A couple of things! - The European Translation of Kuon and its documents were a bit iffy, so some documents named Miyoshimaru as the Fujiwara's son, when actually, he was the servant boy. - Abe No Seimei was actually (supposedly) male. Whereas in this game, Abe No Seimei is female. Some thought that Abe No Seimei was not entirely human, either. ALSO: Easter Egg somewhere in this video. Clue as to what the next video will be.
Man I remember watching a German lets play of the game a few years ago and the German translation was absolutely atrocious and hilarious. Like google translate would have been better.
Like Rule of Rose, Kuon is a largely unknown horror property in the Western gaming lexicon. I know about it thanks to looking for content dovetailing from Project Zero/Fatal Frame, which offers a similar experience but traditionally has one protagonist. There was an indie horror game concerning two sisters, silk worms and mystic mulberry trees, a monster created when one of the sisters died, and combatting horrific truths related to the recent past; Fatal Frame 2 and this game immediately sprang to my mind when listening to you narrate that game’s story. Onmyodo, or magic related to summoning, binding and/or excising Yokai from certain places, is still largely shrouded in mystery, even to Japanese people who study this discipline. It’s no surprise that any portrayal of Abe no Seimei would be esoteric at the very least.
"Like Rule of Rose, Kuon is a largely unknown horror property in the Western gaming lexicon." And that's a good thing. When something like this goes Mainstream in America it attracts Antis and Normies and ruins the whole Fandom and Hobby. Keep these horror gems small and unknown.
If I had a nickel everytime I heard about a Japanese horror game who focuses on two sisters, mulberries and silk worms I would had two nickels, which isnt alot but its weird it happend twice.
I played Silent Hill 2 for two hours, but I only managed to play Kuon for 5 minutes. This game is sooooo scaryyyy!! Thank you for telling its story, I would never be able to finish it myself. 😅
as a big fan of fate/grand order who's never seen this game before, the spittake when you said doman was REAL. i suspected we'd see him the moment you said heiankyo but BOY DID WE. him and seimei being the focal points of the plot and the mention of xu fu really made my day. but honestly all around really fucking good game its too bad its so rare
One day, one day we will get Abe no Seimei in the game. I look forward to the shenanigans, what with Douman, all the yokai Servants, and of course Seimei's Western-counterpart, Merlin!
Probably should have pointed out early on silkworms eat mulberry so people understand some of the symbolism. And maybe give the definition of Kuon as nine grudges/eternity. These are kinda important when giving a rundown of the story.
Basically the Yin phase is all the process of Utsuki and Kureha merging which is why many confusing things and omitting happens. In the process of merging the memories of the entire lifetime of the individual being consumed is shown and why is described as a “long dream”. The times she interacts with her father are both a mixture of him tuning the ritual using Kureha and treating her as an object as well as guilt tripping Utsuki to not escape the process. The meeting of Sakuya, her brother and the sisters happens because Utsuki was still alive and the people got sick due to already being dead and put in the cocoons. Sakuya begs for Utsuki to be spared as she is not malevolent even in her worst states and through a mix of Kureha likely feeling remorse and disgust due to what Domon said to her and due to the fact Utsuki kept strong and rose to prominence and saw fit to merge only with the one person that truly deserve such fate.
Don't let this distract you from the Fujiwara clan famously marrying their daughters into the imperial family, allowing them to control the Heian Court for over 200 years.
I wondered if anyone would mention the Fujiwara Clan, who famously married their daughters into the Imperial family, allowing them to control the Heian court for 200 years... Until milk power ended their reign.
Harry, the name of the other girl is actually pronounced Kuh - reh - hah. Love your content, keep it up! I sleep much better ever since I discovered your channel! :D
NGL I was listening to this like a podcast and was so confused by the name pronunciations since I have seen this game before loooong ago. I had to pop back in to double check. Especially Seimei. 😂 Ah I just realized Harry might have played with English VA where Kureha was pronounced like Korea... Oof.
