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  • Writer's pictureMatthew McCarthy

Spoiler Review: Corpse Party (2021)

It has come to my attention that the strawberry punch was in fact blood and I need a priest.

The skeletal remains of a high school student. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Warning: the following review includes blood and gore of 2D characters. "Corpse Party (2021)" also goes into topics that may trigger people with trauma/painful memories involving suicide and sexual assault. Viewer Discretion is Advised.


Double Warning: This review has major spoilers for "Corpse Party: Blood Covered," including the exclusive EX Chapters in "Corpse Party (2021)." If you want to read a spoiler-free version, I recommend my spoiler-free review.


Chapter One: Butter Up Those Poopers and Tears


I am so good at titles.


Chapter One opens with seven high school students, an elementary school student, and their teacher the day before one of the students in the group, Mayu Suzumoto, moves away. Ayumi Shinozaki, wanting to cheer Mayu up, suggests doing a charm she found online. If done successfully, everyone will be friends forever.


And well... This is a horror game, so...

Naomi Nakashima waking up in Heavenly Host Elementary School. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

All nine end up in Heavenly Host Elementary School. A school demolished decades ago. The first chapter introduces the school excellently, showing how creepy and mysterious the place is. How is everyone in a school that was demolished years ago? How did this happen? Why does this place exist?


However, there is still hope they can escape, which is reflected in the music too. That hope gets you going like, "yeah, let's do this!" It also helps that Seiko Shinohara gives this chapter some unexpected, but hilarious comedy

Seiko is such a gift. Seiko and Naomi Nakashima's dynamic makes this chapter perfect. They're believable friends that show they care about each other very well. Both characters also have their background revealed, with Naomi's dad passing away and Seiko's mom going missing.

In only about one hour, the game makes you care about both characters a ton, which makes what comes next more heart-wrenching.


At one point Naomi is left in the Infirmary alone due to an injury she sustained entering Heavenly Host. While Seiko searches for Yuka Mochida, Naomi is chased by a black mist.


Despite escaping, she's at her limit and starts yelling at Seiko a bit after she Seiko fails to cheer her up when she comes back, with Naomi saying some genuinely hurtful things.

Ultimately, they separate, with us playing as Seiko for a bit. Even though she didn't show it, she's genuinely upset about the stuff Naomi said.

Seiko Shinohara upset about how Naomi acted towards her. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

This is also where the music is arranged to reflect that the hope of the situation is dimming. Together they were mighty, separated, they lose their shoulders to lean on.


After some time, Naomi is yelling for Seiko so she can find her, wanting to apologize when she couldn't muster it before. She ends up in the female washroom and opens one of the stalls.

Seiko Shinohara dying by hanging. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Seiko is hanging by a noose. Seiko, with the last of her strength, speaks Naomi's name. Naomi, realizing Seiko is alive, rushes to save her. Unfortunately, by the time she finds a method to save her... Seiko dies. Naomi cries and wails in despair, with the chapter ending on that grim note.

Naomi crying out after Seiko dies. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

W-What can I even say? This chapter ends with an extremely loveable character, the comedic relief, brutally dying by committing suicide. It's a depressing ending to the chapter and an emotionally powerful note to end on too. Seeing this for the fourth time again still hits hard.


However, this is what encapsulates "Corpse Party" and part of what makes it so well-executed. This chapter hits you hard by flawlessly making you feel for these characters, giving you hope, and making you want them to survive only to rip that hope away.


Chapter Two: Hugging the Fear


Chapter Two opens with a flashback with Naomi and Seiko, before going back to the present with Naomi in despair over Seiko's death. The story then transitions to Ayumi's group, which includes their teacher Yui Shishido and fellow classmate Yoshiki Kishinuma (best boy).

Yui Shishido checking up on Ayumi Shinozaki, with Yoshiki Kishinuma standing by. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

The music is also different in feel, from the hopeful tune of Chapter One, to one of inevitability. You know what this school is like now, you know others will likely die too.


Yui goes out to search for Naomi alone, who she hears screaming. Unfortunately, Yui is knocked down and unconscious by an angry spirit. This spirit hates teachers and assumes Yui only cares for herself, when the exact opposite is true, Yui cares about her students a lot.

