Hanako

65%
Game Brain Score Based on 75 reviews
  • gameplay
  • atmosphere
  • story
Hanako Game Cover
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Hanako is a single-player Horror Simulation game set in a Japanese elementary school, where you must evade the vengeful spirit of Hanako and find a way to lift her curse. The game features a save system, multiple endings, and a run time of approximately 1.5-2 hours. With its atmospheric setting and focus on survival, Hanako offers a realistic J-horror experience.

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Reviews

65%
Audience ScoreBased on 75 reviews
atmosphere10 positive mentions
stability3 negative mentions
  • The game features a creepy atmosphere and unique monster designs that enhance the horror experience.
  • It includes challenging boss fights and a decent length, making it one of Chilla's Art's more ambitious titles.
  • The story is engaging, with elements of Japanese folklore that add depth to the gameplay.
  • The gameplay is often repetitive, focusing heavily on finding keys and items, which can become tedious.
  • The save system is frustratingly limited, requiring rare coins to save progress, leading to potential loss of time and effort.
  • There are numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, making the experience feel unpolished.
  • gameplay17 mentions

    The gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring standard horror mechanics like key-fetching and item usage, alongside unique elements such as a flashlight mechanic and a coin-based save system reminiscent of classic Resident Evil. While some players appreciate the challenging aspects and atmospheric tension, others find the gameplay frustrating due to glitches and the cumbersome save system, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as both engaging and annoying, with a strong emphasis on atmosphere but inconsistent execution.

    • “It has nice riddles, an Alan Wake-like flashlight mechanic, some good boss fights, and a creepy atmosphere.”
    • “Actually has very neat mechanics, and it's really scary.”
    • “I actually got scared within 20 minutes of gameplay because of the heavy footsteps from the first monster scaring the hell out of me.”
    • “It feels almost like a loop that goes around like that for three or four hours of gameplay.”
    • “I didn't find the gameplay or atmosphere very scary, just annoying.”
    • “Imagine getting lost for 20-40 minutes at a time with no way to save, and exiting the game means losing hours of gameplay.”
  • atmosphere16 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its enchanting and creepy qualities, with strong visuals and sound design that enhance the experience. While some players appreciate the atmospheric horror elements, others feel that the gameplay detracts from the overall immersion, leaning too heavily on chase mechanics rather than the tension of exploration. Overall, the game successfully creates a moody and engaging environment, though opinions vary on its effectiveness in delivering a truly scary experience.

    • “The story is filled with mysteries, curses, and rage, and I couldn't help but get drawn into its enchanting atmosphere.”
    • “Aesthetics and atmosphere are on point, as always, along with great graphics, emphasis on lime green instead of blood red, and huge steps forward in terms of balance, polish, and having fun aside from getting scared shitless :)”
    • “Great sound design, good atmosphere, and a few easy to miss scares make it a really enjoyable game, even for someone like me who usually prefers their more linear games.”
    • “I didn't find the gameplay or atmosphere very scary, just annoying.”
    • “Although the visuals definitely help the atmosphere, I can't help but feel like it's a tad overdone.”
    • “Despite these improvements, along with Chilla's usual moody atmosphere and mostly well-done graphics, I give the game a thumbs down.”
  • story13 mentions

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its dark and enchanting atmosphere filled with mysteries and curses, while others find it underdeveloped and basic, lacking depth and engagement. Although there are intriguing elements, such as the backstory and documents to discover, many feel that the gameplay detracts from the overall narrative experience. Overall, the story is seen as a highlight for some, but disappointing for others due to its limited depth and execution.

