A few years ago, I binged Junji Ito's work for the first time. I posted on Twitter that I had just read his work, and how much it affected me. AND HE LIKED THE TWEET. Greatest day of my life.
I also think both Fear and Hunger games really nail this game design of "cool I got eight minutes in and died. Time to restart" as well as feeling hopeless. There is also the fact it is a one man team making all this crazy eldritch horror lore.
You mention Junji Ito being wholesome and I'm reminded of the fact that he also has a side manga illustrating his life with his cat. It's both unsettling and wholesome as Junji Ito can be. Also I've been waiting for this to come to the Switch. It's one of my most awaited titles this year.
something that has always fascinated me about this game every time I see it is the UI. I find in modern gaming (especially in RPG's where menus and stats are very important) the goal is to create a UI that is very streamlined, stylish, and non-intrusive to the player, but in this game, the overly-cluttered UI i think is actually a GREAT tone-setting tool. It has a charming antiquity to it, like pen-and paper RPGs, which goes nicely with the retro 1/2 bit vibes of the art style, but it also creates alot of visual noise that the player has to keep track of, adding to the already tense and oppressive atmosphere of the game. It really works well with the Chaotic feeling this game is going for I think, and gives it alot of personality!
Guess I just had my, "Saw your upload and immediately clicked" moment. No joke though, Ragnar and Junji Ito inspired art are two things I personally can't get enough of.
Junji Ito did the artwork for several MtG cards in the Phyrexia: All Will Be One set, including 4 cards in the Secret Lair drop for that set. I don't think they could have picked a more perfect artist to contribute to this particular chapter of MTG lore.
I really dislike secret lairs and MtG's modern business model. Often the art is great and the game itself is great, but these issues have kept me away for years and I'm kind of just not interested anymore. That's cool that Ito did some art for MtG, though!
i remember downloading fan translations of a bunch of junji ito's works 10 years ago. Very wild to go into a bookstore these days to find hardcover, official translations these days
As an old time player I hope the dev does make true on his promise to add steam mod support for WOH. It's built from the ground up to be moddable after all. And with the full release tomorrow I think it's finally time for full fledged modding.
There are a bunch of _somewhat_ similar horror games for the PC-88 and PC-98 (both japan exclusive systems). Most of these were never translated to english, and only a few received fan translations. But the way World of Horror controls is also very reminiscent of games like Onryou Senki, for example. These PC88/98 games weren't Junji Ito inspired, simply because a lot of them were published before the majority of Ito's works. But they share a lot of similarities in how the horror elements are often more about an underlying dread, rather than shocks. There's a channel called F_T_B who makes very entertaining videos examining many of these 80s and early 90s games that are practically unknown outside of Japan. Maybe the makers of those games and Ito had some common influences, because tonally there's definitely some overlap.
There are also games based literally on Ito's Uzumaki for the WonderSwan, whose monochrome graphics style lends well to Ito's source material. PC-88 horror adventure classics like Onryou Senki (have played through this myself) are no doubt a foundational influence too, possibly also monochrome "macventure" games of the 80's. World of Horror definitely has a lot of uniqueness to it though, with the RPG mechanics and lovecraftian themes on top of all the other influences.
@@plasticflower The WonderSwan has its fair share of horror gems, actually. There's a neat port of Clock Tower, Uzumaki Noroi Simulation in addition to a Uzumaki visual novel, the "horror sound novel" games Terrors (with a sequel on the WonderSwan Color) and others like Ring Infinity and Another Heaven. I'd argue it's a more compelling lineup of horror experiences than what you'd find on the Game Boy systems, even though Resident Evil Gaiden and Alone in the Dark New Nightmare are technically impressive for how they pushed the hardware.
I love when WOH just straight up drags you into another dimension, and you get a unique event where you are basically overwhelmed by how alien your surroundings have suddenly become. Every playthrough, as far as I know, has at least one of these events. My favorite has to be the mysterious frozen tundra, with pyramids in the distance. I remember somehow getting lucky and finding a katana here before being dragged back into mainline reality. Plus, the lighthouse was an immediate red flag on my first playthrough. I read Uzumaki, and I just looked at that and went, "🎵o-ohhh hell nawww🎵" I love this game.
Thanks of the huge heads up the full version releases tomorrow! I bought it instantly as I recognised it as being my dream game: a combo of an old school hard RPG and Junji Ito, something I was playing with with trying to make myself (we all have That Idea, don't we? heh), but am currently unable to. I even directly let Panstasz know how much I appreciated making something I had been dreaming of for a few years at that point. I do have to admit... I have been too chicken to actually play the game so far! I've played the introductionary Scissor mission but have avoided it because I handle jumpscares really poorly; this made me lose track of how development has been going... but knowing it is at full release status, I am willing to give it a shot though because I have given games I would otherwise not play for personal reasons like that a shot purely because you made such a passionate video about it (Mundaun and Darkwood specifically) and it's always been a pleasure! So, thank you once again for giving myself a reason to face my own fears and play something I might have left to the side otherwise 💛
While I definitely do not mind cluttered UIs, especially when there's a purpose for them, I do believe something like an old school user guide (maybe pdf instead of booklets) would be very, very useful.
The second I got the notification for this video I came running at full speed lmfao World of Horror is easily my favorite RPG game. Its gamestyle is addicting, especially when you learn all the different patterns to memorize for a more successful run. Also the artwork is *chef's kiss*
World Of Horror looks really terrifyingly good, and it really captures that Junji-Ito's style of horror. It also captures that old school DOS games too, and fall in love with the game's graphics alone.
Junji Ito's work was one of the first time that visual media caused me to go cold inside but be unable to stop turning the page as to see what next grotesquerie awaited me. Lovecraft was the first time I read I story and could envision that horror could happen at a much larger scale and that those creatures could be so terrifying as to instantly make one go mad forever.
