Review for Yomawari: The Long Night Collection. Game for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 25/10/2018
Since the release of Nintendo's hybrid console, a prolific and long-lived fashion has been established to bring to Switch an inordinate amount of titles from the past in collectible or remastered versions or so on and so forth. Just think of the recent The World Ends With You: Final Remix, Child of Light or Dark Souls Remastered. Switch is gradually becoming populated with an excellent line-up, not just independent productions. Today we are here to tell you about Yomawari: The Long Night Collection.
Released on 25 October and published by Nippon Ichi Software, Yomawari: The Long Night Collection contains Yomawari: Night Alone, originally released on PC and PlayStation Vita, and Yomawari: Midnight Shadows, which also received a release on PlayStation 4. Are you afraid of the dark?
Soon, I will be consumed ...
The starting point of Night Alone and Midnight Shadows is practically the same, albeit seen from different points of view: the dark. Since we were children we have been led to be afraid of the dark, the darkness and all the things that are hidden in it: monsters, ghosts or any other type of supernatural entity have haunted our dreams as puppies of human beings until the arrival of the age of reason, or almost.
The narrative premise of the two titles is also quite similar: the protagonist of the game will have to find a loved one who disappeared in the first moments of the adventure: in the case of Night Alone it will be the older sister; in the case of Midnight Shadows, however, the best friend. Our two protagonists must therefore, in the approximately seven hours that will serve to complete the titles, venture into two typically Japanese towns to reunite with loved ones.
“What will be so complex about all this?” You say. Nothing, except the fact that the adorable cities, at sunset, are haunted by ghosts and monsters typical of Japanese culture and folklore. And this is exactly where both Yomawari are at their best: the atmosphere. Wandering in the narrow streets, turning from a corner and hoping not to find anything in front of you, having your heart beat near an entity just like the little protagonists, all small and big sensations that you can feel even more by playing the titles in headset.
The sound sector is as simple as it is effective. There will be no background music, the only sounds will be environmental ones: the protagonist's steps, the wind, the acceleration of the heartbeat as an entity approaches. All punctuated to perfection in every moment of tension or relaxation.
By them… by the Dark
The two titles have a completely similar gameplay: there won't be big differences in the sequel except for some aesthetic refinement to the interaction menus. Yomawari is an isometric survival horror game with some puzzle games. The protagonists will have to move to two different towns, albeit quite similar, and avoid the various terrible creatures that will be placed in front of them. There will be no life bar, any interaction with an entity or ghost will cause game over and you will have to resume from the last save. Rescue that can be done at home or with the various idols scattered around the map. In the latter case, however, you will have to pay a coin (also scattered around the city) to make the save data, therefore it will be necessary to evaluate if and when to save, an element that increases even more the anxiety and the perception of being in constant danger.
The most important thing will be to learn the movements of the enemies and above all try to understand when it is necessary to run and when, instead, to hide or stealthily walk. Death will often come not so much due to an excessive level of difficulty (the two titles are far from difficult), but precisely for a matter of mechanics. Everything is mainly based on the purest and most classic trial and error, so arm yourself with patience and above all a lot of courage.
Yomawari: The Long Night Collection takes two successful titles from Nippon Ichi Software and brings them to Nintendo Switch, without any kind of addition. The strengths and weaknesses are therefore those of the original titles: impactful atmospheres, engaging sound and macabre beautiful settings collide with very few innovations between the first title and its sequel and slightly raw mechanics, which should have been refined with a second title. . Recommended for survival horror lovers!
► Yomawari: The Long Night Collection is an Adventure-Puzzle type game developed by and published by NIS America for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 25/10/2018
