Unlike the original Corpse Party, BoS plays more like a visual novel, with some occasional point-and-click first-person exploration. Of course, this means there is much more reading than in the first game, and frankly, some parts do tend to drag on for a while, but overall, the writing is still superb and the scary, gross moments are still present. Overall, I recommend it only if you were a big fan of the first game.

A must get for Corpse Party fans if you played Corpse Party Blood Covered - Repeated Fear. It plays like a visual novel with point & click elements and shows you alternate more detailed versions of routes from Repeated Fear, not to mention it's also a sequel and prequel. The details are still as gross and gruesome as ever, bad ends are still present with their usual gory glory you've come to know and love and the voice acting is perfect. The soundtrack delivers like you'd expect and with a few tracks returning from Repeated Fear as well which is some nice nostalgia. The port is incredibly well done and it's 1080p, I have 0 complaints. If you like Corpse Party, then you should absolutely get this without a doubt! I'm incredibly happy XSEED decided to bring it to Steam.

I 100%'d this and now I await for Blood Drive and the other Corpse Party games to hit Steam.

My love for Seiko is too big
OMFG SAYAKA I'M SO SORRY

Corpse Party: Book of Shadows feels like a fan game although ironically with greater production values and visually more appealing than the first game. Well, this one is a proper visual novel with some gameplay. But, it is a sequel that can't stand on its own. It demands not only familiarity but also love for the first game and its characters (especially love for characters). It builds on one particular ending of the first game, but quickly becomes a series of vignettes, episodes that don't necessarily flow into one another. Those episodes provide more backstory for certain characters, more insight and development and different perspectives. The last chapter feels like an intro for the next game.

It can't quite replicate the creepiness and dread of the first game, which is understandable as it's treading already familiar grounds, and that feeling of the eerie unknown is lost here. But it tries to compensate that with even more explicit description of gore and torture porn. It also ramps up certain characters' depravity and has great fun with it. Not to mention that there is something really creepy in isometric perspective of the first game even though I can see everything coming, or precisely beacuse of it. This game is more claustrophobic, with narrow endless corridors that all look the same, which gives it quite a nighmarish vibe.

This game also has more fan service (for male gaze of course) and sometimes feels close to fanfiction even. But on the other hand, some of the most interesting characters from the first game are given perspectives and deeper insights into their twisted psyches. In that sense, Morishige's and Kizami's chapters are particulary strong. But really the game needs more Yoshiki. (Spoiler tags are for people who're for some reason reading this review without playing the first game)

All in all, I loooved the first game, so this one was more than enjoyable and fun for me. The last chapter promises some interesting revelations of this universe, which I'm hoping is expanded on in the next game.

Note: This Is An Early Review, Or First Impressions. Might Change After More Playtime

Also Note: If You Haven't Played The First Game, This Game Won't Make Any Sense. And This Game Is Best Played As Blindly As Possible. You Have Been Warned


When it comes to Corpse Party, I played the first game on my 3DS. I found it to a really cool, yet flawed, game that had a great story, a nice art style, fantastic voice acting, and likable characters. But when it comes to the gameplay itself, wasn't a huge fan with it. It was a bit too trail-and-error-ish for my liking, and the gameplay did get a bit boring at times. All you did was just wander around and inspect object, or interact with stuff. One wrong move can mean that you just got a Wrong Ending. It wasn't bad, but not great either.

The game overall was pretty good, minus the gameplay.

So when I heard Book of Shadows and the other Corpse Party games are heading to PC, I was pretty excited. I bought this game as soon it was released, and I think I just got a good deal for 15 dollars. This is a cool game, but can't help but have some issues with it.

So, what is Book of Shadows? Book of Shadows is a Visual Novel sequel to the first game. All of your favorite characters are back, and many moments from the first game are here. But don't worry about that, because there's many, many, many new things here to enjoy. It's the same story, but not at the same time, if that makes sense. Many parts are familiar, but many part are brand new.

The gameplay here however, completely different. This is a VN after all, so some mechanics had to be changed.

You have the usual still pictures and text to read on what's going on. Then at times you have some options. That's not surprising for a VN.

