Support NeoGAF

RyougaSaotome · Jul 25, 2014

Welcome, ladies, gentlemen, pineapples and sentient AI. This is the unofficial-but-official-in-my-heart import impressions thread for Corpse Party: Blood Drive, the 3rd main game in Corpse Party's "Heavenly Host" arc. The actual proper Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient, starts a different story arc that takes place some time after the end of this one, so feel free to ignore that for the time being.

Blood Drive is interesting in that it's a mash-up of gameplay styles from the first and second games. No more bland first person exploration mixed with visual novel sections. Now you can actually walk around with 3D models! Visual novel sections are still present! People die!

Whoop whoop!

I downloaded the game yesterday but haven't yet had the chance to play it. I'll be posting impressions here as I get further along. For anybody else looking to do the same:

Please. Spoiler. The. Spoilers.

A big draw of these games is the dark, fucked up story. Let's not ruin it for others, mmkay?

On that same note, it'd be best if we don't assume that everyone who peaks into this thread has been CP and Book of Shadows, so please make sure to spoiler important details from those games too. This is just a simple request from a simple man, and I'll love you forevers if you do everyone that favor. <3

Blood Drive has not yet been announced for the west, but I'd be more than a little surprised if XSEED passed on it.

DISCUSSION STAAAAATO.

EDIT: Can we also try and keep the "XSEED PLS" stuff to a minimum? This is an impressions thread, and it'd be mighty sad if it gets clogged with the same post over and over again.

RyougaSaotome · Jul 25, 2014

I really don't think you guys have to beg for this, tbh. There are tons of CP fans over at XSEED.

In any case, if anybody has any general questions about the game, feel free to post them and folks who are playing can try to answer.

Prelude. · Jul 25, 2014

RyougaSaotome said:
I really don't think you guys have to beg for this, tbh. There are tons of CP fans over at XSEED.

In any case, if anybody has any general questions about the game, feel free to post them and folks who are playing can try to answer.

I read earlier on twitter that you mentioned a day-1 1gb patch, did they add anything substantial?

RyougaSaotome · Jul 25, 2014

Prelude. said:
I read earlier on twitter that you mentioned a day-1 1gb patch, did they add anything substantial?

No actual content as far as I know. Apparently the game had some major freezing issues, was pretty buggy, super long load times etc. I think the patch is meant to fix/lessen a lot of that.

Seems like the game go rushed out the door a little early to meet the release date, and they had to toss this patch out after the game was already printed.

Prelude. · Jul 25, 2014

RyougaSaotome said:
No actual content as far as I know. Apparently the game had some major freezing issues, was pretty buggy, super long load times etc. I think the patch is meant to fix/lessen a lot of that.

Seems like the game go rushed out the door a little early to meet the release date, and they had to toss this patch out after the game was already printed.

Welp, good thing they got it sorted in time.

RyougaSaotome · Jul 25, 2014

I've played about an hour and some change and really enjoying it so far. Load times are a bit long, but the game has tons of voice, and the real time lighting generated by the flash light is super neat.

As usual, the sound design is fucking fantastic. Hearing things off to the right in your right ear etc. I'm already much more into it than Book of Shadows. The combination of actual 3D exploration and visual novel-style story telling works much better than what was used in the last game.

"Use the toilet?" It wouldn't be a Corpse Party without a bathroom scene. Even Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient, has one. Hahaha.

Varion · Jul 25, 2014

That first screenshot's reeeally not helping my hype levels.

Tracking page is still saying I should have my copy tomorrow, can't waaaait. Just finished replaying the last chapter of Book of Shadows to get ready, and the sleep schedule is nicely messed up for some early hours of the morning Corpse Party-ing until this is done. Anything less than early hours of the morning with everything else switched off just feels wrong.

RyougaSaotome · Jul 25, 2014

It's cool people want it localized and all, but can we please keep the "XSEED PLS" to a minimum? This is an impressions thread, and it'd be a shame if it just gets clogged with nonstop localization requests.

Chance Hale · Jul 25, 2014

What do the bodies look like in 3D? Imagine it would be hard to use the same sprites over and over in the same way. I imagine this is structured more in the vain of the first game? I still haven't finished Book of Shadows because it takes so long to do anything because of the load times.

