Set around the cursed halls of Heavenly Host Elementary, this anthology revisits events from Corpse Party through side stories, alternate scenarios, and glimpses of events before and after the original. Students from several schools confront the horrors of the school, while the chapters explore familiar characters and lesser-known figures. The game shifts from the original’s RPG style to a first-person visual novel with point-and-click-style Search Mode. Read dialogue and descriptions, inspect rooms and objects, and move between locations to uncover each chapter’s events. As characters encounter disturbing scenes, the Darkening system can distort the presentation and affect their decisions. Choices and discoveries can lead to many Wrong Ends, alongside alternate outcomes and unlockable collectibles, artwork, music, and voice-cast interviews.
Return to Heavenly Host in a horror visual novel of first-person room searches, character stories, and deadly alternate outcomes.
An anthology series that serves as a Corpse Party sequel, prequel, midquel, and alternate universe tale all in one. Rejoin old friends for a deeper dive into the haunted halls of Heavenly Host Elementary...
Developed by MAGES. Inc., 5pb. · Published by XSEED Games, Marvelous USA, Inc.
Player Review Breakdown
Players Praise Most
Expanded Character Stories
Horror Atmosphere
Voice Acting
Alternate Scenarios
Common Player Critiques
Slow Repetitive Dialogue
Uneven Exploration
Inappropriate Fanservice
Reported Save Bugs
85%
positive of 523 player reviews
Set around the cursed halls of Heavenly Host Elementary, this anthology revisits events from Corpse Party through side stories, alternate scenarios, and glimpses of events before and after the original. Students from several schools confront the horrors of the school, while the chapters explore familiar characters and lesser-known figures.
The game shifts from the original’s RPG style to a first-person visual novel with point-and-click-style Search Mode. Read dialogue and descriptions, inspect rooms and objects, and move between locations to uncover each chapter’s events.
As characters encounter disturbing scenes, the Darkening system can distort the presentation and affect their decisions. Choices and discoveries can lead to many Wrong Ends, alongside alternate outcomes and unlockable collectibles, artwork, music, and voice-cast interviews.
Players who enjoy the game often appreciate how its chapters add context to the first Corpse Party and give more attention to secondary characters. Reviews also praise its oppressive horror atmosphere, sound and voice acting, and disturbing scenes. Some players find the visual-novel focus, repeated dialogue, or room searches slow, and opinions differ on how well the stories work as a follow-up.
Full Game Details
From the Devs
NOTE: This title is a followup to Corpse Party, and thus contains considerable spoilers for that game. If you have not played it, then I beg thee delve farther into these depths at your own risk, dear player!
An anthology series that serves as a Corpse Party sequel, prequel, midquel, and alternate universe tale all in one, Corpse Party: Book of Shadows is a horror/adventure game developed by MAGES. (formerly 5pb. Games) and published under the supervision of the original series creators at Team GrisGris. Corpse Party: Book of Shadows builds upon the events of the first game, exploring or re-exploring past incidents, characters, and points of view, and allowing the player to escape many of the deaths that occurred previously, thus steering them toward all-new (albeit not necessarily better) outcomes.
This PC version updates the original PSP system version’s art to HD and adds full mouse support for authentic point-and-click gameplay, providing the definitive Corpse Party: Book of Shadows experience for series fans who are eager to delve a little deeper into its storied lore.
Before, during, and after the events of Corpse Party—in the canon universe, as well as in several alternate timelines—the students of Kisaragi Academy, Byakudan Senior High, Paulownia High, and Musashigawa Middle School had far more experiences within the cursed halls of Heavenly Host Elementary than the stories typically recount. How would events have unfolded, for example, in a universe where each student went into the Sachiko Ever After ritual with an unconscious awareness of everything that was going to happen to them? What might’ve occurred to Mayu if she’d never interacted with the ghostly children in the school infirmary? What might’ve occurred to Yuka if she’d been caught during the harrowing chase in the second wing? What might’ve occurred to Seiko if Naomi had gotten to the bathroom just a bit earlier?
On the other side of the coin, how did Naho actually get into Heavenly Host, and whom did she come with? What was Tohko’s relationship with Kizami, and how did that result in a lost tooth? And what connection did Ms. Yui have to the cursed elementary school prior to ever taking part in the Sachiko Ever After ritual?
Most crucially, what happened to the survivors of the previous incident after their escape? How did the loss of their friends affect them? And what does all of this have to do with the mysterious tome known as the “Book of Shadows”…?
FEATURES
Point-and-Click-Style First-Person Gameplay
More realistically proportioned and immersive first-person environments bring Heavenly Host to life in all its grim glory, with point-and-click-style “Search Mode” allowing players to scour every inch of every room via keyboard, gamepad, mouse, or any combination thereof…
Original Japanese Voiceovers with More 3D Audio Than Ever Before
Every line of dialogue is spoken in its original Japanese by a who’s who of Japanese voiceover talent, with many crucial scenes recorded in binaural 3D using dummy-head microphones: play with quality headphones or a hi-fi stereo setup to hear the horror coming from all around you, or perhaps from right next to your ear…
Dastardly “Darkening” System Leads to Painful Demise
Characters gradually become frightened and unstable as horrific discoveries are made, distorting the game’s graphics and altering their decision-making abilities; continuing down these darkened paths will result in one of the game’s many dozens of gruesome “Wrong Ends,” all of which are virtually guaranteed to replay in players’ nightmares…
Enhanced Focus on Side Characters
The already robust cast from the original game is further humanized, with a focus on those characters whose screen time may have been lacking before; learn more about your favorite side characters, and find out just what was going on in their heads (before those heads were crushed)…
Unlockables, Achievements, and More
Steam achievements, collectibles, voice cast interviews, music tracks, art stills, and more are unlockable through a variety of means for attentive and detail-oriented players; additionally, those who’ve conquered or even just dabbled in the first Corpse Party will be able to import their save-data to unlock dozens more art stills, and possibly even make the crucial final chapter of the story available to play through a bit sooner than it otherwise would be…