He is actually kinda not that wrong. I also thought it was pronounced hah at the end but turns out the kanji is 暮葉 which is pronounced as kureha but in hiragana is written as くれは which us pronounced kuh-reh-wah althoug he pronounces it more like kuh-reh-aa
That last hiragana character is pronounced, ha. It's still kureha in hiragana. The character for ha is pronounced as wa when used as a particle. For example, わたし は はるひ です。= watashi wa Haruhi desu.
I wonder how much this inspired Sekiro, the lady fujiwara fight looked a lot like some of the enemies mid game as well as the areas with the silk webbing.
In the way that they're both inspired by broader Japanese mythology. Kuon wasn't even the only old From game set in ancient Japan, there was Otogi too and probably more
How ironic that Kuon, made by FromSoftware, is forgotten. And I know that FromSoftware’s earlier games weren’t received well, but it’s a shame that most people these days only know FromSoftware as the Soulsborne people.
@@GamingHarryYT I honestly think that if FromSoftware decide to revisit their older games, they give them remakes or remasters. Like Kuon should get a remaster for the PS5, and they could also remake the Echo Night Trilogy, another one of their more forgotten horror games. Echo Night 2 especially for being a Japanese exclusive.
I had a stroke each time you called kureha Korea and sakuya sakuhya great video regardless ur videos bring me so much comfort keep them coming especially the ps2 horror ones much love.
"Hasizoroe, hasizoroe~" Love this game so much! Playing the Japanese version I didn't understand a single word but reached the end. Such an unsettling, gorgeous gem. The sound effects, the musical cues, the visuals, all create such a heavy atmosphere. My favourite part has to be playing as Sakuya, exploring the estate, finding everyone. Wonderful to see you talk about this game!
I was on a binge of old fromsoft games like shadow tower, kings fields and this one seeing hours long video on them but why would I not watch another one from Harry. Love the content.
What a great niche title to cover. Doubt I'd ever got to experience this in any way without this vid. Great work and really appreciate how you structured it.
Hashizoroe, the lullaby from the game, is deeply haunting. It's so simple, yet it exudes an overwhelming sense of horror. Kuon is a game I'll never forget. By the way, there's a texture pack for emulation that breathes new life into it.
I used to play this game back when I was in high school and i only managed to play it for a few mins. I got so scared but at the time I was also playing Fatel Frame 1,2 and 3, I got more spooked. I'm glad to have found your video on this game, I've been wanting to know how the story is. Thank you so much for making such an amazing video.
Having just come back from a trip to Japan this was serendipitous timing and a fascinating insight to the ghost lore of the country. Thanks GH. Love your work. 🇯🇵
This was a mesmerizing video. The art direction of that game was superb. The centipede stuff reminds me of the Sekiro storyline, I think there are some traditional elements of yōkai in each game that the studios did their own unique worldbuilding with, but I thought the way they made this larger mythos personal to a family/small community in Kuon felt really special. It was heartbreaking that so many of the "monsters" were all about harm, reduction + good intentions. Thanks for making this.
41:58 he did all this just to Frick seimei. I mean she is pretty, but this has to another level of desperate simping( category deadly) probably. Bruh, good that she wins in the end... dude went psycho for it...
@@user-zk6no3no3g probably a translation issue. She is a woman as you can see , and i don't see this as a problem It adds a whole another level of depth...
Now I know for sure it wasn't kuon I returned but Siren. I feel better now. I remember when this was out the gaming granny on MTV or much music reviewed this. She was amazing.
I found this game years ago by accident, I was looking for horror games and the store had this and I bought it. Never managed to finish it but I loved it. It was so good.
Since Harry is talking about older games I hope he will talk about the Siren series. Or at least the first one since that one is the best one in my opinion.
i think it was 2006/07 but i randomly played this game bc a gamestop employee recommended it to me (told him I loved Onimusha game series). Great recap Harry
I genuinely rewatched the minutes leading up to 18:24 3 times because I felt I had missed something since I had been doing stuff while listening But turns out… the twin who didn’t survive had no explanation I could’ve missed at that point 😅
I've been playing this on emulator for the past few days on and off I like the fact that you can actually fight back and it's not the typical "run and hide" crap from the usual horror games
Dead Space is coming at some point. Managed to get all the games, including the WII one, the DVD’s, Comics, and I’m just waiting on the re-release of the novels
Recently bought all 3 for PS2. Playing through Haunting Ground at the moment, but then I'm gonna make a start on Fatal Frame (Project Zero here in the UK)
I got the official disc but no case cover. I got the Manual thou. I got into collecting horror games in the late 2000s and early 2010s. I got lucky with Kuon. Unfortunately, I lost my Haunting Ground game with manual&cover. I waited too long and now it's expensive 😭
I already said if fromsoft wanted to make free money just make sekiro. But with darker atmosphere, limited combat, closer camera with 3rd person perspective, and same story. Easy money.
