'Tokyo Dark' Review: Not Your Ordinary Horror/Thriller Game
Critics are raving over Cherrymochi's psychological horror/adventure game "Tokyo Dark" days after its release this September.
According to Video Gamer, players will enjoy diving into the supernatural world alongside the protagonist, Detective Ayami Itō. The website rated the game six out of ten. Aside from the intriguing cast of characters, the dark themes of the game will reportedly keep many hooked until the end.
"Tokyo Dark" follows the adventures of Itō as she searches for her missing partner in the streets of Tokyo. Gamers will get to explore a variety of locations and interrogate different people in the hopes of tracing her friend's final steps before he disappeared.
The anime-inspired sidescroller is a terrifying game where decisions can make or break the protagonist. In her search for her partner, Itō will have to make choices on what her next step will be based on the information she gets from witnesses. There will also be puzzles to solve. Every decision will lead Itō to the frightening events that took place, and she is in danger of losing her own sanity.
Video Gamer said that Cherrymochi did the characterization of the cast of characters brilliantly, even though all the interactions were through text only. However, if there was one thing that should be improved, it was reportedly the game's SPIN (Sanity, Professionalism, Investigation, Neurosis) system.
Meanwhile, Hardcore Gamer rated "Tokyo Dark" four out of five. Although the game is admittedly not perfect, it was still more than a typical visual novel. Some of the minor setbacks reportedly included the small dialogue texts, a bunch of misspelled words and grammatical mistakes. Overall though, the point-and-click adventure is a must-play for gamers who are looking for a thriller.
"Cherrymochi's take on the choice-driven style of play — fed notably through the lens of its uneasy Tokyo setting — makes this a must for either community. Be it those of the point-and-click sway, the visual novel variant or perhaps neither of the two. Because even if your decision in-game turns out to be the wrong one, there are plenty of twists and turns to discover in Tokyo Dark's hybrid of narrative and investigative gameplay to make the experience all that more focused, all that more perplexing, but ultimately, fittingly satisfying to resolve," the review stated.
"Tokyo Dark" is currently playable on Steam for Windows.
