SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist Review

Imagine you are an exorcist girl who is called by her teacher to come to her village, instead of meeting with the teacher she has to face an important situation where the ordinary world rubs against the spirit world. Yes, this is what Yono, a girl exorcist in the game, is going through. SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist This. Developed by Developer WODAN, This game is the second title in Publisher's indie game series project. KADOKAWA Game Linkage and ABC Animation.

Game This strategic roguelike horror is designed to be played slowly and thoughtfully to complete a stage. Hence, the pixel art visuals and excellent sound design create a gripping atmosphere. This combination brings out the nostalgia of horror games from the 16-bit to 32-bit era. Equipped with these nostalgic glasses we explored what this game has to offer, and found that this game is very worth playing even though it has a fairly high challenge.

Yono's adventure story in SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist

One day Yono was called by his exorcist teacher Tsuchimikado to come to his village. Yono arrived at the villa at dusk and felt something strange, the villa was too quiet and the teacher did not answer even though he was called. Without hesitation Yono finds out what is really going on in this villa. When exploring the villa, his suspicions were proven correct, he met a creature called Mononoke, perhaps if in Indonesian it can be called a demon.

Faced with these dangerous creatures, he remembers the lessons from his teacher and brother to overcome them. Armed with this knowledge, he must face the dangerous mononoke with limited resources in the villa. In this game, it can be said that storytelling is not the main thing, but more of a background for the gameplay setting. But this does not reduce the value of the story presented by this game.

Survive the threat of Mononoke

SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist is actually a roguelike dungeon crawler game with a horror theme and puzzle elements. The dungeon crawler element is very pronounced because Yono must move from room to room which is limited by sliding doors. The player does not know what will be found behind the sliding door, it could be another room with items, a trap room, or a room full of Mononoke. Unlike most horror games, this game doesn't rely on jumpscares but rather atmosphere and sound.

With excellent sound design, players can hear whether there is a Mononoke behind the door, from which direction and type. Hence the player has to think what steps to take. We realized this too late and failed to complete the initial level, which is arguably the easiest stage. Armed with this experience we retried the level and found interesting mechanics in this introductory stage.

Yono can lure Mononoke from the next room by summoning her and avoiding her from a safer distance. When avoiding Mononoke, we wish we had a sprint button but we don't and this adds to the tension of being chased by Mononoke. Each level has a different setting, but starts and finishes the same. It starts with entering the building at dusk and finishes when Yono safely exits the building under investigation and sees the sunrise.

Use limited resources to survive

In order to survive and complete the level, the player must make full use of resources and choose how to deal with Mononoke's threats. The puzzle element in this game appears in the use of items and environments, as well as memorizing the location of enemies and maps in levels. This combination can make players have to repeat a level many times especially in the story mode which makes this game not for all types of players.

In the process of trial and error to complete the levels, we were amazed by the mechanics in this game. For example, the interaction of an item with the environment is the use of a candle to light a lantern or a furnace. Where the player can trick Mononoke into burning in the furnace with this combination. There is also a pitfall room that can be used by summoning or tricking Mononoke to fall into a trap.

In one room we also encountered a Mononoke that was a fireball that kept following the player, and could apparently be used to light lanterns or burn sealed doors. The combination of these mechanics adds a new layer to completing a level and we found it very interesting.

Apart from using the environment, there are also items that can be used directly against Mononoke. This item is a rifle with limited bullets to fight Mononoke from a distance. Then at advanced levels Yono can use kodachi, a sword to fight Mononoke up close. These two main weapons have their own advantages and disadvantages that give players a risk and reward consideration to take. In addition to these two main weapons, players can also find several types of deployable traps, protection, and healing items.

Visuals and sound of SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist

In terms of visuals, character sprites, enemies, and items use pixel art illustrations and animations. Meanwhile, the environment combines 3D and 2D animation. In addition, the game also features visual novel-style illustrations during story exposition and dialog. Even with the combination of several styles, the visuals presented still feel cohesive and spoil the eyes. The developer also provides some small details in the environment to help players identify the challenges in the next room.

In terms of sound, the game has a strong sound design ranging from directional sounds that help players to identify challenges. Ambience sounds that increase the tension during play to good voice acting. There is also some background music that plays at certain parts and sets the atmosphere at certain parts. With the combination of visuals and audio, SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist provides an immersive gaming experience and brings nostalgia reminiscent of 16-bit to 32-bit era games.

Conclusion

Overall, SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist is a game that we recommend for fans of the roguelike dungeon crawler genre. While the story is relatively simple, the game delivers a refreshingly immersive experience. With a slow pace, players need to strategize to complete various challenges with limited resources. In addition, the game also has a high replayability value as it has three game modes that can be accessed along the way.

Pros

• Interesting and cohesive visuals that give it a retro feel.
• The powerful sound design makes the experience even more immersive.
• The variety of Mononoke's designs, items and their interaction with the environment.
• High replayability value as it has three game modes.

Disadvantages

• The learning curve is high and the pace is slow, so it is not for all players.
• Some hitboxes don't match the sprites, making it difficult to avoid Monoke or traps.
• This game is not suitable to be played in one long session because it is divided into various levels.