KUON - Nitro Rad

Evil twins, Japanese curses, and classic survival horror gameplay. KUON has FROMSOFT dabbling in the horror genre one last time on PS2. Could it possibly live up to the ridiculous price it goes for these days?
SOCIAL MEDIA:
/ nitrorad
/ nitrorad
/ nitroradofficial
Additional Artwork (ritual ingredients):
/ bug__nugget
Thumbnail cleanup:
/ nibrocrock
CHAPTERS
0:00 - Intro
2:53 - Taneguchi's History
4:49 - KUON
6:47 - KUON (For real this time)
8:43 - Gameplay, Camera Angles, and Scares
11:04 - Combat and Resource Management
17:07 - The Horror Falls Flat
18:56 - Atmosphere and Map Design
20:30 - Exploration, Progression, and Puzzles
23:36 - Story (SPOILERS)
27:20 - HARD MODE!!!
29:25 - Extras/Unlockables
30:50 - Conclusion
34:41 - End Slate

[@NitroRad]

Correction about health, you CAN see how much you have left. It's the blue/yellow bar at the top of the pause menu. Completely missed that, definitely not as clear as most other horror games. Oops lmao

[@Bacillus4]

Hey Nitro Rad! Have you ever heard of the games "Second Sight" or "Psi-ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy"? Because I think both are old games right up your alley (maybe the former a bit more than the latter, but both are good). PS -- love your videos!

[@bananacakesmckanzee7290]

You might’ve been suggested this already, but it’d be cool if you went through Red Candle Games - Detention and Devotion !

[@samtepal3892]

Hey nitro, for the next halloween, you can cover collections like Haunted Ps1 demo disk or dread x. They can make do with some exposure from a big channel like yours.

[@KaitojR9464]

It's cool, you wrote it and pinned it in the comment section below. That was the best you could have done after you finished and then published this video.

[@KaitojR9464]

Also nitro rad, you still haven't done a review on the ps1 platformer called "Cheesy". Trust me when I say, this game is even worse then bubsy 3D in terms of gameplay, character feel, and the controls.

[@Thatssointeresting757]

I'm the lady that sent the game in and I'm not surprised the disc finally gave out, it was always finicky to play. I'm glad you finally got to play it and review it though... I still hate the game

[@CeHee123]

That letter was hilarious. Glad you made it into a video cameo in some form.

[@Bane_Amesta]

Just for donating such an expensive game you deserve all the credit, shame the disc died tho :(

[@BalthorYT]

I love that you called the game a "weird cosmic prank", that letter was gold hahaha

[@Thatssointeresting757]

@@Bane_Amesta I'm disappointed the game died too but I'm glad it got preserved at least. I might not like it but I don't like the idea of something being lost to time

[@TheZombieCurryKid]

Why do you hate it? It looks good.

[@shbduukuynostradomus5509]

I absolutely love the fact that you got the disc for this game and it came with a ominous foreboding angry letter "This game fucking blows and i don't want anyone to pay money for it" is the best reason to send a game ever

[@Nephyness]

I beat the game and liked it for the most part. I had some issues with how combat was treated, but I enjoyed the atmosphere and thought the story was neat.

[@Walamonga1313]

That dude must've been stupid, the game is actually good. Bet you he sold it for way less than the game typically goes for 🤣 EDIT: lmao he gave it for free

[@UndeadCollector]

or: it did not work anymore before and that's why he send it out for free.

[@Otterino]

Maybe the game is just fine in other copies, and the letter cursed it to be as bad as it was.

[@PuertoRicanGrinderX]

@Dr.Sir Bruce Armstrong Mother Fucker The Third why do you think they care if they have an opinion? Lmao

[@lakobause]

0:41 Gotta love NitroRad's horror collection: Fatal Frame series, Silent Hill series, Clock Tower, Haunting Ground, Rule of Rose, Resident Evil, and Jimmy Neutron.

[@Asaylum117]

The fact that he owns physical copies of Fatal Frame, Clock Tower, Haunting Ground & Rule of Rose is very impressive. For some reason, horror games on PS2 have gotten stupidly expensive to the point that you might as well forget about paying rent or bills with the prices a lot of those games have.

[@indeimaus]

"wait they don't have lip sync?" fromsoft "first time?"

[@jotacatalan]

That could actually be the first time they did that

[@Diwasho]

but then they randomly do have lip animation at the very end 27:13

[@pious83]

@@Diwasho Random, like Andre of Astora...

[@HolyDeviant1]

[spoken from completely motionless lips]

[@GacMan47]

Lol he literally shows Dark Souls.

[@MardotMov]

I'm more horrified about the pricing than the actual game

[@CeHee123]

5:36-6:23 This whole section about the game preservation crisis and every game disc I own eventually breaking gave me some existential horror.

[@ddjsoyenby]

welp p1r@cy once again i'm with you.

[@Alastarsblade]

What do you think ive been worried about for the past year

[@sinceritynature202]

Used to work at a used record and video game store, my manager bought a copy of Kuon that came in for like $700. Incredible. To be fair though I also spent stupid amounts of money on rare old games while I worked there...... just not THAT much,,,

[@blackjacka.5097]

@@CeHee123 I find it funny how he says "legally play it nowadays" when your money isn't going to the company who made it anyway, legal because it's an official disc I guess it's basically abandonware.

