Kuon Critic Reviews

It definitely makes one hope there's a "Kuon 2."

It’s creepy, scary, dark, disturbing, gory and it oozes of atmosphere!... Unfortunately it lacks in gameplay. Everything is too simple, too easy.

Freakiest of all though, are those sunken-eyed ghoulish geishas that pop up every five minutes - more chilling than any slathering zombie. Brrr.

7 / 7 / 7 / 7 - 28

Even in its familiarity, it brings unique style and an incontrovertible Japanese creep to a game market too often overrun with generic zombies and mutants, and too often rooted in the soulless present.

Add in the different characters, the language options and the reliance on magic rather than weaponry; this is a chilling experience in horror gaming.

It's inhibited by ponderous combat controls, its repetitious nature, and an overall lack of depth.

It's atmospheric, creepy, and sloooooow, even by survival horror standards.

It's scary. Really, really, really scary...It features the scariest thing in the world. Eerie children singing.

A game that will only really appeal to fans of survival horror.

Kuon has a decent premise, and scores well on atmosphere, however it lacks substance and those niggly controls, together with the inconsistencies of the combat system, detract from the overall enjoyment. Ultimately, what could have been a gripping game ends up being a remarkably uninspiring experience.

Kuon has an interesting storyline, three playable character plots, and great atmosphere, but players may find the combat to be lacking in an otherwise traditional survival horror game.

About the only thing going for Kuon is the fact that it doesn't have "Resident Evil's" character-relative controls (but then, neither will "RE4"). That, and the story is actually pretty interesting... well, at least I think it is, anyway.

The plot is intriguing, but a poor translation drags it down. Compared to the likes of "Silent Hill 4," though, Kuon feels as ancient as its setting.

Kuon has considerably limited replay value, and the game is neither ambitious nor unique enough to warrant an especially enthusiastic recommendation.

The moments of inspiration are there to be found, but they're much less common than the moments of wanting to throw your controller in disgust.

Kuon is not a very deep game. It's repetitive, short and suffers from some control issues which gives the enemy an unfair advantage despite your best efforts.

Kuon has beautiful graphics and haunting sounds (including a choice of English or Japanese languages) that go to waste on a survival horror experience that isn’t the least bit original or frightening.

Oh yeah, if you can motivate yourself enough to finish both characters' stories, a secret, you unlock a chess game and secret character. Whoop-dee-doo.

Overall, despite the admittedly sloppy combat, Kuon manages miraculously to be even less than the sum of all its parts, diminishing and lowering the playability of the game as a whole.