Kara no Shojo – The Second Episode Review (PC)

Kara no Shojo – The Second Episode is a direct sequel to the excellent horror mystery Kara no Shojo, which single-handedly messed up my sleep pattern. It takes place after the events in the previous game, and alongside Reiji, follows another protagonist on his quest to clear his name from the series of brutal murders that surround them.

 

From the get go the game spoils the previous game, so don’t go into this one if you still have to complete the original. The game continues right where the previous game left off. Reiji is still searching for Toko and Yukari is diligently attending the Ouba Girls Academy.

 

Reiji soon finds himself engulfed in a series of murders not unlike the ones that happened earlier. Young women are found crucified and in place of their uterus is a pile of dirt in the shape of a fetus. This is where our prime suspect comes into play, Masaki Tomoyuki. Reiji quickly proves his innocence and hires him in order to keep a close eye on him, since the murders are occurring around this prime suspect with a mysterious past.

 


While initially terrifying, the impact of these murders quickly loses its weight. They all follow a similar pattern and after the first few, they won’t be as shocking or gruesome as some of the sickeningly twisted ways the bodies were left in the originals.

 

The feeling of constant danger is missing from the game. It’s far less nerve wrecking than when girls in the Ouba Highschool were killed off one by one. Most of the murders tend to happen around Masaki and he himself seems to be emotionally removed from the situation.

 

Kara no Shojo - The Second Episode - Protagonists

 

The first ten or so hours have you following a group of teenagers, as they fumble with their budding relationships. This whole segment takes place in an isolated snowy village, secluded from the ongoing war, with very little to hold your interest except the foreshadowed festival. During this segment some of the side characters from Kara no Shojo make an appearance, but other than the introduction serves as a set-up for the characters and mystery that you see years later.

 

I usually have nothing against beginnings that ease you in, but this has to be one of the slowest introductions to a visual novel I have ever seen. Yes, I know that Muv-Luv Extra can be considered a 20-30 hour prologue, but here it is almost daunting at times. Thankfully, after this slow introduction is over the game quickly shifts into full gears.

 

Kara no Shojo - The Second Episode - Photo

 

Since the events of the original Kara no Shojo left the cast decimated, the sequel introduces new characters mainly to fill the gaps left by the previous cast. Yukiko is a recent transfer student, who while very reserved is quickly befriended by Yukari and forced to join the art club. Kohane is Yukari’s new friend and much like the totally airheaded Tsuzuriko baffles anyone she meets. Despite their seeming importance, their role takes second place to the mystery of Masaki and the recent series of murders that plague the city.

 

Kara no Shojo - The Second Episode - Investigation

 

The ton of new characters unfortunately replace the memorable ones from the previous game. Shuugo, Kazuna, Uozumi, Hatsune and Nana are nowhere to be seen and the game just references them off-screen.

 

For those of you that are most of all interested in what happened with Toko after the cliffhanger in the original, you will have to wait until the very end of the second playthrough in order to get the true end. The second playthrough sprinkles a bit more clues that point to the killer and show you how the events actually played out.

 

Kara no Shojo - The Second Episode - Interface

 

One area where Kara no Shojo – The Second Episode has drastically improved over the originals is the gameplay. Almost every gripe I had with the original was fixed. Investigations no longer have missable elements. Instead you can click around to your liking and decide when you have seen enough. This means you can take as much time as you need and the game even tells you if you are still missing something of importance.

 

Free time is limited to one location per day which is a far better choice than the previous game’s 2 choices, many of which lacked any content. These choices are generally purely cosmetic so you don’t need to worry about messing it up and arriving at a dead end days later. Speaking about dead ends, they have also been almost totally removed. You will know exactly when you have made a mistake and it is almost always a single choice ago.

 

While some of these decisions have ultimately removed some tension the choices may have had, I cannot but be thankful that this makes the game much more straightforward and no longer requires a walkthrough to beat.

 

Kara no Shojo - The Second Episode - Old Man

 

The game is far longer than its predecessors, taking me around 40 hours to complete. This means even with its lengthy intro aside, there is a lot of content here.

 

Being an adult title you should expect sex scenes. Through your first playthrough they are kept to a minimum, however the second time around is where you will encounter the majority of them. They may not feel out of place like they usually do in plot heavy games, but some of them are bound to leave a bad after taste.

 

Kara no Shojo - The Second Episode - Story

 

Visually every Innocent Grey game drastically improves over the last. The whole UI is modernized. Everything looks sharper and generally much more pleasant to look at. This is because the game had a bump not just in its resolution (1280×720 over the previous 800×600), but also in its aspect ratio, now nicely fitting on modern widescreen displays. The amount of save slots has also been increased from 60 to a whopping 100. So finally you won’t have to ration out those save files anymore. The game also keeps a glossary of Japanese terms so those not acquainted with the culture can get the most out of the experience.

 

 

This time around even the protagonist is fully voiced. While it may be harder to imprint as the role of detective, it nevertheless gives a much welcome cinematic feel to the whole experience.

 

In order to get the most enjoyment out of Kara no Shojo – The Second Episode you should check out the light story available on the game’s official website and play through the trial version which depicts events that aren’t even shown in the full game.

 

Kara no Shojo - The Second Episode - Toko

 

Kara no Shojo – The Second Episode feels more like a side episode than a natural progression in the Toko or Shuugo arc. This is not to say it’s unenjoyable. The core mystery is less contrived than before and the game improves a lot with its gameplay and visuals. Despite not being as impactful as the original, fans of the previous games shouldn’t miss out on this one, even more so as it serves as a bridge to the upcoming Kara no Shojo 3.

 

 

Thanks goes to MangaGamer for providing us a review copy of this game. Kara no Shojo and Kara no Shojo – The Second Episode are both available on MangaGamer’s website as well as a bundle featuring Cartagra ~Affliction of the Soul~ and Kara no Shojo.

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