[@Noperare]

6:16 "in 200 years every disc" only a vampire would be concerned with such "quick" expiration date. Nitro accidently exposed himself.

[@valletas]

Only way to truly preserve games is create open source emulators that arent dependent on close source libraries this way the game can truly be played for all time even on machines that arent invented yet

[@oMaruMesmo]

@@valletas Exactly. Some companies should think about losing theirs works and allow people to put this online on Steam or any service like this, in a way of preserving their OWN stuff, even if its not a sucessful hit. But they're more worried about other things so... PIRACY ALL THE WAY BOISSS

[@Reoko77]

Caught his ass in 4k homie!!🥴🤪

[@BlackCroft666]

@@valletas In the end you still depend on physial things though. Servers, storage, cooling etc... Important is that someone cares to preserve the media in some form. if no one cares...

[@silvermoons7539]

Still sad future generations won't be able to enjoy these things

[@Red-xl1tu]

now imagine, you can infinitly heal, but doing so would make a curse on your character rapidly spread and hinders future moves/actions and possibly leading to a bad ending. Now THAT would have been smart

[@ladylunaginaofgames40]

Its just like how they scale the axe in Spooky's jumpscare Mansion. You can use it a lot and not only is it useless towards certain enemies, using the axe too much gets you a bad ending (which is canon to the dlcs)

[@fedoraking3611]

0:40 I love how he put Jimmy Neutron in the horror games because he hated it so much.

[@KeybladeMasterAndy]

With those faces, who wouldn't be scared?

[@999monsterjam3]

And by the looks of it, a Farily OddParents game on the far right. It got a sensible chuckle out of me.

[@sailent4825]

Hey, Nitro! There's still a few interesting PS2 horror games that you might wanna try out in the future like Shadow Tower Abyss, Gregory Horror Show, Michigan Report From Hell, the Obscure duology and even some of the less Known RE games like Outbreak 1 & 2, Dead Aim and Survivor 2, which would be a joy to see you talk about.

[@godhand7510]

Since Suda51 and Swery65 announced their plans to develop a horror game together, Hotel Barcelona, it would be interesting to see a review of Michingan: report from hell. Suda51 has not made a purely horror game for over 15 years (or more than 10 if you count the Fatal Frame port), with some of his games having some horror aspects, so it would be interesting to see an analysis of that game, and maybe one on Moonlight Syndrome when the English translation is done.

[@Cure_Hana]

I mentioned GHS to him in an email a few years ago. He said he was interested in reviewing it, but couldn’t say when because of how expensive physical copies of the game are (it was only released in Japan and certain parts of Europe).

[@personaissleepy]

Michigan: Report from Hell is a trip.

[@caliburnabsolute8517]

If James does do a video on Gregory Horror, I'm curious what he'd also have to say about the TV show. I've only ever seen the first season, but it's a really fascinating horror comedy.

[@ShadowRealmZ373]

Cold Fear, Ghost Hunter, and Hungry Ghost too

[@RabidRetrospectGames]

You mentioned the state of video game preservation being a joke. It really is. These games should all be available on some digital format or re-released in some capacity. A lot of older titles have been practically abandoned with no way for new players to experience them without shelling hundreds of dollars over. Even then the disk isn't a guarantee to work. You'd think the gaming industry would learn from the mistakes of film. Preservation is important. Not just in the sense that it gives new people a chance to experience older media, but it allows us to see where our industry came from. It gives us important context of the times. I really do worry that future generations are not going to have the means to experience and learn from older media because they can't play it or can't even start to think of affording it. Great video as usual, Nitro Rad. Your Halloween/Horror episodes are top tier. Really excited to see which series you delve into now that you've covered the PS2 horror titles you originally wanted to cover. Edit: ObsCure & ObsCure 2/Aftermath are two really interesting PS2 horror games that I'd love see covered one day myself.

[@sevaansevant]

Most games can at least be preserved through dumping them and putting them online. Yes, downloading those games is technically illegal, but if I have the choice between spending $1,000 on a game and getting the game for free, I'm getting the game for free. If a game is not being sold officially by the original creators, then they won't make money from it no matter what way you obtain them anyway.

[@Trimint123]

@@sevaansevant There's a difference between Piracy and Preservation. What's the point to pay thousands of dollars to some guy for legitimate copies of the game if it doesn't even used to support the company anymore? Not to mention, as the video mention, it's likely that the copies may not work. Same goes with the consoles itself. Piracy is fine if the game in question is unlikely to be resold by the original company or the publisher. And Preservation is a key to access these old games that's already been abandoned for decades.

[@valletas]

@@johnDoe-uw2zs reminds me of how some supermarkets put security to guard their dumbsters so when they trow food in the garbage people wont grab it btw it isnt spoiled food super markets trow lots of good food in the trash because it isnt fresh anymore like day old bread companies would rather trow things in the garbage before they will give you anything for free

[@ERROR-hf3wx]

Most people that preserve history don’t consider video games, movies, or some books (comics, manga, stuff like that) history. I would beg to differ because it shows cultural diffusion, collaboration for things more than just a survival of species, and the type of things were held in high regard and what wasnt. Really reveals a lot about a society. But it likely wont be appreciated until it becomes just that. History. Sad really.

