Kaiki Minazuki (Free Retro Horror Novel) Introduction and Review

This article introduces "Kaiki Minazuki," a visual novel game characterized by its retro-style graphics and background music.
I played the previous game, "Hazama Tasogare," and found it very enjoyable, so I decided to play this one as well.
Although part of it had been released, I refrained from playing until the complete version was released, and I read through it all in one go this time.
This work is independent of the previous work, "Hazama Tasogare," so you don't need to have read the previous work to enjoy it.
The completion time was approximately 7 hours.

Game Overview

There was a club at a certain middle school called the "Supernatural Phenomena Research Club," which was comprised of unique and eccentric members.
The group receives a request to investigate a mysterious old woman who is occasionally spotted in the shopping district, and they begin investigating her as a club activity.
The research club was about to abandon their investigation because they were being reprimanded by the school for operating in the shopping district late at night, and they weren't making any progress.
しかしそんな中、調査の続行を申し出たのは意外にも、さほど乗り気には見えなかった1年の水無月玲子でした。
The story begins by exploring her reasons for wanting to continue the investigation and what kind of conclusion this case will ultimately reach.

This series is divided into short episodes, each lasting approximately 5 to 15 minutes.
There are a total of 20 episodes plus extras.
Each episode ends at a crucial point, making you want to keep reading and find out what happens next.
The title of the story is displayed at the beginning, and the following phrase corresponding to that title is displayed at the end.

Just like in the previous work, katakana is not used at all in the main text.
Furthermore, the deliberate use of kanji characters for words that are usually written in hiragana further enhances the retro atmosphere of this work.
If you encounter a kanji character that is difficult to read, you can look up its reading by pressing the "Dictionary" button on the screen.
Even with words I've heard before, I often learn new things when I see how they're written in kanji.

Furthermore, the visual effect of text bouncing around in the message window is still present in this game, adding a touch of visual interest to what could otherwise be a monotonous visual novel.
It might seem like there are slightly fewer characters compared to the previous work, but I think the impact when you see it is still significant.

Review (no spoilers)

First, I'll write my impressions without any spoilers.
I had planned to read it slowly over several days, but I ended up reading it all in two days.
I usually get tired of reading long visual novels after an hour or two and stop, but for some reason, this one has a magical quality that makes me want to keep reading.

One reason for this is likely the way the story is divided into short, individual episodes, creating a dynamic and engaging narrative structure.
I think the fundamental reason for its appeal lies in its good pacing; instead of sticking to one topic for too long, the conversation develops just before it becomes dull.
In this game, the text display speed is fixed and cannot be changed.
In most games, I set the text display speed to maximum so I can quickly read through it, but I can't do that in this game.
It limits you to the default, somewhat slow display speed, but that makes you want to read the text more carefully.
Although the text is displayed slowly, the story unfolds smoothly, creating a good overall balance, and before you know it, you feel yourself being drawn into the pace of the work.
I'm an impatient person, so I find it surprising that I can read at this speed without getting stressed.

The story is a horror story involving supernatural phenomena.
However, I think the true essence of this work is not that it's a horror novel, but rather a coming-of-age drama that evokes a sense of nostalgia.
The abrupt gags and exaggerated facial expressions of the characters, which are occasionally inserted, could easily ruin the atmosphere of the work, yet they maintain a strange balance, serving as a spice to the story.
I can't quite put it into words, but since the previous work, "Hazama Tasogare," had the same feel, I think this is the author's signature style.

While the retro horror novel format was already well-established in the previous work, it can be said that it has been completely solidified in this installment.
I'm looking forward to seeing their future works.

Review (contains spoilers)

The following contains spoilers for this work.
Please be aware if you haven't completed the main story yet.
You may see some shocking images.

With a heartfelt shout from Minazuki, I will now share my thoughts, which will contain spoilers.