LuuKyK · Jul 25, 2014

I wasnt even aware that the game was not sprite-based anymore. Looks way better, although the older artstyle still has its charm.

FataIChoice · Jul 25, 2014

LuuKyK said:
I wasnt even aware that the game was not sprite-based anymore. Looks way better, although the older artstyle still has its charm.

Same, that first screenshot shocked me a bit, but not in a bad way. I think it looks great.

names2hard4you · Jul 25, 2014

Wow the lighting looks great

Takao · Jul 25, 2014

Does this and Dead Patient run on some middleware engine, or is it all custom?

RyougaSaotome · Jul 25, 2014

Before the game's title screen, the Unity logo pops up. Found that interesting.

UberTag · Jul 25, 2014

The lighting is clearly the game changer in this title compared to previous installments in the series. Really enhances the atmosphere.

I managed to watch Chapters 00 through 02 before 5pb. conducted a systematic assault on all of the YouTube gameplay streams that had been uploaded.

The first two chapters are very visual novel-driven with minor gameplay sequences... reminiscent of Book of Shadows.
Chapter 02 was more along the lines of Blood Covered Repeated Fear as it was almost entirely gameplay & exploration.

Asami85 plans to stream the game on Twitch tomorrow at 2pm Eastern / 11am Pacific.

LMN said:
Xseed pls, I played the first game and really enjoy it, haven't try the second one though.

I would highly recommend a playthrough of Book of Shadows before tackling this title... for a multitude of reasons.

UberTag · Jul 25, 2014

One recommendation I'll make which should come as a no-brainer for Corpse Party enthusiasts. Have multiple save files.

There are branching paths in this game which lead to infamous "Wrong Ends" which may come up without advance notice and force you to make a decision on the spot. The nice part (unlike Blood Covered : Repeated Fear) is that you can fast-forward text of a section you've already played if you find yourself going through a sequence a second time to make a different branching path decision.

RyougaSaotome · Jul 25, 2014

So much to my surprise, a lot has been added to the exploration mechanics of the game. Coming off of Dead Patient (which mostly didn't do a whole lot different save for some cool lighting, this really caught me off guard.

There are health items which restore your HP after you take damage from fallen glass or an evil spirit. Your flashlight is also limited in power, so you collect batteries which can be used to recharge it.

Additionally, there are now lockers that you can hide in when you're being chased. If you hide while the creature/ghost/thing has you in plain sight, they'll pull you out and do damage to you.

The screen you get is also creepy as fuck.

I'm in chapter 1 currently and the game has gone full-on Corpse Party on me in the best of ways. Really loving it so far.

UberTag · Jul 25, 2014

UberTag said:
Asami85 plans to stream the game on Twitch tomorrow at 2pm Eastern / 11am Pacific.

This stream's about to kick off a little later than originally planned. Will kick off with the beginning of the game.

Vu06Vu86 has streams (in Mandarin) archived through Chapter 4 and will continue streaming tonight at 1:30am Eastern / 10:30pm Pacific with Chapter 5.

Prelude. · Jul 25, 2014

http://youtu.be/Tuc_uDiEcZo

latestvitagames played a bit of it. I'm probably gonna watch like 3 minutes, I don't want to spoil me too much stuff.

Varion · Jul 26, 2014

That screenshot...

Part way through Chapter 2 now, loving it so far. In many ways it feels like we're finally back to how things were in the original - the exploration, the unanswered questions, the tense atmosphere... and yet because Book of Shadows introduced a bunch of new angles to the plot, it feels really different, too. So basically all that I liked about the original with some cool new additions (hiding, the torch, HP actually mattering) and a fresh new angle to the story.

Can't wait to play more.

UberTag · Jul 26, 2014

Just a cautionary heads up. The entire game has now been streamed and spoilers pertaining to the ending, the additional opening credits and other critical details are now being leaked in abundance across Tumblr, YouTube and other sites.

