Kuon (PlayStation 2)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.3 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Bethany Massimilla
• Reviewed on: 04/20/2005
• Updated on: 04/22/2005
• Released on: 12/07/2004
• Originally published on GameSpot: Kuon (PlayStation 2) Review

Haunted mansions are a horror staple, and Kuon adds its own twist to the usual formula by plunking that mansion in the Japanese past, pitting its priestess protagonists against a mysterious infestation of twisted humanoid creatures. There are some chilling moments to be had, and a whole lot of blood is spilled, but Kuon is largely bereft of impact. It's inhibited by ponderous combat controls, its repetitious nature, and an overall lack of depth.

You may begin Kuon as one of two characters: the demure Utsuki, daughter of the local temple's mystic priest, or Sakuya, a disciple of the temple who's got a bit more of a backbone. Both young women come to the Fujiwara manor seeking to unravel the mystery of why its inhabitants have disappeared without a trace. Utsuki arrives with her sickly sister, Kureha, to try to find their father, while Sakuya arrives with a group of disciples dispatched by the priest to purify the mansion and its people of any ill. Things evolve into a sordid tale of treachery and evil magic, but you'll find out who the villain is pretty early on. While there's still plenty of disturbing imagery and a slight twist or two to keep matters interesting, the predictability saps a bit of the tingle out of the unfolding drama.

Your foes are predominantly creatures called "gaki," which are human in form and have a charming habit of seeking people out and devouring their still-warm flesh (and they have atrocious table manners). While you can move slowly and hide from some of the enemies you'll encounter, you'll be taking on the bulk of them in combat. Each character has the ability to use both magic-based attacks as well as close-quarters melee with a weapon. The magic attacks come from spell cards that you'll find scattered about the mansion and its grounds, and they consist of both projectile attacks as well as spirits you can summon to fight alongside you. You can map any card type or your melee weapon to one of two buttons that you'll use to attack.

Your attacks aren't very responsive, however. There's generally a delay when you first make a move (despite having weapons hotkeyed, the game will go through the motions of making you take them out before you attack), as well as a delay in subsequent moves, making battles play out unevenly. Magical projectile attacks don't auto-target unless you're at a certain angle, and your characters turn slowly, so running ahead and then trying to whip around and wait while your character pulls out a magic card is wonky. In fact, with the exception of a few very useful summon monsters, and a couple of bosses you don't want to get close to, the most efficient way through the game is to just hack things with your melee weapon, since it's faster than using magic. But melee is still subject to motion delays, and you'll always be taking hits despite your best efforts, since you can't briskly chain attacks. The sluggish combat heightens exasperation instead of tension.

The tension of your character plays a part in matters as well. There are certain areas where negative energies are concentrated, and when your sensitive spiritual mediums get in the range of one of these unseen areas (called tempests), they'll typically see a vision and get freaked out. If you're running, the effect is worse and can make you lose stamina. At best your controller will vibrate with a heartbeat while your character tries to find her equilibrium, and at worst she'll have to recover some health. Fortunately, you can stand in one place and meditate at the touch of a button, which serves to both calm your character as well as restore lost health. Similar effects can happen in battle if you're getting hit too much, and the screen will become blurred while you lose the ability to use cards. Fortunately, there are a number of healing items you'll come across in the game to quickly cure the bad status, or you can just meditate when the battle is through.

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