Nanashi no Game: Me

Nanash no Game: Me
Cover art
Developer(s)	Epics
Publisher(s)	Square Enix
Series	Nanashi no Game
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS
Release date(s)	JP August 27, 2009[1]
Genre(s)	Survival horror
Mode(s)	Single-player

Nanashi no Game: Me (ナナシ ノ ゲエム 目, Nanashi no Geemu Me, lit. "Nameless Game: Eye") is a survival horror video game for the Nintendo DS, and the sequel to the original Nanashi no Game. It was developed by Epics, published by Square Enix, and released on August 27, 2009 in Japan.^[1] The story follows an anthropology student from Nanto University, as he discovers two cursed games, an RPG and a platformer. The game's title refers to the protagonist's left eye, represented by the left screen of the DS when held sideways, which allows the player to see things left (and hidden) by the curse.^[2][3][4][5] It sold 15,000 copies on the week of its release.^[6][7][8]

Gameplay

The three modes of play in Nanashi no Game: Me

Much like in the original, Nanashi no Game: Me involves two separate modes of play. Most of the game takes place in the real world, where the player navigates real-time 3D environments using the DS's D-Pad and Touch Screen. While exploring, the player must solve puzzles and reach locations. The player can switch to the TS Menu at any time, where they can play the cursed game, read e-mail messages, and load a previous save file. In many cases, an e-mail message or update to the cursed game will interrupt the player's exploration. In the cursed game, which only uses the top DS screen, the player controls a 2D 8-bit RPG that provides clues to the current situations and can, in some cases, advance the story.^[9]

Shortly into the game, the player will acquire the curse in their left eye, allowing them to see certain paranormal activities (e.g. markings, ghostly forms) in the left-hand screen. At around the same time, they will also encounter the series' antagonistic force: the Regrets (ルグレ, Rugure), zombie-like spirits that roam the area in exploration mode. If a Regret comes into contact with the player, it is game over.^[10] Regrets take several roles in the game, from standing guard at certain points to actively chasing the player. In some situations, the cursed game provides clues for bypassing Regrets, as well as helping to stop certain pursuing Regrets and to unlock otherwise unopenable doors.^{[11][12][13][14]}

In Nanashi no Game: Me, the player can now choose the locations they want to explore out of the two available for each day (for three days only). Each destination provides different experiences, including the Regrets the player will encounter.^[2]

Story

Characters

Nanashi No Game: Me follows a male anthropology student from Nanto University, Tokyo, who uncovers an altered version of the original cursed RPG, which includes a 2D platformer. His friends Yuuto Ohtonari (大隣 友人, Ōtonari Yuuto) and Ren Mamino (実見野 恋, Mamino Ren) become caught up in the curse as well, with Yuuto dying first. Their teacher, Professor Yunosuke Kawagoe (川越 悠之助, Kawagoe Yunosuke), learns of the curse and Yuuto's death, and directs Ren and the protagonist in investigating the cursed game. The game sees the return of Professor Houki Ouyama from the original game, albeit as a spirit in the form of a "character" in the cursed game. The game also references Ushio and Asahi Ikuta, two key characters from the first game.^[15]

Plot

Roughly one month after the events of the first game, the protagonist's friend Yuuto stops coming to Nanto University after he started playing a supposedly cursed game. On Ren's request, the protagonist visits Yuuto's apartment, and is attacked by a crazed Yuuto, who just as suddenly drops dead. Shortly after, the protagonist receives the cursed game from Yuuto's Twin Screen (TS).^[16] After the protagonist returns to Nanto and explains what had happened to Ren and Professor Kawagoe, they direct him to investigate the apartment of Fumihiko Odaka. He discovers Odaka's TS, and after a series of events triggered from another game update, the spirit of a girl in a white dress emerges, touching the protagonist's left eye before vanishing. ^[17]

References

External links

• Official website (Japanese)