If you want to remain unspoiled until playing through the game yourself or the inevitable XSEED release in 2015, be mindful of where you go for information because there's a lot of crazy stuff that goes on that you may want to avoid stumbling onto prematurely.

NoctisVsStar · Jul 26, 2014

UberTag said:
Just a cautionary heads up. The entire game has now been streamed and spoilers pertaining to the ending, the additional opening credits and other critical details are now being leaked in abundance across Tumblr, YouTube and other sites.

If you want to remain unspoiled until playing through the game yourself or the inevitable XSEED release in 2015, be mindful of where you go for information because there's a lot of crazy stuff that goes on that you may want to avoid stumbling onto prematurely.

Hopefully it releases if it does, I'm getting a vita

Dominator · Jul 26, 2014

I don't know much about this series, is this the third game in it?

cosmicblizzard · Jul 26, 2014

Dominator said:
I don't know much about this series, is this the third game in it?

Third game in the first series. There's a Corpse Party 2 unrelated to the events of the "main" trilogy.

LMN · Jul 26, 2014

UberTag said:
I would highly recommend a playthrough of Book of Shadows before tackling this title... for a multitude of reasons.

hmm, I actually got spoil on the ending of Book of shadows, but same thing happen for Danganronpa, and that didn't stop me from playing it either. Guess I will wait for a localized announcement from Xseed first

pls xseed!

, then I will play BoS.

cj_iwakura · Jul 26, 2014

UberTag said:
Just a cautionary heads up. The entire game has now been streamed and spoilers pertaining to the ending, the additional opening credits and other critical details are now being leaked in abundance across Tumblr, YouTube and other sites.

If you want to remain unspoiled until playing through the game yourself or the inevitable XSEED release in 2015, be mindful of where you go for information because there's a lot of crazy stuff that goes on that you may want to avoid stumbling onto prematurely.

I only want to know if this ends it or not, but I won't go looking.

Psycho_Mantis · Jul 26, 2014

So hyped for this game. Especially glad they decided to move on graphically.

Xseed pls

-Digits- · Jul 26, 2014

Thanks for the impressions. My hype levels are now through the roof. I wish I could understand Japanese so I could import this.

UberTag · Jul 26, 2014

cj_iwakura said:
I only want to know if this ends it or not, but I won't go looking.

Answering that question properly is kind of a loaded response, so I'll approach it in the following way.

Does Blood Drive wrap up all of the plot threads from Blood Covered Repeated Fear and Book of Shadows?

Yes it does. But it does not wrap up all of the character threads as the ties already hinted at in the opening minutes of Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient last year were also fully reaffirmed.

cj_iwakura · Jul 26, 2014

UberTag said:
Answering that question properly is kind of a loaded response, so I'll approach it in the following way.

Does Blood Drive wrap up all of the plot threads from Blood Covered Repeated Fear and Book of Shadows?

Yes it does. But it does not wrap up all of the character threads as the ties already hinted at in the opening minutes of Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient last year were also fully reaffirmed.

About what I expected, thanks.

AtomskEater · Jul 26, 2014

So what's the difficulty of the game like? I'm kind of curious between the flashlight mechanic and HP, chases etc.

UberTag · Jul 26, 2014

AtomskEater said:
So what's the difficulty of the game like? I'm kind of curious between the flashlight mechanic and HP, chases etc.

There are a handful of potentially frustrating puzzles/boss encounters that have their particular quirks unless you know how to approach them.

The core gameplay seems relatively straightforward so long as you are aware of the following strategies:
- If you want to avoid draining battery life, play the game in a dark room with no surrounding light pollution and you should see most of a dungeon's traps without even needing a flashlight. That's the best way to play the game anyhow.
- You can purify spirits using talismans (although this will remove them from your inventory).
- You can hide from spirits by hiding in cabinets and successfully completing a mini-game until the coast is clear.
- If you run to a candle savepoint while a spirit is chasing you, save and then reload, you'll effectively respawn without being chased any longer.
- While you can stockpile bandages for healing, you can run to a universal health token at one of your main home bases in Heavenly Host and fully recharge that way instead of wasting them.
- You can shuffle characters when travelling in groups to distribute received damage that way (so if one character's health is low, you can switch to one that it's in better shape and continue on).

