Junji Ito has become one of the most popular and influential creators within the modern horror landscape, with his style permeating across continental borders to make him a household name among the fandom. Unsurprisingly, many creators have become inspired by the twisted visions of Ito and his work has become influential across various mediums.
Enter NextDoor, a 2D pixel art visual novel developed by Sijbren Schenkels, Yun Ying Hu, Bjorn Dingeldein and Clément Panchout. The title gets its namesake from Ito’s The Woman Next Door, which inspired the project.
The game has excellent use of sound, with a beautiful midi soundtrack that also embraces terrifying ambient sounds to heighten the tense story. Visually, the use of 2D pixelated graphics benefits the extremely creepy tone allowing the player’s imagination to fill in the graphical gaps.
With a run time that matches the short story, (taking around 10 minutes to complete) NextDoor is a ideal spooky little gem.
Experience the game yourself for free at NextDoor’s ich.io page, or check out our full game playthrough here:
More Video Game Reviews
Hi fellow weirdos! Today we are discussing an obscure controversy that actually changed the whole Japanese adult video game industry. Dubbed “The Saori Incident” in the press, this 1991 affair… LSD Dream Emulator is a PlayStation video game released in 1998 by Asmik Ace Entertainment, based on an MS-DOS program created in 1992 by Osamu Sato. Basically, the game consists… You may already be aware of the hit mobile game Fate/Grand Order, which has a really fun mix of anime, historical figures, folklore, waifus and even some sci-fi elements! Right… Night at the Gates of Hell (2022) is a survival zombie horror game, developed by Jordan King and Henry Hoare, and published by Torture Star Video – a production company… For those who have been living under a rock for the last few years, Vtubers are a popular format of streamers who use an animated avatar in the style of… Evil Dead is a cult franchise in every sense of the idea – a variety of divergent media in the realm of comics, games, and merchandise; all humbly originating from…Japan Deep Dive: The Saori Incident
LSD: Dream Emulator (1998) Game Review- What a Lovely, Sweet Dream
Japanese Folklore of Fate/Grand Order: The Tongue-Cut Sparrow
Night at the Gates of Hell (2022) Game Review – I Think I Just Shit Myself
Hololive Error Teaser Demo – Video Content
Evil Dead: The Game Review – The Fantasy of Every Evil Dead Fan
Hey there, I’m Jim and I’m located in London, UK. I am a Writer and Managing Director here at Grimoire of Horror. A lifelong love of horror and writing has led me down this rabbit hole, allowing me to meet many amazing people and experience some truly original artwork. I specialise in world cinema, manga/graphic novels, and video games but will sometime traverse into the unknown in search of adventure.