This great atmospheric horror game is good but hampered by some average gameplay ideas.
- 2 characters to play with
- Creepy environments and atmosphere
- Sometimes really scary
Negative
- Combat is frustrating and imprecise
- The camera is a royal pain
- Lack of save points is awful and need an item to save each time
If you played horror games that take place in an ancient Japanese manor, you'll feel right at home with Kuon. Although there is nothing extremely good in the game, the annoying combat mechanisms, troublesome fixed camera and repetition keep this game on the ground.
The whole game isn't especially long, but thankfully there are 2 storylines to play through with 2 different female characters; Utsuki and Sakuya which came with different groups. The people inside the big manor have suddenly disappeared and demons which cannot be exorcised appeared. The story is interesting to follow, and the creepy atmosphere is superb. (..Haven't play Utsuki's part...)
Combat is the weakest point of the game. You normally fight demons called "gaki" which are creepy little things which appear out of nowhere and if not careful they might assault you without warning. The 2 characters play differently but for both the gameplay are frustrating. By using the square and triangle button you can attack the enemy, if there is only one it shouldn't be a big problem but if there are more than one, it can become quite a hassle. There are also ghost which can be defeated with one hit, normally appear if you make noise. The rather troublesome fixed camera renders the game worse. Fixed camera similar to that of Fatal Frame makes some things difficult to see. There is no loc-on system so if you are far away from the enemy it's easy to miss hitting with magic.
Quite a lot of items can be found here. Healing isn't a problem since Sakuya can heal by holding the R1 to calm down. But the lack of save points makes the game more difficult and infuriating since if you die you will restart from the last save point. All the health isn't displayed and some enemies can hang on to you and won't be able to attack. Certain puzzles can bog down the pace as well and looking for certain seals are also a chore. The controls aren't exactly great either and the slow pace is also a matter.
The graphics are good and it really feels that you are playing in a creepy Japanese manor. There is a lot of blood to be found, trails of blood as well as corpses. Again the camera limits the view but most important things can be seen ok. The manor is huge so it is easy to get lost. The repetitive nature of the environment is common in Kuon but the tense keeps the fun up. If the game consisted only of exploration, this game could have been better. The cutscenes are a bit strange with white-looking characters which don't open their mouth when talking.
It is common that lack of music is found in this kind of game. Some unexpected scary moments add up nicely, the sound effects are great and fit the mood well especially sudden noises. You can switch between the English and Japanese voice acting thankfully, mostly because the English voices aren't that great.
Although flawed, this horror themed game is overall good. The gameplay is a bit of a mess, but exploring the manor is pretty cool. Atmospherically Kuon rocks with a lot of blood trails, unexpected scares and interesting story but is hampered with clunky combat, fixed camera and the too few save spots. Anyway, those interested in horror-themed games should give Kuon a try.
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Graphics = 8.0
The environments are creepy, and the characters look good. There's a ton of blood, and corpses.
Sound = 7.4
Both English and Japanese voices are available. Scary sound effects and random chills are cool and low of music.
Presentation = 7.0
Decent cutscenes, a bit of loading between certain parts, and superb atmosphere. Too little save spots and if you die you start when you last saved
Gameplay = 6.3
Disappointing. Clunky and frustrating combat, a fixed camera and enemies appear out of nowhere. Exploration is cool though. Can't save when you want.
Story = 7.6
Interesting stories and that you can use 2 different characters add some. It is creepy and scary but short overall. Some puzzles are too hard.
OVERALL = 71 / 100
This great atmospheric horror game is good but hampered by some average gameplay ideas.