Stuart444 · Jul 26, 2014

I need to play the original CP games, I've got the first one but not had the time to play it and still battling both a backlog and newer games that are coming out.

Maybe I'll try and make some room by Halloween and play CP then because Horror and all.

Interesting to see the series has progressed to 3D now and is using Unity to boot. If I enjoy CP, I'll defo be on the look out for whenever this game gets localized.

Shizuka · Jul 26, 2014

UberTag said:
Answering that question properly is kind of a loaded response, so I'll approach it in the following way.

Does Blood Drive wrap up all of the plot threads from Blood Covered Repeated Fear and Book of Shadows?

Yes it does. But it does not wrap up all of the character threads as the ties already hinted at in the opening minutes of Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient last year were also fully reaffirmed.

Couldn't help but to read that spoiler, thank you for clarifying it with the least spoilers possible.

Varion · Jul 28, 2014

I really dread to think how buggy this was before the patch, because I've ran into a bunch of issues as it is. One freeze in the infirmary, going into a cupboard and the 'exit' button refusing to respond making me have to hit the PSN button and manually close the game, getting stuck between a corpse and a gap in the floor and having to load a previous save...

Other than that and the fact the gameplay can still be pretty obtuse sometimes (like in one chapter you can inspect a cupboard that has a key in it and nothing happens, but then after a few plot events none of which concern the key in any way suddenly you're allowed to take it.) I'm still really enjoying it, though. The plot's so different to the original that I'm really curious to see where they're going to take it.

UberTag · Jul 28, 2014

Varion said:
Other than that and the fact the gameplay can still be pretty obtuse sometimes (like in one chapter you can inspect a cupboard that has a key in it and nothing happens, but then after a few plot events none of which concern the key in any way suddenly you're allowed to take it.) I'm still really enjoying it, though. The plot's so different to the original that I'm really curious to see where they're going to take it.

What chapter are you on right now? Would like to hear your impressions on the various twists and turns of the story as they go down (with spoiler tags clearly).
Most notably after the events that take place during Chapters

6 and 7

.

RyougaSaotome · Jul 28, 2014

I'm on chapter 3 and really digging the story. It's just completely nuts and I have no idea where its all leading.

Also the fucking evil ghosts that pop out from the ground mess my shit up every time. Poor Ayumi is so freaked out that my screen has gotten super static-y.

Varion · Jul 28, 2014

The ghosts are driving me craaaazy. It's all right when you've got a talisman on you, but going into a room and hearing the oh-so-familiar Wait! Wait! just makes me want to scream. Especially as they will literally follow you everywhere if you don't hide in a cupboard a safe distance away or whatever - forget out of rooms, they'll follow you between BUILDINGS even.

Also, I'm up to the end of Chapter 4. Was surprised that one took so long last night, but I spent ages wandering the place trying to advance.

General stuff up to the end of Chapter 4:

I'm a bit disappointed that looks like the last we'll be seeing of Yuki. Considering one of the original's bad ends basically had her set up as Sachiko's replacement, I kind of hoped Blood Drive would have loads of her, especially considering she was one of my favourites in the original, but that position seems to have been taken by Sachi... who just looks weird as hell. In a way she feels a bit forced into the story, but I can live with it. I'm really surprised by just how far they're taking the real world connections, I assumed there'd be some kind of influence, but I wasn't expecting black suns in the sky and stuff.

Also I've got to admit while I could tell Mist wasn't fond of Ayumi, I at least thought he was actually still inside the school, so I had to laugh at the end of Ch4 when it turns out he'd just left immediately and was lazing around in the real world while Ayumi was risking her life inside. Magari's the most blatantly evil, but screw you too.

I was a bit worried before it came out they were seriously going to go with the idea of reviving everyone who'd died, but that possibility seems to be getting more and more remote by the chapter, considering basically everyone who suggested it has said '...Nah, no chance.' at this point. Poor Ayumi's just getting used... although at this point she doesn't really seem to have any choice but to do something about Sachi.)

