Main game
2.74 average rating based on 19 ratings
I got this game after I saw it in an email from PlayStation. Since I love horror, creppy and weird stuff, I decided to give it a try, not expecting much. I was in for a pleasant surprise! The story was intriguing, the atmosphere creepy and dense, and the story had many unexpected plot twists. Usually, I don't try to get different endings in games, but with this one, I even went after a couple of them. Excellent game to play in one sitting. Some issues I noticed were mistakes in the text, sometimes I would get stuck in corners or trying to go through a door or hallway, and important items were hard to notice sometimes. I am happy I took a chance with this game.
Stranga Games delivers on with Yokai-themed adventure games, with light leanings on horror and easy-going humor to even up the mood balance. My Big Sister is one major entry by Stranga's standards. I played it after its prequel "Ashina: The Red Witch" story-wise, and the connection of the characters in common helped make sense of the story where answers to questions would come further along the progression. It's story-focused with light puzzle elements that doesn't veer off much from object-finding and basic exploration.
The story of two sisters, including one turned to Yokai (ghost in Japanese), is a less common theme and involves some evolving plot twist along with the story. While the story bears some merit, the game has some jank in the mechanics and might take away some bit of enjoyment. But if you don't mind that and want some light Yokai semi-horror to boot for an adventure game, My Big Sister is a decent entry to go by. Personally, I'd recommend you check out its prequel Ashina, which came out after this.
I played the remastered version of the game, which I believe makes some small story changes along with the aesthetic overhaul.
I'm not down for writing a full review right now, so I'll just say this: Excellent atmosphere and characters, strong (if slightly confusing) story, and non-frustrating adventure game elements. I'll be playing Stranga's other games in the near future.
I have a soft spot for these sorts of pixel horror games, but this one just didn't work for me. The story never grabbed me (and was kind of just, all over the place), the characters felt too silly to take seriously, and it just wasn't ever that scary in general. Also felt a bit unpolished, kind of clunky for movement and such.
The puzzles were decent, and the story was okay. The downsides are that you either had to be really specific when trying to examine an area or not at all and you'd be examining the same place over and over. It felt a bit clunky. But all in all, the fact you could have different ending based on your choices was a plus.