturalGamer1 Nah I can get it for free ez get gud
I LOVE survival horror and the PS2 era is TOP TIER
Would love to see FS return to a game like this.
dude i NEED a modern FromSoftware Horror game. Not necesarily made by Miyasaki but i hope they make one after the Armored Core hype
With less jank please, they did it so so well with Bloodborne. That was an action game that gave me some solid scares and it's not even horror
I had to triple take the first time I saw that title screen. Absolutely jarring before you even touch the damn controller.
That zodiac puzzle kicked my ass!!
It's like that one sliding puzzle in RE4 which you can do in like 4 moves but I go the long way.
I think the scariest sequence of any game EVER is the Prison of Latria in Demon's Souls. Absolutely brilliant horror design. Hadn't heard of this game, so it's quite fascinating to learn they did a pure horror experience.
Demon's souls may be the Soul game I've played the least, but that part is burned into my memory even after almost 10 years since I've played it.
3-1 is scary, 3-2 is insane. 5-1 makes me feel as if im in a dank swamp, with mosquitoes and flys buzzing around. These levels are the most immersive from the soulsborne series i think. Ive played each of these for hundreds of hours, bb for almost a couple thousand, and they didnt make me feel this.
Their older games such as kuon and tower abyss, are super immersive.
It sounds like the priest is chanting the heart sutra which is the most popular and well known chant amongst east asian buddhists.
I remember one of my friends playing this 15-20 years ago at a sleepover, and I never could remember what it was. Thanks for this video and review- now I can check it out myself!
I still have this game, it's without it's box and I got it used from gamestop YEARS ago. One of the best games I've ever had the pleasure of playing tbh. I'd love to see this remastered in some way.
I love Kuon! there's something unnerving and otherworldly about the atmosphere in this game.
This is still my #2 favorite horror game of all time, I replay it a couple times a year and it's still amazing!
What a coincidence! I just finished this game last week since I'm on a survival horror binge.
Currently I'm playing Siren and I'm convinced this is the scariest game I've played, just the atmosphere and obscure nature of it makes it all the more creepy.
At 5:12 that chant that you here was also used in Sekiro from the monks that are corrupt.
Been wanting a Kuon remake or sequel or reboot for years. Hopefully after AC6 FromSoft gives it a look
Kuon to this day is my top survival horror game! Love everything about it!
Remembered being frustrated by this game back when I was a pup from how often the jumpscares happen.... only to find out it's cause I'm running all the time.
Only FROM dares to make the weirdest albeit understandable design choices so unapologetically.
Games like this or Siren have a good atmosphere. The atmosphere is heavy, eerie and has something in it that manages to keep you in the game especially if it's a Japanese setting like a village, castle or rural place. J horror is something different
u forgot to include fatal frame. but can u give me a list of japanese horror games for ps2 and ps4? horror games that are similar to this
@@taktasahina4254 No I didn't forgot FF, I just wanted to mention one game which was Siren but you're right. FF it's in the list too. About the games you asked the ones that come to mind are Siren, Hunting Ground, Rule Of The Rose and clock tower, some which you probably know about. While some might not be made by Japanese developers but all are worth a try if you're a die hard horror fan. To be honest games like Kuon, Siren and the ones that we mentioned are rare and rarely made and these games are for the time that studios were willing to risk to make something different and new. If I remember or find anything else I will tell you my friend. What's your thoughts on This game or the games that I mentioned. What's your opinion on horror games and Japanese horror games? And since you mentioned Fatal Frame I assume you're a fan. What's your thoughts about FF series?
7:28
It's not armor, but a prosthesis, just like her arm. Scarlet rot left barely anything of her body, lol
This elucidates why twisted and more eerie elements so easily seep into parts of titles like DeS, Sekiro, and King's Field. I can only wish that they never lose those inclinations, as cool as Elden Ring is, atmosphere seems to be their forte. The idea that From has the capability to drop an "Onimusha-like" or an even darker "Dark and Darker" is exciting, but for now I'm content if they can successfully reboot what made AC1 and AC2 special.
thanks for covering this game, I truly loved it as a child on my PS2, it gave me RE vibes back then
Solid video BP. Always love when you delve into overlooked/less talked about horror video games!
This game gave me nightmares and instilled a fear of kokeshi dolls and body horror into me.
God i wish this game got an hd remaster or at least put on the ps store. Or better yet a remake or new entry by fromsoft. A lot of the elements are funnily enough used in Souls games. This game is a masterpiece of the old survival horror genre
Best game reviews period, always look forward to your vids whether current games or retro. That Dead Aim video is one of my favorite on UA-cam
Fanboy moment
@9:48 wait, you can take damage as Abe-no-Semei?! bruh, she's so OP I don't think I ever needed to meditate during her phase.