[@valletas]

@@ERROR-hf3wx that isnt true at at all Hell history is very fragmented on multiple sub categories because people preserve different things Look at paleontologi for exemple most of what they preserve is the history that was never told that is the family that had a meal in the jungle 500 years ago or the soldier that died of disentery in ww1 Games, movies and music are preserved too with each of them having people dedicated to it Most of the things we preserve in history are completely useless Will it be taugh on schools? No but thw information is available to anyone who wants to learn it

[@nastybigJim]

The reason you kept getting those jump scares is because you were running and it makes the character tired which lets the dark energy attack you.

[@dudehuhu7803]

True, did Nitro not pay attention to the game's instruction, its at the beginning too

[@nastybigJim]

@@KaitojR9464 yes but he was wondering why it was happening so frequently.

[@18ps3anos]

@@KaitojR9464 TBH the game is not crap whatsoever and I wonder if you made up your mind based on just this video alone... For fans of survival horror, the game is actually pretty ok, regardless of its many flaws. You can choose to not press the button to fully heal, and enjoy the "hard mode" of it.

[@18ps3anos]

@@KaitojR9464 You can tell jack shit and you just proved your inexperience with such a foolish statement.

[@snsech]

@@KaitojR9464 "you’re", not "your"* if you’re going to correct other people’s spelling, you might as well correct your own lmfao. i peronally don’t care about that but it’s just funny that you make mistakes in a comment that tries to correct mistakes~

[@marxistlynchist]

Dude I think this is my favourite video you’ve made from a production standpoint. From the music placements, lighting, use of the gameplay capture, varied expressiveness in your movement and voiceover, tangents that seem essential without undermining the tone, and small details like the melting candles- everything just has this added purposefulness that I don’t think would’ve been possible on the old set or a more regular upload schedule. It all lends to this sense of discovering the game with you as a guide, compared to a more retrospective outlook that other creators present in their videos. The way you reference piracy near the end so thoughtfully and naturally instead of tying it into some pretentious debate is testament to that. Plus the evil endslate is fuckin hysterical.

[@NitroRad]

Ahhh thank you so much dude! I thought a lot about the music timing and linking together the live shots for this one. Nice to know it paid off!

[@duncangt5604]

@@NitroRad every episode is filled with passion, it definetely wont go unnoticed!

[@SimonKafei]

@@NitroRad need those music sources though, specially for the first one

[@blackjacka.5097]

@@NitroRad Using Eternal Rest in the video, always a treat to hear.

[@animatrix1490]

@@NitroRad I especially appreciated the detail of the Jimmy Neutron game in the shot of his PS2 horror game collection

[@daggersnight1373]

Hey Nitro! The reason they give you the option to heal for free at any time is because running actually lowers your health. This is explained at the start of the game and then never mentioned again. Running also increases the damage you take from the 'jump scares' and makes you more likely to have them more often in heavy miasma type areas. Being full physical and mental health helps avoid extra ghost spawns from the scares. Again they don't really explain this well but it is a From Soft game.

[@tadaokou4919]

Underrated comment. Honestly he bashed way to much on it in my opinion. Was waiting years for this review and...left it kind of disappointed.

[@bigcraudio3066]

@@tadaokou4919 No he didn't , this was a really shit mechanic that clearly ruins a grand majority of the game. They should've removed both the "take damage from running" and being able to regen full life for free.

[@tadaokou4919]

@@bigcraudio3066 Yes, he did. How much this mechanic actually ruins is completly subjective. The art design, sound design and visuals in this game are top. Disregarding everything this game did right just to say it is bad because of this one mechanic is close minded. Besides that there are some really popular horror games which have something similar. Look at Fatal Frame 2. People love that game and always praise it as the best Fatal Frame. But it is legit almost impossible to die in that game. You get so much healing stuff, it is almost MORE broken than Kuons regeneration because you can just pause the game, take one of your 5000000 healing items and continue on. Honestly Kuon is the first horror game at which people complain about for being to easy. But most popular survival horror games are really easy. Silent Hill 1-3 are not really difficult and give you just insane amounts of health items. Fatal Frame is not really difficult if you ignore the instand-kill-ghosts. Why is it suddenly a problem with Kuon if all those other games have basically the same mechanic? Yes, you have to find healing items in these games. But in Fatal Frame 2 (which is the most popular one) you can easily find an insane amout of healing items which ARE basically automatic regeneration. It is 100% certainly an overblown point in this review and if you give praise to all these other games despite this flaw, you have to ignore it in Kuon as well. Otherwise your own logic is inconsistent.

[@elin111]

Adding one bad design choice to fix another bad design choice doesn't undo the first design choice, it just results in two bad design choices.