I didn't know about this game until a week ago or so, two or three days before release and the feeling of being pulled by the spiral that makes this game is so rewarding. You think you'll be satisfied with this last run, but then you discover a new pattern, path, or option you haven't considered before... you feel tempted to fail in purpose just so you can see how far you can go by abusing some strategy while planning for a playthrough where you'd take advantage of what you've been discovering. Something I noticed, and was reminded when watching the video essay is that this game feels also a bit like Higurashi, you repeat the endless cycle while going deep into what happens in the town, and while doing that you might end discovering secrets of its inhabitants... or secrets that are engrained into the town itself, It's just fantastic. You just feel like one of the MCs of Higurashi, you choose to be more mad sometimes just to try and reach deeper or check if by doing that you find another facet of a mystery or event... Sometimes It feel like the game baits you with something and you try to go around that hint in so many ways to see if there's something more ~like the stupid cassettes you get from the forest~.... Idk, this feels like another indie game that I can put in my pedestal of things I would like to play again in a few years.
I forget the exact name of the god, but there's one ending I particularly like. Spoiler ahead: It's the god who comes through mirrors or, as you find out, any reflective surface. In the end, when humanity is reduced to huddles survivors in caves or ruins, desperately staying away from mirrors, its when you look into the eyes of your loved one that you realize that mirrors aren't the only reflective surface he can come through.
This editing style and narration shows how much attention to detail and passion you have for your videos. Thank you for covering this game. It is criminally underrated and great for any fans of the horror genre and a love letter to Junji Itos manga prowess. Horrror rpgs as a whole need to be more prevalent
I'm a huuuuuge fan of the Arkham Files games, and this game is a really phenomenal mixture of Arkham Horror 2e, Arkham Horror 3e and Eldritch Horror. Dream game for me! As you said; everything is here, random boons / banes, items and allies, individual investigators with their own powers and starting items, random story generation, big ancient one to stop from awakening, monsters to fight, a city / world to explore, weird mechanisms like lingering injuries / madnesses, etc! I adore this. The only thing pulling me back to the board game is the fact that I can go investigating with friends.
I actually think the specific boardgame World of Horror is based on is the Arkham Horror game Elder Sign. It even has an equivalent of the doom meter literally called "doom tokens"
I remember buying this game for like a dollar years ago. Played it for a couple hours and haven't touched it since, but I tell anyone who's looking for a good horror game to give it a look. Happy to see that the game's doing well🖤
I love that you describe it as a digital version of Arkham Horror, because I described this game to my wife and roommate in the exact same way! I love the tabletop game and how it can be unforgiving, but how you learn more and more as you play it frequently. I bought Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace and while it was fun and kinda had the feel of the game, THIS game nailed it! You can investigate wherever, try your luck at the shop, try your luck in combat, try to recruit allies, etc. The more stuff you can collect will make you stronger, but it may come at a cost. I have only succeeded in 2 runs so far and those were on Initiate and Skeptic. Cultist kicks my butt everytime, but I just have fun. Like Arkham Horror and also Fallout from Fantasy Flight(which I recommend!), the fun isn't so much in winning as it is just playing and exploring. It is easy to try to play it to win before the game timer spells doom, but you are doing a grave disservice because you are less likely to find some of the most fun and rewarding events! Wife and I don't try to win the games so much as we just try to EXPERIENCE the game. I would rather lose 100 times but have a fun experience, then feel like I am obligated to finish it.
One of the things I really love about WoH is that it is this incredibly mechanically deep game with a lot of intricacy and customisability that can feel daunting, but it's also... Really accessible? When I've been away from it for a few months, or feeling a bit low-brain when I want to play, I can just play on the lowest difficulty and STILL have an experience that feels complete and not an absolute cakewalk, but also gives me the chance to go for achievements (especially origin completion ones) and exploration without bashing my head against a wall; and when I want to tackle that wall and go for something with more bite, the higher difficulties give me that chance! Like, I cannot praise WoH's approach to difficulty for making it something for Every Level of RPG Player enough. I think it's worth noting that because difficulty and accessibility, especially with interesting narrative games, is a hot topic and seeing people highlight how gruelling a game can be can sometimes make less hardcore gamers feel like it's not for them - and I want to make it clear that if you're not a hardcore strategist RPG buff but think the game sounds cool, WoH is ABSOLUTELY still for you!
There are several content creators that have played World of Horror and I am enjoyed each of their gameplay videos a lot: -Vinny from Vinesauce - Ceres Fauna - Jesse Cox - Woolie VS - Northernlion - Pavola Reine - Millie Parfait - Josuiji Shinri - Retromation
Roguelike/Roguelite isn't so much a genre as it is a quality, like "fast-paced" isn't a genre but when someone describes a fast-paced ARPG you know roughly what to expect (also a lot of people don't understand the difference between roguelike and roguelite, so here it is: roguelike means you end your run and start a new one completely from scratch with 0 saved items or buffs from your last runs, roguelite is where you retain some weapons, items, buffs, upgrades, etc. after each run to give a sense of progression to the game)
It took me 3 runs to beat the main game. However, I played a lot of the Arkham Horror board game, old-school video game rpgs and felt like I got some luck with my some of the mysteries and Old God effects. And I still nearly failed via the Doom meter. Which was at 97% at the end. It certainly won't be to everyone's liking. As it might be a tad too retro, harking back to the 1980s. As well as at times, your luck just might not be there. But when you do make the right moves, manage your Stamina, Reason and Doom correctly and get just the right amount of luck to eek out a win, the game feels fantastic. Even when it doesn't, a game, like video said, is less than an hour and far less if things are going badly. And even then there's an interesting story of your doomed protagonist attempting to stand up to the eldritch forces of the universe. I feel considering World of Horror more like the Arkham Horror board game with the computer doing all the bookkeeping and enjoying the chaotic story unfolding the best way to play this game.
22:35 there is one event that I think we all can agree has only 1 superior choice. If you leave the dog trapped in the bear trap, you are a monster and I will accept no other answer. I don’t care if I’m about to win, I will try to save the dog every time.
You finally convinced me to just dive into this game after being discouraged my first few runs over the last few years. I sunk hours into it today without even realizing! 😭 Highly recommend, it is so captivating. I can't wait for the Switch release next week.
hi ragnar! just wanted to say i haven't skipped a video of yours since your essay about rule of rose and it makes me EXCEEDINGLY happy to see you enjoy games made people from my country. cheers from Poland! and thanks for helping me get through university by providing quality entertainment fot my study breaks!
