近畿霊務局 - Kinki Spiritual Affairs Bureau | Game Brain

近畿霊務局 - Kinki Spiritual Affairs Bureau Game Cover

About

In "Kinki Spiritual Affairs Bureau - Kinki Shoumuchou", players assume the role of Mizuki Shiraishi, an exorcist investigating mysterious disappearances in a village overrun by malevolent spirits. Armed with a range of weapons and stealth abilities, Shiraishi must navigate a cut-off village, uncover the truth behind the incident, and ultimately confront the powerful force orchestrating the chaos. This Japanese-set action horror game offers a unique blend of combat, stealth, and supernatural intrigue.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

近畿霊務局 - Kinki Spiritual Affairs Bureau screenshot

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 180 reviews

story50 positive mentions

optimization7 negative mentions

The game features an unexpectedly engaging story that evolves from a humorous premise into a serious narrative, showcasing strong writing and character development.
Despite its janky gameplay and optimization issues, the game offers a fun and varied experience with a mix of horror, action, and comedy elements.
The humor and charm of the game, along with its unique concept of ghost hunting with military weaponry, make it a memorable and enjoyable experience.

The gameplay suffers from clunky controls, poor optimization, and technical issues such as frame drops and awkward camera angles, which detract from the overall experience.
There is an excessive amount of reading and exposition that can slow down the pacing, making some cutscenes feel drawn out and tedious.
While the story is compelling, the game is relatively short, leaving players wanting more depth and expansion in the narrative.