[@tadaokou4919]

@@elin111 And I already explained why we would have to hate on Silent Hill, Fatal Frame and other similar games for the same reason. In terms of difficulty these games are baby games. Not in terms of horror. But bashing on Kuon for a design choice which is arguably worse in Fatal Frame and Silent Hill is just contradictory. But yeah, no nostalgic feelings for Kuon, right? So suddenly it is a flaw when the game is for babys in terms of difficulty.

[@RukoHanaji]

I love this game so much. I legit felt nauseated when Utsuki was in the underground, surrounded by the stagnant water filled with all of the paper boats. The idea of all the sin you've cleansed yourself of all gathered in one place is kind of horrifying from both a Shinto and Heian standpoint.

[@33melonpaws77]

I'm not familiar with those religions, but it really does sound creepy to be overwhelmed and suffocated by all the bad aspects of your existence all at once.

[@MaverickRiou]

Honestly speaking, Kuon is long due for an actual remake. Fromsoft could fix all these problems with the original game. It’s still a beautiful game, despite its flaws

[@youtube-kit9450]

Cut the amount of items in half, make the puzzles a bit harder and make yourself unable to heal at will while separating health and stamina. A few small changes would make the game already much, much better.

[@18ps3anos]

@@youtube-kit9450 The amount of items are fine. Without the "full heal at will" button, the game gets much harder and you will be chugging health items like there was no tomorrow, and actually giving use to your spell cards. And with increased difficulty in every encounter, you will want to save more often. TBH, they have enough knowledge from the souls series to know how to best design and balance a remake from this game.

[@youtube-kit9450]

@@18ps3anos Sounds good. Still no clue why they made two compounding idiotic design decisions of combining health and stamina, but then fixed that by breaking the game completely with the free health refill.

[@retrogamelover2012]

Either that, or they could have Bluepoint do a similar job to what they did with Demon's Souls. Either way, Kuon could do with some love.

[@blatherskitenoir]

There was an entire section of the cave/ story that felt like they just didn't finish and left out. It'd be cool if they finished it. They could also make the healing super super slow and attract monsters if you risk trying to use it. Because yeah, I spent the majority of the game whacking things with a fan and not using the spell cards.

[@RyderPlatinumWarpstar]

The one thing that's the scariest of them all is how bad game preservation is right now.

[@royshaheer]

This has been villainized for a while or everyone talks but the practice is tediously forgotten...

[@RyderPlatinumWarpstar]

@@royshaheer Yeah some games just completely go missing forever, Mario 35 sure as heck ain't coming back, and all of the WiiWare games can only be played through an emulator or somehow having the roms on a Wii that's either hacked or you bought some games before the closure. It's freakin' sad.

[@HyperGirl81]

True which is why it is so important to preserve them! There are organizations that are working to archive and preserve games and gaming media. Like The Video Game History Foundation, The Museum of Play, and the National Video Game Museum.

[@ExtremeWreck]

@@HyperGirl81 But those are where you can't play 'em. Emulators & ROMs are your only friends in this case.

[@DCreed013]

This game does have a really good aesthetic, with the environment and character designs. All the budget for the lip movements probably went into the long, flowing hair and billowing robes. Honestly, good trade. Long hair and flowing fabric like that must've been a bitch and half to make, and it looks really good. Unfortunate that this game is more style over substance.

[@NokoFace]

Yeah, honestly those kind of cloth and hair physics in a PS2 game? Woof. That's some good work. I feel like if they just omitted that arbitrary heal you could do, the game would be A LOT better.

[@FrecklesHasAQuestionMark]

would've been a neat workaround to give the characters like, theater-ish masks or something instead of just having motionless faces

[@kaelang12]

i forgot that people in fromsoft games don't have moving lips lol i'm so used to it that it doesn't even bother me anymore

[@montague4931]

You should look into Koudelka and the Shadow Hearts series. While they may be RPGs and aren't traditional survival horror games, the first two take a lot of inspiration from the genre in terms of atmosphere and story. Also, they are way, way more challenging than Kuon could ever hope to be XD

[@AoiLucine]

SHADOW HEARTS MY LOVE

[@henrytownshend6441]

Better soon they are getting expensive.

[@infinitedreamer9359]

Yes.The SH series and(especially )Kouldelka deserves more recognition.The latter game would fit right into Nitro's interests and would be interesting for him from a researching standpoint and how the game trys and fails at mixing RPG and Survival horror.

[@infinitedreamer9359]

it's a shame that the chances of SH series and Kouldelka getting a remake and/or remaster are slim to none,because that would solve the problem of no accessibility for them. But because the rights to both of them are so tied up in a legal mess it won't happen.

[@RukoHanaji]

God, I love those games. Especially the fact that nearly each game has a historical person as part of your party. Koudelka had Edward Plunkett (Lord Dunsany), Shadow Hearts had Margaretha Zelle (Mata Hari), and SH Covenant had Anastasia (Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov). As a history nerd it tickled the hell out of me.

[@personnunyabusiness3036]

0:41 I love how Jimmy Neutron is just chillin’ in the lineup of horror games

[@TheDracoStar]

0:42 Ah yes... the scariet PS2 game, Jimmy Neutron

[@goatvomit]

GOOD CATCH! I didn't notice it tucked in there lol!