A couple of things!
- The European Translation of Kuon and its documents were a bit iffy, so some documents named Miyoshimaru as the Fujiwara's son, when actually, he was the servant boy.
- Abe No Seimei was actually (supposedly) male. Whereas in this game, Abe No Seimei is female. Some thought that Abe No Seimei was not entirely human, either.
ALSO: Easter Egg somewhere in this video. Clue as to what the next video will be.
There is another TH-camr who also covered this game and the fatal frame games I suggest checking her out if you’re wondering if you missed anything
Hi Harry do a video on siren games
Man I remember watching a German lets play of the game a few years ago and the German translation was absolutely atrocious and hilarious. Like google translate would have been better.
@@DragonFire_96 name?
@@DragonFire_96 i think your talking about Exorzixil
Like Rule of Rose, Kuon is a largely unknown horror property in the Western gaming lexicon. I know about it thanks to looking for content dovetailing from Project Zero/Fatal Frame, which offers a similar experience but traditionally has one protagonist. There was an indie horror game concerning two sisters, silk worms and mystic mulberry trees, a monster created when one of the sisters died, and combatting horrific truths related to the recent past; Fatal Frame 2 and this game immediately sprang to my mind when listening to you narrate that game’s story.
Onmyodo, or magic related to summoning, binding and/or excising Yokai from certain places, is still largely shrouded in mystery, even to Japanese people who study this discipline. It’s no surprise that any portrayal of Abe no Seimei would be esoteric at the very least.
"Like Rule of Rose, Kuon is a largely unknown horror property in the Western gaming lexicon."
And that's a good thing. When something like this goes Mainstream in America it attracts Antis and Normies and ruins the whole Fandom and Hobby. Keep these horror gems small and unknown.
@@WallNutBreaker524yeah. Not everything must be known in western to be a successfull game
If I had a nickel everytime I heard about a Japanese horror game who focuses on two sisters, mulberries and silk worms I would had two nickels, which isnt alot but its weird it happend twice.
is it hollow cocoon? cuz it seems that game took this story and moves the setting to modern. or maybe based on folklore?
@@minimuu96I immediately thought Fatal Frame 2. lmao
Oh I thought it was Death Mark 2 for a sec
Base on these comments you can have 3 nickels.
I'm seeing 4 pickles but there are a number more.
I played Silent Hill 2 for two hours, but I only managed to play Kuon for 5 minutes. This game is sooooo scaryyyy!!
Thank you for telling its story, I would never be able to finish it myself. 😅
as a big fan of fate/grand order who's never seen this game before, the spittake when you said doman was REAL. i suspected we'd see him the moment you said heiankyo but BOY DID WE. him and seimei being the focal points of the plot and the mention of xu fu really made my day. but honestly all around really fucking good game its too bad its so rare
So glad it wasn't just me!
One day, one day we will get Abe no Seimei in the game. I look forward to the shenanigans, what with Douman, all the yokai Servants, and of course Seimei's Western-counterpart, Merlin!
As an enjoyer of both I'm glad I'm not the only one
You aren't gonna stop seeing those two anytime soon in Japanese media lol
Probably should have pointed out early on silkworms eat mulberry so people understand some of the symbolism. And maybe give the definition of Kuon as nine grudges/eternity. These are kinda important when giving a rundown of the story.
The "merging" reminds me of the "marriage" from Fear and Hunger. I wonder if Gaming Harry will cover that game.