Yui crushed by a cabinet while an angry spirit mocks her. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Generalization much- OH GOD, HE'S CRUSHING HER BONES! After a while, Ayumi and Yoshiki decide to head out to search for their friends, with no knowledge what danger Yui is in.


The Trial of Lov- Friendship


What follows are the duo being chased by a ghost boy and Ayumi being possessed. This leads to some genuinely creepy scenes with the possessed Ayumi.

During all of this, Yoshiki tries to make sense of what's happening to Ayumi and vows to protect her. Despite seeming like a punk, he's a genuinely good guy that cares a lot about Ayumi.

Ayumi saved Yoshiki before they became classmates since at that point, Yoshiki had no reason to attend school. He was kicked out and lives on his own, being a lone wolf. Ayumi was the push he needed to motivate him to stay in school, the one to cry for him.


In a way, this is the ultimate test for Yoshiki's resolve to protect Ayumi. Ayumi, due to her genuine fear of the situation, has been a bit frustrating to deal with. Although, you can't blame her, haunted schools where ghosts chase you don't bring out the best in people.

Yoshiki hugging Ayumi to break her possession. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

He realizes what he needs to do, and hugs Ayumi so she comes back, which manages to work. Now, if this was it, this chapter would be sunshine and rainbows-

Yui... Still being crushed by the cabinet. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Mostly sunshine and rainbows, but... NOPE, Mayu is a hostage now!

Mayu Suzumoto being lifted into the air by the ghost girls while unconscious. This CG has been slightly cropped because I don't want to go to jail. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Mayu Getting Some Air Time


Okay, I need to rewind. Our duo finds Mayu talking to the ghost children in the infirmary. When she's urged to get away from the ghost children, Mayu is held up in the air, unconscious.


Leaving the Infirmary to figure out what to do, since they can't approach Mayu, they meet Naho Saenoki. She wrote the blog where Ayumi learned about the charm, but Naho is dead, but in human spirit form. She does give a lead that might help save Mayu, repentance from the murderer that killed the ghost children. Which uh...

Ayumi realizing repentance from the killer wasn't enough. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Doesn't go well... Given each child was brutally murdered and had their tongues cut off, yeah, a "I'm sorry" from the killer's doll can't do much.


So, um... You know that corpse that was splattered on the wall in Chapter One? Well...

Ayumi and Yoshiki seeing Mayu's corpse. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

That's Mayu, or once was. The death of Mayu makes Ayumi panic and run away, even Yoshiki is shaken by her death. I mean, their friend is literally a pile of flesh now. Unfortunately, when Yoshiki regains his composure, he's knocked out and kidnapped by the killer of the children.

Ayumi about to be knocked out by Yoshikazu, the principal's son and the murderer of the ghost children. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

However, there is still a glimmer of hope, as Yui didn't die. While heavily wounded, she's still alive and able to move. Ending the chapter with dim hope.


This is another amazing chapter filled with fantastic creepy moments, expands the mystery of the school, and Ayumi & Yoshiki make for a fantastic duo I already shipped by this point back in 2012 and still do.


Unfortunately, one problem with this chapter is that we don't get to know about Mayu all that much up until she dies. Mayu's death is still impactful, but that's because of how she died, not because SHE was the one who died. Thankfully, she's expanded on later in the franchise, but she's at her weakest here.


Chapter Three: New Faces, Fresher Corpses


Chapter Three starts off with characters we've never seen before not enjoying Heavenly Host all that much.

We also transition to Naomi getting a call from her mom who's unable to hear her with a deep voice on her phone saying "H E L P M E" repeatedly. Naomi scared, throws her phone and falls down the stairs. It then cuts back to Naomi crying about Seiko's death AGAIN.


I GET IT GAME! SHE'S DEAD! WHY DO YOU KEEP ON TORTURING ME LIKE THIS?!?! Although, this time Naho shows up to tell Naomi that Seiko likely got affected by the curse of the school, which means her suicide might've not been her own choice or possibly done to prevent harm towards Naomi.


The Pee Arc


We then transition to Satoshi Mochida and his little sister, Yuka Mochida.

Yuka telling Satoshi's she's not crying. This will not last long. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Important to note, Yuka is fourteen-years-old. Yes, she may look like and act like she's a child, but she's a teenager, she's just really, REALLY spoiled so she acts like a child. I got nothing for like she looks like one though.


