Kwaidan: Azuma Manor Story
- January 31, 2020
- 求道庵（gudouan）
Get on Steam"Kwaidan: Azuma Manor Story" is a first-person puzzle-adventure game set in a mysterious manor. Players must uncover the secrets of the manor and its inhabitants while navigating challenging puzzles and eerie supernatural occurrences. The game is inspired by Japanese folklore and traditional ghost stories, known as "kwaidan," creating a unique and atmospheric horror experience.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
PlayStation
Reviews
- The game features a charming retro aesthetic reminiscent of PS1 and PS2 titles, with a solid 3D art style and great atmosphere.
- Gameplay combines straightforward survival horror mechanics with unique combat and puzzle-solving elements, providing a satisfying experience.
- Despite some jank and control issues, the game is enjoyable and offers a nostalgic experience for fans of classic survival horror games.
- Controls can be clunky and take time to get used to, leading to frustrating moments during combat and navigation.
- The final area and boss encounters can feel unbalanced and overly difficult, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- Limited inventory management and saving mechanics can lead to unnecessary frustration, especially with respawning enemies and backtracking.
- graphics17 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their nostalgic appeal, effectively capturing the essence of early 2000s and PS1-era visuals while maintaining a distinct and cohesive aesthetic. However, some players noted performance issues, such as low frame rates and graphical glitches, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the art style is appreciated for its detail and atmosphere, contributing positively to the game's nostalgic charm.
“The graphics are very good; it definitely captures the look and feel of an old school PS1 game with its visuals while still being pretty well detailed.”
“It's got that Dreamcast-early-PS2 era graphics and the vibes and quirks of a game from a super small team with a strong vision.”
“The visuals and sounds create a really good atmosphere and set a strong aesthetic tone all through the game.”
“Graphics/art is a PS2 style era.”
“I love the aesthetics of this game, but being locked at 15 fps with the already slow and clunky controls makes this borderline unplayable for me.”
“A lot of attempts end up missing the point of what makes older titles engaging, where a lot just throw in a pixelated filter, low polygon models, fixed camera angles and call it 'inspired by classics such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill' and end up just feeling like a half-hearted attempt at it, with visuals that feel genuinely worse than any game from that period and gameplay that feels similar to contemporary dime-a-dozen asset flips.”
- gameplay13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "kwaidan ～azuma manor story～" is a mixed experience, featuring fixed camera angles that can hinder player control and a reliance on backtracking and somewhat redundant mechanics. While the combat is straightforward and incorporates point-and-click elements, it often feels underutilized, despite offering a unique twist for a survival horror game. Overall, the gameplay is decent, with varied enemy encounters and a brief tutorial that quickly immerses players, but it struggles to fully capture the engaging essence of classic titles.
“The gameplay was okay; it's pretty simple. You have three items to deal with certain types of yokai: a spear for big enemies, an energy blast that can hit grounded enemies, and a mirror that can be used to hit enemies that are hard to reach. You can also block by walking backwards using the D-pad.”
“At the start, a brief tutorial serves to familiarize the player with its movement and combat mechanics, and immediately starts the player off with a boss fight.”
“The combat mechanics themselves are rather straightforward, but feel unique for a survival horror game.”
“If you play in origin mode like I did, the fixed camera angles will fight you a lot; they give the impression of being chosen for cinematic reasons and not gameplay reasons.”
“There is also a lot of backtracking and mechanics that feel a bit pointless.”
“A lot of attempts end up missing the point of what makes older titles engaging, where a lot just throw in a pixelated filter, low polygon models, fixed camera angles and call it 'inspired by classics such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill' and end up just feeling like a half-hearted attempt at it, with visuals that feel genuinely worse than any game from that period and gameplay that feels similar to contemporary dime-a-dozen asset flips.”
- story9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story of "Kwaidan ～azuma manor story～" is generally well-received, featuring a simple yet engaging narrative with unexpected twists that enhance the experience. It effectively captures a spooky atmosphere, contributing to the game's horror elements, although some players find the overall execution to be a mixed bag.
“I really liked this game; the story is nice and simple, and the map is tight and well planned out.”
“At first, I thought it was going to be a simple 'go to a mansion and stop the bad guy' story, but it had some pretty nice twists, which was a nice surprise.”
“Yes, it can be challenging (and sometimes frustrating), but I really liked the spooky atmosphere and the story of the Azuma family.”
“Kwaidan ～azuma manor story～ is a mixed bag of a retro action game, so what’s the story?”
“The story is okay.”
“It manages to capture the creepy vibe you'd expect from a horror story like this one.”
- atmosphere9 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its spooky charm, enhanced by a captivating soundtrack that blends piano and electronic music effectively. Reviewers highlight the strong aesthetic tone created by the visuals and sounds, noting that the atmosphere significantly elevates the overall experience, making it a standout feature of the game.
“The atmosphere is great, and the music is fine, with the ending/credits song being a standout.”
“The visuals and sounds create a really good atmosphere and set a strong aesthetic tone throughout the game.”
“The atmosphere saves this game.”
“Yes, it can be challenging (and sometimes frustrating), but I really liked the spooky atmosphere and the story of the Azuma family.”
- music9 mentions
- 89 % positive mentions
- -22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality, featuring a diverse mix of piano and electronic tracks that enhance the overall atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight the standout ending song and the satisfying integration of the soundtrack with gameplay elements, contributing to a compelling experience. Overall, the music is considered a strong point, complementing the game's graphics and puzzles effectively.
“The music is really good with plenty of nice tracks to listen to.”
“The atmosphere is great, the music is fine with the ending/credits song being a standout.”
“On top of that, the game has a nice mix of piano and electronic music that serves the atmosphere and mood quite well.”
“The soundtrack is decent, but the effects are nothing more than what you need.”
“The music feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it easy to tune out.”
“The overall audio experience is underwhelming, failing to enhance the gameplay.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally good on the Steam Deck, with users reporting smooth performance; however, some minor UI and graphical glitches have been noted.
“I'm playing on Steam Deck and it works great, apart from some UI/graphical glitches so far.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game highly replayable due to its short length of 4-5 hours for a first playthrough, although some express a desire for additional environments or a larger main area to explore.
“The game's short length (4-5 hours for a first playthrough) means that it's very replayable.”
“I appreciate the variety of choices and outcomes, which encourages multiple playthroughs.”
“Each run feels fresh due to the different paths and strategies you can explore.”
