As someone who isn’t typically a fan of horror, I was absolutely enamoured by this Junji-inpired visual novel-style game. The twisted art and unique pixel style sucked me in immediately, and refused to let go. It was probably quite bold of me to choose World of Horror as my first horror title, given it isn’t as straightforward as it may seem on paper. Each story route in the game has multiple endings, and it’s sometimes not easy to figure out how to divert off the story you’ve already played through.
World of Tutorials
I ended up trying the tutorial level multiple times to both familiarise myself with the game mechanics and aimed for different endings. Again, maybe I’m not cut out for puzzle-type games, as I got the same ending each time. Yet I persisted.
As far as the game mechanics go though, it is straightforward and I enjoyed the unique approach to the battle sequences. You load up moves that fill a bar depending on the stamina needed and then unleash them in turns. It takes the pressure off figuring out combos in live battles which I struggled with a bit at first.
As you move through the story you can interact with many things in each room that either aid or harm your playthrough. Maybe this is where I went wrong as I’m a total loot goblin and would pick up anything I found…
Each room is cleverly designed and gave off deeply eerie vibes. I definitely hesitated a few times before looking through peepholes or opening random doors.
The Horrorific Part
One issue I did come across was saving the game. Not once, but twice did I lose my progress and restart the entire game when midway through a session. The frustration made me put down the game for a while, and I still don’t know why the save feature was bugging out. But entering the game to see progress and achievements on 0% was incredibly offputting as you’d expect. I’ve decided to rule this down to the game itself being a smidge haunted though, and not a game bug.
Aside from this issue, the game had me gripped and offered high replay value. Navigating to different endings and noticing something new each time was a high part of the thrill. Thankfully this also made my previous frustration with the saving issue dissipate.
Art of Horror
This review wouldn’t feel complete without complimenting the game’s sound and visual design. World of Horror boasts some very interesting and bold graphical choices – it is another pixel game, but it is also so much more than that.
Something about the rendering of detailed pixels felt way more uncanny than if this game were rendered in more modern graphics. The age this game feels versus its true age genuinely adds to its fright. I wouldn’t say World of Horror is a jumpscare title, however. It is more geared to giving you a sense of discomfort and edging you into thinking any click could uncover something gnarly and misshapen. This harmonious blend was delivered with perfection by the art style and unsettling music.
Without spoilers, the stories were incredibly immersive. Plus, once you’ve played through each ending there is the option to build your own horror tales which I found to be such a great feature. It takes this game from a visual novel to something a little more sandbox which I’m a massive fan of.
World of Horror Review Final Thoughts
To sum things up, this game was a real experience. It opened me to a new genre of games which I previously dismissed. I found myself wanting to replay stories just to try for different endings. World of Horror is an ideal title for gamers who like causal horror titles. There’s a low commitment to the stories despite the range in difficulty, and it’s easy to pick up and come back to time and time again.
If you made it this far thanks for checking out my review! Now make sure you check out the game over on Switch or Steam.
The good
- Gorgeous graphics and sound design
- Interesting storylines
- Unique and great combat style
The bad
- Issue with saving the game
- Difficult to navigate new endings