This chapter is best summarized as the "pee arc," since the goal is to find a washroom for Yuka to use. Sounds easy, right?

Apparently not as this school has a grudge against Yuka's bladder. Even in the newly opened Second Wing of the school, they can't find useable washrooms. They just find crazy people.

Satoshi trying to talk to Mitsuki Yamamoto, but she's already lost her mind. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

After some insistence from Satoshi, Yuka decides to pee outside, but when she tries to but doesn't because a ghost chases her and comes back to where Satoshi is supposed to be, he's missing. Shortly after, he runs into Sakutaro Morishige, which she and Satoshi did meet before, but well...

Morishige taking pictures when Satoshi and Yuka first meet him in Heavenly Host. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

He takes pictures of corpses, so NOPE! Eventually, Yuka does run into a sane person, Yuuya Kizami. Kizami is looking for his little sister, so him and Yuka team up to search for their missing siblings.

Kizami telling Yuka that he has lost his little sister in Heavenly Host. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Yuka is even able to find a washroom with Kizami's help. Kizami even meets up with his friend and they do some #guythings.

Kizami stabbing Kensuke Kurosaki. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

That was the only sane person in the entire chapter and he's dead now. Although, the warning signs were there, as multiple corpses in Chapter 2 said Kizami's name in a ghostly manner when inspected.


Satoshi does wake up, learning about the survivor of the Heavenly Host incident with the ghost children, the girl in the red dress. He even meets up with Naho that tells him that they're in Heavenly Host because someone messed up the charm Ayumi suggested.

The chapter ends with Satoshi getting an intense burning feeling, likely from Naho casting a spell of some sort. The ending is the weakest of the chapters, but the ending theme slaps.


Well, That Happened


Honestly, Chapter Three is the weakest of the five main chapters, even the music isn't as engaging apart from the ending theme. Yuka and Satoshi are characters I like, but they aren't as engaging as most of the other characters. They're far better in the later games where they have more to do.


I can't deny Satoshi is bland, while Yuka can be annoying at times. Yuka's VA might've nailed the voice of a small child too well, her crying is grating at times.

Seeing other living students and the Second Wing helps expand the mystery & playing field for Heavenly Host and Kizami is also interesting. This chapter also has my favourite wrong end, the one where Yuka gets scissors stabbed into her eye. It's genuinely brutal.


I just don't think this chapter has much in comparison to the others. It's still great though, just not amazing.


Chapter Four: Braving Through the Storm


This chapter opens with Seiko in the washroom with one of her younger brothers. For obvious reasons, I can't show CGs since while there's no nudity, it's still on the iffy side. You get your usual Seiko flair, but despite the fanservice, this is an endearing scene.


Seiko tells her younger brother, who wants to act more mature, to enjoy being a kid. Which is an opportunity Seiko never had after their mom went missing. It's a very mature moment, because Seiko is giving her brother the chance she didn't.


After this scene, we also find out that Mayu woke up in Heavenly Host right next to the Infirmary, and followed the ghost children inside when they entered the room. Her fate was practically sealed the moment she woke up.

Mayu when she first entered Heavenly Host. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Satoshi and Naomi


We cut to the Satoshi waking up in the First Wing. As he's exploring, he hears Seiko's voice, telling him to go to Naomi, which he does... Who is hanging herself.

Satoshi reacting to finding Naomi hanging herself. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

By lifting Naomi up on his shoulders because Satoshi is a strong boy, Naomi manages to come out fine... Physically. Naomi also didn't try to commit suicide willingly, something... Controlled her. She's still guilt-ridden over Seiko and blames herself for Seiko's death, and is also knocked unconscious when trying to follow Satoshi due to tripping.


Satoshi leaves Naomi in the Infirmary to rest, I'm sure this will turn out well, and goes to search for Yuka, but uh oh, wall. Since this is Naomi's closed space, the Second Wing doesn't exist.

Satoshi finding the Second Wing of the school is no longer accessible due to wall. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Normally this is where we transition to Ayumi's group, but for the sake of pacing for this review, lets continue following Satoshi. Satoshi decides to explore around more, finding Seiko's phone and the last message Seiko typed on it.


Depending on what you do as Satoshi, a scene may play out where Naomi dreams about Seiko. Seiko tells Naomi she has accepted her death and hopes Naomi escapes the school.