But then when you get into gameplay, things get a bit more interesting. When you're in "Search Mode", you have a cursor you can use to hover over and inspect things in a room you're in. So you still get the freedom to inspect things you see in this game, like the original.

You can click the Z/Middle Mouse button to open up a map. In this map, you can select on any available place to go, and you head over there. Some areas have triggers that are needed in order to get through the chapter, some have important items, and some have basically nothing.

In this game, you have a Darkening meter. What does this meter do, and how does it fill? Well, when it comes inspecting objects and other things, there will be a good change it will fill up the Darkening meter. And once that Darkening meter is full, it's a Game Over.

The gameplay here is, honestly, simple and not hard to follow. Nothing fantastic, but it does get the job done.

But when it comes to Wrong Endings, they're still here, and they are still a bit trial-and-error. But good thing, you can save at any time, and there's 64 save slots. It's pretty useful, and makes trail-and-error less of a headache. But, I think having less save slots would be a good thing, in my opinion, at least.

There is one big problem I have with the game though. And that at times, it can get pretty boring, especially at the start of Chapter 1. The start was just bland in my opinion, and other parts of Chapter 1 was also a bit boring to me. Not saying the whole game is like this, but it does have those moments.

But overall, this game is pretty good, and they did a great job with the PC version. It controls well, looks great, and sounds great, along with the returning fantastic voice actors from the first game. This game doesn't have that much gameplay mechanics, but like most VN games, that comes as no surprise. This is a lot more for the story and characters, and your choices. And while I found this game boring at times, it's not a bad game at all. If you're a Corpse Party fan, and want to see the story continue, I recommend checking this out!

Recommended!

Corpse Party: Book of Shadows is the second installment in the mainline Corpse Party series. Developed after the remake for PSP done by 5pb\Mages with a cast of professionals taking over the VA work and CG art, this "sequel", if it can be called that at all, is nothing more than a collection of past bad endings and remakes of older chapters from the PC version, with a bit of a small development for some of the original cast.

Its format has completely changed from the original: now a full visual novel with the bare minimum interactive involvement from the player, Book of Shadows sets for a more passive narrative and heavier reading, introducing subtle mechanics that simulate free movement by point-and-click. Upon reaching an area, the player has control over a target reticle, moveable with the mouse. Exploration is done this way, by clicking on things, and movement in between different rooms and hallways is handled by opening a separate menu with a grid mocking the original RPGMaker-esque sprites and floor maps. The player character can move only in 4 directoins, and only one square at a time, which is really unnerving at times even with the possibility to speed up the process. Each "square" is a new area, represented by a new 2d background, that the player can interact with if so desired. However, most of the areas look exactly the same as Heavenly Host is now represented by the same corridors over and over again, with little to no differentiation in its texturing work. On top of this annoyance, there is a new mechanic to take care of, the "Darkening", already seen in context in the original and now promoted as stat to keep an eye on. Interacting with corpses and cursed items will slowly raise Darkening until 100, at which point its game over.
Quite unnecessary, but almost never a problem, this subtle addition at least has a meaning to it, while the total change of the core gameplay definitely reduced the overall value of the atmosphere as now only CG sets and rather bland backgrounds complement the narrative structure, which is already weakened by a total lack of fresh, good ideas. The titular Book of Shadows is seen in one chapter only, alongside with any meaningful progress of the story, the rest of the "adventure" being a long stream of retold plot points from one of the original CP's bad endings. While it is nice to see that bad endings actually have an universe of their own, simply more of the same with slight variations really do not warrant the making of a full game with a price tag such as this one. It is definitely better than its original price on PSP, however, it is still too much for however little actual meaningful content there is. To be a solid container of bad endings and provide a nice dose of gruesome deaths, a more lengthy and varied approach should've been taken, with at the very least double the amount of chapters.
As it stands tho, Book of Shadows really asks you to pay attention to 1 out of 8 chapters with the rest being torture porn and fanservice. While I'm not against none of the two, there really is too little in here. Either go all out, or proceed with the next story arc. This visual novel does neither. As such, I cannot recommend this chapter in the series, which only hardcore fans may appreciate.

