Welcome to the wonderful World of Horror.

World of Horror entered my gaming space out of nowhere. I can’t remember when I first laid eyes on it. A random ad on a gaming site? A passing glance in a catalogue? Who knows. But, the cover was enough to grab my attention. And the description was more than enough to make me eager and hyped. I don’t recall who, but someone said World of Horror is, “Junji Ito in game form.” That’s the perfect description for it. This foundation is topped off with H.P. Lovecraft mythology, a combination of game genres, and seemingly endless choices. World of Horror is one of the most unique and frightening games that I played. I finished it near the end of 2023, and I plan to do another bunch of runs when the spooky season rolls around once again.

Trying to describe World of Horror’s story, like learning the game itself, is an undertaking. In short, it takes place in the seaside town of Shiokawa, Japan. Strange things have been going on: urban myths coming true, mutated beasts roaming the forests, sludgy substances emerging on the beach. That’s just a few of the bizarre mysteries that your character, an average student, will investigate. That’s not all. The Old Gods, all-powerful Eldritch beings, are slowly but surely gaining energy thanks to Shiokawa’s occurrences. The clock is ticking; the Old Gods will stir awake if you take too long solving Shiokawa’s mysteries. It’s a lot for an average Joe/Jane to do, but for some reason, he/she is the only one capable. The base story remains unchanged, but getting to the end is always different. There are different Old Gods and different mysteries that never make one playthrough the same as the next.

So, how does one go about solving said mysteries and preventing the world from going some kind of boom? Well, trying to describe all that encompasses World of Horror’s gameplay is also an undertaking. Think of a game with the presentation of The Oregon Trail, a roguelike RPG, a choose your own adventure novel, and a LOT of randomness. With that description swirling around your mind like a spiral in Uzumaki, you might be more confused. When you boot up the game, you’re given a few options: Spine-Chilling Story of School Scissors, Extracurricular Activities, Quick Play, Custom, and Challenges. That first option is one of the many mysteries you might encounter when you select one of the other options. Going through that will give a general idea of how a mystery flows. You’re pointed from point A to point B, and during the journey between points an event or battle will occur. Events will offer you choices that will determine either a very good or very sad outcome. I’ll touch on battles in the next section.

Extracurricular Activities sets you up with one of the main characters tasked with saving the world but limits the customization options and certain mysteries. It also introduces the Doom count. Moving from point to point will add to this percentage. You’re free to move to different areas to recruit allies or shop, but doing so will add to the count. The rest of the game modes give you full customization, letting you pick your character, perks, timelines, and more.

Sometimes, there will be bizarre creatures ready to drain you dry and give you a swift end to the adventure. In the turn-based combat, you queue up actions and attacks. Different actions and attacks require different amounts of energy. Going all in with attacks is never a good idea. Truthfully, when a new cycle starts, it’s best to run away from combat unless it’s forced. Combat can be fun and zippy, but from personal experience, it’s the one thing that caused my cycle to end prematurely. Stamina and Reason, the two stats that represent your hit points, are already drained at random depending on the events. Combat amplifies this drainage. The difficulty is at a ten no matter what so more times than not, combat would take a run from smooth to bumpy in a snap. It adds tension, but sometimes you just want to reach the end. Finishing combat, events, and solving mysteries grants experience points. You can level up your MC and earn some perks once they acquire 100 experience points.

The fantastically grotesque beings fought in combat look amazing. Actually, every aspect of World of Horror’s look is bizarre in all the best ways. The 1-bit look combined with thousands of creepy images that have contemporary animations are so, so good. All the imagery combined with the detailed descriptions of everything creeps into the soul; really making the player feel like they’re in a horrific situation. One particular mystery’s ending involving eels has you slicing your friend’s eye open with a scalpel. Incidents like these are the norm. This game is not for the faint of heart. The music and effects are classic bits and beeps that formulate a catchy soundtrack and some cringey sounds.

World of Horror has a lot of replay ability. Naturally, there’s a lot to see. The game keeps track of every ending, encounter, outcome, and more. While “finishing” World of Horror can take less than 15 minutes, seeing all options and possibilities will, obviously, take longer. There’s also a learning curve. The in-game messages recommend that newcomers start with Spine-Chilling Story of School Scissors, which I did. After I finished it a few times, I thought I was ready for Extracurricular Activities. I wasn’t; I was constantly asking myself, “Am I doing this right?” Some additional guidance would have been helpful. And while the game functions fine on the Switch, it’s clear that this game was meant for a keyboard and mouse. Still, don’t let any of these gripes stop you from checking out World of Horror. It’s a unique experience in and of itself, but anyone that appreciates classic horror with modern twists will appreciate it most. It’s not an easy game. You’ll meet many untimely ends, but you’ll grit your teeth and restart just as quickly.

Overall, 8.5/10: World of Horror’s mixture of game genres with inspiration from juggernauts of horror plays, reads, and frights like no other.