Seiko in Naomi's dream. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Seiko asks for Naomi to kiss her which is up to the player to choose, which... Why wouldn't you? It's Seiko!


After this Naomi gets up and meets up with Satoshi, oh my god it ended well, and they both go into the Custodian's Closet after finding a key to unlock it. After this, it's solely Ayumi and Yoshiki time.


Ayumi and Yoshiki Time


Ayumi comes back from the Second Wing alone and while looking for her friends, happens upon Naho, who she yells at. By yelling, Yoshiki finds Ayumi and Naho tells them of a new way to appease the ghost children. They don't have much choice so they try it, despite how off Naho acts.

I'm sure she's just... What's a polite way of saying she's kind of crazy? Either way, Ayumi and Yoshiki try again to appease the ghost children by giving back their tongues by completing puzzles. Although, the spot you start following directions to complete them from counts as the first step.

That threw me off so I just spammed the interact button to find the tongues. That's a sentence I never thought I'd say.


After getting the tongues, appeasing the ghost children, meeting Morishige who does another creepy, and-

Ayumi's corpse if you don’t save her from drowning. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Some quirky pool time, we appease three of the ghosts. The only one left is the girl in the red dress.


It's important to note that despite playing as Yoshiki, Ayumi is the one confronting each ghost. The ghosts that tried to kill her and Yoshiki, and killed her close friend. That takes a lot of bravery, especially given how easily afraid Ayumi is, but this also makes Ayumi reach her breaking point multiple times.

After a while it's no longer a breaking point, it's just a point. Even the music reflects this, being this maddening tune since these characters have been in Heavenly Host for so long. Their sanity is wearing, reality is looking bleaker, desperation is kicking in.


However, after appeasing the third ghost, Ayumi and Yoshiki manage to get out of Heavenly Host. Well, that's the good news, the "oh no" news is that no one else has escaped AND the shadow armada shows up. I hate it when that happens.

A bunch of shadows on the ground moving their arms in Ayumi's and Yoshiki's normal classroom. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Infanticide


Yuki, the ghost girl with one eye, comes from the shadows and just... Talks with them. She explains how she was kidnapped back then and the other ghost children lost their minds due to the afflux of negative emotions going into them from the victims of the school.


Yuki managed to get Ayumi and Yoshiki out, but because none of the ghosts are appeased, only they can leave. Yuki can't get the others. When Ayumi asks why they aren't appeased, Yuki shows Ayumi what happened back then, in that basement, to understand why.

Ayumi tied up alongside the other three children that would become ghost children. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

By making Ayumi experience Yuki's death, okay, rude. Although, this is genuinely the most upsetting part of the game. Every child's death is described and heard with such brutal detail, while Ayumi is blindfolded during all of it.


When the boy is being killed for the duration of half an hour by constantly being stabbed, you can picture it so vividly, it's sickening. When the girl next to Ayumi has her head cut off from the jaw, you feel the agony. However, it's what makes it scary and the most horrific part of the game, it's phenomenal horror.

Unfortunately, Ayumi's turn is up. Her blindfold is taken off and she sees Yoshikazu face-to-face.

The killer. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

That's right... Yoshikazu isn't the killer, he wasn't the one that stabbed Yuki's eye until it was soup-like, beheaded a child, killed a child for half an hour, and cut of all their tongues... It was the girl in the red dress, Sachiko Shinozaki.


With this reveal, the chapter ends, and man I love this plot twist so much. The Chapter 4 ending theme perfectly matches the shock of the twist too. It's easily my favourite plot twist of all time.


The first time experiencing "Corpse Party," this blew my mind, suddenly everything clicked. Why was Sachiko always alone? Why did she never speak? How did she survive? Why was the survivor a child ghost? Simple, because she was the killer.


Chapter Five: The Ugly Truths


Chapter Five starts with Sachiko killing Ayumi the same way she did with Yuki. While this doesn't kill Ayumi in reality, she feels every instance of pain.


We then transition to Yuka, who finds out Kizami's little sister is... Well, her, according to Kizami.

Kizami telling Yuka she's his little sister. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

So that's a yikes moment. After Yuka leaves Kizami, rightfully so, she finds Kizami's "friend." Unfortunately, despite trying to help, she's kicked by Kizami and knocked unconscious. Thankfully, Kizami's "friend" distracts Kizami, which gives Yuka a chance to run away.


