Kuon (PS2) (2004)
Developer: CS Development
Review by Faididi and Co.
Because magical girls already exist in Heian Japan
Story: Average
If classical Japanese literature teaches us anything, it's that young ladies in the distant past may be considered more elegant with their ancient fashions, but they're just as gentle and gracefully cute. Unfortunately, that makes evil demons want to snack on them so much more. The two main heroines of this tale are Utsuki, the sheltered daughter of a Taoist exorcist, and Sakuya, a spirited disciple of the same exorcist. The former enters a haunted villa on the outskirts of Heiankyo (today's Kyoto) in search of her dad when he doesn't come home from his ghost-busting work. The latter also goes to the villa to help investigate the creepy crawlies there.
As the game's name suggests, the story involves ressurrection gone wrong, with all the bloody rituals and killer monsters one expects. Just don't hope to discover any fancy fluff from the pages of Murasaki Shikibu or Sei Shonagon. The plot about anachronistic-sounding experiments and the confused jumbling of the events make the story difficult to take too seriously.
Gameplay: Average
CS Development's Kuon is an action adventure that plays very much like Konami's Silent Hill, but with a Heiankyo setting. Picturing this shouldn't be difficult even for those unfamiliar with this distant part of Japan's history. Utsuki and Sakuya explore the villa grounds and the adjoining mountain areas, using a small lamp to light their way through the scary darkness. To fight off the finite number of enemies, they can rely on hand-to-hand weapons and magical ranged weapons. Hell, the map system is virtually identical to that of Silent Hill, because the heroines somehow use modern-day red markers to note which doors are still locked and which paths are obstructed.
Of course, Kuon brings out an atmosphere of its own. The game draws on the same Japanese dark horror that influences Silent Hill in a modern context, but Kuon combines that nightmarish material with the romantic elegance of its bygone age. As further evidence of its grounding in its peculiar culture, all of the playable characters (including the hidden third one) turn out to be cute, mystically gifted maidens.
Too bad Kuon is nowhere as polished in a technical sense. Although the level design uses logical, real-world layouts along the Silent Hill vein, the uninspired enemy design calls for hardly any variation in tactics. Regular bad guys and bosses alike can be beaten by pumping firepower straight into them as quickly as possible. Although Kuon attempts to differentiate itself by offering supernatural creatures who can be temporarily summoned to help the heroines do their dirty work, these summoned creatures are unbelievably stupid. They tend not to notice nearby enemies until they're too late, and they sometimes obstruct the heroines' own shots. The limitation on the number of saves is also pointless, because all of the heroines possess a super-friendly meditation skill that restores their stamina for free.
Perhaps Kuon's biggest shortcoming can be revealed in a comparison with Climax Graphics' Blue Stinger. There's no good reason to have separate playable characters here. The bulk of the game is nearly the same between Utsuki and Sakuya, right down to the puzzles, and the sets of weapons they find don't differ much. Furthermore, Utsuki's part feels incomplete, because she skips over half of the bosses and doesn't even visit one of the areas. Kuon would've played better had it sensically let Utsuki and Sakuya travel together as a team, instead of duplicating the challenges between them in an awkward effort to stretch out the adventure.
Controls: Above Average
Kuon and Blue Stinger have similar attack controls, but the ranged weapons' aiming here is plainly inferior, because the projectiles' slow movement and inconsistent accuracy often make the heroines miss. The controls are otherwise smooth and responsive. Like the second and the third Silent Hill games, Kuon offers the Player the seldom-seen option of choosing between character-oriented and screen-oriented movement controls.
Graphics: Excellent
Aside from the characters' mouths not moving when they speak, the visual effects are absolutely gorgeous. Utsuki and Sakuya (and the third heroine) are lovingly detailed, from the ornate decorations in their lustrous hair to the wispy flow of their colorfully textured robes. The monsters drive in the terror with their sickeningly gruesome forms. The eye-catching, richly constructed environments are dressed in exceptional lighting and shadowing effects. The loading screens look attractive, too, which is ironic given the brief loading times.
Audio: Excellent
The game sounds as great as it looks. The voice acting (for the original version) is perfect, and the spell blasts are fired with forceful flare. Along with the expectedly creepy main theme song, the music consists of subtle, evil-sounding ambience effects that rival their counterparts in Silent Hill.
Overall: Above Average
Due to issues like its imperfect projectile aiming and its unnecessary separation of its heroines' stories, Kuon misses being ranked together with horror-themed classics such as Silent Hill. However, it's still an action adventure that boasts stunning visual and audio work, and its lenient gameplay allows these haunting aesthetics to be easily appreciated.