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--- lb:paranormasight [2026-02-25 08:46:03] – [PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse] ninjasr
+++ lb:paranormasight [2026-03-23 10:39:17] (current) – ninjasr
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 ====== PARANORMASIGHT ======
 <div subtitle>
+<div callout>
+This article has been marked for a re-write.
+</div>
 {{tag>games otaku visual_novels}}
 </div>
 {{ img:b:r:paranormasight.png?460 |PARANORMASIGHT}}
-<span denote :ja>**パラノマサイト FILE23 本所七不思議**</span>(PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo)((:fn:><span denote>FILE23</span> conspicuously missing from the localized title for some reason.)) is a mystery [[lb:visual.novels|Visual Novel]] with horror elements developed by **[[lb:squeenix|SQUARE ENIX]]**. The story revolves around an occult ritual that releases a set of cursed objects and each person with a curse is then forced to kill the rest for the purposes of //another// occult ritual.
+<dfn :ja>パラノマサイト</dfn>(PARANORMASIGHT) is a mystery [[lb:games|Game]]\[[lb:visual.novels|Visual Novel]] series with horror elements developed by **[[lb:squeenix|SQUARE ENIX]]**. The franchise is mostly based around legends in a particular locale, blended together to produce an original story. Usually related to //curses//, //cursed objects// and the //**occult**//.
-<div callout>
-The second game came out just a few days ago, so I've been playing it basically non-stop. Once I'm done and I gather my thoughts, this article will be restructured a little.
+<div sheet fit center>
+Re-write progress:
+<ul list check>
+<li item [data-check=check]>Writing Pass</li>
+<li item>Formatting Pass</li>
+<li item [data-check=uncheck]>Image Pass</li>
+</ul>
 </div>
+===== Notes =====
+==== Visual Novels or Games? ====
+One thing I'd like to get out of the way first is terminology.
+When I first wrote this article (and the review for the first game), I thought of <cite>Paranormasight</cite> as being a hybrid game/VN that leaned more on being a visual novel rather than a game. After playing the second game, I've changed my mind...I now think that <cite>Paranormasight</cite> leans more on being a game than a visual novel.
+My thinking here is that there are too many gameplay mechanics for the games to be considered visual novels only. The inspection of the environment, the puzzles, the story chart, etc. all point to them being games.
+Of course, the fact they're //hybrids// does make this a bit confusing.
 ===== Reviews =====
 ==== PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo ====
-<div rating>
+<div subtitle>
+<div rating [data-rating=5] [data-favorite=true]>
 <div heart>♥</div>
 <div star>★</div>
@@ Line 16: / Line 35: @@
 <div star>★</div>
 <div star>★</div>
-<div star disabled>★</div>
+<div star>★</div>
+<div star>★</div>
+</div>
 </div>
 <div passage>
-<cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite> is a bit deceptive in how it presents itself versus how it really is.
+<dfn :ja>パラノマサイト FILE23 {{ruby|本所|ほんじょ}}{{ruby|七不思議|ななふしぎ}}</dfn>(PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo)((:fn:><span denote>FILE23</span> conspicuously missing from the localized title for some reason.)) is a bit deceptive in how it presents itself versus how it really is.
-It presents itself as a horror [[lb:games|game]] but...well, it's a mystery Visual Novel with horror elements. This might sound like a <span denote>who cares</span> difference, but it is **key**.
+It presents itself as a horror [[lb:games|game]] but...well, it's a mystery game/visual novel with horror elements. This might sound like a <span denote>who cares</span> difference, but it is **key**.
-If you're expecting to be spooked for big chunks of the VN then yeah, no, that ain't happening. Even on the VN/Game spectrum, it leans very much into the VN part of it. It has gameplay inside, but it's pretty linear all things considered. I might use the term ‘game’ later on but this is an accident on my part.
+If you're expecting to be spooked for big chunks of the game then yeah, no, that ain't happening. On the VN/game spectrum, it leans more on game, but is still quite linear.
 </div>
 <div passage>
-Let me give you an idea of the structure. The first half of the VN takes place at night. It's also far more exciting and tense than the second half of the VN. The second half takes place during the day and is much calmer and investigation-focused.
+Let me give you an idea of the structure. The first half of the game takes place at night. It's also far more exciting and tense than the second half of the game. The second half takes place during the day and is much calmer and focused on investigation.