Yuka does manage to get away, assuming you don't get caught, with Kizami getting decked in the face!

Kizami knocked out by Yoshikazu. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

After this, Ayumi and Yoshiki decide to go back to Heavenly Host to appease Sachiko and save their friends, and manage to meet up with Satoshi and Naomi. I'm skimming a lot of details here, but this review is already lengthy and this the 46 minute mark in the chapter in my playthrough of the 2021 version.

Ayumi and Yoshiki happy to see Naomi and Satoshi for the first time in Heavenly Host. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

The music also revives the hopeful vibe, with both Nightmare of the School Years and Ray of Hope giving you that feeling of determination, that the finale is nearby. This is also a cool callback to the original PC-98 version, which these two tracks originate from.


The One Responsible


While Satoshi and Naomi find Yuka and a way out, Ayumi and Yoshiki find Naho's notes, detailing her research of Heavenly Host. When all of them are found, Naho can be found in the Reference Room.


Some important context to know beforehand is that Naho was a source of self-confidence for Ayumi. Ayumi wants to be an artist/illustrator and illustrate a cover for one of Naho's books. Naho keeps Ayumi motivated to pursue her dreams. Naho is Ayumi's hero.

However, Naho has a dark side she hasn't been honest about: the fact she intentionally gave false instructions on how to do the charm. Participants were told to say "Sachiko, we beg of you" for everyone present, but they had to say it one more time for Sachiko herself. Naho never mentioned the latter despite knowing about it.

Naho indirectly caused every death in Heavenly Host. Every victim was doomed to eternal damnation, feeling the pain of death forever from their slow, brutal, agonizing deaths. We're talking hundreds, even thousands.


Naho did this because she wanted her mentor to succeed. She felt he wasn't recognized for his amazing work, so she gave the wrong instructions so he would have a convincing sampling size for his story to be believable.

Naho is obsessed with her mentor, to the point where she doesn't give a damn about the people that her lie caused the deaths of. She just sees them as idiots, so why not use the idiots as sacrificial lambs for her mentor that's superior? That's her cruel logic.


Ayumi is the one confronting Naho throughout all of this, the person she looked up to the most, her source of self-confidence. I can't even imagine the pain Ayumi's feeling, knowing the person she looked up to saw her and the rest of her fans as dirt.

Ayumi in distraught over everything Naho said. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

The most ironic part is that, in Naho's desperation to find Kibiki, she was affected by the darkening. A black mist that causes one to lose their sanity and give into despair. Naho, in a darkened state, found Kibiki but killed him. By trying to make her mentor succeed, Naho sealed Kibiki's fate and killed him.

The darkening leaving Naho's body. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

She doesn't take this well, causing the darkening to leave her body.


To this day, Naho is still one of my favourite antagonists and characters because of this moment and what she did. Her actions led to so many deaths with no care for the victims, ironically killing the person she did all of this for in the first place. While Naho isn't irredeemable as a person, she's a shade of evil that makes her compelling to me.


It's also shocking that the calmest and most helpful character ended up being the one behind everyone ending up in Heavenly Host in the first place. It's such a cool reveal.


It also cannot be overstated how much Yoshiki being with Ayumi is helping her so much. By this point Ayumi has gone through so much: possession, almost drowning, experiencing death but not dying, and incredible guilt for suggesting the charm. Now she finds out her hero was a horrible person.

To further prove my point, if Yoshiki doesn't return to Heavenly Host with Ayumi, while Ayumi never finds out about Naho, Ayumi does go insane. She becomes obsessed with Satoshi, killing Naomi, unintentionally picking up from her hero. Ayumi's sanity is on a trip rope, without Yoshiki there to keep it balanced, Ayumi will fall into the depths.

Ayumi after killing Naomi in the route where Yoshiki doesn't come to Heavenly Host alongside Ayumi. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Oh, and uh, during this, Satoshi's group finds out Morishige died. He took pictures of corpses to keep himself sane (press x to doubt) and found out one of them was Mayu because Mayu's spirit told him. Morishige cared a lot about Mayu, being close together.

