Survival-Horror games aren't my liking. Yet here i am, reviewing FromSoftware's
Kuon (2004).
That's one hell of creepy title
screen. Not to mention that "Sadako" blinks periodically. Really
gives me goosebumps. Strangely the fire stands still, not flickering or
anything. Another creepy thing is if you restart the game, there's chance that
title screen changes into other alternative but still featuring
"Sadako". Maybe that one is just me being scaredy cat. What's Kuon? I
have no clue. There's shrine maiden in Toukiden
2 with the same name who also own restaurant. She's kind but her cooking
are strange yet beneficial. Anyway, there's CG movie before the title screen
appears...
What an unlucky man. Waking up by
strange noise in midnight, get startled by spider swarm in corridor (he most
likely has arachnophobia), and finally get Tenchu'd by "Sadako". I
hope you shall suffer no more, sir.
Forget it! The "Sadako"
fold his bloody corpse while those 2 creepy children (who sang scary song since
that accident in corridor) prepare the box that she brought. But dead man feels
no pain, right? Later she gets inside the box after the corpse and the children
close the box. Forget about opening CG
movie in any Resident Evil! This one is the scariest and deserves Oscar. Seriously.
Before i begin the game, i figure
i have to check the setting/option menu. I found out that you can set the
movement setting to either 2 Type: A or B. A type is normal movement control
while B type is the "tank" control. If you hate "tank"
control, you should leave the controller setting to Type A which is the default
setting.
After i hit the 'new game' menu, the game presents with character
choice. As the girl in red robe is in
controller setting, i choose Yin Phase.
Then i get to choose difficulty
setting. Insomnia, Nightmare, and Daydream? That's like difficulty option in
Painkiller or at least i'm sure Insomnia (the medium difficulty) is. And next i
have to set the brightness even though there's the setting on option menu
already. Just get on with the game!
After that, we have this letter:
I have been summoned by the
Lord, who resides in the manor.
I shall be gone for a time.
The Lord is acquiring my
prayers and skills.
He is convinced that his
manor is cursed
I believe he has an overly
vivid imagination.
Most likely he saw a rat and
mistook it for a creature of the
other world.
At least, that is what i think.
I shouldn't be away for
very long, but take care of the
shrine in my absence.
You must not forget to take
care of the silkworms!
Also , i am worried about Kureha's
health. Please watch over her.
Why you're very concern about you goddamn silkworms pet? Okay,
it's historical fact that silk (from silkworm) net very lucrative profit back in the day. Even the
famous trade route "Silk Road" is based on its trading. My second
comment: it's clearly not just rat, you dolt! The thing kills one of the
inhabitant as we can see in the intro. If i were The Lord, i would probably
burn the house down after retrieving my treasury, buy new mansion, and live
happily ever after. No need to call exorcist. Anyway, who's this Kureha?
That's the one on the back. She
and Utsuki (the lady that i will play as) search for his father in
aforementioned manor. I know that it's common in every horror game/movie to
have cliché of protagonists doing stupid thing that can endanger themselves,
but let's pretend that Kureha and Utsuki goes to (definitely) haunted manor due
to their love to their father, not just pure idiocy.
Once they go pass the gate,
Kureha for some reason decide to leave Utsuki alone. What an irresponsible git!
But it's kind of strange that Kureha leaves instead of Utsuki as it's Kureha
that has bad health condition which is signified by sudden coughing. So why the
sick ones leaves the healthy one and goes deeper into dangerous place? I have
no idea. But i have inkling that Kureha is probably not-good sister.
Especially when she leaves me near some strange guy and a corpse
here. "Where's the strange guy?" you ask? He's exactly across that
mini-garden circle. You can see his leg and feet, right? At first, he's
probably eating on the corpse. But when i approach him (very stupid decision, i
know) he walks away and -as if- mocking me from distance. He does both of us
favor.
I take some dust from the corpse
which turns out to be healing herb powder. How original. To be fair, herb
powder in Resident Evil only exist
when combined with other herb though.
As i hit the equipment menu, this instruction appears. So there's
2 button to attack that can be set to any magic card which i haven't found yet.
Therefore, pressing either button will make Utsuki use ceremonial knife that's
given by her father.
Few steps beyond that point, a
park stone lamp collapses due to supernatural negative energy. This causes a
tempest erm i mean Tempest
which can cause vertigo if i run. So there's benefit to walk instead
run.
The rubble separates Utsuki from
Kureha. Kureha stands still for a bit and leave without any concern to her young
sister and in fact she starts to behave like ghost. I forget to mention that
Utsuki addresses Kureha as Nee-sama. Therefore she regard her creepy old sister
really high. Anyway, you can set the voice setting into English but it's weird
to me see some traditional-Japan lady able to speak English fluently especially
if they talk to each other. Moreover, Utsuki pronounces 'Kureha' like 'Korea'
in that setting. Again, it's weird in my opinion.
I have no choice other than taking detour way to reach her. On my
way, i found another corpse with metal spike and wooden disc with silkworm
picture engraved on it. I reckon i can use the metal spike to stab vampire's
heart. Sniper_mvm_loot_common05.wav
Step backward from the corpse, i
found the saving spot in the form of small braziers and 2 rock on riverside.
What a complicated form. But i can't save here because i don't have vessel or
whatever that means. Saving point in intersection of early part of the place.
Certainly not remind me of that typewriter near main stair of Spencer Mansion.
