World of Horror Implements Appropriately Disturbing Game Mechanics
Throughout an investigation, players need to keep track of their Doom, their Stamina, and their Reason. Doom is effectively a timer that counts up toward Shiokawa’s destruction. Failing events can add more Doom and solving mysteries removes Doom. If the Doom counter hits 100%, the player loses. Stamina and Reason are health and sanity respectively, with both resulting in a game over if either happens to reach zero at any point. These three stats also often serve as resources, with players spending them to do things like cast spells or pass certain events.
Once players manage to solve the five mysteries afflicting Shiokawa, they’ll have to ascend the town’s lighthouse and face off against an old god that’s attempting to take over. The old god’s chosen at the start of the game, with each one bringing unique gameplay changes and lore. From a demonic entity that burned down the Library of Alexandria to a horrific spider queen, the eldritch gods in World of Horror feel right at home within Lovecraftian mythos without being direct references.
World of Horror Sets Up a Compelling Horror Mystery
In the game, the Japanese coastal town of Shiokawa has been struck with a concerning amount of odd mysteries, and it’s up to the player to solve them. These mysteries range from taking inspiration from Japanese folklore to being more modern tales of terror that wouldn’t be out of place in an episode of Black Mirror. All of these mysteries have a distinctly Eldritch feel to them, often involving cults, rituals, old gods, and otherworldly magic. There’s also plenty of shocking and gory imagery that Juni Ito fans will love.
To investigate these mysteries, players will be tasked with examining various locations throughout the town of Shiokawa. Each investigation involves an event that players will need to resolve. These events are handled in a deck-like system, where a new event is drawn from a set number of possible options. Once an event is played, it cannot be encountered again during that particular playthrough. Resolving events typically involves a skill check, using an item, or making a choice based on the information gathered until that point.
World of Horror Uses Elements of Roguelikes to Enhance the Experience
While World of Horror isn’t primarily a roguelike, it certainly borrows a lot from the genre to enhance the proceedings. While the five mysteries players have to solve are randomized each playthrough, there are always multiple routes to explore, with many requiring experimentation and exploration to discover. There’s also an alternate timeline option that players can select when they start a new game. This unlocks unique ending options for some mysteries. Replayability is a key feature of roguelikes, and World of Horror has replayability in spades.
With its wonderfully written mysteries and horrific illustrations, World of Horror is a game that horror fans are sure to fall in love with. The game’s inspirations are clear to see just by playing it, especially since the developer is clearly a huge fan of both H.P. Lovecraft and Junji Ito. While there are many Eldritch horror games to play this Halloween season, none are quite as much of a love letter to the genre’s giants as the fascinatingly macabre World of Horror.
World of Horror’s Events and Mystery Solutions Can Change in Different Playthroughs
World of Horror’s storytelling is done wonderfully well, especially when it comes to the writing of the mysteries. Things might start out with a missing person or an immensely popular ramen shop. As players begin digging into these incidents, they’ll slowly begin to uncover just how horrifying things truly are. Or, maybe they won’t. Since every mystery has multiple endings, it’s entirely possible that things won’t ever escalate beyond being odd, leaving a ton of questions for players to explore with repeat playthroughs.
Another reason to replay the same mysteries is to get new events, as each event is wonderfully illustrated in great detail. The Junji Ito inspiration shines through the most in the game’s artwork, as it borders on unsettling creepy to disturbingly visceral. Something about the limited one-bit art style only makes things that much more unsettling, perhaps due to how the absence of detail allows players to fill in the gaps with their own imagination.
