Cursed Digicam | 呪われたデジカメ | Game Brain

About

In "Cursed Digicam | 呪われたデジカメ," you pursue a supernatural mystery, receiving a cursed digital camera that captures ghosts. Your goal is to find your daughter's spirit in a nearby park using the medium-made camera and the hints she leaves via phone numbers. Solve this bittersweet journey in 60 to 90 minutes, enjoying the detailed Japanese park environment. Some technical troubleshooting may be required for optimal gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Indie

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 238 reviews

story29 positive mentions

optimization24 negative mentions

The game features an eerie atmosphere and unsettling sound design that effectively amplifies the horror experience.
The visuals are impressive, showcasing the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5, and the game is described as beautiful and immersive.
Despite its short length, the game delivers a gripping story with unexpected twists that keep players engaged.

The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to significant performance issues even on high-end hardware.
Many players found the storyline confusing and underdeveloped, with a lack of clarity in the plot progression.
The gameplay can feel repetitive and tedious, particularly with the photo-taking mechanic, which some reviewers felt detracted from the overall experience.

story
125 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
61%
16%
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it confusing and underdeveloped, lacking the depth and coherence of previous titles from the studio. While some appreciated the eerie atmosphere and engaging horror elements, others criticized the narrative for being shallow and feeling like an afterthought, ultimately detracting from the overall experience. Despite a few positive mentions of plot twists and chilling moments, the consensus leans towards disappointment in the storytelling aspect.
- “The story was engaging, but searching for the ghost became tedious and challenging, especially since I didn’t realize I needed to input the random numbers found around the map into the phone to receive tips about the ghost’s location.”
- “The story also kept me on my toes and I felt unfolded at a good pace.”
- “Thinking about the story as I sit here writing this review… I’m getting chills down my spine!”
- “The story was a bit all over the place, which is unlike any of the previous games, and I think it lacks the feeling of a Chilla's Art game.”
- “The lack of meaningful story progression makes the experience feel dull very quickly.”
- “The story is perhaps the biggest letdown in 'Cursed Digicam.' Instead of delivering an engaging narrative, the game presents a minimal plot that feels like a mere excuse to create a ghost photography simulator.”
gameplay
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
67%
5%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the unique camera mechanics and creepy atmosphere, while others find it repetitive and shallow, lacking depth in both gameplay and storyline. Technical issues, such as bugs and poor optimization, have also been noted, impacting immersion and overall enjoyment. While the game offers a fresh theme, many feel it falls short in replay value and narrative coherence.
- “The gameplay is simple but enjoyable on the first playthrough, though it offers little replay value.”
- “I loved the gameplay.”
- “Gameplay: straightforward, very much a scavenger hunt for the objectives with fun jumpscares.”
- “Unfortunately, after just an hour of gameplay (and completing the story), I must admit the game disappoints on nearly every level.”
- “The gameplay is a bit difficult and repetitive, the storyline is not easy to understand, and there’s a bug in this section: https://www.youtube.”
- “Gameplay/storyline is incredibly shallow.”
optimization
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
48%
46%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, bugs, and a lack of polish at launch. Despite its engaging story and visuals, the poor optimization detracts from the overall experience, leading to lower ratings and even refund requests from frustrated players. Overall, it appears that optimization is a major area needing improvement for this title.
- “The game could've been rated higher, but it lacked in game optimization.”
- “Cursed Digicam is a 10/10 as far as the story, scariness, pacing, visuals, and sound... but the limited checkpoints and poor optimization bring it down to an 8.5/10 for me.”
- “If the game were more optimized and longer, it could have come close to being one of the best titles from Chilla's Arts.”
- “The game could've been rated higher, but lacked in game optimization.”
- “I can't overlook how poorly this game is optimized.”
- “Poor optimization, a lackluster story, and the absence of the signature atmosphere that made their previous games stand out make it difficult to recommend this title, even to the studio's most dedicated fans.”
atmosphere
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
67%
7%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its eerie and oppressive qualities, effectively immersing players in a tense horror experience. Many reviews highlight the unsettling use of sound and visuals that enhance the creepy ambiance, although some express concern over a decline in the signature atmosphere found in earlier titles by Chilla's Art. While the game delivers good scares and a gripping atmosphere, opinions vary on the effectiveness of the narrative, particularly in the final act.
- “The eerie atmosphere, the unsettling use of the cursed camera, and the simple yet effective storytelling make it a must-play for horror fans.”
- “A truly gripping horror game immersed in a dark and eerie atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere that was created in the apartment and the park was top notch.”
- “The atmosphere that characterized earlier Chilla's Art titles like 'Parasocial' or 'The Bathhouse' is almost entirely absent.”
- “Poor optimization, a lackluster story, and the absence of the signature atmosphere that made their previous games stand out make it difficult to recommend this title, even to the studio's most dedicated fans.”
- “There was a lot of potential here for a dark story and creepy atmosphere to be explored; unfortunately, it doesn't quite realize either.”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
55%
7%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their beauty and ability to enhance the horror experience, particularly when settings are maxed out. However, many users report poor optimization, leading to performance issues even on lower settings, which can hinder gameplay. Overall, while the visuals are a standout feature, the game's demanding requirements may limit accessibility for some players.
- “The graphics in this game are amazing and the photograph mechanic is very creepy.”
- “Luckily I haven't had any issues, and man is this a beautiful game, especially with the graphics maxed out.”
- “The graphics added to the unease, making it genuinely creepy to explore the first time.”
- “I love Chilla's art so much, but this game was too demanding on my PC; I could barely run it on the lowest graphic settings.”
- “I initially tried lowering the graphics settings, but that only worsened the already poor frame rate.”
- “Doesn't run well, even if you lower the graphics.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews on the humor aspect are mixed, with some players finding the game's elements amusing while others perceive them as more frightening. Many express a preference for previous titles that featured more engaging storytelling and humorous gameplay mechanics. Overall, the humor in this game seems to resonate differently with players, leading to a neutral reception.
- “It's okay, even though I enjoyed the previous games more because they told a story and had funny gameplay mechanics.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is highly praised for its immersiveness, with users highlighting the background music (BGM) and ending theme (ED) as perfect complements to the gameplay. Chilla's music, in particular, receives consistent acclaim, contributing to a strong overall soundtrack experience.
- “The background music and the ending theme are perfect, and I love Chilla's music as usual.”
- “The soundtrack is good.”
- “The soundtrack is good.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews on grinding in the game are mixed; while some players found the process of searching for the ghost tedious and challenging due to unclear mechanics, others did not experience any issues and felt the gameplay was engaging. The need to input random numbers for hints added to the frustration for some, highlighting a divide in player experiences.
- “The story was engaging, but searching for the ghost became tedious and challenging, especially since I didn’t realize I needed to input the random numbers found around the map into the phone to receive tips about the ghost’s location.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has received mixed feedback regarding stability, with multiple users noting significant bugs and poor optimization as major issues. Despite these problems, some players still enjoyed the overall experience.
- “The game was also quite buggy and poorly optimized.”
- “My only complaint is the buggy parts of the game.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game provides an enjoyable experience during the initial playthrough, but many users note that it lacks significant replay value, making it less appealing for multiple sessions.
- “The gameplay is simple but enjoyable on the first playthrough, though it offers little replay value.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its unsettling and liminal qualities, evoking a range of feelings that can be both confusing and deeply impactful for players.
- “Unsettling, liminal, emotional, and mildly confusing.”