[Extra Large Sarcasm]
Another junction leads me to this door that's banged periodically
by something or someone. Utsuki comments that it's not wise to open this door.
Good advice.
There's down stairway that ends
with locked door. So i guess i have to continue to the way of that corpse lies
*sigh*
Goodness Gracious! I swear to god
that the corpse was in the middle of the road and now it's dragged to the
riverside.
Some bald man feasts on another corpse across but i will ignore it
instead i will inspect that small shrine and see if there's something useful on
it.
I found a map and this tutorial document. Running can makes you
detected. Got it!
Oh, sure! I will just keep reading the letter over and over again,
hoping the game ends by itself. Of course, NOT! I want to go back to the game
immediately! What a stupid question.
When i return to the game, the
head of Buddha statue on the shrine is tumbling down making noise that the
creature that was across that park, comes after me then the first combat ensues.
Utsuki swings her knife way too slow and in awkward style. You see how bad her
stabbing pose? She bend her back really bad. Luckily, Gaki here can only grab
Utsuki. A weak grab if i may say, as Utsuki can break from his grab by mashing
button relatively easy. A half dozen of knife stabe or so, the creature dies.
Gaki means brat but i will keep calling his-kin Tuyul instead.
Pressing and holding R1 button, makes Utsuki meditate that cure vertigo and heal
herself. The problem is there's no health indicator and if i'm not mistaken Dino Crisis also doesn't have it too.
Oh, God! There's those 2 creepy singing
children played around that corpse and then leave.
I think it's not good to follow their trail but the other way
leads to this pond and we knew there's certainly something evil inside of it.
Fine! I'll go after them.
There's slowly opening door scene in many spot in this game. Could
this be equivalent of opening-door loading screen a la Resident Evil?
Jumpscare #1: Corpse suddenly
drops down on top of bridge's roof. And guess what? The creepy singing is here.
Really makes me uneasy. 3:<
Passing the bridge, i find this spell card. My first legit weapon.
Yaay!
Also i found another save spot. Strangely, the game allow me to
save here without the vessel or whatever that is.
Oh, wow! Those memory cards look fossilized. I'm impressed.
"...And there's also blood
smeared here but that's not important, right?" [Light Sarcasm]
Damn! I hear door being banged
again here.
So you're the culprit! I will skewer you for good once i know how
to get there.
Ah, freak! Those kids are here. I
have knife here and i'm not afraid to use it. You hear me? Well, they're
harmless. Instead they give me clue that everyone here is dead except Ayako and they wonder whether she still alive or
not. After that, they run away while giggling. A second after that, i hear
something or someone jump to the water. At least, their singing is over.
Near where they sat, i find memo
for Lady Fujiwara which -i doubt- is Fujiwara no Mokou. That's odd. Small
shrine where there's air drifting out (and -of course- blood spill), needs
wooden disks to unlock. It's certainly convoluting that you need key items
inside of locked place which required said key items. Anyway, i need another
spike from Miss Ayako. Oh, wait! I found
spike in some generic corpse before. Doesn't that mean he's Utsuki's father? No
way that happens. If that's really the case:
- Utsuki will tells us right away
- Game will ends really short (which i wish that happens)
Before i kill that troublesome
tuyul, there's section where i can see zombies, ghosts, or whatever wandering
behind screen besides me. Thankfully, they're content with walking left and
right, never initiate to break the screen to cause me harm or fear. Or maybe
not yet.
There, i killed the bald bastard!
The door is sealed with Seal: Venus. Can the
seal is removed by hand like what Kureha did without any mambo-jambo
requirement? Of course not, silly me! I need that creepy sister of mine, first.
Or this could be equivalent of Helmet/Sword/Shield key lock in Spencer Mansion?
Walking on other side of balcony way, i find corpse (that doesn't
carry anything) and a rope that leads to hole inside of this building. I don't
think i need to concern about this yet. So, excuse me! Passing through.
I can assume that the ghosts here worship Vlad the Impaler, can't
i?
Jumpscare #2: Corpse suddenly
fall after i want to pick his fallen diary. And the diary only contain writing
about the inhabitants here are disappear one by one and die in grotesque manner
like being impaled in Bamboo tree like what we saw before. Long story short,
the diary is garbage. I feel like i want to slap the corpse with his diary back
and forth especially in the face.
As there's nothing i can do in
that place, i go back to manor's gate so i can escape while i still have the
chance get hint where i have to go next. Another body is dragged to the
water. Wonderful! [Medium-High Sarcasm]
Anyway, i set the arrow magic to
triangle button and it shows on right-bottom corner, which is handy.
A cut scene triggered once i get into near that first saving
point. I hide behind the tree while watching the Yang-phase lady saves her
progress.
Suddenly, another tuyul grab me
from behind. Consider myself lucky that it's not that "Sadako" who
attacks me from behind. Also the Yang-phase lady summon giant wolf to shred the
tuyul, once she hear the commotion. Pyro_thanks01.wav
So your name is Sakuya, not
Sakuya Izayoi though. After intoduction, Utsuki tells Sakuya that she and
Kureha goes to this forsaken place to search for their father who's the elder monk
at shrine near here. Sakuya want to help Utsuki to search for her father but
she can't...
...instead she gives bunch of spell
cards (including 2 cards to summon the giant wolf)! Engineer_thanks01.wav
In return Utsuki gives Sakuya
the (useless) letter from Doman (Utsuki's father). Sucks to be Sakuya.
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