Even before Noroi Kago The Grudged Domain was announced, I’d been noticeably absent from the recent trend of co-op horror games. To me, “let’s play a spooky game together” means putting the controller in my hand while the other person does all the screaming and then swapping out when someone starts making fun of the other too much.
Noroi Kago The Grudged Domain is a great example of a game where you really want to be playing it with your friends. The game puts you in slow-saturation horrorscape, as you’re tasked with purifying magic swords and smashing cursed armor to escape.
The main thing standing in the way, however, is the game’s atmosphere. Oh, that and a literal monster chasing after you as well as a curse that builds up the longer you take.
You don’t move particularly fast, and there’s not a lot going on in the game. You’re in a decrepit black-and-white mansion, realizing you can only hold one thing at a time.
Then, as you fumble your way to purifying your first blade, you hear it. The steps. Pitter patter, ready to end your run.
The Threats Of Noroi Kago The Grudged Domain
Similar to Slender, Noroi Kago The Grudged Domain features a spider-like Yokai who’s actively looking for you. But giant demonic arachnids aren’t the only thing you have to worry about, either, since the game itself is cursing you every second you’re inside it.
As a result every single decision in the game comes at some major cost. You can hide from the Yokai, yes- but every second you spend hiding in the closet builds up your curse meter, and turning into a half-Yokai means losing your ability to use any items, potentially killing a run.
It’s a game that feels very much impossible to score a clean win against- even clearing a single objective feels like a pyrrhic victory since trying to play it safe will probably mean you’re constantly within an inch of being cursed.
These all feel easier to coordinate in multiplayer, naturally. You can have one guy on Blade duty while someone else keeps an eye out for the clog spawning or even talismans for when someone’s curse meter gets too high.
Sadly I didn’t get to see how well that works in practice for myself. But considering how committal every single action in the game is, it’s easy to see how it could all fall apart- being a Half-Yokai also has a habit of attracting the Yokai to your location since the form constantly screams, and that means you’re stuck with risking your own curse meters building up to cure your friends and get back on track.
If you like that traditional Japanese aesthetic and some simple-but-fun gameplay you should definitely give Noroi Kago The Grudged Domain a try during Steam Next Fes. I can totally see the fun, relationship-defining arguments it can cause- people fight over dealing with a spider on the best of days, and that’s before being trapped in demon mansions with one the size of a Japanese car.
