Overview – developed by Suzaku Games and published by Eastasiasoft, SENSEs Midnight is a survival horror title, inspired by the classics of the genre, featuring fixed camera angles and tank controls. Explore the Ikebukuro park, discover the secrets it holds and try to survive as vengeful spirits wander the park. This title is available on all major console platforms, with a link to each version of the game available at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Eastasiasoft for providing the copy of SENSEs Midnight that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting off with the plot for SENSEs Midnight.
Story – Uesugi Kaho is an outgoing and adventurous college student and member of her school’s occult research club. When returning to Japan for a family visit, the other club members dare Kaho to investigate an infamous urban legend, The Midnight Door of Ikebukuro Walking Park. Kaho jumps at the opportunity to prove the legend true and capture positive proof of the paranormal, but entering the long abandoned park may be the worst mistake she will ever make.
Gameplay – SENSEs Midnight is a 3D survival horror, taking place in the haunted Ikebukuro Walking Park. The objective of this title is to solve puzzles, collect items and avoid the vengeful spirits that wander the grounds. To achieve the goals that the player needs to in order to survive, the player will need to investigate the park, using her PDA camera and her chat group to find clues on how to escape the nightmare.
As this is a survival horror inspired by the classics that birthed the genre, there is a use of fixed camera angles and tank controls. As the player moves from scene to scene, the camera will shift, making some areas difficult to navigate to attempt to confuse the player. In order to combat this, the player can use the PDA camera to look around in first person. This will provide better visibility and can also uncover some secrets hidden in the surrounding areas.
When moving around the park, the player will encounter the spirits of the dead, wandering the grounds in search of Kaho. When they are encountered, the ghosts will chase the player, trying to kill them and take their soul through the Midnight Door. In order to survive these encounters, the player must run away from the spirits and hide in special places. These spots are signaled by butterflies that the player can activate.
When hiding in these spaces, the player must control their breathing to avoid being detected by the ghost, moving an arrow on screen to line up with a meter that goes side to side. If the player manages to fill this all the way, they will be safe, often leading to the pursuer leaving them alone. But if the player is not able to achieve this, they will be found and even killed on the spot depending on the situation, as there is no way to fight back.
The spirits that wander come in different forms, with different amounts of damage that they can deal to Kaho. The weaker spirits will only do a little damage, slowing the player down for a few moments if they can escape. But if the spirits are stronger, there is the potential for the player to die instantly when caught, which will result in a game over and a loss of progress. To prevent significant set-backs, there is a single save point that players should use often.
By taking photos of the surrounding areas, the player will be able to discover hints and even visualizations of the lost. There are also points of interest scattered around the park, allowing the player to interact with them, either as investigation points or items to collect. However, the player must take care when picking up the items they find, as the inventory backpack only has only 4 slots for holding unique items at any time.
The items within the player’s inventory can be used to complete tasks, combined with other items to gain new objects and dropped to make space when needed. When an object of interest is found, but is not yet obtainable they will be highlighted in purple, meaning they may be useful later on. There are also special items that can be found called Magatama, which will protect the player from spirits, but will be destroyed when used.
At key parts of the story, the player will encounter environmental puzzles and obstacles that they will need to solve to progress. These can be as simple as finding the combination to a padlock, to finding a required item to remove an obstacle and solving complex puzzles. But there is an element of risk to these puzzles, in some instances, failure to complete some puzzles will result in hostile spirits being alerted meaning the player must hide.
The last thing to discuss for gameplay is the extra content of SENSEs Midnight, available when completing set conditions. If the player is able to beat the game, they will be able to access new game plus, allowing them to play through again with a different experience. The second is the bonus cosmetic content, which is made up of special costumes that the player can unlock, allowing the player to change their outfit during play.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to move onto the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – the controls that are used for this game are very reminiscent of older survival horror games, utilizing tank controls as the main option for movement using the left stick/direction buttons. There is also the option for modern controls for those who want them, making it easier for first time players. All of the inputs used for the game functions are easy to use, with the camera inputs appearing on screen making it comfortable with all controllers.
Difficulty – there are no difficulty settings for this release, but that doesn’t affect the overall experience as the challenge of the game escalates slowly over time. When first getting into the game, it can be frustrating with the one hit deaths of some spirits and the cryptic puzzles, but these are adapted to quickly. If the player can keep their cool, stay aware of their surroundings and approach the puzzles with care, then their chances of survival will go up dramatically.
Presentation – visually, this title has a look to it that is reminiscent of the horror titles from the PS2, with dark colors and neon lights that bathe the game in an unsettling glow. This works very well both in game and during the cutscenes, which has some good animation for the most part, but does look stilted at times. The sound for this release has a good balance to it, with sound design that gives the game an eerie and haunting atmosphere to it, enhancing the overall presentation.
Final Thoughts – I grew up with survival horror titles during the 90s, with Resident Evil holding a special place in my heart, so getting to play this gave me that nostalgic feeling from playing those games. The control system works well for this title, with the tank controls offering a retro feel to the game which complimented the fixed camera angles. The atmosphere has an eerie and haunting feel to it, with the sound and neon glow adding to the experience.
There are some cryptic puzzles that took me a while to figure out, as well as missing some things that I had to find on a second play through, but this added replay value to the game. When returning to the game each time, there were new hidden details that I discovered which made it satisfying to play through again each time. If you are a fan of classic style survival horror, then I recommend this title as it will give you that much needed fix.
In the end, I give SENSEe Midnight a final score of 4/5. This is a very good survival horror game, with an atmosphere, narrative and gameplay mechanics of the classics that inspired it, while adding narrative elements and modernized touches that make it its own unique experience. if you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
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