Ever wanted to be a teenage girl locked in a school full of ghosts?……….No, me neither. But honestly? You don’t know what you’re missing!
Obakeidoro 2: Chase & Seek—developed and published by FreeStyle—is a magnificent multiplayer action game that is equal parts stupendous suspense and pure enjoyment. This amazing title tasks you with playing a grand game of hide-and-seek. Sounds simple, right? It is, but most of the best things in life are simple. I mean, hell, look at bread and cheese. Before I go on a 45-minute rant about sourdough and brie, let’s embark on this ghoulish game of hide-and-seek.
The game consists of two main modes:
Online Play: You can match up with all sorts of people inhabiting this spinning blue marble we call Earth. Even better, the title supports Nintendo’s voice chat, allowing you to use your real words to communicate and bond—which is a really nice feature, I must say.
Offline Play: Up to eight players can embark on a spooky ghost hunt via split-screen or local play. If neither of those floats your boat, you can jump into a single-player mode with CPU bots filling the empty slots where other players would be. And where exactly does this spooky hunt take place, you ask? Well, let me tell you, my dear reader…Those CPU freaks—or your fabulous friends, who are no doubt lovely—will be tasked with picking a team.
First up is the prosaically named Human Team, which consists of four main playable characters (some of whom are unlockable):
Hajime: A kawaii, pink-haired anime girl who has a strange fascination with Hanako-san—a creepy monster who mostly haunts toilets. I can’t help but feel like this creeper needs to be put on a watchlist somewhere.
Kuro: My personal favourite. He’s a charismatic, emo-librarian-looking fellow who looks like he’s come straight from a My Chemical Romance rock tour, and quite frankly, I love it.
Ponkichi: A little, timid raccoon girl with a dapper leaf hat on her hairy head. I’m not quite sure how this cute nocturnal mammal swindled her way onto the human team, but it’s best not to get bogged down in the logistics.
Akihiko: A blue-haired boy who, judging by his eyes, has just come off a week-long bender with the Gallagher brothers. Akihiko plans to become a monster researcher when he’s older and he certainly dresses the part. Though, I have to say, he’s wearing coffee-coloured suspenders and orange britches that don’t cover his ankles. Now, maybe this says more about me than the character designers, but damn—if I were hunting paranormal phenomena, one of the first things I would cover (well, maybe not the first thing, but at least the third) would be my goddamn ankles. You can’t be catching ghosts with bare ankles; only a fool would do such a thing.
Then we have the marvellous Monster Team, which features six playable characters. I won’t go into all six because I want to remain as spoiler-free as possible, but here are a few highlights:
Hanako-san: A famous influencer in the monster world. As mentioned, she’s the creeper who notoriously haunts the third bathroom stall (again, she needs to be put on a list).
Red Cape: A character purchasable from the in-game store. Imagine Batman’s The Riddler crossed with an army general, and that’s pretty much this dude.
Gangster Don the Toad: Last but certainly not least, the one, the only, notorious leader of the Toad Gang. I want this guy immortalised on a T-shirt.
Once you have picked your side, the game starts…
If you choose the Human Team, you and two other players—armed with nothing but a lantern—have one simple goal: run and hide from the solo player on the Monster Team. All you have to do is hold out for three minutes, which is much harder than it sounds. However, if so much as one human escapes, your team wins the match!
Now, on the ghoulish Monster side, you have a bit more to deal with. Your job is to hunt down and catch every single pesky player on the opposing team—which, I must say, is an absolute joy to do. Once you catch them, you get to throw them behind iron bars under lock and key. Fortunately for you, surviving humans can break their fellow inmates out of the trap cell, which leads to some genuinely great, chaotic teamwork.
Honestly, running feverishly away from a monster online feels exhilarating. The only thing I can equate it to is sprinting away from a hi-vis-vest-wearing community support officer as a teenager, right after you’ve (definitely not) gotten drunk on your parents’ stolen Pinot Grigio.
The controls are wonderfully simplistic. I think this is great because it never distracts from the action, meaning players of all skill levels can jump right in and enjoy it.
When you’re playing on the Human side:
Left Analog Stick: Moves your character.
X Button: Makes your character crouch.
A Button: Activates a rescue to release a teammate from the cell.
B Button: Makes you jump.
Y Button: Resets the camera.
When you’re playing on the monsters side, things are even more straightforward. Your primary goal is capturing humans, which you do by pressing Y, or by holding down X to unleash a devastating “super catch.”
The game also features an impressive variety of 12 different maps, ranging from eerie Twilight Monster School yards to claustrophobic Midnight Shadow alleys, with each location bringing its own shifting level of difficulty.
Now, let’s get down to the graphics.I have to say, I found the art style absolutely gorgeous. It’s a cross between anime and a straight-up Tim Burton sketch, featuring incredibly creative character designs. The asymmetric gameplay makes for glorious-looking maps and level design. What the game lacks in ultra-high-quality, flush textures, it more than makes up for with its striking, toonish art style—which heavily reminds me of Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition. So, with all things considered, where are we at with this multiplayer marvel?
Overall, I had a really fun time with Obakeidoro 2: Chase & Seek. The gameplay loop is perfect for quick sessions. Sure, it can get a bit repetitive after a while, but I had a blast playing it on my own with strangers online. I imagine if you could get a group of friends together on the couch, it would be a right laugh.The game delivers an equal mix of pure enjoyment and tense suspense. Coming in at a very reasonable £19.99, you really can’t complain. For all the reasons listed above, I give it a gracious 8.8 out of 10. If you like the sound of anything you’ve read here, give this one a go—I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
Final Verdict: 8.8 / 10
+ Simple, accessible gameplay and intuitive controls.
+ Gorgeous, striking art style that oozes personality.
+ Fantastic teamwork mechanics during intense prison breaks
-Matches can feel repetitive after extended play sessions.
Reviewed on switch 2
