Originally, I came across a fan art of an abandoned hospital corridor. The sense of decay combined with the cool-toned atmosphere instantly reminded me of that enclosed feeling of fear in Hinamizawa from 'Higurashi When They Cry.' But when I clicked on it, I found that the game's character illustrations were even more amazing than I had imagined! The detective guy's half-open, tired eyes, the detail of a little bloodstain on his white coat, and the faintly visible white ghostly figure in the background — this composition is basically illustration-level battle-worn aesthetics, okay!
I admit that I'm the kind of person who goes for 'good art style first'; the plot can be savored slowly, but if it doesn't feel right at first glance, I immediately lose interest. And in 'Mountain Village Old House 2,' every character illustration, even the stiff expressions of NPC nurse sisters, carries a sort of 'inhuman' sense of discord, very much like the 'prop characters' in some depressing anime. I just like this kind of character design with a sense of brokenness; it's much more appealing than some purely cute and useless illustrations.
Moreover, the voice acting is also on point (although the cast list wasn't shown, I could tell with my ears that it had the flavor of those old-style horror radio dramas). Especially the part where a whisper comes from the corner of the room saying, 'Are you here to keep me company too?' I almost threw my controller while playing with headphones late at night. But there's no helping it; for the sake of this face, I have to endure the horror and see the story through to the end.
Anyway, I got into it because of the character illustrations, but the story completely smashed me. Now I have to go to the hospital room every day to screenshot that doctor wearing a mask... Can anyone discuss which old anime this illustration is paying homage to? I always feel like it's a character from 'Shiki'... Otaku who know, please show yourselves! 🙏