[@choakid999]

Self healing like that COULD be useful in making overall encounters rougher, especially if you restrict the use of it to being a cleared room. The idea would be that it’s much rougher during combat to justify the use of no limit heal

[@lambybunny7173]

Maybe giving it a system similar to hollow knight, they basically did it flawlessly

[@gameskyjumper1721]

I think a way to make it work is you do have unlimited use of self healing but whenever you re-enter a room enemies will be back to full health. So to fully clear a room you need to beat all of them in one go and survive. If you ran away you do get a chance to re-try but it'd be like DS where you need to learn your mistakes and re-strategize.

[@plasmaoctopus1728]

Make it like parasite eve where the only free heal can only be done in combat (since if I recall the energy only recharges in combat) but then again thats a game where most attacks are meant to be evaded, so I dunno.

[@toivoajarakkaus9788]

Or maybe have it as a difficulty thing, like easy mode. Like idk, write it into the story that the spirits allow you to banish them for a short time to prolong you suffering. And in higher difficulties the spirits have decided to end your fate quickly rather then dawdle any longer

[@biguwubill]

you could probably have the self healing, but as a result of this you kinda become like a honing beacon for enemies to come in your direction???? like if you have two enemies and you self heal, then you start to sense that more enemies are approaching and have to fight more

[@Geno746]

I'm surprised this game doesn't have a magic meter. It makes more sense to me that your spells and healing would use up the same magic meter so you need to manage that with either fight or flight.

[@HellecticMojo]

well, the usual idea with talismans and such are that they themselves contain the power so it makes perfect sense as them to be used as ammo/items. The combat issue obviously boils down to lack of difficulty.

[@Geno746]

@@HellecticMojo maybe the talismans unlock the abilities for you maybe. Idk but having a magic meter makes more sense to me rather then having unlimited health

[@18ps3anos]

@@Geno746 the "unlimited health" has nothing to do with the magic system. It's a button dedicated to heal at will and honestly it's just poor design and probably an after thought, as you can play without using it. I understand that nowadays it's difficult for the modern gamer to conceive magic in videogames without thinking about mana points. But the spells in this game come not from the user but from the magically imbued paper charms/talismans. It's a very Shinto/buddhist thing, which ties with the theme of the game. The spells being consumables are fine as they are.

[@Geno746]

@@18ps3anos I was thinking that magic could be used for healing so you'd have to manage your magic and choose to attack or for health.

[@NanaKyoto]

With the game having a "Free heals" button, it takes the "survival" out of survival horror, and even then, the horror in this game is all over the place, but at least the game's setting is fairly intriguing. But man, with how expensive the game sells for nowadays is a cruel reminder just how much retro games have gone up in price over the years, that is just not cool.

[@blindedjourneyman]

Pretty sad that theyre pricing people out of the legal method of playing these older games, which is why I argue with moral supremists that legal doesn't always mean right. (Just alot of the time)

[@polytanksan5761]

@@blindedjourneyman and illegal doesn't always mean bad

[@MrMarinus18]

It is cool though how expensive they have become. That games now can fetch prices previously reserved for paintings and statues and the like.

[@Noperare]

So it is a good game ruined by balance issues. I think they should left the "free heal" exclusive for the easy mode, and let the other difficulties for survival horror veterans.

[@ddjsoyenby]

honestly some of this looks creepy.

[@gameskyjumper1721]

back during that time many of the Japanese game companies had this fear of game not sell well due to western audiences are not good enough to beat the game. So many titles had adjustments for the western copies. Not sure about this one, I could be wrong.

[@botondkunos1774]

It would be awesome if they made a Kuon remake, it could be a great horror game.

[@dudehuhu7803]

He didnt explain it but running in this game can lower your health, in fact lots of things can, the game's tone is legit trying to put you into the mood that you feel strange when supernatural things are near, its not bad in that sense really

[@MacNava]

0:41 Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius...The scariest horror game of them all

[@SuperFaex]

And all the way on the right: The Failry Oddparents: Shadow Showdown. Even more scary!

[@KeybladeMasterAndy]

I caught it too. 😂

[@theenemy333]

Its not really well explained but the color of the one bar near the top of the pause menu screen is supposed to indicate your health. Also I find it a little funny how often this game attempts jump scares.

[@Mister_Jay_BR]

I can't say how much I appreciate it when your videos start with a Silent hill sound track, I get instantly glued to my seat... Your narration genuinely evokes that 2000's vibe. Its a 30 minutes video, but damn if it ain't worth it.

[@EBurns91]

I knew you wouldn't leave me hanging for Halloween, thanks NitroRad!

[@shawnwilcowski]

We ALL know Nitrorad is gonna hook us up with a solid little devil inside review and am eagerly awaiting it

[@CaptAwesumNo1Zone]

I waited until the end of this year old school Konami was the best way back now and it was staged by a great group of friends in a 2pac town on my first trip to be the positive side of this world and the Gameboy is still my God and my sister

[@vangoghsseveredear]

@@CaptAwesumNo1Zone wat

[@polytanksan5761]

I forgot that game was still being developed

[@toceeno874]

@@CaptAwesumNo1Zone huh

[@KichiUki]

I had a lot of inspiration for my custom D&D campaign from Kuon and other survival horror games. I made a huge haunted mansion (floorplan inspired by fatal frame 1 Mansion) and the party had to discover what happened in the mansion. I had a npc list of 20 people that lived/died in the mansion. The main enemy were "zombies" that were stronger from the silkworms ritual. The big red boxes were found around the mansion. Kuon may not be the best game but I did enjoy the story.