Basically the Yin phase is all the process of Utsuki and Kureha merging which is why many confusing things and omitting happens. In the process of merging the memories of the entire lifetime of the individual being consumed is shown and why is described as a “long dream”. The times she interacts with her father are both a mixture of him tuning the ritual using Kureha and treating her as an object as well as guilt tripping Utsuki to not escape the process. The meeting of Sakuya, her brother and the sisters happens because Utsuki was still alive and the people got sick due to already being dead and put in the cocoons. Sakuya begs for Utsuki to be spared as she is not malevolent even in her worst states and through a mix of Kureha likely feeling remorse and disgust due to what Domon said to her and due to the fact Utsuki kept strong and rose to prominence and saw fit to merge only with the one person that truly deserve such fate.
The Fujiwara Clan famously married the daughters into the Imperial family, allowing them to control the Heian Court for over 200 years. ~ Linfamy
Don't let this distract you from the Fujiwara clan famously marrying their daughters into the imperial family, allowing them to control the Heian Court for over 200 years.
I wondered if anyone would mention the Fujiwara Clan, who famously married their daughters into the Imperial family, allowing them to control the Heian court for 200 years...
Until milk power ended their reign.
Ahahah, I was just about to post this before I saw your comment! Iconic!
Harry, the name of the other girl is actually pronounced Kuh - reh - hah. Love your content, keep it up! I sleep much better ever since I discovered your channel! :D
NGL I was listening to this like a podcast and was so confused by the name pronunciations since I have seen this game before loooong ago. I had to pop back in to double check. Especially Seimei. 😂
Ah I just realized Harry might have played with English VA where Kureha was pronounced like Korea... Oof.
He is actually kinda not that wrong. I also thought it was pronounced hah at the end but turns out the kanji is 暮葉 which is pronounced as kureha but in hiragana is written as くれは which us pronounced kuh-reh-wah althoug he pronounces it more like kuh-reh-aa
That last hiragana character is pronounced, ha. It's still kureha in hiragana. The character for ha is pronounced as wa when used as a particle. For example, わたし は はるひ です。= watashi wa Haruhi desu.
@@AstralMoonPrincess Great explanation and a great example. Kudos!
@@fortissears5388 Thank you😁
I wonder how much this inspired Sekiro, the lady fujiwara fight looked a lot like some of the enemies mid game as well as the areas with the silk webbing.
As well as numerous insects are involved in a mad man quest of immortality.
In the way that they're both inspired by broader Japanese mythology. Kuon wasn't even the only old From game set in ancient Japan, there was Otogi too and probably more
How ironic that Kuon, made by FromSoftware, is forgotten. And I know that FromSoftware’s earlier games weren’t received well, but it’s a shame that most people these days only know FromSoftware as the Soulsborne people.
Yeah, this was a great horror game!
@@GamingHarryYT I honestly think that if FromSoftware decide to revisit their older games, they give them remakes or remasters. Like Kuon should get a remaster for the PS5, and they could also remake the Echo Night Trilogy, another one of their more forgotten horror games. Echo Night 2 especially for being a Japanese exclusive.
I know them better as the Armored Core company
Or Armored Core people
Aye King's Field was a brutal taste of what was to come later from them.
I had a stroke each time you called kureha Korea and sakuya sakuhya great video regardless ur videos bring me so much comfort keep them coming especially the ps2 horror ones much love.
"Hasizoroe, hasizoroe~"
Love this game so much! Playing the Japanese version I didn't understand a single word but reached the end. Such an unsettling, gorgeous gem. The sound effects, the musical cues, the visuals, all create such a heavy atmosphere. My favourite part has to be playing as Sakuya, exploring the estate, finding everyone. Wonderful to see you talk about this game!
I was on a binge of old fromsoft games like shadow tower, kings fields and this one seeing hours long video on them but why would I not watch another one from Harry. Love the content.
What a great niche title to cover. Doubt I'd ever got to experience this in any way without this vid. Great work and really appreciate how you structured it.
Congratulations on 400k subs
You've come a long way....i remember subscribing when you had 40k
Keep up the good work 👍🏿
Thanks for sticking round so long!
Hashizoroe, the lullaby from the game, is deeply haunting. It's so simple, yet it exudes an overwhelming sense of horror. Kuon is a game I'll never forget. By the way, there's a texture pack for emulation that breathes new life into it.
