Onryō Senki
| Onryō Senki | |
|---|---|
 PC-8801 game cover | |
| Developer | Studio Wing |
| Platforms | PC-8801, MSX2, PC-9801, PC Engine CD-ROM² |
| Release | PC-8801
|
| Genre | Adventure game |
Onryō Senki[a] is a 1988 horror-themed adventure game developed by Studio Wing. It was one of their many games the development group made involving occult and supernatural themes.
The game involves the player controlling Hiroyuki Kitahara, who explores the town after being attacked by demons when on a walk. After his hospital insists dogs had attacked him and that he was in shock, he investigates the town day and night to find the truth. The game features static images and a text-based menu selection for investigating and navigating the town.
Originally released for the PC-8801 in 1988, it was later released to other popular Japanese home computers of the era, such as the MSX2 and PC-9801 and later in 1995 to the PC Engine CD-ROM² as Shin Onryō Senki. The game received a mixed response from reviewers of Famicom Tsūshin in 1995 for its old-fashioned menu-based gameplay while retrospective reviews from 4gamer.net and PC Gamer complimented the game's atmosphere and visual style.
Gameplay
[edit]Onryō Senki is a horror-themed adventure game.[1][2]
The player controls the game through simple commands from a text-based sidebar. On the screen, static pictures of scenes are featured. The gameplay is split between day cycles for gathering information and evidence, while late-night hours are for acting on the information acquired. At night, Kitahara can ward off evil spirits using special mantras and mudras through chants and hand gestures.[2]
Plot
[edit]Onryō Senki features Hiroyuki Kitahara, a programmer who works for a large national bank in the fictional city of Miyadera.[2][3] When out on a moonlit night, Kitahara gets attacked by demons. The hospital insists that stray dogs had attacked him, and the idea of demons attacking him was from shock. This leads Kitahara to gather more evidence and uncover the truth behind his supernatural encounter.[2]
Kitahara investigates the city and the related phenomena he encountered by creating a program from his computer terminal at home. This gives him a steady stream of reports about people who were officially attacked by "dogs" and "monkeys" as well as a map showing where supposed supernatural hotspots are.[2]
Development and release
[edit]Onryō Senki was developed by Studio Wing, a software company that has produced numerous adventure games which were themed around the occult and people with psychic powers. In their early history, they developed games for the MSX and later developed games for the PC-8801 and PC-9801.[3]
A port titled Shin Onryō Senki[b] was developed for the PC-Engine's CD-ROM add-on device, the PC Engine CD-ROM². The port was developed by Studio Wing in 1995. By June 19, 1995, it was 80% complete.[4] In interviews with PC Engine Fan, the development team claimed their office at the time of the original game was at the back of a cemetery and that the team themselves experienced supernatural events or even claimed to have paranormal abilities.[5]
Onryō Senki was first released for the PC-8801 in 1988.[3] On its initial release, the game was packaged with protective ofuda, which were designed to ward off evil spirits.[2]
It was later ported to the MSX2 and PC-9801. The PC-9801 version allows for the use of a computer mouse for controlling the game.[3] Shin Onryō Senki was released for the PC Engine CD-ROM² on September 22, 1995.[6] In the 2000s, D4 Enterprise distributed Onryō Senki on the retro game distribution service Project EGG.[3][1]
Reception
[edit]Reviewing Shin Onryō Senki the four reviewers in Famicom Tsūshin said that in an era where sound novel-styled games are everywhere, the menu-selection-based gameplay felt old-fashioned and tedious. The reviewers wrote that the game often had them brute-forcing their way to a solution and that it was not user-friendly, as the voiced audio did not always match the text and that it was not always obvious when the player could move from one area to another. While two reviewers wrote that they liked the game's story, another reviewer said they wished it was a bit more exciting.[6]
From retrospective reviews, reviewers in PC Gamer and 4gamer.net complimented the unique and atmosphere of the original game. Kerry Brunskill of PC Gamer highlighted that ghosts appearing in night scenes at random, only to flicker silently made the game effective, and the lack of jump scares were the highlights.[2]
The featured backgrounds are made from edited photos and use only four colors. While using a limited palette was not unusual at the time, the 4gamer.net reviewer said this design hybrid made Onryō Senki have a powerful impact through its unique atmosphere.[3] Brunskill, the artwork heavily dithered backgrounds made "a striking combination of a midnight blue and stark black—detailed enough to resemble a specific place or scene, but always dreamlike and indistinct."[2]
The reviewer on 4gamer.net said the game could "be considered the culmination of the company's work."[3] Brunskill of PC Gamer said the game surpassed Silent Hill (1999), Fatal Frame (2001) and Devotion (2019) in terms of ratcheting up supernatural tension.[2]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]Footnotes
[edit]- ^ a b Famitsu 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Brunskill 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ginger 2016.
- ^ PC Engine Fan 1995a, p. 90.
- ^ PC Engine Fan 1995a, p. 91.
- ^ a b c Noda et al. 1995, p. 31.
Sources
[edit]- "『怨霊戦記』推理力を駆使して怨霊と戦う、異色のホラーアドベンチャーが配信開始【プロジェクトEGG】" [『Wrathful Spirits Chronicle』: A unique horror adventure where you battle vengeful spirits using your powers of deduction is now available [Project EGG]]. Famitsu (in Japanese). August 26, 2025. Archived from the original on August 26, 2025.
- "真復讐霊戦記 / 百物語 ~ほんとにあった怖い話~ 恐怖の開発秘話" [Shin Onryō Senki / Hyakumonogatari: The Secret History of Horror Development]. PC Engine Fan (in Japanese). Tokuma Shoten. August 1995.
- Brunskill, Kerry (October 23, 2022). "'80s Adventure Onryō Senki Took Horror Games in a Slower, Spookier, Direction". PC Gamer. United Kingdom: Future plc. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- Ginger (January 28, 2016). "東京レトロゲームショウ2016：第36回 月夜の晩は，「怨霊戦記」で街に忍び寄る恐怖と戦っちゃおう" [Tokyo Retro Game Show 2016: 36th Edition On Moonlit Nights, Battle the Creeping Terror in the City with 'Onryō Senki']. 4gamer.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 13, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- Noda, Sawadhi; Pin, Mizu; Nagano, Isabella; Masuda, Ninja (September 29, 1995). "New Games Cross Review". Famicom Tsūshin (in Japanese). No. 390. ASCII Corporation.