[@roasty938]

Hey Nitro Rad! What are the songs that play at 0:12, 3:56, 9:02, 10:28, 27:26, and 29:59? I can tell that you already put in an insane amount of time and effort into these videos, but it would be awesome if you put a song list in the description, because the music you pick is always great.

[@OHapybara]

The song at 3:56 is Slow Steps from Hotel Dusk, and the song at 27:26 is Over Easy (arranged version) from Last Window. Hope this helps a little!

[@roasty938]

@@OHapybara Thanks!

[@ethanwafflefall7987]

I need to know as well

[@roasty938]

@dysphoric dumbass Thank you.

[@InsanityPrevails]

@dysphoric dumbass thank you c:

[@shrekviperiii7226]

The scariest part of this review was being told that all my physical copies of games will eventually stop working ngl Like? I have a physical copy for all the games I enjoy and they look real cool together! I don't want them to stop working eventually

[@rukahazuki6650]

I agree. Especially for games that are very hard to get and expensive such as this one. I feel like a part of me died inside whenever I found my disc not working 😢

[@StriderVM]

Sadly the consoles are very complicated, finicky electronics, while DVD's layers disintegrate and give out eventually as well.

[@YouDonkeyfu]

I know right, i am looking at my project x zone cartridge for my 3DS right now, as well as my copy of Hero U.

[@waspennator]

@@StriderVM I remembered going through 2-3 ps1's cause the damn disk reader would stop working after awhile

[@joeyisabsb1]

I mean you'll be dead by the time they stop working so I guess take comfort in that? 🤣

[@Dzaran]

I know console and retro is normally your thing, but I still feel a need to recommend "Detention" and "Devotion" both done by Red Candle Games in Taiwan. Those games are absolutely amazing horror games with incredible stories that also give a view into another culture.

[@Dzaran]

Just a quick follow-up, Devotion was also originally pulled from Steam and kept from any other platforms due to censorship essentially, BUT Red Candle Games recently made their own store page, which can be easily found, and the games can be purchased if you wish to support them! ^.^

[@resident-evil-jerma5389]

@@Dzaran holy crap thank you for mentioning that you can find it on their site i had NO IDEA. NONE. i was looking for somewhere to buy it and couldn’t find anywhere, thank you. i know that wasn’t the point of the comment but still

[@AluminumFusion22]

I remember Devotion getting briefly delisted because the developer got in trouble with the Chinese government for them criticizing China's president, which is heavily discouraged.

[@punkitt]

James I just wanna say that little intro mix cut you did was so rad. Seeing all those discs swap out while in the loading tray for the PS2? That's fucking sick

[@TheGhostButterfly]

Not gonna lie, I immediately hit like on the video when I saw this pop up lol your review practise is always on point dude, justifying your critiques while highlighting what you enjoyed. I brought Kuon last year for just under $250 CIB (PAL version) which turned out to be a bargain compared to its current ludicrous pricing. Love the atmosphere and unique period of ancient Japan that it’s set in, but it’s clearly unpolished in nearly every department. Just a hint on the health indication, on the menu screen, the coloured line at the top of the screen will show you your health status. Blue being fine, red being near death 😊

[@leonlegend]

My brother saw this game for sale as used for 5 euros at a my main game store & told me about it. I wasn't stupid so I went & bought it immediately (I hate having price stickers on my boxes/cases, but I can have an exception). I beat the game feeling good about myself until I realised I was on easy.

[@goroooo]

Lucky you^^

[@Fusoloid]

thank you once again for a fantastic video. even if Kuon didn't do so well when it was first released, it and games like it do deserve to be officially preserved, considering how rare working copies will inevitably become over the years

[@notboshy0644]

Can’t help but love your videos man, always something fresh, depending on what game you’re covering the music, the colors, even narrative always fits very well, been following you for 2 years now and seeing how your content has evolved overtime has been quite a RAD experience!

[@Dwubby]

I think the best way if they wanted to keep the healing button is to make it only heal up to maybe 20-25% of your health bar, and not go beyond that. That way, you can still heal a few hits if need be, and use the healing items if you wanna heal beyond that.

[@theSato]

God I love Nitro Rad's holiday specials. It's like an event for me and my friends. Thanks for doing what you do man.

[@deciduous_reaper]

Ok I’m surprised he’s actually going to cover Kuon since I was waiting for a video on Kuon since Nitro Rad covered Echo Night series since these 2 were made by From Software and yes I did liked Kuon for its Japanese setting

[@SteamPunk96]

Fantastic as always man, the Cave Story soundtrack during the conclusion makes me want a video on the game from you so bad!

[@ChickpeaTwo]

Agreed! Came to search the comments for anyone else who recognized it.