He did not react to this well. With Naho confronted, she drops an item that lets Satoshi's group, which now has Yuka, to pick up a diary to learn about Sachiko's mother, Yoshie Shinozaki.


The Darkest Depths


In the 1950s, Yoshie was a nurse for Heavenly Host, beloved by everyone. On Sachiko's birthday though, the principal sexually assaulted her. When running away from him he pushed her by accident, killing her by breaking her neck.

Yoshie Shinozaki, with her neck in the state it was after she was killed. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Sachiko saw her mother's murder and was strangled by the principal. The principal got away with it, with Sachiko being reported missing and Yoshie's death reported as an accident. The diary also details that Sachiko got a new body, killing people to keep Yoshie company. However, she started to kill for fun after a while, driving Yoshie insane.


Yoshie also cursed the principal's family line, which came true, as both the principal and his son would commit suicide and suffer supernatural problems. In fact, Satoshi's group sees the principal repeatedly jumping off the roof of the school, repeating his death for all eternity.


By picking up the key from the principal's body, Satoshi's group enters the Underground Bunker, a place that every school has.


Meanwhile, Ayumi and Yoshiki meet up with Yui, but unfortunately, she doesn't make it. The room they're in has the floor collapse, and Yui uses the last of her strength to let Ayumi climb up her body so Ayumi survives. If Naomi dies in Chapter Four, we see Yui's last moments after she fell: she was proud of herself, wishing the best for her students.

Yuki Shishido telling Ayumi to be strong as she's about to fall. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

For a character that wasn't around much, her death hits hard. She was selfless and caring, and a likeable character too. Chapter Four highlights how much she meant to her students.

The end card for Chapter 4's Extra End, where we see Yui's death. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Afterwards, Ayumi and Yoshiki go into an incinerator with nowhere else to go, getting knocked out. Cutting back to Satoshi's group, the Bunker acts like a twisted trophy room.

Yuka, Naomi, and Satoshi reacting to the heads of corpses lined up like trophies. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Heads among heads of victims lined up like trophies. There's even a torture room. Also, if you played EX Chapter One and liked the three characters there... Well... They're implied to have died in the torture room... Brutally...

To make matters worse, one man named Taguichi enters the room, with Satoshi's group hiding, and the man chasing Taguichi, the principal's son Yoshikazu, drops...

Seiko's corpse after being dropped to the floor. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Seiko's... Corpse... Naomi must stay quiet while looking into the soulless eyes of her friend. The absolute agony of that situation, I can't even imagine it. When the man kills Taguichi and leaves, Naomi chases after him, wanting Seiko's body so she doesn't suffer anymore.


Both groups meet up without Naomi, Satoshi is informed about Yui's death, and they go to appease Sachiko. Meanwhile Naomi watches a video on a T.V. that shows that Seiko was murdered.

Naomi hanging Seiko and killing her in a darkened state. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

By Naomi?!?! A darkened Naomi, who at that point was a puppet with no free will. Naomi comes back though, and with the others, successfully appeases Sachiko. They all escape, leaving: Naomi, Satoshi, Yuka, Yoshiki, and Ayumi as the survivors.


There is one more cruel twist though: Seiko, Mayu, Morishige, and Yui... They don't exist anymore, only in the memories of the survivors do they exist.

Although, this does raise the question of how Naho is able to still exist given she died before the characters entered Heavenly Host, and by question, I mean plot hole.


The game ends on a bittersweet note, as in the final scene, Naomi explains how she overcame the darkening. Before Seiko died, the message she wasn't able to send was "no hard feelings," forgiving Naomi. Naomi sees this in Chapter Five, but when Naomi is almost darkened, losing all will to live, Seiko sends the message repeatedly.

Naomi looking at her phone with Seiko repeatedly sending the message with the subject of "no hard feelings." N-No, I'm not crying, you are! [Screenshotted by: A Crying Matthew McCarthy]

By sending the message repeatedly, Naomi was able to combat the darkening and survive. Seiko was mad at Naomi, but only for a short while, she was not mad when she was killed by Naomi nor does she hold a grudge.


Gameplay Perspective


Story-wise, this chapter is spectacular. The character moments, reveals, the ending, and so much more is so well-executed. It had me hooked from beginning to end.


Playing this chapter though... Is an absolute nightmare. The game never tells you to must find Naho's notes, so it's easy to get trapped in the Wrong End where the day is reset.

