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''Kuon'' is a 2004
survival horror Survival horror is a Video game genre, subgenre of horror games. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical action games through limited ammunition or weapons, health, speed, and visio ...
video game developed by
FromSoftware FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. Founded by Naotoshi Zin on November 1, 1986 as a business software developer, the company released their first video game, '' King's Field'', for the PlayStation in 1994. Its s ...
for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
. Published by FromSoftware in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, it was released in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
by Agetec, and in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
by Nobilis and Indie Games Productions in 2006. The narrative takes place in Japan's
Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...
, and follows the actions of three protagonists during an outbreak of monsters at Fujiwara Manor in
Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
; Utsuki, daughter of the ''onmyōji'' Ashiya Doman, Doman's apprentice Sakuya, and the veteran ''onmyōji'' Abe no Seimei. Gameplay has the different characters exploring the grounds and buildings of Fujiwara Manor, solving puzzles and fighting off hostile monsters. The game was conceived by its producer Atsushi Taniguchi. His aim was to create a dark narrative based around Japanese '' kaidan'' ghost stories, with a focus on female protagonists. The gameplay was designed as an evolution of the company's earlier title '' Lost Kingdoms'' (2002). The artwork was handled by Nozomu Iwai, with promotional artwork designed by Kyosuke Chinai. Reception was mixed, with praise going to its atmosphere while many journalists faulted its controls and gameplay.


Gameplay

''Kuon'' is a
survival horror Survival horror is a Video game genre, subgenre of horror games. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical action games through limited ammunition or weapons, health, speed, and visio ...
video game in which the player takes on the role of three characters—Utsuki, Sakuya, and Abe no Seimei—exploring the buildings and grounds of Fujiwara Manor. The characters are seen from an overhead third-person fixed perspective. The characters navigate the mansion during gameplay; the standard pace is a slow walk, with an option to run, but comes with a greater risk of attracting enemies. To progress the game, the characters explore the mansion to solve puzzles and find key items. Items are displayed in environments using flashing points of light. From the beginning of the game, certain doors within the mansion grounds are sealed, and require a particular item to open. These items can be restricted to particular characters. During navigation, the characters are attacked by monsters, many of which are drawn by noise. The characters have access to different weapon types; Utsuki uses a knife, Sakuya uses a fan, and Abe no Seimei, a naginata. There is no lock-on, meaning characters must be aligned manually before attacking an enemy. The characters can also find a limited number of spell cards during exploration, which can be used in combat. There are two types of cards: projectiles that trigger an immediate attack, and summoning papers that create an allied creature for a limited time that attacks enemies. Navigation is impeded by areas of negative energy, both occurring naturally and when enemies appear. The characters can be afflicted with
vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
when low on health, or struck by dark energy; when struck by the energy when running, the character is momentarily stunned. The character can recover by standing still and using
meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...
to restore health and remove the vertigo effect. The player can also use healing items found around the manor to restore health.


Synopsis


Setting and characters

''Kuon'' takes place in and around Fujiwara Manor, an estate in
Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
during the
Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...
. Central to the plot are two magical
Mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...
trees planted near the present Fujiwara Manor by the Hata clan. The trees birth silkworms which weave cocoons around the dead and resurrect them. The resurrection can only be sustained by merging with other living beings, including humans, and absorbing their "grudge". The ultimate goal of the Mulberries is to perform the merging nine times, completing the Kuon Ritual and birthing a being which will become a new Mulberry. Many of the characters are either qualified or trainee ''onmyōji''—referred to in the English version as
exorcist In some religions, an exorcist (from the Greek „ἐξορκιστής“) is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or performs the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who are alleged to have possessed a person ...
s—practitioners of mystical
onmyōdō is a technique that uses knowledge of astronomy and calendars to divine good fortune in terms of date, time, direction and general personal affairs, originating from the philosophy of the yin-yang and the five elements. The philosophy of yin an ...
powers. A key character and antagonist is Ashiya Doman, an ambitious ''onmyōji'' who becomes fascinated by the Mulberry tree and the Kuon Ritual. The playable characters are Utsuki, Doman's daughter who lives near one of the Mulberry trees with her sister Kureha; Sakuya, an ''onmyōji''-in-training and one of Doman's apprentices; and Abe no Seimei, a master ''onmyōji'' and Doman's rival.


