Learning about other cultures through their ghost stories has always been something I enjoy doing on cold quiet nights, and the experience of these tales through interactive entertainment is always a treat. Cellar Vault Games and Chorus Worldwide have now brought the fusion of the myths and ghost stories of Malaysia with a mix of Chinese culture all in one package with Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open.
Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open follows a young girl named Ting, who has an “imaginary” friend named Xiu, well, Ting’s parents think she’s not real but in reality, Xiu is a ghost as Ting has the gift of a third sight. Ting must navigate her daily life at school and around home with this gift as her family is falling apart, and Ting is trying to fit in and make friends while having to deal with spirits either coming to her for help…or to cause trouble.
Now, onto the game itself. Controls for Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open are fairly simple and don’t need any real tutorial as controls are prompt on screen. The game is not voice-acted, so obviously there’s a lot of reading so if that’s not your thing, you may want to skip this, but I’m OK with it. The soundtrack is quite pleasant and adds to the moods seen in the game.
What I love most about this game is the art. The game’s art style is based on Joss-Papercraft and presented as a living paper theatre. I like that, as some ghost stories are told in this manner over in parts of Asia.
When it comes to gameplay along with the story itself, the gameplay is fine, it’s the story’s pacing that needs work. Let me explain, The levels start slow with Ting doing everyday kid’s stuff before it starts to slowly go into spooky territory. I can see that we are supposed to see how Ting is trying to be a normal 6-year-old while dealing with her psychic abilities and witnessing the trouble at home, but I feel like this could have been done a bit better.
Overall, Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open is an enchanting story of life and the paranormal where players have to decide which is scarier. On my scale of 1-10, I give it an 8/10
Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open Comes out on September 5th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