I thoroughly enjoyed this work, "Kaiki Minazuki," just as I did with the previous one.
While the previous game was memorable for its sci-fi worldview that contrasted sharply with its retro atmosphere, this game's theme felt more in line with the overall atmosphere of the game.
There aren't many unexpected twists or surprises, but that's precisely why I think it must have been so challenging to create something in a field where there was no room for error.
The fact that gathering the materials for the ritual was completed relatively quickly suggests that a longer episode was cut.
I'm guessing that the current version is the result of prioritizing the balance and pacing of the scenario, which led to various parts being cut.

If someone were to ask me, "What was the best thing about this film?", I wouldn't be able to answer with just one thing.
Although I know it's not ideal for a reviewer, I can't help but say that it was generally good.
I can't quite pinpoint what makes it so good, but the fact that I find myself wanting to keep reading it suggests that it has a unique charm that can't be replicated elsewhere.

The story begins with Minazuki fighting alone in a lonely battle, and ends with him joining forces with his comrades to fight, following a classic formula that made it a reassuring read.
Even when the effigy I thought I had defeated revived, I was still able to believe that things would work out in the end.
In the false dream, Ochiai was depicted as if he didn't exist, so I started to fantasize, "Maybe Ochiai was a ghost from the beginning, and only Minazuki could see him all along? His spiritual power counter was maxed out too..."
But she interacts with the other club members quite a lot, so I reconsidered and thought that possibility was unlikely.
My initial guess that "since she's a ghost, even if she's not here right now, we can summon her immediately to replenish her spiritual power" was wrong, but in the end, it was a method that wasn't far off the mark.
It was a very good thing, because it meant that we wouldn't have achieved the best results if even one of our teammates had been missing.

Each of the supernatural beings had a unique aura and a strong presence.
I realized that just like humans, there are friendly supernatural beings, harmful supernatural beings, and many supernatural beings that are neither.
The monstrous Kawabou who chased Minazuki around left a strong impression, and when I later checked the dictionary, I was horrified by his terrifying abilities.
What's even more terrifying is that "there is no effective solution."
If it weren't for that 10,000-count game of hide-and-seek with the child, I might have been doomed.
I don't think they were aiming for it, but I think they were lucky.

Among other supernatural creatures, I think the claw-pulling demon and the lucky mouse are cute and lovely.
The scene of the Tsumebiki Oni (claw-pulling demon) lining up and waving at the end is particularly heartwarming.
Fukunezumi played an active role not only in the main story but also in the side stories, and I think he could be considered the unsung MVP of the series.

My personal favorite character is Reiko Minazuki.
In the main story, she drives the narrative as a plucky but earnest protagonist, and from the epilogue onward, she showcases her talent as a comedic character.
His impatient personality was evident from the middle of the main story onwards, but it was revealed even more so in the epilogue, and I couldn't help but laugh at his exchange with Inuihara.
His facial expressions are also of pretty good quality.
After getting a short haircut and regaining her original personality, she has been reborn as a cute, small-animal-like junior character, much like Ochiai, and is unrecognizable as the same person.
It's clear that she had a naturally cheerful personality.

The other club members besides Minazuki are also fascinating.
Akiyama can be a bit overbearing at times, but he's a reliable department head character in the end.
He has his quirks, but he's a good person you can't help but like.
Inuihara comes across as eccentric and contrary, much like Kai Shiden, but in the end, he's someone who comes to your aid.
I thought it was unusual because you don't often see this type of character end up with the protagonist.
I thought her way of speaking was rather sassy, like a female delinquent, but it turned out she was indeed that kind of person, so it didn't feel out of place.
All the characters in this work are mature for middle school students, but their skin tone in particular felt very adult.
Ochiai's appearances were rather limited, and he seemed to have a somewhat inconspicuous presence, but perhaps that was just right, as otherwise he might have had too much presence.

Despite its retro and nostalgic atmosphere, it was a surprisingly entertaining work that didn't feel outdated.
If you haven't played "Hazama Tasogare" yet, I would definitely recommend it.