Spirit Hunter: NG |OT| OK

takoyaki · Oct 7, 2019

Title: Spirit Hunter: NG (エヌジー)
Genre: Horror Adventure, Visual Novel
Series: Spirit Hunter (心霊ホラー)
Platforms : NSW, PS4, PC, Vita (digital only)
Price: $39.99 - $49.99, €39.99 - €49.99, £32.99 - £44.99
Developer: Experience, Ghostlight LTD (PC)
Publisher: Aksys Games
Official Website: US , JP [NSFW]
Age Rating: M, PEGI 16, CERO D, USK 18
Size: 1.1 GB (eShop), 2.71 GB (PS4), 437.47 MB (Vita), 2 GB (PC)
Trailer: US, JP [NSFW]
Release Date:
- September 2018 (JP | Vita)
- February 2019 (JP | PS4)
- October 10 (US | digital & physical)
- October 10 (EU | digital)
- October 25 (EU | physical)

Beware the Creeping Horror…

1999, Tokyo.

A young girl goes missing. Triggered by that event, a young man finds himself dragged into a game of death. Spirits from what most believed to be urban legends and folklore slowly eat away at his cursed life, draining his common sense. Don't hesitate. Logic isn't needed against them. Together with others like him who skirt the law, the young man clenches his fists and prepares to fight!

NG is the second entry in the new Spirit Hunter series, and the companion story to last year's award-winning horror adventure, Death Mark.

Spirit Hunter: NG follows the story of a cursed young man on a life-threatening quest to discover who—or what—is responsible for the disappearance of his little sister. To save her, our protagonist must team up with shady characters, face down spirits of legend, and make difficult decisions that can greatly alter the outcome of the game.

Can you save your sister and stop evil from destroying all that you hold dear? Or will you find yourself just another victim of an angry spirit?

Creeping Horrors, Familiar Settings
While its predecessor, Spirit Hunter: Death Mark, found its spirits in distinct, horrifying locales, Spirit Hunter: NG weaves fear seamlessly into the mundane. Face down monsters in quiet residential streets, neighborhood parks, and even the protagonist's own home. Be careful—terror lurks behind every corner.
Search for Clues
Use a flashlight to examine each location in order to solve the game's terrifying mystery. Watch out! You may unearth more than you've bargained for.
More than a Visual Novel
Spirit Hunter: NG offers an immersive and exciting gameplay experience, in which players must make decisions at key moments in order to survive.
Beautiful But Deadly
The game features gorgeous illustrations from artist Fumiya Sumio, who makes the terror in each character's face impossible to miss and renders horrifying spirits with stunning detail.

What's the Spirit Hunter franchise?
The Spirit Hunter games are a series of loosely connected horror games that share similar adventure gameplay. The first game in the series (Death Mark) was released in 2018 and the as of yet unnamed third game ("Spirit Hunter 3") is currently in development with plans for a crowdfunding campaign leading up to an estimated Japanese release date of summer 2021.
Do I need to play the Spirit Hunter games in order?
No, you can start with NG or Death Mark. Think of the Spirit Hunter games as horror anthologies with similar themes that are set in the same universe. NG features a new cast of characters and doesn't require any knowledge of what happened in Death Mark. But you will pick up on similarities and smaller easter eggs like the name of a bar or a character mentioned in passing if you've played the first game.
What does NG stand for?
NG usually stands for "No Good". Think of it as the Japanese opposite of "OK". The term NG is also often used for outtakes in movies. "NG" has a number of additional meanings in this game. Saying anything else would be a spoiler ...
How long is the game?
Comparable in length to Death Mark. It takes around 20 hours to beat the game and see the good ending. There's more than one ending, some story branching in between and a number of short, optional side-quests ("D-Mail").
Does NG have questionable "fanservice" like Death Mark?
Yes, but there's much less of it in NG. Both games are rated M by the ESRB and aimed at a mature audience, but "Suggestive Themes" are only listed for Death Mark. I encountered one CG that might bother you (SPOILER, NSFW, worse without context) and one gravure image of an in-game idol (slightly NSFW) during my playthrough for the Best Ending. Sadly, there's at least one more CG in one of the bad endings that repeats the same problematic fanservice seen in DM. You can see that image here [HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE GAME]. Additionally, this review dives deeper into the themes and kinds of horror depicted in the game.
Any differences between the English and Japanese version like with Death Mark?
No differences between the Japanese and localized version (officially confirmed in this review).
Any differences between the English versions? Separate Vita DLC again?
Doesn't look like it. The separate DLC for Death Mark on Vita only happened because of the staggered Japanese release schedule of that game. NG never received additional story DLC and is currently only available on Vita and PS4 in Japan. It's possible there will be more story content in DLC form if a possible Japanese Switch version gets additional content, but nothing has been announced so far.
I'm stuck and need a guide! Where can I find one?
There are two good Japanese guides (here and here). They will be helpful if you use the auto-translate feature of your browser. EDIT: This Full Playthrough on YT will also work as a temporary guide to reach the best ending.
I really enjoyed Death Mark but don't know much about this game. Is NG a blind buy?
Yes. Imo, NG is one of the most effective horror games in recent memory. The gameplay is similar but refined (less backtracking and aimlessness, more variety). NG is another gripping horror story with writing that manages to elicit empathy from you for each of its grotesque monsters even though you can't wait to send them to their afterlives.
Good fit for Halloween? How spooky is this game?