 One reason for the difference in tone has to do with those <span denote>cursed objects</span> I mentioned in the opening text. Those can only be used at night and they accounted for about 70% of the tension in any given scene.
@@ Line 33: / Line 54: @@
 Yes, this is another situation like [[lb:croan|Cross Ange]] or [[lb:kabaneri]] where the story is split into two distinct halves. However, the transition here works quite well. It helps that it's split along the time of day (or night), which helps with the tone.
-The first half of the VN is basically filled with you, as the player, having to figure out what people's curses are, while not getting hit with them yourself. It's pretty thrilling solving this ‘puzzle’.
+The first half of the game is basically you, as the player, having to figure out what people's curses are, while not getting hit with them yourself. It's pretty thrilling solving this ‘puzzle’.
 </div>
@@ Line 41: / Line 62: @@
 I feel this is a decent place to pivot into the gameplay. Primarily, this is a point-and-click style puzzle game, where you're presented with a puzzle and, well...you solve it. The solutions to the puzzles are not difficult to land at, but they are creative and not immediately apparent in many cases.
-However, this is also where <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite> falters: it doesn't make full use of the mechanics it establishes. Among these mechanics are: recalling information; using items; using curses during parts of the VN. Basically, it's very railroaded and that's a //bit// frustrating.
+However, this is also where <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite> falters: it doesn't make full use of the mechanics it establishes. Among these mechanics are: recalling information; using items; using curses during parts of the game. Basically, it's very railroaded and that's a //bit// frustrating.
 </div>
 ----
-Now a hard pivot: <mark spoiler>Mayu's escape</mark>. I mentioned that the second half is more relaxing and, well, this is true, though there's one exception. At one point in the VN, you gain access to a character trapped in a room and escaping that room requires creative problem-solving. This is also one of the more frustrating parts of the VN, since if they extended the ideas from this segment to the rest of it, it would lean more ‘game’...but it would also be soooo gooood. Actually, more interactions between <mark spoiler>the player character and Mayu</mark> would have been great.
+Now a hard pivot: <mark spoiler>Mayu's escape</mark>. I mentioned that the second half is more relaxing and, well, this is true, though there's one exception. At one point in the game, you gain access to a character trapped in a room and escaping that room requires creative problem-solving. This is also one of the more frustrating parts of the game, since if they extended the ideas from this segment to the rest of it, it would lean more ‘game’...but it would also be soooo gooood. Actually, more interactions between <mark spoiler>the player character and Mayu</mark> would have been great.
 That said, I can understand that making it less linear would make <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite> longer which, yeah, that might be a problem. Especially on the development end. Though that won't prevent me from pointing out the missed opportunity.
@@ Line 53: / Line 74: @@
 <div passage>
-Going back to the tone and the first half/second half stuff. The second half is the majority of the VN, so for most of it you're calmly investigating and solving puzzles. The first half, the tense bit, is much shorter. Would <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite> benefit from having more tension besides the night segment? I'm leaning on ‘probably’.
+Going back to the tone and the first half/second half stuff. The second half is the majority of the game, so for most of it you're calmly investigating and solving puzzles. The first half, the tense bit, is much shorter. Would <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite> benefit from having more tension besides the night segment? I'm leaning on ‘probably’.
 I think it would have made sense to include a third part, which takes place during a second night, where the climax would occur. But...let's keep a few things in mind: by that point, you (the player) already know what all the curses do, what their limitations are and so on. The tension in the first half primarily derived from the fact you //didn't// know what those curses did. It wasn't just the fact you were in danger. As a result...I'm not really sure if more tension could be injected into <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite>. It's kinda...yeah. Although, while playing, I //did// feel anxious during the second half, because there was a deadline (the night) that I was getting worried about. That's partially why I think a second night might have been a good idea...it's what I was expecting to happen anyway.
-Another thing to consider is that those tense standoffs primarily take place during the Prologue which, y'know, is even shorter. There //is// tension in the other parts of the night, but it's primarily concentrated in the Prologue. <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite> kinda unintentionally screws itself, because the Steam discussions I've read indicate a decent number of players found the lack of ‘thriller thrills’ in the rest of the VN disappointing. Though, again, considering the circumstances, it would have been difficult to inject more tension into it.