Damn the opening gets me so much nightmares.
I wish FromSoft would remaster these games now to fix and enhance the experience. Specially have a seperate team where you train newcomers with working on older titles of thw company like these.
I thought Malenia's feet were in armor because those were prosthetic limbs. I'm pretty sure she doesn't even have feet. I could be wrong though.
When I played through this, I played the whole game barely using spells. Mostly for rough enemies. I literally just used melee the rest of the time. Not hard, but the atmosphere makes up for it easily in my opinion. Love this game. Definitely one to return to for myself soon.
Like crossing Tenchu with Fatal Frame.
I would love it if fromsoftware made one more survival horror game imagine what they could bring to the table
i can guarantee that they will, especially since miyazaki said that we can look forward to a different type of fromsoft after elden ring, which is my favorite fromsoft game by a large margin! i am 100% that theyll be delving into atmospheric horror this decade.
Great game! I bought it new back in the day just because I loved the themes and settings and was very pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Wish I would have kept that original copy because it's very rare now and sells for hundreds of dollars.
Amazing work ❤️
The Darksouls of Survival Horror games. Also those are not Magic Cards those are Onmyoji Talismans since it is a Japanese mythology inspired horror game.
Appreciate you bringing this to my attention. I'd never heard of it.
I've been waiting for you to make this video for a long time it's one of my favorite games and I loves it
I really hope they return to this world, or a similar onein the form of a modern fromsoft game. More specifically a souls game. The aesthetics are peak and honestly even better than Sekiro (though that might be bias since I like the Heian period the most).
I can imagine a game the size and scale of Elden Ring selling just as well with Heian period Japan aesthetics and even more horror elements. Would be an interesting opportunity to blend the combat and movement of Sekiros fluidity with Elden Rings variety and customization. Same with the worlds. Sekiros world is fantastic but it is specifically Japan, so everything has to exist with that context. The worlds of their other games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring are however completely made up while still maintaining very european aesthetics, I wanna see something similar to that only using east asian aesthetics instead.
They would need Kyousuke Chinai back to assist with the character art of course, the amount of detail he puts into fabric is what I want to see in all the games fashion.
I love japanese horror folklore, its hard to find western stories as violent as they do
Awesome game, i've played it last year. I wish From Soft would take a break from souls formula and try their hands on old school survival horror again.
For those going the emulation route, grab one of the two HD texture packs by Janley or Ice Bullet.
It would be nice that FromSoftware would make some upcoming survival horror games in the near future. Cause this game alone looks absolutely amazing and terrifying to look at.
Back when GSN (Game Show Network, not OG G4) was showing video games I vaguely remember another PS2 horror game that was first person and it had you fight evil spirits. I'm blanking on the name but the game over screen freaked me out as a kid.
Fatal frame had a little first person in it
I loved GSN, but I never knew they showed videogames. Cool.
*Ahaha I recommend looking up the promo for GSN Videogames. "'Choose gender.' Female, duh. If she's the host, she's gotta be hot and know everything about games."
Hungry Ghosts was first person too.
Maybe Forbidden Siren 1 or 2, the first mission in the second game is first person, but the game over screen is just a black screen with the word "retry" in the middle.
Sounds like Fatal Frame 1 or 2. When you go into camera mode it's first person. You should totally check them out on a emulator.
I like the lips don't move, like everyone is wearing a mask. I wonder if that was a choice or just a technical limitation.
Probably due to technical difficulties. I mean the cutscenes are extremely detailed so they probably have cut that
From Software has barely ever animated faces in their games. I think it was entirely lack of talent, budget and time all
I wonder if the mechs in the next Armoured Core will be barefoot
Oh great Miyazaki-sama, please bestow upon us a horror game finally.
WTF aman nosobe lived for 84 years in that time period? Thats insane
This is actually the last japanese theme era on PS2 made by from software. 14yrs Later Sekiro was born
I remember playing Fatal Frame 3, finishing it then playing this game, it was a regular twin stick shooter in comparison.
Oh wow i can believe i fucking missed kuon….
I played this and it was so fun
5:24 SO funny that this reminds me of the classic Fatal Frame was now.
Jesus that title screen/theme😮
You should do a video on the Echo Night series, also made by From Software
He mentioned Echo Night in the first few minutes, but yeah hopefully that’s a sign it’s on his radar.
Would like to see FROM make horror focused games aside from being action RPGs.
sekiro has horror elements
like based from kami legends and folklores
but still i really wish kuon brought back again
Never heard of this game. But it looks amazing.