Oh, and finally, the bit in the school gym in Ch4 was just the most bizarre thing. Running away from arms trying to suck you into a giant lump of ... ice cream... while low quality circus music is playing was just surreal as hell. Followed by Sachi sticking her head out of it at the end.

EX 1:

I always assumed they were going to keep it so Morishige died after he jumped out the window, so I was a bit surprised he was still alive. He dies anyway, of course, but yeah, it was nice they gave his slightly ambiguous death some closure, and his acting scene was great too, although it's just sad he couldn't hear Mayu talking to him - at least Naomi got the chance to understand Seiko wasn't holding anything against her, whereas Morishige wasn't so lucky.

OverBlood 3 · Jul 28, 2014

Hope this gets localised. I loved the first game.

How's the 2nd one? It's first person right? That has me worried

Varion · Jul 28, 2014

OverBlood 3 said:
Hope this gets localised. I loved the first game.

How's the 2nd one? It's first person right? That has me worried

It's first person, which works, although I definitely prefer the exploration style of the original/BD. It's still a great game though, addresses some plot issues from the original, gives loads of development to some of the characters who were neglected in the original, and then the final chapter is there to set Blood Drive up basically. You probably won't like it as much as the original, but if you loved that and are interested in this you really owe it to yourself to give it a go.

webkid94 · Jul 28, 2014

Watched asami's stream,man some parts were really tough to watch like (chp. 2)

the guy in the stairway with his eyes gouged and tongue cut out, THANKS FOR THE SCREEN SHAKE

. I kinda think the avatars are too cute to take seriously like when (chp. 2)

haruyuki is darkened, avatar looks like he has black bubbles around him but his actual portrait is creepy and makes him look ike some kind of wolf.

I kinda want to know who (end of ch 3)

the kid with the really beady eyes and axe is, did he kill aiko?

UberTag · Jul 28, 2014

webkid94 said:
I kinda want to know who (end of ch 3)

the kid with the really beady eyes and axe is, did he kill aiko?

The kid set her on fire and she ran off screaming in agony. As for whether he killed her or not, the one detail I can pass along is that there are NO overlooked loose threads in this game. If someone's death is in question at some point (as in Aiko's case), you can rest assured that there will be clarification on that front later in the game. It's by design that you're left wondering.

Varion said:
I'm a bit disappointed that looks like the last we'll be seeing of Yuki. Considering one of the original's bad ends basically had her set up as Sachiko's replacement, I kind of hoped Blood Drive would have loads of her, especially considering she was one of my favourites in the original, but that position seems to have been taken by Sachi... who just looks weird as hell. In a way she feels a bit forced into the story, but I can live with it.

Yeah, Yuki's involvement here was more or less as a decoy play by Sachi to lure Ayumi into a false sense of security. It would have been nice to see some additional focus on her but given that this sequel was hyper-focused on the Shinozaki family and she isn't a Shinozaki, it wouldn't have really made sense given the direction they wanted to take things. A classic red herring angle if ever there was one.

Varion said:
I was a bit worried before it came out they were seriously going to go with the idea of reviving everyone who'd died, but that possibility seems to be getting more and more remote by the chapter, considering basically everyone who suggested it has said '...Nah, no chance.' at this point. Poor Ayumi's just getting used... although at this point she doesn't really seem to have any choice but to do something about Sachi.

I really appreciated this angle because I too felt that resurrecting the original Kisaragi kids (and teacher) would have been a bit of a cop out and undercut a lot of what made the original titles so tense and powerful. It would have also seemed somewhat superfluous given that so many other characters outside of that school who also fell prey to the Sachiko charm that Naho's blog mass broadcast have also been developed. Why don't they get saved then?

But having the Blood Drive villain (or in this case, villains) wield Ayumi's guilty conscience against her as a weapon to serve their own ends? That was especially welcome.

OverBlood 3 · Jul 28, 2014

Varion said:
It's first person, which works, although I definitely prefer the exploration style of the original/BD. It's still a great game though, addresses some plot issues from the original, gives loads of development to some of the characters who were neglected in the original, and then the final chapter is there to set Blood Drive up basically. You probably won't like it as much as the original, but if you loved that and are interested in this you really owe it to yourself to give it a go.