You did, Hellnight, Darkwood, and now World of Horror, three games I'm quite fond of. Not gonna be far from covering the two Fear and Hunger games, I know it in my heart!
This reminds me of being a kid. My dad got a box full of copied/pirated amiga games. It was the size of a chessboard, with 3 full rows of floppy disks. Most of them unlabeled or in English which I didn't understand yet. I would just pop in those disks with no idea what would happen. This game really simulates that experience for me. A splattering of UI elements that I don't understand. Immediate and severe consequences of any action. Overall creepy atmosphere
What a very sincere loveletter to this gem of a game. With that being said, Roadwaren (I checked the demo out) is also a great little gem and I surely keep an eye out for it :) Thanks for sharing your thoughts and also thanks to the developer behind the World of Horror, what an achievment!
22:20 The issue with World of Horror in this regard is that, unlike most other RPGs (including Disco Elysium), the game doesn't tell you which one of your main attributes is going to be used to perform a skill check. This means you can never try and play to your selected character's strengths and simply adds to the sense of "the game decided it was time for me to die and proceeded to fuck me in the ass with no lube". There are no good or bad choices in World of Horror. You simply pick a choice at random during encounters and pray that the check will be for an attribute your character has high enough, and that the result of the encounter will be something useful that will help you survive for a bit longer. Because of the sheer amount of encounters and ways to resolve them, there is zero chance you will ever remember that eating the fucking prawn at 23:00 will prompt a Strength check (of all things). Please don't compare it with a game like Disco Elysium (with heavy scumsaving available) and BG3 (with a million different optional bonuses available and the Inspiration rerolls). Also, you're confusing the permanent injuries with the regular wounds and scratches that appear on the character portrait as you take damage, and you're confusing rogue-like with rogue-lite. World of Horror gives you certain unlocks when you finish a run while achieving certain milestones. This makes it a rogue-lite game. Rogue-like games have no progression whatsoever between runs. Every rogue-like run is exactly the same as the first.
It’s funny, I spent some time in the discord server in late 2021. The general atmosphere was grim, since at the time it had been like over six months of radio silence from Panstasz, and he’d even missed the promised october update without even saying a word about it. It was as if everyone’s doom was at a 100% and the words “abandonware” were spoken often… Fastforward to now, and it’s almost surreal that the game is finally complete and even coming to consoles!
"There must be something in the Polish Collective Subconscious that gives them insight into Cosmic Horror" I'd say it's the "Being a former satellite state of the USSR and the aftermath of it falling" that does it. Central Slavs just have that understanding. I haven't seen a lot of Czech horror, admittedly, and from what I can find most of it is psychological, but being a colony gives you insight. I love the digital boardgame that is World of Horror, in theory, I haven't had a chance to play it yet, but I should give it a chance one of these days.
I just got into Ito within the last few years, im hyped for this one! I did play a VR game inspired by Ito'o works. The gameplay wasn't great (early VR physics) but the atmosphere was beautiful- I found myself sitting on the floor irl to look closer at face ( as if someone colored in an Ito manga panel) that appears under the in-game ground as you walk down a path. Anyway, this is an awesome start, but I really hope we get an official Ito collab in a big budget game sometime soon!
My pet peeve is that way too many games are "inspired" by the horror stories of H.P Lovecraft, while proper, time period adaptations of them are exceedingly rare. Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is one my favourite video games of all time (it's up there alongside Silent Hill 2), because they really hit some magic sauce with that one. It's a great game (despite it's flaws), it's a great horror game and, this is a hill I'll die on, it's one of the best representations of the Lovecraft "mood" outside the novellas themselves.
When I first got the game and played through the tutorial scenarios (first two options rather than making my own playthrough), god I was so confused and I was SURE I was never gonna pick the game up again. Thank the old gods my love for Lovecraft and Ito won out in the end and I came back cause in the end, once you get hang of the UI (which in the end isn't that complicated after all and you'll just end up feeling kinda silly over ever thinking it is), the game is easily one of the most entertaining and addicting Lovecraft-themed games there is. I ended up 100% everything except for the enemy encyclopedia (but only because certain entries are not actually in the game so it's not doable atm). I honestly cannot recommend the game enough, even if it feels difficult to get a grasp on at first. It pays off and you WILL get a grasp on it. Also the best tip anyone could ever give is to use the Z key in the beginning. It highlights what you can click.
This game reminds me so hard of my childhood. I have logged so many hours just from sheer nostalgia drive, in addition to the tasty, tasty horror. I am so in love with this game.
Only in intro now but I wanna note that there is a finnish rap song about Junji Ito. Might not mean he made it big but it surely means he made it obscure.
I stumbled in here by reading about World of Horror and this was a great video thank you. Always on the look out for new video game experiences and innovations. We as a species are always trying to improve On most things but there’s simply so much from the past that still needs unearthing. This is where having a great artistic mind comes to fruition. Genius how older looking graphics works as a horror tool. Great!!
Love that you showed a classic snippet from the beginning of the movie $u1c1d3 Club. I watched that movie in high school after being shown the "Japan Club" room by a fellow student on my first day at a new school. In the film, several students were standing on top of the school building roof. Guy showing me around: "What are you watching?" Very chill Japan Club member: "$u1c1d3 Club." "What are they doing?" "Committing $u1c1d3 ." The delivery was like a scene out of a sitcom. Such a great first impression.
I have been playing this game over the past week and completely fell in love with it. I watched this video when it came out, but it is only now that I experienced how good it really is. The style really elevates the different stories and there were some moments where I truly squirmed (I am not easily squicked out tbh) And the bits about the "One more run" are too real. I already sank so many hours into this game in only a few days, I can't imagine how much I will have played it when the next update comes out!
I've been waiting for this ever since you posted that quick-review you did a long time ago. I have it on Steam, I'm getting it on the Switch. Damn this game just feels good.