Plot

The narrative is split into three parts; the "Yin" phase following Utsuki, the "Yang" phase following Sakuya, and the unlockable "Kuon" phase following Abe no Seimei. Utsuki and Kureha arrive at Fujiwara Manor from their home in search of Doman. Utsuki is soon separated from Kureha, and must defend herself from the many monsters roaming the grounds. Sakuya arrives with three of Doman's disciples, including her brother, to investigate the recent rumors of terrible incidents. As they investigate, Sakuya fights off the monsters, and two of the disciples are killed and corrupted by the monsters. During their explorations, Utsuki and Sakuya find notes by Doman and members of the Fujiwara clan. It is revealed that when Kureha died in an accident for which Utsuki is presumed responsible, Doman was tempted by the Mulberries' twin spirits to subject Kureha to the Kuon Ritual, performed using a special chest. Doman also subjected members of the Fujiwara family to the ritual, with they and other victims returning as monsters. During her exploration, Sakuya burns one of the Mulberry trees. Utsuki is revealed to have already been absorbed by Kureha, with most of her narrative being a dream during her absorption. Utsuki awakes, struggling against Kureha's influence, and ends up absorbing Sakuya's older brother. Both reach the underground chamber where Doman's experiments were conducted, and despite the monstrous Utsuki attacking her, Sakuya vows to help her. Alerted to Doman's actions, Abe no Seimei arrives and makes her way through the Fujiwara estate, coming across a wounded Sakuya, who begs Abe no Seimei to help Utsuki. Abe no Seimei also comes across a weakened Utsuki, who is momentarily calmed. Confronting Doman, he reveals his wish for Abe no Seimei to become the Kuon Ritual's ninth and final sacrifice. Abe no Seimei kills Doman, then the possessed Utsuki takes Doman's body and enters the prepared chest, beginning the final stage of the Kuon Ritual. Abe no Seimei seals the surviving Mulberry's power, but is stopped by Sakuya from killing Utsuki. Abe no Seimei leaves, warning Sakuya of the new being's potential for evil. During the credits, Sakuya coaxes the Kuon Ritual's child, a young girl resembling Utsuki, outside the Fujiwara grounds for the first time. They walk away together, leaving their futures uncertain.


Development

''Kuon'' was developed by
FromSoftware FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. Founded by Naotoshi Zin on November 1, 1986 as a business software developer, the company released their first video game, '' King's Field'', for the PlayStation in 1994. Its s ...
, a company that made its name developing the '' King's Field'' and '' Armored Core'' series. The producer was Atsushi Taniguchi, who had previously worked on '' The Adventures of Cookie & Cream'' for
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
, and '' Lost Kingdoms'' for
GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
. The art director was Nozomu Iwai. Work on ''Kuon'' began following ''
Lost Kingdoms II ''Lost Kingdoms II'', known as in Japan, is a 2003 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Activision. The sequel to '' Lost Kingdoms''. ''Lost Kingdoms II'' is a card-based action role-playing game where battles are f ...
'' in 2003, with the target audience being people wanting a new approach to horror. Having previously handled dark adventure-based titles before, Taniguchi wanted to create his own take on that style using a traditional Japanese setting. Production was difficult and hectic, with the game going through unspecified production troubles. The weapon assignment for characters was intended to invert the typical precepts for their character styles; the weakly Utsuki used a knife, while the stronger Sakuya used a fan. The battle system was an evolution of the card system from ''Lost Kingdoms''. The "tempest" and meditation mechanics were designed to produce unease, and while easy to implement were a later addition which threatened to disrupt the production schedule. Taniguchi put a lot of effort into creating an atmosphere of fear. The Heian period setting was chosen due to its mystic presentation in Japanese culture and folklore, with multiple interlinked narratives which told a deep story within limited environments. The narrative took inspiration from '' kaidan'', a type of Japanese ghost story. The numbers "four" and "nine" were included based on their unlucky reputation in Japanese culture, with the game's title having a plot-related double meaning of both "Nine Evils" and "Eternity". The storyline focused on female protagonists to promote a particular aesthetic, as many games of its kind focused on male protagonists. The historic onmyōji Abe no Seimei was included in the narrative, though the character was changed from a man to being a woman, keeping in line with the character goals. As Taniguchi wanted to create a sequel, the storyline ended on a cliffhanger. A notable outside contributor was artist Kyosuke Chinai, who created the cover and promotional artwork for Japan. Chinai was picked from a selection of artists, whose work was brought by different team members to find someone who drew with the right atmosphere for the game. Taniguchi contacted Chinai multiple times during production, persuading him to accept the collaboration. The CGI sequences, animation and motion capture was handled by Polyassets United.


