Square Enix has unveiled Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo, a horror visual novel that's scheduled to hit PC and Nintendo Switch next month. Its announcement arrives at the start of what's shaping up to be a fairly eventful year for fans of horror games.
While Square Enix is best-known for its numerous JRPG series such as Final Fantasy, the Japanese gaming giant also occasionally dabbles in smaller niches, including the visual novel space. Its last release in this genre was the 2018 mobile game Toji No Miko: The lamp of Kizamishi Issen, though that particular title never made its way out of Japan. On the other hand, the recently announced Ketsugou Danshi: Elements with Emotions is planned for a global launch sometime in 2023. The company's recent trademark activity also prompted rumors that Square Enix is remaking The Portopia Serial Murder Case, an iconic 8-bit visual novel from 1983.
As for the game at hand, Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is a super creepy visual novel that will task players with investigating the titular mysteries of a downtown Tokyo neighborhood. The story takes place in the late 20th century and follows a number of "cursed" characters, in addition to featuring a multitude of branching paths, most of which don't end well for the protagonists. That said, death Paranormasight experience to the point that Square Enix is promising players will never have to reload the game due to making a "wrong" choice, which should do wonders for its replay value.
Paranormasight's sinister story is said to be based on real urban legends, with the game also promising to deliver an authentic depiction of Sumida, the former Tokyo ward that Honjo was a part of. Overall, this sounds like yet another visual novel to keep an eye on in 2023. PC players can already pre-order it via Steam at 20% off, whereas advanced orders for the Switch version will go live on February 20.
Visual novels tend to be fairly low-budget investments for developers, but it remains to be seen whether Square Enix will continue putting out games like Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo in the near future. Despite launching a slew of titles over the course of the previous year, Square Enix's 2022 financials revealed declining sales across the board, which prompted some speculation about whether the company might end up culling its future product lineup.
Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is coming to PC on March 8, 2023, whereas the Switch port is releasing a day later.
Source: Square Enix / Steam