ResetEra Review Thread

Strings · Oct 7, 2019

Nice OT. Looking forward to this, especially since I played Death Mark what feels like aaages ago (late 2017, so I guess it was a while ago :/).

Akselziys · Oct 8, 2019

Really great OT! Nice job, Takoyaki! :D

Excited to see everyone enjoy the game when it comes out this Thurs!

Also, the Spirit Hunter series portal site can be checked out here, for those that are curious :)

http://spirit-hunter.us/

craven68 · Oct 8, 2019

Never read this serie, how many episode is there ? This look damn goood !!!

takoyaki · Oct 8, 2019

craven68 said:
Never read this serie, how many episode is there ? This look damn goood !!!

NG is the second game in the Spirit Hunter series. Each of those games has 5-6 episodes centered around a spirit from an urban legend and an overarching story that binds those episodes together. You can start with Death Mark (Spirit Hunter 1) or NG (Spirit Hunter 2). I personally liked Death Mark but think NG is an even stronger game so that would be my recommendation. Check out the link above if you're curious about the series.

craven68 · Oct 8, 2019

Thanks you ! takoyaki ! i'm going to look into it x)

takoyaki · Oct 8, 2019

Nintendo Scene - No Score

The atmosphere is perfect with many moments that'll send a shiver down your spine, especially with the new bloodmetry feature whereby the protagonist can touch a blood stain and see how that stain came to be.

NG is a huge improvement over Death Mark on every way and a really enjoyable horror adventure. It took me a little under 20 hours but has little replay value unless you're a diehard fan and want to see the small differences if certain characters die or not.

Kaz Frankenstein · Oct 8, 2019

Sounds good. Physical is late in Europe, so in all likelihood I will pick up Raging Loop first, but this sounds like a very strong contender for a Halloween game / read....

Shizuka · Oct 8, 2019

I've been playing this for a review, at the second to last chapter, feel free to ask me anything since there's no embargo and there could be some details the reviews don't dive into.

Zutrax · Oct 8, 2019

I loved Death Mark, so hearing this is a supposed improvement has me really looking forward to it. Between AI, Dragon Quest, and this, my Switch is getting a ton of play.

eXistor · Oct 8, 2019

I really liked Death Mark, but I wasn't even aware of this. Definitely picking it up.

Rowsdower · Oct 8, 2019

I loved Death Mark, so I'm getting this day one. Glad to hear it's an improvement.

Shizuka · Oct 8, 2019

I wonder what people are calling "improvements". I'm really enjoying NG, but the characters are certainly not better than Death Mark and the removal of the "combat" bummed me out big time.

takoyaki · Oct 8, 2019

Shizuka said:
I wonder what people are calling "improvements". I'm really enjoying NG, but the characters are certainly not better than Death Mark and the removal of the "combat" bummed me out big time.

I finished NG last night and really liked it as well, looking forward to your impressions/review.

The game has a slower start than Death Mark, but that's because you see the core cast as a group before things go bad. They and the additional characters stick together for longer, DM felt like it was just changing characters with every episode. The theme of horror slowly invading your daily life and the clear goal of the protagonist also make the story more relatable imo.