story
103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
49%
3%
The game's story transitions from a lighthearted, comedic ghost-hunting adventure to a serious exploration of government conspiracies, captivating players with its unexpected depth and engaging narrative. Despite its short length and janky gameplay, many reviewers praised the storytelling as a standout feature, highlighting its humor, character development, and the ability to tackle real issues within a unique and entertaining context. Overall, the narrative is considered a significant strength, leaving players invested and eager for more, even as they navigate the game's rougher mechanics.
- “Don't be fooled by the cutesy artwork and janky gameplay; it managed to have some of the best storytelling I've seen for this type of game, talking about some very real issues.”
- “But the story, the story of this game is phenomenal. Even for a relatively short experience at around 3-4 hours, I was really invested in what was going on as well as the characters.”
- “The story has managed to keep me hooked to endure the rest of the game, and it even managed to land on its feet without major plot holes to a decent conclusion.”
- “The game turns from a funny, goofy ghost-hunting Call of Duty game to uncover a massive government conspiracy in just six missions.”
- “Review: the game starts off as a funny design but it slowly becomes more serious and interesting; sadly, it's quite short and I wish the story was much more expanded with more plot points and progression.”
- “They lured me in with hilarious ghost hijinks and then pulled a political commentary and war drama, wrapped in an outstandingly written plot that made me feel bad for the NPCs who all have the same faces, all while operating on a very limited budget.”
humor
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, blending absurdity with clever writing that elicits both laughter and emotional depth. Players appreciate the mix of slapstick comedy and serious themes, noting that the game evolves from a lighthearted ghost-hunting experience into a surprisingly engaging narrative filled with political commentary. Despite some technical shortcomings, the humor remains consistently entertaining, making it a memorable and enjoyable experience.
- “The humor actually sticks for me, and I always chuckle at the occasional 4th wall breaking, and tongue-in-cheek explanations for in-game aesthetic choices.”
- “A remarkably funny, surprisingly touching romp where you're using a whole host of military weaponry against goofy-looking ghosts.”
- “They lured me in with hilarious ghost hijinks and pulled a political commentary, war drama, and just an outstandingly written plot that can make me feel bad for the NPCs who all have the same faces.”
gameplay
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
69%
10%
Gameplay is characterized by a mix of janky controls and varied mechanics, including shooting, stealth, and driving, which can lead to frustrating moments, particularly with movement and aiming. Despite these issues, many players found the gameplay to be enjoyable and tense, often praising the storytelling as a highlight that compensates for the roughness. Overall, while the gameplay has significant flaws, it offers enough diversity and engagement to keep players invested, especially if they can overlook the technical shortcomings.
- “Also just to give credit where it's due, despite the jank, the gameplay is still really decent; some parts are actually quite tense, and the difficulty matches the situation rather well.”
- “I was extremely surprised at how solid this game was; the gameplay had a decent layer of crust but played well enough. Even on the second hardest difficulty, I never ran into anything frustrating.”
- “Gameplay is pretty diverse; it includes slow-burn horror, melee combat, shooting, turret sections, stealth, defending points, and driving.”
- “Gameplay is incredibly rough, with movement that constantly has you going from 2 to 20 mph when turning, and a sluggish mouse with the 30 fps lock.”
- “No amount of good story can redeem the jankiness of this game's gameplay.”
- “It is very much a jank, poorly optimized, baby's first Unity project made mostly with store assets and there is basically zero redeeming quality with its gameplay.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
25%
58%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues, including crashes and choppy gameplay. Many describe it as poorly executed, likening it to a beginner's project with low-quality assets, and highlight specific problems like low field of view and excessive motion blur that contribute to discomfort. Overall, the game requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance the player experience.
- “Could use some polishing and optimization, but this is some good comedy horror with a fun variety of missions.”
- “Performance is a little choppy, but playable.”
- “It is very much a jank, poorly optimized, baby's first Unity project made mostly with store assets and there is basically zero redeeming quality with its gameplay.”
- “The optimization is bad (closing the game crashed my PC during my vtubing stream), the stupidly low FOV causing motion sickness and the ridiculous motion blur, weird camera and camera control choices.”
- “Please, devs, just fix the optimization issues.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The graphics of this indie game are described as cutesy and somewhat janky, receiving a score of 6/10. While the visual style may not be polished, it effectively complements the game's unique storytelling and humor, particularly in its military shooter aesthetic and terrain smoothness. Overall, the graphics serve their purpose within the game's context, despite their limitations.
- “The humor actually sticks for me, and I always chuckle at the occasional fourth wall breaking, and tongue-in-cheek explanations for in-game aesthetic choices.”
- “Don't be fooled by the cutesy artwork and janky gameplay; it managed to have some of the best storytelling I've seen for this type of game, talking about some very real issues.”
- “Especially terrain smoothness and graphics affect balance.”
- “Graphics: 6/10”
- “[th]graphic[/th]”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is described as a surprisingly emotional experience that blends humor with touching moments, creating an unexpected emotional roller coaster. Players appreciate the mix of supernatural elements, political intrigue, and epic confrontations, which contribute to its emotional depth while still delivering laughs. Overall, it offers a solid and engaging experience that resonates on multiple emotional levels.
- “The supernatural and political intrigue, the twists, the epic last stands, the emotional moments, the memes, the call of duty name color change to denote switching allegiances, it's all here.”
- “I want to make a joke like calling it Call of Duty: Ghosts (admittedly I noticed a few nods to the series), but it was a really solid experience that got a few laughs out of me and was a little emotional as well.”
- “Like an emotional roller coaster ride that totally caught me off guard.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The music in the game primarily features licensed tracks, with no original compositions credited, yet it effectively enhances the overall experience, thanks to excellent camera work. Reviewers note a strong mix of heart-pounding metal and traditional Japanese instruments, resulting in a soundtrack rated around 7/10. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's unique atmosphere.
- “The way the licensed tracks are used alongside Noto Muteki's great camera work makes this elaborate game far more than the sum of its parts.”
- “While I don't know if the author commissioned these soundtracks or not, they are pretty good!”
- “And while there doesn't seem to be any original music from what I could see in the credits, the way the licensed tracks are used alongside Noto Muteki's great camera work makes this elaborate game far more than the sum of its parts.”
- “A mix of heart-pounding metal music and Japanese instruments.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight a strong emphasis on character design, indicating that the visual representation of characters is particularly impressive and engaging. However, there is no specific mention of character development in terms of narrative growth or depth. Overall, while the design is praised, the lack of detailed feedback on character development suggests it may not be a focal point in the game.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy has been criticized for interrupting gameplay with ads, particularly during actions like throwing items, which detracts from the overall user experience.
- “The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, with constant ads interrupting gameplay.”
- “I find it frustrating that I have to watch ads just to perform basic actions in the game.”
- “The in-game purchases are overpriced, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending a lot of money.”