It's impossible to fault Corpse Party: Blood Drive for what it tries to do. Releasing so close to Halloween, this cap to the doujin darling series tries hard to avoid the predictable jump scares. Sure, there are a few of them, but 5pb and Team GrisGris worked really hard to build tension and psychological fear instead of relying on good old "boogity-boogity-boo." This is what horror should be about. When players are allowed to lose themselves in the story, the game succeeds at being an unsettling experience. Lamentably, due to some severe technical and game design missteps, annoyance becomes the more accurate descriptor.

The story is actually quite engaging. While there are new elements and characters introduced, what Blood Drive excels at is revisiting the old. 5pb and Team GrisGris have taken plot elements that were previously sewn shut, torn open the sutures, and uses both hands to rummage around its guts with aplomb. The ropey entrails of new information that gets pulled out changes the dynamic of what has happened before. Done poorly this would have convoluted an already dense mythology too much. The way it is done here adds a new richness to the previous stories.

It turns out, that despite appearances to the contrary, Heavenly Host Elementary School is still very much in existence. It is simply now on a different plane of reality. After learning this, different characters make their way there in hopes of achieving a goal. Some want to rescue previous victims, others are hoping to make a quick buck. On a whole, the new lore and basic plot points are satisfying. Players can also look forward to moments that can cause some squirming. One part in particular, where a returning character has her eye supernaturally blistered, was particularly effective. While the overall plot is fantastic, some of the moment to moment actions leave a bit to be desired. In order to avoid giving too much away, only one example will be given.

After some trickery and forcefulness, Ayumi manages to be the first to return to Heavenly Host. This is a character who has experienced what this place can do, and decided to venture forth anyhow in a foolish attempt to correct past mistakes. When she comes across her first malevolent spirit, she freaks to heck out and begins running screaming and recklessly away, managing to injure herself in the process. This is all in a non-interactive sequence. Look, it is unfair to expect someone who believes they have found a friend, only to discover that the majority of their friend's face appears to have been excavated with a backhoe, to react in a completely rational fashion. But, this behavior she exhibited is not relatable based on her arc.

To use an example, give two people a copy of a Dan Brown novel, one who is aware of the works of Mr. Brown and one who is not. It would be expected for the one with the lack of knowledge to scream and throw the book across the room. The other would just suffer and moan. Neither is having a good time, but knowing leads to handling it better. The point being made is that horror is more effective when a character is seen to be making decisions that seem intelligent, This way, when it all goes wrong, the audience feels a sense of dread, realizing that they would have failed in the same way. This is why an early chapter starring another character, Aiko, works so much better than others.

One aspect of this title worthy of high praise is the sound design. This is a game that must be experienced with headphones, powered if possible. The Japanese only voicework was recorded using some impressive level of aural trickery. The positioning of the sounds and voices manage to create the illusion that they are coming from behind or in front of the actual player. I was in public when I started this, and the first time the effect was used, I looked behind me believe that someone was trying to get my attention. To have this come out of the portable Vita using simple headphones is astounding and award worthy.

While the visual novel and sound elements work fine, there are some major gameplay and technical issues. This newly discovered form of Heavenly Host Elementary is much darker than previously seen. Not in tone so much, but in actual lighting. In order to navigate the numerous pitfalls and traps, liberal use of a flashlight is encouraged. While batteries for this device can be found, it is best to conserve this resource. Gameplay becomes a series of quickly checking the environment with the light, and then shutting it off and moving forward. This hampers the game pace. The "puzzles" on offer are extremely bare bones, and attempts to move quicker are tied to a stamina meter that dwindles rapidly.

Additionally, there are sequences where phantoms must be avoided. The game encourages the player to hide in cabinets. This tactic is successful if the pursuing spirit doesn't see the hero duck in. If they do, they will pull the player out and proceed with a whuppin'. During play, we could not determine how to prevent the phantom from seeing this. There were times when the protagonist was in a different room and seemingly out of the line of site when popping in, but is still discovered. Instead of being tense, these sequences are simply annoying. Fortunately, there are talisman items to help mitigate this. If there is one in the character's inventory, the phantom will just disappear. Otherwise, when given the opportunity, it is better to navigate away instead of trying to hide.

The biggest offender in the experience are the load times. Everything seems to require looking at this screen. Change rooms? That's a loading. Die and need to restart? That's a loading. Complete a chapter? That's a kick to the start menu, a selection of "New Chapter" and a loading. Opening the inventory screen? Oh, you better believe that's a loading. Transitions from room to room needing a brief load is understandable, but it seems that every action requires an incredibly lengthy time staring at the black screen with red letters and wispy ghost face. This is a game put together on a limited budget, so some technical limitations are acceptable. Even more so if they had decided to pack some of the lore and "previously on" type text to keep the player engaged. As it is, the suspension of disbelief, the player's intellectual investment is lost due to the length and frequency of this issue. When the goal of a title is creeping the hell out of the player, losing that investment is devastating.

Closing Comments:

For series fans, Corpse Party: Blood Drive is simply a must play. The story and new revelations are thought provoking and deep; so much work went into expanding the lore and it just works on that level. The excellent sound design found here is probably the best to be found on the Vita. That all being said, this is a title only for the patient existing fans and story junkies. The limitations of the game and technical design makes the task of actually playing the thing just that: a task. Anyone who is actually looking for a good scare or creep out would be well advised to move along, because, in the end, there ain't no party like a Vita Corpse Party, 'cause a Vita Corpse Party (Now Loading...)