Corpse Party: Blood Drive

The end result is a game that I enjoyed, but that I also recognize as flawed. Corpse Party: Blood Drive has technical issues, and some questionable character designs, but it does so much right that these faults are easy to overlook. It is a clear love letter to J-Horror games of decades past, incorporating common horror tropes while also presenting its own fresh ideas, even if some of those ideas fall flat. It has its rough edges, but any Vita owning horror fan should give it a shot.

Barring a few minor issues here and there, Corpse Party: Blood Drive continues to be one of the most enjoyable visual novels I’ve played. It’s campy, gruesome, a little fanservicey…so a lot like the scary movies I grew up with through a different cultural lens. If you’ve enjoyed the Corpse Party series so far, I highly recommend picking this up. If you’re new to the series, maybe start with the original and work your way up here.

The series’ signature horror themes are ever present here, but the clashing character design choices and other questionable decisions keep Corpse Party: Blood Drive from being an entirely bloody good time.

While the technical issues and underwhelming plot points bring it down, Corpse Party: Blood Drive is still a welcome addition to the franchise.

Set two months after the events of the previous game, Corpse Party: Blood Drive sees Ayumi Shinozaki return to make amends for the havoc that she wrought. Ayumi is told if she returns to the Heavenly Host Elementary School and casts a spell from the magic grimoire, the Book of Shadows, then she can bring back her deceased friends who were lost as a result of her actions.

Corpse Party: Blood Drive is sure to upset many fans; it certainly upset me. The shift to 3D visuals completely changed the dynamic of the game, and while gameplay didn’t suffer for it, storytelling and immersion certainly did. If this were a new game separate from the narrative of the previous entries, it could be an excusable attempt at experimentation, but as the anticipated climax to a years-long story of engaging horror and developing characters, it only serves to muddy an otherwise engaging series of indie horror games. Corpse Party: Blood Drive is offensive to fans and a poor representa...