Yomawari: Lost in the Dark

With its dark and sweeping tale of ghosts and curses, Yomawari: Lost in the Dark is set to be one of the more exciting horror games released this year. Yomawari: Lost in the Dark is about a girl who suffers from bullying in school due to the spirits that are attracted to her.

The bullying results in a prank gone wrong, leaving the main protagonist, Yuzu lost and alone in a forest. She meets a woman who will help her—but reminds her she has to keep her promise.

Yuzu doesn’t remember making this promise, and so must embark on an adventure to regain her memories or be cursed forever.

Room to Wander

One of the best features of this game is the freedom it gives you. You can more or less discover what ever memory you want in the order you want. The game doesn’t force you into a linear storyline, but guides you with hints in the form of cutscenes. You are welcome to pursue which ever ghost interests you the most, in the hopes you will be able to glean information about the promise you made.

The lack of handholding makes the game more exciting, and also adds to the tension—you have till 6AM to learn what your promise is and keep it. If you’ve ever played Five Nights at Freddy’s, you’ll understand the tension of trying to get your objectives done before the clock winds down. This game is similar, but now you have even less time.

Headphones recommended

To get the most out of this game, the developers recommend that you use headphones. This isn’t just to jump scare you, it is to help you figure out the location of ghosts. The game will help guide you with the direction of where a ghost is and where it may be heading.

When you play without headphones, these tiny details are lost and you may find it just a bit more difficult to find the ghosts.

No Combat

This game doesn’t rely on combat scenes to provide horror aspects. Instead, it relies on a feeling of dread from music, storyline tension, and failure to meet goals. You’ll have to save often and try over and over again to finish each stage, but each time you do it feels like a major win.

Very cute graphics

These aren’t stunningly realistic graphics, but they aren’t meant to be. Instead, you have cute almost RPG style characters moving around a pixelated background. The graphics are cute and well designed, with excellent lighting for the mood of the story.

Pros:

• Doesn’t lean on combat
• Great story

Cons:

• None