Ikai (2022)

Ikai is a short horror experience lasting about 3 hours if you just focus on the main objective. The story is centered around Naoko, a young priestess and her fight against the spirits around a small temple somewhere in feudal Japan. The gameplay is pretty typical of many short horror games, including puzzles, running and hiding with no real means of defending oneself.

Personally, I didn't feel the game was too difficult. I was able to get through with only a handful of deaths and puzzles had mostly simple solutions, some, however required a bit more thought. Through some trial and error, one could get through the game easily enough.

The atmosphere was consistently unsettling and jumpscares were never too in-your-face. Death scenes caused me to jump at first, but after the first one, I got used to them. Having no means of defense, except for your own senses adds constant pressure. The aggressive yokai can be avoided and some defeated if you pay attention to your surroundings. I don't think you'll be traumatized playing this game

I enjoyed looking around for the different collectibles, some of which revealed some Japanese lore in the different yokai appearing in game as well as many others. I have always had an interest in ghost stories from different cultures and, although this was short it was fun. I plan to go back at some point to find all the collectibles and complete the game to 100%.

Overall, a fun experience with a mostly unsettling atmosphere. It is not the most original of horror games but the game worked for what it was. I pre-ordered this game and I felt it was worth the price I paid. The team that worked on this was small and you could tell in some parts, but the game ran smoothly and I have never experienced a bug or anything game breaking.

I look forward to more games from this team.