Gameplay-wise, there's a number of small improvements that add up. I thought they did a better job in guiding you during exploration without being overly hand-holdy. Backtracking felt like less of an issue in NG (e.g. both DM and NG had an episode set in a multi-story building with elevators. The one in DM really dragged it out with the frequent switching between floors. I didn't think the NG episode had issues like that). The Judge system and small story branching let you slightly influence the story throughout instead of limiting the branching to just your final decision in an episode. I didn't really miss the combat, the more puzzle-oriented approach they took with it worked for me. The generous checkpointing and penalty-free retries make it fun to experiment with your answers, and thank god you no longer have to turn over everything in a location to gather some of those items that restore your spirit points. The side-quests are a nice addition and give you another incentive to explore.

A lot of that is subjective of course, but I thought NG was an improvement over an already very good first game.

Shizuka · Oct 8, 2019

takoyaki said:
The side-quests are a nice addition and give you another incentive to explore.

Are there any side-quests other than D-Mail?

Starlatine · Oct 8, 2019

Is this a persona 5 spinoff
Cant shake the feeling after seeing the UI

Seems like this will be on GOG so i'll get it there, itching for some spoopy stuff
edit: woops seems like i was wrong its steam. the site i read about it had goo on the name and tricked me. ah well steam it is

takoyaki · Oct 8, 2019

Shizuka said:
Are there any side-quests other than D-Mail?

Don't think so, I believe there are

10 D-Mails in total. I didn't go for all of them, though.

Hampig · Oct 8, 2019

Shizuka said:
I've been playing this for a review, at the second to last chapter, feel free to ask me anything since there's no embargo and there could be some details the reviews don't dive into.

If I'm thinking about playing this game with somebody who really isn't super into anime/visual novels, should I go for this or Death Mark? Is the story good in both?

Andres · Oct 8, 2019

Was hoping I'd be done playing AI The Somnium Files before this launched but it doesn't look like that will be the case. Still gonna buy this day one and maybe juggle both games.

KaiPow · Oct 8, 2019

Glad to see reviews start to get out there. Going to abstain from reading them until I get a chance to play NG though.

Shizuka · Oct 8, 2019

Hampig said:
If I'm thinking about playing this game with somebody who really isn't super into anime/visual novels, should I go for this or Death Mark? Is the story good in both?

Play Death Mark first. They're both great and NG makes a few references from Death Mark.

Hampig · Oct 8, 2019

Shizuka said:
Play Death Mark first. They're both great and NG makes a few references to from Death Mark.

Excellent, that is what I'll do! Thanks.

takoyaki · Oct 8, 2019

Quick heads-up for anyone who's planning to get NG this week:

The Aksys Online Store has a 20% Pre-Order discount on the physical edition of NG. That version comes with exclusive collectible cards. There's also a 40% discount on Death Mark (both standard and collectors edition). Those discounts are available until launch on October 10th on the US store.

Additionally, the Steam version will get a 20% discount during launch week:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1100430/Spirit_Hunter_NG/

Akselziys · Oct 8, 2019

takoyaki said:
Quick heads-up for anyone who's planning to get NG this week:

The Aksys Online Store has a 20% Pre-Order discount on the physical edition of NG. That version comes with exclusive collectible cards. There's also a 40% discount on Death Mark (both standard and collectors edition). Those discounts are available until launch on October 10th on the US store.

Additionally, the Steam version will get a 20% discount during launch week:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1100430/Spirit_Hunter_NG/

There will also be a 50% off discount on the Steam version of Spirit Hunter: Death Mark to coincide with Spirit Hunter: NG's Steam launch week 20% off sale, for those who haven't picked up Spirit Hunter: Death Mark and want to check out one or the other or both :)

Linkura · Oct 8, 2019

I mean I probably don't even need to ask this since it's an Experience game, but does it still have disgusting "fanservice" like Death Mark did?

Linde · Oct 8, 2019

i wish the death mark sale was on the eshop. i want it digitally

takoyaki · Oct 8, 2019

Linkura said:
I mean I probably don't even need to ask this since it's an Experience game, but does it still have disgusting "fanservice" like Death Mark did?

NG is a far cry from Death Mark in terms of this issue. I covered that specific question in the FAQ section, there's exactly two images that some might feel fits that definition. I personally disagree. You can see the details in the FAQ section of the OT and make an informed purchasing decision.

Sumio Mondo · Oct 8, 2019

Akselziys said:
There will also be a 50% off discount on the Steam version of Spirit Hunter: Death Mark to coincide with Spirit Hunter: NG's Steam launch week 20% off sale, for those who haven't picked up Spirit Hunter: Death Mark and want to check out one or the other or both :)

Can you possibly get a price drop for EU PSN users at some point too? ;)
I want to buy it but I just can't right now. Need to save up.