If there's not a good sale on this week, I'll pick it up. I guess I can overlook the first person aspect of it.

ShikabaneHime13 · Jul 29, 2014

Hey, I started CPBD this weekend and am currently upon Chapter 1. Can anyone give me some help regarding

the little minigame that occurs when you hide in a locker/cabinet

? Feel free to PM me if you're not comfortable putting up the hint

RyougaSaotome · Jul 29, 2014

They explain it in the tutorial when it first happens, but each color represents a danger level. Green means you're pretty much safe, and when the color stops pulsing altogether, you're 100% safe to come out. Red means the thing is right outside, yellow is also bad, and if I remember correctly blue is when shit starts to look OK.

Varion · Jul 29, 2014

THIS GAME

Just finished Chapter 8 (went through 5-8 in one go) and there are no words. Actually none.

Spoilers right up to the end of Ch8:

I don't even know where to start. I knew Mist was up to something, but the reveal was still fantastic. I was going to comment on how just killing Satsuki off like that was cold as hell... but then she turns out to be a monster and kills him right back. Interesting how at one point Magari was the crazy one and Mist relatively sane, but now it's Magari being surprisingly helpful and Mist being crazy... well, and dead. Though at least they got his motivations out before that happened. Doesn't justify what he did, of course, but, well, it's enough to make him twisted. And I loved the little twist he threw in about the black ghosts you've been encountering, too - I just assumed they were people who'd died in there before, but it makes perfect sense now why they're there when they weren't in the original.

Sure enough poor Ayumi was being completely used though. After the picture with their faces blacked out, and even the second OP (which was chills everywhere), I actually seriously thought they might've killed the others off, and I have to admit I was a little disappointed they weren't daring enough to do it and had to resort to Sachiko rewinding time a bit, but oh well, life goes on. Speaking of Sachiko though, it was actually really nice seeing her again, and actually being nice, too. That scene before she disappears was actually really sad ;_;

Also that CG of the guy peering through the peephole on Ayumi's door was creepy as hell. I was saying in one of my earlier posts I was surprised how far they were going with the real world stuff, and... well, in that chapter they couldn't really go any further. Admittedly that part got rewound, but it doesn't change the fact even before that there were ghosts on the streets and stuff. And as for where the real Book of Shadows was the whole time... hahahaha. Didn't see that coming.

This is the craziest shit and I just love it.

Fancy Clown · Jul 29, 2014

I've never played these games, but I'm always looking for some new horror stuff especially on Vita.

Are they actually scary and build tension well? Or are they more just shock/gore stuff?

NoctisVsStar · Jul 29, 2014

Fancy Clown said:
I've never played these games, but I'm always looking for some new horror stuff especially on Vita.

Are they actually scary and build tension well? Or are they more just shock/gore stuff?

It's actually quite tense/scary. I'm currently playing book of shadows I had no idea it was a first person but since I'm into the lore I'm giving it a shot. Play the first one I'm pretty sure you gonna like it

Fancy Clown · Jul 29, 2014

NoctisVsStar said:
It's actually quite tense/scary. I'm currently playing book of shadows I had no idea it was a first person but since I'm into the lore I'm giving it a shot. Play the first one I'm pretty sure you gonna like it

Awesome, thanks.

UberTag · Jul 29, 2014

Fancy Clown said:
Awesome, thanks.

Play them in the dark and wear headphones. Can't emphasize that enough. The use of binaural audio during the recording process makes all of the difference in the world.

Varion said:
And I loved the little twist he threw in about the black ghosts you've been encountering, too - I just assumed they were people who'd died in there before, but it makes perfect sense now why they're there when they weren't in the original.

Any chance you can shed some light on this twist? Seems like a compelling revelation that will largely be lost in translation by those (like myself) who don't have proficiency in Japanese and simply bucketed everything under Misuto simply doing some villainous monologuing.

Support NeoGAF

Corpse Party: Blood Drive Import Impressions Thread of Bad Ends

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Banned

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Banned

Member

Member

Banned

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Banned

Member

Member

Member

Banned

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Similar threads