It’s that time of year to dive into a game that will make your skin crawl and you won’t have to look too far to find a title to do so. Today marks the release of Spirit Hunter: NG, the spiritual sequel to last year’s Spirit Hunter: Death Mark. The horror franchise has somewhat evolved into a more action-based style of gameplay. Fortunately, CEO Hajime Chikami has created a Japanese horror title filled with story-driven elements that will place you in the middle of the horror and task you with making difficult decisions in his new title.
Spirit Hunter: NG brings back the classic Japanese horror theme again with a new storyline filled with a dark moody atmosphere and plenty of malicious spirits that will hinder your progress in the game. You won’t battle the spirits physically but will have to overcome the obstacles that are at play thoughtfully through choice to overcome them.
In the interview with Hajime Chikami, the differences between Spirit Hunter: NG and Death Mark were explained, “While the characters in Spirit Hunter: Death Mark get suddenly thrown into this out-of-the-ordinary situation where their lives are at stake, in Spirit Hunter: NG the situation is introduced gradually and slowly worsens. The protagonist is completely different as well; while the main character in Spirit Hunter: Death Mark is a middle-aged amnesiac, the one from Spirit Hunter: NG is a hot-blooded high school student, who is more likely to act impulsively and take drastic actions to achieve his goals.” The difference in characters can make decision making much more different. This time around, playing in the mind of a teen may make decisions more black and white with very little gray area.
For those who are looking for a good scare, this may be the title for you. If getting jump scares is not so much your thing, there is an option to turn off Scary Effects Mode to enjoy a spooky story without your popcorn getting everywhere. Spirit Hunter: NG is out now on the PS4 and also available on PC and Switch.