Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse Review – A Supernatural Mystery Adventure
An underappreciated visual novel from Square Enix has unexpectedly spawned a sequel centered around mermaid mythology. Originally released in February 2023 with minimal fanfare, Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries Of Hojo was a clever horror-themed experience that largely flew under the radar due to limited marketing efforts.
Fans were therefore pleasantly surprised when last month's Nintendo Direct announced Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse, a sequel launching for Switch 2 within weeks. The announcement followed a similar low-key pattern to its predecessor, creating a sense of déjà vu regarding its promotional strategy.
Anthology Approach and Atmospheric Storytelling
Developer Xeen has transformed the series into a horror anthology format, reminiscent of Supermassive Games' The Dark Pictures series. While the original Paranormasight drew inspiration from ghost stories without being particularly frightening, The Mermaid's Curse leans even further into atmospheric creepiness rather than outright horror.
The game presents a paranormal mystery rather than a traditional horror narrative, with players shifting between multiple character perspectives as they investigate whether mermaid flesh can truly grant immortality. The summer island setting creates an effective contrast with the game's grim imagery and unsettling undertones.
Non-Linear Narrative and Character Development
Visual novels live or die by their storytelling, and The Mermaid's Curse delivers with expertly paced non-linear narrative techniques. The game cleverly conceals crucial details that only become apparent when players unlock earlier timeline chapters, creating satisfying revelations throughout the experience.
The excellent main cast features distinct personalities that facilitate engaging, often surprisingly humorous interactions. Fantasy author Avi and psychic sidekick Circe form a particularly memorable duo likely to become fan favorites. These characters are brought to life through fantastic, expressive artwork that enhances their personalities despite the game's limited animation budget.
Visual Presentation and Gameplay Mechanics
Despite its modest production values, The Mermaid's Curse presents a visually appealing experience with effective camera work and presentation flourishes that maintain visual interest during extensive dialogue sequences. The game benefits from skipping the original Switch hardware, though curiously lacks mouse controls despite being ideally suited for them.
Gameplay primarily involves examining objects and selecting dialogue options in proper sequence, similar to classic adventure games like Famicom Detective Club. Unlike its predecessor, this installment incorporates more traditional puzzles, including treasure map navigation and mysterious box solutions, though these remain relatively sparse compared to question-and-answer segments.
Innovative Mechanics and Narrative Integration
The game introduces a simplistic diving minigame where players collect sea creatures for points before oxygen depletion. Initially seeming like a tangential addition, this mechanic becomes surprisingly engaging as players improve their swimming statistics and discover its narrative relevance. The diving segments are mandatory for completing the game's side activity of collecting hidden bird stickers.
The Mermaid's Curse truly excels in how it integrates gameplay mechanics directly into its storytelling fabric. Like its predecessor, this narrative fundamentally depends on the interactive medium of video games, containing elements that would lose their impact in passive adaptations like television shows or anime.
Narrative Strengths and Minor Shortcomings
Players must manage substantial information flow throughout the game, with newly unlocked files providing additional context about character backgrounds, locations, and mythological references. While much of this material serves as flavor text, some knowledge application becomes necessary for progression.
The story maintains strong momentum until its final stages, where some last-minute character revelations slightly alter narrative interpretations. While not contradictory, these additions feel somewhat tacked on. Additionally, reaching the true ending requires unconventional thinking that the game doesn't adequately prepare players for, with hints that prove either too vague or misleading.
These solutions demonstrate clever design in retrospect but prove unlikely to be discovered accidentally, potentially leading to frustrating conclusions without external assistance—a recurring issue from the first game. Despite these minor shortcomings, the overall journey remains compelling enough to warrant interest in future installments with improved puzzle signposting.
Final Assessment and Series Potential
Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse establishes a winning formula for supernatural storytelling within the video game medium. With excellent writing, memorable characters, and smart puzzle design, this sequel offers a must-play experience for enthusiasts of narrative-driven gaming.
The game's atmospheric approach, combined with its clever non-linear structure and strong character development, creates an engaging supernatural mystery that transcends traditional horror conventions. While structurally similar to its predecessor and containing some frustrating endgame elements, The Mermaid's Curse represents a significant step forward for the series and demonstrates substantial potential for future supernatural anthology entries.
