Rarely, and I mean rarely, do I get a horror title I appreciate. There is nothing I like less than games that set out to make the heart race, it just isn’t my cup of tea, which might I add, I would just rather curl up and drink than play these kinds of titles. Surprisingly though, Coma 2: Vicious Sisters, by Korean developers, Devespresso Games, is definitely not the case.

Coma 2: Vicious Sisters opens up on our schoolyard protagonist, Mina. Clique to many anime-ish school girls, she is fraught with problems with boys, friends and an unknown, sinister evil that lurks just beyond her control. When the blood moon rises, and blood rituals are made, Mina finds herself thrown into a new Sehwa District. Her once calm town is now dark and twisted and around each shadow lurks creatures of violence, each worse than the other as they stalk her from darkness. It is your job to investigate your city and it’s buildings and find out why these ghostly apparitions lash out at you and to eliminate the ultimate Vicious Sister wreaking destruction in her path to Mina.

This Indie, survival horror game throws you straight into gameplay after a quick cutscene to set up the plot devices. Essentially, Mina doesn’t really fight. All the mechanics you initially learn are to evade conflict. This may be done through sprint, dodging and hiding across a 2D, side scrolling map whether it be in lockers or under desks. You can even buy mace to buy you time if you do get caught, from the many vending machines scattered around the levels. With very simple controls that run like a dream on the Switch it would be silly to think that the strategy to this can be simple too. Do not become too complacent.

The vending machines throughout supply items to replenish your health and stamina too, as many of the interactions you have with enemies or even running away diminishes these bars. The management of your loot system is imperative to your survival as you are given only 4 slots to manage the tools you definitely need to keep alive and kicking. While it does sound too simple, there are some heart pounding moments that had me squealing at my Nintendo Switch, and it is certainly rewarding when you do successfully dodge blood soaked claws for the jugular.

The level structure is at times tedious, with Mina having to often backtrack through the maze-like layout to collect items to complete objectives to progress, or to escape a pursuing enemy. A little frustrating after a while, but the backgrounds are so detailed and entertaining that it is often glazed over.

I also found the combat a little hit and miss, with some heart pounding moments as I expertly got the jump on the creepfest that is the villain Ms. Song, and some moments just down right impossible to evade if you haven’t memorised the layout of the map. It is very frustrating to die in the same area repeatedly if you haven’t saved via a book location for sometime. An autosave option as well as the manual one would have been a welcomed inclusion.

The absolute thing that drew me into this game like a moth to a flame was definitely the artstyle. It is gorgeous to watch and take in. Each scene; whether it be in game or a cutscene, is a meticulously hand drawn comic/anime hybrid of visualisation. The dark watercolour-like shades of purples and reds are often starkly contrasted with flashes of ghostly white and bold, thick lines, making the most important of details pop.

The music also complements this dark atmosphere well, with morbid and jarring sound effects, most which often will catch you off guard and add to the fright and urgency to survive.

Overall, Coma 2: Vicious Sisters was a beautifully crafted rollercoaster of scares whilst running back and forth. It was one game that at the beginning had me skeptical but as I dove into the layers it had to offer, I found myself enjoying it more and more. While I didn’t play the first one, and by no means do you have to with this title, I found myself looking for it so I can have the full experience. To me, Devespresso Games have encapsulated what a classic Asian horror genre does so successfully with its fully built suspense and payoffs.

Written by: Stacey