It saddens me how they focused on their invented Souls games system and forgot their horror gems. Echo Night was another great game. I understand from a business point of view, gotta get money from what works, but...
It's funny how much attention this forgotten game gets all of a sudden
Modern FROMSOFT could definitely make a masterpiece horror game and I wish they would
I bought this for 600€ sealed, i got haunting ground opened, and a a few other rarities such as michigan report from hell.
Collectors addiction for sure
I remember this game as a kid and not being particularly impressed with it. The jump scares just made me laugh with how telegraphed they were and I made my sister mad by laughing at everything when she was soaking the atmosphere in. Looking back now, gameplay wise it's still not my favorite, but aesthetically it is really nice and has that nostalgic PS2 feel you just don't get anymore.
excellent. tysm, super entertaining.
One is not an Anime Action Girl Badass until they don the Bikini Armor of Fopping!
I liked it just like Biohazard/RE-make it takes place all in one night.
may we never forget all the good games that FROM basically took a dump on, from ETERNAL RING, to SHADOW TOWER to even CHROME HOUNDS but worst of all KING'S FIELD , after decades of giving us AA titles that made our childhood a joy, now all they do is souls games and an armored core that just gets worse with each new version....i want ENCHANGED ARMS 2 and ETERNAL RING 2 and a remake of SHADOW TOWER ABYSS.
This was too much for my brain when it came out. I thought my resident evil knowledge would translate but I was lost
Interesting video for an interesting game. I was also wondering, are you planning on reviewing the Callisto Protocol?
Arguably the best "Onmyoji" Horror game so far tbh.
Always great to see another video talking about them rare obscure Japanese horror titles. I have yet break bank on buying a physical copy of this game, but a couple years ago I did just that for Rule of Rose.
We need an remake !!!!!!
This only makes me wish they’d revisit Tenchu
I bought this game when it came out...eternal ring...kings field
This needs a remaster badly
Thank you!
Hell yes!!! This game rocks, and so do you!
would love to hear what u have to say about some other of the older fromsoft titles such as shadow tower abyss or evergrace . think u would have a fun time with the latter : )
Cool vid
I really like these horror games setting in Japan, I wish they make more of these. Onimusha, Fatal Frame. Can't wait for PT F.
Im surprised to someone cover this. Tbh this game was nice but i overestimated the difficulty. I have a lot of save up items that i didn't even use despite playing blind first try. Its too easy. But the experience is great. Just dissapointed with final boss i was expecting a hard fight.
Really wished they'd re-release this on Steam or PSN.
It took a long ass time before fromsoft learned to animate mouths for dialogue
Wow that's pretty ineteresting.
Publishers are into remakes. If you wanna do remakes, do this game.
Most people want it because its price tag i literally just wanna play it and enjoy it shame ill end up paying that price tag at some point or a discounted version of that crazy amount if im lucky. Was lucky enough to nab of rule of rose I don't resell games either.
Alot of people have been covering this go ame recently snd i hope it gsin huge traction so from software takes. Notice and either does a re-releslase or a full on remake and mske the game better
Kuon was from fromsoftware?!
Gotta be honest here, I miss when From Software wasn't seen as "OH MY GAWD IT'S FROM SOFTWARE!!!" I LOVE their games, always have, I just wish they'd do some more non souls like games again too. And yeah, that Zodiac puzzle is a real stumper if you don't know the Chinese Zodiac. This is definitely another one everyone should try playing on an emulator at least once.
well, they are making a new Armored Core, which should not be "soulsy" so at least they don't forget fans of their old franchises and we can still hope for more than souls games now. (maybe a new Echo Night, now that would be great)
@@MaitreMechant Armored Core 6, Sekiro, Déraciné
I like this video thank you for choosing the Japanese voices.
the only negative review of this game is with Nitro Rad.
Tasteless, completely tasteless
omg! i was only 15 when i played and finished that kuon game. i can still remember the twins. they're creepy asf. and im gay too
I am so glad I'm not the only one bothered by the unexplainable barefoot woman in this.
I don't think Miyazaki is self-conscious about feet. Rennala is barefoot. Marika is barefoot. Sellen is barefoot. We can assume Ranni is barefoot given her armor that's found later in the game. And Malenia's "armor" is actually prosthesis where she lost her legs.
SUch an undersung title, may replay it
2:38 You sure the U in Kyousuke isn't silent? Like this -> Kyouske? Like, Sasuke from Naruto being pronounced 'Saske'.
yeah, it's definitely pronounced differently. More merged together, like "kyoske"
@@diediedice Yeah. I think the least any channel should do, is do their proper research on how foreign names are spelled.
6:56 DS2 was just a road block to play.