Phenomeno - Mitsurugi Yoishi wa Kowagaranai
PC Download (Patched)
NITRO PLUS
2012
Phenomeno - Mitsurugi Yoishi wa Kowagaranai is a movie-length downloadable freeware visual novel released by NITRO PLUS (the minds behind Saya no Uta and Steins;Gate, among others) back in 2012. The English translation is unofficial; I played with the 2023 "updated" version. As the title hints at, this is yet another spooky VN. And a decent one too.
The protagonist is a man named Nagito. A college student, never actually shown onscreen, he eschews the typical dorm or apartment life to instead rent the creepiest scariest downright nastiest house in all of Tokyo. A haunted house, if you will. And the haunts soon begin: creaking noises every night that vanish the minute Nagito investigates, and a chilling "countdown" consisting of numbers scrawled into various nooks of the domicile. Naturally spooked, Nagito is "coincidentally" a fan of all things paranormal so he decides to seek guidance from his message board buddies. He connects with three in particular. All are female (this is a VN after all), two have massive tits (this is a VN after all). After a few focused investigations, and a futile move, the mysteries only deepen...
This is a fast-paced legitimately creepy VN, buoyed by some excellent aesthetics. It's a somewhat typical but effective scene: distorted, (literal) dark photographs with character art laid on top. No voice acting, which is really just fine, as the OST is atypically good. Nagito's dubious grip on sanity is eventually revealed via crashing industrial "music" mingled with abstract "schizophrenic" art -- it harkens back to the best of the "meat world" of Saya no Uta. Even accounting for brevity, the three female cast members are both distinct and excellent. One is "along for the ride" -- flirty and smirky and amused by the whole spirit-chasing business. Another, religious and scolding and deadly serious about the whole ordeal. Then there's Yoishi, truly the "main character" of the tale, stoic and sickly and strangely "ghostly" in her own right. Text spills down the screen in the old "sound novel" "NVL" format. Sometimes there's a bit too much text for a given moment. It almost made me feel like I was (God forgive me for saying this) reading a book.
Unfortunately, the ending is a complete ass pull. There's a revelation, then a contradiction, followed by an enormously frustrating cliffhanger. What gives? Remember how I said this felt like a book? Turns out Phenomeno is actually a VN adaptation of the first chapter of a longer print novel. Upon finishing the game, you're literally given an Amazon link to buy the book! Come on now!!
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed: 07/31/25