I daresay this is less a Roguelike and more an Adventure game of the CYOA subgenre /Trail game, (in the spirit of Oregon Trail) but with different framing and RPG elements. Its just that any games from that era just kill you a lot, and everyone these days seems to want to call games that kill you a ton and have limited resources a "Roguelike." Its such a bizarre linguistic shift, I don't mean to be pedantic, its really so strange. I kinda get how a game like Hades wound up with the "Roguelike" misnomer, but it feels so weird when this game literally references classic Roguelikes' contemporaries, which perfectly describe it. I do also have to say, the Trail Game genre is so painfully unrecognized in gaming as a whole, its criminal. Unless its explicitly in the clothes of a road trip, they're treated as a CYOA or a Roguelike, but it really is its own thing, combining decisionmaking, recource balance, a randomly generated narrative or journey and a character or party to monitor. We need more, and we need to realize you don't need a wagon to be one.
I was looking for the comment on Johnny's narration at 10:52 but couldn't find anything. So let me say Holy Cow that was amazing! Audiobook readings, anywhere else we can hear him?
As someone who can’t stand horror, but really loves mystery, I’d love if there was a detective game series that does stuff like this. It’d be something I’d spend on.
That's uncanny timing RagnarRox, I'd only just discovered this game yesterday by looking through Moby Games "influenced by H.P.Lovecraft" tag, and here you are ready with your detailed looks. With all the Junji Ito flavor though, maybe that's a sign I should close this tab, forget this game and never come back...but it just looks so uniquely special...was it destiny?
I love this game! You should definitely give it a shot! If you're thinking about grabbing it I'd do it before 1.0 releases, as the price will probably climb a bit!
Trivial point BUT, when you stated the game was Apple II-reminiscent I'm assuming you meant early Macintosh instead. The Apple II was primarily color or monochrome green/amber. It also never displayed imagery that sharp or "graphical". The look far more mimics the 16-bit compact Black and White Macintosh computers. I'd be actually curious if the game could even be ported to a classic 68k Mac.
Well, i mean as far as not getting as much as it deserves as far of the early access not getting a ton of press or love, but yeah its now released, hopefully it will get the love it deserves, and hopefully dlc for even more stories.
Honestly, you're one of my favorite creators, i watch most of your videos with no real plan to play the games, i just enjoy your writing. That being said, do you plan on ever going over Dusk in one essay?
I watched this video and ended up binging heaps of others from this channel the last few nights. Just bought World of Horror on Switch and cleared on Cultist difficulty on the 2nd try! Definitely gonna keep digging and playing more. It's got the hooks into me completely. Bit of a disjointed comment but hey, it's 3am where I'm at. Final Doom count was 97%. Nail-biting!
Aaaaaaah so happy you're going back to this game ! I really love a game that pushes me in the "just one more run" state, even tho i am gonna go at it with care because Mr Ito has a talent to strike me with images that NEVER LEAVES MY MIND sometimes in a hard way xD I remember when you presented it at the end of a video and like you i am in awe with all the time passed and the road still ahead ! Thank you for this great video and more so, for your entire channel. Been a fan for years now and i am so happy you got a occasion to look back and feel proud and happy because i sure am (in a "respectful and appriciative of your content i promise this not parasocial creepiness" way xD ) !
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Ragnar, are you secretly Vlad Tepes? I ask because......oh hey look! There goes Elvis!
Guess what? World of Horror was delayed... again.
Pushed back until December 8th. Lmfao
I have subscribed to your channel!
@@SlimeBlueMS That's not true, it's already out on Steam, gog and itch and the Console versions come out on October 26th
You spell it HORROR, but you say it HORRA.
the fact that a part time dentist made a love letter Junji Ito feels so appropriate.
is it because junji ito used to be a dental technician himself or is it because of something else?
@@nbdjz1058 the former of course it just makes it feel so fitting.
@@docbaker3333 yesss absolutely. i was just concerned it might be a reference to one of his stories because i haven't read all of them yet :)
You see some horrifying stuff in people's mouths.
Well dentists are eldritch horrors after all
A few years ago, I binged Junji Ito's work for the first time. I posted on Twitter that I had just read his work, and how much it affected me. AND HE LIKED THE TWEET.
Greatest day of my life.
I also think both Fear and Hunger games really nail this game design of "cool I got eight minutes in and died. Time to restart" as well as feeling hopeless. There is also the fact it is a one man team making all this crazy eldritch horror lore.
I like a lot of what I've seen of Fear and Hunger.
True but I get stuck play it till the late hours T_T
Eh, those games are a bit too deranged for my taste
@Thealseie 100% valid. The lore is crazy, but it's a... special taste of a game😅 just a lil. Good tho.
Neh, I quit Fear and Hunger 2 early on, wasn't fun getting one shot and lost
You mention Junji Ito being wholesome and I'm reminded of the fact that he also has a side manga illustrating his life with his cat. It's both unsettling and wholesome as Junji Ito can be.
Also I've been waiting for this to come to the Switch. It's one of my most awaited titles this year.
Fun fact: The wife read the manga and wasn't happy with how crazy he made her look there
It's tale of two cats - cute kitty Mu and scary Yon, brought from in-laws house.
something that has always fascinated me about this game every time I see it is the UI. I find in modern gaming (especially in RPG's where menus and stats are very important) the goal is to create a UI that is very streamlined, stylish, and non-intrusive to the player, but in this game, the overly-cluttered UI i think is actually a GREAT tone-setting tool. It has a charming antiquity to it, like pen-and paper RPGs, which goes nicely with the retro 1/2 bit vibes of the art style, but it also creates alot of visual noise that the player has to keep track of, adding to the already tense and oppressive atmosphere of the game. It really works well with the Chaotic feeling this game is going for I think, and gives it alot of personality!
Guess I just had my, "Saw your upload and immediately clicked" moment. No joke though, Ragnar and Junji Ito inspired art are two things I personally can't get enough of.
Same
Junji Ito did the artwork for several MtG cards in the Phyrexia: All Will Be One set, including 4 cards in the Secret Lair drop for that set. I don't think they could have picked a more perfect artist to contribute to this particular chapter of MTG lore.
Sadly mtg sux nowadays
It's sad that mtg lore and game design really sucks now. Art is fine
Mtg story is lacking nowadays but the gameplay remains awesome
I really dislike secret lairs and MtG's modern business model. Often the art is great and the game itself is great, but these issues have kept me away for years and I'm kind of just not interested anymore. That's cool that Ito did some art for MtG, though!
