PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
Also known as Paranormasight · PARANORMASIGHT FILE23: Honjo Nanafushigi
Horror, Mystery, Thriller · by Square Enix · 2023
Curses tied to Tokyo's old ghost stories turn ordinary people into rivals in a deadly contest over a resurrection rite.
Who it's for: Mystery and horror fans who like puzzle-box plots with several protagonists and a playful meta streak.
The story (spoiler-free)
In late-20th-century Sumida, Tokyo, a handful of people discover they have been granted curses linked to the local legend of the Seven Mysteries of Honjo. Rumour says that gathering enough power could bring someone back from the dead, and not everyone holding a curse is willing to share.
You follow several characters whose stories overlap, jumping between viewpoints on a flowchart to find the path through. Investigation scenes let you look around for clues, and some puzzles ask you to think outside the game itself.
Square Enix pitched it as a horror-adventure visual novel; it is tense and macabre but more mystery than splatter, and it plays well on phones as well as PC and Switch.
Why play it
- +Clever, interlocking multi-protagonist mystery
- +Atmospheric take on real Japanese urban legends
- +Official Android and iOS versions
- +Inventive meta puzzles
Keep in mind
- −Fairly short for a mystery of this scope
- −Some puzzles can be obtuse without hints
- −No romance focus
Content warnings
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