12 AM here in the Philippines. Saw GamingHarry post. I must stay up for this
Thanks for your commitment!
PHILIPPINES MENTIONED RAAAHHHHHH
I used to play this game back when I was in high school and i only managed to play it for a few mins. I got so scared but at the time I was also playing Fatel Frame 1,2 and 3, I got more spooked. I'm glad to have found your video on this game, I've been wanting to know how the story is. Thank you so much for making such an amazing video.
Having just come back from a trip to Japan this was serendipitous timing and a fascinating insight to the ghost lore of the country. Thanks GH. Love your work. 🇯🇵
I liked this video a bit more than recent episodes. Good work!
Thank you for your story and lore videos. I love the detail you bring to life in each game.
Please do an “entire story” on We Happy Few.
So I don't know about Japan but in England the mulberry bush is the symbol of death.
Mulberries were mention in Agatha All Along as its taste is a symptom of witches curses...
Yes! Been on a PS2 horror kick lately and had not played this one yet.
You king, I was just thinking about this game yesterday.
This was a mesmerizing video. The art direction of that game was superb.
The centipede stuff reminds me of the Sekiro storyline, I think there are some traditional elements of yōkai in each game that the studios did their own unique worldbuilding with, but I thought the way they made this larger mythos personal to a family/small community in Kuon felt really special. It was heartbreaking that so many of the "monsters" were all about harm, reduction + good intentions.
Thanks for making this.
Thank you for doing this game! I wish they would re-release it. Despite its issues, I would love to play it.
Always pumped for your content brother 🤙🏻. Can’t wait for the MGS breakdown.
Absolutely amazing!
6:35
I think "Kureha's Note" here means the note was addressed to Kureha since it seems to have been written from their father's perspective
Oh my god I was thinking of this game today !
Thank you for sharing & explaining the lore. Love and enjoyed playing this game. Played it ages ago. 👍👍👍
whenever I heard about Fujiwara clan, I remember Linfamy videos haha
I never clicked a video as fast as this one. This gem is as rare as fcking gold!
Thanks for the summary. I found a longplay of this game years ago, but got distracted, never finished it, and forgot. This game is really interesting.
41:58 he did all this just to Frick seimei. I mean she is pretty, but this has to another level of desperate simping( category deadly) probably. Bruh, good that she wins in the end... dude went psycho for it...
lol. I feel the same way when I first watched the play through of this game back in 2011.
Still can't get over seimei is a woman in this game when he's actually a man
@@user-zk6no3no3g probably a translation issue. She is a woman as you can see , and i don't see this as a problem It adds a whole another level of depth...
Now I know for sure it wasn't kuon I returned but Siren. I feel better now. I remember when this was out the gaming granny on MTV or much music reviewed this. She was amazing.
Why do I love this channel so much?
I found this game years ago by accident, I was looking for horror games and the store had this and I bought it. Never managed to finish it but I loved it. It was so good.
"one of the mulberry trees end up extra crispy" 😭
Dam am I glad you explained that lore because holy hell was that an info dump lmao
I watched the entire dungeon chill video on this while building a dresser. FromSoft lore is always wild.
Since Harry is talking about older games I hope he will talk about the Siren series. Or at least the first one since that one is the best one in my opinion.
Never heard of this game but looks interesting
i think it was 2006/07 but i randomly played this game bc a gamestop employee recommended it to me (told him I loved Onimusha game series). Great recap Harry
Bro this is the childhood game I been looking for!!! I was so scared when playing this game with my sisters.
Man, if I knew these games would be bangers, I totally had the chance to buy them back in the day.
Bro I was looking forward to this!!! Thank you!
Very underrated
The story reminds me of Hollow Cacoon!
Hi Harry I am a big fan
I genuinely rewatched the minutes leading up to 18:24 3 times because I felt I had missed something since I had been doing stuff while listening
But turns out… the twin who didn’t survive had no explanation I could’ve missed at that point 😅
Just casually listening and watching Gaming Harry as I have a Hotdog Egg Combo for lunch.