@@antonioarrendol2655still sad about what they did to liliana
i remember downloading fan translations of a bunch of junji ito's works 10 years ago. Very wild to go into a bookstore these days to find hardcover, official translations these days
As an old time player I hope the dev does make true on his promise to add steam mod support for WOH. It's built from the ground up to be moddable after all. And with the full release tomorrow I think it's finally time for full fledged modding.
I'm on the discord, he's gonna be working on it
Considering the mod tab in the main menu I’d be very surprised if it wasn’t added in eventually
@@ProTobigenthat's great news
Do u play on playstation?
There are a bunch of _somewhat_ similar horror games for the PC-88 and PC-98 (both japan exclusive systems). Most of these were never translated to english, and only a few received fan translations. But the way World of Horror controls is also very reminiscent of games like Onryou Senki, for example. These PC88/98 games weren't Junji Ito inspired, simply because a lot of them were published before the majority of Ito's works. But they share a lot of similarities in how the horror elements are often more about an underlying dread, rather than shocks.
There's a channel called F_T_B who makes very entertaining videos examining many of these 80s and early 90s games that are practically unknown outside of Japan. Maybe the makers of those games and Ito had some common influences, because tonally there's definitely some overlap.
There are also games based literally on Ito's Uzumaki for the WonderSwan, whose monochrome graphics style lends well to Ito's source material. PC-88 horror adventure classics like Onryou Senki (have played through this myself) are no doubt a foundational influence too, possibly also monochrome "macventure" games of the 80's. World of Horror definitely has a lot of uniqueness to it though, with the RPG mechanics and lovecraftian themes on top of all the other influences.
@@Mogura87 The WonderSwan, of all systems! That's interesting.
@@plasticflower The WonderSwan has its fair share of horror gems, actually. There's a neat port of Clock Tower, Uzumaki Noroi Simulation in addition to a Uzumaki visual novel, the "horror sound novel" games Terrors (with a sequel on the WonderSwan Color) and others like Ring Infinity and Another Heaven. I'd argue it's a more compelling lineup of horror experiences than what you'd find on the Game Boy systems, even though Resident Evil Gaiden and Alone in the Dark New Nightmare are technically impressive for how they pushed the hardware.
F_T_B getting a shout out in here damn
Been following this game for years, I really like the atmosphere it has to it.
I love when WOH just straight up drags you into another dimension, and you get a unique event where you are basically overwhelmed by how alien your surroundings have suddenly become. Every playthrough, as far as I know, has at least one of these events.
My favorite has to be the mysterious frozen tundra, with pyramids in the distance. I remember somehow getting lucky and finding a katana here before being dragged back into mainline reality.
Plus, the lighthouse was an immediate red flag on my first playthrough. I read Uzumaki, and I just looked at that and went, "🎵o-ohhh hell nawww🎵"
I love this game.
Thanks of the huge heads up the full version releases tomorrow! I bought it instantly as I recognised it as being my dream game: a combo of an old school hard RPG and Junji Ito, something I was playing with with trying to make myself (we all have That Idea, don't we? heh), but am currently unable to. I even directly let Panstasz know how much I appreciated making something I had been dreaming of for a few years at that point. I do have to admit... I have been too chicken to actually play the game so far! I've played the introductionary Scissor mission but have avoided it because I handle jumpscares really poorly; this made me lose track of how development has been going... but knowing it is at full release status, I am willing to give it a shot though because I have given games I would otherwise not play for personal reasons like that a shot purely because you made such a passionate video about it (Mundaun and Darkwood specifically) and it's always been a pleasure! So, thank you once again for giving myself a reason to face my own fears and play something I might have left to the side otherwise 💛
While I definitely do not mind cluttered UIs, especially when there's a purpose for them, I do believe something like an old school user guide (maybe pdf instead of booklets) would be very, very useful.
The second I got the notification for this video I came running at full speed lmfao
World of Horror is easily my favorite RPG game. Its gamestyle is addicting, especially when you learn all the different patterns to memorize for a more successful run.
Also the artwork is *chef's kiss*
World Of Horror looks really terrifyingly good, and it really captures that Junji-Ito's style of horror. It also captures that old school DOS games too, and fall in love with the game's graphics alone.
It is really good. Its also weird. Actually really fun to play it on stream to friends and have them help pick what to do.
working in the dental industry is the secret to creating masterpieces of horror, got it.
It REALLY is, what the hell
the way you described the idea of what world of horror is in terms of how it does its roguelike mechanics it reminded me of fear and hunger
Junji Ito's work was one of the first time that visual media caused me to go cold inside but be unable to stop turning the page as to see what next grotesquerie awaited me. Lovecraft was the first time I read I story and could envision that horror could happen at a much larger scale and that those creatures could be so terrifying as to instantly make one go mad forever.
"something in polish culture that gives them a unique glimps into horror and madness" yeah, that would be the Catholic church
Ngl I chuckled to myself.
Don't forget rampant alcoholism.
Sometimes I wonder why polish horror resonates so much for me; then I remember my family is Irish Catholic and I stop wondering.
Though nothing to envy from the protestantism in terms of horror
r/atheistism is down the hall, to the left.
I didn't know about this game until a week ago or so, two or three days before release and the feeling of being pulled by the spiral that makes this game is so rewarding. You think you'll be satisfied with this last run, but then you discover a new pattern, path, or option you haven't considered before... you feel tempted to fail in purpose just so you can see how far you can go by abusing some strategy while planning for a playthrough where you'd take advantage of what you've been discovering.
Something I noticed, and was reminded when watching the video essay is that this game feels also a bit like Higurashi, you repeat the endless cycle while going deep into what happens in the town, and while doing that you might end discovering secrets of its inhabitants... or secrets that are engrained into the town itself, It's just fantastic. You just feel like one of the MCs of Higurashi, you choose to be more mad sometimes just to try and reach deeper or check if by doing that you find another facet of a mystery or event... Sometimes It feel like the game baits you with something and you try to go around that hint in so many ways to see if there's something more ~like the stupid cassettes you get from the forest~.... Idk, this feels like another indie game that I can put in my pedestal of things I would like to play again in a few years.
