Parasocial

Parasocial is a terrifying Japanese horror game about a V-tuber who accidentally exposes her face online. After thousands of people see her face, she is suddenly forced to deal with a stalker who appears to know more about her than even her best friend. With so much at stake, the main character Nina must make difficult decisions on who to trust and where to run. The game is very short at just one hour in length, but does have multiple endings so additional playthroughs are possible.

Talented Developer

Parasocial is made by Chilla’s Art, who has offered up several chilling horror games in the past. These include games like, The Bath House and Closing Shift. If you’ve played these games previously, you may catch a few Easter eggs in the game such as past side characters. Without revealing any spoilers, it’s evident that Parasocial takes place in the same area but perhaps a little later than Closing Shift.

The theme of Parasocial is the dangers of one-sided love. Parasocial is an actual word, and it means a person who develops feelings for and has a relationship with someone—but that someone doesn’t even know who they are. If that’s hard to understand, think of celebrities. You may know that celebrities birthday, know their face like the back of your hand, and even what the name’s of their pets are, but they don’t know you at all. When that knowledge turns toward feels of love, it becomes parasocial.

Until recently, these dangers were restricted to famous people. With the advent of social media stars however, anyone can become the victim of parasocial behavior. This horror game, in its own way, is what the game is about. Chilla’s Art knows this, and takes this unique term and a normal person, and makes a terrifying situation that could become all to true.

Terrifying Moments

It’s difficult to talk about this very short game without spoiling it too much. The game has a defined story line of just over an hour in length and has multiple endings. Chilla’s Art does a fantastic job of making the game very unsettling in the quiet moments, and downright terrifying at its critical points. The player will have to make decisions in the game on who they believe to be trustworthy, and those choices will be challenged throughout the game. Nina is pursued by a stalker, and the stalker is very good at showcasing Nina’s vulnerabilities.

It’s up to the players to decide what the right decision is, and the wrong decisions are severely punished in the game.

Rating: 9/10

Parasocial is a chilling, realistic game. It’s a scenario that could happen to anyone who goes online and has even a modest following. Although the graphics aren’t the greatest, it barely registers as important when gripped by the storyline itself.

Pros:

• Realistic
• Fantastic plot

Cons:

• Graphics aren’t the best

Parasocial is a horror game that will immerse you in the life of a popular streamer. Dive into the ordinary routine life of a Japanese popular streamer. Spend your weekdays streaming and completing to-do lists. However, in the life of every popular person there are dark moments and inadequate fans. Refill your blacklist every day and pay close attention to disturbing messages. What if the crazy fans are closer than you think?

Pros of the game:

• Get into the streamer routine
• Run away from crazy fans