+Another thing to consider is that those tense standoffs primarily take place during the Prologue which, y'know, is even shorter. There //is// tension in the other parts of the night, but it's primarily concentrated in the Prologue. <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite> kinda unintentionally screws itself, because the Steam discussions I've read indicate a decent number of players found the lack of ‘thriller thrills’ in the rest of the game disappointing. Though, again, considering the circumstances, it would have been difficult to inject more tension into it.
 </div>
-Now for the ending: <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite>’s real ending is a bit anticlimactic. This isn't too surprising considering how they went about it, but still. Notably, though, it renders basically the entire VN pointless, since it <mark spoiler>is based on changing the past</mark>. But this is a bit of a quirky situation, since many of <mark spoiler>the payoffs</mark> we see throughout <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite> <mark spoiler>//do// still happen despite the time travel</mark>. So, yeah, it's strange.((:fn:>I'm noting this in a footnote, but someone in the Steam discussions suggested an alternate ending where everything occurred but <mark spoiler>Yoko was defeated after the fact</mark>. I think this is an interesting suggestion but I find it difficult to figure out how it could actually be done considering how the story is written. The problem is that <mark spoiler>she's hidden for most of <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite></mark> with zero chance of <mark spoiler>her being discovered</mark>. One solution is possibly <mark spoiler>Mayu, who could have informed the player or the other way around</mark>.))
+Now for the ending: <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite>’s real ending is a bit anticlimactic. This isn't too surprising considering how they went about it, but still. Notably, though, it renders basically the entire game pointless, since it <mark spoiler>is based on changing the past</mark>. But this is a bit of a quirky situation, since many of <mark spoiler>the payoffs</mark> we see throughout <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite> <mark spoiler>//do// still happen despite the time travel</mark>. So, yeah, it's strange.((:fn:>I'm noting this in a footnote, but someone in the Steam discussions suggested an alternate ending where everything occurred but <mark spoiler>Yoko was defeated after the fact</mark>. I think this is an interesting suggestion but I find it difficult to figure out how it could actually be done considering how the story is written. The problem is that <mark spoiler>she's hidden for most of <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite></mark> with zero chance of <mark spoiler>her being discovered</mark>. One solution is possibly <mark spoiler>Mayu, who could have informed the player or the other way around</mark>.))
 To finish this off...a few disconnected thoughts based on my notes.
-I must admit that I looked at a walkthrough to reach the ending, but that was because it was midnight and I was too tired to think properly.
+I must admit that I looked at a walk-through to reach the ending, but that was because it was midnight and I was too tired to think properly.
 I really enjoyed <cite>PARANORMASIGHT</cite> and played it from beginning to end pretty fast.
@@ Line 72: / Line 93: @@
 The way the <mark spoiler>player character is integrated into the story</mark> was unexpected and handled with grace. It was a pleasant surprise is what I'm saying.
-I really liked the presentation of the VN, which was fancier than most and it really immersed me into it. Same with the worldbuilding and folklore. Very immersive and it's ‘cause it was well-integrated.
+I really liked the presentation of the game, which was fancier than most and it really immersed me into it. Same with the worldbuilding and folklore. Very immersive and it's ‘cause it was well-integrated.
 ==== PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse ====
-<div rating [data-rating=5]>
+<div subtitle>
+<div rating [data-rating=5] [data-favorite=true]>
 <div heart>♥</div>
 <div star>★</div>
@@ Line 83: / Line 105: @@
 <div star>★</div>
 </div>
-I finished the main story of the second game and got all the achievements <time [datetime=2026-02-24]>today</time>...so I'll be writing this review soon. Maybe tomorrow.
+</div>
+<div passage>
+<dfn>パラノマサイト FILE38 {{ruby|伊勢|いせ}}{{ruby|人魚|にんぎょ}}{{ruby|物語|ものがたり}}</dfn>(PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse)((:fn:><span denote>FILE38</span> conspicuously missing from the localized title for some reason.\\ Also, the original title is “The story of Ise's Mermaids” rather than “The Mermaid's Curse”. Unless I'm getting something catastrophically wrong.)) is the entirely unexpected sequel to <cite>The Seven Mysteries of Honjo</cite>. Seriously, I thought there would never be a sequel...at least in game form. I also found out that there is, indeed, a manga sequel...but I haven't read it yet and probably won't for a while.