I forget the exact name of the god, but there's one ending I particularly like. Spoiler ahead:
It's the god who comes through mirrors or, as you find out, any reflective surface. In the end, when humanity is reduced to huddles survivors in caves or ruins, desperately staying away from mirrors, its when you look into the eyes of your loved one that you realize that mirrors aren't the only reflective surface he can come through.
This editing style and narration shows how much attention to detail and passion you have for your videos. Thank you for covering this game. It is criminally underrated and great for any fans of the horror genre and a love letter to Junji Itos manga prowess. Horrror rpgs as a whole need to be more prevalent
I'm a huuuuuge fan of the Arkham Files games, and this game is a really phenomenal mixture of Arkham Horror 2e, Arkham Horror 3e and Eldritch Horror. Dream game for me!
As you said; everything is here, random boons / banes, items and allies, individual investigators with their own powers and starting items, random story generation, big ancient one to stop from awakening, monsters to fight, a city / world to explore, weird mechanisms like lingering injuries / madnesses, etc! I adore this. The only thing pulling me back to the board game is the fact that I can go investigating with friends.
Been sick the past two weeks and the first thing I see on YT when I open it up is a new Raggy video. This is surely the sign of recovery.
I actually think the specific boardgame World of Horror is based on is the Arkham Horror game Elder Sign. It even has an equivalent of the doom meter literally called "doom tokens"
Happy halloween! Great video, as expected the game's right up your alley.
Seeing my mod at 37:54 stunlocked me lmao
World of Horror is my favorite spooky resource management game. SO excited for the full release :D
I remember buying this game for like a dollar years ago. Played it for a couple hours and haven't touched it since, but I tell anyone who's looking for a good horror game to give it a look. Happy to see that the game's doing well🖤
I’m so pleased every time I see a new video from you because I know I’m about to learn about an obscure-but-exceptionally-high-quality narrative.
I was NOT ready for a Käärijä reference and it has made my day - bravo!
I love that you describe it as a digital version of Arkham Horror, because I described this game to my wife and roommate in the exact same way! I love the tabletop game and how it can be unforgiving, but how you learn more and more as you play it frequently. I bought Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace and while it was fun and kinda had the feel of the game, THIS game nailed it! You can investigate wherever, try your luck at the shop, try your luck in combat, try to recruit allies, etc. The more stuff you can collect will make you stronger, but it may come at a cost. I have only succeeded in 2 runs so far and those were on Initiate and Skeptic. Cultist kicks my butt everytime, but I just have fun. Like Arkham Horror and also Fallout from Fantasy Flight(which I recommend!), the fun isn't so much in winning as it is just playing and exploring. It is easy to try to play it to win before the game timer spells doom, but you are doing a grave disservice because you are less likely to find some of the most fun and rewarding events! Wife and I don't try to win the games so much as we just try to EXPERIENCE the game. I would rather lose 100 times but have a fun experience, then feel like I am obligated to finish it.
wait, the creator is a dentist? just like junji ito used to be?
i guess dentists ARE scary, after all...
One of the things I really love about WoH is that it is this incredibly mechanically deep game with a lot of intricacy and customisability that can feel daunting, but it's also... Really accessible? When I've been away from it for a few months, or feeling a bit low-brain when I want to play, I can just play on the lowest difficulty and STILL have an experience that feels complete and not an absolute cakewalk, but also gives me the chance to go for achievements (especially origin completion ones) and exploration without bashing my head against a wall; and when I want to tackle that wall and go for something with more bite, the higher difficulties give me that chance! Like, I cannot praise WoH's approach to difficulty for making it something for Every Level of RPG Player enough. I think it's worth noting that because difficulty and accessibility, especially with interesting narrative games, is a hot topic and seeing people highlight how gruelling a game can be can sometimes make less hardcore gamers feel like it's not for them - and I want to make it clear that if you're not a hardcore strategist RPG buff but think the game sounds cool, WoH is ABSOLUTELY still for you!
There are several content creators that have played World of Horror and I am enjoyed each of their gameplay videos a lot:
-Vinny from Vinesauce
- Ceres Fauna
- Jesse Cox
- Woolie VS
- Northernlion
- Pavola Reine
- Millie Parfait
- Josuiji Shinri
- Retromation
I have been championing this game for YEARS thank you for this truly
Roguelike/Roguelite isn't so much a genre as it is a quality, like "fast-paced" isn't a genre but when someone describes a fast-paced ARPG you know roughly what to expect
(also a lot of people don't understand the difference between roguelike and roguelite, so here it is: roguelike means you end your run and start a new one completely from scratch with 0 saved items or buffs from your last runs, roguelite is where you retain some weapons, items, buffs, upgrades, etc. after each run to give a sense of progression to the game)
It took me 3 runs to beat the main game. However, I played a lot of the Arkham Horror board game, old-school video game rpgs and felt like I got some luck with my some of the mysteries and Old God effects. And I still nearly failed via the Doom meter. Which was at 97% at the end.
It certainly won't be to everyone's liking. As it might be a tad too retro, harking back to the 1980s. As well as at times, your luck just might not be there. But when you do make the right moves, manage your Stamina, Reason and Doom correctly and get just the right amount of luck to eek out a win, the game feels fantastic. Even when it doesn't, a game, like video said, is less than an hour and far less if things are going badly. And even then there's an interesting story of your doomed protagonist attempting to stand up to the eldritch forces of the universe.
I feel considering World of Horror more like the Arkham Horror board game with the computer doing all the bookkeeping and enjoying the chaotic story unfolding the best way to play this game.
37:55 For those who missed it. The "A book about ants" is a wonderful horror(?) story, not very long and just a very pleasant read.
Finally I catch a Ragnar video right after he drops one! You rock man! One of the best creators on YT
22:35 there is one event that I think we all can agree has only 1 superior choice. If you leave the dog trapped in the bear trap, you are a monster and I will accept no other answer. I don’t care if I’m about to win, I will try to save the dog every time.
You finally convinced me to just dive into this game after being discouraged my first few runs over the last few years. I sunk hours into it today without even realizing! 😭 Highly recommend, it is so captivating. I can't wait for the Switch release next week.
hi ragnar! just wanted to say i haven't skipped a video of yours since your essay about rule of rose and it makes me EXCEEDINGLY happy to see you enjoy games made people from my country. cheers from Poland! and thanks for helping me get through university by providing quality entertainment fot my study breaks!
