Welcome to the Official Yomawari: Night Alone Review Thread.
Here, you'll find reviews to this PlayStation VITA survival horror title published by NIS America to be release on October 25th, 2016. See game description below:
"A young girl is walking her dog Poro around town at dusk when a tragic accident forces her to return home with only Poro's leash in hand. The girl's sister commands her to stay home while she goes out into the night to search for the dog. Time passes. Growing impatient, the girl decides to search for her missing sister and dog herself.
But when she steps foot outside, she realizes that this is not the same town. The darkness has made the town unfamiliar, and she appears to be utterly alone...save for the spirits that stalk her. The girl must hide from, outsmart, or outrun the hunting spirits while she searches for clues to find her loved ones."
Current review scores as of date:
Gameranking's Ranking: 78.00%
Metacritic's Metascore: 75
Several review closing comments:
"So, simple as it might look, but Yomawari is a remarkably complex game that aims to be something far loftier than most attempts at interactive horror. Its intensity is in its subtleties, and the way it is constructed makes it a masterclass in the aesthetics and theming of one of the most important art traditions to have ever come from Japanese culture" -Digitally Downloaded
"It reminded me a lot about the story the director of Yomawari, Yu Mizokami, told us during Anime Expo. She talked about how she used to work late into the night on Disgaea 5. Since she lives way out in the Japanese countryside, she would have to drive on these dirt roads where there was little light to speak of.
During those moments she’d think of the scary things that may appear while she was driving, which in turn inspired the composition of the game. It’s something I’m sure a lot of us can empathize with.
It was certainly something I thought about a lot playing through the game. I still deal with a slight fear of the darkness. Just thinking about these spirits leaping out from behind me makes me nervous (though I guess spirits aren’t the only thing I should be afraid of living around Los Angeles).
I don’t think I’ll ever forget the bone-chilling reaction I had in the opening moments of Yomawari: Night Alone. It was the perfect way to grab someone’s attention and immerse them into the tone of the game.
If it wasn’t for the hindrance of the mechanics and the length of the game, we’d be looking at one of the best games of the year. However, I would still highly recommend it for anyone looking for a fascinating experience deserving of a sequel." -RPG Site
"I still get chills thinking about my time with Yomawari: Night Alone. Whether it's a particularly scary moment that pops into my head or one of the many weird visuals that I just can't get out of my mind, this is a game that's going to stick with me for a while. I just wish there was more of it for me to remember." -Destructoid
"While most people mention the likes of Resident Evil 4 when questioned about horror, I consider Corpse Party as one of the finest forms of interactive horror in gaming. Having completed Yomawari, I now have another game to recommend to any fan of horror media. It is flawed but an experience worth having. I recommend playing it in the night with a good pair of headphones in a single sitting." -God is a Geek
"Dive into Yomawari: Night Alone expecting a bitesized creepy exploration adventure and you’ll have a lot of fun. Although a significant lack of actual scares is replaced more with a definite sense of unease and the story is rather secondary, the generally bleak and atmospheric small-town setting never fails to remain fun to investigate and run around in. Yomawari: Night Alone is a well thought-out survival game that uses stealth to a smart degree, even if you still “ain’t afraid of no ghosts” by the time the adventure comes to an end." -GameSpew
"Thread 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." -PlayStationLifeStyle
"After the high tech extravaganzas of the last few weeks it’s a real pleasure to play a game whose appeal lies beyond just surface novelty. But as easy as it is to admire Yomawari it’s far from perfect, and despite everything we’ve just said about the spirits they do end up killing you very easily, and that often becomes frustrating. The game’s difficultly is set very high, and some sequences rely on trial and error that bogs them down unnecessarily.
There’s also the problem that the game won’t take most people more than three or four hours to complete. Physical copies apparently come with a free copy of Nippon Ichi’s htoL#NiQ, but otherwise that makes for a rather expensive Halloween treat. It is one worth experiencing if you can though, as it’s certainly not one you’ll forget. Especially not at night, when the spirits come out to play…" -Metro
The Official Trailer:
Yomawari: Night Alone official site.
You can order the Limited and Standard Editions from NIS America's website found here. You can also purchase this title from other outlets such as Amazon and Gamestop. Please note that the Tumbler included with Limited Edition is only available through NIS America's website.
The Limited Edition from NIS America:
