Corpse Party: Book of Shadows

About Corpse Party: Book of Shadows

Corpse Party: Book of Shadows came to Steam and GOG in October 2018, an HD release of the PSP game developed by MAGES. (formerly 5pb. Games) under the supervision of the series' creators at Team GrisGris and published by XSEED Games. The PC version adds full mouse support. The store calls it a sequel, prequel, midquel and alternate universe tale all at once, and warns that it spoils the first Corpse Party, so play that first.

It is split into eight chapters, each following a different student in Heavenly Host Elementary, a school from another world where children were murdered and their ghosts still wait. Some chapters give minor characters from the first game their own story before, during or after it; others pick up where the first game's Wrong Ends left off and send the students back in, letting you escape a death that happened before, not always to a better end. The last chapter follows the survivors after their escape from the first game.

Most of the game is reading: long voiced scenes over anime art, with choices now and then that decide whether a character lives on or meets a Wrong End. Between them you explore in first person: you move from room to room on a map of the school, look around each still room with the mouse or a pad, and click on bodies, notes and doors. Many key scenes are recorded in binaural 3D audio, so whispers seem to come from beside you. The Darkening meter tracks how close each character is to breaking: certain discoveries fill it, it never goes down, and the picture distorts as it rises.

This is a change from the first Corpse Party and its sequel, which are top-down exploration games. Hey Poor Player found its stories some of the most disgusting and soul-crushing it had seen in a game, and some exploration slow, with rooms that hold little. The store warns of extreme violence in full-screen art, text and voice acting, including the mutilation, torture and murder of children, as well as fanservice images and strong language. It suits players who finished Corpse Party and want more of its cast and its grim school.

How to play Corpse Party: Book of Shadows

1. Play the first Corpse Party before this one; the store warns it spoils that game.
2. Buy it on Steam or GOG and choose a chapter from the menu.
3. Read and listen to the scenes, and choose what your character does when the game asks.
4. Between scenes, move from room to room on the school map and look around each one, clicking on objects, bodies and doors to examine them.
5. Watch your character's Darkening; reload and try another path when a choice leads to a Wrong End.

Tips

• Wear headphones; many scenes use binaural 3D audio recorded with a dummy-head microphone.
• Search every corner of a room before you leave it; clues and exits hide in the dark.
• Save often, since a single wrong choice can lead to a Wrong End, and Wrong Ends are worth seeing too: they add scenes to each chapter.
• Darkening never goes down, so think before you examine something grim twice.
• If you have a Corpse Party save on the same PC, import it to unlock extra art and the final chapter sooner.

Questions