, released in English as ''Banshee's Last Cry'', is a

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

created by Chunsoft. It was first released for Super Famicom (the Japanese version of the Super NES) and was later ported to other consoles. An English localized version of the game was translated by

Jeremy Blaustein Jeremy Blaustein is an American translator and voice director. Blaustein has worked as a localizer, translating Japanese media into English. He has worked on games such as ''Metal Gear Solid'' and '' Castlevania: Symphony of the Night''. Early ...

and was released for

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

and

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

by Aksys Games in 2014. The game is the second sound novel by Chunsoft and brought a myriad of other companies to develop similar games. The term "sound novel" was a registered trademark, but is regarded as a genre. The game was a financial success. It sold 750,000 units for Super Famicom and over 400,000 units for PlayStation. The game sold 1.25 million units with remakes and ports in April 2002.

Gameplay

The player reads the text on a gamebook.

Plot

After finding a note and losing phone calls, a group of guests solve the case about the

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

. Additional deaths occur for a bad ending if the player lacks all clues.

Development

The game was revealed in the guidebook. The contest called for readers to write the storyline with the event. It was allotted for submissions and many readers cannot finish it. Ten were published in a book titled for the

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

and gamebook. The book was a success, despite the fact that it targeted readers. The writers received the money for publishing a book. A similar competition started upon the release of ''Kamaitachi no Yoru 2''. It went out of print after many years, but was re-published after making the sequel.

Music

Kōjirō Nakashima and Kōta Katō composed the game. It gained significant popularity and was reused in television shows about Aum Shinrikyo. The background for the crime was used in the show. Two songs, "Sequence" and "Two People Return Alive" were orchestrated for the fourth volume of Orchestral Game Music Concerts.

Graphics

Background images included the lodge in Hakuba, Nagano. Exceptions are the background for bathrooms and the wine cellar with miniatures. All characters have silhouettes. The English localization changed the setting including the graphic at

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Ports

Releases

The game was ported to PlayStation on December 3, 1998 and for Game Boy Advance on June 28, 2002. It was released on SoftBank Mobile on April 1, 2002, and on PC on July 1, 2002.

i-mode NTT DoCoMo's i-mode is a mobile internet (distinct from wireless internet) service popular in Japan. Unlike Wireless Application Protocols, i-mode encompasses a wider variety of internet standards, including web access, e-mail, and the packet- ...

released it on January 30, 2004. The story had minor changes for the script of ''Kamaitachi no Yoru × 3'' for

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

. Aksys Games released the game in English for

entitled ''Banshee's Last Cry'' in January 2014.

Changes

; PlayStation version * A flow chart was added and choices were colored according to whether choosing in previous arcs * The player may replay the scenes * Vibration added * Two stories were added * Changes in unlocking the extra storylines and parodies * Improved graphics * Added background information on characters ; Game Boy Advance version (comparison with PlayStation version) * The characters were changed after the ones for the sequel * A commercial message for the sequel can be unlocked * No vibration * Two extra stories were excluded after lacking cartridge spaces * Some minor changes in the script

Related media

Radio drama

radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

was released on

Compact Disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...

. The characters appeared in a different story-line with biochemical weapons. It stars Hikaru Midorikawa and Yumi Tōma.

Television drama

The two-hour drama series was aired by

Tokyo Broadcasting System formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...

on July 3, 2002. ''Kamaitachi no Yoru 2'' was released on July 18 of the same year, and the first edition of the game contained a bonus DVD of the entire drama. Like the radio drama version, the television is not a rendition of the actual game (the premise is that the fans gathered to shoot a film based on the game, when one of the characters are killed). It recreated the tense and mysterious atmosphere.

Reception

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...

'' scored the Game Boy Advance game 31 out of 40, and for Super Famicom for 30 out of 40.おオススメ!! ソフトカタログ!!: かまいたちの夜. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.335. Pg.115. 12–19 May 1995.

References

External links

Official page (iOS version)

Virtual Console page

Knulp (the ski lodge used in background graphics)

Instruction manual (Super Famicom)
at Giant Bomb {{DEFAULTSORT:Kamaitachi no Yoru 1994 video games Adventure games Android (operating system) games Chunsoft games Detective video games Game Boy Advance games 1990s horror video games Psychological horror games IOS games Kadokawa Dwango franchises Mobile games Murder–suicide in fiction Mystery video games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation Network games Single-player video games Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Survival video games Video games about crime Video games developed in Japan Video games set in Japan Virtual Console games Virtual Console games for Wii U Visual novels Works set in hotels