Linkura · Oct 8, 2019

takoyaki said:
NG is a far cry from Death Mark in terms of this issue. I covered that specific question in the FAQ section, there's exactly two images that some might feel fits that definition. I personally disagree. You can see the details in the FAQ section of the OT and make an informed purchasing decision.

Shit, I apologize, I only scrolled down the OT and didn't notice it.

Those are quite a bit tamer than Death Mark. Hmmm. Might have to look into this more. Thanks for responding and putting that up in the FAQ.

takoyaki · Oct 8, 2019

Linkura said:
Shit, I apologize, I only scrolled down the OT and didn't notice it.

Those are quite a bit tamer than Death Mark. Hmmm. Might have to look into this more. Thanks for responding and putting that up in the FAQ.

No problem, I didn't want to embed those pictures because of NSFW rules so it's easy to miss. And it's completely understandable that some of the images in Death Mark would have turned you away from playing that game. I also thought some of them crossed the line. That's why I'm so glad that NG doesn't repeat those mistakes and I can wholeheartedly recommend it to any horror fan.

Linkura · Oct 8, 2019

takoyaki said:
No problem, it didn't want to embed those pictures because of NSFW rules so it's easy to miss. And it's completely understandable that some of the images in Death Mark would have turned you away from playing that game. I also thought some of them crossed the line. That's why I'm so glad that NG doesn't repeat those mistakes and I can wholeheartedly recommend it to any horror fan.

I'll have to check out Gab's videos. I'm glad you linked her in the OP; she was an excellent resource when researching Death Mark.

takoyaki · Oct 9, 2019

Digitally Downloaded - 5/5

The idea of a quiet little horror game that digs in with an unsettling aura and creates its fear through empathy and sympathy for the monster, rather than a revulsion to it, is almost quaint. And yet, niche and quanit as it might be, Spirit Hunter: NG is a far more effective, intelligent and deep horror experience than all the jump scare games out there combined.

Shizuka · Oct 9, 2019

Got to the final chapter last night, might get my review ready until the end of the week. Still, I wonder if I'm alone in thinking that Death Mark was a bit more exciting than NG.

takoyaki · Oct 9, 2019

Bonus Stage - 10/10

All of its elements combine to produce one of the most immersive visual novels I have ever played. From its superb artwork, creepy ambience, colourful and interesting cast to its interaction of dialogue choices, area investigations and puzzle solving, Spirit Hunter: NG excels in creating a tense and scary atmosphere. It contains a few jump scares, some of which can be quite creative, even hilarious in their execution, but it's the overall atmosphere that this game produces that simply keeps you playing.

takoyaki · Oct 9, 2019

GamePitt -10/10

Despite not being a direct sequel to the amazing Death Mark, more like another story in the same universe, Spirit Hunter: NG took everything which made the previous game great and further expands on it without holding back. The deaths are more gruesome, the spirits are more realistic and disturbing, the CG exposition images are more horrific, and the overall tone of the game felt a little darker and connected. Whether you pick up this game on release, just in time for Halloween, or later on in the year, you're sure of a few surprises and jumps thanks to the brilliant narrative and well-written horror stories.

This game is reviewing incredibly well so far and we now have a good number of reviews. If anyone wants to make a full review thread and highlight this niche game a little more, please go ahead and I'll link it in the OT instead of the reviews section.

takoyaki · Oct 9, 2019

Linkura said:
I mean I probably don't even need to ask this since it's an Experience game, but does it still have disgusting "fanservice" like Death Mark did?

Dammit, I fucked up. I was in a rush to play through the game before uploading the OT so I used a guide and went for the best ending. I tried to look up all the missing CGs afterwards but must have missed at least one that's clearly what you were talking about. You can see that CG here [HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE GAME]. Arguably still not as bad as the worst examples in Death Mark, but I take back everything I said in my previous reply. You should probably wait until all the art is out there before deciding if you still want to play NG. I'm really sorry about this - 100% my bad.

Linkura · Oct 9, 2019

takoyaki said:
Dammit, I fucked up. I was in a rush to play through the game before uploading the OT so I used a guide and went for the best ending. I tried to look up all the missing CGs afterwards but must have missed at least one that's clearly what you were talking about. You can see that CG here [HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE GAME]. Arguably still not as bad as the worst examples in Death Mark, but I take back everything I said in my previous reply. You should probably wait until all the art is out there before deciding if you still want to play NG. I'm really sorry about this - 100% my bad.