Release

The game was announced in an issue of ''
Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...
'' in September 2003. At this point, it was said to be 25% complete. The title was exhibited in the company stall during the 2003
Tokyo Game Show , commonly known as TGS, is a video game trade fair and convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publication ...
, alongside other titles including '' Shadow Tower Abyss'', '' Armored Core: Nexus'' and '' Echo Night: Beyond''. A live-action commercial was filmed at the Kannon-ji Temple in
Setagaya is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orchid, and its tree is the '' Ze ...
. The staff were surprised when the temple priests agreed to the commercial, and some filmed scenes were direct recreations of scenes from the game. It released in Japan on April 1, 2004. Two different strategy guides were released by
ASCII Corporation was a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It became a subsidiary of Kadokawa Group Holdings in 2004, and merged with another Kadokawa subsidiary MediaWorks on April 1, 2008, becoming ASCII Media Works. The company published ' ...
and Softbank Creative alongside the game. A North American release was announced by Agetec in May 2004. Agetec was a regular Western publisher for FromSoftware's titles during this time. Their localization was designed to keep as much of the original game intact as possible, and included the original Japanese dub. It was released in the region on December 7, 2004. It was originally going to be released in the UK by Digital Jesters prior to the company's liquidation, with publishing duties assumed across Europe by Nobilis and Indie Games Productions. It released in the region on April 14, 2006. In the years since its release, the Western version has become a rare collectable, and the game itself obscure due to its limited coverage and rarity.


Reception

''Kuon'' received mixed reviews from journalists. The game was described as having "mixed or average" reviews according to the
review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, earning 57 points out of 100 based on 20 reviews. Similar contemporary website ''
GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
'' gave the game a score of 59% based on 19 reviews. When mentioned, the narrative and world design were praised. The gameplay saw mixed responses, with many finding the combat unenjoyable and the puzzle design outdated. The controls also met with general criticism due to lack of response, and noted its slow pace. Jeremy Parish, writing for '' 1UP.com'', noted its visual design as a standout compared to other titles in the genre, but otherwise found its gameplay derivative and uninteresting. ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
''s Marc McEntegart was disappointed overall, feeling that its horror elements were too conventional and generally criticised its gameplay and seemingly-wasted aesthetics. ''
GamePro ''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...
'' felt that the game as a whole was "dragged down" by mechanical and combat problems which had been with the genre since its early days. ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
'' enjoyed its atmosphere, but faulted its slow pace. ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...
'' felt the game was let down by poor translation, and noted its archaic design compared to other titles of the day. Bethany Massimilla of ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' praised the aesthetic and narrative design, but found the gameplay generally lacking for either long-term play or replaying. David Chen from magazine '' GMR'' noted a lack of excitement or engagement with either standard gameplay or combat, and noted that its focus on Japanese folklore limited its audience.


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{FromSoftware games 2004 video games FromSoftware games Video games about ghosts PlayStation 2 games PlayStation 2-only games Psychological horror games Video games set in country houses Video games set in Japan Video games set in Kyoto Video games about demons Fiction about sacrifices Video games featuring female protagonists Video games about exorcism Video games about magic Video games set in feudal Japan Video games about twins Video games about insects Video games about zombies Cultural depictions of Japanese people Fiction about reincarnation Experimental medical treatments in fiction Video games developed in Japan Single-player video games Agetec games