+Unlike with the first game, I did my best to avoid looking at a walk-through. Unfortunately, I succumbed when I wanted to get the true ending. No matter what I tried and thought of, I just couldn't figure anything out.((:fn:>One particularly embarrassing moment was when <mark spoiler>while talking to the Mermaid Sobae, I answered her question incorrectly. Now, I should note that I answered ‘Mare’, but intended to write ‘Tsuchimikado’ or such...because IIRC, that's the name of the Onmyodo from the first game...whose soul you control thruout that game. I had assumed that I was playing as him again and thus I didn't realize I was playing as Yuza until it was essentially revealed</mark>. While I blame myself, I think the game is also to blame, since when I started it asked me <q :en>Are you familiar with the events that happened last time?</q> which I assumed meant <mark spoiler>I was playing as the same guy</mark>.)) So I glanced at it and...I don't think I would have figured it out.
+</div>
 <div passage>
-Unlike with the first game, I did my best to avoid looking at a walkthrough. Unfortunately, I succumbed when I wanted to get the true ending. No matter what I tried and thought of, I just couldn't figure anything out. So I glanced at it and...I don't think I would have figured it out.
+Let's start with the story. I think the story this time is much improved over the previous game, but it has fewer horror elements. Like, significantly fewer. So this game is a little more honest in its presentation as being a mystery VN game with horror elements, rather than a horror VN game with mystery elements. That's overall better.
-So as a bonus I'll explain what the big flaw with these games is: they both rely on meta mechanics for puzzle-solving that appear so rarely that you can go most of the game without needing them at all...and then when you //do//, you never think of them.
+I think the story itself doesn't have any real issues. Unlike the first game, where the ending is kinda off. The ending this time is pretty unambiguously good.((:fn:>I read some complaints on the Steam Discussions but I honestly wouldn't pay them any mind.))
-I think that they're clever, sure, but I don't think the game does a good enough job at guiding the player towards the solution. I should be clear that what I mean by that is...that the game doesn't really indicate that these mechanics even exist and sorta relies on you to figure it out...somehow.
+The story this time was also just generally more cohesive. Although it was told in a non-linear fashion, it wasn't too hard to keep track of most stuff and you could figure it out no problem.
 </div>
+----
+<div passage>
+Now for the gameplay.
+I think the gameplay is about the same as the last game...though it, again, has the problem of not taking full advantage of the mechanics it itself sets up. At least this time there are fewer overall meta-mechanics...making it a bit less annoying.
+</div>
+Though it's here that we get into the biggest flaw of these games: the meta mechanics for puzzle-solving.
+<div passage>
+Both games rely on the player manipulating the game via some meta mechanic. Whether that be in the settings, save files or other such stuff. But these mechanics are so rare and needed so little that you, as the player, can’t really figure out that you're supposed to rely on these solutions.
+I think that they're clever, sure, but I don't think the games do a good enough job at guiding the player towards the solution. The games just don't really give any hints or indication that the solutions to the puzzles rely on these mechanics...which means that the player doesn't even realize that they exist most of the time. It's just kinda assumed they'll figure it out.
+</div>
+The panoramic view camera mechanic was great here just like last time. I am, again, bitterly disappointed there aren't many other games with this mechanic. Though, unlike with the last game, I got the impression that it didn't fully capitalize on this mechanic in the same way the previous game did.
+----
+Now for a few minor notes.
+<div passage>
+I like the artstyle, just like I liked it last time. The music was mostly reused from the previous game, which isn't an issue, since the music is great. Honestly, if it means getting the new game out faster, I don't mind.
+I'll note something about the music that I realized recently. I decided to listen to the soundtrack of the first game (which I own) again and that's when I noticed that the music is actually different between the two games. Some of the music is re-used, but I can’t definitively say how much of it is (the main theme definitely is). There's also plenty of new music. So I'll have to wait for the soundtrack to release before I can make a proper comparison.
+</div>
+The subject of the game focusing around [[lb:mermaids]] is a big surprise...but I've gotta say that the lore they came up with was extremely compelling. Like, it all fits together so well that I've figured I could <del>copy</del> //take inspiration// from <cite>Paranormasight</cite>.
+----
+I was thinking for a while about whether I should give this game the same rating as the previous one. At first, I figured I should...then I thought I should upgrade it. I eventually settled on the same rating since...these two games are basically equivalent in quality. One does a few things better than the other...and then the other does a few things better than the first one. Thus they both have flaws and such that balance each-other out.
+I'd recommend buying and playing both though.
 ===== Trivilinks =====