Well, I appreciate you posting this. Honestly depending on the context of that it might not be too terrible if you are talking about the 3rd from the bottom. It just all depends on the context. In Death Mark there was absolutely no context other than fanservice for much of it.

takoyaki · Oct 9, 2019

Linkura said:
Well, I appreciate you posting this. Honestly depending on the context of that it might not be too terrible if you are talking about the 3rd from the bottom. It just all depends on the context. In Death Mark there was absolutely no context other than fanservice for much of it.

Yup, that's the one.

The game shows you a lot of the worst possible outcomes during the final stretch, even during the best ending route so you see most of the other images from that link in every playthrough. They all make sense in context. I didn't encounter the scene from that image but I played that episode with her as the support character and it's hard to imagine a good reason why she would suddenly be completely naked in that elevator. NG is a great horror game, but I really thought the game didn't go for that cheap shit again 😩

Linkura · Oct 9, 2019

takoyaki said:
Yup, that's the one.

The game shows you a lot of the worst possible outcomes during the final stretch, even during the best ending route so you see most of the other images from that link in every playthrough. They all make sense in context. I didn't encounter the scene from that image but I played that episode with her as the support character and it's hard to imagine a good reason why she would suddenly be completely naked in that elevator. NG is a great horror game, but I really thought the game didn't go for that cheap shit again 😩

Thanks. I'mma hold off most likely and monitor the situation.

CannonFodder52 · Oct 9, 2019

Nice OT!

I thought Death Mark was good, but had room for improvement. So it's nice to see this is getting better reception. I'm not sure I'll be playing immediately, but probably by the end of the year.

Too bad about the fan service stuff, though it sounds like it's turned down a bit, I think.

ShyMel · Oct 9, 2019

Great OT! Whoa, totally missed the news about them crowdfunding 3.

Andres · Oct 9, 2019

Steam page says it's launching in 3 hours, so an actual midnight release? They told me on Twitter the PC version was gonna have a launch discount too.

Akselziys · Oct 10, 2019

Andres said:
Steam page says it's launching in 3 hours, so an actual midnight release? They told me on Twitter the PC version was gonna have a launch discount too.

Yup! Spirit Hunter: NG will be released around midnight PST tonight on Steam with a 20% off launch week discount :)

Spirit Hunter: Death Mark on Steam will also be put on sale for the same launch week duration for 50% off around 9 am PST as well.

Freezasaurus · Oct 10, 2019

Akselziys said:
Yup! Spirit Hunter: NG will be released around midnight PST tonight on Steam with a 20% off launch week discount :)

Is the Switch version getting a launch discount at all?

Akselziys · Oct 10, 2019

Freezasaurus said:
Is the Switch version getting a launch discount at all?

Currently the Switch/PS4/VITA (digital) versions of Spirit Hunter: NG aren't on sale.

However, our webstore is offering the physical PS4/Switch versions for 20% off as well until midnight PST, if you pre-order on the webstore before then.
Pre-orders will also come with an exclusive set of 5 character cards too!

https://store.aksysgames.com/products/pre-order-spirit-hunter-ng

Freezasaurus · Oct 10, 2019

Akselziys said:
Currently the Switch/PS4/VITA (digital) versions of Spirit Hunter: NG aren't on sale.

Thanks for the quick reply.

WarpSpeedMolasses · Oct 10, 2019

Veeery pumped for this. Came in the mail today, but not touching it yet cause still playing Death Mark.

My only complaint is I wish it had a nice, fancy physical release like Death Mark got with all the extras, but I'm being a brat. Game looks so hype. Especially for this time of year.

BizzyBum · Oct 10, 2019

Is the first game Death Mark worth playing? It's sitting at a 77 on metacritic but only 5 reviews.

Freezasaurus · Oct 10, 2019

BizzyBum said:
Is the first game Death Mark worth playing? It's sitting at a 77 on metacritic but only 5 reviews.

I enjoyed it. Though some of the solutions are a bit obtuse.

WarpSpeedMolasses · Oct 10, 2019

BizzyBum said:
Is the first game Death Mark worth playing? It's sitting at a 77 on metacritic but only 5 reviews.

I'm on chapter 6. Personally really liking it. It's literally horror with VN + Point n Click gameplay. The map traversal can be better, but overall, I'm so glad I took a chance on the game.

Spirit Hunter: NG |OT| OK

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