Visual novels seem to be all the rage as of late, and The Letter: A Horror Visual Novel is one such example from publishers, Eastasiasoft. However, where many are more concerned with love-making and studying hard (a weird combo, perhaps), what we have here is very much on the scary side of the spectrum, inspired by classic Asian horror films.
Releasing on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch – with a PlayStation release for the game coming early 2022 – The Letter will put you into the shoes of seven distinct characters, all afflicted by a terrible curse and tasked with getting to the bottom of a spooky mystery that enshrouds the equally spooky Ermengarde Mansion. It has all the hallmarks of a good horror. Supernatural curse? Check. Gothic mansion? Double check. Letters with a blood-stained ‘Help Me’ scrawled across the page? Triple check.
It is the player’s role to investigate these goings-on, and will do so in traditional visual novel manner – expect to be working through branching dialogue trees, and constantly checking your relationship status with other characters. After all, the fate of such characters is entirely on your shoulders, so make the right choices… or else!
Key features include:
- Discover a sprawling narrative of more than 700,000 words!
- Make key decisions that directly impact the story’s course.
- Play as 7 different characters, each with unique motives and personality.
- Explore more than 80 backdrops, 100 CGs and 50 epilogue variations!
- Customize your experience with optional quick-time events and English voiceovers.
- Enjoy animated sprites and scenes that breathe life into your surroundings.
- Utilize a journal feature that jots down clues and tracks events in chronological order.
The Letter: A Horror Visual Novel is available now for those of you who are up to the task – head on over to the Xbox Store for a £16.74 purchase on Xbox Series X|S or Xbox One, with full next-gen optimisation for the former. The game can also be picked up on the Nintendo Switch, and PS5 and PS4 owners will just have to wait a little while longer, I’m afraid.
Game Description:
To what ends will one go in order to survive? When seven people fall prey to a vicious curse, they discover that the true threat rests not within the shadows, but within their own hearts and minds. The Letter: A Horror Visual Novel is an interactive horror-themed drama inspired by classic Asian horror films. Told through an immersive branching narrative, the game casts players in the ever-shifting roles of seven characters as they find themselves entangled in a mystery that’s plagued Ermengarde Mansion for centuries. The choices you make will shape and drive the story forward. Will you mend a relationship on the verge of collapse, or will you let it fall apart? Will you risk saving someone despite the consequences you could face or leave them to meet a gruesome end? Beyond the horror themes of The Letter: A Horror Visual Novel, there is heavy emphasis on character development and interaction. The fate of each of these individuals is in your hands.