Before anything:

1. Play Corpse Party 2021 first!

2. If you're stuck on Chapter 1 in the hallway, because clicking anything in the hallway doesn't work, open your map, click on the class to enter the classroom. It's how moving works in this game.

3. This game exceeds Corpse Party 2021 (the prequel, AKA Blood Covered) by MILES in terms of how scary, artistic and bloody it is! This game makes Corpse Party 2021 look like a CHILD'S TOY! That's how scary this game is!


1. Corpse Party: Book of Shadows is both the sequel and also the prequel to Corpse Party 2021. Book of Shadows will cover events happening before and after the Kisaragi Academy gang entered and escaped Heavenly Host in Corpse Party 2021. However, unlike most people's expectations of Book of Shadows being mainly a sequel, literally 12.5% of the game is a sequel. Just one chapter out of all that's in Book of Shadows is the sequel to Corpse Party 2021 you're looking for. Most of the game/chapters, in Book of Shadows, focuses on alternate endings to how Corpse Party 2021 ended. Many of such chapters in Book of Shadows are like extended versions or continuations to some of the bad endings in Corpse Party 2021. And they really help you understand the mindset of some characters more. The rest of the chapters are prequels, which I believe were two.

2. Corpse Party 2021 had a linear story - meaning, the chapters continued in order. In Book of Shadows, there is no order. The chapters in Book of Shadows are all disconnected from each other, and are all their own story from different timelines.

3. The biggest difference between the two is all about gameplay. In Corpse Party 2021, we took control of characters in a map from a third person, birds eye view, in a somewhat pixelated world. It was a RPG Maker Engine styled game. Well, in Book of Shadows, all of that completely changes. In Book of Shadows, our map is entirely made out of art the developers created that fit the whole screen and we take control of our characters in first person and sometimes encounter cutscenes and events in third person. However, unlike Corpse Party 2021 where we felt like we were moving a doll in a dollhouse, in Book of Shadows, you'll actually feel like you're wondering inside of Heavenly Host at the level (height) of the characters. And I think this element makes Book of Shadows way more scarier to experience. Unlike Corpse Party 2021 where you moved your character using the arrow keys or WASD, in Book of Shadows, you have to move your character by clicking on locations on your map. Also, unlike Corpse Party 2021 where you grabbed items by pressing your 'Enter' key, in Book of Shadows you have you to move your cursor and click in order to interact with an item - this is why others describe this game as a "clicker game".

4. The abundance of art in Book of Shadows exceeds Corpse Party 2021 by miles. That's all I'm saying about art.

5. There are new extras in Book of Shadows that we didn't come across in Corpse Party 2021. I won't spoil them, but I loved listening to one of them!

6. Unlike Corpse Party 2021 where there were like 25 extra chapters, in Book of Shadows, there is only 1 extra chapter.

7. Unlike Corpse Party 2021, in Book of Shadows getting darkened is now a thing, it's a new mechanic. You experience how darkening works and get a better understanding of how exactly it works, or what triggers it exactly. There is a darkening meter you have to watch out for. It can't reach 100% or bad stuff will happen!


Just like how Heavenly Host hosts some thoughts of victims throughout the school, I have noted down my own thoughts while exploring Heavenly Host! XD

1. So first and foremost, very painful cutscene to witness when you first boot up the game and don't head on to the main menu yet. It definitely has to be seen before the sequel chapter. I felt bad for Shinozaki.

2. Starting with the first chapter in Book of Shadows, chapter Seal, I just know that it is based on the "Loop/Looped" bad ending from Corpse Party 2021 where Satoshi enters and reenters Heavenly Host forever and ever! Very interesting way (chapter) to handle that ending from Corpse Party 2021!

3. I didn't note the chapter down but I think it was Demise(?), I just know that it is based on the bad ending in Corpse Party 2021 where Kishinuma doesn't check on Shinozaki when she gets possessed for the first time (or second time). Once again, very interesting way (chapter) to handle that ending from Corpse Party 2021!

4. It was quite fulfilling to learn more about Naho and Yui Sensei before the events of Corpse Party 2021. Their chapters were really well written prequels and helped me connect with those two more better. They were background stories that I needed!

