PARANORMASIGHT Revisited: The launch and our burning questions
The developers of Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo recall the game’s amazing reception and answers some extremely spoilery questions about the game’s story.Welcome to the finale of our PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo retrospective!
In previous editions, the team has discussed the inception of the game, how they implemented the fourth wall-breaking puzzles and much more. You can read them here:
- PARANORMASIGHT Revisited Part 1: Creating a new adventure
- PARANORMASIGHT Revisited Part 2: The puzzles and implementation
To bring things to a close, Kazuma Oushu (Producer), Takanari Ishiyama (Director), Gen Kobayashi (Character Designer) and project members of the PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo team discuss the game’s amazing critical reception and answer some burning questions we have about the game’s story!
How did it feel to finally launch Paranormasight?
Takanari Ishiyama (Director): I thought that we’d made an interesting game, but I was really nervous, as I had no idea how a traditional text adventure game like this would be received in this day and age. I couldn’t stop wondering how players outside of Japan would find the game.
Are there any reactions to the game you’ve been particularly surprised by?
Ishiyama-san: I was surprised that Yutaro Namigaki was such a popular character, as my intention was that he would be the type of character that people would generally dislike.
I think if I’d intentionally tried to make an unlikeable character that people would end up liking, it wouldn’t have worked. It’s just one of those tricky things.
Also, there’s a section of the game where the player is forced to save manually so that the characters can make good on their promise to never forget what has happened, and I’m really happy that this, along with the story beat that goes with it, was so well received.
You’ve won several awards for Paranormasight, including the Award for Excellence at the CESA’s Japanese Game Awards! How does it feel to be honoured in this way?
Ishiyama-san: I still can’t believe it!
I said this at the time, but it’s not like this game uses any innovative technology or ideas; it’s just a low-budget, traditional text adventure game that we’ve tried hard to make as interesting as possible.
To see that if you make a game that’s good fun, people will notice and it will be well received makes me feel really happy. I hope it will give encouragement to other video game developers as well.
Have you had any interesting fan interactions?
Ishiyama-san: In September 2023 we ran a pop-up stall in Kinshi in Sumida, and I was delighted by how many fans came forward to tell us face-to-face how much they loved the game. That was a very memorable experience.
Now that the game is out, is there anything you wish you could have added to Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo?
Ishiyama-san: Yes. Watch this space!
Is there a particular moment that stands out to you as a favorite?
Ishiyama-san: In terms of development, the feedback reports from the internal playtests that we ran were absolutely glowing, so that was pretty great.
But in the game itself, I really like the scene where Erio and Tetsuo discuss the nail polish remover. I thought that was a really funny scene.
What message do you have for players?
Ishiyama-san: We are planning to keep on making games, so we hope that you will continue to offer your support!
And for anyone yet to play the game, thank you for giving PARANORMASIGHT your attention! If it has piqued your interest, why not explore some related content further – perhaps by watching a stream of someone play it as a first step, for example? You won’t regret it!
Burning questions
These final questions are super-spoilery and go deep into some of the most memorable parts of the game. If you’re yet to finish Paranormasight, continue at your own risk!
In Shogo’s path, what happens to him between the last playable section and when he’s found in the morning? Should we be worried that there’s another mystery to solve in another timeline?
He has been murdered by the mastermind behind everything that has transpired.
We knew that if we were too up-front about this at this point in the story, it would spoil the later events of the game, so we didn’t give too much away, but he has been killed by the bearer of the Whispering Canal curse stone.
Was it tempting to have an alternative path with the remaining characters dealing with the wave of destruction he caused that night?
Ishiyama-san: Actually, I would be interested to see how that would play out - how the other characters would act after that.
Is this the most dangerous case Tetsuo has ever found himself on? Is it the same for Erio?
Ishiyama-san: The files that we currently have in our possession don’t detail every case that they have encountered in their careers, so there may well have been even more dangerous cases than this one!
With Tetsuo having been a part of the Paranormal division in the past, is it tempting to revisit his past and show us the other adventures he’s had?
Ishiyama-san: Yeah, that would certainly be interesting! I hope that will be brought to light someday!
Many thanks to the development team for answering our questions!
PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam, as well as iOS and Android devices:
- Get PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo on Steam
- Get PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo on Switch
- Get PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo for iOS
- Get PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo for Android
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