[@LAnite430]

Thanks for all the years of videos! I remember watching the first Ty review and ended up binging the rest of your content lol. Hope to see more in the future!

[@mushroom5745]

I love how jimmy neutron is just sitting there between the resident evil games!

[@weirdotzero7065]

Well the clown level in retroland can fit in any horror game.

[@leeiif]

@@weirdotzero7065 that clown segment puts most horror games to shame.

[@franbiz]

I'm so happy you got a chance to review this. Btw your health meter is in the pause menu. It changes colors from a blue line to red line

[@lyla1640]

You are my ultimate favorite youtuber!!! Thank you so much for entertaining me all the time. I’ve watched your videos over and over again, they never get old!

[@angieqwq5126]

What I can appreciate about your content that the format is fairly consistent and gives a good summary of the game, keep up the good work 💐👍

[@smitie1405]

The Lost Kingdoms footage brought back so many memories. I still have both 1 and 2 for the gamecube, really enjoyed both of them as a teen.

[@thepatternofchairs9814]

So glad I have all these games years before these videos. Prices are so unattainable now

[@ritzexists2201]

I can't wait to see what you do in the future! you're one of the reasons I've gotten into game production and development and I can't thank you enough for that. Keep up all the awesome work and happy halloween!!!

[@rofflesvanwagon]

Never have seen your videos before. Watched all 3 siren videos and now I'm working my way through the others. Great channel man.

[@GudetamaSit]

Your content overall is gold and your Halloween specials is what hooked me in the place ! I know going into this it must've cost quite a bit to record original footage 😅

[@hardcorehunter7162]

I would recommend taking your disc to a retro shop. Ask if they can resurface your disc to remove the scratches. Some will do it for free even, or you'll pay maybe $8 at most. I have seen the pro-grade disc resurface machines work literal wonders.

[@uwu_smeg]

didn't know resurfacing even existed - thanks for the information, much appreciated

[@thefischdeo]

Amazing video with great rewatchability as always! Loved the evil end card too, lol. And I'm happy to hear you've got more cool horror games to showcase in the future. :)

[@Xeo7]

I'm not exaggerating when I say that these are the videos I look forward to the most every year on KZbin. Thank you for the awesome content!

[@djslw0114]

Finally, after years of referencing, it is time to have its own episode.

[@hellishproductions4472]

Dude, someone give this man a job in voice acting/horror narration, he is ridiculously good. That narration with the silk cocoon enemies and the atmosphere of the game, dear God it actually gave me chills.

[@joeyisabsb1]

I always like to check out his horror videos during Halloween because of this

[@tetsuoakira8294]

Well, you can't just have a good voice for voice acting, you have to have the second part as well....acting. There's a lot of people with good voices for many characters and stories, but you have to be able to take that voice to many places to be convincing and a good voice actor. Which James does sound pretty damn good here, but doing a whole game is a different story.

[@hellishproductions4472]

@@tetsuoakira8294 point still stands

[@tetsuoakira8294]

@@hellishproductions4472 That it does. I just finished watching his most recent video, Mischief Makers, and he briefly did some of the characters voices and I think he's even improved since this video. Really good stuff!

[@moplayez2897]

Man thanks for covering all these games. In terms of survival horror I always only played resident evil but seeing this, fatal frame, clock tower and the silent hill videos really makes me want to check out all these other games I missed growing up.

[@onceortwiceooh]

I’m glad you’re still going to do horror videos in the future! I was a little nervous with the Intro as content creators have over the years changed things when they’re ready to move on to new content or topics but I’m looking forward to more future horror Halloween content!

[@djbamx2]

Yo Nitro! There is there obscure rpg game with a wierd aesthetic called "Middens" It's kinda got nothing to do with this video but I figured I could mention it since your channel also covers wierd and obscure RPG maker games. It uses frakenstein spriting and I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

[@simonwoods2169]

Oh man, you should totally play _Evil Twin: Cyprien Chronicles_ one of the most underrated game ever. Too bad is only available in Europe as far as I know.

[@BleekBrown]

One of my favorite KZbinrs, im always excited to see your uploads!

[@cyberdemon9306]

Really good video mate! loved the little message about videogame preservation

[@user-dl5fp6sn6h]

Nitro Rad' horror game reviews are the most biggest reason I wait for Halloween.

[@misha5561]

Kuon does shows healthy bar on the menu tho, it's the blue bar across the top screen - it changes to orange/red when you're low on health!

[@BrookieSmallz]

It's amazing how far you've come brotha. Keep kickin' ass and takin' games.

[@JetrinLee]

Every year I look forward to what horror game you play next. I re-watched your Echo Night, Clock Tower, and your Fatal Frame videos just cause they were always a gem. It makes me realize how much I miss out on in the horror genre, but luckily your videos do its justice of giving an honest and concise critique.

[@conradvallon5661]

I was hoping NitroRad would talk about this for the longest time and today's the day!

[@CeHee123]

I was worried we weren't going to get a Halloween episode this year. Nice! 2:53 Was I the only one who thought I got mobile game ad here?

[@boonjate]

I'm really looking forward to your horror games review every year. It's very fun to watch.