So fitting! I'm wearing my Junji Ito sweater today! The stars align for cosmic horror! I'm so glad you're talking about this game. 🤩
You did, Hellnight, Darkwood, and now World of Horror, three games I'm quite fond of. Not gonna be far from covering the two Fear and Hunger games, I know it in my heart!
I keep flipping coins if I should cover it next and it always ends up with a loss. Gotta keep tossing.
My luck, I still need to finish the sequel ^^ Really fun games just cause they feel so open for experimantation (and failure) @@RagnarRoxShow
really appreciating the captions, more videos need to have them
This reminds me of being a kid. My dad got a box full of copied/pirated amiga games. It was the size of a chessboard, with 3 full rows of floppy disks. Most of them unlabeled or in English which I didn't understand yet.
I would just pop in those disks with no idea what would happen. This game really simulates that experience for me. A splattering of UI elements that I don't understand. Immediate and severe consequences of any action. Overall creepy atmosphere
What a very sincere loveletter to this gem of a game. With that being said, Roadwaren (I checked the demo out) is also a great little gem and I surely keep an eye out for it :)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and also thanks to the developer behind the World of Horror, what an achievment!
22:20 The issue with World of Horror in this regard is that, unlike most other RPGs (including Disco Elysium), the game doesn't tell you which one of your main attributes is going to be used to perform a skill check. This means you can never try and play to your selected character's strengths and simply adds to the sense of "the game decided it was time for me to die and proceeded to fuck me in the ass with no lube". There are no good or bad choices in World of Horror. You simply pick a choice at random during encounters and pray that the check will be for an attribute your character has high enough, and that the result of the encounter will be something useful that will help you survive for a bit longer.
Because of the sheer amount of encounters and ways to resolve them, there is zero chance you will ever remember that eating the fucking prawn at 23:00 will prompt a Strength check (of all things).
Please don't compare it with a game like Disco Elysium (with heavy scumsaving available) and BG3 (with a million different optional bonuses available and the Inspiration rerolls).
Also, you're confusing the permanent injuries with the regular wounds and scratches that appear on the character portrait as you take damage, and you're confusing rogue-like with rogue-lite. World of Horror gives you certain unlocks when you finish a run while achieving certain milestones. This makes it a rogue-lite game. Rogue-like games have no progression whatsoever between runs. Every rogue-like run is exactly the same as the first.
It’s funny, I spent some time in the discord server in late 2021. The general atmosphere was grim, since at the time it had been like over six months of radio silence from Panstasz, and he’d even missed the promised october update without even saying a word about it. It was as if everyone’s doom was at a 100% and the words “abandonware” were spoken often…
Fastforward to now, and it’s almost surreal that the game is finally complete and even coming to consoles!
A video on my birthday
Yo Happy Birthday! o/
The passion and appreciation, that is what is missing from most art these days. Such a beautiful commitment.
"There must be something in the Polish Collective Subconscious that gives them insight into Cosmic Horror" I'd say it's the "Being a former satellite state of the USSR and the aftermath of it falling" that does it. Central Slavs just have that understanding. I haven't seen a lot of Czech horror, admittedly, and from what I can find most of it is psychological, but being a colony gives you insight.
I love the digital boardgame that is World of Horror, in theory, I haven't had a chance to play it yet, but I should give it a chance one of these days.
So it appears the game got a last-minute delay for consoles, and will now released on October 26.
Yoooo thanks for shouting out Roadwarden. It's fantastic.
I just got into Ito within the last few years, im hyped for this one!
I did play a VR game inspired by Ito'o works. The gameplay wasn't great (early VR physics) but the atmosphere was beautiful- I found myself sitting on the floor irl to look closer at face ( as if someone colored in an Ito manga panel) that appears under the in-game ground as you walk down a path.
Anyway, this is an awesome start, but I really hope we get an official Ito collab in a big budget game sometime soon!
О, завтра релиз наконец-то. Всё ждал полную версию.
My favorite youtuber talking about one of my favorite games on my birthday? What a gift!
You call it cosmic horror, we in Poland call it Tuesday
You are by far my favorite channel. It is a pleasure supporting you on patreon. Also cant wait to play world of horror
My pet peeve is that way too many games are "inspired" by the horror stories of H.P Lovecraft, while proper, time period adaptations of them are exceedingly rare.
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is one my favourite video games of all time (it's up there alongside Silent Hill 2), because they really hit some magic sauce with that one.
It's a great game (despite it's flaws), it's a great horror game and, this is a hill I'll die on, it's one of the best representations of the Lovecraft "mood" outside the novellas themselves.
As a polish person who adores junji ito and lovecraft works, while also being a fan of games like Darkwood, i feel noticed and aprreciated.
Speaking of single developers from Poland in horror genre, there is also "The Cat Lady", but you covered it already in previous videos
When I first got the game and played through the tutorial scenarios (first two options rather than making my own playthrough), god I was so confused and I was SURE I was never gonna pick the game up again.
Thank the old gods my love for Lovecraft and Ito won out in the end and I came back cause in the end, once you get hang of the UI (which in the end isn't that complicated after all and you'll just end up feeling kinda silly over ever thinking it is), the game is easily one of the most entertaining and addicting Lovecraft-themed games there is.
I ended up 100% everything except for the enemy encyclopedia (but only because certain entries are not actually in the game so it's not doable atm).
I honestly cannot recommend the game enough, even if it feels difficult to get a grasp on at first. It pays off and you WILL get a grasp on it. Also the best tip anyone could ever give is to use the Z key in the beginning. It highlights what you can click.
Im so excited for the interview between junji ito and panstav
This game reminds me so hard of my childhood. I have logged so many hours just from sheer nostalgia drive, in addition to the tasty, tasty horror. I am so in love with this game.
Only in intro now but I wanna note that there is a finnish rap song about Junji Ito. Might not mean he made it big but it surely means he made it obscure.
Thank you so much for creating these videos, I've been watching you for a while, your videos are my escape from this world.
