The Horror of Blueberry Onsen

About

The Horror of Blueberry Onsen　 is a single player action adventure game. It received positive reviews from players.

Challenge yourself while being chased by fear! A horror puzzle action adventure! ■A completely new version of the legendary horror game "Ao Oni"! [What is the new "blue tragedy" unfolding at the abandoned hot spring?] The once-popular hot spring inn known for its "beauty-enhancing hot spring" is now a ruin. There was a rumor that it was haunted. Hiroshi, Take…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

The Horror of Blueberry Onsen　 screenshot

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 71 reviews

humor2 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game is a solid follow-up to the original, featuring new mechanics and improved character interactions that enhance the overall experience.
Many players appreciate the nostalgic feel and the fresh take on the series, with some even considering it better than the original Ao Oni.
The addition of multiple endings and new puzzles adds depth to the gameplay, making it enjoyable for both new players and fans of the franchise.

The random encounters with the Oni are too frequent, often leading to frustrating and unavoidable deaths, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.
Translation issues and typos in the script have been noted, making some parts of the game confusing and less immersive.
Some players feel that despite the new features, the game doesn't significantly progress the series, feeling more like a rehash of the original with minor updates.

story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
45%
33%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the connections to previous titles and the expansion of lore, while others criticize its brevity and lack of character development, particularly for the character Ai. Although the narrative offers an engaging Japanese survival horror experience, it leaves some plot points unresolved, especially regarding Ai's backstory, leading to calls for her to be a more prominent character in future installments. Overall, the story is seen as enjoyable but underexplored, especially for newcomers unfamiliar with the series.
- “Like other Ao Oni games, this one is a short game that you can easily complete in 2-3 hours and enjoy a nice Japanese survival horror story.”
- “The expansions made to the lore are great, the characters are at their best, and the story is genuinely interesting!”
- “The plot story is too short and poorly exploited for the character of AI.”
- “The game doesn't say anything about her, so it's impossible to know it unless you have played the previous games, where her story is more expanded.”
- “But even with AI's backstory details, we never know why Mika forgot her.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The gameplay is a mix of intriguing new mechanics and repetitive cycles, primarily involving hiding and exploring. While the reimagined environment and expanded puzzles enhance the experience, some players feel that the new mechanics lack sufficient variety. Overall, the game offers a fair challenge with solvable puzzles, though it may benefit from more diverse gameplay elements.
- “The game's interesting and the new mechanics are really cool.”
- “A fantastic reimagining of the original game with additional mechanics and a bigger environment to get chased around.”
- “I feel like all of the tweaks and additions to gameplay over the original really helped to expand the puzzles, and all of the puzzles felt quite fair and were solvable without the use of any guides or exterior intervention.”
- “90% of the gameplay is walking into a room, leaving to hide in a locker, waiting 40 seconds for the oni to leave, and then finally exploring for the next 3 minutes until the cycle repeats.”
- “Another thing to note is that I've only played through one ending as of writing this (about 4 hours of gameplay), so there very well could be even more interesting character interactions that I missed out on!”
- “New mechanics are pretty solid and add more variety to the puzzles.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the amusing character designs, particularly the dog and the quirky cardboard cut-out characters, which contribute to a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
- “The dog is funny as hell!”
- “I like Ao Oni for these cardboard cut-out characters and the funny-looking monster; I'll be damned if I didn't see him often.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a unique blend of funky and unsettling elements, effectively continuing the series' departure from conventional horror tropes. However, a significant shift during the final boss encounter disrupts the previously established creepy ambiance, leaving some players feeling that it undermines the overall experience.
- “The biggest part of this series for me is its funky and off-putting atmosphere that it favors over traditional gore-fueled or boisterous horror tactics, and I feel as though this game did a great job of continuing that trend, outside of one major exception.”
- “Maybe I'm just bad, but it took me well over 30 minutes to beat, and it totally broke the creepy atmosphere the game had been building up to that point in favor of what I assume they thought would be a cool final boss situation.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find that achieving all the endings in the game can become tedious, indicating that the grinding aspect may detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “Getting all the endings can also feel a bit tedious.”
- “The grinding required to level up feels more like a chore than an enjoyable part of the game.”
- “I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which made the experience feel monotonous.”
graphics
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The graphics are generally considered acceptable, though many users feel they fall short of expectations and could be improved.
- “The graphics are underwhelming and lack detail, making the game feel outdated.”
- “While the gameplay is enjoyable, the visuals are disappointing and fail to impress.”
- “The aesthetic is acceptable but leaves much to be desired, failing to create an immersive experience.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that character development is minimal, with players advised to focus on the fun aspects of the game rather than seeking in-depth narratives or character growth.
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game has been praised for enhancing the overall experience, particularly during key moments like the end, contributing to a polished and immersive atmosphere that was lacking in previous installments.
- “I also have to praise the new cutscenes and animations, as well as the music that plays close to the end - they gave the game an amazing vibe and that nice sprinkle of polish that Ao Oni (1) was missing.”