[@cutechaos62]

Yes please! I love your reviews and finding new games I never knew existed! Thank you for all you do!!

[@MASF_]

Yes tackle Illbleed! That game is so bizarre and silly. I also love the Park music for that game!

[@suhfee]

for real tho, i would love this analytical approach of tone and setting on the more mainstream from soft games. if there’s anyone who can add something valuable to the souls discourse that isn’t “game hard” it’s nitro rad

[@SkizzBrah]

Super excited to see another Nitro Rad upload 😁 always keen for more nostalgic horror! thanks for the content man!

[@cesarhoe3721]

Hay man just wanted to say good job and thank you for your amazing videos really enjoy you’r work 😌

[@yoshimasterleader]

I find it interesting that Japanese games that need a decent understanding of Japanese history and mythology to fully enjoy get an English translation but those who don't doesn't get an official one or a a limited English release. I'm guessing it mostly comes down to if the studio or publisher can afford it.

[@devonwilliams5738]

Illbleed has a lot of funny stuff in it, I'd love to see it.

[@Spider_Mike023]

No one ever talks about it and it’s deserves too be. Loved it wacky B-style take on survival horror movies as a game and it’s clear the devs had a lot passion in it with the presentation of each attraction, details in world, and story. Loved the various endings. Even if you don’t return Randy’s brain to him they set his stats to basically 0 and have him mumble and stumble everywhere loved that detail haha. It plays like pure jank, but once you wrap your head around it and get used to it it’s got a fantastic b-rated horror charm to it. Sad the dev died before he could do a remake or sequel like he thought bout at times.

[@Upsetkiller456]

ILLBLEED is beautiful. How that game isn't more well known is beyond me.

[@ntecleo]

was chillin half awake to your soothing voice and the end left me wide awake :D

[@cicelylawson2261]

THAT INTRO! fwoooooo that was smooth! I loved the changing discs as the PS2 closes

[@isenokami7810]

The healing move should’ve been something like the Refectio glyph from Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. Make the healing super slow, and I mean like 1 HP per second when your max is, like, 600. You COULD still use it all the time to heal to full, or you could risk death to $&@&ing get on with things.

[@EDsCorner]

I swear your narration and on screen delivery keeps getting even better and better. Love how the Halloween set looks too!

[@a_ninja2376]

Great video man. Keep up the fantastic work

[@hiphopsamurai5760]

Nothing better than a new spooky Nitro Rad to watch on my lunch break, Happy Halloween bud! Thanks for working so hard!

[@Hebleh]

With your backlog done, the hope of a Corpse Party series review comes ever closer :Dc Maybe in the next year or two Dead Patient will be out and finished

[@forsakedsorrow]

as soon as I see the mentioning of the Yakuza series I know I need to find a way to make Nitro do a full Yakuza series review somehow...

[@Beatofblues]

I was wondering if you were gonna upload any spooky stuff this year, and boy oh boy, video on Kuon is such a treat. Also, the on camera shots were super cool as well. The lighting, presentation, everything really.

[@Blueinfinite3310]

I’ll be honest I always look forward to Halloween just because I know you do your horror reviews every year. Love your content!

[@primaster9360]

For how you described the OP R1 Healing, it feels as if that was a move they used when doing debug that they forgot to remove for the final version (not saying is what happened, is how it feels after you described it) cause that shit really sounds broken as hell

[@KirieRSM]

I actually own this game in the box with manual, along with a lot of the horror games you've featured. It's a shame they sell for such an absurd amount so that anyone interested in them is SOL unless they are rich. These game companies are really missing out on not making digital copies available. Great review and Happy Halloween!

[@lucydrop9674]

Wow you are so lucky

[@hazzar7784]

Great video. I've watched a few others o this title in the last, but mostly it's part of another discussion, or just breezed through as a topic. Had no idea it had so many issues lol. Enjoyed the content

[@FF-FAN9999]

glad to see youre back !

[@MegaSantaclaude]

In 200 years it wont be my problem any more. 😄

[@jakecallum3051]

Hey Nitro Rad do you still reply to emails for general inquiries as I have watched you since 2014 when you first posted your Silent Hill video and have thought of some questions I’d like to ask over the years haha. Anyway love the new video and happy Halloween 🎃.

[@gothimaya2776]

I have been waiting for you to do this game! Thanks dude! You made my Halloween!

[@TheNomade5]

Thank you for mentioning Baten Kaitos! It gives me SO much joy!

[@squeethemog213]

The concept of this game is very interesting. Maybe one dat we will see this idea again. Survival Card Horror. 😃

[@sladurska]

I feel like that healing thing might be a cheat that remained in the game by mistake... Usually you have cheats to help with testing, that get removed right before release, but it's very possible somebody overlooked it and it was kept in the game.

[@SugarStarCrafter]

Great video! Your ending talking about what horror games to cover next made me think I'd really like to see you look at Harvester, that game is so bizarre.

[@cinderefell1399]

Spend your life working towards a goal, then you make it and look back at those memories. Some good, some bad, but a good, spooky journey the whole time. Absolutely love these videos. And even if you're at the game you've been working towards is here, I hope you strive for more.