It's perfect ❤️
Got it when I was young. I didn't understand it but I was a fan of fatal frame and I loved this game so much
I've been playing this on emulator for the past few days on and off
I like the fact that you can actually fight back and it's not the typical "run and hide" crap from the usual horror games
Bro, i just realized after being subbed for a while that you dont have the story for dark souls or any of the soulsbourne games. No dead space either
Dead Space is coming at some point. Managed to get all the games, including the WII one, the DVD’s, Comics, and I’m just waiting on the re-release of the novels
@GamingHarryYT nice. Thanks for the update and keep up the good work
Solid video
I got this game from the bin when I was a kid, and maybe I'll finally understand it
Lucky you... That costs a hundred bucks...
@@chunellemariavictoriaespan8752 it was like $10 at the time. Before it got declared a classic
I always love it when I discover a hidden PS2 gem.
wooooooooooooooo letsgoooo harry uploaded another horor vid essay thing
I really love your videos Harry keep it up could you dothe Slient Hill series ?
accidentally hit refresh and was presented with this 14seconds after release
Still one of my favorite FromSoftware game, along with Bloodborne. Coz both fall in the horror category. I really wished this game got a pc remaster..
A remaster of this game would do so well today imo
I glad that I played it first hand... when I was a kid... gonna play again...
Again the nostalgia is real with this one
I remember playing this game almost about like 20 years ago.
Harry, you should do a story on fatal frame, it's and old 2000s game
Recently bought all 3 for PS2. Playing through Haunting Ground at the moment, but then I'm gonna make a start on Fatal Frame (Project Zero here in the UK)
@GamingHarryYT i played it when I was little, and it scared me lol, but I don't remember the storyline at all. I hope you enjoy it.
Kinda weird to know that Fromsoft just have iconic and obscure horror games
"600 pounds"
Panzer Dragoon: Saga - "hold my beer"
That juicy beefy meaty lore *chef's kiss*
Unrelated but do you plan on doing a comparison video between Until Dawn and the remake?
Love your vids harry. Btw its Seymey not simai
I actually own a copy of the game hehe, glad to see Gaming Harry telling the story
I watched someone buy a copy for $500 I felt like I was watching a sacred transaction.
This is the closest we'll ever get to a Dark Souls Lore and Order
you missed when Koun said "it's Kouning time"
This is giving me big Hollow Cocoon vibes, or maybe it's more accurate to say that Hollow Cocoon gave me big Kuon vibes!
The creators of Hollow Cocoon have said they were inspired by both Kuon and the Siren series so that's probably why.
My cousin was so scared to play this he gave it to me and i loved it so much
Yep! Your typical Ashiya Doman thing...
Kinda reminds me of Fatal Frame 2... maybe it's the sisters story and the art style 🤔
Harrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, Pls do a video on Rage (1 & 2) by Bethesda.
I wonder if this game inspired Hollow Cocoon?
I got the official disc but no case cover. I got the Manual thou. I got into collecting horror games in the late 2000s and early 2010s. I got lucky with Kuon. Unfortunately, I lost my Haunting Ground game with manual&cover. I waited too long and now it's expensive 😭
If Harry don't kiss me I will Uninstall this app
Signing this petition.
doesn’t*
move im first
Good
O.o
didnt know this game was worth that much!
i have one, still unopened!
Omg!! I have this game!! I better sell this $$$$
$10 and im taking all the risk 😂
Ohhhhh no, not this game!
I forgot what this was until you mentioned the silkworm 🤢
I’m happy career survived the fall
They should remake this game like what they did Silent Hill 2
Hello harry video on siren games please
Coming. Video is on the list! Managed to source copies of 1,2 and 3!
So much lore ny head hurts.
I already said if fromsoft wanted to make free money just make sekiro. But with darker atmosphere, limited combat, closer camera with 3rd person perspective, and same story. Easy money.
GE: Some how she survived
Me: ...did she?
SEIMEI MENTIONED!
You need all of you to shout Sony to release these games.
Kuon
Haunting ground
Rule of rose
Obscure 1,2
Kamo clan...Exorcists... Heian era. Damn.
Please explain the story of the Hollowbody Game
Once you said gaki my mind went Nioh 😂