5. After playing Corpse Party 2021, I felt displeased about how Morshige was handled. When I wrote my review for it, I mentioned that: it felt like he had too little screen time, that we didn't really understand how his personality turned 180 degrees and why he had to be left behind in Heavenly Host. I was left to assume that he changed because of seeing Mayu's splattered corpse on the wall on his phone in Corpse Party 2021. But I couldn't help but wonder...was it really the case? Did that event alone completely change Morshige? And well, Chapter 5 of this game answers the personality change question. In Chapter 5 of Book Shadows, you can clearly see that Morshige was initially mentally fine/stable once he entered Heavenly Host but slowly succumbed to the darkening and became the twisted corpse phone photo loving maniac we saw in Corpse Party 2021. I got to be honest guys, it was really painful seeing Morshige succumb to the darkness in Chapter 5. He tried so hard to find Mayu, he tried so hard to fight his psychopath intrusive thoughts and focus on continuing to find Mayu but he just couldn't control himself. His twisted intrusive thoughts won and took over himself. It was just so upsetting to witness that and made me sympathize with Morshige more. This made me realize that Morshige isn't really like Kizami. However, this explanation has to be taken with a grain of salt because....it isn't canon. At the end we learned Chapter 5 is just an alternate ending to Corpse Party 2021...this is the one thing that ruins this chapter, but, I guess it wouldn't be wrong to make the assumption that Morshige experienced a similar experience (darkness succumbing fight within himself) in the main story of Corpse Party 2021. So, I really appreciated this chapter, it helped me better understand Morshige and his thought processes as a character.

6. I just know that Chapter 6 is based on the bad ending from Corpse Party 2021 where Kizami catches Yuka during the second wing chase in Chapter 5! Once again, very interesting way (chapter) to handle that ending from Corpse Party 2021! I loved something about it though, which is that we saw that part of Kizami is actually human and why Kizami is...Kizami! The chapter really provided much needed background story to Kizami!

7. I just know that Tooth (Chapter 7) is based on the Tooth extra chapter from the old Corpse Party. Very amazing remaster!

8. Lastly, Chapter 8 the long awaited sequel to Corpse Party 2021, focused on something interesting which was ambiguity to the deaths of those we lost in Corpse Party 2021 (why was everything about our dead friends erased from history while stuff from Naho, Yoshie and Sachiko stayed?} I was so excited to play it, I was so awake during it from start to the end and I absolutely loved it. The end had my mouth open in shock.

Has more Seiko

I'm not impressed with this. I played the first game, and the summary of this one says "sequel, prequel, midquel, and alternate universe tale all in one." So I bought it, and so far it only been "alternate tales" which still end with the same characters dying. There was a little prequel but honestly wasn't need whatsoever. Also they took away a lot of abilities such as movement, skipping dialogue you've been through, and game play (as it's mostly scene cuts 75% of the time). Just for the record, pc saving is right mouse button. I had to look that up and still didn't find an answer. I liked the addition of the quick saves, made finding the wrong endings a lot easier.

Corpse Party: Book of Shadows is a great pick if you want a game that is able to send chills down your spine or if you simply enjoyed the previous entry.

The stories are as gruesome and as disturbing as ever; whilst the events are not fully canon, but intertwined with the alternate universes, they're still very enjoyable to go through. Unlike the previous game it comes in form of a visual novel with the ability to search through the rooms by using point & click mechanics. Note: you have to complete Corpse Party Blood Covered first, as Book of Shadows contains heavy spoilers that might ruin your experience if you're planning to play both, but not in the right order.

- Stable PSP port, I haven't encountered any issues during my playthrough.
- Good artwork that comes in HD quality.
- Binaural voice acting that makes everything even more creepy.
- Amazing soundtrack.
- There's more reading than exploration, so it offers a different gameplay style compared to the previous game.
- Very creepy and unsettling atmosphere.
- Darkening meter that reflects your character's mental stability is a very interesting addition.
- There's plenty of gore and violence, both graphical and strongly described through text. So if you're not good with such things it's best to avoid this title.

Overall, it's a good choice for a lengthy spooky read that also offers some exploration.