Livestream: Escape from Hotel Izanami
- June 10, 2021
- Orgesta Inc.
- 8h median play time
"Livestream: Escape from Hotel Izanami" is a side-scrolling action-adventure game where players must search for clues in an abandoned hotel to escape a murderous mascot. The story follows online streamers Mio, Nana, and Azusa who travel to the haunted Hotel Izanami for a film shoot. When Mio is attacked by a living mascot costume, the group must face numerous horrors throughout the hotel and uncover its dark mystery.
Reviews
- The environments and character designs are well-crafted, contributing to an immersive atmosphere.
- The story is engaging with multiple endings, providing a sense of depth and replayability.
- The voice acting and soundtrack enhance the overall experience, adding to the game's eerie mood.
- The game suffers from poor gameplay mechanics, including frustrating enemy spawn points and tedious backtracking.
- There is a significant disconnect between the advertised content and the actual game, particularly regarding nudity and fan service.
- Finding key items can be overly challenging without a guide, leading to a frustrating experience for players.
- story54 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its interesting plot, character development, and multiple endings that enhance engagement. While some find the narrative to be somewhat cliché and predictable, the combination of a moody atmosphere, likable characters, and effective storytelling keeps players invested. Overall, the story is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal despite some gameplay criticisms.
“Livestream escape from Hotel Izanami manages to establish an eerie mood with the well-designed atmospheric environment and a great story with multiple endings, game overs, and cutscenes.”
“The combination of the moody environment, exploration, great story, cutscenes, and likable characters really hit home.”
“I enjoy the story, characters, and overall presentation of this game.”
“I was lured by the title, hoping for something original, but the story is as ordinary as it can get.”
“Nothing really stands out much, it's not really scary partially as the villain doesn't feel scary, the story is generic (cute girls go to haunted place...) and the ecchi is half-assed (only present in the cutscenes that are supposed to have tension?).”
“Though the story too seems pretty cliché - 'hey look a haunted house!'”
- gameplay35 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and frustrating due to awkward controls, poor enemy mechanics, and excessive backtracking. While the atmosphere and story elements are praised, the actual gameplay is often described as average or lacking depth, with suggestions for improvements like dodge mechanics and better enemy spawning. Overall, the game combines visual novel elements with 2D exploration, but many feel it falls short in delivering engaging gameplay.
“I really like the atmosphere and the background music in the game; it really makes the air tense and scares me quite a bit during the first hour of gameplay.”
“Livestream gameplay has a set of combinations between visual novel narrative, 2D side-scrolling exploration, and point-and-click puzzles.”
“Overall, the mechanic is forgiving and less strict despite its random spawn.”
“Once you understand how the only enemy in the game works, the run and hide mechanics become both repetitive and boring.”
“I liked the story, characters, graphics, and atmosphere, but the actual gameplay leaves a lot to be desired.”
“The gameplay relies on a lot of backtracking for items you can only get after a certain cutscene; you'll spend a lot of time being bored because of it.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Livestream Escape from Hotel Izanami" is widely praised for its eerie mood, well-designed environments, and effective use of background music, which contribute to a tense and occasionally frightening experience. While the story and characters enhance the overall ambiance, some players feel that the gameplay itself does not fully match the atmospheric quality. Despite a few criticisms, the game successfully creates a creepy atmosphere that can evoke genuine scares.
“Livestream escape from Hotel Izanami manages to establish an eerie mood with the well-designed atmospheric environment and a great story with multiple endings, game overs, and cutscenes.”
“I really like the atmosphere and the background music in the game; it really makes the air tense and scares me quite a bit during the first hour of gameplay.”
“Before you see the thumbs down and dismiss it, I do want to say that the characters, horror atmosphere, and story are genuinely good and that's something I really liked.”
“Never really felt too much horror, but the creepy atmosphere is there.”
“There is nothing about the game's atmosphere or characters or story that should be arousing, and yet every once in a while you get an interactive panty shot to really take the suspense away.”
“I liked the story, characters, graphics, and atmosphere, but the actual gameplay leaves a lot to be desired.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are highly praised for their stellar artwork and character designs, showcasing a captivating anime aesthetic that enhances the overall horror experience. While the visuals are impressive, some users noted that the musical ambiance choices were questionable. The game successfully balances fan service with a dark theme, appealing to a specific audience without excessive graphical violence.
“The artwork is stellar, and even though it's good, there are just some questionable musical ambiance choices.”
“Love the graphic style.”
“Character designs and artwork are great.”
“For a so-called 'sexual content' game, they did not skimp out on anything graphic-wise that didn't include the girls.”
“It has some Corpse Party vibe that shares a similar genre, but more simplicity and less graphical violence (don't expect guro scenes in here).”
“I never play any previous works of the 'qureate' developer team, but they share a similar art style and direction with different settings.”
- music8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally regarded as decent, complementing the visuals and enhancing the overall experience, though some users noted questionable choices in ambiance that detracted from emotional moments. Sound effects and voice acting are solid, contributing positively to the atmosphere. Overall, while the soundtrack is effective, it occasionally misses the mark in certain scenarios.
“Arts and music are nicely done too, managed to get me some jumpscares.”
“The soundtrack is very decent and plays quite well in most CG scenarios and conversations.”
“There are few moments that emotionally shift due to odd soundtrack choices.”
“The sound effects, music, and voice acting are solid as well.”
“Soundtracks are decent enough.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly when navigating areas after completing the game. While it doesn't lead to frustration severe enough to cause rage quitting, it significantly detracts from the enjoyment of replaying the game.
“Once you finish the game and can navigate the areas well, the constant walking becomes tedious.”
“It doesn't happen enough for me to rage quit, but it makes the game feel tedious.”
“Getting around is tedious.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a mix of vague plot revelations and character-driven narratives, which can evoke a sense of satisfaction, particularly with the true ending. While some moments may lack depth and leave unanswered questions, the soundtrack choices contribute to emotional shifts, creating a touching experience overall.
“It's not groundbreaking, but somehow touching and oddly satisfying, especially the true ending in my last playthrough.”
“There are a few moments that emotionally shift due to the odd soundtrack choice.”
“The notes you found reveal bits of vague information about the Izanami plot, but it feels less emotionally attached compared to the character screenplay, leaving some unanswered questions for fan theories.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of lighthearted and ecchi elements, with players finding amusement in absurd scenarios, such as the need for a chisel to remove nails due to the impractical design of a hammer. Overall, the humor is considered enjoyable and adds a quirky charm to the gameplay.
“Apparently in the world of livestream, you need to find a chisel to remove nails because those funny little spikes on the head of a hammer just don't have any functional use, it seems.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development is well-executed, particularly through the main plot that centers on three girls confronting their inner fears and escaping a nightmare, which adds depth to their growth. Additionally, the character designs and artwork enhance the overall experience.
“I feel like the main plot tends to focus on three girls overcoming their inner fears and escaping from nightmares, which elaborates on the main character development in a meaningful way.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is generally praised, with users reporting solid performance and no significant glitches or game-breaking bugs.
“Performance is solid, and I didn’t experience any glitches or game-breaking bugs.”
“Performance is solid and I didn’t experience any glitches or game-breaking bugs.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a solid performance with no significant glitches or game-breaking bugs, indicating a stable gaming experience.