Hey, fellow weirdos! Javi here, back again to share another hidden gem from the world of Japanese media. So, you know how the PlayStation 2 was a goldmine for cult classic horror games like Silent Hill 2 or Forbidden Siren? Well, there are a bunch of games from that era that never made it out of Japan. Lucky for us, dedicated fans are still unearthing these little treasures.
Enter “The Tairyou Jigoku” (THE大量地獄), roughly translated as “The Overwhelming Hell.” This game is a short but effective trip down the uncanny horror memory lane of the PS2. The story follows Erika Mizusaki, a regular high school girl who ventures back to school after hours to retrieve her cellphone. Can’t find it? Well, Erika spots a small black figure in her classroom – a rabbit dressed like a gentleman, no less – running off with her mobile phone. Cue Erika following the rabbit into her music room, only to witness it disappearing through a strange mirror-like portal, transporting her to a world infested with creepy crawlies like leeches, cockroaches, rats, and floating bloody eyes. The main goal? Survive each world without losing her sanity while being surrounded by these ghastly things.
Now, The Tairyou Jigoku is the brainchild of the SIMPLE2000 by D3 Publisher – an affordable software series. Each instalment focuses on a single theme, given a title that makes it easy to grasp, like “THE ●●.” Sure, it may not match up to the graphic and narrative prowess of more popular titles from that era, but don’t dismiss it just yet. This game is innovative – the character designs for each pest and boss fight are inventive, and the game mechanics, like using onomatopoeia to indicate Erika’s stress levels, keep things interesting. Plus, they managed to make Erika a more relatable horror final girl – defending herself with simple actions like jumping or using everyday objects like brooms and baseball bats.
In all honesty, The Tairyou Jigoku may not be a masterpiece, but it’s a charming piece of PS2 memorabilia. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been fan-translated to English yet, but the story is easy enough to follow. After all, we’re here for the scares and the weirdness, right? I’m sure you’ll enjoy it just as much as I did. So, fellow weirdos, give it a shot!
More Video Game Reviews
Death Stranding is an oddity as an experience, frequently misrepresented – a melancholic meditation through shattered civilization, humanity desperately endeavouring to reassemble itself in despair; somber music lulls over the… 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… Gregory Horror Show is a 2003 Japanese mystery survival horror, developed by Capcom and released on PS2 in Japan and in Europe a few months later. The game is based… Several years ago, a small Japanese third-person horror game known as GOHOME started to make waves in the Let’s Play YouTube community. Created by the VTuber known as Itimatu Ichimatsu… Unknown Tapes is a 2024 analogue horror video game created with Unreal Engine 5, developed and published by TraviTeam Games. After releasing the fast-paced, physics-based local PVP fighting game Scroter… 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…The Cosmic Horror of Death Stranding
Japanese Folklore of Fate/Grand Order: The Tongue-Cut Sparrow
Gregory Horror Show (2003) Game Review – Strange Survival-Horror
GOHOME (2020) Game Review – Homeward Bound
Unknown Tapes (2024) Game Review – Dinosaur Analogue Horror
Evil Dead: The Game Review – The Fantasy of Every Evil Dead Fan
Hi everyone! I am Javi from the distant land of Santiago, Chile. I grew up watching horror movies on VHS tapes and cable reruns thanks to my cousins. While they kinda moved on from the genre, I am here writing about it almost daily. When I am not doing that, I enjoy reading, drawing, and collecting cute plushies (you have to balance things out. Right?)