Yomawari: Midnight Shadows Critic Reviews

Telling a horror story this effectively with so few words takes a mastery of the genre that very, very few possess.

I long for tense, atmospheric experiences that get me shivering and shaken and Yomawari: Midnight Shadows shook me to my core. It’s a masterful horror game that tops anything else on the Vita, and rivals many other things on the PS4 as it blends detailed sound-design with rich art and a somber narrative to craft a breath-taking horror experience. Some puzzle segments can be obtuse, and the ending lacks the same sense of accomplishment of the first game, but despite all that, Yomawari continues to perfectly define horror.

Yomawari: Midnight Shadows has everything a horror game needs, engaging story and characters, creepy town, and scary spirits. Most importantly, it shows a significant improvement over what the previous entry in the series offered. Sadly, the game lacks more explorable areas and also a more extensive variety of enemies, who end up overstaying their welcome in the later parts of the game.

If you enjoyed Yomawari: Night Alone, you'll love Midnight Shadows. It keeps the creative elements of its predecessor intact while expanding on some of its finer points. If you haven't played Night Alone, you can still jump into Midnight Shadows and experience the same surprises as the original, both scary and cute.

Yomawari Midnight Shadows follows its predecessor in major aspects but is getting better in others like the graphic style and the game's story. The playability keeps on the same level with minor improvements but is interesting to play. Graphically it has a notable upgrade and the atmosphere maintains a good level from the first game, especially in monster design and sound.

There are challenging moments in the game that only make it more aggravating. It really tests your patience especially near the end where you experience a number of trial-and-error moments. However, I can’t say it bothered me as much this time around only because I had already dealt with it previously. On the other hand, it was fascinating being able to observe the fate of two different girls and see the plight from their individual perspectives. The visual and audio design shine brightly in this bleak journey that never breaks from its ambiance and distressing frame of mind. This carries all the way through to the ending which sets a somber mood. So if you’re looking for a frightening adventure that subverts your assumptions, and if you can get around the checkpoint system, the unnerving atmosphere of Yomawari: Midnight Shadows may do you in.

In many ways, Midnight Shadows is the definitive Yomawari experience for anyone seeking a slightly fresher take on a survival horror game.

Yomawari: Midnight Shadows is a cute-looking survival horror game, with unexpected twists and a surprisingly dark narrative. The same unintuitive control scheme seen before can hinder the experience somewhat, but gamers familiar with those issues from the original Vita release should adapt in no time.

Yomawari: Midnight Shadows is a worthy successor to one of my favourite horror games and an unforgettable experience that is marred with a few annoyances.

Yomawari: Midnight Shadows is wonderful, strange, scary, sad, creepy, startling and cute in equal measure. It deftly juggles a large number of emotions from one moment to the next, and if the story progress is frequently interrupted by exploring the town or getting killed while figuring out the next challenge, it never takes too long to get to the next part to be a serious interruption. If you played Night Alone you can jump right in with no learning curve, but if you missed the first one there’s only a small connecting point between the two games that’s more for fun than any level of necessary continuity. One of the things that took me by surprise with Night Alone is how the game stayed with me after it was done, getting better in memory than it actually was to play thanks to a story that made the rough parts worth fighting through. Yomawari: Midnight Shadows clears those issues away and looks good doing it, effortlessly turning a quirky one-off into one of the best new horror series in a long time.

Yomawari: Midnight Shadows puts cute girls in a dark soundscape to create a wonderfully unnerving experience.

If you enjoy survival horror games which rely on atmospheric and subtle visuals and audio cues instead of cheap jump-scares, you will definitely love Yomawari: Midnight Shadows. It's an extremely creative game with an adorable outlook and incredibly dark undertones. Prepare to forgive the repetitiveness later in the game, and I can assure that you will have one scary (and cute) survival horror experience.

Yomawari: Midnight Shadows tells a new story of two young girls and their strong friendship. Those who already appreciated the previous game can give a chance also to this new adventure.

Yomawari: Midnight Shadows will cause you to scream out of fear multiple times.

It's a great sequel to a very original game. It doesn't offer anything particularly new, but if you liked the first one, make sure you play it.

An adventure that should be played by every fan of the survival horror genre. It is not based on gaming cliché and has an amazing 2D style that shows that great games can be created without having too many resources.

Yomawari: Midnight Shadows is a terrifying game with a claustrophobic and oppressive atmosphere. Whilst the moment to moment gameplay may be repetitive the overall style of the game does more than enough to drag you in. If you're looking for a real fright then this could be the game for you.

Yomawari: Midnight Shadows shines a brave light to eschew some genre conventions, but not all. Though the lack of sound and solemn streets are sure to please anyone who loves horror, the abundance of save points makes death inconsequential, removing some terror that the atmosphere instills. Despite that, this is a horror game that is still very much worth your time, if only for a rainy weekend alone in the dark.

An even better game than the original, whose innocuous visuals hide a tense and unpredictable survival horror of surprising potency.

Yomawari: Midnight Shadows manages to be pretty scary and goes to show how restraint can be effective in crafting horror.