Ikaiis a unique and twisted first-person horror game with heavy psychological elements. Taking place in a Japanese forest village setting,Ikaitasks budding horror-filled enthusiasts with exploring a dark and moody location, solving puzzles, finding secrets, and simply trying to survive. While all of that might sound quite fun to many horror fans, the game can often come across as feeling unpolished, janky, and uninspired.
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First-person horror games seemingly release each and every month with plenty of gems likeEvil InsideorMartha is Deadbut with plenty of stinkers such asAgony. In the case ofIkai, there is certainly some fun to be had but not without its many flaws. Here then are some of the best parts ofIkaialong with some of the worst. Beware minor spoilers for the early parts of the game.
7Love: The Haunting Setting
Ikai’sJapanese forest setting would feel right at homealongside the likes of horror masterpiecesFatal FrameandSiren. The game starts off in a relatively calm and serene setting, namely, that of a basic village replete with a pond, large trees, and interconnected houses. Of course, it’s not long until the darkness rolls in.
The juxtaposition of the peaceful Japanese forest and the dark haunting buildings at night make for a location that begs to be explored. Ikairelies heavily on atmosphereand while it does falter in many areas, the overall sense of place, one that is steeped in mythology and folklore, is spot on.
6Dislike: The Janky Controls
Ikaiis a bit of a cumbersome game when it comes to controls, camera, and general movement in the world. While this might entirely change depending on the platform of choice, it’s still something the game needs some work with. Given the nature ofIkaibeing a highly explorable gamewith lots of walking or running, it’s frustrating that janky controls and movement can ruin the horror-filled immersion.
Probably the most egregious issue is the camera. First-person games can suffer if the camera and movement controls don’t feel fluid and responsive. InIkai’scase, simply walking from point A to point B feels like a chore in and of itself.
5Love: Unique Symbol Drawing Gameplay
Easily one of the best parts ofIkaiare the gameplay sections that encompass drawing out certain banishing symbols. These Japanese symbols needed to be traced and drawn out on parchment in order to banish or capture the vengeful spirits and demons the game throws at players.
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At the very start of the game, the main playable character is taught the art of drawing out these cleansing symbols by her master. To be fair, it’s not an entirely thrilling section, however, it sets up the gameplay sections to come, ones where players must find ways to draw these supernatural symbols while being chased by the darkness, spirits, and various spooky Yokai.
4Dislike: It’s Not All That Scary
Every horror game needs to be scary, full stop. While horror, much like humor, is subjective, good horror games will find the right balance of jumpscares (where appropriate), psychological aspects, disquieting moments, and even in some cases, combat scenarios. While these aspects only scratch the surface of the horror genre, they all generally lead to a game feeling scary, overall.
In the case ofIkai, it lacks much of this. While the setting is often haunting and the story is filled with dark moments, it lacks the finesse many of its counterparts offer. Much of this comes down to the frustrating gameplay repetition paired with tedious controls, often taking the player out of the moment.
3Love: Japanese Folklore Collectibles And Information Tidbits
Ikaiis at its very best when it immerses you into its folklore and supernatural mythology. As players explore the spooky forest, haunted buildings, and creepy exteriors, they will come across notes or pieces of parchment that flesh out the game’s lore while adding information about the various spirits and demons.
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Interestingly, many of the notes, such as the ones discussing the various Yokai, act as mini guidance tutorials. For example, early on in the adventure, players come across a note discussing a certain Yokai that likes to drop creepy heads from high above. Players that missed this note will be caught off guard by this, however, those that explore the environment will have a heads up (pun very much intended) on this devious Yokai.When horror games take the time to flesh out the characters, story, and environmentsthey have built, it goes a long way to keeping players hooked from moment to moment.
2Dislike: Boring Puzzles
Puzzles in games, by nature, can often be quite divisive. Many players absolutely love the inclusion of puzzles in horror games while others would prefer pure exploration, more akin to a walking simulator type of game. Games likeSilent Hill 2orP.T.do a great job at mixing puzzles with horrific moments whereas a game likeLayers of Fearkeeps players immersed due to heavy environmental and psychological aspects.
Unfortunately for those people playingIkai, the game heavily relies on random puzzles that both seem out of place and unenjoyable. As an example, early on in the game and after learning about the Oni demon, players must traverse a fire maze. This fire maze has players avoid certain fire patches to navigate themselves to the other side. In concept this could be fun, however, in execution, it ends up coming across as repetitive and reductive in comparison to the game as a whole.
1Dislike: Lots Of Aimless Wandering And Backtracking
Ikaihas players wander around a lot, much to the game’s overall detriment. Exploration can often be a fun aspect of horror games, leading to secret areas, creepy or macabre collectibles, and even some extra scares. Exploration and even backtracking to some extent should always provide players with just enough information to keep progressing.
InIkai’scase, the game has players wander back and forth through the village,its many haunted buildings, and its surrounding forest areas but without providing a good incentive to do so. Often this aimless wandering leads to a key or a clue, but more often than not, it just leads to a dead end. The game is really at its best when it allows players to follow a more linear path, sometimes avoiding a demon, while trying to frantically draw a banishing symbol.