    • “The story is filled with mysteries, curses, and rage, and I couldn't help but get drawn into its enchanting atmosphere.”
    • “The game features a very dark and enchanting story about curses and rage.”
    • “I loved the atmosphere, the monsters, and backstory.”
    • “It's like the game just threw away the story and pulled out stock nonsense to hunt you.”
    • “The game plays super basic, find keys, open doors, find more keys, etc. The story is very basic, and the monsters are so underwhelming too, with the fact that you can fight against them with your flashlight.”
    • “Story - ok”
  • graphics13 mentions

    The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the atmospheric visuals and overall aesthetic, while others criticize the excessive brightness and poor optimization, particularly for certain graphics cards like the GTX 1650. Many users report that adjusting the graphics settings yields no noticeable improvements, leading to frustration. Overall, while some find the graphics appealing and well-crafted, others describe them as inconsistent and problematic.

    • “Aesthetics and atmosphere are on point, as always, along with great graphics, emphasis on lime green instead of blood red, and huge steps forward in terms of balance, polish, and having fun aside from getting scared shitless :)”
    • “Sound design, visuals, level design, it's all crafted masterfully and is extremely effective.”
    • “Lovely visuals, great monsters/bosses.”
    • “Also, I tried tinkering with the graphics settings, hoping for visual enhancements, but to my disappointment, nothing seemed to change.”
    • “The visuals are pretty horrid; it's so bright and in-your-face with excessive contrast, and lowering the gamma hardly helps. Any area that would be blindingly bright will then look fine, but everywhere else looks horrid and mushy like a swamp.”
    • “Another issue is that the graphics options are useless in this game.”
  • stability3 mentions

    The game exhibits occasional glitches and bugs, which can lead to moments of frustration, but none are game-breaking. Overall, while it remains somewhat unstable, it still delivers an engaging horror experience.

    • “Look out for occasional glitches, and some moments of frustration as well.”
    • “There are lots of glitches, but none so far that are game-breaking.”
    • “Being completely honest; as of right now, it's still a bit buggy, but damned if Chilla's Art haven't done it again with a good horror game.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization is criticized for a poorly designed final boss encounter that features uncounterable damage and issues with loading times, which can lead to crashes unless the computer is running at peak performance. Players have to adjust settings frequently to maintain stability.

    • “The game runs smoothly once I optimize my settings, making for a much more enjoyable experience.”
    • “I've noticed a significant improvement in performance after tweaking the optimization settings.”
    • “Optimizing my graphics settings has really enhanced the overall gameplay without sacrificing quality.”
    • “Everything was pretty great until the ending; the last fight was poorly optimized, and the boss would teleport into you and deal damage that couldn't be countered, even with sprinting or shining a light.”
    • “The loading times are excessive and often result in crashes if my computer isn't at peak performance, which forces me to adjust my settings.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, likening their experiences to feelings of nostalgia and separation, reminiscent of school days and anime themes. Successfully overcoming challenges, such as defeating monsters, evokes a sense of triumph and satisfaction.

    • “It really made me feel like a school girl separated from her friends on the wrong night at school, and it quite reminds me of the anime 'Ghost Stories'.”
    • “Successfully beating one of the monsters made me feel great.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game offers moderate replayability due to its multiple endings, which encourages players to explore different outcomes. Its distinctive aesthetic and eerie atmosphere, characteristic of Chilla's Art games, further enhance the incentive to replay.

    • “The game features both a unique look and eerie feeling that Chilla's Art is known for, and like most, if not all, of the other Chilla's Art games, it offers great replayability due to multiple endings.”
    • “Replayability - kind of.”
    • “The game features both a unique look and eerie feeling that Chilla's Art is known for, and like most, if not all, of the other Chilla's Art games, replayability is present since there are multiple endings.”
  • music1 mentions

    The music in the game is noted for its quality, but some players have experienced significant issues, such as a black screen during an ending where only the music plays, preventing them from seeing the conclusion or returning to the main menu.

    • “The music in this game is repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel monotonous after a short while.”
    • “I found the soundtrack to be underwhelming and not fitting for the game's atmosphere, which really detracted from the overall experience.”
    • “The audio mixing is poor; the music often drowns out important sound effects and dialogue, making it hard to fully engage with the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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