I stumbled in here by reading about World of Horror and this was a great video thank you. Always on the look out for new video game experiences and innovations. We as a species are always trying to improve On most things but there’s simply so much from the past that still needs unearthing. This is where having a great artistic mind comes to fruition. Genius how older looking graphics works as a horror tool. Great!!
Love that you showed a classic snippet from the beginning of the movie $u1c1d3 Club. I watched that movie in high school after being shown the "Japan Club" room by a fellow student on my first day at a new school. In the film, several students were standing on top of the school building roof.
Guy showing me around: "What are you watching?"
Very chill Japan Club member: "$u1c1d3 Club."
"What are they doing?"
"Committing $u1c1d3 ."
The delivery was like a scene out of a sitcom. Such a great first impression.
I have been playing this game over the past week and completely fell in love with it. I watched this video when it came out, but it is only now that I experienced how good it really is.
The style really elevates the different stories and there were some moments where I truly squirmed (I am not easily squicked out tbh)
And the bits about the "One more run" are too real. I already sank so many hours into this game in only a few days, I can't imagine how much I will have played it when the next update comes out!
So excited to see you cover this game!
I've been waiting for this ever since you posted that quick-review you did a long time ago. I have it on Steam, I'm getting it on the Switch. Damn this game just feels good.
Ahh so cool you remember that!
@RagnarRoxShow been a fan since college! Glad you're still making great horroresque content after all these years
Played this on very early days and can't wait for the full release
I daresay this is less a Roguelike and more an Adventure game of the CYOA subgenre /Trail game, (in the spirit of Oregon Trail) but with different framing and RPG elements.
Its just that any games from that era just kill you a lot, and everyone these days seems to want to call games that kill you a ton and have limited resources a "Roguelike."
Its such a bizarre linguistic shift, I don't mean to be pedantic, its really so strange.
I kinda get how a game like Hades wound up with the "Roguelike" misnomer, but it feels so weird when this game literally references classic Roguelikes' contemporaries, which perfectly describe it.
I do also have to say, the Trail Game genre is so painfully unrecognized in gaming as a whole, its criminal. Unless its explicitly in the clothes of a road trip, they're treated as a CYOA or a Roguelike, but it really is its own thing, combining decisionmaking, recource balance, a randomly generated narrative or journey and a character or party to monitor.
We need more, and we need to realize you don't need a wagon to be one.
I was looking for the comment on Johnny's narration at 10:52 but couldn't find anything. So let me say Holy Cow that was amazing! Audiobook readings, anywhere else we can hear him?
As someone who can’t stand horror, but really loves mystery, I’d love if there was a detective game series that does stuff like this. It’d be something I’d spend on.
Like dejavu for the nes
so hyped for the Uzumaki Anime!
I purchased this game sometime shortly after you put out that video years and years ago, it's so great to see it get a full release
So excited like unbelievably excited for the AS uzumaki adaptation
That's uncanny timing RagnarRox, I'd only just discovered this game yesterday by looking through Moby Games "influenced by H.P.Lovecraft" tag, and here you are ready with your detailed looks. With all the Junji Ito flavor though, maybe that's a sign I should close this tab, forget this game and never come back...but it just looks so uniquely special...was it destiny?
I love this game! You should definitely give it a shot! If you're thinking about grabbing it I'd do it before 1.0 releases, as the price will probably climb a bit!
@@VelvetAura 🤔🤑🤭🤐👌🤞
Trivial point BUT, when you stated the game was Apple II-reminiscent I'm assuming you meant early Macintosh instead. The Apple II was primarily color or monochrome green/amber. It also never displayed imagery that sharp or "graphical". The look far more mimics the 16-bit compact Black and White Macintosh computers. I'd be actually curious if the game could even be ported to a classic 68k Mac.
Another day, another excellent Ragnar upload. Never stop slaying, dude. I've been a fan for so many years now, and am so happy to see you succeeding.
Video essay about world of horror, Junji Ito, lovecraftian media with a SH soundtrack? This video is literally my personality
I've owned this game in early access for years at this point, I can't believe it's releasing tomorrow
World of Horror IS a fantastic game. i wish it got the love it deserves.
It's barely even out, there is plenty of time. Considering the 1.0 release is out it's not really fair to say it got no love.
Well, i mean as far as not getting as much as it deserves as far of the early access not getting a ton of press or love, but yeah its now released, hopefully it will get the love it deserves, and hopefully dlc for even more stories.
Honestly, you're one of my favorite creators, i watch most of your videos with no real plan to play the games, i just enjoy your writing. That being said, do you plan on ever going over Dusk in one essay?
I watched this video and ended up binging heaps of others from this channel the last few nights. Just bought World of Horror on Switch and cleared on Cultist difficulty on the 2nd try! Definitely gonna keep digging and playing more. It's got the hooks into me completely.
Bit of a disjointed comment but hey, it's 3am where I'm at.
Final Doom count was 97%. Nail-biting!
That was a tight one!
TH-cam didn’t notify me of this, 1 of the only channels that I will stop doing whatever I’m doing to watch. Good job TH-cam
The soundtrack is so good, used to listen to it the car while driving.
Today I was like „I should watch another video of yours“. That’s timing
My first encounter with Something Truly Evil had to be unloaded on a therapist due to coming at a kinda dark time in my life, lol. I love this game.
Omg i didnt expect to see anyone talk about this game in, like, ever
Aaaaaaah so happy you're going back to this game ! I really love a game that pushes me in the "just one more run" state, even tho i am gonna go at it with care because Mr Ito has a talent to strike me with images that NEVER LEAVES MY MIND sometimes in a hard way xD
I remember when you presented it at the end of a video and like you i am in awe with all the time passed and the road still ahead ! Thank you for this great video and more so, for your entire channel. Been a fan for years now and i am so happy you got a occasion to look back and feel proud and happy because i sure am (in a "respectful and appriciative of your content i promise this not parasocial creepiness" way xD ) !
Thanks for selling me on the game. Was going to see the new saw but this is clearly a better purchase!
A new Ragnarox in the weekends. Life is good!
I got this game on a whim a few months ago and have been loving it. So happy others are praising it as well!
World of horror is one of my favorite games. Glad to see it getting coverage
You are the only other person in my life I’ve heard use the word skeuomorphic!!!!! It’s my absolute favorite work! Good on you!