Satoshi begging for everyone to not do the charm since he's the only one with memories of what'll happen if they fail. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

It's even possible to get an alternate ending if you go to the washroom with Yuka when Naomi leaves Satoshi's party. HOW IS THAT FAIR?! It's not even a good alternate ending morally, Yuka and Naomi die.

Yuka dying while confessing her romantic love towards Satoshi. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

It's a good ending itself, but it's held back by the fact that while Yuka's death is emotional, she also confesses that she, a 14-year-old who acts and looks like a 6-year-old, romantically loves her brother. It's both weird and incest.


The 2021 version even buffed the bug pit timer from a minute to 11 seconds, which isn't enough time to figure out how to escape. I was genuinely taken aback from how one of the easiest obstacles in the game became the hardest.

The Bug Pit. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Chapter Five is full of so much trial & error, which just isn't fun if you don't know what to do or don't use a walkthrough. This chapter is amazing story-wise, but frustrating gameplay-wise.


EX Chapter 15 & 16


EX Chapter 15


EX Chapter 15 is about Ayumi and Yoshiki being separated, with Yoshiki trying to find Ayumi. Unfortunately, angry spirits get in Yoshiki's way, while Ayumi reminiscences the past.

However, Yoshiki is dead, a spirit. This takes place after the Wrong End where the Anatomical Model kills Yoshiki. Yoshiki and Ayumi have one more conversation, with Yoshiki realizing he's dead, promising to look over Ayumi. So, Ayumi x Yoshiki material.

Yoshiki promising to watch over Ayumi. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Extra Chapter 15 is great. It was short but the plot twist was well-executed and it's great to see these two characters interact with each other again. It's not an expansion I would've expected, but I enjoyed it. Ayumi even remembers helping Yoshiki and his kindness in the past too, which is honestly satisfying to see.


EX Chapter 16


EX Chapter 16 is about a Streamer named Miku Shirayume that finds the Sachiko charm in 2020. To get that social platform cred, she decides to livestream doing the charm with her good friend, Ryoka Iwami. It goes as well as you'd expect.

Miku Shirayume in Heavenly Host. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

Although, the two go back to the year 2008, and instead of ghost children, there is a male figure hunting down Miku. This man kills girls, but treats their deaths as suicides since they did the charm that risks them coming to Heavenly Host. It's genuinely unsettling, even more so when the man does background checks for each girl.

Miku horrified someone is murdering people and claiming it's suicide. I don't think that's how it works. [Screenshotted by: Matthew McCarthy]

For example, he uses the abuse Ryoka suffers from her father and home life to justify why she wants to die. She never said she wanted to die; he just reasons she wants to.

While Miku points out while there are times people get down and feel like all hope is lost, that doesn't mean they want to die. However, this is clearly used as an excuse from the man to murder these girls in a "righteous" light.


So, he's just insane. However, out of nowhere, h*cking Satoshi saves both girls. The guy is even trapped and killed by Yoshie.

Miku talks to Satoshi a bit before he disappears during an earthquake. It's unknown if that Satoshi was real or a hallucination. Although, considering the man was physically pushed by Satoshi, I assume he was real. The two girls, with newfound hope, go off together to escape Heavenly Host.


This chapter is good. It's cool to see references to "Corpse Party: Blood Drive," the man was the best part, the horror was effective, and it's cool to see the world of "Corpse Party" 12 years after "Blood Covered" in-universe.


This chapter also does stuff I never would've expected a "Corpse Party" game to do, for better or for worse, like referencing clickbait YouTube titles and not one, but two fart jokes. Let that last one sink in. In the same game where a child gets her eye stabbed to be soup-like, there are also fart jokes.

However, this chapter suffers from being the beginning of a story, rather than a complete one. While Ryoka and Miku are neat, they aren't anything special and we rarely see their dynamic. Their backstories are interesting, but not the characters themselves. We rarely even see Ryoka.


Overall (S)


I like "Corpse Party."


The story of "Corpse Party" is a story I hold close to my heart for its fantastic characters, the plot twists, the incredible horror and incredibly dark concepts, and its ending that still hits like a truck. The characters of Naho, Ayumi, Yoshiki, Seiko, and Naomi are just so well-executed and they still leave the same impact they did for me since 2012.

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